Verse from Matthew

[That house] . . . did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. Matthew 7:25

American football quarterback C.J. Stroud is young, talented, and an unashamed believer in Jesus. In a profession where the average career span is just 3.3 years, Stroud has been outspoken about where his trust lies. “Football has a lot of . . . twists and turns. But, at the end of the day, it’s all about your foundation. And something that’s set my foundation is my faith.”

Football, or any other profession, isn’t the only sphere of life with ups and downs, twists and turns. Jesus’ story in Matthew 7:24-27 features two houses, each pummeled by rain, floods, and wind. But only one survived the storm: “because it had its foundation on the rock” (v. 25)—Christ’s metaphor for His teaching (vv. 24, 26).

Yes, storms happen in this life. Sickness and countless other dilemmas can leave us spinning. Life isn’t “stormproof,” but building our lives on Jesus and His teaching—our sure “foundation” (see 1 Corinthians 3:11)—makes the difference. Those who refuse to embrace Christ are more vulnerable when life’s storms come. But those who listen to His words will find stability: “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Matthew 7:25). Indeed, it’s all about our foundation.

Verse from Genesis

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Genesis 1:31

In 2021, Star Trek actor William Shatner enjoyed the opportunity to be catapulted into space in a rocket capsule. When he later reflected on the voyage, he said everything he had expected about the experience was wrong. He’d anticipated the vastness of space would give him a deep sense of connection to all living things, but instead he felt grief: He found the darkness of space cold and empty, which distilled in him a new awareness of earth’s beauty and fragility.

Not many people have ventured into space to have such an experience firsthand. The Bible’s account of God’s creative work in the cosmos invites us to see it through His eyes. God’s first recorded actions were to create “the heavens and the earth” bringing order to what was “formless and empty” and “[separating] the light from the darkness” (Genesis 1:1-2, 4). The rest of the creation account unfolds all the good things God brought into being, including vegetation, creatures, and, ultimately, His image bearers—humans.

While the entirety of creation—even the darkest, farthest reaches of space—reveals God’s power and might, we’ve been given special insight into His work right here on earth. The beauty that surrounds us beckons us to worship the one who made it all.

Verse from 2 Samuel

[Mephibosheth] always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet. 2 Samuel 9:13

In 2 Samuel 9, we find King David desiring to show kindness to anyone still living from the house of Saul (v. 1). There is one, Mephibosheth, “a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet” (v. 3). Mephibosheth is ushered into the king’s presence, where he hears these words: “I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table” (v. 7). And he always did.

Scripture is full of unforgettable stories of David and giants and armies and kings and kingdoms—the stuff of movies. But the Bible also remembers this poignant kindness shown toward a person in need—the story of someone lending a hand to another.

After all the big, flashy scenes fade, it’s possible that kindness such as David extended to Mephibosheth is the work that matters most in the end. Lending a hand is the kind of work you and I can be about each and every day.

Verse from Exodus

[The Lord] passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God.” Exodus 34:6

After a four-year-old boy accidentally broke a rare 3,500-year-old Bronze Age jar displayed at a museum in Israel, he received a kind and surprising response. The museum staff forgave him and invited him back. Roee Shafir, speaking for the Hecht Museum, said doing so heightened global interest in the restoration process and might serve to inspire the boy’s interest in history and archaeology—a healing and positive outcome.

The story brings to mind God’s compelling declaration of His forgiveness after rebellion by the Israelites. They’d rebelled against Him by begging Moses’ brother Aaron to make a gold calf for them for idol worship (Exodus 32:1). “When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets [of covenant law] out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain” (v. 19).

At God’s instruction, “Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning” (34:4). When God came down, He “passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God . . . maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin’ ” (vv. 6-7).

What a profound reminder. Despite our worst sins, God still forgives. He yearns to restore us.

Verses from 1 Timothy

“Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.”

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul warned his son in the faith to “[hold] on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith” (1 Timothy 1:19). What is this “shipwreck”? Two men, Hymenaeus and Alexander, had in some devastating way departed from the true faith, and the apostle turned them over to Satan “to be taught not to blaspheme” (v. 20). Paul desired them to repent, but the consequences of their actions were dire.

Our faith isn’t static, nor can it exist in a vacuum. We must actively nurture and cultivate our relationship with God to grow strong and healthy in faith and good conscience. May we join with other believers, yield to God’s Spirit, and allow Him to work in us. We can avoid shipwreck.

Verse from Proverbs

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

Louise, a project manager, regretted taking on the freelance job. Both the client and designer were testing her patience. Why is it so difficult? she wondered. Why can’t these people get it together?

Weeks later, as she read Proverbs 27, verse 17 stood out—“iron sharpens iron.” “You can’t file down rough edges with something soft, like silk,” she told her small group soon after. “You need something hard, like iron.”

Louise realized that the challenges in the project were smoothing down some rough edges of her own. She was learning to be more patient and humble, and to adapt to different working styles. God, she concluded, was using the project to expose her flaws and teach her new lessons about working with others.

Much of the book of Proverbs extols the value of godly wisdom, but this wisdom doesn’t come easily. It needs to be sought after with obedience and discernment (3:13; 13:20; 19:20), and refined in crucibles and furnaces, with mortars and pestles (27:21-22)—situations that may mean temporary pain and suffering.

Yet the Bible reminds us that challenges come with rewards: In seeking God’s wisdom diligently and obeying His ways, we’ll find true security, satisfaction, and blessing (vv. 26-27).

Verse from Hebrews

[Jesus] shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death.  Hebrews 2:14

Christ not only understands all our experiences and temptations (4:15) but He has also broken “the power of death” over our lives (2:14). Because of Him, our experiences need not cause us to feel afraid or alone. Instead, we can celebrate the gift of being human.