Be Merciful! “‘Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’”—Matthew 18:33 Mercy is a gift. It is undeserved. Punishment and consequences are sin’s just reward, but the merciful person does not demand justice for the guilty person. If it were not forRead More …

Kingdom Greatness For who is greater, the one at the table or the one serving? Isn’t it the one at the table? But I am among you as the One who serves.—Luke 22:27 The measure of greatness in the kingdom of God differs vastly from that of the world. OurRead More …

Spiritual Markers The Israelites did just as Joshua had commanded them. The 12 men took stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each of the Israelite tribes, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the camp and set them down there.—Joshua 4:8 Spiritual memoryRead More …

Spiritual Famine Hear this! The days are coming— [this is] the declaration of the Lord God— when I will send a famine through the land: not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.—Amos 8:11 One way God communicates is throughRead More …

When God Says No And he killed James, John’s brother, with the sword. When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too, during the days of Unleavened Bread.—Acts 12:2–3a Can you accept God’s will when His answer is no? If you are praying in God’sRead More …

Praying but Not Believing She recognized Peter’s voice, and because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gateway. “You’re crazy!” they told her. But she kept insisting that it was true. Then they said, “It’s his angel!”—ActsRead More …

A Way That Seems Right There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it is the way of death.—Proverbs 16:25 Things are not always what they seem. Proverbs warns that we can be deceived into believing we are going down the right path andRead More …

Abba, Father And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”—Galatians 4:6 The word father conjures up different images for everyone. To some it brings the picture of love, laughter, respect, and acceptance. Unfortunately, others associate the term father withRead More …

The Spirit Bears Witness The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.—Romans 8:16–17 It is impossible to perceive all thatRead More …

A Godly Influence Then the Lord said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you [alone] are righteous before Me in this generation.”—Genesis 7:1 The children of Noah faced a significant decision. They lived in a world where everyone blatantly disregarded God.Read More …