Through The Bible in a Year - May 7, 2026

"The Levites helped the people to understand the law... They read from the book, from the law of God clearly, and they gave the sense so that the people understood the reading." - Nehemiah 8:7-8

The people of God had returned from captivity to find their homeland in ruins. Families were fractured. The temple was destroyed. And tragically, an entire generation had grown up not knowing God's Word—they didn't even remember the language it was written in. Into this devastation, God sent teachers who didn't just read the Scripture but translated it, explained it, and helped people understand what it meant for their lives.

Notice the pattern: they read it clearly, they gave the sense (explained what it meant), and they helped people understand how to apply it. This wasn't about creating mindless rule-followers. This was about revealing and responding to God's heart.

Reflect: It's easy to reduce the Bible to a checklist: Don't do drugs. Don't sleep around. Don't cheat. Go to church. But if that's all Christianity is—a list to keep you on the "safe side" of God—then the Bible becomes nothing more than behavior management.

Paul Vischer, creator of VeggieTales, confessed he spent ten years "trying to convince kids to behave Christianly without Christ." Many young people today know the list and can recite the rules, but they're living far from God because they've never encountered His heart. They're "unsaved Christian kids"—raised in church, knowing the Bible stories, but thinking Christianity is just about maintaining traditional morals in the sight of other people.

God's Word is so much more. When the Israelites heard it after years of silence, they wept—not because they failed the checklist, but because they saw how far they'd wandered from the God who loved them. For them, the Scriptures revealed not just rules but a relationship, not just requirements but rescue.

Respond: Ask yourself honestly: Do I approach the Bible as a checklist or as a way of walking with God? Am I reading to confirm how well I'm doing, or to encounter the heart of the One who created me?

Think about Leah Sharibu, the 16-year-old Nigerian girl who remained so long in Boko Haram captivity because she refused to deny Christ. She was simply not keeping the rules of a list—she was responding in loving loyalty to her Savior. What would it take for your faith to move from list-management to love-motivated devotion?

This week, as you read Scripture, look for God's heart, not just His commands. Ask: "What does this reveal about who God is and how He cares for me?"

Prayer: Father, forgive me for reducing Your Word to a checklist. I confess I've often read the Bible to confirm my performance rather than to encounter Your heart. Open my eyes to see not just what You command, but who You are—a God who pursues me even when I wander, who speaks even when I've stopped listening, who loves me beyond my deserving. Let my obedience flow from true love, not begrudging obligation. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - May 6, 2026

“The kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High.” – Daniel 7:27

When the Ancient of Days takes His seat in the royal court of judgement described by Daniel, there’s not just one throne brought as a seat for the judge. Thrones—plural—are placed in the courtroom. Who’s going to sit on all those thrones?

Daniel answers, “The kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High. Their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them” (7:27).

According to the Apostle Paul, right now, we are co-laborers with Christ, making the beauty and blessings of his heart known throughout this creation. Yet, according to Daniel, In the new creation, we will be co-rulers with Christ.

His purity, His righteousness, His love and forgiveness will extend to all kingdoms of humanity, across all ethnicities, across all languages, across all borders. From every tribe, language, people, and nation, God’s people will gather around the throne and say, “Worthy is the Lamb to receive glory and honor and praise… because with His blood He purchased men for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation.

What is the future role of all of those people? They will be expressing Christ’s love, justice, and righteousness throughout the Kingdom of God. So, when we express love, justice and mercy in this life, we are practicing now for our eternal rule. In eternity, God will use us to administer the blessings and power of Christ for all people.

So, for now we encourage translation of the Bible’s message into multiple languages. We invite people across neighborhoods and schools to hear about Jesus. We love the unlovely. We invite widows, orphans, and outcasts to our dinner tables. We say to those who think they don’t belong: “When I was a sinner, He saved me.”  We represent Christ everywhere we go.”

These responsibilities aren’t just for missionaries. Every Christian is preparing to co-rule the new creation. We express Christ’s heart to those easy and hard to love, to those who may not deserve it, and even to those of whom our culture says, “You may not love them.”

