WORRY-FREE

PSALM 37:1-9 Attempting to stay current with events has its drawbacks because negative news tends to sell better than positive news. It is easy to get too worried about the unlawful conduct of people, groups, or governments that we have no control over. David declares in Psalm 37 that there is no need to worry about … [Read more…]

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A PLACE TO SHELTER

PSALM 61 Basically, public facilities are made by the government to improve the quality of life for the citizens. Among other things, these facilities include car parks, railroads, bridges, libraries, markets, and hospitals. The Agege train tracks in the Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria, are one of the resources that the homeless have … [Read more…]

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WHEN TO AVOID REJOICING

EZEKIEL 25:1-7; MATTHEW 5:43-48; PROVERBS 24:17 There is a saying among the Akan people of Ghana that states, “The lizard is not as mad with the boys who threw stones at it as with the boys who stood by and rejoiced over its fate!” Rejoicing in someone’s misfortune is the same as contributing to their downfall … [Read more…]

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REFUSE APATHY

NEHEMIAH 1:1-10; MATTHEW 25:40 Some Indian women who are now residents of the United States still have concerns for their home country. They also responded after learning about the precarious financial status of an Indian Christian school for autistic children. Being the cupbearer and confidant of the most powerful man in the country at the time did … [Read more…]

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AN INVITATION TO REST

REVELATION 21:1-5; MATTHEW 11:28 I was struck by the sounds of afflicted people’s suffering at a hospital ward for emergencies. Weariness, suffering, hunger, debt, poverty, illness, and death abound in our world. We have to deal with such a society; therefore, Jesus’ call in Matthew 11:28 is both welcome and appropriate. John’s description of “a new heaven and … [Read more…]

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THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A NAME

MATTHEW 1:18-25 An article claims that children in various African nations are frequently called after notable visitors, noteworthy occasions, or other circumstances that had personal significance for the parents. The Greek name for Joshua is Jesus, which means “the Lord saves.” Many children might have been named Jesus in his day and culture, but only one … [Read more…]

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SHARED BATTLES

GALATIANS 6:1-10 Anzac Day is remembered on April 25. Every year, both Australia and New Zealand commemorate the ANZACs—the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps—who fought alongside one another in World War I. They recall a moment when neither nation had to face the dangers of war on its own; soldiers from both nations joined … [Read more…]

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OUR IDENTITY

1 PETER 2:9; Psalm 100 Corrie ten Boom wrote in her autobiography about the horrible time she and her sister Betsie spent in a Nazi concentration camp in the early 1940s. On one occasion, they were compelled to strip off for an inspection. Corrie felt defiled and abandoned as she stood in line. She suddenly recalled … [Read more…]

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THE SON REFLECTED

MATTHEW 5:14-16 Rjukan, Norway, does not receive direct sunshine from October to March because of its northern latitude, which is combined with its placement among cliff-faced mountains. Large mirrors were built on the mountaintop by the locals to reflect the sun’s rays and direct light into the town square in order to brighten it up. … [Read more…]

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A REPULSIVE ODOR

GENESIS 3:5-13,22-24 At the Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, huge crowds came in August 2013 to see the tropical plant known as the corpse flower bloom. Its flowering is a spectacle because the flower is indigenous to Indonesia and only blooms sometimes over a number of years. The enormous, spiky, gorgeous crimson bloom stinks like … [Read more…]

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