Verses from 1 Peter

“你们若因犯罪受责打而能忍耐，有甚么可夸的呢？但你们若因行善而受苦，能忍耐，在神看来，这是有福的。

他被骂的时候不还嘴，受苦的时候也不说恐吓的话；只把自己交托给那公义的审判者。”

‭‭彼得前书‬ ‭2:20, 23‬ ‭

“For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2:20, 23‬ ‭

One person offends another, and the hurt person shoots back a verbal blow. The original offender retaliates with another insult. Before long, anger and cruel words have damaged the relationship.

The Bible says that “the words of the reckless pierce like swords,” and that “a harsh word stirs up anger” but “a gentle answer turns away wrath” (Prov. 12:18; 15:1). And sometimes not answering at all is the best way to deal with mean or cruel words or comments.

Before Jesus’ crucifixion, the religious authorities tried to provoke Him with their words (Matt. 27:41-43). Yet, “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate . . . . Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).

Jesus’ example and the Spirit’s help offer us a way to respond to people who offend us. Trusting the Lord, we don’t need to use words as weapons.

Dear God, 

please give me self-control through Your Holy Spirit when I am tempted to retaliate with words.

A soft answer has often been the means of breaking a hard heart.

Verse from Proverbs

“吃饱的人连蜂房的蜜也厌恶；饥饿的人连一切苦的东西都觉得甘甜。”

‭‭箴言‬ ‭27:7‬ ‭

“One who is full loathes honey from the comb, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭27:7‬ ‭

Hunger—that sense of inner emptiness—can weaken our discernment as we make decisions. It convinces us that it’s okay to settle for anything that fills us up, even if it causes us to take a bite out of someone.

God wants more for us than a life lived at the mercy of our appetites. He wants us to be filled with Christ’s love so that everything we do flows from the peace and stability He provides. The constant awareness that we’re unconditionally loved gives us confidence. It enables us to be selective as we consider the “sweet” things in life—achievements, possessions, and relationships.

Only a relationship with Jesus gives true satisfaction. May we grasp His incredible love for us so we can be “filled to the measure [with] all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19) for our sake—and the sake of others.

Verse from Acts

“他们来到每西亚边境，想要去庇推尼，耶稣的灵也不许。”

‭‭使徒行传‬ ‭16:7‬ ‭

Twice in Acts 16 Paul and company were redirected by God. First, they were “kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia” (v. 6). Then, “When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to” (v. 7). 

Unknown to them, God had other plans that would be right for His work and workers. His no to the previous plans put them in a position to listen to and be confidently led by Him (vv. 9–10).

Who among us hasn’t grieved what we initially thought to be a painful loss? We’ve felt wounded when we didn’t get a certain job, when a service opportunity didn’t materialize, when a relocation got derailed. Though such things can momentarily be weighty, time often reveals that such detours are actually divine diversions that God graciously uses to get us where He wants us, and we are grateful.

Father, 

I praise You that in Your wisdom You know how to best arrange my life. Thank You for protecting me through Your detours.

Verse from Genesis

“以扫跑来迎接他，拥抱他，伏在他颈项上，与他亲吻；两个人都哭了。”

‭‭创世记‬ ‭33:4‬ ‭

“But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭33:4‬ ‭

One Christian organization’s mission is to promote the healing nature of forgiveness. One of their activities involves a skit in which a person who has been wronged is strapped back to back with a rope to the wrongdoer. Only the one sinned against can untie the rope. No matter what she does, she’s got someone on her back. Without forgiveness—without untying the rope—she cannot escape.

Offering forgiveness to someone who comes to us in sorrow for their wrongdoing begins the process of releasing us and them from the bitterness and pain that can cling to us over wrongs we’ve suffered. 

In Genesis, we see two brothers separated for twenty years after Jacob stole Esau’s birthright. After this long time, God told Jacob to return to his homeland (Genesis 31:3). He obeyed, but nervously, sending ahead to Esau gifts of herds of animals (32:13–15). When the brothers met, Jacob bowed at Esau’s feet seven times in humility (33:3). Imagine his surprise when Esau ran and embraced him, both of them weeping over their reconciliation (v. 4). No longer was Jacob held by the sin he committed against his brother.

