2 TIMOTHY 2:1-6; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:58 Chinese proverbs are popular and frequently have origins in stories. An impatient man in the Song Dynasty is the subject of the saying, “pulling up a crop to help it grow.” He was anxious to watch his rice seedlings develop swiftly. He therefore came up with a solution. He would … [Read more…]
1 CHRONICLES 16:7-14 “If thanksgiving were a drug, it would be the world’s best-selling product with health benefits for every major organ system,” says a renowned Medical Center expert. Some people define being thankful as simply having an attitude of gratitude; they take the time to appreciate and give attention to what they already have rather than … [Read more…]
DANIEL 6:1-10 I was struck by how easily Daniel could have escaped being cast into the lions’ den when reading the book of Daniel. His regular daily practice of praying to God was the premise for a trap set by his envious competitors in the administration of Babylon (Daniel 6:1–9). Daniel may have chosen to … [Read more…]
EPHESIANS 2:10; 4:5-16 The early 1900s saw the development of the Dreadnought D-35 guitar, which is larger than most of those made at the time and is renowned for its robust and loud tone. It was given that name in commemoration of the large British battleship HMS Dreadnought from World War I. The D-35 has an … [Read more…]
COLOSSIANS 1:13-23 Union Major General Lew Wallace served as governor of the New Mexico territory in the years following the American Civil War (1861–1865), although New Mexico had not yet been accepted as a state. Many of the people who make up the almost mythic history of the Wild West came into contact with him because … [Read more…]
PSALM 77:1-15 I am not sure what dire circumstance inspired Asaph to pen Psalm 77, but I have heard and expressed similar cries before. But in verse 10, Asaph experiences a change of heart as a result of remembering God’s love and His deeds. In this life, despair is real, yet solutions are hardly simple. However, amid … [Read more…]
MARK 10:13-16 The world was made aware of a small act of kindness that occurred on a New York City subway. A young man dozed off on an older passenger’s shoulder with his hooded sweatshirt covering his head. “He must have had a long day,” the older guy muttered when someone else offered to wake … [Read more…]
ISAIAH 55:8-11 In dry regions, water brings about wonderful transformations. For instance, during the dry season, the pincushion cactus goes completely dormant. Cactuses, however, bloom with delicate pink, gold, and white petals after the first rain. Similar to this, in the Holy Land, dry land might sprout plants over night following a shower. Isaiah used the … [Read more…]
JOHN 4:9-14, 27-29 Following the issuance of his license, Mark’s parents received several calls from people who had found it. They warned him to be more careful and not to leave it behind. However, it is not necessarily a bad thing to leave things behind. In John 4, a woman had come to a well to draw … [Read more…]
JOHN 3:1-8,13-16 There are proverbs regarding the difficulties of breaking long-held habits in many different languages. You cannot teach an old dog new tricks in English. In French, “Ce n’est pas à un vieux singe qu’on apprend a faire la grimace” (you cannot teach an old monkey how to pull a funny face). In Spanish, … [Read more…]
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