Today’s passage: 3 John 1:13–14 Focus verse: Peace to you. (3 John 1:14) John ends his first letter with an abrupt instruction to keep away from idols. In contrast, he wraps up his next two letters with a smoother, more intimate farewell. To both recipients he expresses his desire to see them in person and tell them […]
Today’s passage: 2 John 1:7–9 Focus verse: Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. (2 John 1:8) John moves from his encouragement to walk in love to a warning about being on alert for deceivers, whom he calls antichrists (see Day 10). These deceivers share […]
Embrace Paul’s Closing Remarks to the Corinthian Church As Paul wraps up his first letter to the church in Corinth, he shares a quintet of instructions for them to aspire to. It’s his final remarks to them, giving them five God-honoring outcomes to pursue. He says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, […]
Today’s passage: 2 John 1:1–3 Focus verse: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love. (2 John 1:3) John opens his letter calling himself simply “the elder.” Though he could have used more prestigious labels, such as “one of Jesus’s twelve disciples” […]
People Make the Difference All day Saturday I fight the threat of a cold, applying equal parts prayer and pills to conquer it. What I need is sleep—desperately. By Sunday morning, my wife, Candy, is not surprised when I tell her I’m staying home. “Fine, I’ll go myself.” She’s not defiant, just decisive. She’s an […]
Isaiah Talks about Peace More Than Any Other Book in the Bible Isaiah talks a lot about peace, mentioning it more than any other book in Scripture. One-tenth of the Bible’s references to peace occur in this one book. That’s a lot of peace in one place. And God is the source of this peace, […]
Do What You Can to Promote Peace In Jesus’s best-known sermon, which we call the Sermon on the Mount, he proclaims that “Blessed are the peacemakers.” They’ll be known as God’s children (Matthew 5:9). Though Jesus doesn’t explicitly command us to advocate for peace, he proclaims blessings on those who do. And the blessings are […]
As I read the prophetic book of Nahum, I see a familiar sounding passage:“Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace!” (Nahum 1:15). I find a similar text in Isaiah: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace…” […]