Through The Bible in a Year - April 17, 2026

“I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband.” – Jeremiah 31:32

God says: “I took you by the hand and led you out of slavery. I led you to the Promised Land. Yet, you broke relationship with Me.”

Sometimes we read words in the Bible that seem like arid or abstract spiritual concepts. But listen to real and intense pain coming from God’s heart: “I took you by the hand... and you broke my covenant, though I was your husband.”

A father tells this story: When his son was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, they were trying to understand a chronic illness that couldn’t be cured. One day, as his son writhed in pain and agony, the father sat on his child’s bed and began to pat him on the back to bring comfort.

For the first time ever, in the frustration of his disease and pain, the son slapped  away his father’s hand.

“As a father, it hurts me to tell you that father’s story. I tell it because of way the son then responded: the slap hurt the son,too. He couldn’t believe he’d done it to the one who so loved him. He never did it again. The pain experienced by both father and child, when a father’s hand was rejected, deeply affected them both.”

If there’s something worse than rejecting the hand of a fatherwho loves you, it’s this: God says to the children of Israel (that he elsewhere collectively addresses as “my bride”) “That’s not only what you did. You broke my covenant, though I was your husband. I dedicated myself to you unconditionally. I loved you. I gave myself for you. And you betrayed me. You gave your devotion to an idol that could never do anything for you.”

We need to feel the degree of that pain, too. But here’s the wonder: Despite the rejection, despite the betrayal, God says to his people, “I have loved you with an everlasting love. ThereforeI have maintained my faithfulness to you.”

Respond: Whose hand have you slapped away? When has God reached out to comfort you and you rejected Him? When have you betrayed the covenant relationship He offers? Today, know this: He hasn’t stopped reaching. His hand is still there. Take it. Acknowledge in faith and repentance your need of Him. He will never leave or forsake you. He will never slap your hand away.

Prayer: Lord, I’ve slapped Your hand away. I’ve rejected Your comfort. I’ve betrayed Your love. You dedicated Yourself to me, and I turned to other things. Forgive me. Thank You that despite my rejection, You still love me with an everlasting love. Your faithfulness continues. Help me take Your hand again. I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 16, 2026

“As I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring harm, so I will watch over them to build and to plant.” – Jeremiah 31:28

Have you heard of Marsili pain syndrome? Those who have it feel no pain. No earaches, no sore throats, no migraines. Lucky, right?

Except they also don’t notice an infected toe, a broken bone, or a festering wound. One mother described her son falling off his bicycle and breaking his elbow—but he didn’t realize it, so he cycled another nine miles, so damaging his elbow that it’s now beyond repair.

If there is no pain, then the alarm signals don’t go off. The problems aren’t noticed. The problem gets worse and worsewithout help or healing being applied.

Pain is a mercy when it’s the alarm turning you from greater danger.

God’s words to the prophet Jeremiah must be understood in this context. The Lord says about the people of Israel, “I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring harm.” That sounds like it hurts. It does. But that’s not the end, the goal. The Lord adds, “So I will watch over them to build and to plant.”

The pain that we think signals God’s abandonment is actually the divine alarm. God may be saying through a detour from temptation or through the actual consequences of sin, “You are about to cross the threshold of some spiritual harm.”

Yet, at the very same moment, he is declaring, “You shall not breach the love of God. I am re-directing you from danger to maintain My purpose, My plan, My hand in your life.”

It’s hard, but necessary, to believe that the pain we experience is not abandonment—it’s the alarm of a God who refuses to let us destroy ourselves.

Respond: What pain in your life feels like God has abandoned you? Realize it may actually be his alarm. Through our pain and difficulties, a faithful God can be shouting, “Turn back before it gets worse.” The very pain that makes you think God has departed is actually the proof that He’s still watching over you?

Prayer: Lord, this hurts. It feels like You’ve abandoned me, like You’re destroying instead of building. But You say sin’s alarms are exhibitions of your mercy—that You’re watching over me even in the pain—redirecting me even by the pain. Help me trust that You haven’t forgotten me. You’re turning me from greater harm. By your planting and pruning help me to grow into the maturity and blessings you intend for my eternal good. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 15, 2026

“It was a turn of affairs brought about by the LORD that he might fulfill his word.” – 1 Kings 12:15

Everything God had been doing for generations appeared to be coming undone. The nation of Israel divides into two kingdoms: one under Rehoboam, the other under Jeroboam – and both of them are a mess before God. Further, the tribe of Judah from which the Messiah’s line is supposed to run is now just an isolated sliver off Israel’s former greatness. Worse, those who remain in Judah are also turning away from God. Everything in God’s plan and promise seemed to be falling apart.

And then this sentence: “It was a turn of affairs brought about by the LORD that he might fulfill his word.”

Could it really be that in all the bad news, God was still working? That the divisions were actually in the ultimate purpose of God’s grace? That he intended to humble His people so that they would look again to him for healing?

Scripture tells us that God told King Rehoboam not to fight the northern tribes, saying, “They are your relatives.” What do we learn from this little interchange in the midst of so much grief: 1) God is still speaking; 2) God is still preserving His people; and, 3) with regard to those who are in rebellion against God by making golden calf idols, God says they are still “relatives,” stillpart of the Covenant family of Israel. That means that even terrible sinners are precious to God.

There’s more grace: The Bible says, “There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only.” Only one of the twelve tribes was still honoring the kingly line of David: the tribe of Judah. Why is that important? Remember Genesis 49? There Jacob prophesied for God, “The scepter [the rule of God’s people] shall not depart from Judah.” God said He’d provide the Lion of Judah as a Rescuer for his people. Now, hundreds of years later, all 12 tribes have turned away except one—the one from which God said He’d send His Son, that Lion of Judah.

