Verse from Zephaniah

“耶和华你的神在你中间，他是施行拯救的大能者，必因你欢欣快乐，必默然爱你，而且必因你喜乐欢唱。””

西番雅书 3:17 

“"The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”

Zephaniah 3:17 

Zephaniah the prophet pointedly condemned the mixing of other religions with faith in the one true God (sometimes called syncretism). Judah had become a people who bowed in worship to the true God but who also relied on the god Molek (Zephaniah 1:5). Zephaniah described their adoption of pagan culture (v. 8) and warned that as a result God would drive the people of Judah from their homeland.

Yet God never stopped loving His people. His judgment was to show them their need to turn to Him. So Zephaniah encouraged Judah to “Seek righteousness, seek humility” (2:3). Then the Lord gave them tender words promising future restoration: “At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home” (3:20).

It’s easy to condemn examples of obvious syncretism. But in reality, all of us easily blend God’s truth with the assumptions of our culture. We need the Holy Spirit’s guidance to test our beliefs against the truth of God’s Word and then to stand for that truth confidently and lovingly. Our Father warmly embraces anyone who worships Him in the Spirit and in truth (see John 4:23–24). 

When I am in trouble, where do I turn? A crisis reveals where I put my trust. Is my faith completely in God? What do I need to give over to Him today?

Verse from Ephesians

“凡事谦虚、温柔、忍耐，用爱心彼此宽容；”

以弗所书 4:2 

“with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,”

Ephesians 4:2 

"You mean I have to put up with that!?" There are those folks in life about whom the saying is true: "They are the grit out of which we are to fashion our pearl." 

But our great example in this challenge is Jesus. Think of what he had to put up with in his 12 disciples. Remember how transformational his patience and gentleness with them was. 

Let’s learn to be like Him.

Verse from Luke

“他就喊叫说：“大卫的子孙耶稣啊，可怜我吧！””

路加福音 18:38 

“And he called out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"”

Luke 18:38 

Today’s reading in Luke 18 features a man with no vision at all, and living in total darkness had forced him to beg for a living. News about Jesus, the popular teacher and miracle worker, had reached the blind beggar’s ears. So when Jesus’s travel route took Him by where the blind man was sitting, hope was ignited in his heart. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (v. 38) he called. 

Though without sight physically, the man possessed spiritual insight into Jesus’s true identity and faith in Him to meet his need. Compelled by this faith, “He shouted all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’” (v. 39). The result? His blindness was banished, and he went from begging for his living to blessing God because he could see (v. 43).

In moments or seasons of darkness, where do you turn? Upon what or to whom do you call? It’s the merciful touch of Jesus, God’s Son, that brings people from spiritual darkness to light.

Father, 

open the eyes of my heart to clearly see who Jesus is and what He can do.

Verse from John

“但保惠师，就是父因我的名要差来的圣灵，他要把一切事教导你们，也要使你们想起我对你们所说过的一切话。”

约翰福音 14:26 

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

John 14:26 

Sometimes when we read the Bible we understand the basic stories, but what about the connections—those details that weave Scripture into the one perfect story? We have Bible commentaries and study tools, yes, but we also need a guide—someone to open our eyes and help us see the wonders of God’s written revelation. 

Our guide is the Holy Spirit who teaches us “all things” (John 14:26). Paul wrote that He explains “spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words” (1 Corinthians 2:13).

How wonderful to have the Author of the Book to show us the wonders of it! God has not only given us His written Word and His revelation but He also helps us to understand it and learn from it. So let us pray with the psalmist, saying, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” (Psalm 119:18).

Dear Lord, 

as I read Your Word, 

open my eyes that I may discover the wonders of Your revelation.

Verse from Psalms

“众民哪！你们要常常倚靠他，在他面前倾心吐意；因为神是我们的避难所。”

诗篇 62:8 

“Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.”

Psalms 62:8 

Slowing down to consider what Psalm 62 tells us (or at least implies) about the situation that prompted the psalmist to write it can deepen our understanding of God. It helps us internalize the psalm’s teaching in a way that transforms us rather than simply informs us. 

These are not the blissful words of reflection from an untroubled soul. David writes from the tired depths of someone maligned and assaulted. 

Saying that hope comes from the Lord is simple when hope is a luxury. To say that you will not be shaken when even your friends are secretly cursing you (v. 4) is an expression of trust before, during, and after all other hopes have failed.

How can you express hope in God?

Verse from Matthew

“爱慕公义如饥如渴的人有福了，因为他们必得饱足。”

马太福音 5:6 

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Matthew 5:6 

Do we carefully consider what we are feeding our eternal souls when we read or surf the web or watch TV? 

The Bible encourages us, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:2–3). We need to fill ourselves daily with God’s Word and truth if we are to thrive as followers of Christ. Only then can we grow to maturity in Him.

Loving Lord, 

help me to hunger for You and Your Word and to stay away from that which harms me. 

Fill me with Your goodness today.

When Christ returns, what will He find us craving for?

Verse from Psalms

“你们要住手，要知道我是神；我要在列国中被尊崇，我要在全地上被尊崇。”

诗篇 46:10 

“"Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."”

Psalms 46:10 

Psalm 46 has been a source of encouragement to many over the years—including reformer Martin Luther. In fact, he based the classic hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” on this psalm. During times of struggle “when terribly discouraged, he would turn to his co-worker, Philipp Melanchthon, and say, ‘Come, Philipp, let us sing the forty-sixth Psalm’” (Ligonier Ministries, Luther and the Psalms: His Solace and Strength).

This mighty fortress describes the God of strength who is our refuge. And He is also the God who calls us to find our rest in Him. In the New Testament, Jesus personalized that rest when He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). In the midst of the cares and despairs of life, we can stop, be still, and find refuge in God.