Luke 2:1-24, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: JUST FOR YOU - November 11, 2025

I’m about to tell you something you may find hard to believe. You don’t have to agree with me, but I’d like you to consider it with me. Here it is: if you were the only person on earth, the earth would look exactly the same. The Himalayas would still have their drama and the Caribbean its charm. The sun would still nestle behind the Rockies in the evenings and spray light on the desert in the mornings.

If you were the sole pilgrim on this globe, God would not diminish its beauty one degree.

Because he did it all for you. And he’s waiting for you to discover his gift, for your eyes to pop, your heart to stop. He’s waiting for the moment between the dropping of the jaw and the leap of the heart. For in that silence he whispers, “I did it just for you.”

The Lucado Inspirational Reader

The Birth of Jesus

1–5  2 About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

6–7  While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

An Event for Everyone

8–12  There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

13–14  At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights,

Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

15–18  As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

19–20  Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!

Blessings

21  When the eighth day arrived, the day of circumcision, the child was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived.

22–24  Then when the days stipulated by Moses for purification were complete, they took him up to Jerusalem to offer him to God as commanded in God’s Law: “Every male who opens the womb shall be a holy offering to God,” and also to sacrifice the “pair of doves or two young pigeons” prescribed in God’s Law.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

by Tim Gustafson

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

John 20:18-20, 30-31

Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: “I saw the Master!” And she told them everything he said to her.

To Believe

19–20  Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” Then he showed them his hands and side.

20–21  The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant.

30–31  Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.

Today's Insights

The gospel of John contains many “flashbulb” moments—significant events that are impressed on our minds—which shed light on Jesus’ identity and mission. Perhaps that’s why John uses variations of the phrase “come and see” four times in his gospel (1:39; 1:46; 4:29; 11:34). As the individuals in the story are invited to come and see what John is unveiling about Christ, the reader is also invited to pay attention. The apostle is shining the light on Jesus’ person and work so that we “may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing [we] may have life in his name” (20:31). This life He offers is eternal: “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (3:16). Because of Christ’s resurrection—the most significant event in history—those who believe in Him for the forgiveness of sins will spend eternity with Him.

Flashbulb Memories

The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. John 20:20

Early winter 1941. The Sunday service had just concluded. As their father lingered at the little north-country church, my dad and his siblings walked the short distance home. When their father came up the snowy hill to the farmhouse, he was crying. He’d just learned Pearl Harbor had been bombed. His sons—my dad included—would be going to war. Dad always recalled the moment in vivid detail.

Researchers call such events “flashbulb memories”—moments seared into our minds. Think of 9/11, or the day you lost someone close. Think too of your most joyous experience.

Imagine the flashbulb memories of Jesus’ disciples. They witnessed miracle after miracle. Suddenly catastrophe struck. The Son of God was arrested and crucified. But then, resurrection! Mary Magdalene hurried to tell the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18). Still, the disciples hid in fear. They didn’t believe the news (Luke 24:11), not until “Jesus came and stood among them” (John 20:19). Then, “The disciples were overjoyed” (v. 20).

John recorded some of those moments, saying, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (v. 31). “Flashbulb memories” with eternal significance.  

Reflect & Pray

What flashbulb memories do you have? How would you describe your biggest spiritual decision and what it means?

Dear Father, thank You for being with us in all our moments, big and small, and for the biggest event in history—the resurrection of Your Son.

For further study, read A Prayer for Remembering History.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

The Supreme Climb

Take your son . . . — Genesis 22:2

When God commanded Abraham to take his son Isaac to the mountain and “sacrifice him there as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:2), he meant that Abraham should take Isaac now. God’s commands to us are always meant for right now. Climbing to the height God shows us can never be done later.

It’s extraordinary how we debate and procrastinate. We know that what God wants us to do is right, but we find excuses for not doing it. Where we should be resolved, we have a failure of will. The sacrifice must be made in our will before we do it in actuality.

“Early the next morning Abraham got up and . . . set out for the place God had told him about” (v. 3). The wonderful simplicity of Abraham! When God spoke, Abraham didn’t debate or “consult any human being” (Galatians 1:16). Beware if, when God tells you to do something, you find yourself consulting another person—especially if that person is yourself. Your own sympathies and insight will compete with your obedience to God, as will anything that isn’t based in your personal relationship with him.

Always guard against self-chosen service for God. Self-sacrifice may be a disease. If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace; if he has made it bitter, drink it in communion with him. When the providential order of God for you is a time of hardship, go through it. But never choose the scene of your martyrdom. Abraham didn’t choose the sacrifice he would make; God chose for him. And Abraham did not protest. He simply went through it.

If you aren’t living in touch with God, it’s easy to pass a rash verdict on him. You must go through the crucible before you have any right to issue a verdict, because in the crucible you learn to know God better. Once you do know God, you recognize that he is working toward his highest ends and will continue to do so until his purpose and humanity’s purpose become one.

Jeremiah 50; Hebrews 8

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

A fanatic is one who entrenches himself in invincible ignorance.

Baffled to Fight Better, 59 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

YOUR ONLY HOPE OF MAKING IT OUT - #10132

My friend, Nathan, was on the 61st floor of Tower Two that September day when a hijacked jetliner flew into the World Trade Center. I interviewed him for a broadcast, and I was pretty deeply moved by the story Nathan told. He was coming out of the restroom when he remembers seeing a piece of burning paper floating by the window. That was his first hint of the horror that was to follow. As people began to realize they might be in danger, they did what my friend did - they headed for the stairwell. Nathan's account took me right into those stairwells, ultimately jammed with screaming people, through the terror of first the smoke starting to fill the stairwell and then finally the quake when a plane hit their building.

Our friend finally made it to the soot-covered lobby, and that's where he saw the faces he said he would never forget. He told me, "I started seeing some of the rescue workers for the first time heading toward the stairwells and directing us out. You can still remember the looks on some of those faces. They were looking just as scared as I was, I'm sure. They're some of the people that helped save my life, and they never made it out themselves."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Your Only Hope Of Making It Out."

My friend told me he'll be forever grateful to those rescuers who gave their lives so people like him didn't have to. He literally owes his life to them.

I wasn't at the World Trade Center that awful day. But I understand a little of how my friend feels about those rescuers because I know someone who gave His life so I don't have to die. I owe my life to Him. He's the Son of God. His name is Jesus. He rescued me. He wants to rescue you if you'll let Him.

Just before Jesus' arrival on earth, his earthly father, Joseph, was given instructions from heaven about this baby who would soon be born. In it - even before the Son of God spent His first day as one of us - His rescue mission was announced. It's in our word for today from the Word of God, Matthew 1:21 says, "You are to give Him the name Jesus (that means deliverer or rescuer), because He will save His people from their sins." Save. That's what those courageous rescuers did for my friend. They saved him from a deadly situation he could not get himself out of.

That's what Jesus came to do for you and me. Our deadly situation isn't a burning or a collapsing building; it's the eternal death penalty that the Bible says is what our sin will cost. We have hijacked the control of our life from the eternal God who made us and that has eternal deadly consequences - eternal separation from God. But God loves you more than you can imagine. That's why He sent His one and only Son into our "collapsing building," up the stairwell to rescue us. And Jesus' death on that cross was the moment when He was taking the hell that you and I deserve. He was dying so you don't have to.

Today, Jesus has come to where you are to bring you out. But He's your personal Rescuer only if you personally reach out and grab His hand as your only hope of getting out. As you reach out to Him and say, "Jesus, I have no hope of getting out from under the penalty of my sin but what You did on the cross to take it for me. No religion can get me to heaven. No amount of goodness can get me to heaven. I can't get me there. I need a Rescuer, and Jesus, you are my Rescuer beginning today. I pin all my hopes on you."

Let me ask you, let me urge you, to go to our website - ANewStory.com. Because right there you will have all the information you will need to confirm that you really belong to Jesus Christ and you are rescued.

I am a man who owes my life to the Man who brought me out at the highest possible cost to Him. He wants to do that for you. He laid down His life to rescue you, my friend. Please don't live - please don't die - without Him.