Hope is still alive. God is maintaining His promise to bring aMessiah to rescue His people from their sin and misery. They have been faithless; God remains faithful.

Writer Paul Trip shares a letter from a woman who’d lost everything—marriage, children, house. But she wrote: “I’m still standing. I think I have more hope now than I ever had. The Lord has held me through everything when everything else failed me. The Lord alone was for me. I’m still standing on the hope that is in Him.”

She did not simply say, “I’m still standing.” She said, “I am still standing on the hope that is in Him.” Hope, endurance, and new life must be built not on our resolve but on the faithfulness of our God to maintain what is right and eternally good for us.

Respond: What in your world has come undone? What hope have you lost? What dream has died? Today, hear this: God is still working. Christ is still loving. Hope is still alive. Not because you’re still standing, but because He is alive, sitting at God’s right hand and interceding for you, and He’s coming again to claim you when everything else in this world has collapsed.

Prayer: Lord, my world sometimes feels like it’s coming undone. Division, betrayal, loss—I don’t see how this works for good. But You say You’re still working. You’re still fulfilling Your word. So, my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. I believe Christ is still faithful to your eternal purposes. Therefore, I have hope and I can stand. Thank you, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 14, 2026

“There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only.” – 1 Kings 12:20

For the last few days, we have been considering the lies thatNew York Times columnist and former atheist, David Brooks, contends control our culture. He describes a fourth lie that he said is driving the divisions in our culture: life is an individual journey. I have a right to make my own way, my way. I’ll determine what’s right for me.

The lie was displayed in Israel’s response to King Rehoboam’s cruelty: eleven of the twelve tribes rejected him. Most of God’s people simply said, “We’ll follow our own path. We’ll make our own way. We don’t need the rule of Rehoboam anymore. We don’t need this son of the line of David anymore – and we don’t need the God of David anymore. So, we will dispense with thelaw of God given by Moses. We’ll determine what is right for us.”

Sound familiar? Why is there so much heat in our culture over issues of sexuality and gender? The issue is hardly ever decided by what God says in his Word. What drives the vehemence of the debate and keeps the upset boiling is the sense that somebody might limit my freedom to do as I choose.

The common consensus of our time is that life is an individual journey. There are no external standards to guide me. I just need to do what I think is right for me and feels okay to me.

What drives the divisions and fuels the polarities in our country, in our churches, and in our families is the fear that someone might not get to follow their own path, particularly in the area ofsexuality.

The consequence? Lie number five follows naturally: you justhave to find your own path – your own truth.

For Israel, that meant finding another king who wasn’t as cruel as Rehoboam. The faith of the alternate king didn’t matter solong as the people could do as they chose. So, they chose Jeroboam and he did as he chose: making two golden calves and saying, “Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

Israel is now hundreds of years beyond the Exodus, and these people of God go back to creating the same kind of idol Aaron made to worship Egypt’s gods. The people of Israel are seeking personal freedom by turning away from God, not realizing that doing so leads them right back to slavery. It always does. What seems like liberty is actually slavery when we turn from the Godwhose grace who empowers us to resist the lies and chains of the world’s priorities.

Respond: Where are you cutting your own course instead of following God’s? What area of life are you saying, “I’ll determine what’s true for me”? What “freedom” are you pursuing that’s actually enslaving you? Today, ask yourself the tough question: Am I following my own journey that is going to enslave me in habits or priorities that control me more than I control them, or am I following God’s path toward the blessings of freedom from this world’s chains?

Prayer: Lord, I too easily believe life is just my individual journey—that I can determine what’s right for me. But your Word graciously teaches me that path leads back to slavery. Forgive me for rejecting Your standards. Forgive me for creating my own idols. Lead me back to true freedom that is the life of love designed by your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 13, 2026

“You’ll never find another like me. I’m the only one of me. Baby, that’s the fun of me.” – lyrics of Taylor Swift from the song“Me”

Let those words echo in your heart, as we consider the third liethat David Brooks, New York Times columnist and former atheist, says dominates our culture. This is the lie that contends, “I can make myself happy without consideration of others. As long as I have enough money, sex, and power, I’ll be happy—regardless what others think or the impact of my happiness upon them.”

King Solomon’s son Rehoboam believed that lie. He levied more taxes than his father (for money). He married more women that his father who had 700 wives and 300 concubines (for sex). He exercised more control over people through forced labor than his father did (for power).

He sounds strangely like former basketball great, Wilt Chamberlain, who got rich scoring more points than any basketball player in history, and later made news by claiming he’d slept with over a thousand women. So, he had money, sex, and power over others – and he told us, all to prove to us and to himself, “I’m the man I think I am.” Sadly he did not seem to realize the claim that he needed to find someone to make him happy more than a thousand times displayed a life of desperation more than a life of fulfillment.

He’s not alone. Taylor Swift’s song “Me,” whose lyrics insist on glorifying oneself above everything else is ultimately about embracing yourself. And there is no greater aloneness than when all you have to embrace is yourself.

Contrast these celebrity pursuits of self-fulfillment with recent research from the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia: “Very religious couples enjoy higher quality relationships and more sexual satisfaction than less religious couples.” Why? Shared faith translates into living for another, forgiving one another, and securing relationships that are the source of true satisfaction. Prioritizing relationships, as Jesus did when he gave himself for us, buffers life’s stresses and difficulties by providing the security and joy couples experienceand express through love that is selfless, transcendent, and eternal.

