Enough
Read: Deuteronomy 33:24-29 As your days, so shall your strength be. (v. 25) One of the great differences between living out faith and trying to find life outside of God lies in this little word enough. One of God’s greatest promises is enough for today—daily bread and daily strength even in the hardest of times. “As […]
Contempt Lite
Read: Isaiah 6:1-13 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, . . . for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (v. 5) Perfectionism, expecting yourself and everyone else to measure up to your high standards, is a way to protect yourself from weakness. Failure […]
But I Don’t Like Weakness!
Read: Isaiah 40:27-31 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength. (vv. 30-31) I’ve been called a racehorse, known for galloping into life like a warrior steed into the heat of battle. Everyone has a breaking point, however, and the […]
Unfading Joy
Read: John 20:1-18 I am the resurrection and the life. (John 11:25) I bought a lily this Easter to remember Art, one of the many people who died from Covid-19 in the last two years. Art’s death brought a grief that only Jesus’ resurrection could bring me through. Many years ago, Art welcomed my family […]
Abundant Fruit
Read: John 15:1-11 I am the true vine. (v. 1) The small planting of vines my parents tended ripened about the same time as the apple trees in our yard, but I never really noticed them until harvest. Apple blossoms fill the countryside with their bright color and fragrant aroma as if making a grand announcement. […]
Good Friday?
Read: John 14:1-7 I am the way, and the truth, and the life. (v. 6) Today is Good Friday. Hardly anything about it could have seemed “good” to the disciples. Jesus hung on the cross for six hours. Peter denied him three times. Judas betrayed him. All the others fled. The night before, their hearts had […]
No Idea
Read: John 10:10-18 I am the good shepherd. (v. 11) What is it like to be a shepherd? It’s a far cry from the quaint pictures in church nurseries, where clean-looking shepherds coddle fuzzy-wool lambs. Shepherding was tough, dirty, and risky. Long hot days were followed by cold nights keeping watch. David described how he fought […]
Healer of Wounds
Read: John 10:1-9 I am the door. (v. 9) The “I am” sayings of John 10 provide personal and meaningful images of who Jesus is in relation to his people. Many of us live quite apart from the common farm images in the New Testament. Perhaps we can imagine Jesus as a shepherd. Jesus as a […]
I Can See!
Read: John 8:12-20 I am the light of the world. (v. 12) When Robert stopped by the Words of Hope office to thank us for how this devotional booklet helps him, tears welled up. He recounted parts of his story that were full of regret and rebellion. “I was walking in darkness and didn’t know it. […]