Deuteronomy 2, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: SURPRISE WITH KINDNESS - November 10, 2025

They sat on opposite sides of the room, a man and a woman, bidding on an adorable puppy at a school auction. Others dropped off, but not this duo. Back and forth until they’d one-upped the bid to several thousand dollars. This was the Wimbledon finals, and neither player was backing off the net. Finally, the fellow gave in and didn’t return the bid. Going once, going twice, sold! You know what she did? Amidst the applause, she walked across the room and presented the puppy to the competition.

Suppose you did that to the competition, with your enemy, with the boss who fired you. Suppose you surprised them with kindness. Not easy? No, it’s not. But mercy is the deepest gesture of kindness.

The Lucado Inspirational Reader

Deuteronomy 2

Then we turned around and went back into the wilderness following the route to the Red Sea, as God had instructed me. We worked our way in and around the hills of Seir for a long, long time.

2–6  Then God said, “You’ve been going around in circles in these hills long enough; go north. Command the people, You’re about to cut through the land belonging to your relatives, the People of Esau who settled in Seir. They are terrified of you, but restrain yourselves. Don’t try and start a fight. I am not giving you so much as a square inch of their land. I’ve already given all the hill country of Seir to Esau—he owns it all. Pay them up front for any food or water you get from them.”

7  God, your God, has blessed you in everything you have done. He has guarded you in your travels through this immense wilderness. For forty years now, God, your God, has been right here with you. You haven’t lacked one thing.

8  So we detoured around our brothers, the People of Esau who live in Seir, avoiding the Arabah Road that comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber; instead we used the road through the Wilderness of Moab.

9  God told me, “And don’t try to pick a fight with the Moabites. I am not giving you any of their land. I’ve given ownership of Ar to the People of Lot.”

10–12  The Emites (Monsters) used to live there—mobs of hulking giants, like Anakites. Along with the Anakites they were lumped in with the Rephaites (Ghosts) but in Moab they were called Emites. Horites also used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau took over and destroyed them, the same as Israel did in the land God gave them to possess.

13  God said, “It’s time now to cross the Brook Zered.” So we crossed the Brook Zered.

14–15  It took us thirty-eight years to get from Kadesh Barnea to the Brook Zered. That’s how long it took for the entire generation of soldiers from the camp to die off, as God had sworn they would. God was relentless against them until the last one was gone from the camp.

16–23  When the last of these soldiers had died, God said to me, “This is the day you cut across the territory of Moab, at Ar. When you approach the People of Ammon, don’t try and pick a fight with them because I’m not giving you any of the land of the People of Ammon for yourselves—I’ve already given it to the People of Lot.” It is also considered to have once been the land of the Rephaites. Rephaites lived there long ago—the Ammonites called them Zamzummites (Barbarians)—huge mobs of them, giants like the Anakites. God destroyed them and the Ammonites moved in and took over. It was the same with the People of Esau who live in Seir—God got rid of the Horites who lived there earlier and they moved in and took over, as you can see. Regarding the Avvites who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorites who came from Caphtor (Crete) wiped them out and moved in.

24–25  “On your feet now. Get started. Cross the Brook Arnon. Look: Here’s Sihon the Amorite king of Heshbon and his land. I’m handing it over to you—it’s all yours. Go ahead, take it. Go to war with him. Before the day is out, I’ll make sure that all the people around here are thoroughly terrified. Rumors of you are going to spread like wildfire; they’ll totally panic.”

26–28  From the Wilderness of Kedemoth, I sent messengers to Sihon, king of Heshbon. They carried a friendly message: “Let me cross through your land on the highway. I’ll stay right on the highway; I won’t trespass right or left. I’ll pay you for any food or water we might need. Let me walk through.

29  “The People of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did this, helping me on my way until I can cross the Jordan and enter the land that God, our God, is giving us.”

30  But Sihon king of Heshbon wouldn’t let us cross his land. God, your God, turned his spirit mean and his heart hard so he could hand him over to you, as you can see that he has done.

31  Then God said to me, “Look, I’ve got the ball rolling—Sihon and his land are soon yours. Go ahead. Take it. It’s practically yours!”

32–36  So Sihon and his entire army confronted us in battle at Jahaz. God handed him, his sons, and his entire army over to us and we utterly crushed them. While we were at it we captured all his towns and totally destroyed them, a holy destruction—men, women, and children. No survivors. We took the livestock and the plunder from the towns we had captured and carried them off for ourselves. From Aroer on the edge of the Brook Arnon and the town in the gorge, as far as Gilead, not a single town proved too much for us; God, our God, gave every last one of them to us.

37  The only land you didn’t take, obeying God’s command, was the land of the People of Ammon, the land along the Jabbok and around the cities in the hills.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, November 10, 2025

by Arthur Jackson

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Proverbs 31:24-31

She designs gowns and sells them,

brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.

Her clothes are well-made and elegant,

and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.

When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say,

and she always says it kindly.

She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,

and keeps them all busy and productive.

Her children respect and bless her;

her husband joins in with words of praise:

“Many women have done wonderful things,

but you’ve outclassed them all!”

Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.

The woman to be admired and praised

is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.

Give her everything she deserves!

Festoon her life with praises!

Today's Insights

The book of Proverbs introduces us to two central figures—Woman Wisdom and Woman Folly. Woman Wisdom is the embodiment of God’s wisdom. She entreats the public to follow her way, which is also the path of flourishing (1:20-33). Woman Folly, on the other hand, seduces those who hear her voice, causing them to choose the path of foolish disregard of divine wisdom (9:13-18). At the close of Proverbs, we’re also introduced to the “wife of noble character” (31:10; see also 12:4), whom we can understand as a person whose life genuinely reflects the wisdom of Woman Wisdom. This same phrase—“woman of noble character” (“wife” can also be translated “woman”)—is also used to describe Ruth (Ruth 3:11). Her faithful care of her mother-in-law, Naomi, is a concrete example of what being a woman of noble character looks like in practice—having a character of such faithfulness that others notice it.

A God-Fearing Woman

A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30

Rosie’s birthday celebration was unforgettable. The food was tasty, the table banter was fun, and the presence of her first grandson was icing on the cake! These good things, however, paled in view of her two sons’ tributes to her. Though Rosie’s marriage didn’t last, her exceptional skills as a single mom marked her sons. Their accolades reflected how she did everything possible to provide for their needs. The younger son’s comment best captured Rosie’s posture before them: “She is a God-fearing woman.”

In Proverbs 31:10-31 readers get to see what fear-informed wisdom looks like in the home. The fear of the Lord (v. 30), which is a humble reverence for God, compels one to be trustworthy (vv. 11-12) and hardworking and thrifty (vv. 13-19). And, while the wise woman possesses a “home first” attitude (vv. 21-28), that doesn’t mean “home only.” Meeting the needs of outsiders also gets attention (v. 20).

As with Rosie, the lifestyles of God-fearing women don’t go unnoticed—especially among those who live with them (v. 28). It’s not surprising when those closest to them sing their praises. Want to be a God-fearing follower of Jesus? Why not ask God for His help? And don’t be surprised when those prayers are answered—even in challenging circumstances.

Reflect & Pray

How do others inspire you to live in humble awe of God, even in less-than-ideal circumstances? How can you reverently seek Him and His wisdom?

Wise Father, please give me courage to follow in the footsteps of Jesus in the way I love, honor, and respect You.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, November 10, 2025

Co-Worker in God’s Service

We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ. — 1 Thessalonians 3:2

After I am sanctified and become a “co-worker in God’s service,” I will probably find it difficult to state what my aim in life is. This is because the Lord has taken me up into a purpose which he alone knows. All my goings are organized by him, which means I can never understand them. What I do know is that he is using me for his purposes throughout the world, just as he used his Son for the purpose of our salvation.

If I seek great things for myself—“God has called me for this and that”—and cling to purposes of my own, I put a barrier between myself and God and make it impossible for him to use me. As long as I have an interest in my own character or in any set ambition, I won’t be able to fully identify myself with God’s interests. I can only get through to total identification by losing forever any idea of myself and by letting God take me out into his purpose for the world.

I have to learn that the aim of life is God’s, not mine. God is using me from his great personal standpoint. All he asks of me is that I have implicit faith in him and in his goodness, such faith that I never say, “Lord, this gives me such heartache.” To talk in that way makes me an impediment to him. When I stop telling God what I want, he can take me up for what he wants without hindrance. He can crumple me or exalt me. He can do anything he chooses.

