Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6, esv). The most beloved Psalm in the Bible, Psalm 23, closes with the familiar, comforting words, “I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” To help us […]
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him (2 Timothy 2:3–4, esv). When you join the military, life changes fast. Good-bye, civilian life. Hello, military life. No civilian gear. Standard issue clothing. No individual hairstyles. […]
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16, esv). The Word of God isn’t just any book. It is God’s owner’s manual. It is God’s manifesto for human life. It is the manufacturer’s specification for all things happiness. It is […]
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council […]
But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1, esv). God is very personal. Consider the word formed (v.1)—it’s so intimate. God may have spoken the universe into […]
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34–35, esv). It turns out that loving Jesus is the easy […]
Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it” (John 18:11, nasb)? “When the going gets tough . . .” What happens next? “The tough get going,” right? I suppose this partially explains why Peter, a fisherman, happened to be packing […]
Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn […]
Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20, esv). If we never received another thing from God for the rest of our lives, we could still fill each day with genuine gratitude: “Thank You, God, for this new day.” “Thank You for life […]
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV). When we study Scripture, we don’t want to get buried in […]