READ: 1 SAMUEL 20:41-42; ROMANS 12:10, 15-16 Do you ever feel ashamed for crying? Sometimes, it can feel like we need to be tough and strong, not weepy. But that’s not what we see in the Bible. In 1 Samuel 20:41, for example, we see how the mighty warrior-king David openly wept when he had [...]

READ: PSALMS 27; 63; 84 We sing of Your power,We lift up Your might,We praise Your goodness and grace!We exalt You as holy,We kneel to Your Name—But for a glimpse of Thy face.In Your face is delightthat none can contain,gladness, glory, and beauty!For You are our Maker,our soul’s one desire—Our spirit is thirsting for Thee.Your [...]

READ: GALATIANS 5:16-25, 6:7-10; COLOSSIANS 3:1-17 Have you ever thought about how your habits form you and take you places? For example, if you have a habit of brushing your teeth every day, your teeth are likely healthy. If you were to neglect this habit, it would be quite obvious. Developing intentional, healthy habits is [...]

READ: ISAIAH 41:10; JOHN 14:18; 15:12-15; HEBREWS 13:5 Have people ever let you down so much that you don’t want to get up again? I know I have felt like this many times. Or maybe you see all of your friends hanging out, and you feel like you’re the “backup friend.” Many times in my [...]

READ: ROMANS 12:16-21; EPHESIANS 4:31-32; 2 TIMOTHY 2:22-26 Have you ever worked on a complex math problem, only to realize that you made a mistake partway through? By the time you get to the end, there’s no fixing it. All you can do is start over from the beginning. The same can be true in [...]

READ: MATTHEW 14:22-23; LUKE 5:16; 1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18 Have you ever had to face the same problem over and over again? I think we all have from time to time. A few months ago, I had a difficult situation at work. It went on for quite some time, and I relied heavily on the Lord [...]

READ: LUKE 11:9-13; JOHN 16:1-15; EPHESIANS 1:18 In college, I had a professor who started class discussions about readings by showing us a picture of a lightning bolt striking the earth. Then she’d ask the question, “What struck you?” Sometimes, I like to ask myself this kind of question when I read the Bible. I [...]

READ: PSALMS 32:1-11; 103:4; JOHN 8:12; ACTS 26:9-18 Blinking open his eyes he looked out into darkness. “How long have I been here?” he asked the darkness. “Innumerable days,” came the melancholy response. “How long shall I stay here?” he asked the darkness. “An insurmountable time,” came the dreary response. “Who shall stay with me?” [...]

READ: PSALMS 62:5-8; 87:7; ISAIAH 1:18; 1 CORINTHIANS 1:30 Sure is the hope of our righteousness,pure is the Word of the Lord;He is the rock of my salvation,He alone is my reward.“Come now, let us settle the matter,”says the LORD,“Though your sins are like scarlet,…they shall be like wool.” *My soul waits in silence for [...]

READ: JOHN 13:1-17; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:15-21; 1 PETER 2:21-25 A few days after arriving in Romania as a missionary, I discovered two things: First, one of the sandals I had brought along, hoping they would last my entire year overseas, broke. Second, on the ground floor of my apartment building, a family ran a small [...]