God’s design works. Selfishness doesn’t. Trying to find happiness by making yourself the center of your universe will leave you hugging you alone.

Respond: Though it may seem hard to do, ask yourself where you may betrying to make yourself happy at someone else’s expense? What relationship are you sacrificing for your personal pleasure or advancement? What commitment are you breaking because you think the result will satisfy you? Today, consider how it pleased our Lord to give himself for you. He who made the universemade himself nothing so that you could be at the center of his heart. In his embrace we don’t need the selfish glory or gain that once drove us – and drove others from us. Instead, we find ourselves so secure in his arms that our arms reach out to those who need him and who need us.

Prayer: Lord, sometimes I can’t seem to help but believe the lie that I can make myself happy with enough money, pleasure, or power. Help me see that such priorities lead to desperation and loneliness. Forgive my selfish pursuits of happiness that have hurt others. Teach me that the joy Jesus wants for me comes through such confidence in his grace that I can live with theselfless fidelity, forgiveness, and care that brings others close to me – and to Him. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 10, 2026

A reminder: “All are made in the image of God.” – Genesis 1:27

This week we are considering the lies that David Brooks, New York Times columnist and former atheist, says turn us from the fulfillment our Lord intends for us. The second lie: a rich and successful person is worth more than a poor and struggling person. Something deep in us says the “haves” are worth more because they have more. And if what they have is at the expense of others, that’s just the cost of success – for some.

King Solomon’s son, Rehoboam wielded his power with cruelty so blunt, so callous, so selfish that we think, ‘I would never do that.’ And yet we all know unfeeling souls who are willing to take advantage of others with the reasoning that you get ahead by looking out for number one.

A pastor was once asked to explain his pro-life position to a high school class. He didn’t argue. He asked: “What if every person in this class were made in the image of God and as precious to God as Jesus Himself? The student with the D and the honor roll student equally precious?”

The students said, “That would be wonderful.”

He continued: “What I believe is that not just every person in the classroom, but every person in the womb and world is of equal value to God because each is made in His image, and as precious to God as Jesus Himself. And I think that’s wonderful, too.”

What would it mean if we truly believed that the God of grace gave equal value to all those around us – if we believed all were precious to God because they are made in his image. How would it change your heart if everyone thought, “I am not worth more than you?” How would it affect how we treat employees, customers, vendors, outcasts, immigrants, enemies?

What would be the effect on you, if you always thought, “I am never worth more than any other person in God’s eyes because his grace makes all of equal value?”

Respond: The fact that God loves all that he has made means that we must question, “Who am I tempted to treat as less valuable than myself? Employees? The poor? Political opponents? Difficult peers or co-workers? People who disagree with me or damage me?” Today, ask, “How would my decisions change if I truly believed every person is made in the image of God and equally precious to Him?”

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for thinking I’m worth more than others – forgive me for acting that way. Forgive me for taking advantage, for ignoring suffering, for treating people as less valuable because they have less power, stature, or wealth. Help me see every person as graciously made in Your image—people so precious to you that you sent Jesus for them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 9, 2026

“My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” – 1 Kings 12:14

David Brooks, New York Times columnist and former atheist, says why he now considers himself a Christian. Why? Because he believes our faith may have answers for the divisions in our nation.

He identifies five key lies that spark our divisions. The first: career success secures happiness. If you can just get to the top of the heap, you’ll be happy. If there are casualties along the way—principles, people—it won’t matter. As long as you get success, the losses will be justified. That’s the first lie.

Think of the cautionary tales that confirm the lie: Jeff Bezos, Martha Stewart, Britney Spears, Bill Cosby, Elvis. Huge success in every example, but also lots of evidence of lots of sadness. We are of course tempted to forget the sadness and believe that we will be an exception.

David Brooks himself achieved rock star status as a columnist—at the expense of a marriage and a wife. He says simply: “Success was not enough.”

Rehoboam, son of King Solomon the Wise, bought the lie. The people begged him to lighten their burden. Instead, he followed the advice of young leaders who said, “Show them you’re more powerful than your father. Make their yoke heavier and you will have more power and wealth than he.”

What did it cost? Resentment. Division. Isolation. Rehoboam got all the “stuff” he wanted, only to end up alone, abandoned and trying to fight his battles by himself.

If it’s all about “me,” then the God who wants to turn you to himself and the blessings of his grace can let you have what you want – but that means “me” is all you get. That’s the cautionary tale of all who make success their goal and their god in this life.

Respond: Where are you chasing success at the expense of others? What relationships are suffering because you’re climbing your ladder of self-glory or -gain? What principles are you compromising to get ahead? Today, ask: If you get it all with no one with you to enjoy it or wanting to draw close to you, will all you’ve gained really make you happy? Is being alone at the top where you want your life to lead? It’s not what the God of grace intends for you. He wants you, at the very least to have Him. The One who will never leave or forsake you.

Prayer: Lord, I confess I’m tempted to buy the lie that success will satisfy. That if I can just get enough—enough money, enough recognition, enough power—I’ll be happy. But Your gracious Word shows how those priorities are a path to isolation. Forgive me for the people (even the loved ones) I tend to ignore, or pass by, or forget, when I am climbing mountains of me. Help me to remember the One who valued relationships over achievements; the One who was willing to become nothing so that I would never really be alone. Thank you, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 8, 2026

“He shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days... Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many... he bore the sin of many and makes intercession for the transgressors.” – Isaiah 53:10, 12

Strange wording. We’ve been told our Savior was cut off from the land of the living. He made His grave with the wicked. Yet now: “He shall see his offspring. He shall prolong his days.”

