Bible in a Year:

• Isaiah 39–40
• Colossians 4

I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan.

2 Samuel 9:7

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

2 Samuel 9:1–10

In the powerful article “Does My Son Know You?” sportswriter Jonathan Tjarks wrote of his battle with terminal cancer and his desire for others to care well for his wife and young son. The thirty-four-year-old wrote the piece just six months prior to his death. Tjarks, a believer in Jesus whose father had died when he was a young adult, shared Scriptures that speak of care for widows and orphans (Exodus 22:22; Isaiah 1:17; James 1:27). And in words directed to his friends, he wrote, “When I see you in heaven, there’s only one thing I’m going to ask—Were you good to my son and my wife? . . . Does my son know you?”

King David wondered if there was “anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom [he could] show kindness for [his dear friend] Jonathan’s sake” (2 Samuel 9:1). A son of Jonathan, Mephibosheth, who was “lame in both feet” (v. 3) due to an accident (see 4:4), was brought to the king. David said to him, “I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table” (9:7). David showed loving care for Mephibosheth, and it’s likely that in time the king truly got to know him (see 19:24–30).

Jesus has called us to love others just as He loves us (John 13:34). As He works in and through us, let’s truly get to know and love them well.

By:  Tom Felten

Reflect & Pray

How can you know others more deeply? What will it look like for you to love them the way God loves you?

Heavenly Father, help me to honor You by striving to truly know and love others.

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Isaiah 37–38
• Colossians 3

May [God] give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Ephesians 1:17

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Ephesians 1:15–23

In 2001, a premature baby named Christopher Duffley surprised doctors by surviving. At five months old, he entered the foster care system until his aunt’s family adopted him. A teacher realized four-year-old Christopher, though blind and diagnosed with autism, had perfect pitch. Six years later at church, Christopher stood onstage and sang, “Open the Eyes of My Heart.” The video reached millions online. In 2020, Christopher shared his goals of serving as a disability advocate. He continues to prove that possibilities are limitless with the eyes of his heart open to God’s plan.

The apostle Paul commended the church in Ephesus for their bold faith (Ephesians 1:15–16). He asked God to give them “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation” so they would “know him better” (v. 17). He prayed that their eyes would be “enlightened,” or opened, so they would understand the hope and inheritance God promised His people (v. 18).

As we ask God to reveal Himself to us, we can know Him more and can declare His name, power, and authority with confidence (vv. 19–23). With faith in Jesus and love for all God’s people, we can live in ways that prove His limitless possibilities while asking Him to keep opening the eyes of our hearts.

By:  Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray

How has God helped you overcome obstacles or limitations? How does knowing His truth, character, and love change the way you see challenges?

Mighty and merciful God, please open the eyes of my heart so that I can know, love, and live for You with bold faith that leads others to worship You.

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Isaiah 34–36
• Colossians 2

My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?

Psalm 6:3

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Psalm 6

“Most people carry scars that others can’t see or understand.” Those deeply honest words came from Major League Baseball player Andrelton Simmons, who opted out of the end of the 2020 regular season due to mental health struggles. Reflecting on his decision, Simmons felt he needed to share his story to encourage others facing similar challenges and to remind others to show compassion.

Invisible scars are those deep hurts and wounds that can’t be seen but still cause very real pain and suffering. In Psalm 6, David wrote of his own deep struggle—penning painfully raw and honest words. He was “in agony” (v. 2) and “deep anguish” (v. 3). He was “worn out” from groaning, and his bed was drenched with tears (v. 6). While David doesn’t share the cause of his suffering, many of us can relate to his pain.

We can also be encouraged by the way David responded to his pain. In the midst of his overwhelming suffering, he cried out to God. Honestly pouring out his heart, he prayed for healing (v. 2), rescue (v. 4), and mercy (v. 9). Even with the question “How long?” (v. 3) lingering over his situation, David remained confident that God “heard [his] cry for mercy” (v. 9) and would act in His time (v. 10).

Because of who our God is, there is always hope.

By:  Lisa M. Samra

Reflect & Pray

How can you express your struggle to God when experiencing deep emotional anguish? How have you experienced His healing, mercy, and rescue?

Heavenly Father, give me courage to express my deepest pain and to welcome Your presence and healing into my situation.

