Our Daily Bread

Topic:Trusting God in Times of Sorrow Bible in a Year: Psalms 46–48 Acts 28 I know whom I have believed. 2 Timothy 1:12 When a man known as “Papa John” learned he had terminal cancer, he and his wife, Carol, sensed God calling them to share their illness journey online. Believing that God would minister through their vulnerability, they posted …

Topic:Cultivating God’s World Bible in a Year: Psalms 43–45 Acts 27:27–44 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Genesis 2:15 “Dad, why do you have to go to work?” The question from my young daughter was motivated by her desire to play with me. I …

Topic:Plod On! Bible in a Year: Psalms 37–39 Acts 26 “Am I not sending you?” Judges 6:14 God loves to use people the world might overlook. William Carey was raised in a tiny village in the 1700s and had little formal education. He had limited success in his chosen trade and lived in poverty. But God gave him a passion …

Topic:His Scars Bible in a Year: Psalms 35–36 Acts 25 He was pierced for our transgressions, . . . and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 After my conversation with Grady, it occurred to me why his preferred greeting was a “fist bump” not a handshake. A handshake would’ve exposed the scars on his wrist—the result of his …

Topic:A Glimmer on the Sea Bible in a Year: Psalms 33–34 Acts 24 At that time you were separate from Christ. . . . without hope and without God in the world. Ephesians 2:12 “I lay on my bed full of stale liquor and despair,” wrote journalist Malcolm Muggeridge of a particularly dismal evening during his work as a World …

Topic:A Wide, Sweeping Grace Bible in a Year: Psalms 31–32 Acts 23:16–35 I have swept away your offenses. Isaiah 44:22 Alexa, Amazon’s voice-controlled device, has an interesting feature: it can erase everything you say. Whatever you’ve asked Alexa to do, whatever information you’ve asked Alexa to retrieve, one simple sentence (“Delete everything I said today”) sweeps it all clean, as …

Topic:A Royal Role Bible in a Year: Psalms 29–30 Acts 23:1–15 To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12 The closer someone in a royal family is to the throne, the more the public hears about him or her. Others are almost forgotten. The …

Topic:How to Wait Bible in a Year: Psalms 26–28 Acts 22 Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. Psalm 27:7 Frustrated and disappointed with church, seventeen-year-old Trevor began a years-long quest for answers. But nothing he explored seemed to satisfy his longings or answer his questions. His journey did draw him closer to …

Topic:On Our Hearts Bible in a Year: Psalms 23–25 Acts 21:18–40 These commandments . . . are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Deuteronomy 6:6–7 After a young boy faced some challenges in school, his dad began to teach him a pledge to recite each morning before school: “I thank God for waking me up today. …

Topic:When the Splendor Is Gone Bible in a Year: Psalms 20–22 Acts 21:1–17 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. Lamentations 3:22 I can never recapture the splendor that was our daughter Melissa. Fading from my memory are those wonderful times when we watched her joyfully playing high school volleyball. And it’s …