As though He’s alive. As though the grave could not hold Him. As though death was not the victor. As though the death penalty for sin was fully paid, and now that the penalty has been satisfied, death itself is conquered.

So, the same One who experienced agonizing death for us is alive again. The Prophet Isaiah says, “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied. By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.”

What does this mean to your soul: He who was totally pure took the full and ultimate penalty for your sin. If you could believe that’s real—that sin comes off of you and onto your Savior—that you are accounted righteous because of him. If you could believe that His righteousness would become yours, what would the effect be in your heart? You would be reconciled to God and rejoicing in the righteousness of his provision.

These are the two halves of the gospel: Not only is our sin is removed by Christ’s death, but His righteousness becomes ours through his life, God’s love for Him, God’s approval of Him, is ours because our sins are forgiven and Christ’s righteousness is ours.

Thank God this is not just an ancient prophecy. It’s the reality of what is happening at this very moment for all who trust that Jesus bore our sins and rose the victor over death. That’s what Isaiah says. Jesus did not only accomplish something wonderful in the past; He’s doing something wonderful every day. Says Isaiah, “He bore the sin of many and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

This same Jesus who is no longer confined to the grave is at the right hand of God making intercession for you and me. Jesus is praying for you. Jesus is praying for you right now.

2,700 years before you were even born, the Lord’s prophet promised that Jesus would be interceding for you now. This very moment, the Son of God is at the right hand of the King of Glory saying your name and praying for you.

Respond: Do you believe this? Can you believe this? That right now—this moment—Jesus is praying for you? Knowing your sin, your weakness, your failed expectations, your past that you can barely think about—He’s praying for you. How does knowing that change how you face today? What about how you pray today?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are praying for me right now. You know everything—my sin, my shame, my secrets—and You’re still interceding for me before the Father. I don’t deserve that. I can’t earn that. But You give it freely. Thank You for taking the penalty of my sin. Thank you for providing the righteousness that I lack. And, thank you for praying for me. I am at peace because of you. Thank you. Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 7, 2026

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter... so he opened not his mouth.” – Isaiah 53:7

This is Jesus, the Creator of the universe. The One who by His Word brought light into being, created the stars, the sun, and our world. With just a word,

He could have called 12 legions of angels to take Him from the cross and defeat His enemies. But He was silent. He did nothing to save Himself. He willingly became the substitute for our sin, taking the suffering we deserved.

Isaiah 53:8 explains God’s reason for Christ’s suffering: “…He was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people.” He was stricken to fulfill God’s own plan and purpose.

The prophet also explains in words almost too intense and intentional to take in: “It was the will of the LORD to crush him.” Christ’s suffering was not simply the will of Christ’s enemies. Not blind fate. Not a failure. It was the will of the Father.

He was the Lamb slain from the creation of the world. The purposed intention of God was to wound, to slay, and to require the death of His Son. Because ultimately, for the guilt of our sin to be satisfied, Jesus would fulfill his Father’s plan to pay the full penalty of our sin with the ultimate cost: His own life.

It had to be Him. It couldn’t be somebody else. If the crushing weight of our sin were put on us, we would be crushed. If the debt of our sin had to be paid, then we could not even manage our own debt, much less everyone else’s.

The weight and the debt had to be borne by someone who could bear it and was not already in debt. Someone who had done no wrong and was able to bear our load. Only one person ever qualified: the Son of God, Jesus! It was always God’s will to provide him for us, and always Jesus’s heart to suffer for us.

Respond: Have you grasped that Jesus did this willingly to obey the will of his Father and to express His love for us? He could have stopped the suffering at any moment. But He chose the cross. He allowed the nails. He endured the thorns. He accepted the spear. For you and for me. Does that change how you see your sin? Does that change how you estimate His love? It may also change how we pray, knowing how great is the love of the One who rose from death to intercede for us now in heaven.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You could have called angels to rescue You. You could have spoken a word and ended it all. But You didn’t. You chose the cross. You chose the nails. You endured the penalty of my sin. You willingly became my substitute. I cannot fully understand the depth of your love, but I receive it with the prayer that you will deepen such love in me. Thank You for your gift of yourself. I pray, in Jesus’s Name. Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 6, 2026

“He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5

A Korean pastor stood before a room full of pastors and confessed:

“When I came to America, I raised my daughter with tenderness. She was my princess. But my son—I knew as the son of an immigrant, he’d have to be twice as good and twice as strong as his peers to succeed. So I pushed him with discipline and expectation and shame.

“At our church’s 20th anniversary celebration, my son flew across the country. The night before, we met at my kitchen table. He said, ‘You are hard-hearted and a cruel parent and you have no right to be a pastor.’

“We fought. I left the house. I went and lay down in a field and looked up at the stars and wept because I knew what my son was saying was true. I felt as though the sky and the stars had fallen down on me and they were crushing me because of my sin.”

This was the weight of just one man’s sin. What if the sin of the whole world fell on you? It would have been more crushing than words can express or that any ordinary person could endure.

Yet, such a crushing weight is what Isaiah says Jesus bore for us upon the cross: “He was crushed for our iniquities.” The weight that each of us carries—the errors, the failures, the betrayals, the sins we cannot forget—they weigh on us. They crush us!

But, by the grace of God that weight could be put on another? God crushed His own Son with the weight of our sin so that we would be free of its burden. What would it mean if you really believed that? Peace. The weight of your sin wouldn’t be yours anymore. Such faith would be healing to your heart and soul. This is precisely what God wants and promises to those who put their faith in what God sent Jesus to endure on the cross – the weight of my sin and yours. By His wounds we are healed.