Do you feel imprisoned by unforgiveness, saddled with anger, fear, or shame? 

Know that God through His Son and Spirit can release you when you seek His help. He will enable you to begin the process of untying any ropes and setting you free.

Verse from Eccelesiastes

“往服丧之家，比往宴乐之家还好，因为死是人人的结局，活人要把这事放在心上。”

‭‭传道书‬ ‭7:2‬ ‭

“It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7:2‬ ‭

The life of this faithful woman wasn’t spectacular when she was alive. She wasn’t known widely outside her church, neighbors, and friends. But she loved Jesus, her seven children, and her twenty-five grandchildren. She laughed easily, served generously, and could hit a softball a long way.

Ecclesiastes says, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting” (7:2). “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning” because there we learn what matters most (7:4). 

New York Times columnist David Brooks says there are two kinds of virtues: those that look good on a résumé and those you want said at your funeral. Sometimes these overlap, though often they seem to compete. When in doubt, always choose the eulogy virtues.

The woman in the casket didn’t have a résumé, but her children testified that “she rocked Proverbs 31” and its description of a godly woman. She inspired them to love Jesus and care for others. As Paul said, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1), so they challenged us to imitate their mother’s life as she imitated Jesus.

What will be said at your funeral? What do you want said? It’s not too late to develop eulogy virtues. Rest in Jesus. His salvation frees us to live for what matters most.

Are you living out things that will affect your eulogy? How would your life change if you lived each day with your eulogy in mind?

Verse from Psalms

“神啊！求你为我造一颗清洁的心，求你使我里面重新有坚定的灵。”

‭‭诗篇‬ ‭51:10‬ ‭

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭51:10‬ ‭

In February 1497, a Monk named Girolamo Savonarola started a fire. Leading up to this, he and his followers spent several months collecting items that they thought might entice people to sin or neglect their religious duties—including artwork, cosmetics, instruments, and dresses. On the appointed day, thousands of vanity items were gathered at a public square in Florence, Italy, and set on fire. The event has come to be known as the Bonfire of the Vanities.

Savonarola might have found inspiration for his extreme actions in some shocking statements from the Sermon on the Mount. “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away,” said Jesus. “And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away” (Matthew 5:29–30). But if we interpret Jesus’s words literally, we miss the point of the message. The entire sermon is a lesson on going deeper than the surface, to focus on the state of our hearts rather than blaming our behavior on external distractions and temptations.

The Bonfire of the Vanities made a great show of destroying belongings and works of art, but it is unlikely that the hearts of those involved were changed in the process. Only God can change a heart. That’s why the psalmist prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10). It’s our heart that counts.

What behaviors or distractions might be on your list of “vanities”? 

Holy God,

please give me the grace to surrender my heart to You and yield my life’s vanities to the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit.

Verse from Joshua

“我赐给你们的土地，不是你们劳苦开垦的；我赐给你们的城市，不是你们建造的，你们却住在城中；你们享用的葡萄园和橄榄园，也不是你们栽种的。’”

‭‭约书亚记‬ ‭24:13‬ ‭

“I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.'”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭24:13‬ ‭

The young mother sighed as she scraped together lunch for her 3-year-old daughter. Spying the empty fruit basket on the table in their tiny kitchen, she sighed and said aloud, “If we just had a basket of fruit, I would feel rich!” Her little girl overheard her. 

Weeks passed. God sustained the small family. Still, the struggling mom worried. Then one day her little girl bounded into the kitchen. “Look, Mommy, we’re rich!” she exclaimed, pointing at the full fruit basket on the table. Nothing had changed except that the family had purchased a bag of apples.

When Joshua, the leader of the Israelites, was about to die, he shared a message from the Lord that recounted all God had done for them. And he noted, “You lived in the wilderness for a long time” (Josh. 24:7). Then he said, “[God] gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant” (v. 13). Joshua set up a large stone to remind Israel of God’s provision (v. 26).

