By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 13:35
 
Perhaps you have been blessed enough to know a person who embodies love. Not only do they say loving things and perform loving deeds, but even when they are not speaking or acting, they still manifest a spirit of love that is undeniable. When you are around such a person, you wonder what the explanation is for their consistent, loving…

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.
Matthew 5:11-12, NIV
 
Paul Schneider wouldn’t stop preaching. Hitler took it personally and sent him to Buchenwald concentration camp where on three occasions he was whipped with 25 lashes. When asked what he would do if released, Schneider said he would go on preaching.
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If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5
 
When we think of the need for wisdom, it is usually in the context of a decision we need to make. But when James wrote his epistle, he discussed wisdom in a deeper context. He wrote to the Jews who had been scattered among the nations and were experiencing trials and persecution (James 1:1-2).
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And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
 
When Jesus sent His twelve disciples out to minister to the needy in His Name, He gave them power to heal the sick and drive out demons—even raise the dead (Matthew 10:1-15). And He spoke a principle that infuses all the Christian life: “Freely you have received, freely give” (verse 8).
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His heart is established; he will not be afraid.
Psalm 112:8
 
Charlie Brown, the famous character in Charles M. Schultz’s Peanuts comic strip, is quoted as saying, “I think I’m afraid of being happy because whenever I get too happy something bad always happens.” Don’t we all feel that way—at least sometimes? Our happiness is often diminished because we’re so afraid of what might happen to ourselves or to our loved ones.
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Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Psalm 32:1
 
While we celebrate the uniqueness of every individual created in the image of God, there is one way in which all humans are alike. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). That means we have all experienced what happens when we do things we know we shouldn’t. We all experience the…

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
Isaiah 26:3
 
How is it that the season in which we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) can become a season of stress and anxiety? The Christmas season has become so busy that it is easy to lose the peace that Jesus promised: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you” (John…

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.
Hebrews 11:30
 
If you want peace and quiet, you might visit the anechoic chamber at Orfield Laboratories in Minnesota. It’s designed to be silent—so silent that background noise is measured in negative decibels below the threshold of human hearing. It’s one of the quietest rooms in the world, and visitors report…

The rich man also died and was buried.
Luke 16:22
 
According to Forbes magazine, 31 billionaires died in 2024, leaving behind $207 billion in all. Isak Andic, for example, was the founder of a fashion retail empire. He plunged down a ravine while hiking with his son. He was 71.

There’s nothing wrong with money, but it cannot buy our way into heaven. In Luke 16, Jesus told of a beggar named…

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7
 
The 34th Summer Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles, California, in July 2028. For two weeks, the eyes of the world will be focused on the athletes who gather to compete for an Olympic medal. What the eyes of the world are not focused on at present is the athletes’ preparation and training—the behind-the-scenes work that is necessary to allow them to succeed in their…