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Isaiah 32–33
• Colossians 1

Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Colossians 3:12

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Colossians 3:12–17

Have you heard of #slowfashion? The hashtag captures a movement focused on resisting “fast fashion”—an industry dominated by cheaply made and quickly disposed of clothing. In fast fashion, clothes are out of style nearly as quickly as they’re in the stores—with some brands disposing of large quantities of their products every year.

The slow fashion movement encourages people to slow down and take a different approach. Instead of being driven by the need to always have the latest look, slow fashion encourages us to select fewer well-made and ethically sourced items that will last.

As I reflected on #slowfashion’s invitation, I found myself wondering about other ways I fall into a “fast fashion” way of thinking—always looking for fulfillment in the latest trend. In Colossians 3, however, Paul says finding true transformation in Jesus isn’t a quick fix or a fad. It’s a lifetime of quiet, gradual transformation in Christ.

Instead of needing to clothe ourselves with the world’s latest status symbols, we can exchange our striving for the Spirit’s clothing of “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (v. 12). We can learn patience with each other on the slow journey of Christ transforming our hearts—a journey that leads to lasting peace (v. 15).

By:  Monica La Rose

Reflect & Pray

How are you tempted to find security by keeping up with the latest trends? What helps you find contentment in Jesus?

Dear God, thank You that I can surrender my anxious strivings in exchange for the peace of a quiet walk with You.

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Isaiah 26–27
• Philippians 2

That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God.

1 Timothy 4:10

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

1 Timothy 4:6–16

Eric heard about Jesus’ love for him while in his early twenties. He started attending church where he met someone who helped him grow to know Christ better. It wasn’t long before Eric’s mentor assigned him to teach a small group of boys at church. Through the years, God drew Eric’s heart to help at-risk youth in his city, to visit the elderly, and to show hospitality to his neighbors—all for God’s honor. Now in his late fifties, Eric explains how grateful he is that he was taught early to serve: “My heart overflows to share the hope I’ve found in Jesus. What could be better than to serve Him?”

Timothy was a child when his mother and grandmother influenced him in his faith (2 Timothy 1:5). And he was likely a young adult when he met the apostle Paul, who saw potential in Timothy’s service for God and invited him on a ministry journey (Acts 16:1–3). Paul became his mentor in ministry and life. He encouraged him to study, to be courageous as he faced false teaching, and to use his talents in service to God (1 Timothy 4:6–16).

Why did Paul want Timothy to be faithful in serving God? He wrote, “Because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people” (v. 10). Jesus is our hope and the Savior of the world. What could be better than to serve Him?

By:  Anne Cetas

Reflect & Pray

What have you learned about Christ that you want someone else to know? Who could use your help and whose help might you need?

Dear God, please give me a heart to bring Your hope to those around me. 

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Isaiah 23–25
• Philippians 1

I desire to depart and be with Christ . . . but it is more necessary . . . that I remain.

Philippians 1:23–24

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Philippians 1:21–30

During the coronavirus pandemic, many suffered the loss of loved ones. On November 27, 2020, our family joined their ranks when Bee Crowder, my ninety-five-year-old mom, died—though not from Covid-19. Like so many other families, we weren’t able to gather to grieve Mom, honor her life, or encourage one another. Instead, we used other means to celebrate her loving influence—and we found great comfort from her insistence that, if God called her home, she was ready and even eager to go. That confident hope, evidenced in so much of Mom’s living, was also how she faced death.

Facing possible death, Paul wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. . . . I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body” (Philippians 1:21, 23–24). Even with his legitimate desire to stay and help others, Paul was drawn to his heavenly home with Christ.

Such confidence changes how we view the moment when we step from this life to the next. Our hope can give great comfort to others in their own season of loss. Although we grieve the loss of those we love, believers in Jesus don’t grieve like those “who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). True hope is the possession of those who know Him.

By:  Bill Crowder

Reflect & Pray

How would you describe your response to the threatening realities in our world? How could intentional hope change your outlook on the struggles of life?

God of all hope, please remind me of Jesus’ death-conquering victory.

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Isaiah 20–22
• Ephesians 6

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.

1 John 5:1

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

1 John 5:1–5

It was a natural step for Brett to attend a Christian college and study the Bible. After all, he’d been around people who knew Jesus his whole life—at home, at school, at church. He was even gearing his college studies toward a career in “Christian work.”

But at age twenty-one, as he sat with the small congregation in an old country church and listened to a pastor preach from 1 John, he made a startling discovery. He realized that he was depending on knowledge and the trappings of religion and that he’d never truly received salvation in Jesus. He felt that Christ was tugging at his heart that day with a sobering message: “You don’t know Me!”

