Read Ecclesiastes 9:5–10 The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. Ecclesiastes 9:5 What Solomon wrote about the dead can be reversed and applied to the living. The dead do not know what...
Read 2 Corinthians 12:9–21 I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.… For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 God does not give us His grace simply to help us endure our sufferings. God’s grace...
Read James 1:4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:4 As we read the epistle of James, we discover that the Jewish Christians were having some problems in their personal lives and in their church fellowship. For one thing,...
Read 1 John 3:18–24 For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 1 John 3:20 A “condemning heart” is one that robs us of peace. An “accusing conscience” is another way to describe it. Sometimes the heart accuses us wrongly, because it “is deceitful above all things...
Read Galatians 6:11–18 Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. Galatians 6:17 In Paul’s day, it was not unusual for the follower of some heathen god or goddess to be branded with the mark of that idol. He was proud...
Read Job 29 How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me. Job 29:2 Job had opened his defense by saying that he wished he had never been born (Job 3). Here he closed his defense by remembering the blessings he and his...
Read 1 Corinthians 14:1–25 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 14:1 A ministry that does not build up will fall down, no matter how spiritual it may seem. When we explain and apply the Word of God to individual lives, we have a ministry...
Read 1 Timothy 4:7–16 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8 Clergyman and author Phillips Brooks said, “The great purpose of life—the shaping of character by truth.” Godly...
Read Ecclesiastes 1:1–2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 “Vanity of vanities,” lamented Solomon, “all is vanity!” Solomon liked that word vanity; he used it in some form thirty-eight times in Ecclesiastes as he wrote about everyday life. The word means “emptiness, futility, vapor,...
Read 1 John 2:1–6 If anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. 1 John 2:5 Obedience to God’s Word is proof of our love for Him. There are three motives for obedience. We can obey because we have to, because we need to, or because...