Read 1 Timothy 1:1–2 To Timothy my true son in the faith. 1 Timothy 1:2 “Men wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.” That advertisement appeared in a London newspaper, and thousands...
Read 1 John 5:16–21 We are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5:20 The world boasts of enlightenment, but Christians walk in the real light because “God is light” (1:5). The world talks about love, but...
Read Philippians 4:1–5 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Philippians 4:4–5 If anybody had an excuse for worrying, it was the apostle Paul. Two of his beloved Christian friends at Philippi were disagreeing with...
Read 1 Timothy 4:1–6 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 1 Timothy 4:1 Satan works “by means of the hypocrisy of liars” (1 Tim. 4:2, literal translation). One of the marks of a true...
Read 1 John 2:16 Everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 1 John 2:16 As Christians, the world appeals to us through “the lust of the flesh,...
Read 1 John 2:8 I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. 1 John 2:8 The Greeks had two different words for new—one meant “new in time,” and the other meant...
Read 2 Corinthians 10:12–18 It is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. 2 Corinthians 10:18 How does God approve our work? By testing it. The Greek word translated “approved” in verse 18 means “approved by testing.” There is a future...
Read Job 20:1—21:6 Listen carefully to my words; let this be the consolation you give me. Job 21:2 Listen to Job’s appeal to his friends that they try to understand how he feels. “If you really want to console me, just keep quiet and listen” (v. 2, author’s paraphrase). The...
Read Isaiah 40:2–26 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8 The book of Isaiah can be called “a Bible in miniature.” The thirtynine chapters in the first part of Isaiah may be compared to the Old Testament books, and both...
Read Ecclesiastes 5:8–20 Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. Ecclesiastes 5:10 The late Joe Louis, world heavyweight boxing champion, used to say, “I don’t like money, actually, but it quiets my nerves.” But Solomon said that possessing wealth is no...