Day 18: The Cross
Today’s Bible Reading: Colossians 1:9-23
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (GALATIANS 6:14).
Long before Jesus was born, the cross had been used as a means of torture and death. In 519 bc, for example, King Darius I of Persia crucified 3,000 enemies in Babylon. This type of execution was later used by the Romans for…
Day 17: Reason to Sing
Today’s Bible Reading: Psalm 98
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvellous things (V.1).
When I was thirteen, my school made us take four ‘life skills’ courses: cooking, art, choir and woodworking. On my first day in choir, the instructor called us one at a time to the piano to hear our voices and place us by our…
Day 16: Praising God's Goodness
Today’s Bible Reading: Psalm 136:1-15
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures for ever (V.1).
Someone in our Bible study group said, “Let’s write our own psalms!” At first, a few of us groaned. This didn’t sound like much fun at all. But after a few minutes of having a go, we all quickly got into it. Soon…
Day 15: Strength in Suffering
Today’s Bible Reading: 1 Peter 2:11-23
Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps (V.21).
When eighteen year old Sammy trusted Jesus as his Saviour, his family rejected him. But the Christian community and church welcomed him, encouraging him and paying for his education. Later, when his story was printed in a magazine, he received more…
Day 14: 1,000th Birthday
Today’s Bible Reading: Amos 4:7-13
Prepare to meet your God (V.12).
I read a book the other day which said scientists are close to massively lengthening our lives. Some reckon that soon they will be able to offer us 1,000 year life spans!
But what difference does it make if, after living 1,000 years, we will still die anyway? Long lives don’t beat death,…
Day 13: A Heap of Ashes
Today’s Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:5-15
The fire will test the quality of each person’s work (V.13).
A girl I know asked me why she should bother being like Jesus now since she’ll become like Him in heaven anyway (1 JOHN 3:1-3). It’s a good question! It’s much easier to just be ourselves.
Actually, there are key reasons why becoming like Him now is…
Day 12: Hunting for Fun
Today’s Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 2:1-11
I refused my heart no pleasure ... everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind (VV.10-11).
I always look forward to summer—the holidays, sunshine, beaches and barbecues. It’s my favourite time of year! But I don’t just wait until the weather’s a bit warmer before I do the things I want. Sometimes it feels like I’m always hunting…
Day 11: Ambition
Today’s Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 15:17-30
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit (PHILIPPIANS 2:3).
“Lacks drive and ambition.” Trust me, that’s not something you want to have written on your end of term report at school. It’s not a great thing for your parents to read ...
We need to have some drive in our lives. If we don’t want to…
Day 10: Peace and Trust
Today’s Bible Reading: Isaiah 26:1-9
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you (JOHN 14:27).
When I was six years old I rode a rollercoaster for the first time with my older brothers. As soon as we hit a turn at a high speed I started to yell: “Stop this thing right now! I want to get off!” Of course the…
