Inexpressible
Read: 1 Peter 1:3-12 Born again to a living hope . . . (v. 3) Last February, I had the privilege of meeting with a group of believers from Iran. Seven received baptism. For all of them, our worship times provided the one time in the year when they could sing aloud their praises to […]
March Prayer Guide 2021
IRAN — Pray for Christian converts in Iran who continue to experience persecution because of their faith. At least 15 Christians are currently being held in prison for charges related to their faith, and over 100 were arrested at some point during 2020. There are reports of Christians being flogged for taking communion, being denied education […]
Who We Are
Read: 1 Peter 1:1-2 Elect exiles of the Dispersion . . . (v. 1) Writing from Rome three decades after Jesus rose, Peter told us who we are, how we got here, and where we are going. The first recipients of his letter were spread throughout modern-day Turkey. The times pulsated with anxious uncertainty as […]
No Guilt in Life, No Fear in Death
Read: Jeremiah 50:17-20 In those days and in that time . . . iniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none. (v. 20) At the conclusion of Jeremiah, God declared that once the exile was completed, God’s condemnation would be spent. Once God’s judgment was complete, his instrument, Babylon, would be undone. […]
All Oppression Shall Cease
Read: Jeremiah 50:1-10 . . . let us join ourselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant. (v. 5) God spent much of Jeremiah pronouncing judgment. He announced the instrument of his judgment: Babylon. Babylon was, for a time, serving God’s purposes. But at the end of Jeremiah, his instrument of judgment became the target […]
Surrender
Read: Jeremiah 38:14-18 If you will surrender . . . then your life shall be spared. (v. 17) Although I’ve never needed this advice, I read recently that one of the best ways to avoid a kidnapping is to fight back and make a lot of noise, in order to make it as difficult as […]
Prosperity and Peace
Read: Jeremiah 33:1-9 I will heal my people and let them enjoy abundant peace and security. (v. 6 NIV) Throughout the Old Testament, God promised one thing above all others: peace. The Hebrew word for “peace” is shalom, a term with sweeping, almost cosmic implications. Shalom, best understood, means “all things as they were meant […]
Nothing Is Too Difficult
Read: Jeremiah 32:17-23 Ah, Lord God . . . Nothing is too hard for you. (v. 17) Periodically I counsel couples in crisis. When there is conflict or neglect between partners, it can be encouraging to recall times of mutual fulfillment and happiness. It helps to remember when life together was good. In Jeremiah, God […]
A New Covenant
Read: Jeremiah 31:27-34 I will make a new covenant with . . . Israel . . . (v. 31) At Mount Sinai, God established a covenant with his people. He offered the law as a means of making life right and making Israel right with him. They accepted the terms: “It will be righteousness for […]