May Prayer Guide 2021
BHUTAN –– Give thanks with us that through virtual Bible studies and outreach on Facebook, 11 Bhutanese individuals have given their lives to Christ, and 8 more have requested the next step of baptism. Please continue to pray for more opportunities to return to in-person sharing of the gospel, since the Internet is quite expensive […]
A Young Man Named Saul
Read: Acts 7:54–8:1 And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. (v. 58) We usually refer to him as Paul, but that was not his name originally. His given Hebrew name was Saul. He was Saul of Tarsus, a well-educated Judaic Pharisee. He was steeped in the […]
Pressing on Toward the Goal
Read: Philippians 3:12-16 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (v. 14) My lungs burned. My temples were pounding. My muscles ached. Everything within me wanted to quit. I had only two miles to go before I would finish my first 25K race. This […]
The Whole Armor of God
Read: Ephesians 6:10-24 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (v. 11) Paul concludes Ephesians by helping us see that our struggle, as we run this race, is not ultimately against flesh and blood. There is an enemy, the devil, who wants […]
Love Begins at Home
Read: Ephesians 5:21–6:9 “. . . submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (5:21) In her Nobel Peace Prize lecture, Mother Teresa answered the question of how we achieve world peace by explaining that “love begins at home . . . in our own family first, in our country and in the world.” […]
The Time We’ve Been Given
Read: Ephesians 5:15-20 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (vv. 15-16) In a powerful scene in the film version of the Lord of the Rings fantasy trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien, Gandalf the wizard and Frodo […]
Reflectors of the Light
Read: Ephesians 5:1-14 For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. (v. 8) The peace advocate Alexander Papaderos was once asked, “What is the meaning of life?” He fished out a small mirror and told a childhood story about the day he found […]
A New Wardrobe
Read: Ephesians 4:17-32 You . . . were taught . . . to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life . . . and to put on the new self. (vv. 22-24) For my birthday my wife bought me several new athletic shirts. But much to her chagrin, I […]
Unity, Not Uniformity
Read: Ephesians 4:1-16 There is one body and one Spirit . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (vv. 4-6) In Christ, we are one body, marked by the waters of baptism. The apostle Paul calls us to […]