Like the Israelites, after a time of challenge and scarcity, that family now lives in a different place and enjoys fruit trees in a spacious yard, planted years earlier by a previous owner. If you visit them, you’ll find a bowl of fruit in their kitchen. It reminds them of God’s goodness and how a 3-year-old infused her family with faith, joy, and perspective.

Thank God for how He has provided in the past. 

Thank Him for what He will do. 

Ask Him what He wants you to do. 

Then trust Him.

Remembering God’s provision for yesterday gives hope and strength for today.

Insight

In Genesis 15, God promised Abraham that He would give his descendants possession of a great stretch of land that was occupied by other people. Several hundred years later, under the leadership of Joshua, God fulfilled His promise, and the people of Israel took possession of the Promised Land. In today’s passage, Joshua reminds the Israelites that it was not by their own military might that they did this, but it was God who gave them the land. As a result of God’s provision (defeating the armies of the other people), Joshua reminded them to fear and serve the Lord. J.R. Hudberg

Verse from Psalms

““耶和华啊！求你使我知道我的结局，我的寿数有多少，使我知道我的生命多么短促。”

‭‭诗篇‬ ‭39:4‬ ‭

Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭39:4‬ ‭

At the age of 59 Bob Boardman wrote, “If the 70 years of a normal life span were squeezed into a single 24-hour day, it would now be 8:30 in the evening in my life. . . . Time is slipping by so rapidly.” 

The difficulty in admitting that our time on earth is limited inspired the creation of “Tikker”—a wristwatch that tells you what time it is, calculates your estimated normal life span, and displays a running countdown of your remaining time. It is advertised as the watch “that counts down your life, just so you can make every second count.”

In Psalm 39, David grappled with the brevity of his life, saying, “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is” (v. 4). He described his life span as no longer than the width of his hand, as only a moment to God, and merely a breath (v. 5). David concluded, “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you” (v. 7).

The clock is ticking. Now is the time to seek God’s power to help us become the people He wants us to be. Finding hope in our eternal God gives meaning for our lives today.

In what ways are we wasting time? In what ways are we making our days count? In what areas do we need to make changes?

The time to live for Jesus is now.

Insight

One reason the Psalms are loved by so many is that they often capture the real emotion of people facing real situations. It gives many of us comfort to know that we are not alone in our struggles and reactions to life. In today’s psalm, David comments on the brevity of life and has an understandable reaction. When we look back on our lives, many of us lament our mistakes and wasted efforts. But David reminds us that in the face of all our sins, it is God who remains our hope. No matter how much of a mess we have made of our lives, it is never too much of a mess for God to redeem. J.R. Hudberg

Verse from Genesis

“耶和华神呼唤那人，对他说：“你在哪里？””

‭‭创世记‬ ‭3:9‬ ‭

“But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?””

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:9‬ ‭

As children of a fallen world, we’re prone to play “a mixed-up game of hide-and-seek” between God and us. It’s more like a game of pretending to hide—because either way, He sees all the way through to our messy thoughts and wrong choices. We know it, though we like to pretend He can’t really see.

Yet God continues to seek. “Come out,” He calls to us. “I want to see you, even your most shameful parts”—an echo of the same voice that called to the first human who hid out of fear: “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9). Such a warm invitation voiced in the form of a piercing question. “Come out of hiding, dear child, and come back into relationship with Me.”

It may seem far too risky, preposterous even. But there, within the safe confines of our Father’s care, any of us, no matter what we’ve done or failed to do, can be fully known and loved.

The One who fully knows us unconditionally loves us.

Verse from Romans

“也不要把你们的肢体献给罪，作不义的用具；倒要像出死得生的人，把自己献给神，并且把你们的肢体献给神作义的用具。”

‭‭罗马书‬ ‭6:13‬ ‭

“Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to Him as an instrument of righteousness.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:13‬ 

The famous French artist Edgar Degas is remembered worldwide for his paintings of ballerinas. Less known is the envy he expressed of his friend and artistic rival Édouard Manet, another master painter. Said Degas of Manet, “Everything he does he always hits off straightaway, while I take endless pains and never get it right.”

