Job 16:1-19:29; 1 Corinthians 16:1-24; Psalm 40:1-10; Proverbs 22:1 So much of the Bible speaks about the trials that come from being broken people who live in a broken world. Both Psalm 40 and today’s reading in Job emphasize this.It is especially difficult to read Job’s account of personal torment. He goes on at length to describe his feelings, as well as the reactions of those around him. He is...  Read More

Job 12:1-15:35; 1 Corinthians 15:29-58; Psalm 39:1-13; Proverbs 21:30-31 What does the future hold? As we look ahead to the election, upcoming school year, financial uncertainty, and waning physical health, we can be filled with anxiety, worry, or fear however, Paul challenges us to look ahead to the guaranteed future to find hope.As you were reading Job and then 1 Corinthians it may have felt lik...  Read More

Job 8:1-11:20; 1 Corinthians 15:1-28; Psalm 38:1-22; Proverbs 21:28-29 What are the most important things in your life? If your home caught on fire and you could only take two things with you, what would you grab?Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 details what the most important things of our faith are. Those things which are of “first importance.” In one word we could summarize the most important thing as ...  Read More

Job 4:1-7:21; 1 Corinthians 14:18-40; Psalm 37:30-40; Proverbs 21:27 I am sure that all of us want to be helpful to people but sometimes our attempts to help can make things worse. A challenging book along these lines is When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Finkert. Another book with similar ideas is the Book of Job. Job is initially surrounded by three friends who have come to encourage ...  Read More

Job 1:1-3:26; 1 Corinthians 14:1-17; Psalm 37:12-29; Proverbs 21:25-26 Why? This is one of the most common responses to suffering, difficulty, and hardship. We want to know why is this happening to me. This is also a most common question that keeps people from believing in God. How can an all-powerful, all-loving, all-knowing God allow bad things to happen to good people? Job is a book that puts t...  Read More

Esther 8:1-10:3; 1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13; Psalm 37:1-11; Proverbs 21:23-24 1 Corinthians 13 is one of the best known texts in the Bible. This beautiful discourse on love is found in an extended passage where Paul addresses ministry and the use of our spiritual gifts. Any ministry—in order to matter in eternity—must be done in love.  Nearly four decades ago, a then twenty-something very-gifted hi...  Read More

Esther 4:1-7:10; 1 Corinthians 12:1-26; Psalm 36:1-12; Proverbs 21:21-22 1 Corinthians 12 is one of the most extensive passages in the Bible concerning spiritual gifts. Verse 1 instructs us regarding the critical nature of understanding these gifts which the Spirit grants to believers. There are a few things Paul wants us to understand:First, we should realize that God is the source of all gifts. ...  Read More

Esther 1:1-3:15; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; Psalm 35:17-28; Proverbs 21:19-20 Esther is one of my daughters’ favorite books in the Bible. To her, it is about a grand romance when it is truly nothing like that. They see it as a Disneyesque princess tale but as we read it, it unveils a story of abuse, power run amok, and a story of good versus evil. It begins with a powerful man asking his first wife t...  Read More

Nehemiah 12:27-13:31; 1 Corinthians 11:1-16; Psalm 35:1-16; Proverbs 21:17-18 Work is never fully completed. Think about our mission, to be disciples who make disciples. We are never finished being a disciple of Jesus Christ and the work of making disciples will not end until Christ returns. This is true in every area of life. No matter how much we have accomplished there is always more to do.Nehe...  Read More

Nehemiah 11:1-12:26; 1 Corinthians 10:14-33; Psalm 34:11-22; Proverbs 21:14-16 We have sung a song a few times at church where one of the lines is: “Praise. Give him praise.” It speaks to the fact that God is worthy of our worship and praise. We see that emphasis scattered throughout our reading today. We see the example of the priests in Nehemiah who were assigned to “give praise and thanksgiving...  Read More

Nehemiah 9:22-10:39; 1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13; Psalm 34:1-10; Proverbs 21:13Paul’s passion and objective is to share the gospel with all people. He makes this so clear in our reading from 1 Corinthians today.  Though he has the freedom to do otherwise he tells us, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that...  Read More

Nehemiah 9:22-10:39; 1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13; Psalm 34:1-10; Proverbs 21:13 Paul’s passion and objective is to share the gospel with all people. He makes this so clear in our reading from 1 Corinthians today.  Though he has the freedom to do otherwise he tells us, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, tha...  Read More