Through The Bible in a Year - February 23, 2026

“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive.” – Genesis 50:20

We all want 20-20 vision. But what we see in Genesis 50:20 is “50-20 vision”—the ability to see that God means for good, what others intend for evil.

This isn’t rose-colored glasses. Joseph doesn’t say that his brothers’ betrayal didn’t really hurt. He calls the wrong what it is: “You did me evil.” And yet at the same time his heart of faith affirmed: “But I believe God has been working in all this.”

This is profound faith. Faith to see beyond the immediate circumstances. Beyond the betrayal. Beyond the pain. To see, with the eyes of faith, the blessings God is still providing.

The good God was doing was enabling Joseph to help the covenant people through famine. By maintaining the covenant people, God also maintained the nation from which Jesus would come. Ultimately, through Joseph, many people were saved—including everyone who believes in Jesus Christ today. We are a direct consequence of the evil Joseph’s brothers did that God meant for good.

Any one of us, standing at the cross, would have also said, “This is wrong. This is evil. This cannot possibly be right.” It wasn’t right. But God meant it for good—to save many.

Can God take what is evil and use it for good? Yes. He bundles up the twisted, ugly vines of our lives—the disappointments, the betrayals, the failures—and turns them into his baskets that hold future blessings.

Respond: What evil has been done to you that you cannot see God using for good? What twisted vine of pain in your life needs to be given to the Artist’s hand? Today, ask God for 50-20 vision—to see by faith that He’s filling the future with good, despite the evil others intend.

Prayer: Lord, give me 50-20 vision. Help me see beyond my circumstances to Your purposes. Take the evil that’s been done to me, the pain I’ve endured, the twistedness of my story—and use it for good. Save through what I’ve suffered. Fill up my basket of ugly vines with the beauty of your purposes. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - February 20, 2026

“Do not fear. I will provide for you and your little ones.” – Genesis 50:21

Joseph’s brothers knew payback time had come. Their father, Jacob, was dead—the only shield protecting them from Joseph’s revenge. They trembled: “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil we did to him.”

If vengeance is a meal best served cold, this would be a refrigerator feast. Joseph, whom the brothers had betrayed, controlled their fate. They were in deep trouble.

But Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Not rage. Not vengeance. Not a death sentence. Instead, mercy: “Do not fear. I will provide for you and your little ones.”

These are the same words God used with their ancestor, Abraham: “I will provide.” Now Joseph, to his abusers, speaks God’s mercy: “You betrayed me. I will provide for you.”

We should feel the pain behind Joseph’s tears. “You threw me in a pit. I was your brother, and you betrayed me. You sent word to my father with blood on my coat that I was dead. I’ve lived the hurt and consequences for decades. The betrayal was a moment for you. I’ve lived a life of hurt because of it.” And still: “I will provide for you.”

How can someone show such mercy after such hurt? Because redemption isn’t about controlling circumstances or fallen people around us. It’s about what’s happening inside us. Joseph’s heart had been made right with God, and that was overflowing with mercy—filled up with God’s grace, now fountaining over to others.

Respond: Who has hurt you deeply? Betrayed you? Abused you? What would it look like to say to them, “I will provide mercy for you”? I know that sounds unreasonable, but it’s what Jesus has done for us, and the reality of his mercy becomes all the more precious and powerful to us when we are merciful. So, ask God to fill your heart with His grace so it fountains over to those who’ve wounded you, and at the same time it will fill you.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I cannot manufacture mercy for those who’ve hurt me on my own. So, please fill me with Your grace until it overflows. Heal my heart. Make me right with You. Then fountain Your mercy through me to those I never thought I could forgive to know the fuller joy of your forgiveness in me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - February 19, 2026

“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” – Genesis 50:20

Joseph went from pit to palace—thrown into a pit by his brothers, sold as a slave, falsely accused and imprisoned, then elevated to second-in-command of Egypt. Dead again and again, then alive again. A kind of resurrection.

But resurrection without redemption isn’t enough.

Even in the palace, Joseph was separated from his family. He remembered the betrayal. He knew it was evil. The man who had new life still had baggage—hurt, pain, memories of abuse from those he loved. Even with resurrection, there was pain within.

I am reminded that even when we have new life externally, it’s not made right if things aren’t right internally. If our hearts are still struggling, new life is not enough.

We don’t just need a do-over. We need a makeover. We don’t just need to know we can get back on top—we need to know things can be made right with the people and problems of our past. We need resurrection and redemption.

