GENESIS 50:22–26 I remember sitting with others by a dying man’s bedside and seeing both the amazing and the ordinary aspects of life. With God’s presence encompassing us as we wept over this great man who was dying at an early age of forty, his final breath felt like a holy moment. Many faith heroes, such … [Read more…]
ISAIAH 55:1–7 Despite receiving numerous mail invitations, including free seminars on retirement, real estate, and life insurance, the one to a gathering honouring a longtime friend was quickly accepted because I desired to be there. Invitation plus desire equals acceptance. Isaiah 55:1 is a biblical invitation to those in difficult circumstances, offering them inner nourishment, spiritual … [Read more…]
MATTHEW 27:45–54; ROMANS 12:1 When young Isaac Watts saw that his church’s music was extremely poor, his father urged him to compose better music. Isaac did. His musical composition “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” has been translated into numerous different languages and is regarded as the best in the English language. Watts’s third verse of worship … [Read more…]
JOHN 11:1–16; JOHN 20:25 Though the name Doubting Thomas is most familiar to us (see John 20:24–29), it is not quite accurate. Ultimately, how many of us would have thought that our leader, who was executed, had been raised from the dead? We may as well give him the nickname “Courageous Thomas.” After all, Thomas showed … [Read more…]
LUKE 8:1–8; 2 CORINTHIANS 8:7 At age eight, a young boy expressed his love for Jesus and desire to serve God overseas. Over the next decade, my friend prayed for him and invested money in his future. When he applied to a mission agency, my friend gave him the money he had been saving for him, … [Read more…]
ROMANS 5:12–21 Mom saw Samuel, who was four years old, running away from the baby kittens. He was instructed not to touch them. She inquired, “Samuel, did you touch the kittens?” “No!” he answered firmly. Then Mom asked again, “Were they soft?” “Yes, and the black one mewed,” he added. For a toddler, we smile at such duplicity. … [Read more…]
PSALM 139:1–18 My friend asked if we could pick up their five-year-old son from school and take him home because they had a medical emergency. On arrival at the school, we asked the lad whether he was surprised that we came to get him, but he told us that he knew everything. A five-year-old may claim to … [Read more…]
JOHN 9:1–11, 25 Noah Purifoy, an assemblage artist, used three tonnes of rubble from the 1965 riots in Los Angeles to create sculptures. He and a colleague used broken bicycle wheels, bowling balls, tyres, and TV sets to convey a message about modern society’s treatment of people as “throw-aways.” He saw value in the discarded. A … [Read more…]
JOHN 13:12–26 At night, I imagine leaning on Jesus, recalling the Word of God about the apostle John. John recounts sitting beside Jesus at the Last Supper, where he was reclining next to him (John 13:23). John uses the term “the disciple whom Jesus loved” to refer to himself without mentioning his own name. He depicts a … [Read more…]
2 CORINTHIANS 5:1–9 I like to look up at a clear blue sky. The sky is a magnificent work of art that our wonderful Creator has left for us to enjoy. Just think of how much the pilots must love the view! The phrase “You can see to tomorrow” is my favourite among the various aviation … [Read more…]
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