Scripture Reading — Philippians 3:10-11I want to know Christ. . . .— Philippians 3:10Researchers in Europe went door to door, asking people about their belief in God. One question was this: “Do you believe in a God who intervenes in human lives, who changes the course of history, and performs miracl
Scripture Reading — Exodus 20:8-11“. . . the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.”— Exodus 20:10I am not very good at resting. I have noticed that I’m becoming more distracted by my phone and more captivated by the world online. I love to learn, and the internet provides endless opportunit
Scripture Reading — Isaiah 62:1-12I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem. . . .— Isaiah 62:6In this vision of hope we find a powerful call to action. In verse 6, God says: “I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem. They will never be silent day or night.” This is a powerful picture o
Scripture Reading — Matthew 15:21-28Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith!”— Matthew 15:28In today’s story Jesus and his disciples were in an area where most of the people did not know or worship God. The disciples were not familiar with the customs and culture and likely would have felt u
Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16; 3:6-10In all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord.— 1 Thessalonians 3:7-8Paul thanked God for his Thessalonian friends, who, despite knowing they w
Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 3:10-17In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted.— 2 Timothy 3:12As we explore what it means to be witnesses for Jesus, it is important to talk about the cost of witnessing. Did you know that in the Bible the Greek word for “witnesses
Scripture Reading — Acts 1:6-11“. . . and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”— Acts 1:8Have you ever received a gift but were not quite sure what to do with it? I once received some freeze-dried army food. I didn’t need it right away, s
Scripture Reading — Isaiah 43:16-21“See, I am doing a new thing!”— Isaiah 43:19Recently my wife and I replaced our old kitchen stove with a new one. The first time I used it, I put a pan of milk on the range to make oatmeal and turned it on high. I turned around briefly to get some other ingredients
Scripture Reading — Acts 1:1-11“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses. . . .”— Acts 1:8I once served as a witness on a legal matter. The lawyers determined to make sure that my memories were clear and that the timeline of events was accurate. They als
Scripture Reading — John 21:15-17Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord . . . you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”— John 21:17Recently I recalled the day my husband asked me to marry him. We were both students and had come from diff
Scripture Reading — John 21:1-14Simon Peter . . . dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.— John 21:11Years ago we lived on the edge of a lake in eastern Ontario. We often took our fishing poles out to see what might be swimming in the water
Scripture Reading — Luke 24:13-35“Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”— Luke 24:32At a concert, the usher at the door looked so familiar to me. But I could not recall where or when I might have met him before. After a brief conve
