Isaiah 50—52, 1 Thessalonians 5 • Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Much can be said in just a few words. One example is the following: “Life is hard.” Our knees may buckle at times, our shoulders droop under the load, and a weariness can settle even into our breathing. We...

Isaiah 47-49, 1 Thessalonians 4 • Key Verse: 1 Thessalomans 4:13 We all have times of grief, times of mourning the loss of a family member, neighbor or close friend. There is a sadness that comes with death, a sadness intensified by the finality of it. For some, their mourning...

Isaiah 45-46, 1 Thessalonians 3 Key Verse: Isaiah 45:22 The God of the Bible is not reticent to say that He alone is God. In the Book of Isaiah, Jehovah often claims divine exclusivity: “I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God”...

Isaiah 43—44, 1 Thessalonians 2 • Key Verse: Isaiah 43:18 One of the most difficult things we can attempt to do is to forget. But sometimes forgetting is easy. Usually that is when we are trying to remember someone’s name or what we were supposed to pick up at the...

Isaiah 41-42, 1 Thessalonians 1 • Key Verse: Isaiah 41:10/ Have you seen this on a T-shirt, cap or cat window—“No Fear”? It’s a strong sentiment, but I sometimes wonder if the words match the reality of life. When life is going well and we are moving along in familiar...

Isaiah 39-40, Colossians 4 • Key Verse: Isaiah 40:12 A popular praise song says, “Our God is an awesome God.” Verses such as Isaiah 40:12 reinforce that truth. Allow yourself a moment to meditate on this description of God. He has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand....

Isaiah 37-38, Colossians 3 Key Verses: Colossians 3:1-2 Show me three things and I can probably tell what is important to you: your checkbook, your calendar and your home. The first will show me what you do with your money, the things that you value enough to spend your earnings...

Isaiah 34—36, Colossians 2 Key Verses: Isaiah 35:3-4 A writer was describing his experience of hiking in the Grand Canyon, I was surprised when he said that coming back up the trail at the end of the day was easier than his earlier descent into the canyon. It seems like...

Isaiah 32—33, Colossians 1 Key Verse: Colossians 1:18 Supremacy is a rather limited word. We may try to use it broadly, but when something or someone has supremacy, it really is singular. Only one can be supreme. Anyone else may be close, but not quite. The same is true of...

Isaiah 30-31, Philippians 4 • Key Verse: Philippians 4:6 Back To The BIBLE Leading people into dynamic relation with God Unlike the popular song a few years back, God never tells us, “Don’t worry, be happy.” Mindlessness is never the answer to anxiety. Avoidance may be a chosen path, but...