Day 51 - Issue 32
Psalm 126:1-2 NLT When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.” In the years that I travelled...
Day 50 - Issue 32
Amos 9:14 NLT 'I will bring my exiled people of Israel back from distant lands, and they will rebuild their ruined cities and live in them again. They will plant vineyards and gardens; they will eat their crops and drink their wine.' The challenge in...
Day 49 - Issue 32
Isaiah 61:7 NLT 'Instead of shame and dishonour, you will enjoy a double share of honour. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.' Daytime TV is filled with shows about restoring old houses or...
Day 48 - Issue 32
Isaiah 35:10 NLT 'Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness.' “It is always helpful to star...
Day 47 - Issue 32
Philemon 1:7 NLT 'Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.' In a busy, online world, making friends can prove difficult. While Facebook suggests we are globally connect...
Day 46 - Issue 32
Isaiah 12:6 NLT 'Let all the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy! For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you.' I can’t think of many recent occasions when I have shouted, either from joy or anger. We used to live in the shadow...
Day 45 - Issue 32
1 Peter 1:8 NLT 'You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.' Joy is something that impacts my senses. At the start of last autumn, I remember thr...
Day 44 - Issue 32
Ecclesiastes 9:7 NLT 'So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!' My favourite dictionary defines joy as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of pos...
Day 43 - Issue 32
Luke 4:13 NLT 'When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.' Jesus has experienced three separate and acute temptations in the wilderness, and now the devil departs from him until a fresh opportunity will a...
Day 42 - Issue 32
Luke 4:3-4 NLT Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’” One immediate challenge with persevering is that we...
Day 41 - Issue 32
Luke 4:1-2 NLT 'Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the River Jordan. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.' Ash Wednesday...
Day 40 - Issue 32
Romans 5:3-4 NLT 'We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.' Shrove Tuesday or...
Day 39 - Issue 32
1 Corinthians 13:7 NLT Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Perseverance is characterised by the ability to achieve something despite difficulties and obstacles that stand in our way. It t...
Day 38 - Issue 32
Acts 4:32 NLT 'All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.' Unity creates an atmosphere of trust and harmony. Within such an atmosphere, remarkable things...
Day 37 - Issue 32
Philippians 1:27 NLT Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together wit...