Respond: Are you practicing now for eternal rule? How are you expressing Christ’s love across boundaries? Who is God calling you to reach that your culture says to avoid? What resentment or prejudice is God calling you to conquer? How will you practice today for what you’ll do in eternity?

Prayer: Lord, I will co-rule with You in the new creation. That’s staggering. And terrifying. And wonderful. Help me practice now. Help me express Your nature, name, power, and goodness to all people. Break down my prejudices. Expand my heart beyond my resentments. Use me as an ambassador to tell the world: “Our God reigns. He even conquered the evil of my heart. And He is so great and so good that he is preparing me to rule in his Kingdom with Christ’s heart when Jesus comes back.” Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - May 5, 2026

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 6:11

Paul takes the imagery of physical slavery that God’s people – like Daniel and his countrymen – had repeatedly experienced and uses that pain to explain the blessings of gospel. He says to those in the church at Corinth (and to us), “You were once slaves to sin. But now you have been set free.”

To drive home the point, Paul lists those who will not experience the blessings of Christ’s kingdom because they are still enslaved to different types of sin: those who are sexually immoral, idolaters, thieves, greedy, addicted, critics.

Then, Paul makes this stunning statement to those in the church who are reading his letter about all these terrible sinners: “And such were some of you.”

Not “such are some of those people out there.” Such were some of YOU. Those of you in the church. Those of you reading this letter.

But Paul isn’t done. He adds, “But you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Why does the apostle give first an awful and then, a beautiful reminder of our past and present status before God? So that those of us who are forgiven, cleansed, and set free, would not think of ourselves as too good to care for those who are still struggling with or enslaved by evil. We represent Christ’s heart for sinners in the way we speak, act, and live. It is our calling.

I once went with my mother to visit my brother in prison. Even at 88-years-old, she had to lean against a chain-link fence in the Mississippi sun and be frisked. Once she was allowed into the prison, she made her way to my brother’s quarters, but along the way she used her nursing skills to take the pulse of a prisoner feeling faint. She used her “moma” skills to speak encouragement to others, asking about their children and grandchildren.

My mother went to visit her troubled son, but one of other prisoners said to her, “We’re all your sons, aren’t we?” And, I had to recognize, if they’re all her sons, then they are all my brothers.” My mind may recoil, “No, they’re criminals.” My Bible replies, “Such were some of you. Only by the grace of God, have we been saved.”

Respond: Who are you dismissing as beyond God’s reach? Who have you written off as too far gone to warrant your care or witness? When the Bible speaks of great sinners and says to Christians, “Such were some of you”? How does that change how you see others? How you treat them? How you pray for them?

Prayer: Lord, you died for the sexually immoral, greedy, idolators, thieves, drunkards and worse. Such was I before a holy God claimed me. But I was washed, sanctified, justified. Not because I deserved it, but because of Your grace in Christ. Help me see others the way You saw me—not as they are, but as they could be by Your transforming power. Make me an ambassador for Christ by helping me remember who I was and who I am because of your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - May 4, 2026

“Love the sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” – Deuteronomy 10:19

When we are studying the writings of Daniel, we cannot help but remember that his time was not the first time God’s people had been forced from their homeland and enslaved by evil. Over and over in Scripture, God’s people are oppressed, displaced, and made captives, slaves, or wanderers in foreign lands. Yet, despite the hardships – so often caused by their own sin – God maintained his promises to them even in their state of distress? What are we supposed to do with that?

The Bible is clear: Have empathy for people in like condition.

Deuteronomy 10:19 says, “Love the sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt yourselves.”

Similarly, we read in Leviticus 19:33-34, “When foreigners reside among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner you must treat as native-born. Love them as yourselves, for you were foreigners in Egypt.”

It’s one aspect of the golden rule: Treat others as you would wish to be treated were you in their condition.

We are living in a time of the greatest displacement of people in the history of the world. As the church tries to find its way through political, economic, and charitable responses, we cannot ignore Scripture. The Bible says to the Old Testament people of Israel, “God executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.”

This isn’t political correctness. This isn’t blind progressiveness. It is a calling to deal responsibly and compassionately with the needs of others so that God’s character would be known through us. Most of us are not in positions of power to determine how best to deal with national crises of poverty and persecution in our era, but we can urge those who are to have priorities that are Christ’s. This is the way that the Lord shows his heart to the world through his people.

