Read Romans 12:1–6 Offer your bodies as living sacrifices. Romans 12:1 The mind controls the body, and the will controls the mind. Many people think they can control themselves and their lives by sheer “willpower,” but usually they fail. (This was Paul’s experience as recorded in 7:15–25.) It is only...
Read Galatians 6:1–10 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 The story has often been told about the message the founder of the Salvation Army sent to their international convention. General William Booth was unable to attend because of ill...
Read Isaiah 1:1 The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw. Isaiah 1:1 Salvation (deliverance) is the key theme in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah wrote concerning five acts of deliverance God would perform: (1) the deliverance of Judah from Assyrian invasion (Isa. 36—37); (2) the...
Read 1 John 1:2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 1 John 1:2 Counterfeit Christians—and they are common—are something like counterfeit money. Suppose you have a counterfeit...
Read Philippians 3:12–14 But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13–14 Before the tragedy of the Chicago fire in 1871, D....
Read Hebrews 11 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead.… By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau.… By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons.… By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Hebrews 11:19–22 In...
Read Job 27—28 The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding. Job 28:28 The first step toward true wisdom is a reverent and respectful attitude toward God, which also involves a humble attitude toward ourselves. The next step is to ask God for wisdom (James...
Read Romans 7:7–13 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Romans 7:8 I was standing in Lincoln Park in Chicago, looking at the newly painted benches, and I noticed a sign on each...
Read Ecclesiastes 6:10–12 No man can contend with one who is stronger than he. Ecclesiastes 6:10 Solomon seems to say, “It just doesn’t pay to argue with God. This is the way life is, so just accept it.” But his is a negative view of the will of God. It...
Read Isaiah 19—23 In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. Isaiah 19:24 Chapters 13 through 23 of Isaiah teach us some important lessons. First, God is in control of the nations of the world. Second, God especially hates the...