Respond: What weight is crushing you right now? What guilt, what shame, what failure presses down so hard you can barely breathe? Today, believe this: that weight was put on Jesus. He was crushed so you could have relief from the burden and peace in your heart. He was wounded so you could be healed.

Prayer: Lord, I feel the weight. The crushing guilt of what I’ve done, who I’ve hurt, and how I’ve failed you. But Your Word says that Jesus was crushed for my iniquities. The chastisement that brings me peace was unleashed on Him. Help me trust that transfer weight was your plan and my peace. Help me believe the weight of sin is really off of me because Jesus took it on himself. Thank You, In Jesus’s Name. Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 3, 2026

“He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men.” – Isaiah 53:2-3

Israel had been waiting. Waiting for someone better than all the failed deliverers of God’s people: Adam (first man, first sinner), Noah (second start, greater sinner), Abraham (unfaithful to his wife), Moses (gave the law he wouldn’t follow), David (defeated a monster before becoming one), Solomon (built God’s temple, then temples to other gods).

If God’s people were going to have a true Deliverer, they wouldneed a second Adam. A nobler Noah. A faithful Abraham. A dependable Moses. A better David. A wiser Solomon.

Finally, Isaiah 52:13 says that He will come: “He shall be high and lifted up and shall be exalted.” Hooray!

Except... He’s a servant. His appearance will be marred—like an animal in agony at sacrifice. His blood will be sprinkled on the nations (not just Israel). He will grow up like a twig trying to thrive in dry ground—making for bad roots, bad reputation, despised and rejected.

He will be as disreputable as a child born in a stable, or as one whose mother was pregnant before marriage, or as the son of a blue-collar worker from Nazareth from which nothing good comes. He will be so without honor in his own hometown that his neighbors will try to throw Him off a cliff. Even his closest disciples will deny and curse Him.

When expecting their Deliverer, God’s people anticipated Babe Ruth. God sent Pee Wee Herman. They wanted a lion. God sent the Lamb. Like us, they wanted a king who would rule in their favor. God sent a servant who would earn God’s favor for themand us.

Jesus isn’t the Messiah the Jews expected, and He’s not the Savior we sometimes want. But He’s exactly the Messiah they needed then and we need today.

Respond: What are you expecting from God that He’s not giving? What did you think following Jesus would look like? Are you disappointed because God’s plan doesn’t match your expectations? Today, consider the Biblical evidence that God’s plan is better than yours. Even if what you are facing isn’t exactly what you wanted, the accounts that lead to Jesus and the salvation accomplished by Jesus display the perfection of God’s plan that you can trust.

Prayer: Lord, I confess I sometimes want You to be who I expect rather than who You are. I want power, comfort, easy victories. But Jesus came as a servant to teach me what it means to submit to God’s will and to be blessed by it. You were despised and rejected to enable me to be loved and accepted. Forgive my misplaced expectations. You gave exactly the Savior I need. Help me to trust You because of Him this day. Thank You, In Jesus’s Name for Jesus. Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 2, 2026

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” – Isaiah 53:6

Bill Buckner. 1986 World Series. Game 6. The Red Sox are one out away from victory. A weak ground ball rolls toward first base. An injured and hobbling Buckner moves to field it. The ball goes between his legs. The winning run scores. The Mets win.

For the rest of his life, Buckner was booed, jeered, received death threats. Every sports channel replayed and replayed the error. One error, an error anyone could have made and he was unlikely to make if healthy, defined a man’s life.

It was so unfair. He had hit .340 that season—his bat carried the Red Sox to the World Series. He had 2,700+ hits across 22 years. He was a multiple All-Star. And he was playing with a bum ankle in excruciating pain.

And here’s the eerie part: Days before the World Series, a reporter asked about the pressure. Buckner said: “The nightmares are that you’re going to let the winning run score on a ground ball between your legs. Those things happen, you know.”

Yes. We know.

Some of us – maybe all of us – can identify the error we can’t forget. That moment replaying endlessly in our minds. That failure that defines us more than all our successes combined. The thing other people won’t let go—or worse, the thing we won’t let go.

This is why we have Isaiah 53—written 700 years before Christ. So we won’t forget that, when we can’t let go of our errors, we have a God who won’t let go of us. He provided a way for our errors to be forgiven. The Lord laid on Jesus the spiritual errors that would otherwise define us. He bore our sins on his cross, and our sins no longer define us in the court of heaven.

Respond: What’s your error? What moment plays on repeat in your mind? What failure defines you more than it should—in others’ minds or your own? Today, know this: God has taken the blame off you. He sent Jesus to take the weight—the shame, the guilt, the memory—of that very error, and He promises to remember it no more.

Prayer: Lord, I have an error I can’t forget. A moment that replays endlessly. A failure that crushes me. I confess I’ve gone astray. I’ve turned to my own way. But You laid that iniquity on Jesus. Help me believe the weight is off. Help me let go because You haven’t let go of me. Thank You, In Jesus’s Name. Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 1, 2026

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:4

Where do you go after your church services?

To family gatherings? To meals with friends? To face another work week? To face challenges in school, home, or heart? Some listening to me or reading this devotion right now are in hospitals, nursing homes, or prisons of justice or addiction. All need to hear not only is God right there with you, listening to you, and loving you. What you are experiencing is not the final chapter of his care.

Here’s the promise of what’s coming:

The new Jerusalem—the Holy of Holies in final form will descend to earth. Then, “the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.”

There we are told, in the most tender words in all of Scripture,,,,

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Death shall be no more.