Self-pity is of the devil. If I go down that road, I cannot be used by God for his purpose, because I live in my own private sphere, a little “world within the world.” God will never be able to get me to come out into his world, because I’m too afraid of what I’ll encounter. I have to set aside my selfishness and fear and become entirely identified with him.

Jeremiah 48-49; Hebrews 7

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self-assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth.

The Place of Help, 1005 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, November 10, 2025

HEALTHY DIET, HEALTHY HEART - #10131

Let's take a look at Nemoria arizonaria. I'm sure you were just talking about him at lunch, right? It's a caterpillar! That's what a lot of us know him as. Now, some caterpillars are born in the spring and some are born in the summer. The spring bunch I understand, eat oak catkins. That's the dangling flowers on an oak tree. And within days, guess what? They look as fuzzy as their meal was that they ate just a few days ago. Oh, let's take the summer bunch now. They eat smooth leaves because that's what's out then. Would you believe it? They become smooth caterpillars. It's amazing! Caterpillars exemplify that old adage, "You are what you eat." They literally are. That doesn't mean you're going to begin to look like your lunch I hope. That's a scary thought. But in another way, the caterpillar dynamic is happening to you.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Healthy Diet, Healthy Heart."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Philippians 4:8. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable. If anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things." That's dietary advice. You think it's not about eating? Well it is. It's about what you consume mentally and spiritually; what you allow to come into your mind, your ears, your eyes, your heart. And if it isn't noble, and true, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable, you've got no business listening to it. You have no business dining on it mentally.

The Bible says, "As a man thinks in his heart so is he." You are what you eat. That's why Proverbs 4:23 says, "Guard your heart. Be careful what you let in there; it's the wellspring of life." Your mind is being programmed and shaped even today by what you hear, what you watch, what you laugh at, and your music. The subtle thing is you don't feel like anything's happening. You don't say, "Oh, I am now being programmed. I am now being influenced." You don't know it.

But input is what creates thoughts, and thoughts become fantasies and attitudes. And those attitudes eventually become actions. It's too late then. You can't stop this process. You can't feel it happening, and you can't stop it any more than a caterpillar can say, "I don't want to become bumpy like what I ate." Or, "smooth like what I ate."

You keep tuning in to depressing input, and you're going to start to feel a darkness growing inside of you. You keep fueling yourself with bad news about a certain person and all the things that are wrong about them, and you're going to find a growing bitterness and criticism in your spirit. You keep letting in sexually stimulating images, and increasingly it will affect how you view the opposite sex and your own sexuality.

See, the media is a lot more than entertainment. It's ideas and it's values wrapped up in bright attractive packages. I've decided I have to fight sin at the door. James 1:15 is so revealing, "After desire has conceived it gives birth to sin, and sin when it is full grown gives birth to death." You've got to fight it as a desire. Your most important choices are not so much about your actions; they're about your input. Actions all come from what you eat mentally.

For caterpillars and for Christians, diet is destiny.

Deuteronomy 1 , bible reading and daily devotionals.

Max Lucado Daily: More Dinghy than Cruise Ship?

Are you more dinghy. . .than cruise ship? Or in my case, more blue jeans than blue blood? Well congratulations, God changes the world with folks like you!

The next time you say, “I don’t think God could use me!”—stop right there!  Satan’s going to try to tell you that God has an IQ requirement.  That he employs only experts and high-powered personalities.  When you hear Satan whispering that lie—hit him with this:  God stampeded the first-century society with swaybacks, not thoroughbreds.  Before Jesus came along, the disciples were loading trucks, coaching soccer, and selling Slurpee drinks at the convenience store!

But what they had going for them was a willingness to take a step when Jesus said, “Follow me.”

So what do you think?  More plumber than executive?  More stand-in than movie star? Yeah—congratulations!  God uses people like you…and me.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  Matthew 16:24?

From Max on Life

Deuteronomy 1

These are the sermons Moses preached to all Israel when they were east of the Jordan River in the Arabah Wilderness, opposite Suph, in the vicinity of Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. It takes eleven days to travel from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea following the Mount Seir route.

3–4  It was on the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year when Moses addressed the People of Israel, telling them everything God had commanded him concerning them. This came after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled from Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who ruled from Ashtaroth in Edrei. It was east of the Jordan in the land of Moab that Moses set out to explain this Revelation.

Moses Preaches to Israel on the Plains of Moab

5  He said:

6–8  Back at Horeb, God, our God, spoke to us: “You’ve stayed long enough at this mountain. On your way now. Get moving. Head for the Amorite hills, wherever people are living in the Arabah, the mountains, the foothills, the Negev, the seashore—the Canaanite country and the Lebanon all the way to the big river, the Euphrates. Look, I’ve given you this land. Now go in and take it. It’s the land God promised to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their children after them.”

9–13  At the time I told you, “I can’t do this, can’t carry you all by myself. God, your God, has multiplied your numbers. Why, look at you—you rival the stars in the sky! And may God, the God-of-Your-Fathers, keep it up and multiply you another thousand times, bless you just as he promised. But how can I carry, all by myself, your troubles and burdens and quarrels? So select some wise, understanding, and seasoned men from your tribes, and I will commission them as your leaders.”

14  You answered me, “Good! A good solution.”

15  So I went ahead and took the top men of your tribes, wise and seasoned, and made them your leaders—leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, officials adequate for each of your tribes.

16–17  At the same time I gave orders to your judges: “Listen carefully to complaints and accusations between your fellow Israelites. Judge fairly between each person and his fellow or foreigner. Don’t play favorites; treat the little and the big alike; listen carefully to each. Don’t be impressed by big names. This is God’s judgment you’re dealing with. Hard cases you can bring to me; I’ll deal with them.”

18  I issued orders to you at that time regarding everything you would have to deal with.

19–21  Then we set out from Horeb and headed for the Amorite hill country, going through that huge and frightening wilderness that you’ve had more than an eyeful of by now—all under the command of God, our God—and finally arrived at Kadesh Barnea. There I told you, “You’ve made it to the Amorite hill country that God, our God, is giving us. Look, God, your God, has placed this land as a gift before you. Go ahead and take it now. God, the God-of-Your-Fathers, promised it to you. Don’t be afraid. Don’t lose heart.”

22  But then you all came to me and said, “Let’s send some men on ahead to scout out the land for us and bring back a report on the best route to take and the kinds of towns we can expect to find.”

23–25  That seemed like a good idea to me, so I picked twelve men, one from each tribe. They set out, climbing through the hills. They came to the Eshcol Valley and looked it over. They took samples of the produce of the land and brought them back to us, saying, “It’s a good land that God, our God, is giving us!”

26–28  But then you weren’t willing to go up. You rebelled against God, your God’s plain word. You complained in your tents: “God hates us. He hauled us out of Egypt in order to dump us among the Amorites—a death sentence for sure! How can we go up? We’re trapped in a dead end. Our brothers took all the wind out of our sails, telling us, ‘The people are bigger and stronger than we are; their cities are huge, their defenses massive—we even saw Anakite giants there!’ ”

29–33  I tried to relieve your fears: “Don’t be terrified of them. God, your God, is leading the way; he’s fighting for you. You saw with your own eyes what he did for you in Egypt; you saw what he did in the wilderness, how God, your God, carried you as a father carries his child, carried you the whole way until you arrived here. But now that you’re here, you won’t trust God, your God—this same God who goes ahead of you in your travels to scout out a place to pitch camp, a fire by night and a cloud by day to show you the way to go.”

34–36  When God heard what you said, he exploded in anger. He swore, “Not a single person of this evil generation is going to get so much as a look at the good land that I promised to give to your parents. Not one—except for Caleb son of Jephunneh. He’ll see it. I’ll give him and his descendants the land he walked on because he was all for following God, heart and soul.”

37–40  But I also got it. Because of you God’s anger spilled over onto me. He said, “You aren’t getting in either. Your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will go in. Build up his courage. He’s the one who will claim the inheritance for Israel. And your babies of whom you said, ‘They’ll be grabbed for plunder,’ and all these little kids who right now don’t even know right from wrong—they’ll get in. I’ll give it to them. Yes, they’ll be the new owners. But not you. Turn around and head back into the wilderness following the route to the Red Sea.”

41  You spoke up, “We’ve sinned against God. We’ll go up and fight, following all the orders that God, our God, has commanded.” You took your weapons and dressed for battle—you thought it would be so easy going into those hills!