It’s a curious emotion, envy—listed by the apostle Paul among the worst traits, as bad as “every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip” (Romans 1:29 nlt). It results from foolish thinking, Paul writes—the result of worshiping idols instead of worshiping God (v. 28).

Author Christina Fox says that when envy develops among believers, it’s “because our hearts have turned from our one true love.” In our envy, she said, “we are chasing after the inferior pleasures of this world instead of looking to Jesus. In effect, we’ve forgotten whose we are.”

What we can do is to turn back to God. “Offer every part of yourself to him,” Paul wrote (Romans 6:13)—your work and life especially. In another of his letters Paul penned, “Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else” (Galatians 6:4).

Verse from Psalms

“万军之耶和华与我们同在；雅各的神是我们的保障。”

‭‭诗篇‬ ‭46:7‬ ‭

“The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭46:7‬ ‭

In Psalm 46, the psalmist writes of the security and stability that God provides in troubled times. Natural disasters (vv. 2–3) and armed conflicts (vv. 6–7) will always be present in this world. Earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, and military conflicts have all caused untold devastation and destruction. But no matter how dire the situation, those who make God their “refuge and strength” (v. 1) “will not fear” (v. 2). 

The basis for this confidence is declared in verse 7 and repeated in verse 11: “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Based on this psalm, reformer Martin Luther wrote one of his best-known hymns: “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” Like the psalmist living in an uncertain and insecure world, we are invited to “be still, and know that [He is] God” (v. 10). 

In confident trust, we echo Luther’s words, “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing.”

Father, 

help us to trust the truth of Your Word when it’s hard for us to sense Your care or presence.

Verse from Philippians

“我并不是因为缺乏才这样说：我已经学会了，无论在甚么情况之下都可以知足。”

‭‭腓立比书‬ ‭4:11‬ ‭

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. (Philippians 4:11)

Do we have these kind of questions that we have to answer in our lives: Is my performance is not up to par? Is my weight at where it should be? Is my current status at work enough? Is my current financial status enough? Do I own enough possessions to feel secure? 

When can we say we have enough and start to not desire for more? 

It's even easier to slip into recognizing what we don't have financially and then pursue that. But before money, possessions, health, or any other thing can be truly enjoyed, we first have to learn that contentment is not based on our circumstances but our salvation.

Help us, Lord, to learn contentment when life is rough. 

Protect us from believing the lie that

having more will bring us happiness. May we be content with what You have given.

Verse from Daniel

“尼布甲尼撒说：“沙得拉、米煞、亚伯尼歌的神是应当称颂的，他差遣使者拯救那些倚靠他的仆人；他们违抗王的命令，宁愿舍命，除了自己的　神以外，不肯事奉敬拜任何其他的神。”

‭‭但以理书‬ ‭3:28‬ ‭

“Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent His angel and rescued His servants! They trusted in Him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.”

‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3:28‬ ‭

The comic book hero is as popular as ever. In 2017 alone, six superhero movies accounted for more than $4 billion (US) in box office sales. But why are people so drawn to big action flicks?

Maybe it’s because, in part, such stories resemble God’s Big Story. There’s a hero, a villain, a people in need of rescue, and plenty of riveting action.

In this story, the biggest villain is Satan, the enemy of our souls. But there are lots of “little” villains as well. In the book of Daniel, for example, one is Nebuchadnezzar, the king of much of the known world, who decided to kill anyone who didn’t worship his giant statue (Daniel 3:1–6). When three courageous Jewish officials refused (vv. 12–18), God dramatically rescued them from a blazing furnace (vv. 24–27).

But in a surprising twist, we see this villain’s heart begin to change. In response to this spectacular event, Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego” (v. 28).

But then he threatened to kill anyone who defied God (v. 29), not yet understanding that God didn’t need his help. Nebuchadnezzar would learn more about God in chapter 4.