There are clearly difficult matters to balance regarding what a nation can bear and what suffering we can responsibly relieve. But willing blindness to suffering is not a Christian choice. A nation without a border cannot survive, but a nation without a heart cannot honor Christ.

We believe Jesus Christ is King over all peoples. And the way people will recognize that reality is if there’s something different about the priorities of his people in all nations.

Respond: Who are the sojourners in your life? The foreigners? The displaced? How is the grace of Christ you have received being expressed in your dealings with them? Despite what political, economic, or ethnic pressures may be upon you? What is God calling you to do, or say, or pray for the sake of those that Christ loves as much as he loves you?

Prayer: Lord, spiritually I was once a sojourner—a foreigner to Your covenant, a refugee from Your presence, enslaved to sin. But You loved me. You claimed me. You provided for me when I couldn’t provide for myself. Help me love the way You loved me. Show me how I can express such love to others for Christ’s sake. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - May 1, 2026

“Behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.” – Daniel 7:13

After seeing all the beasts representing the successive kingdoms of ancient humanity, Daniel sees something different.

“There came one like a son of man.” In Hebrew, “man” is just “Adam.” There came one like a son of Adam. Like us. But not quite the same.

How is he different? He comes on the clouds of heaven. He’s like us but also bearing unmistakable signs of divine origin. He shows himself to Daniel in clouds of power and glory as he appeared at Sinai, at the Resurrection, and at the Ascension after his Resurrection form the dead.

These marks of divine origin are not entirely past. Jesus, before His crucifixion, told His disciples: “The Son of Man shall come again in clouds, in power and great glory.” Jesus told us what will happen in the future, but he is not the first to tell us.

Centuries before Christ’s birth, Daniel would say to God’s people: “This is what’s going to happen. You’re in captivity now. You’re in this jail of Babylon. But that’s not the end of the story. Your God, who is so great, is going to come after all the kings and kingdoms of humanity and, though, he will appear to be like you in many ways, he will overcome all the evil powers of the earth, because he is of divine origin.

Daniel foresaw that the future of this One who is like us but divine: “To him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

The kingdom of the one who is like us, but divine, will be universal (for all peoples, not just Abraham’s descendants) and eternal (never destroyed, never put aside).

By showing these truths of the coming Messiah, God is saying through Daniel: “I will provide through My Son—this one who’s like you but of heavenly origin—a universal and eternal kingdom. As I promised David, as I promised Moses, as I promised Noah, as I promised Adam and Eve. I will be faithful to rescue my people from the evil of this world.”

Respond: We are meant to see Jesus in this prophecy. One like us—fully human—but of divine origin—fully God. We are meant to find hope and courage in God’s promise of ultimately overcoming the evil of our world with the triumph of Christ’s kingdom. His rule will be universal—not limited by ethnicity or nationality. His kingdom will be unending—never destroyed, never passing away. So, how does knowing Jesus is this Son of Man, who is like us and who is also the divine and coming King, change how you face today? It should make you able to pray to your Heavenly Father, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,” with confidence that no danger, disappointment, or evil will undo God’s eternal plan for you. The One who came to this earth like you in order to save you is divine. He has the power to save you eternally from all evil—and he will.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Son of Man. Like us—fully human, You entered and understand our struggles. But you are also of divine origin—fully God. You have all power and authority. Your kingdom is universal and eternal. You reign over all peoples, nations, languages. Your dominion will never pass away and no evil will thwart your purposes. I trust You because You are My Savior and my eternal King. Thank you for helping me and holding me by the eternal power of your Kingdom. Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 30, 2026

“The court sat in judgment, and the books were opened… The beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire.” – Daniel 7:10-11

Daniel wrote from a Babylonian jail. He and his people—slaves in captivity, refugees—had spent two generations in bondage. Everything seemed hopeless.

But Daniel had a vision. He saw four beasts rising from a churning sea: a lion with eagle’s wings (representing, Babylon), a bear devouring much flesh (Persia), a leopard with four wings (Greece under Alexander the Great), and a fourth beast—terrifying, dreadful, exceedingly strong, with iron teeth (Rome).