42  But God told me, “Tell them, ‘Don’t do it; don’t go up to fight—I’m not with you in this. Your enemies will waste you.’ ”

43–46  I told you but you wouldn’t listen. You rebelled at the plain word of God. You threw out your chests and strutted into the hills. And those Amorites, who had lived in those hills all their lives, swarmed all over you like a hive of bees, chasing you from Seir all the way to Hormah, a stinging defeat. You came back and wept in the presence of God, but he didn’t pay a bit of attention to you; God didn’t give you the time of day. You stayed there in Kadesh a long time, about as long as you had stayed there earlier.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, November 09, 2025

by 

Matt Lucas

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Matthew 28:16-20

 Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.

18–20  Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

Today's Insights

In the Gospels, Jesus is described as a man who “taught as one who had authority” (Matthew 7:29) and “has authority on earth to forgive sins” (9:6). The Greek word exousia carries the meaning of “authority, power, the right to control or govern; dominion, the area or sphere of jurisdiction.” Christ called twelve men, discipled them, and then “[sent] them out to preach” (Mark 3:14). He “gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases” and instructed them “to proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:1-2). As the Son of God and Son of Man, Jesus has been given “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18), for God granted “him authority over all people” (John 17:2). We’re also armed with His authority—although ours is limited—to go into the world and tell others about Him. As believers in Jesus, we can ask God to give us opportunities to share Him with others and disciple them (Matthew 28:19-20).

Radical Mission

Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19

Diognetus, a second-century pagan, noticed that followers of Christ “day by day increase more and more.” This was despite regular persecution they endured under the hand of the Romans. He asked a believer in Jesus why this was true. In a document we know as the Letter to Diognetus, that early church father replied to him, “Do you not see that the more of them are punished, the greater becomes the number of the rest? This does not seem to be the work of man: this is the power of God.”

As Jesus gave His final words to His disciples before ascending into heaven, they could little imagine the growth the church would experience in the coming centuries. He told them, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). This has become known as the Great Commission, but using this phrase to describe Christ’s final words to His disciples can make it feel burdensome. In reality, this is what He calls all those who follow Him to do: As we go about our day, make disciples. We don’t have to go to the ends of the earth; the message will travel wherever we carry it with us.

Don’t be discouraged by the difficulties of the moment. Jesus also said, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (v. 20). We take Him with us everywhere we go.

Reflect & Pray

Who are the people in your life who need to hear the gospel? How will you share the good news with them today?

Dear Father, please give me an opportunity to share my story of salvation.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, November 09, 2025

Sacramental Service

I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions. — Colossians 1:24

As Christian workers, we have to be like sacramental go-betweens—so identified with our Lord and the reality of his redemption that he can continually bring his creating life through us. This doesn’t mean that Christ superimposes his personality on ours or overwhelms us with his strength. It means that his real presence comes through every element of our lives and of the work we do for him.

When we preach the historical facts of the life and death of our Lord as they are conveyed in the New Testament, our words become like holy vessels. God uses them on the ground of his redemption to create something in those who listen—something which would not be created otherwise. If we preach the effects of the redemption on human life instead of preaching the revelation about Jesus, the result in those who listen won’t be rebirth but merely refined spiritual culture. The Spirit of God isn’t able to witness through this type of preaching, because such preaching belongs to a different domain, a worldly domain. We have to make sure that we are in such living sympathy with God that through our preaching he can create in other souls the things which he alone can do.

“What a wonderful personality!” “What a fascinating speaker!” “What fantastic insight!” What chance does the gospel of God have in all that noise? It can’t get through because the line of attraction is always the line of appeal. If a preacher tries to attract with his or her personality, the appeal will be his or her personality. But if a preacher is identified with the Lord’s personality, then the appeal will be what Jesus Christ can do. The danger is to lift up human beings. Jesus says we are to elevate him: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32).

Jeremiah 46-47; Hebrews 6

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

If a man cannot prove his religion in the valley, it is not worth anything. 

Shade of His Hand, 1200 L

Luke 1:57-80 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Your Suffering is Your Sermon

Sickness and sin still stalk our planet. But here’s the difference: neither sin nor sickness will have dominion over God’s people. He is in charge! So if you are sick, cry out to Jesus! Talk to him about your stomach, your skin, your headaches. After all, he owns you. Scripture says your body was “bought at a price.”

Do the same with your emotions. Did someone molest you? Did you abort a baby or abandon a child? If so, you likely need inner healing. He will heal you—instantly or gradually. Our highest hope, however, is in our ultimate healing. 1 John 3:2 promises that “when He is revealed, we shall be like him.”

In the meantime, before amen—comes the power of a simple prayer!  Your suffering is your sermon.

From Before Amen

Luke 1:57-80

The Birth of John

57–58  When Elizabeth was full-term in her pregnancy, she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives, seeing that God had overwhelmed her with mercy, celebrated with her.

59–60  On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child and were calling him Zachariah after his father. But his mother intervened: “No. He is to be called John.”

61–62  “But,” they said, “no one in your family is named that.” They used sign language to ask Zachariah what he wanted him named.

63–64  Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, “His name is to be John.” That took everyone by surprise. Surprise followed surprise—Zachariah’s mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God!

65–66  A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else. Everyone who heard about it took it to heart, wondering, “What will become of this child? Clearly, God has his hand in this.”

67–79  Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;

he came and set his people free.

He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives,

and in the very house of David his servant,

Just as he promised long ago

through the preaching of his holy prophets:

Deliverance from our enemies

and every hateful hand;

Mercy to our fathers,

as he remembers to do what he said he’d do,

What he swore to our father Abraham—

a clean rescue from the enemy camp,

So we can worship him without a care in the world,

made holy before him as long as we live.

And you, my child, “Prophet of the Highest,”

will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways,

Present the offer of salvation to his people,

the forgiveness of their sins.

Through the heartfelt mercies of our God,

God’s Sunrise will break in upon us,

Shining on those in the darkness,

those sitting in the shadow of death,

Then showing us the way, one foot at a time,

down the path of peace.

80  The child grew up, healthy and spirited. He lived out in the desert until the day he made his prophetic debut in Israel.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, November 08, 2025

by Cindy Hess Kasper

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Psalm 145:1-13

 I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King!

and I’ll bless your name into eternity.

2  I’ll bless you every day,

and keep it up from now to eternity.

3  God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough.

There are no boundaries to his greatness.

4  Generation after generation stands in awe of your work;

each one tells stories of your mighty acts.

5  Your beauty and splendor have everyone talking;

I compose songs on your wonders.

6  Your marvelous doings are headline news;

I could write a book full of the details of your greatness.

7  The fame of your goodness spreads across the country;

your righteousness is on everyone’s lips.

8  God is all mercy and grace—

not quick to anger, is rich in love.

9  God is good to one and all;

everything he does is suffused with grace.

10–11  Creation and creatures applaud you, God;

your holy people bless you.

They talk about the glories of your rule,

they exclaim over your splendor,

12  Letting the world know of your power for good,

the lavish splendor of your kingdom.

13  Your kingdom is a kingdom eternal;

you never get voted out of office.

God always does what he says,

and is gracious in everything he does.

Today's Insights

The book of Psalms is divided into five books or divisions (Psalms 1-41; 42-72; 73-89; 90-106; 107-150). And within these books are subdivisions or collections of psalms. For example, Psalms 120-134 are known as the Songs of Ascents. Another subset of psalms are Psalms 146-150, known as the Hallelujah Psalms because they begin and end with the words “praise the Lord” (Hebrew, halelu-yah).

Psalm 145 is an appropriate preface to these final five psalms because it ends with the commitment, “My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever” (v. 21). The remaining psalms (146-150) begin and end with the simple call, “Praise the Lord,” adding their own voices to Psalm 145’s challenge. The words of Psalm 145 remind us that our spirits were designed to respond in praise to God for all He’s done.

Continual Praise to God

Every day I will praise you. Psalm 145:2

On a road trip to Montana one summer, we stopped at a rest area to stretch our legs. Inside one of the buildings was a young man who was singing a familiar praise song as he mopped the floor. Then he started singing the hymn “It Is Well with My Soul.” I couldn’t resist. When he called out the phrase “it is well,” I repeated it. When he sang, “with my soul,” I echoed the words. Together, we sang the last line: “It is well, it is well . . . with my soul!” He grinned, gave me a fist bump, and said, “Praise God.” When I got back to the car where my husband was waiting, he asked, “What’s with the big smile?”