Regret and guilt and shame—are not all made right by resurrection alone. Think of when Tiger Woods surprisingly won the Masters late in his career – it was hailed as a resurrection, but it happened after an epic fall from grace with his family that still haunted him. He said, “My regret will last a lifetime.” New life, but a heart still in pain.

The message of Joseph’s life isn’t just that we can rise after a fall, but that God can heal our hearts, too. The new life that God provides links redemption to resurrection, providing new hope and purpose with new life.

Respond: What “pit to palace” story are you living? Where have you experienced new life, but your heart still isn’t right? What baggage from the past still weighs you down? Today, cry out for more than resurrection—ask God for redemption, redeeming what is past with assurance that his pardon makes you whole and his plan will provide new purpose for your future.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I don’t just need new life—I need things made right. I need my heart healed, assurance that you will not only erase the shame of my past but will use all things to redeem the future. Give me more than a do-over; by your grace, grant me a makeover that makes me an instrument of your loving purposes. Link resurrection to redemption in my life by making me right for you. In Your name, amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - February 18, 2026

Moses asked, “Who am I that I should go?”  The Lord said, “I will be with you.” “I AM WHO I AM.” – Exodus 3:11-14

Moses asks the realistic question, the wrong question, and the right question all at once.

“Who am I that I should deliver God’s people?” It’s realistic—Pharaoh wants Moses dead, he’s guilty of murder, he’s just a runaway shepherd. Surely it’s wrong for Moses to think he could deliver anyone. So he says, “Send someone else, Lord. Anybody but me.” He’s right, of course, in his human logic—“I’m not capable. I’m not able. I’m not the one You should pick.”

Which sets up the very best question: “So Lord, who are You?” to ask such things of someone like me?

The Lord answers, “I AM WHO I AM,” meaning, “I have no origin, no end. I cannot be contained in words or definitions. My power is beyond expression. I AM. I was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I am the God who will be remembered forever. And I am the God for now. I came down to deliver you. You confessed you are not able, but I have no limits. I have all power. I AM, and I will deliver you.”

We are the ones who say, “I’m not able. I’ve got these other things to do, these things that disqualify me.” And God says, “Am I not with you? Is this not holy ground? I AM with you, and I’m sending you.”

“I’m not capable, Lord.”

“But I AM.”

Jesus said it over and over: “I AM the light of the world. I AM the bread of life. I AM the good shepherd. I AM the way, the truth, and the life.” Here is Christ saying, “I know you’re not capable. I AM.”

Respond: What is God calling you to do that you feel unqualified for? Stop focusing on your “I am not” and start trusting His “I AM.” He doesn’t need your ability—He needs your availability.

Prayer: Great I AM, I confess I am not able. I am not qualified, not capable, not strong enough, not wise enough. But You are. You have no limits. You have all power. You are with me, and that makes this holy ground. Send me. I am in the care of the Great I Am. Help me to remember and trust you because you are I Am. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - February 17, 2026

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” – John 1:14

A hospice nurse on Christmas Eve, still grieving her mother’s death, grumbling about being called to the ER. “Christmas Eve, bah. No one really cares.”

Then she met her patient—confused, afraid, alone. No family. Nobody. Lost in dementia. All of this desperation amid the ER cacophony: loud voices, monitors blaring, expletives, vomiting, doctors’ pages blasting on the intercom.

Just to calm and distract the patient, the nurse made a blanket into a puppy named Barney. She mentioned it was Christmas Eve and the patient’s banged-up nose made her look like Rudolph.

The woman’s face lit up with joy. She began singing Christmas carols at the top of her lungs. “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” For an hour, in her wobbly 96-year-old voice.

The nurse was embarrassed at first. But then she heard it—orderlies, janitors, and nursing staff starting to sing along. Voices from other rooms. Patients and families joining. An odd, holy Christmas choir.

The nurse wrote: “I should have taken off my shoes because the icky, germy hospital floor had become holy ground. When she was finally leaving, she raised her arms and said, ‘I am so full of joy.’ Christ was here tonight, swaddled in dementia and desperation. Even there the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. This was holy ground.”

You begin to see your world differently when you see that wherever God is, that is holy ground. And God is everywhere His people love Him, recognize His hand at work, and do His service.

Respond: Where is your “icky, germy hospital floor”—the place that feels anything but holy? Look for Christ there. He’s swaddled in the most unlikely places, making holy ground everywhere.