The apostle John’s message is clear: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (1 John 5:1). We can “overcome the world,” as John puts it (v. 4), only by belief in Jesus. Not knowledge about Him, but deep, sincere faith—demonstrated by our belief in what He did for us on the cross. That day, Brett placed his faith in Christ alone.

Today, Brett’s deep passion for Jesus and His salvation are no secret. It comes through loud and clear every time he steps behind the pulpit and preaches as a pastor—my pastor.

“God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life” (vv. 11–12). For all who have found life in Jesus, what a comforting reminder this is!

By:  Dave Branon

Reflect & Pray

What’s your story of faith? What led you to understand you needed Jesus?

Jesus, thank You for the gift of salvation and for those who pointed me to faith in You.

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Isaiah 17–19
• Ephesians 5:17–33

Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.

1 Corinthians 13:12

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

1 Corinthians 13:4–13

The optometrist helped three-year-old Andreas adjust his first pair of glasses. “Look in the mirror,” she said. Andreas glanced at his reflection, then turned to his father with a joyful and loving smile. Then Andreas’ father gently wiped the tears that slipped down his son’s cheeks and asked, “What’s wrong?” Andreas wrapped his arms around his father’s neck. “I can see you.” He pulled back, tilted his head, and gazed into his father’s eyes. “I can see you!”

As we prayerfully study the Bible, the Holy Spirit gives us eyes to see Jesus, the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). However, even with our vision cleared by the Spirit as we grow in knowledge through Scripture, we can still only see a glimpse of God’s infinite immensity on this side of eternity. When our time on earth is done or when Jesus fulfills His promise to return, we’ll see Him clearly (1 Corinthians 13:12).

We won’t need special glasses in that joy-filled moment when we see Christ face-to-face and know Him as He knows each of us, the beloved members of the body of Christ—the church. The Holy Spirit will infuse us with the faith, hope, and love we need to stand firm, until we gaze at our loving and living Savior and say, “I can see You, Jesus. I can see You!”

By:  Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray

What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you recently as you’ve read the Bible? How has your growth in the knowledge of God changed you?

Jesus, please help me see You clearer and know You intimately as I walk with You faithfully now and until the day You call me home or come again.

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Isaiah 14–16
• Ephesians 5:1–16

We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.

Ephesians 2:10

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Ephesians 2:1–10

Writing in The Atlantic, author Arthur C. Brooks tells of his visit to the National Palace Museum in Taiwan, which contains one of the largest collections of Chinese art in the world. The museum guide asked, “What do you think of when I ask you to imagine a work of art yet to be started?” Brooks said, “An empty canvas, I guess.” The guide replied, “There’s another way to view it: The art already exists, and the job of artists is simply to reveal it.”

In Ephesians 2:10, the word handiwork, sometimes translated as “workmanship” or “masterpiece,” is from the Greek word poiēma, from which we derive our word poetry. God has created us as works of art, living poems. However, our art has become obscured: “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins” (v. 1). To paraphrase the words of the museum guide, “The art [of us] is already there, and it’s the job of the Divine Artist to reveal it.” Indeed, God is restoring us, His masterpieces: “God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive” (vv. 4–5).

As we go through challenges and difficulties, we might take comfort in knowing that the Divine Artist is at work: “It is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). Know that God is working in you to reveal His masterpiece.

By:  Kenneth Petersen

Reflect & Pray

What are some of the ways that you, as God’s artwork, have become dimmed? How do you feel He’s working in your life these days?

Creator God, thank You for making me one of Your masterpieces.

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Isaiah 7–8
• Ephesians 2

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

Proverbs 11:25

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Proverbs 11:15–25

On our last day in Wisconsin, my friend brought her four-year-old daughter Kinslee to say goodbye. “I don’t want you to move,” said Kinslee. I hugged her and gave her a canvas, hand-painted fan from my collection. “When you miss me, use this fan and remember that I love you.” Kinslee asked if she could have a different fan—a paper one from my bag. “That one’s broken,” I said. “I want you to have my best fan.” I didn’t regret giving Kinslee my favorite fan. Seeing her happy made me happier. Later, Kinslee told her mother she was sad because I kept the broken fan. They sent me a brand-new, fancy purple fan. After giving generously to me, Kinslee felt happy again. So did I.