What we see in Nebuchadnezzar isn’t just a villain, but someone on a spiritual journey. In God’s story of redemption, our hero, Jesus, reaches out to everyone needing rescue—including the villains among us.

Jesus prayed for those who persecuted Him. We can do the same.

Verse from 2 Corinthians

“说这话的人要想一想，我们不在你们那里的时候，信上怎样写，我们来到的时候也会怎样作。”

‭‭哥林多后书‬ ‭10:11‬ ‭

“Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭10:11‬ ‭

Paul wrote letters to the church in Corinth, weaving love and discipline into his teachings to be like Jesus. As he neared the end of this letter (2 Corinthians), he addressed accusers who challenged his integrity by saying he was bold in his letters but weak in person (10:10). These critics used professional oratory to take money from their listeners. 

While Paul possessed academic prowess, he spoke simply and plainly. “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words,” he had written in an earlier letter, “but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4). His later letter revealed his integrity (2 Corinthians 10:11).

Paul presented himself as the same person in public that he was in private. How about us?

In what ways are you integrating your private and public life? How might you honor God even more fully with complete integrity?

Verse from John

“拿但业问他：“你怎么认识我呢？”耶稣回答：“腓力还没有招呼你，你在无花果树下的时候，我就看见你了。””

‭‭约翰福音‬ ‭1:48‬ ‭

““How do You know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.””

‭‭John‬ ‭1:48‬ ‭

We catch a glimpse of the kind of intimate knowledge Jesus has of His people in John 1. As Nathanael, who Philip had urged to meet Jesus, moved toward Him, Jesus pronounced, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit” (v. 47). Startled, Nathanael responded, “How do you know me?” Somewhat mysteriously, Jesus replied that He’d seen him under the fig tree (v. 48).

We may not know why Jesus chose to share this particular detail, but it seems Nathaniel did! Overwhelmed, he responded, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God” (v. 49).

Jesus knows each of us like this: intimately, completely, and perfectly—the way we long to be known. And He accepts us completely—inviting us to be, not only His followers, but His beloved friends (John 15:15).

Verse from Proverbs

“有人说话不慎，好象利刀刺人，智慧人的舌头却能医治人。”

‭‭箴言‬ ‭12:18‬ ‭

“The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12:18‬ ‭

Unkind, thoughtless words hurt—sometimes badly, leaving wounds that went deeper and lasted much longer than a welt from a stone or stick.

Hannah certainly knew the sting of thoughtless words. Her husband, Elkanah, loved her, but she had no children, while his second wife, Peninnah, had many. In a culture where a woman’s worth was often based on having children, Peninnah made Hannah’s pain worse by continually “provoking her” for being childless. She kept it up until Hannah wept and couldn’t eat (1 Samuel 1:6–7).

And Elkanah probably meant well, but his thoughtless response, “Hannah, why are you weeping? . . . Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” (v. 8) was still hurtful.

Like Hannah, many of us have been left reeling in the wake of hurtful words. And some of us have likely reacted to our own wounds by lashing out and hurting others with our words. 

But all of us can run to our loving and compassionate God for strength and healing (Psalm 27:5, 12–14). He lovingly rejoices over us—speaking words of love and grace. 

Loving Father, 

thank You for the healing and hope we find in You. Help us to bring our hurts to You—and always to be mindful of the words we say. Give us the wisdom and patience to think before speaking.

Verse from Romans

“照样，圣灵也在我们的软弱上帮助我们。原来我们不晓得应当怎样祷告，但圣灵亲自用不可言喻的叹息，替我们祈求。”

‭‭罗马书‬ ‭8:26‬ ‭

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:26‬ ‭

Many of us struggle sometimes with prayer. But the apostle Paul wrote, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:26–27).

How amazing is the gift of the Holy Spirit! Better than any computer program, He clearly communicates our thoughts and desires in harmony with the Father’s purposes. The work of the Spirit makes prayer work!

Father, 

We thank You for the gift of Your Spirit and the privilege of prayer. 

Help us to lean on Your Spirit in moments when we don’t know how to pray.