Bible Reading Plan

After God’s people were exiled from the Promised Land to Canaan, God raised up Nehemiah as a  great leader to re-establish them in their land. Nehemiah’s great leadership began in prayer. We  may not feel like leaders, but all of us can be used by God wherever we are. The key to God’s work in…

In one of the most vivid passages of the Old Testament, we see God speaking with Abraham about the wicked towns of Sodom and Gomorrah. Although Abraham’s nephew, Lot, lives there with his family, Abraham calls on God to act justly, almost like he is bargaining. with God. From Abraham, we have much to learn…

Jesus rising on Easter morning was more than a showy miracle to shock and awe His attackers and followers. When Jesus rose, He turned the entire order of the universe on its head. The Resurrection shows us that death does not have the last word. God has the last word, and His word is Life.…

Our desire to be popular, even as adults, is normal. This desire emerges from our longing to be in community and feel like we belong. Rather than seeking to be popular, Jesus sought to be unpopular. Popularity and acclaim in the eyes of others are fleeting. If we put all our faith in them, we…

The concept of giving up our lives isn’t foreign to us. It happens most often when we embark upon new relationships. When we exchange vows with our spouse, we give up our old lives for a new one. When parents welcome a child into the home, they give up their old lives for a new…

Loving our enemies can sometimes feel as idealistic as instantaneous world peace. Still, Jesus showed that caring even for those who persecute us is a real, actionable mandate we can carry out by following His example. The paradoxical kingdom truth is that the way to deal with an enemy is to do him good, which…

God doesn’t care about the artificial lines we draw to make ourselves feel superior to others. In God’s eyes, we are all equal. God’s Word and His message of salvation are far more important than and superior to any lines we draw in the sand, any distinctions we make among us. We need to give…

Not a day goes by that something isn’t expected of you, or you expect something of someone else.  We have expectations of ourselves and God, too, and they are not always healthy.  When our expectations are based on God’s Word, they will never fail to be met. Cast aside your expectations, trust in God, and…

We are used to having control over so many things that we often fail to seek God’s will for our lives, and we try to call all the shots ourselves. Everything in culture teaches us to take control. You must take charge, make it happen, and control your destiny. But the truth behind our need…

Once you claim to be a Christian and know what it means to follow Jesus, how do you maintain that identity? How do we prevent deconstructing our faith to the point that we walk away from Christ, as others have? When we cease to believe what we once believed and are trying to figure out…