Each beast represented a kingdom more powerful and cruel than the last. Each lasting centuries. God’s people must have wondered: Will there ever be relief?

The answer is in Daniel’s vision. He describes it this way: “Thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took His seat.” God—with hair white as snow (representing ancient wisdom), clothing pure white (reflecting perfect righteousness), a throne of fiery flames (showing unstoppable power)—enters the royal courtroom.

The court sits in judgment. The record books are opened. And the cruelest beast that has been speaking arrogant things, representing the evil and oppression that has come against God’s people—is killed, destroyed, and burned with fire.

This was the message of hope to captives in Daniel’s day, but it remains the hope of all who suffer until Christ comes: As awful as our circumstances may be, we can rest assured that though evil may have its day, God will have the final say.

Our God is so great. He is above and beyond all that challenges, discourages, and opposes his purposes in our lives. He will have the final word.

Respond: What evil in your life feels like it’s winning? What injustice seems unstoppable? What oppression appears permanent? Today, hear Daniel’s message from whatever captivity of mind or heart you are experiencing: Evil may have its day. God will have the final say. The Ancient of Days will be the final judge. His perfect record books will be opened. Justice will finally triumph. God’s purposes will prevail.

Prayer: Lord, evil seems to be winning. Injustice is everywhere. The powerful oppress the weak. The wicked prosper. But You are the Ancient of Days. You have seen kingdoms rise and fall. Nothing surprises You. Nothing perplexes You. You sit in judgment over all the affairs and actions of our world. The books of truth will be opened. You will judge justly. Evil may have its day, but You will have the final say. Help me trust that. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 29, 2026

"Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness…" - Daniel 9:24

As a consequence of its sin, Israel had endured 70 years of exile — 70 years of ruin, shame, and displacement. It must have felt, at times, as though God had forgotten his people entirely. But now God speaks through His angel with a staggering promise: the rescue will be 70 times greater than the ruin. Not just restoration, but everlasting righteousness. Not just return from captivity, but the atoning work of a Savior who would end transgression itself.

This is such a beautiful and important gospel truth: the rescue is greater than the ruin. God’s rescue is always greater than our ruin. That is one of the great themes of the Bible — and one of the hardest things to believe when you are standing in the middle of the ruin. Still, the ruin that is a consequence of our sin will never outweigh or be too much for the grace that is greater than all our sin. The earthly consequences may remain great, but the spiritual blessings and eternal provisions are far greater.

Perhaps you are amidst the ruins now. A broken relationship, a season of loss, a faith that disaster has made that feel threadbare. The ruins around you may seem permanent and overwhelming. But the message of Daniel 9 — and ultimately the message of the gospel — is that God is a God of disproportionate redemption. He does not merely patch what is broken. He makes all things new. Whatever devastation you are walking through, do not give up hope. When you humbly ask God’s help, his rescue will come, and it will be greater than the ruin.

PRAYER: Father, some days the ruins feel very real and the rescue feels very far away. In those moments, anchor my heart in Your promise. You are a God who does not just restore — You redeem, and You make things more beautiful than they were before. Give me the faith of Daniel, who could count the years of ruin and still believe in the vastness of Your rescue. Let me not forget that this is my Father's world, and You are the Ruler yet. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 28, 2026

"At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved." - Daniel 9:23

Daniel had not even finished praying when the angel Gabriel arrived with God's answer. The heavenly messenger had been dispatched at the very beginning of Daniel's prayer. Before the words were done, God was already moving to inform Daniel how greatly he was loved.

That is the speed of divine mercy! Before we can even finish wording our request – before we can even figure if our request is what is best, God is answering as he knows is best.

We are often tempted to believe that God's mercy is slow — that He waits to answer until we have prayed long enough, suffered enough, or proven our sincerity enough. But Daniel's experience tells a different story. "At the beginning of your pleas," the angel says, “a word went out” in heaven to bring you comfort. God did not wait until Daniel got his words right, or his attitude right, or his petitions perfect. God did not make Daniel earn a hearing. He simply responded — swiftly, surely, and with the tender word: "you are greatly loved."