Think of the things for which we can praise God, such as His goodness, righteousness, compassion, promises, provision, and protection. And Psalm 145 is one of many psalms that urges us to continually praise Him. David wrote, “Every day I will praise you” (v. 2). Many people praise God by playing an instrument; others by reading or reciting Scripture; or by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Colossians 3:16). Some express their praise through liturgical dance. But all genuine praise springs from hearts that are full of gratitude.

Our spirits were designed to praise God. It’s because of His sacrificial love for us that we can say with confidence, “It is well with my soul!”

Reflect & Pray

When do you find it easy to express your praise for God? What might help you focus on praising Him in a new way? 

Dear God, I want my life to be one of continual praise and worship. May You alone receive all the glory.

For further study, read Worshipping Means More than Singing.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, November 08, 2025

The Unrivaled Power of Prayer

We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. —Romans 8:26

Many of us know what it means to pray in the Spirit; we know that the Holy Spirit energizes us for prayer. But how many of us realize that the Holy Spirit prays prayers in us, prayers which we cannot utter? When we are born again of God and are indwelled by his Spirit, he expresses the unutterable for us.

“The Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:27). God searches your heart when you pray, but not to discover your own conscious prayers. Rather, God seeks to discover the prayers of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside you.

“Your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19). The Holy Spirit needs the body of the individual believer in order to offer his intercession, and he needs our bodies to be temples, kept as shrines for him. When Jesus Christ cleaned the temple, he “would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts” (Mark 11:16). Neither will the Spirit of God allow you to use your body for your own convenience. Jesus ruthlessly cast out all who bought and sold in the temple. He said, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers’” (Matthew 21:13).

Have we recognized that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit? If so, we must be careful to keep them undefiled for him. We have to remember that our conscious life, although it only makes up a tiny bit of our personality, is to be regarded by us as a temple of the Holy Spirit. He will look after the unconscious part that we know nothing about, but we must make sure to guard the conscious part, for which we are responsible.

Jeremiah 43-45; Hebrews 5

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Am I learning how to use my Bible? The way to become complete for the Master’s service is to be well soaked in the Bible; some of us only exploit certain passages. Our Lord wants to give us continuous instruction out of His word; continuous instruction turns hearers into disciples. 

Approved Unto God, 11 L

Numbers 36, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A DOSE OF SERVANTHOOD - November 7, 2025

God’s cure for the common life includes a strong dose of servanthood. Timely reminder. As you celebrate your unique design, be careful. Don’t so focus on what you love to do that you neglect what needs to be done. A 3:00 AM diaper change fits in very few sweet spots. Visiting your sick neighbor might not come naturally to you. Still, the sick need to be encouraged and diapers need changing.

The world needs servants. People like Jesus, who did not come to be served, but to serve. He chose remote Nazareth over center-stage Jerusalem, his dad’s carpentry shop over a marble-columned palace, and three decades of anonymity over a life of popularity. He selected prayer over sleep, the wilderness over the Jordan, feisty apostles over obedient angels. I’d have gone with the angels, given the choice. Not Jesus. He picked the people. He came to serve! May we do the same.

The Lucado Inspirational Reader

Numbers 36

The Daughters of Zelophehad

1  36 The heads of the ancestral clan of Gilead son of Makir, the son of Manasseh—they were from the clans of the descendants of Joseph—approached Moses and the leaders who were heads of the families in the People of Israel.

2–4  They said, “When God commanded my master to hand over the inheritance-lands by lot to the People of Israel, my master was also commanded by God to hand over the inheritance-land of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. But what happens if they marry into another tribe in the People of Israel? Their inheritance-land will be taken out of our ancestral tribe and get added into the tribe into which they married. And then when the year of Jubilee comes for the People of Israel their inheritance will be lumped in with the inheritance of the tribe into which they married—their land will be removed from our ancestors’ inheritance!”

5–9  Moses, at God’s command, issued this order to the People of Israel: “What the tribe of the sons of Joseph says is right. This is God’s command to Zelophehad’s daughters: They are free to marry anyone they choose as long as they marry within their ancestral clan. The inheritance-land of the People of Israel must not get passed around from tribe to tribe. No, keep the tribal inheritance-land in the family. Every daughter who inherits land, regardless of the tribe she is in, must marry a man from within her father’s tribal clan. Every Israelite is responsible for making sure the inheritance stays within the ancestral tribe. No inheritance-land may be passed from tribe to tribe; each tribe of the People of Israel must hold tight to its own land.”

10–12  Zelophehad’s daughters did just as God commanded Moses. Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, Zelophehad’s daughters, all married their cousins on their father’s side. They married within the families of Manasseh son of Joseph and their inheritance-lands stayed in their father’s family.

13  These are the commands and regulations that God commanded through the authority of Moses to the People of Israel on the Plains of Moab at Jordan-Jericho.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, November 07, 2025

by Katara Patton

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Numbers 27:1-7

The Daughters of Zelophehad

1  27 The daughters of Zelophehad showed up. Their father was the son of Hepher son of Gilead son of Makir son of Manasseh, belonging to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

2–4  They came to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. They stood before Moses and Eleazar the priest and before the leaders and the congregation and said, “Our father died in the wilderness. He wasn’t part of Korah’s rebel anti-God gang. He died for his own sins. And he left no sons. But why should our father’s name die out from his clan just because he had no sons? So give us an inheritance among our father’s relatives.”

5  Moses brought their case to God.

6–7  God ruled: “Zelophehad’s daughters are right. Give them land as an inheritance among their father’s relatives. Give them their father’s inheritance.

Today's Insights

In Numbers 27:1-7, Zelophehad’s five daughters act as one in their request to receive their father’s inheritance in the promised land. Their boldness in making the request (they followed proper protocol in approaching the leaders at the tent of meeting) is an example of both faith and humility. There was no provision in Israel at that time for women to receive an inheritance; it was only passed through the men.

Moses models the character of a good spiritual leader in responding to their request. Since there was no precedent for women to receive an inheritance, he inquired of God, who said, “You must certainly give them property” (v. 7). The courage of the women and the character of Moses led to a positive solution where the good of the people was served. As we face challenges today, we can seek God’s wisdom for ways to serve together well in Christ.

Working Together in Christ

The Lord said to [Moses], “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property.” Numbers 27:6-7

“No matter where you are, what you’re going through; use what you have and make the most of it,” said the young woman in a TV interview. Her words prompted me to listen carefully to the full story. I learned that she was one of six sisters working toward nursing degrees. They were once homeless and struggling, yet they worked together to reach their common goal. And at the time the story aired, all six sisters were completing the nursing program at a local university.

Numbers 27 tells the story of another group of sisters who worked together and supported each other. The five daughters of Zelophehad made an appeal about an inheritance law. They gathered together and stood before Moses to plead their case, saying, “Our father died . . . for his own sin and left no sons. . . . Give us property among our father’s relatives” (vv. 3-4). God answered with this revolutionary statement: “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance” (v. 7).

The five sisters came together and sought God’s mercy as they stood before Moses. And God provided what they needed as they banded together before Him.

Working together isn’t always easy as believers in Jesus. But as we seek God’s wisdom and direction with humility, we’ll find He can help us serve well together in Christ.

Reflect & Pray

How can you work better with other believers in Christ? How does it encourage you to serve with others?

Dear God, please show me how to work with other believers to accomplish goals that honor You.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, November 07, 2025

The Sacredness of Circumstances

In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. —Romans 8:28

In the life of a saint, there is no such thing as chance. God, by his providence, brings you into circumstances that you can’t understand at all, and the only thing you know is that the Spirit of God understands. Never take your circumstances into your own hand and say, “I’m going to be my own providence here. I must watch this and guard that.” All your circumstances are in the hand of God; never think this strange concerning the circumstances you are in.

God is bringing you into certain places and among certain people for a reason: so that the Holy Spirit inside you can intercede along a particular line. The Holy Spirit’s part in intercessory prayer isn’t the human part. As a human being, you are not to engage in the agonies of intercession; the Holy Spirit takes those upon himself. “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26). Your part is to take the circumstances you’re in and the people you’re among and bring them before God’s throne. This is how you give the Spirit inside you a chance to intercede, and how God is going to sweep the whole world with his saints.

