Lost and Found
Read: Luke 15 We had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours . . . was lost and is found. (v. 32 NIV) There’s nothing like being lost to make you feel vulnerable. Jesus tells three stories back-to-back to help the religious snobs of his day reexamine their contempt for “lostness.” We encounter lost sheep, lost […]
Waiting for the Harvest
Read: Genesis 39:20-23 We will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. (Gal. 6:9 MSG) The exhortation Paul gave us in Galatians 6 to persevere is illustrated perhaps more dramatically in the life of Joseph than in any other Biblical account. Perhaps we’ve passed by the story like a washed-out billboard […]
Persians Love to Sing
People have a lot of ideas about individuals from Iran. But after attending a recent Persian Training Conference, Adam Navis, Words of Hope’s Persian Ministry Coordinator, can say that one thing is true without a doubt: Persians love to sing! “Every day when we would get together we began by singing a few songs,” Adam […]
Fragile Clay Jars
Read: 2 Corinthians 4:6-18 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. (v. 7 NLT) As a Christian with a firm Judeo-Christian worldview, it’s hard for me to understand why the world races to achieve immortality when God has already promised it. And […]
May 2022 Prayer Guide
UGANDA — Give thanks that more programmers have joined the team that produces Runyankole programs in Uganda. The team gives thanks that the number of listeners tuning into the programs continues to grow, despite the lifting of COVID lockdowns and the reopening of physical churches. This means that people are now attending in-person church and […]
A Handsome Heart
Read: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 The LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. (v. 7) Have you observed people who will do almost anything to appear strong to others? For some, the thought of being embarrassed strangles their ability to ask for help or encouragement. […]
Jesus and His Great Weakness
Read: John 1:1-14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory. (v. 14) Flesh is, by nature and intent, fragile. If you were God’s Son and needed to die, the way to do it would be wrapping yourself in human flesh and subjecting yourself to the laws of nature […]
Defending God’s Honor
Read: 1 Samuel 17:32-49 . . . that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. . . (vv. 46-47) Young David visited his older siblings at the battlefront, only to be mocked because he asked […]
No Shortcuts
Read: Matt. 16:21-28 “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me.” (v. 23) Jesus once rebuked Peter for encouraging him to shortcut the road that leads through difficulty (Matt. 16:22-23). It happened after Peter declared Jesus to be the Messiah; then Jesus predicted his death. One moment glorious, the next inglorious as Peter began […]