It’s easy to look at the joys in life and come to the wrong conclusion, to believe that those who receive blessings are somehow particularly worthy of them. The name “Isaac” should remind us of that, because it means “laughter.” But this doesn’t just refer to the laughter of surprised…

“God, I’ve got a great idea! Please bless me in this!” Maybe you’ve prayed this sort of prayer, honestly and sincerely. And maybe your idea is an honest attempt to do something for God, to advance the cause of His Kingdom. What could possibly be wrong with that? Surely, God…

Do you ever feel like people are taking advantage of you? Abram would understand. He was genuinely trying to worship God (13:4, 18), and God had made great promises to him (12:1-3, 7). In fact, God had blessed him and his nephew Lot so greatly that their livestock were too…

Bible Reading for January 3 – Genesis 8-11 The flood changed a lot of things. After Noah left the ark, mankind no longer has the same kind of control over the animals – now they are afraid of us (9:2). Man’s diet changed, no longer being exclusively plant-based (9:3). And…

The earth was filled with violence (6:11). That doesn’t sound so different from today’s headlines, does it? College students slaughtered in Idaho. Policemen attacked with a machete in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. And the same sort of jealousy and anger that prompted Cain to kill his brother is…

Bible Reading for December 31 – Psalm 90 As we come to the end of another year, it’s easy to wonder where the time has gone. So, while we might like to meditate on the first verses of this Psalm today: “from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God,” our minds…

Grief can hit especially hard during the holiday season: all those memories of loved ones crowd in as we celebrate traditions of which they were once an integral part. Worse yet, as we focus so much on giving and receiving gifts, it’s easy to slide into a belief that the…

Recently, we’ve been hearing a lot about injustice in our society. But in today’s passage, we are reminded that injustice is not a new problem at all. Take King Herod, for instance. Yes, he was a Jew, but not a descendant of David. He had been installed on his throne…

Where do you look for truth today? After all, our two political parties offer mutually exclusive and diametrically opposed visions for our government. And with the internet placing so much information at our fingertips, we are surrounded by all sorts of various and conflicting opinions about everything. Whom should we…

A short marriage and a long widowhood would be enough to make many people bitter with disappointment. And many people who reach the age of 84 think they have nothing left to offer, and that life has somehow passed them by. Maybe that’s where you find yourself during this Christmas…