Ask yourself: Am I making the Holy Spirit’s work difficult by being noncommittal or by trying to do his work for him? You must leave the Spirit side of intercession alone and focus on your side—your specific circumstances and acquaintances.

My intercessions can never be your intercessions, and your intercessions can never be mine. But the Holy Spirit makes intercessions in each of our lives, intercessions without which someone else will be impoverished.

Jeremiah 40-42; Hebrews 4

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Beware of isolation; beware of the idea that you have to develop a holy life alone. It is impossible to develop a holy life alone; you will develop into an oddity and a peculiarism, into something utterly unlike what God wants you to be. The only way to develop spiritually is to go into the society of God’s own children, and you will soon find how God alters your set. God does not contradict our social instincts; He alters them. 

Biblical Psychology, 189 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, November 07, 2025

WHEN YOU'RE HIT WITH LIFE'S HAMMER - #10130

When You're Hit With Life's Hammer - #10130

WHEN YOU'RE HIT WITH LIFE'S HAMMER - #10130

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 pain  your most important relationship  Philippians  2 corinthians  strength

November 7, 2025

00:0004:25

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Full disclosure here. I'm not the guy you want to call when you need a guy to do a job with a hammer. But look, I do know the fundamentals. A hammer can be used to build something, right? Or to tear it down. Either way, what a hammer hits is not going to stay the same. Life's hammers are like that: Losing your job, your health, the one you love most. Those are hammers! And maybe one of those has hit you recently. Or it maybe hit a long time ago but its effects are still there today. And whatever the hammer hits can't possibly stay the same. The only question is whether the blows will build you or tear you down. But the hammer doesn't decide that. We do.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When You're Hit With Life's Hammer."

Each summer, I travel with a team of young Native Americans who've been hammered all their lives by family violence, sexual violence, addiction, and depression. Most have been to a dozen or more funerals by the time they're 16.

But when they talk about their lives with reservation young people like them, they don't sound like victims. Oh, they acknowledge the damage the blows have done. But what they talk about most is hope! Because they made choices that have made them stronger, more compassionate, people of great faith, and they hand out hope wherever they go.

We don't get to choose if and when life's hammers hit, but we totally choose what kind of person it's going to make us. Will I let this tenderize my heart or turn it hard? Will I let pain open up my heart or close my heart in fear that I'll get hurt again? Will I let it go, by forgiving and be free, or will I let it grow into a cancer in my soul? Will I let the blows equip me to be a wounded healer for other bleeding people, or is it going to make me one of those hurt people who hurt people?

The hole left by my Karen's absence is unfillable. But God has used it to open my heart to Him and to other wounded people as never before. I'm living with His promise, and it's our word for today from the Word of God: "He comforts us in all our troubles so we can comfort others" and "give them the same comfort God has given us" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

When we've been hurt, we can choose to let the hammer turn us inward, putting up walls that say, "Leave me alone." People get that vibe and they oblige, and we end up self-isolated at the very time when we need people the most. On the other hand, if we choose to reach out, we can experience the very flood of love and support that we're going to need to heal.

Maybe the worst choice we can make when the hammer hits is to turn our back on God. We go, "why?", and the heavens seem silent. But when we turn our back on God at the very point where we need Him the most, we're turning our back on the only One who can make any sense out of what's happened. Who can bring meaning out of our pain. Who has the hope and the supernatural strength we need to go on. As the Bible promises, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13). Even through the most leveling blow of my life.

My Jesus gets it. No one took the blows He did. Literally loving me enough to take the hellish punishment for my sin so I wouldn't have to. And anyone who loved me enough to die for me will never do me wrong. So, yes, I can trust Him. Even when I can't understand Him.

I would encourage you, if you've never reached out to Him and begun your relationship with Him, tell Him today, "Jesus, I'm yours." And let me urge you to go to our website and there get all the information you'll need to get this relationship started. It's ANewStory.com.

When my son was three years old, we visited the U.S. Capitol. You can imagine how those long, steep stairs looked with little legs. Impossible. But he made it to the top! Not with his strength. With his daddy's. I carried him.

Just as Jesus has been carrying me and wants to carry you. He's carried me where I never could have gone without Him. He's waiting to do that for you.

Numbers 35, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: LONG ENOUGH - November 6, 2025

We speak of a short life, but compared to eternity, who has a long one? A person’s days on earth may seem like a thimbleful. But compared to the Pacific of eternity, even the years of Methuselah filled no more than a glass. James was not speaking just to the young when he said, “Your life is like a mist. You can see it for a short time, but then it goes away” (James 4:14 NCV).

In God’s plan, every life is long enough and every death is timely. And though you and I might wish for a longer life, God knows better. And this is important: though you and I may wish a longer life for our loved ones who have gone on before us, they don’t. Ironically, the first to accept God’s decision of death is the one who dies. You see, while we’re mourning at a grave, they’re marveling in heaven. While we’re questioning God, they’re praising God!

The Lucado Inspirational Reader

Numbers 35

Cities for Levites and Asylum-Cities

1–3  35 Then God spoke to Moses on the Plains of Moab at Jordan-Jericho: “Command the People of Israel to give the Levites as their part of the total inheritance towns to live in. Make sure there is plenty of pasture around the towns. Then they will be well taken care of with towns to live in and pastures for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock.

4–5  “The pasture surrounding the Levites’ towns is to extend 1,500 feet in each direction from the city wall. The outside borders of the pasture are to measure three thousand feet on each of the four sides—east, south, west, and north—with the town at the center. Each city will be supplied with pasture.

6–8  “Six of these towns that you give the Levites will be asylum-cities to which anyone who accidentally kills another person may flee for asylum. In addition, you will give them forty-two other towns—forty-eight towns in all, together with their pastures. The towns that you give the Levites from the common inheritance of the People of Israel are to be taken in proportion to the size of each tribe—many towns from a tribe that has many, few from a tribe that has few.”

9–15  God spoke to Moses: “Speak to the People of Israel. Tell them, When you cross the River Jordan into the country of Canaan, designate your asylum-cities, towns to which a person who accidentally kills someone can flee for asylum. They will be places of refuge from the avenger so that the alleged murderer won’t be killed until he can appear before the community in court. Provide six asylum-cities. Designate three of the towns to the east side of the Jordan, the other three in Canaan proper—asylum-cities for the People of Israel, for the foreigner, and for any occasional visitors or guests—six asylum-cities to run to for anyone who accidentally kills another.

16  “But if the killer has used an iron object, that’s just plain murder; he’s obviously a murderer and must be put to death.

17  “Or if he has a rock in his hand big enough to kill and the man dies, that’s murder; he’s a murderer and must be put to death.

18  “Or if he’s carrying a wooden club heavy enough to kill and the man dies, that’s murder; he’s a murderer and must be put to death.

19  “In such cases the avenger has a right to kill the murderer when he meets him—he can kill him on the spot.

20–21  “And if out of sheer hatred a man pushes another or from ambush throws something at him and he dies, or angrily hits him with his fist and kills him, that’s murder—he must be put to death. The avenger has a right to kill him when he gets him.

22–27  “If, however, he impulsively pushes someone and there is no history of hard feelings, or he impetuously picks up something and throws it, or he accidentally drops a stone tool—a maul or hammer, say—and it hits and kills someone he didn’t even know was there, and there’s no suspicion that there was bad blood between them, the community is to judge between the killer and the avenger following these guidelines. It’s the task of the community to save the killer from the hand of the avenger—the community is to return him to his asylum-city to which he fled. He must stay there until the death of the High Priest who was anointed with the holy oil. But if the murderer leaves the asylum-city to which he has fled, and the avenger finds him outside the borders of his asylum-city, the avenger has a right to kill the murderer. And he’s not considered guilty of murder.

28  “So it’s important that he stay in his asylum-city until the death of the High Priest. After the death of the High Priest he is free to return to his own place.

29  “These are the procedures for making judgments from now on, wherever you live.

30  “Anyone who kills another may be executed only on the testimony of eyewitnesses. But no one can be executed on the testimony of only one witness.

