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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to…
Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep? You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured.…
And if you still refuse to listen, I will weep alone because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, because the LORD’s flock will be led away into exile. (Jeremiah 13:17 NLT) For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God,…
For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2) Read: Isaiah 3:1 – 5:30, 2 Corinthians 11:1-15, Psalm 53:1-6, Proverbs 22:28-29 Relate: Oprah is a smart woman. Strike that. She is brilliant. I don’t buy it for a second that she…
You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever! (Psalm 30:11-12) Read: Ezra 7:1 – 8:20, 1 Corinthians 4:1-21, Psalm 30:1-12, Proverbs…
THE RIVER WALK 