In a world that promotes self-gratification and self-preservation, we can be tempted to hoard instead of living with giving hearts. However, the Bible says that a person who “gives freely . . . gains even more” (Proverbs 11:24). Our culture defines prosperity as having more and more and more, but the Bible says that “a generous person will prosper” and “whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (v. 25).

God’s unlimited and unconditional love and generosity continually recharge us. We can each have a giver’s heart and create unending giving cycles because we know God—the Giver of all good things—never gets tired of providing abundantly.

By:  Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray

How has the generosity of others helped you get closer to Jesus? How can you put someone else’s needs above your own this week?

Dear God, help me give as generously as You’ve given to me.

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Isaiah 3–4
• Galatians 6

He said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

Genesis 16:8

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Genesis 16:1–9, 16

Natalia went to a different nation with the promise of receiving an education. But soon the father in her new home began physically and sexually abusing her. He forced her to care for his home and children without pay. He refused to let her go outside or use the phone. She had become his slave. 

Hagar was Abram and Sarai’s Egyptian slave. Neither one used her name. They called her “my slave” or “your slave” (Genesis 16:2, 5–6). They merely wanted to use her so they could have an heir.

How different is God! The angel of the Lord makes His first appearance in Scripture when He speaks to a pregnant Hagar in the desert. The angel is either God’s messenger or God Himself. Hagar believes He’s God, for she says, “I have now seen the One who sees me” (v. 13). If the angel is God, He could possibly be the Son—the One who reveals God to us—making an early, preincarnate appearance. He says her name, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” (v. 8). 

God saw Natalia and brought caring people into her life who rescued her. She’s now studying to become a nurse. God saw Hagar and called her by name. And God sees you. You may be overlooked or worse, abused. Jesus calls you by name. Run to Him.

By:  Mike Wittmer

Reflect & Pray

What does it mean to you that Jesus knows your name? How might you similarly encourage others?

Thank You, Jesus, for knowing my name. I rest in Your love for me.

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Isaiah 1–2
• Galatians 5

How gracious [God] will be when you cry for help!

Isaiah 30:19

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Isaiah 30:19–26

When a baby cries, it’s a signal that the child is tired or hungry, right? Well, according to doctors at Brown University, subtle differences in a newborn’s cries can also provide important clues for other problems. Doctors have devised a computer program that measures cry factors like pitch, volume, and how clear the cry sound is to determine if something’s wrong with the baby’s central nervous system.

Isaiah prophesied that God would hear the distinct cries of His people, determine their hearts’ condition, and respond with grace. Judah, rather than consulting God, had ignored His prophet and sought help in an alliance with Egypt (Isaiah 30:1–7). God told them that if they chose to continue in their rebellion, He’d bring about their defeat and humiliation. However, He also longed “to be gracious to [them]; . . . to show [them] compassion” (v. 18). Rescue would come, but only through their cries of repentance and faith. If God’s people did cry out to Him, He would forgive their sins and renew their spiritual strength and vitality (vv. 8–26).  

The same holds true for believers in Jesus today. When our distinct cries of repentance and trust reach the ears of our heavenly Father, He hears them, forgives us, and renews our joy and hope in Him.

By:  Marvin Williams

Reflect & Pray

Why are you tempted to rebel against God and seek help apart from Him? How does repentance before Him lead to reconciliation and life?

Dear God, please forgive me for seeking safety, security, and protection apart from You. Please restore my love for You.

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Song of Songs 6–8
• Galatians 4

The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

Psalm 118:6

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Psalm 118:1–7

When I was a boy, the schoolyard was where bullies threw their weight around and kids like me received that bullying with minimal protest. As we cowered in fear before our tormenters, there was something even worse: their taunts of “Are you scared? You’re afraid of me, aren’t you? There’s no one here to protect you.”

In fact, most of those times I really was frightened—and with good cause. Having been punched in the past, I knew I didn’t want to experience that again. So, what could I do and whom could I trust when I was stricken with fear? When you’re eight years old and being bullied by a kid who is older, bigger, and stronger, the fear is legitimate. 

When the psalmist faced attack, he responded with confidence rather than fear—because he knew he didn’t face those threats alone. He wrote, “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 118:6). As a boy, I’m not sure I would have been able to understand his level of confidence. As an adult, however, I’ve learned from years of walking with Christ that He’s greater than any fear-inducing threat.

The threats we face in life are real. Yet we need not fear. The Creator of the universe is with us, and He’s more than enough.

By:  Bill Crowder

Reflect & Pray

What are you fearing today? Ask God for His presence, comfort, and protection for whatever you’re facing.