31  “Don’t accept bribe money in exchange for the life of a murderer. He’s guilty and deserves the death penalty. Put him to death.

32  “And don’t accept bribe money for anyone who has fled to an asylum-city so as to permit him to go back and live in his own place before the death of the High Priest.

33  “Don’t pollute the land in which you live. Murder pollutes the land. The land can’t be cleaned up of the blood of murder except through the blood of the murderer.

34  “Don’t desecrate the land in which you live. I live here, too—I, God, live in the same neighborhood with the People of Israel.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, November 06, 2025

by Bill Crowder

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

1 Corinthians 15:3-8

  The first thing I did was place before you what was placed so emphatically before me: that the Messiah died for our sins, exactly as Scripture tells it; that he was buried; that he was raised from death on the third day, again exactly as Scripture says; that he presented himself alive to Peter, then to his closest followers, and later to more than five hundred of his followers all at the same time, most of them still around (although a few have since died); that he then spent time with James and the rest of those he commissioned to represent him; and that he finally presented himself alive to me.

Today's Insights

After Paul’s dramatic conversion, he joined other eyewitnesses of the resurrected Christ but as “one abnormally born” (1 Corinthians 15:8). Jesus’ physical resurrection was important to early believers in Christ and to us because our own bodily resurrection depends on the “firstfruits” of His resurrection (v. 20). But eyewitnesses also provided an invitation to others to believe in Christ and receive eternal life that begins now. As the apostle John put it, “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). The gospel of Jesus is the most important thing. God will empower us and help us to share this good news with others.

Of First Importance

What I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ . . . was raised on the third day. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Thomas de Mahy was one of many aristocrats executed by rioting mobs during the French Revolution of the late eighteenth century. According to one legendary account, upon reading his death warrant, de Mahy responded, “I see that you have made three spelling mistakes.” If true, de Mahy pointedly disregarded a drastically more significant matter—his imminent death.

Today we’re in danger of unintentionally missing a crucial point, one that concerns the body of Christ (the church). There are those who would distort its purpose. Maybe we see the church as a political action committee or as a place to be served. Perhaps we see it as a mere religious institution. The church’s priority, however, has always been the good news of Jesus.

Paul told the believers at Corinth, “What I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). While other things may have an appropriate time and place, the gospel is of first importance.

How can we be agents of God’s good news to a world so saturated with bad news? By asking God to empower us to share this good news whenever possible.

Reflect & Pray

How was the gospel shared with you? What could you do to be prepared to share that good news with others when the opportunity arises?

Gracious God, thank You for bringing me to You through the gospel of Jesus. Please help me share that good news with others.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, November 06, 2025

Program of Belief

Whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this? —John 11:26

Martha believed in the power at the disposal of Jesus Christ. She believed that Jesus could have healed her brother, Lazarus, if only Jesus had been present when Lazarus was dying (John 11:21). She also believed that Jesus had a unique relationship with God and that whatever Jesus asked of God, God would do. But Martha needed a closer personal intimacy with Jesus; her program of belief was entirely focused on future fulfillment. When Jesus told her that Lazarus would rise again, she replied, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (v. 24). Jesus wanted her belief to be rooted in the present moment; he wanted her faith to be a personal possession, and he asked a question that led her to a new understanding: “Do you believe?”

Is there something similar in the Lord’s current dealings with you? Is Jesus educating you into personal intimacy with him? Let him drive his questions home: “Do you believe? What is your ordeal of doubt?” Have you, like Martha, come to some overwhelming moment in your circumstances, a moment when your program of belief is about to become personal belief? This can never take place until a personal need arises out of a personal problem.

To believe is to commit. If I have a program of belief, I commit myself to a certain set of ideas or principles and abandon all that is not related to them. In personal belief, I commit myself morally to confidence in the person of Jesus Christ and refuse to compromise. I commit myself spiritually to the Lord, and determine that, in this particular thing, I will be dominated by him.

When I stand face-to-face with Jesus Christ and he says to me, “Do you believe?” I find that faith is as natural as breathing, and I am amazed that I didn’t trust him before.

Jeremiah 37-39; Hebrews 3

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

There is nothing, naturally speaking, that makes us lose heart quicker than decay—the decay of bodily beauty, of natural life, of friendship, of associations, all these things make a man lose heart; but Paul says when we are trusting in Jesus Christ these things do not find us discouraged, light comes through them.

The Place of Help

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, November 06, 2025

WHAT LOVE DOES TO WORK - #10129

You know, handmade gifts are always the most special. Well, there are better crafted doll houses than the one my daughter got when she was a little girl. But we made it; it's handmade. My wife and I, for better or worse, did it with our own hands. One December we closed the basement and we started hammering and sawing away to build that doll house. There was a sign on the door that said "Do Not Open Till Christmas." That meant the basement. That drove the kids crazy, but we were having a great time doing it. Frankly, my month was crammed. But even though the work we did was often very late and it took quite a few hours, especially since I'm not the neighborhood handyman, I enjoyed every minute of working on it. Did I get tired? Yes. Was I too busy to do that doll house? Yes. Was it outside the things I do well? Yes. Was it a pleasure? Yes. Why? Because it was for a little girl I loved very much.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "What Love Does to Work."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Luke 7, and I'm going to begin reading at verse 37. It's the familiar story of the lady who loved Jesus very, very deeply. "When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume. And as she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them." Now, there's a discussion by the Pharisee with Jesus as to why she did all of this. And He simply says, "For she loved much."

She loves her Master, and she uses everything she can find to serve Him. She kisses His feet. She says, "Wait, I have this perfume. I could use that to express my love for Him, and she breaks open that perfume." She says, "I've got my hair. I can dry His feet with my hair." It's as if she is looking for everything she can use to love Jesus with it.

There's a principle here. Work is so different when it's an act of loving worship instead of grudging duty. Colossians 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord and not for men." And then it says, "It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Maybe you've just been cranking out your responsibilities lately and it's joyless - drudgery. Maybe those who are around you would testify to hearing more complaining and negative talk lately.

It could be you're working for the wrong person. No, no, not for your boss. Don't do it for your boss, your company, your pastor, your church, your ministry, or your teachers. Don't do it for your children even, or your employees. See, work becomes lighter and more joyful when you begin each responsibility by saying, "Lord, I dedicate this everyday chore to You. I love You, and this job I'm doing, I'm doing as an offering to You. I'm giving it my best. I'm doing it for you, Jesus."

A woman in this story used everything she could find to love Jesus. It's a beautiful picture - grabbing everything you do as something with which to love your Master. You're busy, tired, maybe feeling inadequate, like I did when I built that doll house. But it was for someone I really loved. Do your work for someone you really love.

You may not love your work, but it makes a difference when you do your work for love.

Numbers 34, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: JESUS KNOWS HOW YOU FEEL - November 5, 2025

Remember when you sought a night’s rest and got a colicky baby? Remember when you sought to catch up at the office and got even further behind? You can add to the list of interruptions sorrow, excitement, and bedlam. Sound familiar? Take comfort—it happened to Jesus too.

You may have trouble believing that. You probably believe Jesus knows what it means to endure heavy-duty tragedies. You’re no doubt convinced Jesus is acquainted with sorrow and has wrestled with fear. Most people accept that. But can God relate to the hassles and headaches of my life? Of your life? For some reason this is harder to believe. Jesus knows how you feel. His eyes have grown weary. His heart has grown heavy. He has had to climb out of bed with a sore throat. He has been kept awake late and gotten up early. Jesus knows how you feel.

The Lucado Inspirational Reader

Numbers 34

Land Inheritance

1–2  34 God spoke to Moses: “Command the People of Israel. Tell them, When you enter Canaan, these are the borders of the land you are getting as an inheritance:

3–5  “Your southern border will take in some of the Wilderness of Zin where it touches Edom. It starts in the east at the Dead Sea, curves south of Scorpion Pass and on to Zin, continues south of Kadesh Barnea, then to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon, where it takes a turn to the northwest to the Brook of Egypt and on to the Mediterranean Sea.

6  “Your western border will be the Mediterranean Sea.

7–9  “Your northern border runs on a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor, and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath, connects to Zedad, continues to Ziphron, and ends at Hazar Enan. This is your northern border.

10–12  “Your eastern border runs on a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The border goes south from Shepham to Riblah to the east of Ain, and continues along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. The border then follows the Jordan River and ends at the Dead Sea.