Prayer: Lord, help me see You in the icky, germy places of life. In the chaos, the confusion, the places I’d rather not be—You are there, making it holy ground. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear Your presence everywhere. In Jesus’ name, amen.*

Through The Bible in a Year - February 16, 2026

“I have come down to deliver them.” – Exodus 3:8

Here’s what we learn about holy ground from Exodus 3: The ground is not made holy by the people, the time, or the place. The ground is made holy by the presence of God.

God came down to terrible people—descendants of the brothers who sold Joseph into slavery, a nation that forgot their God, Moses himself, who was a murderer and had abandoned God’s ways.

God came down at a terrible time—His people were slaves in awful conditions.

God came down to a terrible place—not a palatial temple, but a desert mountain in a harsh wilderness.

And yet this was holy ground. Why? Because God was there.

Through the Exodus accounts, we hear God Saying, “I was in the bush with your father Abraham. I was in the bulrushes when Moses was launched on the Nile. I am in the bush now. I’ll be with you at Pharaoh’s palace and amongst his military guard. I’ll be with you when you come back to this mountain. I’ll take you to the Promised Land. I am the God behind you, the God ahead of you, the God with you. I am the God of all times, all places. Wherever I am, that’s the holy place. And I am everywhere.”

Where is holy ground? Here and at your home. In the hospital room. In the moment of crisis, in the moment of anger, in your marriage, in your sin. Despite our weakness and fault and frailty and doubt, every one of these places is the holy place of God because he is there.

Respond: Where do you think God isn’t? What place feels too broken, too sinful, too mundane to be holy ground? Hear God say: “I came down to harsh and awful lands in harsh and awful circumstances to sanctify them by my presence for my purposes. I’m here. Wherever I am, that’s holy ground—and I am everywhere with you.”

Prayer: God, whose name is Emmanuel, God with us, open my eyes to see that You are everywhere. In my home, my workplace, my struggles, my failures—You are there, making it holy ground. Help me recognize Your presence in every place and circumstance so that I honor and trust you there and everywhere. In Jesus’ name, amen.*

Through The Bible in a Year - February 13, 2026

“The bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.” – Exodus 3:2

Other texts tell us that our God is a consuming fire. When His holiness is revealed, it refines the taint, the sin, the iniquity from us. Like Moses, when we hear God call our names from his burning glory, our first reaction is to hide: “Oh God, don’t come close. Don’t look at me. I don’t want You to see this. I don’t want You to know what I have done.”

But here’s the miracle of the burning bush: It burned, but was not consumed.

This is the mark of God’s great compassion alongside His great purity. The image of the burning bush has been used throughout history:

- Israel sees itself as burned through persecution but surviving—burned but not consumed

- The early church: persecuted but not destroyed.
- Believers: deserving God’s wrath for our sin, yet not consumed.

God in His compassion preserves those who ought to be consumed.

And who is speaking from that burning bush? God is speaking. At other times he would speak from the thorns of a bush—just like He did when He provided a ram in a thorn bush for Abraham. Just like He would when He wore a crown of thorns on the cross and said, “It is finished.”

When we want to hide our faces and run from His holiness, God shows us His provision. His purity and His provision are wrapped together. His compassion and care are not denied by his holiness.

Respond: What sin makes you want to hide from God? What failure makes you think you deserve to be consumed? Today, look at the burning bush that is Christ’s cross. There we see the holiness of God on display, but we also see the heart that calls you close. In light of the guilt you feel before the cross, you may feel burned up with guilt and shame, but you will not be consumed there. At the cross, Christ’s compassion is providing grace beyond the fire—not because of your worthiness, but because of His care.

Prayer: Lord, I deserve to be consumed by Your holy fire. My sin is real, my failures undeniable. But You are compassionate. You preserve those who ought to be consumed. Thank You for speaking from the burning bush—from the thorns of other bushes and from the cross—to show me Your provision alongside Your purity. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - February 12, 2026

“Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” – Exodus 3:5

Why did God tell Moses to take off his sandals? The command wasn’t only about hygiene. If you’re a shepherd in the desert and you take off your sandals, your feet are still dirty.

Taking off your shoes means you’re not going anywhere else. This becomes the priority. The holiness of God is attracting and focusing.

Sometimes the reason we’re not on holy ground is that we’re still going about our business. “God, I’ll get back to You later. I’ve got this contract to think about. Lord, I’ll get back to You later. This game is right ahead of me. Lord, I’ll think about this when I’m a bit older and not so concerned about what people think of me right now.”