Father, thank You that You’re with me and that I can trust You in those moments to see me through by Your grace.

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Ecclesiastes 10–12
• Galatians 1

The past troubles will be forgotten . . . . See, I will create new heavens and a new earth.

Isaiah 65:16–17

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Isaiah 65:16–22

In his wonderful book Art + Faith: A Theology of Making, renowned artist Makoto Fujimura describes the ancient Japanese art form of Kintsugi. In it, the artist takes broken pottery (originally tea ware) and pieces the shards back together with lacquer, threading gold into the cracks. “Kintsugi,” Fujimura explains, “does not just ‘fix’ or repair a broken vessel; rather, the technique makes the broken pottery even more beautiful than the original.” Kintsugi, first implemented centuries ago when a warlord’s favorite cup was destroyed and then beautifully restored, became art that’s highly prized and desired.

Isaiah describes God artfully enacting this kind of restoration with the world. Though we’re broken by our rebellion and shattered by our selfishness, God promises to “create new heavens and a new earth” (65:17). He plans not merely to repair the old world but to make it entirely new, to take our ruin and fashion a world shimmering with fresh beauty. This new creation will be so stunning that “past troubles will be forgotten” and “former things will not be remembered” (vv. 16–17). With this new creation, God won’t scramble to cover our mistakes but rather will unleash His creative energy—energy where ugly things become beautiful and dead things breathe anew.

As we survey our shattered lives, there’s no need for despair. God is working His beautiful restoration.

By:  Winn Collier

Reflect & Pray

What needs beautiful restoration? How does this imagery of “new creation” stir hope in you?

Dear God, please restore me and make my world new.

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Ecclesiastes 7–9
• 2 Corinthians 13

“Neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

John 8:11

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

John 8:1–11

When one single mother had to find work to take care of her family in the 1950s, she took on typing jobs. The only issue was that she wasn’t a very good typist and kept making mistakes. She looked for ways to cover up her errors and eventually created what’s known as Liquid Paper, a white correction fluid used to cover up typing errors. Once it dries, you can type over the cover-up as if there were no errors.

Jesus offers us an infinitely more powerful and important way to deal with our sin—no cover-up but complete forgiveness. A good example of this shows up in the beginning of John 8 in the story of a woman who was caught in adultery (vv. 3–4). The teachers of the law wanted Jesus to do something about the woman and her sins. The law said she should be stoned, but Christ didn’t bother to entertain what the law did or didn’t say. He simply offered a reminder that all have sinned (see Romans 3:23) and told anyone who hadn’t sinned to “throw a stone at” the woman (John 8:7). Not one rock was tossed.

Jesus offered her a fresh start. He said He didn’t condemn her and instructed that she “leave [her] life of sin” (v. 11). Christ gave her the solution to forgive her sin and “type” a new way of living over her past. That same offer is available to us by His grace.

By:  Katara Patton

Reflect & Pray

How has Jesus and the forgiveness of sin He provides written a new story in your life? How will this change how you treat others who’ve also sinned?

Jesus, thank You for cleansing me of my sins. Help me to live a renewed life in You.

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Ecclesiastes 4–6
• 2 Corinthians 12

“Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

Mark 10:35

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Mark 10:35–45

In 2021, an engineer with the ambition to shoot an arrow farther than anyone in history took aim at the record of 2,028 feet. While lying on his back on a salt flat, he drew back the bowstring of his personally designed foot bow and prepared to launch the projectile to what he hoped would be a new record distance of more than a mile (5,280 feet). Taking a deep breath, he let the arrow fly. It didn’t travel a mile. In fact, it traveled less than a foot—launching into his foot and causing considerable damage. Ouch!  

Sometimes we can figuratively shoot ourselves in the foot with misguided ambition. James and John knew what it meant to ambitiously seek something good, but for the wrong reasons. They asked Jesus to “let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory” (Mark 10:37). Jesus had told the disciples they would “sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28), so it’s easy to see why they made this request. The problem? They were selfishly seeking their own lofty position and power in Christ’s glory. Jesus told them that their ambition was misplaced (Mark 10:38) and that “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (v. 43).

As we aim to do good and great things for Christ, may we seek His wisdom and direction—humbly serving others as He did so well (v. 45).

By:  Tom Felten

Reflect & Pray

Why can ambition be both good and bad? How can we make it our ambition to serve like Jesus?

