Joyful Memories
Read: Philippians 1:3-7 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. (v. 3) Paul is grateful for his friends. Every time he thinks about them or prays for them he is thankful and joyful. No less than four times in verses 3 and 4, Paul uses the words “all,” “every,” or “always,” topping it […]
Everyday Saints
Read: Philippians 1:1-5 To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi. (v. 1) Sometimes when we think of a saint, we imagine some angular figure crystallized in stained glass or a person long dead who has been officially declared an ecclesiastical hero. Yet Paul identifies everyone in the church at Philippi as a […]
Finding Life
Read: John 12:20-32 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (v. 25) An oxymoron is a seeming contradiction, like “jumbo shrimp” or “clean dirt.” When Jesus says that in order to gain life we must first give up our lives (see Matt. 10:39, […]
Freedom in Surrender
Read: Galatians 5:1-15 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (v. 13) Surrender. Slave. Servant. These certainly aren’t the first words most people think of when speaking of freedom. But as John Gill has said, “Love makes Christ’s […]
Slaves to Righteousness
Read: Romans 6:1-23 You are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness. (v. 16) Bob Dylan sang, “You gotta serve somebody. It may be the devil, or it may be the Lord, but you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” This is a […]
Surrender, Slavery, and Serving
Read: Luke 1:26-38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (v. 38) Ask a student what her goal in life is. I very much doubt you will hear her say, “My goal in life is to become a servant.” Most people don’t think […]
May 2024 Prayer Guide
BHUTAN — Pray for the leader of our Bhutanese ministry team. He has been traveling to remote areas where most of the population is either Buddhist or Hindu. He goes to these locations to offer in-person training for Christian pastors there. Pray that the pastors would be inspired and equipped to continue their ministry in […]
Following Christ’s Example
Read: Philippians 2:5-11 Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (v. 7) Human examples of surrendering to God, like the apostle Paul, Jonathan Edwards, and Jim Elliot, are wonderful. But the perfect model and example of surrender is Jesus Christ. His coming to earth was […]
Listener Communities
In the island country of Indonesia, Words of Hope’s ministry partners are working to establish listener communities in all of the areas where rural, small language broadcasts can be heard. Local pastors often facilitate these listener communities, relying on the material from Words of Hope for training and small group resources. In rural Indonesia, it is common for one pastor to be responsible […]