When you take off your shoes for spiritual priorities, you’re saying, “This is what I’m focused on.” The holiness of God is my priority, and it drives every other concern to second place in my life. God’s holy fire is consuming the distractions because the holiness of God has caused me to focus on him and his purposes.

We long for holy ground—that place where we can be close to God and believe He is close to us. Where there’s been a clearing made in our circumstances, our worries, our crisis, where God is close and we are close to Him.

The good news? We can still find such holy ground. Not by looking for burning bushes, but by (metaphorically) taking off our shoes—by making God’s purposes our priority instead of a secondary concern.

Respond: What keeps you from “taking off your shoes” with God? What distractions, priorities, or concerns keep you from focusing on His holiness? Today, take off your shoes. Make God your priority, not your afterthought, so that his purposes become the blessing and joy of your life.

Prayer: Holy God, forgive me for treating You like an afterthought, thinking I’ll get back to You later, Lord—after this meeting, after this game, after I’ve taken care of everything else. Today I take off my shoes for you. You are my priority. Consume my distractions. Hold me with Your holiness. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - February 11, 2026

“I drew him out of the water.”* – Exodus 2:10 

“God drew him out of the water.” – (The truth behind the words)

It started in a rail car in downtown Peoria, Illinois—maybe 40, maybe 60, maybe 70 children gathered for a Bible lesson. Noone knows the number for sure. What we know is that the town had about 14,000 people, swollen with 7,500 Union troops. Nine distilleries and six breweries—the world capital of alcohol. Docks and drunks and drugs. Floating casinos and taverns and brothels.

And we know that there were some 1,200 children throughout the town whose voices someone heard above the din and the sin. Someone remembered God’s mission and theirs was to reach the hearts of children. Someone saw the opportunity. Someone knew that if faithful people would reach out for God’s purposes, then God would do His work.

So, from a re-purposed rail car to the now historic Grace Church in Peoria, Illinois, God’s people have been able to celebratemore than150 years of faithfulness. Generations of children have been reached for Christ, tens of thousands of people have come to faith, and countless souls across the nations have devoted themselves to Jesus through expansive missions.

Yes, the train of God’s purpose seemed to run slow in some decades. Sometimes it seemed off schedule – even off the tracks. But as the prophets long ago declared, the train of God’s grace has continued toward a sure destination—his glory and our good.

This is just the way God works. Consider how, even at the cross, it looked like the train of God’s gospel purpose had derailed. The hiss of the brakes—the gasp as they put thorns on His brow. The rattle of the rocks—the roll of the dice gambling for His garments. The roar of the engine—the clamor of “Crucify Him!” The pounding of the pistons—the hammers driving nails into hands and feet. The wail of the whistle—the cry of the Lamb: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

All of this was so that you and I would be God’s children—not forgotten, but cherished. All of this was so that we who had our sins placed on Him would be freed of our guilt and blessed by His righteousness.

So the mission of Grace Church still, and the mission of all saved by the grace of Jesus is to say to everyone, “This train is bound for glory. Get on board, little children. There’s room for many a more.”

Respond: God is faithful to any people who are faithful to His mission. So consider what He is calling you to do—however small, however obscure—to invite people onto his train. Consider who needs to hear the gospel from you today?

Prayer: Lord, your train is bound for glory, and You’ve put me on board. Use me to invite others on board. Make me faithful to Your mission—not dismayed by my obscurity, my weakness, or my trials. Help me to remember you’re accomplishing Your purposes. Help me trust You and move forward in faith. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - February 10, 2026

“These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt.” – Exodus 1:1

The Book of Exodus begins with the names of those who father the nation of Israel from which Jesus would eventually come. But before it lists their names, Exodus reminds us that their father was originally named Jacob—a name meaning liar, conniver, deceiver. What his sons did to betray Joseph, they apparently learned by example. Jacob was a man who thought he could make his way by his own wit and wiles.

But now he’s called Israel. God changed his name. And his new name means “God rules.”

God is saying something profound: “You may think you can make your way, but you need a God to rule. And if you call out to Him, He will help you.”

Despite betrayal—Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers, the sons of Jacob.

Despite famine—forcing the family to Egypt for food.
Despite slavery—400 years of brutal oppression.
Despite time—four centuries of waiting.

God was ruling over it all. Over the sin. Over the betrayal. Over the slavery. Over the famine. Bringing about a plan that was amazingly gracious – and greater than Jacob’s wit and wiles could ever have manipulated.