Neither shall there be mourning,

nor crying,

nor pain anymore.

For the former things have passed away.”

No more suffering. No more hurting. We will be made right with God in every way because of the One who is already near and hears and loves us.

The Book of Revelation tells us that we won’t even need a lamp for light in that place. Why? Because the Light of the World is the Lamb. Because He will sit on the throne, there will no night there. No darkness. No pain.

Yes, the troubles and trials of this life and this world will continue for a while, but the heart of the One who will wipe away every tear has already come, is already at God’s right hand praying for you, and is already working everything for your eternal good.

He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Think about that image for a moment. Not “tears will stop.” Not “you’ll get over it.” God Himself—personally, tenderly—will wipe away every single tear. The Creator of the universe—the One in charge of all things past, present, and future – will wipe your tears.

I don’t understand it all. I don’t fully perceive how he can show us how everything has turned out for good, how every sin has been forgiven, every wrong made right, every trial used for glory, all suffering turned to joy that outweighs it. But this is God’s promise and our assurance: Jesus will comfort you and wipe all your tears away

Respond: What tears are you crying today? What pain are you carrying? What loss, what mourning, what death haunts you? Today, know this: God sees. God cares. And one day—personally, tenderly—He will wipe away every single tear. Hold on. Trust Jesus. The best is yet to come.

Prayer: Father, I have tears You haven’t wiped away, yet. Pain You haven’t healed, yet. Mourning that continues. But I trust that one day—personally, tenderly—You will wipe away every tear. No more death. No more crying. No more pain. Former things passed away. Help me hold on until that day. Thank You hearing this prayer. Thank You for bringing heaven’s reality to my heart today. Thank you in Jesus’s name. Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - March 31, 2026

Solomon offered as peace offerings to the LORD 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.” – 1 Kings 8:63

142,000 sacrifices to dedicate the temple, plus more burnt offerings in the outer courts.

The ceremony lasted seven days. That’s about 20,000 sacrifices per day. A sacrifice every four seconds. Imagine what that was like:

Confess your sin. Sacrifice a sheep. Confess your sin. Sacrifice an ox. Not enough. Do it again. Again. Again. Again. Again….

The bronze altar designed for the temple sacrifices became too small. The priests had to use the middle court—the place where those who weren’t born Jewish could come for worship. Even where non-Jewish people were ordinarily excluded from worship, sacrifices were made – and God’s mercy extended outward.

The magnitude of the sacrifices made does not only express the magnitude of the sins that needed to be covered, the magnitude of the sacrifices expresses the magnitude of the mercy that God provided to his people.

But here’s the problem: In the fine print of the business deal that funded Solomon’s temple in which sacrifices were made to honor God, there’s a poison pill. Solomon’s contractors used forced labor—slaves—against God’s command. The temple was not an expression of personal devotion as much as an expression of the king’s power and pride. Further, Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter from Egypt, re-introducing idolatry into Israel. This marriage then became the door through which Solomon decided to marry many wives and introduce many more gods to compete with the One for whom he built a temple.

God knew it. God knew Solomon’s sin would be this awful. He also knew that Solomon’s sacrifices—as many as there were—would never be enough. How many more would be needed? Just One.

Just one more.

The one sacrifice still needed would come from David’s lineage. When that one sacrifice came, glory would again surround God’s provision as angels announced Him. But, then, no more sacrifices would be needed because the angels said, “He will save His people from their sin.” As John the Baptist would declare about this same Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”

In Revelation’s new Jerusalem—whose features reflect the Old Testament temple in perfection—there are 144,000 souls made perfect by the blood of this Lamb. We should praise God that John also writes in his vision, “I saw no temple in the city, for the temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.” As many sacrifices as Solomon had to offer to try to consecrate the temple to make God’s people right with Him, that’s as many souls as the Holy Spirit reveals are covered in heaven by Christ’s one sacrifice. These perfect numbers are symbols to tell us that Christ’s one sacrifice is sufficient for all who need Him and believe in Him.

Respond: Do you grasp the magnitude of what Jesus did? 144,000 sacrifices couldn’t ultimately cover sin. But one sacrifice—by the Lamb of God—covers those and everyone else. The perfect sacrifice; the final sacrifice, the full sacrifice has been made. There is even enough provision for you and me in God’s perfect plan that provided Christ’s perfect sacrifice.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the perfect sacrifice. What 144,000 animals couldn’t accomplish, You did in one offering. You covered my sin completely. Thank You for being the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world. Thank You for providing enough grace for me. Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - March 30, 2026

“Listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray… And when you hear, forgive.” – 1 Kings 8:30

God isn’t just near—He listens. The words God gives to Solomon in his dedication prayer make this astonishingly clear. These are the types of things God promises to hear:

Disputes: “When people are in conflict—even if caused by evil toward one another—they can bring it to Me.” Some of us won’t go to family gatherings or meetings with old friends because of lingering disputes. God says, “Take it to Me. I’ll listen.”

Difficulties caused by your own sin: “When they’re in trouble because of what they did—family failures, integrity failures, moral failures—when they confess it, I’ll listen.”

Distress from the heavens or on earth: “When there’s drought or flood, affliction or disaster, ask Me. I’ll listen because I know the hearts of My children.”

Distance caused by birth or betrayal: “When foreigners come who don’t belong to My people—I’ll listen. When My people are in exile because of their idolatry—call on Me and I’ll still hear.”

God isn’t a genie in a bottle—rub the Bible enough and get what you want. He’s saying something better: “I know the hearts of My children. I will do what is best for their eternity. Wheneverthey ask for my help, I will listen.”