Jesus, I desire to do great things for You, but for the right reasons.

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Ecclesiastes 1–3
• 2 Corinthians 11:16–33

These were all commended for their faith.

Hebrews 11:39

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Hebrews 11:32–40

As he was growing up, Sean knew little about what it meant to have a family. His mother had died and his father was hardly home. He often felt lonely and abandoned. A couple who lived nearby, however, reached out to Sean. They took him into their home and got their children to be “big brother” and “big sister” to him, which gave Sean assurance that he was loved. They also took him to church, where Sean, now a confident young man, is a youth leader today.

Although this couple played such a key role in turning a young life around, what they did for Sean isn’t widely known to most people in their church family. But God knows, and I believe their faithfulness will be rewarded someday, as will those listed in the Bible’s “Hall of Faith.” Hebrews 11 starts with the big names of Scripture, but it goes on to speak of countless others we may never know, yet who “were all commended for their faith” (v. 39). And “the world,” says the writer, “was not worthy of them” (v. 38).

Even when our deeds of kindness go unnoticed by others, God sees and knows. What we do might seem like a small thing—a kind deed or an encouraging word—but God can use it to bring glory to His name, in His time, and in His way. He knows, even if others don’t.

By:  Leslie Koh

Reflect & Pray

What is one simple thing you could do for someone today? How can you remind yourself that God knows your heart and the work of your hands?

Heavenly Father, please continue to show me what good works You’ve prepared for me to do, and give me the faith to do it for You alone.

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Proverbs 30–31
• 2 Corinthians 11:1–15

Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor.

Exodus 28:2

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Exodus 28:1–8, 40–41

The Red Dress project was conceived by British artist Kirstie Macleod and has become an exhibit in museums and galleries around the world. For thirteen years, eighty-four pieces of burgundy silk traveled across the globe to be embroidered upon by more than three hundred women (and a handful of men). The pieces were then constructed into a gown, telling the stories of each contributing artist—many of whom are marginalized and impoverished.

Like the Red Dress, the garments worn by Aaron and his descendants were made by many “skilled workers” (Exodus 28:3). God’s instructions for the priestly attire included details that told the collective story of Israel, including engraving the names of the tribes on onyx stones that would sit on the priests’ shoulders “as a memorial before the Lord” (v. 12). The tunics, embroidered sashes, and caps gave the priests “dignity and honor” as they served God and led the people in worship (v. 40).

As new covenant believers in Jesus, we—together—are a priesthood of believers, serving God and leading one another in worship (1 Peter 2:4–5, 9); Jesus is our high priest (Hebrews 4:14). Though we don’t wear any particular clothing to identify ourselves as priests, with His help, we “clothe [ourselves] with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12).

By:  Kirsten Holmberg

Reflect & Pray

Which of the attributes from Colossians do you most need to put on today? How else has God “outfitted” you for service to Him?

Please clothe me, Jesus, in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

http://www.odb.org

Bible in a Year:

• Proverbs 22–24
• 2 Corinthians 8

In the past God spoke . . . through the prophets . . . , but in these last days . . . by his Son.

Hebrews 1:1–2

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

Jeremiah 28:2–4, 10–16

Before baseball’s 1906 World Series, sportswriter Hugh Fullerton made an astute prediction. He said the Chicago Cubs, who were expected to win, would lose the first and third games and win the second. Oh, and it would rain on the fourth. He was right on each point. Then, in 1919, his analytical skills told him certain players were losing World Series games intentionally. Fullerton suspected they’d been bribed by gamblers. Popular opinion ridiculed him. Again, he was right.

Fullerton was no prophet—just a wise man who studied the evidence. Jeremiah was a real prophet whose prophecies always came true. Wearing an ox yoke, Jeremiah told Judah to surrender to the Babylonians and live (Jeremiah 27:2, 12). The false prophet Hananiah contradicted him and broke the yoke (28:2–4, 10). Jeremiah told him, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you,” and added, “This very year you are going to die” (vv. 15–16). Two months later, Hananiah was dead (v. 17).

The New Testament tells us, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets . . . , but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1–2). Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and through the Scriptures and guidance of the Holy Spirit, God’s truth still instructs us today.

By:  Tim Gustafson

Reflect & Pray

What big questions trouble you? What might you learn about them by learning more about what Jesus taught?

Father, I have big questions today, and I need Your Spirit to guide me into Your truth. Help me to trust You in the things I can’t see.

http://www.odb.org