Across the globe, we know that 2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water, including the 144 million who drink untreated surface water. The continents of Asia and Africa are most affected by a shortage of clean water and in 2022, in some countries like Central African Republic and Chad, more than 90% of the population lacked access to safe drinking water. In most majority world ...  Read More

"When the well's dry, we know the worth of water," wrote Benjamin Franklin. [1] People indeed often take ordinary things for granted until they are no longer there. I recall the situation in arid West Texas, where I once served as a pastor in Big Spring. The value of water was well-known in that part of the state, where ninety percent of the economy was based upon agriculture. The area had suffere...  Read More

The late Billy Graham, who enjoyed remarkable effectiveness throughout his nearly eight decades of ministry, once said, “The Christian life is not a constant high. I have moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God forgive me,’ or ‘Help me.’” Psalm 143, from beginning to end, contains a continuous appeal to God. The psalmist’s lament signals...  Read More

[originally published June 2025] In America, about 1870, many women of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) came under great conviction to support mission work, both in the United States and in other countries. Ravaged by years of wartime deprivation and concerned with the plight of Native American Indians, these women were devoted to Christ and sharing the gospel. They did whatever they could in...  Read More

The gravelly picture on my family's black and white television screen did not distract from my childhood viewing of video clips from John F. Kennedy's famous 1961 presidential inaugural address where he beckoned Americans to "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country." His appeal was for citizens to make sacrifices for the common good. Six-weeks later he establ...  Read More

Have you ever thought, “It must be true because I read it on the internet”? Most everyone knows the danger of such a claim; it often signals trouble! John obviously knew nothing of the internet, but he similarly warns believers to “test the spirits,” which proves to be sage advice with spiritual concerns. There were many false teachers and teachings swirling about, and he was seeking to protect th...  Read More

How do you handle life’s testing times? Perhaps you worry. Maybe you even lash out at those you love. Others will deny the situation and seek to avoid confronting the trouble! I read numerous accounts of people on social medial who refuse to face their troubles and eventually find that they are overwhelmed by the results. The psalmist pens Psalm 112 as a reminder that our troubles provide us with ...  Read More

“The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind,” is a portion of a verse from the iconic 1962 song recorded by folk singer Bob Dylan. The song itself was termed a “protest song,” but the series of rhetorical questions it poses cause the listener to ponder issues like peace, war, and freedom. This refrain phrase may mean something like “the answer is so obvious that it is right in your face.” John wr...  Read More

The ascent to the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak, requires great skill and predetermined rest stops along the way. Isaiah provides us with something spiritually similar in chapter 55. There is an obvious warmth to this passage that catches immediately the attention of a reader as it demonstrates God’s profound care for His children. This passage is something of a rest stop along...  Read More

“God never made a promise that was too good to be true” (D.L. Moody, Christian History, Issue 25). The Lord makes three promises in the first paragraph of Isaiah 43, and I wonder how the people who first heard these words responded? God has just chastised them for being dull and blind in the latter part of chapter 42, but here He speaks of being their redeemer! Was He being capricious? Hardly. He ...  Read More

“All these people” provides every true Christian with all they need to carry forward in steadfast faith! The author of Hebrews lays aside his discussion of Abraham for a moment in Hebrews 11 to offer some general remarks about those he had discussed to this point. They had lived their lives and died, still living out their faith in the Lord. They lived out their faith, even though they had not pos...  Read More

God does not lose those souls He has saved (1 Peter 1:4, “kept in heaven”). There can be no more powerful statement than the one with which this devotional begins. It was written because the first readers of Hebrews needed to remain steadfast in their commitment to Christ. Since then, this chapter has created libraries full of commentary based upon a flawed interpretation of verse 6 and the phrase...  Read More