Sunday Morning Bible Study

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Psalm 86:1–10 Background Scripture: Acts 7:58–8:3; 9:1–31; 22:3–15 Introduction A. Fire for Good or Fire for Bad? Early in 2024, my small town in the Texas Panhandle was among those affected by a series of wildfires that devastated over 1.2 million acres of land. This was not the first time our town had suffered severe damage from a wildfire. Thankfully, there were no fatalities, but the damage was substantial. We know all too

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Luke 23:32–43 Background Scripture: Acts 6–7 Introduction A. Handling the Hardships Max Cleland (1942–2021) led a promising life. In high school, he excelled in sports and received the title of “Most Outstanding Senior.” At the age of 24, he volunteered for combat duty in Vietnam, where he served as a captain in the army. Just one month before returning home, Cleland picked up a grenade that he thought he had dropped accidenta

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Psalm 91:1–6 Background Scripture: John 11:14–16; 14:5–8; 20:24–29; 21:1–2 Introduction A. From Doubt to Faith “I am an atheist,” he said. His wife and children attended our church, but this was his first Sunday. He made it clear he was only there to support his family—he didn’t believe in God. Several months passed, and he reached out again, asking for a meeting. He asked profound and sincere questions about the evidence for

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Revelation 12:1–6 Background Scripture: Luke 1:26–56; 2:15–19; John 2:1–5; 19:25–27 Introduction A. Hidden Treasure My children love a good mystery, and we often listen to podcasts as a family when we travel. It is common for us to choose enigmatic tales. One such recent story involved the so-called eighth wonder of the world—Prussia’s Amber Room. The Amber Room was built between 1701 and 1714 for King Frederick I of Prussia.

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Luke 6:31–38 Background Scripture: Luke 19:1–10 Introduction A. Favorite Story “Zacchaeus was a wee little man...”. So begins a popular children’s Sunday school song about this Bible story. As a child, I loved the story of Zacchaeus. I remember the first time I heard it—I leaned in to catch every word. The anticipation! The drama! The tree climbing! When I was little, I loved to climb trees and was delighted that one of my fav

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Isaiah 40:26–31 Background Scripture: Mark 8:27–29; Luke 22:7–38; John 18:15–18, 25–27; 21:15–17 Introduction A. Broken Made Beautiful Kintsugi is a centuries-old Japanese technique of pottery repair. The process involves using a special lacquer mixed with gold, silver, or platinum to repair damages to broken or cracked pieces. Other methods of ceramic restoration aim to hide the damage or make it less noticeable as if the obj

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Acts 10:19–22, 30–35 Background Scripture: Matthew 8:5–13; Luke 7:1–10 Introduction A. Please Fix It, Daddy! My young children run to me when something is amiss. They fully expect that I can fix whatever has gone wrong: a broken toy, a skinned knee, or a swing that won’t push itself. In their eyes, I am the big, experienced adult who has been there for them since they were born. In their eyes, I seem completely trustworthy and

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Psalm 23 Background Scripture: Amos 1:1; 2:6–16; 3:1–15; 7:10–17 Introduction A. Whose Words Will We Heed? When I served in the church nursery, I both loved and hated building block towers with the kids. It was fun to see how tall we could build the towers, but it could be frustrating when my advice went ignored. I would often suggest, “Let’s make sure we build a big base.” However, my building buddies were more interested in

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Proverbs 27:6, 10–11, 17, 19 Background Scripture: 1 Samuel 19:1–7; 20:1–42; 2 Samuel 1:17–27 Introduction A. Rivals Turned Friends C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien’s friendship is no secret to their readers. Each was an English professor at Merton College in Oxford during the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. They met during a faculty meeting in 1926 and went on to enjoy forty years of mutual encouragement and support. Tolkien played a vi

Download the full lesson HERE Devotional Reading: Isaiah 49:13–17 Background Scripture: 1 Samuel 1:1–28; 2:1–11, 18–21; 3:1–18 Introduction A. Experiencing God’s Mercy We enjoy telling and retelling stories of dogged persistence. Consider Thomas Edison’s countless attempts at creating a functioning light bulb, or Walt Disney’s commercial failures that gave rise to an entertainment empire. Such stories inspire us to keep trying, even in the face of adversity. But not all stori