Before a word is on your lips, God knows it altogether (Ps. 139:4). Even before you call out to Him, He is answering (Is. 65:24). He is not distant or reluctant to help. He is a Father who runs to meet His returning child while the child is still a long way off. When you cry out to God today, know this: the answer is already on its way.

PRAYER: Lord, I confess that I sometimes wonder if You are listening — if my prayers are going anywhere at all. Remind me today of the speed of Your mercy. Even before I finish asking, You are already acting. Help me to pray with confidence, not because I have earned a hearing, but because You are a God who is swift to love and slow to turn away. Thank You that I am greatly loved. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 27, 2026

"O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name." - Daniel 9:19

Daniel's prayer is not a private transaction between one man and his God. It is a sweeping, corporate cry on behalf of an entire people. He prays for the city. He prays for the nation. He prays that God would act — not merely for his personal good, but for the glory of God's name and the good of God's people.

If we are not thinking according to God’s priorities our faith can quietly become a private party. We go to God to provide for my needs, bless my family, and smooth my path. I need to be clear, there is nothing wrong with personal prayer. But Daniel calls us to a wider vision and a greater purpose — to understanding that each believer is part of a body of faith, and each is most healthy and happy when the body is healthy, too.

When we genuinely believe that our spiritual health and happiness are affected by how others experience the mercy of God, it changes how we pray. We begin to carry others. We pray for the struggling church member, for the prodigal child, for the community around us. We become instruments of God's mercy rather than simply recipients of it. The boundary of "me" begins to dissolve, and we discover that our lives have greater meaning and purpose as God does His most expansive work through us.

PRAYER: Father, forgive me for the smallness of my prayers. I confess that I so often come to You only with my own list. Enlarge my heart today. Teach me to pray for my church, for my community, for those around me who are desolate and in need of Your mercy. Let the boundary of "me" fall away, and let me become someone who carries others to You in prayer. For Your glory and for their good. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 24, 2026

"While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel…" - Daniel 9:20

It would have been easy for Daniel to pray for others while quietly exempting himself from the need for God’s pardoning mercy. After all, he was a prophet. He had been faithful and courageous for decades. Surely a prayer confessing the sin of God’s people by a prophet was about them — not about him.

Daniel refused that personal escape hatch. He plainly said that he was "confessing my sin and the sin of my people." Not just their sin, but our sin. My sin!

This is the posture of spiritual maturity. It is easy to diagnose and describe the failures of others. It is far harder — and far more humbling — to stand beside them and say, "Me too. I need mercy too." We have a natural tendency to point outward when describing the failings that require God’s mercy. The child blames the sibling. The adult blames the spouse or the boss. But rarely do we simply say, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner."

This kind of honesty is not weakness. It is the foundation of freedom. When we stop evading our need for pardon, stop hiding to protect our reputation before God, stop trying to prop ourselves up with professions of our sufficiency, then God releases us from the dark corners of guilt and pride in which we have hidden from ourselves and others. When we simply say "me too," we find ourselves in the sunlight of mercy that lights the path to God’s greatest blessings with others and with him.

PRAYER: Lord, it is so easy for me to see the sins of others and so hard to see my own. Give me the humility of Daniel — to stand not above my brothers and sisters in judgment, but beside them in honest need. Today I say: me too. I need Your mercy just as much as anyone. Strip away my pride and let me come to You with an open and honest heart. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 23, 2026

"We do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy." -Daniel 9:18

When Daniel approached God in prayer, he could have claimed that his extraordinary merits had earned him a hearing — he was a prophet of great insight, a courageous proclaimer of God in a land of idols, and a servant of God who had remained faithful through exile, lion dens, and decades of enslavement. If anyone had grounds to approach God based on personal righteousness, surely it was Daniel.

And yet, including himself in his prayer for God’s people, Daniel said, "We do not come because of our righteousness." Not even Daniel could come before a holy God on the basis of personal merit. He came — as we must come — entirely on the basis of God's mercy.