Seventy people went into Egypt. Two to four million came out—a great nation with great resources, ready to make God’s plan in the Promised Land flourish. God kept His covenant promise to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob even when it seemed impossible.

Your name may not be changed like Jacob’s, but the truth remains: God rules over your sin, your failures, your trials, your waiting. You cannot make your way by your own wit and wiles. But God can—and will—accomplish what you cannot by his wisdom, rule, and love.

Respond: What area of your life are you still trying to control by your own wit and wiles? Today, surrender all to the God who rules. Let Him accomplish what you cannot—as he works for his glory and your good.

Prayer: God who rules, I confess I too often try to make my own way. I trust my strength, my plans, my ability. Forgive me. You rule over my sin, my trials, my waiting. Accomplish what I cannot. Change me from a Jacob to an Israel—from self-reliance to God-reliance. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - February 9, 2026

“By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months…By faith Moses…chose to be mistreated along with the people of God.”* – Hebrews 11:23, 24-25

Just by chance, Moses’ mother puts him in a basket of reeds in the Nile River.

Just by chance, she places it in an inlet where Egyptian women bathes.

Just by chance, the woman who bathes that morning is Pharaoh’s daughter.

Just by chance, she’s more merciful than her father.

Just by chance, Moses’ sister is watching and suggests a Hebrew nurse.

Just by chance, it’s Moses’ actual mother who gets to nurse her own son.

Just by chance, Moses learns the ways and faith of Israel while growing up in Pharaoh’s household.

Just by chance? No. None of these things were by chance. God was working a plan.

The details seemed so minuscule. So insignificant. A baby in a basket in a patch of weeds along a river in a vast nation whose power is controlling the ancient world. But God was taking faithfulness and using it for purposes beyond what any could imagine.

At age 40, Moses flees to the desert for 40 years. What kind of plan is that? But God was preparing him. In Pharaoh’s household, Moses learned Egyptian ways, laws, and leverage—everything he’d need to free God’s people. In the desert, he learned to survive in a desperate land—exactly what theIsraelites would need to survive for the next 40 years.

God was working His plan all along. The things that seemed like chance, like waste, like tragedy—God was weaving them together for His eternal purposes.

Respond: What “just by chance” moments in your life might actually beGod’s perfect plan? Consider what seems wasted—time, opportunity, pain—and believe that can God use it all to prepare you for something far greater in his time, for his glory, and for your good.

Prayer: Sovereign God, nothing in my life is by chance. You are weaving together every moment—even the painful ones, even the ones that seem wasted—for Your purposes. Help me trust Your plan when I can’t see the purpose. You’re preparing me for something greater. I believe; help my unbelief. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - February 6, 2026

“The midwives feared God more than they feared the king.”* – Exodus 1:17

The midwives had been ordered by Pharoah to kill the male children of the Israelite slaves. In the account, there is this simple sentence that tends to elude our attention: “Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah…”

Did you catch that? The midwives are named. The king of Egypt is not.

If you’ve watched the Charlton Heston version of The Ten Commandments, you know the pharaoh’s name—Ramses. But that’s not in the Bible. Whoever the king was, he’s never named. Who gets named? Who gets remembered for generation after generation?

Those who fear God more than man. Those who have courage to do what God requires.

Shiphrah and Puah were just two midwives. Obscure. Facing an evil decree from the most powerful man in their world: “Kill the baby boys.” They had every reason to obey out of fear for their lives. Who could blame them for obeying?

But they feared God more than Pharaoh. And God remembered their names for all eternity.

We sometimes feel that if we do things for God, it won’t matter. No one will remember. But God is saying, “For those who will stand for Me, I remember you.”

Why? Because those who obey God are participating in a mission grander and more important than any human could design or control. Because Shiphrah and Puah saved baby boys, Moses lived. Because Moses lived, Israel was freed. Because Israel was freed, Jesus came. Because Jesus came, you and I can be saved.

Respond: What act of courage is God calling you to in obscurity? What right thing feels too small to matter? Remember: God remembers names, and through small acts of faithfulness, He multiplies His purposes through those he remembers for eternity.

Prayer: Father, help me fear You more than man. Give me courage to do what’s right even when no one’s watching, even when it seems too small to matter. You remember names. You multiply your purposes. Use my small faithfulness for Your eternal glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - February 5, 2026

God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant…God saw the people of Israel, and God knew.”* – Exodus 2:23-25

Four simple statements. Four powerful truths about God’s relationship with his people:
- God heard their groaning
- God remembered His covenant
- God saw the people of Israel
- God knew

The Israelites had been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. They were dehumanized by loss of freedom and broken by brutal labor. Now they are terrorized by Pharaoh’s decree to kill their baby boys. Where was God?

