• Waiting

    | Jun 01, 2024
    BY THE TIME Ishmael arrived, Abram had turned eighty-six. If we skip ahead to read about the birth of Isaac, the true son of Abram’s covenant with God, we’ll see Abram was one hundred years old then.
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  • Navigating without a Map

    | May 31, 2024
    WHEN LOT was making a decision about which land to choose, he didn’t consider God as a factor in shaping his future. He made all his calculations based upon the potential influences of nature and humanity.
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  • Prosperity

    | May 30, 2024
    MOST OF US rise to meet adversity with our best character. However, our true character comes out when things go really well. It’s easy to become arrogant, self-sustaining, conceited, greedy, and condescending at such times.
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  • Reflecting God

    | May 29, 2024
    ABRAM LIED to Pharaoh to save his own skin, telling him that Sarai was his sister. In doing so, he put her in jeopardy. But where he failed to protect his wife, the Lord overwhelmingly succeeded in doing so.
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  • Put to the Test

    | May 28, 2024
    FOR ABRAM, this season of hunger represented a major test. While God didn’t cause the famine, He certainly used it as an instrument in the development of Abram’s faith.
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  • Full Obedience

    | May 27, 2024
    AFTER SPENDING much of his life—perhaps from birth—in Ur of the Chaldeans, Abram was instructed by God to go to a place to be disclosed later.
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  • Trust

    | May 26, 2024
    GOD’S CALL of Abram began with an imperative—a clear command. God told him to leave his country for a land that He would show him . . . sometime later.
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  • Rationalizations

    | May 25, 2024
    Even though I have known people like this, still, I cannot fathom Saul's perspective. How can anyone be so clueless?
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  • Saul's Disobedience

    | May 24, 2024
    Saul's disobedient actions involved at least three major errors. First, kings weren't supposed to offer sacrifices on behalf of the community. Kings could offer sacrifices for themselves, but never for the nation.
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  • Sad Day

    | May 23, 2024
    When the people located their new king, they celebrated. And why not? This was a glorious day. Saul was tall, strong, modest, and had the full support of his nation. From a human point of view, this was a beautiful start to a new era.
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  • ''We Want to Be Like Everyone Else''

    | May 22, 2024
    From the time that Joshua died until Saul took the throne of Israel, the Hebrew government was not a monarchy like most surrounding nations. Theologians refer to it as a theocracy—"God-rule."
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  • Disintegrating Families

    | May 21, 2024
    The temptation of any child of vocational Christian ministers is to see the work of the ministry as just another thing, just another religious occupation.
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  • Watching the Kids

    | May 20, 2024
    Eli was a great preacher, a fine priest. As the high priest, he was responsible, once each year, to enter the Most Holy Place and offer an atoning sacrifice on behalf of the nation. No one else had that privilege.
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  • The Voice of God

    | May 19, 2024
    Eli and Samuel were probably taking their turn sleeping in the tabernacle to keep the lamp lit. They slept in little rooms or closets near that special area of God's presence.
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  • Israel's Dark Setting

    | May 18, 2024
    The setting is Israel before the glory days of King David. There has been a long period—a couple hundred years—of intermittent warfare, cycles of events during which Israel would suffer invasion followed by famine.
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  • An Urgent Charge

    | May 17, 2024
    Paul wrote with urgency, "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season."
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  • Anchor of Reality

    | May 16, 2024
    All those going through a storm need to be engaged in the process. No one is promised a magical escape clause. Passivity is faith's enemy. It isn't an acceptable option to fold our arms and wait for the storm to pass.
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  • Anchor of Renewal

    | May 15, 2024
    Can you imagine fighting a storm for two weeks and getting virtually no nourishment? That's what the men on Paul's ship experienced. Even more amazing, that's how most people respond to life's storms.
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  • Anchor of Unity

    | May 14, 2024
    The scene breathed life-threatening fears. Imaginations ran wild. Paul knew that staying together was the secret to their survival. The temptation was strong to abandon ship and let each person fend for himself.
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  • Anchor of Stability

    | May 13, 2024
    The anchor of stability holds firm when your navigation system fails. It's easy to lose your bearings in the storm. You can't find your way through the circumstances you face. Life rolls along fairly smoothly until suddenly the seas grow rough.
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Is Your Glass Half-Full?

Are there times you don’t feel like praying or can’t find the words to speak to God? Start by “counting your blessings,” thanking Him, then meditating on His graciousness and love.