Tough Love

But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your coat is taken from you, give your shirt, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. (Matthew…

In Silence

But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him. (Habakkuk 2:20 NLT) Read: Habakkuk 1, Habakkuk 2, Habakkuk 3, Revelation 9, Psalms 137:1-9, Proverbs 30:10 Relate: In a crowd, silence is a rare experience. This is why it is so striking when it occurs. Walking through the Holocaust Museum…

The First Christmas Gift

Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, please forgive us or we will not survive, for Israel is so small.” So the Lord relented from this plan. “I will not do it,” he said. (Amos 7:2,3) Read: Amos 7:1-9:15, Revelation 3:7-22, Psalm 131:1-3, Proverbs 29:23 Relate: How do you display mercy without compromising justice? This is the problem Amos was confronted with in…

Can You Imagine The Scandal?

When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.” (Hosea 1:2) Read: Hosea 1:1 – 3:5, 1 John…

Do We Need More Radicals?

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.Dear friends, since God loved us…

Our Poor Feet

This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining. (1 John 2:7-8) Read: Daniel 8:1-27, 1 John 2:1-17, Psalm 120:1-7, Proverbs 28:25-26 Relate: When you wake up…

Even If

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. (1 Peter 2:21) Read: Ezekiel 47:1 – 48:35, 1 Peter 2:11-3:7, Psalm 119:49-64, Proverbs 28:12-13 Relate: I admit I have a bias. I have uprooted my life and moved into the Middle…