Right there. Hearing. Remembering. Seeing. Knowing.

This account is not about what God’s people had done to earn His affection. They can’t do much of anything other than obey their earthly masters. This account is about who God is. He’s the covenant-keeping God who made promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and He doesn’t forget, even when his people can’t perform.

Time and trial and sin and personal failure may all seem to say, “The grace of God doesn’t apply anymore.” But God is saying, “My grace is greater, and I will make happen what needs to happen so that my plan will be fulfilled for my people – and your life.”

You may feel forgotten in your troubles. Your prayers may seem to hit the ceiling. Your circumstances may scream that God has abandoned you. But listen to these four truths again:

God hears your groaning. God remembers His covenant with you through Christ. God sees you. God knows what He’s going to do about it.

Respond: What situation in your life makes you feel forgotten by God? Today, declare these four truths over it: God hears. God remembers. God sees. God knows. He has not forgotten you. Why is all of that important? Because when we know that God is with us – seeing, hearing, remembering, knowing, and designing all for our eternal good – we can face anything with the strength of knowing he is near and he is working.

Prayer: Covenant-keeping God, sometimes I feel forgotten in my troubles. But You hear my groaning. Help me to remember that You remember Your promises. You know what You’re going to do and what you want me to do and be. Help me trust Your faithfulness even when I can’t see Your hand, believing that you see me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - February 4, 2026

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9

Joni Eareckson Tada said, “I hope I can take my wheelchair to heaven with me. I know that’s not biblically correct—we’ll be made whole. But if I could, I’d turn to Jesus and say, ‘Lord, do you see that wheelchair? You were right when you said this world would be full of trouble. That wheelchair has been trouble to me. But Jesus, the weaker I was in that thing, the harder I leaned on You, and the harder I leaned on You, the stronger I discovered You to be. So thank You for what You did in my life through that wheelchair. Now if You want to send it to hell, You can.’”

A lot of us have our wheelchairs too—the faults in our families, the faults in us, the flaws that are so real. We are more like Abraham, the terribly flawed Father of our Faith, than we ever want to admit.

But for such people, there is a covenant-keeping God who says, “I will be there for you. Lean on me. Put your faith in Me, and My righteousness is substituted for your unrighteousness. I will make you right.”

And when we live this out in our families—when our children see us leaning on Jesus in our weakness—they learn where real strength and hope comes from. Not from our perfections, but from His grace.

From Joni’s wheelchair came ministry to hundreds of thousands. From flawed families – like Abraham’s – who lean on their Savior come children and new families and nations that flourish in the knowledge of Christ’s strength and care.

Respond: What’s your “wheelchair”—the weakness or flaw you wish you could get rid of? Instead of resenting it, can you thank God for how it’s made you lean harder on Him? How might God use your weakness to display His strength?

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for my wheelchair—whatever weakness or flaw You’ve allowed in my life. The weaker I am in this thing, the harder I need to lean on You. And the harder I lean on You, the stronger I discover You to be. Use my weakness to display Your strength and point others to You. In Your name, amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - February 3, 2026

“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” – Genesis 15:6

Abraham was remarkably faithful. He left everything to obey God’s call at age 75. He raised an altar to Yahweh in a pagan land. He trusted God’s promise over time. By faith he obeyed, believing in the ultimate provision of an eternal city whose designer and builder is God.

Abraham was also remarkably fallen. He came from a terrible family—descended from Noah who got drunk and cursed his own son after great immorality. Abraham abandoned his wife twice to save his own skin. He slept with his wife’s maid. Then, he put that woman and his own biological son in the desert to die.

How does God make a way out of such sin and failure for this man and his family?

Here’s the answer: God provided his blessing on the basis of Abraham’s faith rather than his personal righteousness. The Bible says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.” Abraham believed God was the answer—not Abraham. And in believing that God would provide for Abraham what he did not earn or deserve, God credited that faith as righteousness to Abraham.

This is the core gospel truth we need every day: We’re not to depend on ourselves. We’re not to depend on our parents, our performance, or our resolve to do better. We depend on a Savior, who says, “Trust Me to make you right with God.”

