1 SAMUEL 17:32-37 The enormous foe advances toward the Valley of Elah. He is nine feet tall, and the sunshine catches the bronze plates that make up his armour. His spear’s shaft is cord-wrapped, allowing him to spin it in the air and throw it farther and more precisely. Goliath appears unbeatable. But David is smarter. In … [Read more…]
EPHESIANS 2:1-10 I initially believed he was joking. But he was dead serious when he asked, “Do you believe we could get to heaven with the right technology?” I suppose it made me happy that my friend wished to enter heaven. But his “do it yourself” approach would never get him to his desired destination. Paul must … [Read more…]
JOHN 20:11-18 Advertisers are aware that the word we react to most strongly is our own name. That explains why our names appear in so many spam emails and social media advertisements. They are trying to get our attention. Having our names used by someone who does not genuinely know us is a bit hollow, regardless … [Read more…]
2 CHRONICLES 24:15-22 When told of his grandmother Athaliah’s wicked crimes, Joash must have been perplexed and terrified. She had killed his brothers in order to grab Judah’s throne. Joash, meanwhile, had spent the previous six years in the safe confines of his aunt and uncle. He benefited from his caregivers’ love and guidance as … [Read more…]
ZECHARIAH 10:1-8 An endangered language that resembles a bird song is being restored on La Gomera, one of the smallest of the Canary Islands. Schoolchildren and visitors are discovering how whistling was formerly used to communicate over distances of up to two miles in a land of deep valleys and steep ravines. Shepherds at La … [Read more…]
PHILIPPIANS 3:1-11 The daughter of a pastor once asked him, “Dad, are we famous?” He replied, “No, we are not famous.” “Well, we would be if more people knew about us,” she responded after giving it some thought. Poor girl! She was just six years old and she was confronting an issue that many of us face … [Read more…]
PROVERBS 22:1 When the “African lion” began barking instead of roaring, zoo visitors were disgusted. Staff at the zoo claimed they could not afford to purchase a genuine lion, so instead they dressed up a Tibetan mastiff – a very huge dog – as one. It goes without saying that the zoo’s reputation has been damaged, … [Read more…]
2 CORINTHIANS 12:7-10 Enterprise, Alabama, has a well-known monument, like many other towns. But the Enterprise memorial is unique in its own right. The statue honours a beetle’s achievements rather than a prominent individual. This boll weevil traveled from Mexico to the southern US in the early 1900s. Within a few years, it had completely … [Read more…]
LUKE 17:11-19 One scorching afternoon, there was heavy traffic, and everybody was stressed. I spotted a car pulling out of a fast-food restaurant driveway with two young men waiting to enter into traffic. The fact that the driver in front of me allowed them in pleased me. However, the “kind” motorist in front of me became aggressive … [Read more…]
PSALM 13 Waiting is difficult at any time, but it may be especially challenging when days, weeks, or even months go by without any sign of God answering our prayers. As he waited, the psalmist got weary (Psalm 13:1). It is easy to become disheartened when we are waiting for God to intervene in a trying circumstance … [Read more…]
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