Barabbas—and you

‘Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!’ Luke 23:18 NIV The Bible says: ‘The whole crowd cried out, “Kill him! Set Barabbas free for us!” (Barabbas had been put in prison for a riot that had taken place in the city, and for murder.)’ (Luke 23:18–19 GNT) And just...

When You Die! (4)

‘He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.’ Hebrews 2:15 NLT The Bible says: ‘Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die, and only by...

When You Die! (3)

‘I desire to depart and be with Christ.’ Philippians 1:23 NIV In his Analogies of Nature, William Jennings Bryan wrote: ‘Christ gave us proof of immortality, and yet it would hardly seem necessary that one should rise from the dead to convince us that the grave is not...

When You Die! (2)

‘When we die and leave this earthly body, we will have a house in Heaven.’ 2 Corinthians 5:1 NLT When you die, you simply leave one form of life and enter another. Consider the first law of thermodynamics: neither energy (as in your soul and spirit) nor matter (as in...

When You Die! (1)

‘If someone dies, will they live again?’ Job 14:14 NIV After AD616, the first Christian missionaries came to the court of King Edwin in Northumbria, England. In his great hall, lit with the light from numerous torches, they presented the Gospel. The king listened,...

Conquering Selfishness

‘Consider others more important than yourselves.’ Philippians 2:3 CEV Paul writes, ‘Consider others more important than yourselves. Care about them as much as you care about yourselves and think the same way that Christ Jesus thought.’ (Philippians 2:3–5 CEV) That...

Use Your Faith

‘Your faith has made you well.’ Luke 8:48 NKJV The Bible says: ‘Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years… touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped… Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from...

Feeling Good About Yourself

‘We have this treasure in earthen vessels.’ 2 Corinthians 4:7 KJV When you don’t feel good about yourself, you live with a sense of insecurity. You keep looking to others for approval, and when you don’t get it, your sense of worth shrivels. As a result, you can spend...

Dress For Success

‘Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.’ Romans 13:14 NIV To make a good first impression, we’re encouraged to ‘dress for success’. But as a redeemed child of God, your first concern shouldn’t be how you look to others, but to God. Just like a mirror reflects...

Intercede With God For Them

‘I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.’ 1 Timothy 2:1 NLT Paul writes: ‘pray for all people… intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who...

Most Recent Devotional Readings

Don’t give up on your Saul

‘Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for…Saul, for he is praying.’ Acts  9:11 NIV Has everyone else written off your Saul? ‘He is too far gone.’ ‘He is too hard, too addicted, too old, too cold.’ Joseph believed one day he would be reunited with the...

Jangan menyerah pada Saulus Anda

‘Pergilah ke jalan yang bernama Jalan Lurus, dan carilah di rumah Yudas seorang dari Tarsus yang bernama Saulus. Ia sekarang berdoa.’ Kisah Para Rasul 9:11 Apakah semua orang telah menghapus Saulus Anda? ‘Dia terlalu jauh.’ ‘Dia terlalu keras, terlalu kecanduan,...

You must care for the needy (3)

‘Blessed is he who considers the poor;’ Psalm 4 1:1 NKJV In October 2022, Forbes stated there were 2,668 billionaires in the world. It’s incredible to think that one individual, let alone 2,668 individuals, can be worth billions of dollars, and yet there are billions...

Harus peduli kepada yang membutuhkan (3)

‘Berbahagialah orang yang memperhatikan orang lemah!’ Mazmur 41:2  Pada Oktober 2022, Forbes menyatakan ada 2.668 milliarder di dunia. Sungguh luar biasa untuk berpikir bahwa satu individu, apalagi 2.668 individu, dapat bernilai miliaran dolar, namun ada miliaran...

You must care for the needy (2)

‘He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well.’ Jeremiah 2 2:16 NIV When he was a theology student, Jim Wallis and some of his classmates took scissors to the Bible and cut out every verse about poverty, wealth, justice, or oppression. And would...

Harus peduli kepada yang membutuhkan (2)

‘Serta mengadili perkara orang sengsara dan orang miskin dengan adil. Bukankah itu namanya mengenal Aku? demikianlah firman TUHAN.’ Yeremia 22:16  Ketika menjadi mahasiswa teologi, Jim Wallis dan beberapa teman sekelasnya membawa gunting dan memotong setiap ayat...

You must care for the needy (1)

‘Their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.’ Acts  6:1 NIV Since the government didn’t care for widows and orphans back in New Testament times, the church took on that responsibility. Unfortunately, bias raised its ugly head, and Jewish...

Harus peduli kepada yang membutuhkan (1)

‘Pembagian kepada janda-janda mereka diabaikan dalam pelayanan sehari-hari.’ Kisah Para Rasul 6:1 Karena pemerintah tidak mempedulikan para janda dan yatim piatu pada zaman Perjanjian Baru, gereja mengambil tanggung jawab itu. Sayangnya, ada diskriminasi, para janda...

You’re a reflector

‘But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,’ 2 Corinthians  3:18 NKJV As the old saying goes, ‘You become like the company you keep.’ Paul explains it this way: ‘But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of...

Anda seorang reflektor

‘Dan kita semua mencerminkan kemuliaan Tuhan dengan muka yang tidak berselubung. Dan karena kemuliaan itu datangnya dari Tuhan yang adalah Roh, maka kita diubah menjadi serupa dengan gambar-Nya, dalam kemuliaan yang semakin besar.’ 2 Korintus 3:18  Seperti kata...