Read 1 Peter 4:7–11 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and selfcontrolled so that you can pray. 1 Peter 4:7 My wife and I were in Nairobi, Kenya, where I would be ministering to several hundred national pastors at an Africa Inland Mission conference. We...
Read 2 Corinthians 5:16–21 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20 When I was a young pastor, it used to embarrass me somewhat to make visits and confront people with...
Read 1 Corinthians 2:11–16 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 1 Corinthians 2:13 Each of our four children has a different vocation. We have a pastor, a nurse, an electronics...
Read Isaiah 38—39 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” Isaiah 38:1...
Read Galatians 3:15–29 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. Galatians 3:25 In many Roman and Greek households, well-educated slaves guarded the children during the day. Sometimes they would teach the children, sometimes they would protect and prohibit, and sometimes they would...
Read Hebrews 11:6–16 Without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6 Faith looks to the future, for that is where the greatest rewards are found. The people named in Hebrews 11 (and those unnamed) did not receive “the things promised” (v. 13), but they had God’s witness to...
Read 1 John 3:7–10 Do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil. 1 John 3:7–8 God’s promise “I will cure you of backsliding” (Jer. 3:22) implies that backsliding...
Read 2 Corinthians 8:1–9 You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 In what ways was Jesus rich? Certainly He was rich in His person,...
Read Romans 1:16–17 In the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:17 On May 24, 1738, a discouraged missionary went “very unwillingly” to a religious meeting in...
Read 2 Corinthians 4:1–6 Since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Corinthians 4:1 The way we look at our ministry helps to determine how we will fulfill it. If we look on serving Christ as a burden, we will be a drudge and...