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Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Deuteronomy 6:10–16 Background Scripture: Judges 17–18 Introduction A. Muddling Along I took a job one summer that lacked training and access to information. It meant that one afternoon, I found myself hopelessly driving around, trying to locate a storage unit. The only tip I had was a street name. After an extended search, I learned it was the wrong street. Ultimately, I broke down and called my predecessor, who told me where

LUKE 13:10-17; LUKE 14:1-6 Full lesson HERE THE CRIPPLED WOMAN: This miracle probably occurred in Perea, the territory east of the Jordan River. The area is referred to in the New Testament as "beyond the Jordan" (Matt. 4:25; Mark 3:8), and Josephus describes it as the region lying between the Jabbok and Arnon Rivers. Perea was under the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas at the time of Jesus' ministry. The story involves another healing on the Sabbath day, thus causing the indign

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Ecclesiastes 7:1–13 Background Scripture: Judges 3 Introduction A. Surprising Solution It was my last Sunday at the church I attended through college. It was the weekend of my graduation. The minister called me to the front of the church and announced my plans for further education at a seminary hundreds of miles away. What he didn’t know was that although my departure date was imminent, I was stressed because I didn’t know wh

MARK 8:22-26; MATT. 17:14-21; MARK 9:14-29; LUKE 9:37-43 Full lesson HERE THE BLIND MAN NEAR BETHSAIDA: According to Josephus, the Jewish historian, the village of Bethsaida was located in Gaulanitis on the east side of the Jordan River near its entrance into the Sea of Galilee, and Philip, the tetrarch and son of Herod the Great, built the village into a city, naming it Julias in honor of Julia, the daughter of Caesar Augustus. Modern archeologists, however, say the city was

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1–14 Background Scripture: Judges 1–2 Introduction A. Caught in a Loop If you need a humorous response to those who express concern about your love of certain sweet or salty snacks, try this one-liner: “I can resist anything except temptation.” All joking aside, addiction is serious. It involves the compulsive urge to engage with substances and behaviors (or activities) that simulate reward despite adverse con

MATT. 15:21-31; MARK 7:24-37 Full lesson HERE THE SYRO-PHOENICIAN WOMAN'S DAUGHTER: One time Jesus went to the borders of Tyre and Sidon. These were cities of Phoenicia on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea north of the land of Israel. A woman of the region (a Gentile) came to him and begged him to heal her daughter. The country of Phoenicia was a long, narrow strip of land bounded on the east by the Lebanon mountain range and on the west by the Mediterranean Sea. The limits

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Jeremiah 31:27–34 Background Scripture: Deuteronomy 29:1–20; Joshua 23–24 Introduction A. Picking and Choosing “We go to the foreign doctors to cure our malaria,” the refugees told the mission staff. “But we go to the witch doctors if we have hepatitis or other problems.” Having access to modern health care was new to these North African refugees. It came about after they had walked for days, fleeing war in their homeland. In

MATT. 9:20-22, 27-34; MARK 5:25-34; LUKE 8:43-48 Full lesson HERE THE AFFLICTED WOMAN: When this story took place, Jesus was in a crowd on his way to the home of Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, to heal his daughter. A woman who had suffered for twelve years from an issue of blood came in the crowd behind Jesus, touched his garment, and was instantly cured. However, when Jesus asked who had touched him, the woman was forced to reveal herself. She came to Jesus trembling, f

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Matthew 25:31–46 Background Scripture: Joshua 2; 6:16–25; Matthew 1:5; James 2:25; Hebrews 11:31 Introduction A. Help in Surprising Places During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in the United States, resources were developed to help liberate people experiencing enslavement in the South. One such resource was an informal network called "The Underground Railroad." It was never an actual railroad but a series of safe hou

MATT. 12:22-37; MARK 3:19-30; LUKE 11:14-15, 17-23 Full lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. This story involves a discussion between Jesus and the Pharisees regarding blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The controversy followed Jesus' healing of a man brought to him who was blind and mute (dumb, unable to speak), and possessed with a demon. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not some mysterious idea or precept that cannot be understood. On the contrary, with a step by step study of th

