Unlocked Archives: September 2023
September 20, 2023
READ: GENESIS 1:27, 31; EPHESIANS 1:2-10; 3:14-19 You might not believe you are good enough, but to the God who created the universe and every human on earth, you are enough. You might find it difficult to believe you are capable or attractive or talented or special, but the God who made every colorful flower, [...]
September 19, 2023
READ: GENESIS 1:27; LUKE 8:1-3; MATTHEW 27:45-56 Sometimes, when I look at our broken world and I see more and more ways that women have been treated as less than men, I just get overwhelmed. Sometimes I wonder, does God see women as less than men? Are we less? One day, I was sitting alone [...]
September 18, 2023
READ: PSALM 77:11-12; ROMANS 15:4; 2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17 Do you find parts of the Bible boring to read? You’re not alone. The Bible was written by lots of people who were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and these different people lived over a long period of time. The Bible is made up of all kinds [...]
September 17, 2023
READ: ACTS 2:42-47; EPHESIANS 2:13-22; 1 THESSALONIANS 5:11 When God created Adam, He said that people shouldn’t be alone. And so, God created Eve. From the beginning, God created people for community. God designed Adam and Eve to thrive in fellowship—in companionship and intimacy with one another (Genesis 1-2). But then, Adam and Eve disobeyed [...]
September 16, 2023
READ: PSALM 13:1-6; MATTHEW 11:28-30; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-11; HEBREWS 4:14-16 I am tired, so ready to give in I am weak, I cannot stand on my own I need rest, some way to take a break I need peace, a chance to put away my thoughts I am anxious, so much to get done I [...]
September 15, 2023
READ: ROMANS 12:15; 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-14, 25-27; GALATIANS 6:2 Have you ever had a really bad ear infection? For such a small part of the body, the ear really makes a big difference! If your ear is infected, your entire body feels bad. In addition to your ear hurting, you might have trouble sleeping—not to [...]
September 14, 2023
READ: PSALM 139:13-16; PROVERBS 14:30; JOHN 10:7-11 “If only I could be like Carter,” I wished for the millionth time. “Just naturally confident.” Trudging through the crowds on my way home, I thought about all the popular college students. Unlike me. Everyone in front of me seemed to stride with purpose, while a heaviness dragged [...]
September 13, 2023
READ: MATTHEW 5:13-16; COLOSSIANS 4:2-6 In Matthew 5:13-16 and Colossians 4:2-6, we read that Christians are like salt. But what does that mean? What does salt do in practical terms? And how does this apply to our everyday lives? First, salt adds flavor. As Christians, we can add flavor to the lives of the people [...]
September 12, 2023
READ: ISAIAH 26:19; EZEKIEL 37:1-14; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:12-20, 51-52 Earth will give birth to you. Your body, as it decomposes, will scatter particles back into the biosphere of our planet. This has happened to all members of the human race, the highborn and the lowly. But this isn’t permanent. A day is coming when Jesus [...]
September 11, 2023
READ: MATTHEW 5:43-47; LUKE 21:9-11; JOHN 14:1; 1 JOHN 4:19 War. Terrorism. Violence of all kinds. In a world that’s broken by sin where these terrible events are the reality—and in an age of unending information in which we constantly hear about them—what are we as Christians to do? First, let’s remember why these terrible [...]