And here’s the greater marvel that Solomon adds as he addresses the Lord: “Heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house” (v. 27). God does not just listen. He is infinite in his power and intimate in His expression of it. Hepromises to be in the temple and He promises to provide his power, pardon, and provision wherever His people seek Him. He is listening even now.

Respond: What have you been afraid to bring to God? A dispute? Difficulties from your own sin? Distress you’re walking through? Distance you’ve created? Today, talk to your God. He knows your heart. He will answer in whatever way that’s best for your eternity. He’s listening now.

Prayer: Lord, You hear me. Not just my words but my heart. You know what I’m going through—the disputes, the difficulties, the distress, the distance. I bring it all to You today. Listen and answer in the way that’s best for my soul. Thank You that there’s no place I can go where You won’t hear me. Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - March 27, 2026

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people.” – Revelation 21:3

From the first page of Scripture to the last, God is on a mission. And the mission sounds a lot like what fathers and grandfathers say to little kids: “I’m going to get you. I’m going to get you!”

Consider God’s pursuit of his children across the story of the Bible:

Eden: God walked in the cool of the day, talking with His people. He delighted to come near to them;

The Tabernacle: After sin separated us from God, He said, “I haven’t forgotten the way we were close in the garden. So, wherever you go, I’ll dwell among you in a tent that travels with you.”

The Temple: Solomon builds his magnificent worship structure—whose features echo Eden with light, water, fruit, fragrances, and a way for people to come near to their God. God says, “Here’s Eden again. I still want us to walk together.”

Jesus: The glory of the Lord again shines around shepherds, as angels declare: “His name is Immanuel—God with us.” Now God comes to his children, not in a garden or a building, but in a person.

The Holy Spirit: Jesus says to God’s people, “Now you are God’s temple. I will be in you by my Spirit.” God desires such closeness to his children that He actually indwells us, uniting His Spirit with ours.

The New Jerusalem: The heavenly city—made to reflect features once preserved for the Holy of Holies—finally descends to earth for all God’s children. Heaven and earth join with Christ inside us and the Holy of Holies is all around us.

In every phase of biblical history, God is saying, “I’m coming closer. I’m coming to get you.” As a father pursues his children with a beaming smile, your God is ever pursuing you, delighting in you and coming closer and closer.

Respond: Where do you picture your God? Distant in heaven? Remote in ancient Bible stories? Confined to church buildings? Or pursuing you with delight? How does knowing God has been pursuing you and preparing to embrace you from Eden to eternity change your relationship with Him?

Prayer: Father, You’ve been pursuing me from the beginning. From Eden to the temple to Jesus to Your Spirit in me—You keep saying, “I’m coming to get you.” Thank You for not giving up on relationship with me. Thank You for delighting in me. Help me delight in You. Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - March 26, 2026

“When the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD… for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.” – 1 Kings 8:10-11

A Christian, former Muslim named Abdu Murray went to visit a dying, older Muslim in the hospital. The elderly Muslim asked the usual theological questions of the Chrisian: Isn’t the Bible corrupted? Isn’t the Trinity a denial of one God? How could God die on a cross?

Abdu answered every question with philosophical, theological, and historical precision. But with each answer, the older man became stonier. Until Abdu asked about his children. The man’s lip quivered: “They are all I have in this life. Without them I die alone.”

Abdu asked gently, “What would happen if you believed in the God who wants you to know Him and cares for you?”

“My children would disown me. It would be a shame to them.”

Suddenly the real issue became clear. The primary objection to faith in Jesus wasn’t historical, theological, or philosophical—it was deeply human: Why would I risk the loves I know for a God I do not know?

This is the problem that the ancient temple dedication was meant to address. As God’s glory filled the temple, he was proclaimingto people that so often acted as if they did not know Him, “You can know Me. I am not distant or unknowable. I am still with you, and I will stay with you.”

The presence of God that filled Solomon’s temple—the same glory at Mount Sinai, the same pillar of cloud and fire that led Israel through the wilderness—that same glory came near in the presence of Jesus and stays near by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Since each Christian is a temple of the Holy Spirit our God still says, “I am near – right here with you.”

By his abiding presence, our God declares, “I will love you more than any love you have, and I will stay with you when no other loves will.” God makes essential to the display of his ownglory his willingness to stay near to people whose patterns and pasts cause deep and hurtful shame, The One who sent Jesus to cover the shame of sinners will never leave or forsake you. He will abide with you more faithfully, powerfully, and lovingly than any love you think you must put aside to know his love.

Respond: What love – a relationship, career, pattern, or path – are you holding onto because you’re afraid God’s love will not be enough to compensate for its loss? Yes, God’s love will need to exceed all other loves, but when you know how faithful, loving, and powerful is his love, then living for Him is the love you will most cherish because you are the love he will forever cherish.

Prayer: Lord, I confess I sometimes treat Your love as something unknowable and distant. I hold onto familiar loves because I’m afraid of what loving You will cost. But You provided your Son so that I can know how loving and faithful You are—and You promised never to leave or forsake me. Help me believe that You’re love is worth more than any other love I might lose—and that the love more fulfilling than any other is Jesus. Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - March 25, 2026

“Everything that was written in the past was written for us so that through endurance and the encouragement of Scripture, we might have hope.” – Romans 15:4

How close to the heart are you willing to cut in order to save a life?