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Psalm 108 Background Scripture: Deuteronomy 7; Joshua 6; 8:1–29; 10:28–43; 11:1–23 Introduction A. Brazen Audacity One observer described the two-man action as “surreal.” Another called it an act of “brazen audacity.” But war often creates shortages, and wartime shortages lead people to take actions they wouldn’t otherwise contemplate. Such was the case during the war in Ukraine in 2024. After a failed Russian attack, Ukrainia

MATT. 8:5-13; LUKE 7:1-10; MATT. 8:28-34; MARK 5:1-21; LUKE 8:26-40 Full lesson HERE THE CENTURION'S SERVANT: While Jesus was in Capernaum one day, He was approached by the elders of the Jews. A centurion had sent them to Jesus to beg him to come and heal the centurion's servant who was sick of the palsy and at the point of death. A centurion was a soldier in charge of 100 men. Whether this centurion was an officer in the Roman army or in the service of Herod Antipas is unkno

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Luke 8:35–39 Background Scripture: Exodus 14; Joshua 3:1–4:24 Introduction A. Monuments of Memory Etched into the interior stone walls of the Lincoln Memorial is the following statement, visible to all who visit the ninety-nine-foot-tall structure in Washington, DC: “In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.” The influence of the sixteenth U

JOHN 5:1-18; MATT. 12:9-14; MARK 3:1-6; LUKE 6:6-11 Full lesson HERE THE IMPOTENT MAN: This miracle took place in Jerusalem where Jesus had gone for a feast. John does not tell what feast it was, but most likely it was the Passover. Jesus went to the pool of Bethesda one Sabbath day and there found a man lying on his bed who had been ill for many years and was helpless. This is the only time the pool of Bethesda is mentioned in the Bible. Although its exact location is uncert

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Daniel 10:18–21 Background Scripture: Exodus 19–24; Deuteronomy 31:1–8; 34:1–12; Joshua 1 Introduction A. Courage and Confidence A young family—a husband, wife, their three-year-old toddler, and their unborn son—left their hometown in northern Minnesota to move to a new city, sight unseen. Uncertainty abounded. Financial anxieties prompted the dramatic move. The parents were hopeful that a new environment would provide more o

MATT. 21:18-22; MARK 11:12-26; MATT. 9:2-8; MARK 2:1-12; LUKE 5:17-26 Full lesson HERE THE WITHERED FIG TREE: Fig trees are cultivated all over the land of Palestine and especially in the mountain areas. The trees grow generally 10 to 15 feet high, and their thick foliage provides dense shade in the summer. In warm climates such as Israel, the fig tree produces two crops each year, an early one which is ripe about June, and a later, more important one which is ripe about Augu

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: James 2:14–26 Background Scripture: Acts 16:11–40 Introduction A. I Was a Stranger After college, I accepted an internship on the other side of the country. For the first time, I was far away from family, friends, and everything familiar. The roads were confusing, the air smelled different, and the local accents took some time to decode. I loved my internship but often felt alone in this unfamiliar place. I tried to find new f

MATT. 8:2-4, 14-17; MARK 1:29-45; LUKE 4:38-41; 5:12-16 Full lesson HERE SIMON'S MOTHER-IN-LAW: According to Mark and Luke, after Jesus left the synagogue, He entered the house of Simon and Andrew (Mark 1:29; Luke 4:38). Simon Peter's wife's mother lay sick with a fever in the house. A LEPER: When Jesus was in one of the cities, a leper came to him, and falling upon his knees, he begged Jesus to heal him. Leprosy was a dreaded disease in Biblical times, not only because of th

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Matthew 12:46–50 Background Scripture: Acts 16:1–3; Philippians 2:19–22; 2 Timothy 1:1–6; 3:14–16 Introduction A. Running Partner for Life The individualism of modern culture takes many forms. Recently, I noticed individualistic tendencies in physical fitness. If we eat a balanced diet, it is because we choose one ourselves. If we work out each day, it is because we set ourselves a routine. In contrast, my fitness breakthrough

JOHN 4:46-54; MARK 1:21-28; LUKE 4:31-37 Full lesson HERE THE NOBLEMAN'S SON: After Jesus attended the marriage celebration in Cana of Galilee and turned the water into wine, He went to Capernaum for a short time and then to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast (John 2:12-25). When He traveled back to Galilee, He passed through Samaria where He encountered the woman at the well (John 4:1-42). He then continued on his journey and arrived again at Cana where a nobleman came to him