We remain human. We are flawed. But we do not despair of God’s love and care because we believe in a Savior whose righteousness becomes our own when we put our faith in His provision rather than our performance.

Respond: What flaws and failures make you feel disqualified from God’s blessing? Today, hear this: Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. Your faith in God’s provision—not your performance—is what makes you right with Him.

Prayer: Lord, I resolve to be faithful but remain remarkably fallen—just like Abraham. Thank You that my righteousness doesn’t depend on my performance but on my faith in Your provision. Help me believe You are the answer, not me. Cover my failures with Your righteousness. In Jesus’ name, amen.*

Through The Bible in a Year - February 2, 2026

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6

Some in our culture say, “Just expose children to everything spiritually and let them choose for themselves.” Sounds fair, right?

But expose them to every religious conviction – is that really good? Child prostitution in Indian temples? ISIS militants usinghuman shields for their God’s glory? Paying homage to spirits in trees and stones? Forcing people to memorize your holy book or die? Or what about the simple idea that you have to measure up to be good enough for God to accept you?

If those things don’t sound like all you want your children to know, will you also dare to expose children to this: “By grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”?

Teaching children these truths is not just letting them make their own way— it’s showing them the Way.

If you really believe there’s an eternity, that souls are at stake, it becomes vital that you don’t just say, “I’ll let my child choose.” Love shows them the way of greatest joy and hope. When we point children to the way that’s not simply dependent on theflawed work of their hands or the expectations of others, then we are really blessing their futures and eternities.

Such love requires more than just letting a child choose a way that may be filled with pain. Love is spelled T-I-M-E. It takes time to show the way, to live it out, to teach it, to model it, to pray it into their hearts.

Respond: Consider what are you teaching the children in your life? Are you showing them the Way, or just letting them wander, hoping to find some meaning and joy? What needs to change in how you prioritize your time to lead the next generation in the way of everlasting joy in a world of many dark paths?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, give me courage to show children the Way, not just expose them to everything and hope they figure it out. Help me make time to teach them about Jesus, to live the gospel in front of them, to point them to the only hope that saves. Use me to shape souls for eternity. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - January 30, 2026

I will establish my covenant between me and you…for an everlasting covenant.”* – Genesis 17:7

A secure family, maintaining the influence of God’s Word and Spirit, is the single greatest indicator of whether children will have Christian faith down the road. What happens in the home matters, especially what happens in the parents’ relationship with each other.

Plain talk: Great partners make great parents.

Why? Because when you have great partners, you have people living out the covenant relationship. “I’m going to love you based on a prior promise, not present performance—because sometimes you really tick me off. Sometimes you frustrate me. Sometimes I have to forgive you. Sometimes you have to forgive me.”

This covenant love—loving beyond the boundaries of our humanity—is the gospel being lived out in front of our children. When you love your spouse despite differences, frailties, and weaknesses, you’re saying to your children and others: “This is how Christ loves. Let me show you.”

A covenant is a commitment based on a prior promise, not present performance. That’s what we pledge in marriage—not a contract based on conditions being met, but a covenant: “For better or worse, I promise to love you.”

This gives us uncommon priorities in our culture. We prioritize time with our families – interacting, playing, worshipping, eating and working together. We also prioritize how we treasure our spouses in these family times, knowing that our marriagesare meant to model God’s covenant love. We show our childrenthe gospel by displaying what it means to forgive, to persevere, and to love even when it’s hard.

Respond: If you’re married, how are you modeling covenant love to those watching? What needs to change in how you prioritize your marriage and family? If you’re single, how can you support covenant families around you?

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for treating my relationships like contracts instead of covenants. Help me to love based on prior promises, not present performance. Give me Your grace to model Your faithful love to my family, even when it’s hard. Make me a great partner so I can be a great parent. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - January 29, 2026

“I will be God to you and to your offspring after you.”– Genesis 17:7

“I have no memory of becoming a Christian. I don’t remember when I did not love Jesus. My Christian testimony is downright boring.”

Should I apologize for the lack of drama? No opium dens, no motorcycle gangs, no lightning on the road to Damascus?

While we celebrate those rescued from wayward paths at every stage of life, we must ask: What is the ordinary Christian life? What is the normal path by which most people come to faith?

The answer: By maturing in a Christian family that loves the Lord. Through prayers at the kitchen table, memorizing verses at dinner, regular rhythms of church life. Children grow up understanding, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

This is what God promised Abraham: “I will be God to you and to your offspring after you.” Not a guarantee that children will believe, but a guarantee that God will be there—showing love, showing faithfulness, even to the unfaithful.