This cuts against something deep in the human heart. We are wired to keep score, to believe that our good days earn us a hearing with God and our bad days cost us his disregard. But the gospel dismantles that ledger entirely. God does not hear us because we have been good enough. He hears us because He is merciful enough.

What a relief this is. You do not have to clean yourself up before you pray. You do not have to earn your way into God's presence. The door is already open — not because of anything you have done, but because of who God is. Come as you are, and come confidently, on the basis of His great mercy which he fully displayed when he sent Jesus for you.

PRAYER: Father, I confess that I often approach You based on how well I think I've been doing — measuring my worthiness before I pray. Forgive me for that pride. Today I come not because of anything I have earned, but because of Your great mercy. Thank You that the door to Your presence is never closed to a heart that cries out to You. Teach me to rest in Your mercy that was so fully displayed in Jesus’ sacrifice rather than to strain for your recognition on the basis of my own merit. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 22, 2026

“If this fixed order departs from me—if the sun stops shining, the stars stop glowing, the waves stop rolling—then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.” – Jeremiah 31:35-36

How do you know God’s promise will always apply to you? How do you know His love will last?

The Holy Spirit records in the Bible: “Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar... If this fixed order departs from Me, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before Me forever.”

Translation: If ever the sun stops shining, the stars stop glowing,and the waters of the earth all dry up—then I’ll stop loving you.

Try this sometime: At the beach, watch the waves. Then, at night, look at the stars. In the morning, watch the sunrise. Then remember when all of those forces stop forever, that’s when Godwill stop loving you. What he is saying instead is that as long asthe stars glow, the sun shines, and waves roll, that’s how long God will love you.

In this same chapter of Jeremiah we read, “If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off the offspring of Israel.” Our best cosmologists say maybe this isn’t even the only universe. Maybe there are billions of universes. If those can be measured, if the foundations of the earth can be explored, then God will cast off His people.

Do you catch it? Until then, they can rest easy in His love. That measurement is a long way off.

In our nation’s history, we remember the words of this nation to certain Native Americans: “As long as grasses grow and rivers flow, this land shall be yours.” The problem? We didn’t keep our promise.

The contrast? God cannot break his promise: As long as grasses grow and rivers flow, he will love those who put their faith in him. He will love you forever.

We need to hear that. Those of us who need God to heal our past and our future. Who need God to forget what we can’t forget. Who need to believe His covenant is stronger than our commitment. We need to remember his love never runs out or runs dry, and he never walks away.

Respond: Do you believe God’s love for you will last? Or do you think you can out-sin His grace? Today, look at the sun. Observe the stars. Watch the waves. As long as they exist, God loves you. Rest in that assurance. Trust the God who cannot break any promise to keep this one.

Prayer: Lord, in my humanity, I sometimes wonder if Your love will last. In my sin, I think I may exhaust Your grace. But You say as long as the sun shines, the stars glow, and the waves roll, You will love me. Thank you. That’s a promise as sure as creation itself. Help me rest in that love. Help me trust a covenant stronger than my commitment. Every day the sun rises you love me. Every night the stars shine you love me. As long waters cover the seas You love me. Rest my heart in that promise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 21, 2026

“I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” – Jeremiah 31:34

These people that God is promising to forgive are the people who turned to golden calves and said, “They brought us out of Egypt.” These are the people God rescued in Israel’s southern kingdom who then turned to idolatry after seeing what happened to their northern relatives. They all turned away from God.

Yet, God says: “But I will cut a new covenant. And by faith—not in the nation, not in the temple, not in physical sacrament, but by an internal committed to Me—I will forgive their sins and remember their iniquities no longer.”

Wait. Forget sin?! How can God be God and forget?

The Hebrew word for “remember” means “call to mind.” God is saying: “I will not call to mind what I know I could countagainst you. I won’t bring it up. I won’t call it out. I won’t remember it. I’ll forgive it.” That’s amazing grace.

Maybe we got a sense of such grace at Morehouse College’s commencement a few years ago. There billionaire Robert Smith announced to graduates: “I’ll pay for all your student loans.” Of course, someone had to have a record of how much was owed. The billionaire could certainly tally the debt. But his wealth was so extensive and his generosity so great that he said, in essence,“You don’t need to worry about it. I will remember it no more.”