“This is your land with its four borders.”

13–15  Moses then commanded the People of Israel: “This is the land: Divide up the inheritance by lot. God has ordered it to be given to the nine and a half tribes. The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance; the two tribes and the half-tribe got their inheritance east of Jordan-Jericho, facing the sunrise.”

16–19  God spoke to Moses: “These are the men who will be in charge of distributing the inheritance of the land: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. Assign one leader from each tribe to help them in distributing the land. Assign these:

19–28  Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah;

Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon;

Elidad son of Kislon from the tribe of Ben-jamin;

Bukki son of Jogli, leader from the tribe of Dan;

Hanniel son of Ephod, leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph;

Kemuel son of Shiphtan, leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph;

Elizaphan son of Parnach, leader from the tribe of Zebulun;

Paltiel son of Azzan, leader from the tribe of Issachar;

Ahihud son of Shelomi, leader from the tribe of Asher;

Pedahel son of Ammihud, leader from the tribe of Naphtali.”

29  These are the men God commanded to hand out the assignments of land-inheritance to the People of Israel in the country of Canaan.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, November 05, 2025

by Arthur Jackson

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Matthew 4:23-25

From there he went all over Galilee. He used synagogues for meeting places and taught people the truth of God. God’s kingdom was his theme—that beginning right now they were under God’s government, a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and of the bad effects of their bad lives. Word got around the entire Roman province of Syria. People brought anybody with an ailment, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Jesus healed them, one and all. More and more people came, the momentum gathering. Besides those from Galilee, crowds came from the “Ten Towns” across the lake, others up from Jerusalem and Judea, still others from across the Jordan.

Today's Insights

In Matthew 4:23, we’re told that Jesus’ ministry in Galilee consisted of “teaching,” “proclaiming the good news,” and “healing every disease and sickness.” The term translated “good news” (Greek, euangelion) points to the way Matthew’s gospel subverted the idea that the Roman Empire had ultimate authority. “Good news” was commonly used by the empire as part of its propaganda to celebrate events like a Roman military victory or the birth of an emperor. Matthew’s description of Christ’s widespread healing ministry would’ve also challenged Rome’s claim to have brought health and prosperity. By describing Jesus proclaiming good news while healing diseases and casting out demons, Matthew’s gospel undermined Roman propaganda by insisting that real hope was to be found in Christ, who was victorious over death. Let’s respond in worship to Jesus who defeated death, the ultimate enemy.

The Victorious Jesus

[Jesus] went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil. Acts 10:38

On January 14, 1973, when Super Bowl VII was played, perfection was on the line. Up until that point in the American football season, the Miami Dolphins had a perfect record—sixteen games without a loss. And when the Super Bowl was over, the victorious Dolphins would go down in sports history as the only team in professional football with a perfect record.

Victorious. That’s also a designation that fits Jesus. A close look at His ministry reveals one victory after another. Matthew’s record of Christ’s ministry in Galilee (Matthew 4:23-9:38) includes summary statements on the front and back ends: “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (4:23; see 9:35). Christ was victorious over demons, disease, and death (see Mark 5:1-43). And what looked like a crushing defeat—His death on the cross—turned out to be the final victory. He defeated the ultimate enemy, death, by His own resurrection (see Acts 2:24).

Victors—whether in sports or other fields of endeavor—are showered with awards and gifts. What’s the appropriate response to Jesus, whose life, death, and resurrection have secured forgiveness and a right relationship with God for all who embrace Him? Nothing less than worshipful allegiance!

Reflect & Pray

What amazes you about the victories of Jesus? What can you do to celebrate His past and present victories?  

Precious Jesus, please forgive me for not seeing how amazing You are. Open my eyes to see and my heart to worship You. 

For further study, listen to The Struggle Is Real.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, November 05, 2025

Participants in His Sufferings

Rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ. —1 Peter 4:13

If you are going to be used by God, he will take you through a multitude of difficult experiences, asking you to participate in the sufferings of Christ. These experiences aren’t meant to enrich you or benefit you personally. They’re meant to make you useful in God’s hands and to enable you to understand what occurs in other people’s souls, so that you will never be surprised by what you encounter. If you don’t go willingly through these experiences, you might often find yourself saying, “I can’t deal with that person.” You should never feel this way about another soul. God has given you ample opportunity to come before him and soak up his wisdom about others.

It might seem pointless to spend time soaking before God in this way; you have to get to the place where you are able to understand how he deals with us, and this is only done by being rightly related to Jesus Christ and participating in his sufferings. The sufferings of Christ aren’t those of ordinary life. He suffered “according to God’s will” (1 Peter 4:19), not because his individual desires or pride were thwarted. It is part of Christian culture to know what God’s will is, yet in the history of the church, the tendency has been to avoid being identified with Christ’s sufferings. People have tried to carry out God’s will using shortcuts. God’s way is always the “long, long trail,” the way of suffering.

Are you participating in Christ’s sufferings? Are you prepared for God to entirely stamp out your personal ambitions and destroy your individual determination? It doesn’t mean you’ll know exactly why God is taking you a certain way. In the moment, it’s never clear; you go through more or less blindly. Then, suddenly, you come to a luminous place and say, “Why, God was there all along, and I didn’t know it!”

Jeremiah 34-36; Hebrews 2

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

The great word of Jesus to His disciples is Abandon. When God has brought us into the relationship of disciples, we have to venture on His word; trust entirely to Him and watch that when He brings us to the venture, we take it.

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, November 05, 2025

BRINGING LIGHT TO THEIR DARKNESS - #10128

Three feet of snow! That was a weather record I didn't really want to participate in. But, sure enough, we woke up that cold New Jersey morning to three feet of snow that had literally buried the metropolitan New York area. Even New York, the city that never sleeps, had been effectively shut down by the storm. Our little guy really wanted to go out in the snow that blanketed our backyard. So we bundled him up and we watched as he ventured out into that white stuff. And he promptly disappeared! I went out after him and, as short as I am, I just about disappeared myself. It took quite a while for that snow to become manageable and for life to get back to normal. And it wasn't the last snow dump of the winter. But for those of us who have lived through some pretty long and tough winters, there is one word that sustains us through it all. You know the word: spring.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Bringing Light to Their Darkness."

You can make it through the winter because you know winter never lasts forever; there's going to be a spring! In fact, spring has never failed to come, no matter how brutal the winter may have been.

God comes to us with an interesting self-description in our word for today from the Word of God in Romans 15:13. He calls Himself "the God of hope." Because of Him, there will always be a spring. Because of Him we can make it through the darkest days of emotional and spiritual winter. I guess you could describe hopelessness as always winter. But hope goes like this: every winter will be followed by a spring.

But let's say it's winter season in your life right now - it's cold, it's dark, you're feeling discouragement, you're feeling despair. Here's what the God of hope says He wants to do for you: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Wow!

Well, let's break this down. God wants to fill you with joy and peace when joy and peace are nowhere to be found in your circumstances. If you dwell on your burdens, on your fears, on your wounds, on how people are treating you, you're going to be filled with discouragement instead of joy and you'll be filled with stress instead of peace. But if you dwell on your all-powerful, all-loving God of hope, you can have a positiveness and a peace that's humanly unexplainable. The problems are still there, but God's joy and God's peace are the wind beneath your wings that enables you to soar when otherwise you would be grounded. You get that joy and peace, it says, "as you trust in Him." That means not as you trust in your feelings, not in what humans can do, not in what you can see, but in Him. Maybe it's winter all around you, but it will be spring inside you!

And it gets better. That joy and peace you download from your God of hope will enable you "to overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." That's awesome! You will not only have enough hope to sustain you, you'll have enough hope to give away to others who are also going through a long winter. God wants you to be a hope receiver so you can be a hope generator! And as you encourage others, even as you're in your own winter season, your hope will grow as you give it to others. In the words of the Bible, "He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed" (Proverbs 11:25).

And, as 1 Peter 3:15 says, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." If you can be an island of hope in a sea of despair, people are going to want to know the reason. And the reason is Jesus. Which means you can use the winter you're going through to help someone who's watching you go to heaven with you someday!

Spring inside you, even with winter all around you - that's the hope God wants to give you - the hope He wants to give you to give to others. You can be their breath of spring in the dark of their winter!