When we baptize children, we pray, “May this child never know a day they don’t love Jesus.” That’s not sentiment—it’s trusting God’s covenant promise. Deeper than memory, beyond logical debates, faith is planted in the soil of God’s promise to love our children, as we love them and show them Christ’s love.

Just as children learn red is red without questioning, they learn Jesus loves me in homes where faith is lived and loved. These truths of faith, repeated and lived out in covenant families, shape souls before children can even articulate what they believe – and for eternity.

Respond: If you have a “boring” testimony, thank God for it today. If you’re raising children, consider how you are teaching them before memory, and beyond understanding. We are planting seeds of faith in the soil of God’s covenant promise and we daily love and live for him.

Prayer: Faithful Father, thank You for covenant families where faith is passed from generation to generation. Help me never to apologize for a steady faith planted in good soil. Whether I’m parenting, grandparenting, teaching, or mentoring, use me to point children to Jesus by loving him in such a way that they never remember not loving Him. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - January 28, 2026

"As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." – Matthew 24:37

First Peter 3 says that as Noah built the ark, Jesus was preaching to a fallen world. What does that mean? Was Jesus physically there? No—but with each hammer blow of Noah and his sons building the ark, God was declaring the gospel that must be believed.

Every time Noah lifted his hammer and struck the nail, the message rang out:

• You must flee the destruction that is coming

• Your hand is not your redemption—you are not your Redeemer

• You must get on this boat if you want to be saved

• You must trust in God’s provision, not in your own hand

The people mocked. They believed they were the way out of their own evil. But God provided the only way of escape—and they had to trust Him, not themselves.

It wasn't the last time the hammer would fall. When Christ put His own right hand on the cross, each hammer blow that nailed him there signaled the same gospel: You must flee the destruction to come. Your hand won't save you. You are not your own redeemer. You must trust Christ's hand to provide the way of escape.

Jesus said the days before His return would be like the days of Noah—people eating, drinking, marrying, unaware until judgment comes. Jesus rose from the dead and he is coming again to reap a harvest of those who put hope in His provision, not in the work of their own hands or the safety they think their works will provide..

Respond: Have you gotten on that boat - The Gospel boat of Jesus Christ? Have you trusted in Christ's provision instead of your own hand? If not, today should be the day. If you have trusted in Jesus, who needs to hear this gospel from you?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for being my ark, my refuge, my only hope of salvation. My hand cannot save me—only Your hand can. Thank You for the cross where each hammer blow declared Your love and provision for me. Help me live in light of Your coming return, and give me boldness to point others to You for that same salvation. This I pray in Jesus name, amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - January 27, 2026

"The Lord is...patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." – 2 Peter 3:9

People constantly ask: "If God is sovereign and good, why does He allow all this evil? Why doesn't He just wipe it out?"

The biblical answer? Been there, done that. That was the flood.

There was so much evil and God destroyed the evil by the flood. And at the end of the flood, God said, "Never again will I destroy the world by flood." Instead, the way things are now where evil persists through people like us, God has to be very patient. Jesus told a parable about wheat and weeds growing together until harvest. The servant asked, "Should we pull up the weeds?" The master says, "No—if you pull up the weeds, you'll uproot the wheat too. Let them grow together until harvest."

If God destroyed all evil in this moment, not one of us would be here. Our ability to reach others with the gospel would disappear. God is so patient that He's waiting for the harvest—allowing the weeds to continue so the wheat can be gathered in His time as He knows is best..

This is amazing patience. God is allowing time for nations, people, families, and our own sinful souls to claim Jesus Christ before the final judgment. The weeds won't be destroyed by flood next time—they'll be destroyed by fire. But until then, God is gathering His harvest - people like you and me. Sinful though we are, He uses us to tell His gospel to others – sinful though they be. He’ll do this until He has the harvest that is full as He knows is best.

Respond: Who in your life needs God's patience right now? Who seems so far from God that you've almost given up hope? Remember: God is patient, not willing that any should perish. Keep praying. Keep witnessing. Trust His timing for those that He is calling to Himself.

Prayer: Patient Father, thank You for not giving up on me when I was far from You. Thank You for waiting, pursuing, drawing me to Yourself. Give me patience with others who don't yet know You and who haven’t yet responded to your call. Help me trust Your timing as You gather Your harvest as you know is best in the timing that you know is best. Thank you for such patience. Help me to be patient too.. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.