The Bible in a Year “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.” — Amos 8:11, NIV (Bible Gateway) Most of us know what it feels likeContinue reading “When the Words We Need Grow Hard to Hear”
Category Archives: Faith
When Worship Cannot Hide Injustice
The Bible in a Year “They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name.” —Amos 2:7 Amos began his prophetic message by announcing judgment against the nations surrounding Israel. HisContinue reading “When Worship Cannot Hide Injustice”
When God Calls His People Together
The Bible in a Year “Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.” —Joel 1:14 Joel describes a land stripped of nearly everything necessary for ordinary life. Successive swarms of locustsContinue reading “When God Calls His People Together”
When Our Fortresses Replace Our Faith
The Bible in a Year “Israel has forgotten their Maker and built palaces; Judah has fortified many towns. But I will send fire on their cities that will devour his fortresses.” —Hosea 8:14 Hosea 8:14 can be understood through three closely connected words: forgotten, fortified, and fire. The first describes Israel’s spiritual condition, the secondContinue reading “When Our Fortresses Replace Our Faith”
Walking in the Light I Have Received
As the Day Ends “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” — John 8:12 Evening Devotional Meditation As this day closes, Jesus invites me to examine how I responded to the light He gave me. The Greek word translated “follows” is akoloutheō, which means to accompany someoneContinue reading “Walking in the Light I Have Received”
God’s Will Is Learned While Walking
The Bible in a Year “Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear.” — Hosea 6:3 Many of us have prayed, “Lord, show me Your will.” We want to know which opportunity to accept, which direction to travel, or how a difficultContinue reading “God’s Will Is Learned While Walking”
When Flattery Meets a Faithful Heart
The Bible in a Year “With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.” —Daniel 11:32 Daniel 11 describes a season when God’s people would experience enormous pressure to compromise their faith. The chapter’s immediate historical setting points to Antiochus IV Epiphanes,Continue reading “When Flattery Meets a Faithful Heart”
When God’s Promise Takes Time
The Bible in a Year “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.” — Daniel 9:25 Daniel receivedContinue reading “When God’s Promise Takes Time”
When Heaven’s Court Takes Its Seat
The Bible in a Year “A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.” — Daniel 7:10 Daniel 7 draws back the curtain of visible history and allows us to glimpseContinue reading “When Heaven’s Court Takes Its Seat”
When God Weighs What the World Applauds
The Bible in a Year “Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.” — Daniel 5:27 Daniel 5 brings us into a banquet hall filled with wealth, influence, music, and wine. King Belshazzar is entertaining a thousand nobles while Babylon appears secure around them. Yet the celebration becomes an act of openContinue reading “When God Weighs What the World Applauds”