Psalm 46:1–3 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Read the context It's been a week where it felt like the earth was shaking — The anniversary of a major terrorist attack... Violence in the news... Wars, Worries, & Fear. It can feel like the world is falling apart. But your world isn't....
2 days ago • 1 min read
Acts 16:31–34 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household. Read the context The Jailer...
3 days ago • 1 min read
Acts 16:25–30 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake. ... At once all the prison doors flew open. ... The jailer was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what...
4 days ago • 1 min read
Romans 12:3–5 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Read the context God gave you unique functions as part of a bigger...
5 days ago • 1 min read
Philemon 8–11 Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. Read the context Paul was asking Philemon to do the hard thing — "Welcome back Onesimus, your...
6 days ago • 1 min read
Deut. 30:15–16 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. Read the context The Israelites were about to enter the land God promised them. What would life look like next? Moses knew — there were only two paths: a path following the...
7 days ago • 1 min read
Luke 14:25–27 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Read the context Following Jesus isn't cheap... In fact it's costly. It impacts your comfort, priorities, and even your relationships The price is too high for you to handle....
8 days ago • 1 min read
Psalm 1:1–2 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked — or stand in the way that sinners take — or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, — and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Read the context On the first day of school, the lunchroom is a zoo. Who you sit with matters — It forms...
9 days ago • 1 min read
1 Peter 5:10–11 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. Read the context Five minutes feels like an eternity when you're waiting for a doctor's help. No one wants to sit in pain. This life is like a waiting room... It isn't your home. Painful moments will remind you of that: health struggles... relationship...
10 days ago • 1 min read