Does he have the accounting records? Could he call upon them? Of course. But he’s not going to. He’s not going to make an accounting against each student. That’s his right because he paid everything that was needed to cover the debt.

God says to his people: “You betrayed Me. Your penalty is beyond what you could pay. But I love you. And I choose toforget—by a decision of the will, not the intellect. And I will not call it to mind ever again.”

What we cannot forget in our humanity, God chooses to remember no more in his divinity. The moment of rage. The impulse of lust. The wickedness of heart. God says: “Turn to me. Trust me. I will not call it to mind.” You and I both know He knows. But He has chosen—as an act of divine will and mercy—not to call it to mind for hearts set on Him.

Respond: What can’t you forget? What moment of rage, impulse of lust, wickedness of heart haunts you? What do you keep remembering that you wish you could forget? Today, hear God say: “I will not call it to mind. Don’t let it weigh your heart down anymore. I have chosen to remember no more.”

Prayer: Lord, in my humanity, there are things I can’t forget. Moments of shame, failures I replay endlessly, sins that haunt me. But You say You will remember them no more. Not because Your memory is faulty, but because You’ve chosen by an act of will not to call to your mind my sin. Help me believe that. Help me let go of what You’ve already forgotten. And thank you for not remembering, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Through The Bible in a Year - April 20, 2026

“I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.” – Jeremiah 31:33

Centuries after God has delivered his people from Egypt, they abandon him and worship other gods. So, what does he say to them through the Prophet Jeremiah: “What did we do the first time around? I gave you covenant law on stone tablets. I put it in the Ark of the Covenant. We put it in the temple. I had all kinds of physical, material ways to remind you of My love.

“And you slapped My hand away. You turned your back. You walked away.”

Yet, God does not say that he will walk away.

He says, “I’m going to establish a new covenant with you. It’s not just going to be for the nation, but for each individual. It’snot going to be maintained by external rituals but by internalcommitments. I’m working for your heart’s commitment now, not just external observances. So, I’m going to work inside of you by My spirit.”

God is actually clarifying what He said to Abraham when His covenant was first established with the Jewish people. The Bible says that Abraham was counted as righteous before God, not by his works, but by his faith. Now the Lord is driving home that truth for every person He loves: by faith, you will be made righteous and united to me. My plan is for you to connect to me by what’s inside of you, not by depending on externalordinances that may just be mechanical or superstition, but by depending on me in a loving relationship because I have loved you so unfailingly.

Some years ago in Monterey, Mexico, the Roman Catholic Church built a beautiful replica of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, assuming people would flock to it. They did not. Barely a fraction of those anticipated ever went. Why?

People are seeking something real to touch their hearts. Less and less, are we content with external observances and burdensome traditions that seem more about yielding to earthly powers than really honoring God. We want a relationship with God that is not just a show of history and money. We want the Lord to touch us.

This is what God promised through Jeremiah. The Lord said, “I will put My word, My law, in your hearts. Your desire to serve me and experience my grace will not be accomplished by the external works of your hands. I will work from the inside out to claim your heart, rather than expecting you to work from the outside in to claim mine.”

Religion says: Follow these rules, perform these rituals, do these things, and God will accept you. The gospel has always said: by his grace God accepts you through faith, and then His Spirit works from the inside to change you so that you can honor him and experience his blessings in your life.

Respond: Are you trying to work from the outside in? Performing rituals, following rules, doing good things to earn God’s acceptance of your soul? Or are you trusting him to work from the inside out—showing you his love through Christ that you could never earnso that your heart warms in love and trust of Him and you yearn to honor him externally because His Spirit has transformed your heart internally?

Prayer: Lord, my human instinct is to work from the outside in—performing, striving, earning. But You say the new covenant that applies to me is internal. You work from the inside out. You show me how great is your love so that I long to honor you. In this way You write Your law on my heart. Keep writing Lord. I turn to you in faith so that you will change me by Your Spirit, not by my efforts. I ask this in the confidence that you have said, “Whoever seeks You, You will never turn away. I am seeking You in faith. Now turn me Your Way. This I pray in Jesus’ name,Amen.

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.