The Bible is brutally honest and calls us to be about things we may not wish to face. Consider how appalled we are now by the sin or slavery but how much of our history was infected by this evil. Cambridge University was built on slave trade profits. Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello was built by slaves. Even church founders and denominations—had slave owners, slavery advocates and, later, defenders of segregation. Other sins run deep in our roots. Family lines are marked by alcohol, abuse,addiction, adultery, divorce.

The stories aren’t new. King David himself was descended from incest, prostitution, a Moabite half-breed. And the King himself would become an adulterer and murderer.

Why does the Bible tell us all this? Why does God cut so close to the bone and grieve our hearts with painful pasts? Because without diagnosis, there’s no surgery. If you don’t see the spiritual disease at work in you and others like you, then youwon’t perform the spiritual surgery needed for your soul’s health.

When someone asks, “Do you know the Bible is full of messed up people?” agree with them. “Yes, it is. The Bible is full of messed up people—except for One who came to save all the messed up people.”

For those starting on life’s course after years of school, it’s easy to think the hard years of study and testing are behind you. But,those more mature in years know, those were only years of preparation. The same is true of those early on their journeys of faith. Always, we must remember that the hardest spiritual challenges aren’t behind you—they’re ahead. Each year is a preparation year. The greatest temptations, toughest questions, deepest struggles are still coming. Once you may have faced professors who mocked your faith. Tomorrow there may be employers who will threaten your family’s security if your live your faith.

Today peers may label you as hateful for your Biblical values; tomorrow you may be persecuted or imprisoned for your values.

All transitions—graduation, new jobs, marriage, moves—are opportunities to ask yourself:

What do I need to stop doing to prepare for what Christ needs to do through me?

What do I need to start doing with Jesus to be used by Jesus?

Be willing to do the heart surgery. Face uncomfortable truths. Acknowledge brokenness.

Because only when we admit we’re the “messed up people” the Bible is designed to rescue can we receive the help of the Saviorwho came for us – and designed us for his glory by showing others the grace we need and have received.

Respond: What spiritual surgery have you been avoiding? Where do you need to admit brokenness instead of defending perfection? What one thing do you need to stop or start as you move forward?

Prayer: Father, give me courage for the heart surgery I need. Help me face uncomfortable truths about myself, my family, my past. I don’t need to be perfect—I just need to be honest and humble about my need of your grace. Thank You for sending Jesus to save messed up people like me. I will followHim. By your grace, no turning back. Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - March 24, 2026

“When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him… But my steadfast love will not depart from him.” – 2 Samuel 7:14-15

David’s failures were great. Yet, God made a covenant with David to provide steadfast love that would not depart.

The covenant came before David’s sin with Bathsheba. Before the murder of Uriah. Before the king’s failed parenting. Before the king’s terrible expression of pride. God knew it all and stillpromised steadfast love.

Would David face consequences? Absolutely. Terrible, painful consequences. His family was torn apart. His son Absalom rebelled. David had toflee Jerusalem barefoot and weeping, his kingdom in ruins.

But even at his lowest point, climbing the Mount of Olives with nothing left, David had one thing: God’s steadfast love.

Discipline doesn’t mean God has walked away. It means He loves you enough to correct you, to bring you back, to keep pursuing you even when you’ve run from Him.

God told David his offspring would build an eternal kingdom. Solomon would build the temple—but Solomon would also turn away from God, marry foreign wives, dishonor everything. Yet God’s love for David continued with the promise: “Your throne shall be established forever.”

A successor would eventually come through the line of David, one who was a greater David—Jesus Christ. He would come from this broken, messy lineage to be the perfect King who saves all the broken, messy people because of God’s covenant love that is not based on human perfection but on divine mercy and steadfast love.

Respond: Where have you experienced God’s discipline in your life? How does knowing discipline isn’t departure change your view of God’s correction? What past failure do you need to release to God’s mercy, trusting in God’s steadfast love?

Prayer: Lord, I have failed You and I will fail You again. Thank You that Your love is steadfast—unchanging, unshakeable, never departing. Help me receive Your discipline as proof of Your love, not evidence of rejection. When I cry out, You provide pardon and peace even in the midst ofconsequences. When I turn around from my wandering from you, You’re right there. You never left. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - March 23, 2026

“I will make for you a great name… And I will appoint a place for my people Israel.” – 2 Samuel 7:9-10

God promised David two essential things: a name and a place.

David needed both. His lineage was shameful—descended from Judah (who sold Joseph into slavery and slept with his daughter-in-law), and Ruth (the Moabitess from one of Israel’s most hated enemies). Many saw David as a half-breed from a line of disgrace.

Yet God said: “I will give you a name—My name. You shall be called ‘The Lord is my righteousness.’ Not your righteousness. Not your doing. Mine.”

A father, my father, once told his son heading to college: “You are my son. I don’t know how you’ll do at the university—if you’ll do well or poorly. But you are my son and you will always have a place in my home.”

That security didn’t remove all challenges, but it gave confidence. Peace. A foundation for rising from falls and for forging into the future.

This is what God offers you: His name—His righteousness, not your own. His place—a secure home forever with Him. Even when earthly homes aren’t safe (one in four women will experience abuse in relationships; one every two or three marriages come undone, so many children suffer where they should be protected), Jesus promises: “I will give you rest for your soul.”

Respond: Do you truly know you have a secure place in God’s home? Where do you need “rest for your soul” right now? How does knowing you bear God’s name (“The Lord is my righteousness”) change how you see yourself? May the source of your peace be your assurance of God’s name and place.

Prayer: Father, thank You that I am Yours—that I have Your name and a secure place in Your home forever. When circumstances shake me, anchor my soul in this truth. I don’t have to earn my place. You’ve given it freely. You are my rest. Thank you. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.