Three days later, when David and his men arrived home at their city of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had raided the city and burned it to the ground, carrying off all the women and children. As David and his men looked at the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, they wept until they could weep no more. (David's two wives, Ahino-am and Abigail, were among those who had been captured.) David was seriously worried, for in their bitter grief for their

Read Psalm 3:1-8 Susan E. Brooks lives in Kentucky. Years ago, her family moved to Mozambique to do mission work. The poverty they witnessed often broke their hearts, but singing with their neighbors in church always moved them from worry to faith and trust. One of Susan's favorite worship songs that they learned from their Mozambican friends translates to something like "Daniel prayed to God, and the lions licked him." In the song;s original language, the rhythm is energizin

When Jesus had finished his sermon he went back into the city of Capernaum. Just at that time the highly prized slave of a Roman army captain was sick and near death. When the captain heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. So they began pleading earnestly with Jesus to come with them and help the man. They told him what a wonderful person the captain was. "If anyone deserves your help, it is he," they said, "for he loves

Read Psalm 104:24-30 O Lord, what a variety you have made! And in wisdom you have made them all! The earth is full of your riches. Psalm 104:24 (TLB) Juita Kartini lives in Jakarta, Indonesia. Her mother has a small garden in their backyard where she grows several kinds of flowering plants. One particular plant with purple flowers stands out from the rest. Every morning, the plant displays beautiful flowers that face up toward the sky. But by noon, the flowers have all withe

There is a right time for everything: A time to be born, a time to die; A time to plant; A time to harvest; A time to kill; A time to heal; A time to destroy; A time to rebuild; A time to cry; A time to laugh; A time to grieve; A time to dance; A time for scattering stones; A time for gathering stones; A time to hug; A time not to hug; A time to find; A time to lose; A time for keeping; A time for throwing away; A time to tear; A time to repair; A time to be quiet; A time to

Read Matthew 25:14-30 "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going into another country, who called together his servants and loaned them money to invest for him while he was gone." Matthew 25:14 (TLB) God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God's many kinds of blessings. 1 Peter 4:10 (TLB) Stanley Hartness lives in Mississippi. For several years it has been his responsibili

Read Luke 2:8-14 Enid Adah Nyinomujuni is from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. As a young girl, Enid found the Christmas season to be tremendously exciting. It was a season for singing and celebrating. And almost everyone in the village would buy new clothes. The Christmas spirit could be felt all around, especially at church in the sounds of singing and drumming. Everybody in the village knew Christmas was a time to eat the best meals. Even those who could not afford to buy meat an

These are the facts concerning the birth of Jesus Christ: His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But while she was still a virgin she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her finance, being a man of stern principle, decided to break the engagement but to do it quietly, as he didn't want to publicly disgrace her. As he lay awake considering this, he fell into a dream, and saw an angel standing beside him. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "don

When God began creating the heavens and the earth, the earth was a shapeless chaotic mass, with the Spirit of God brooding over the dark vapors. Then God said, "Let there be light." And light appeared. And God was pleased with it, and divided the light from the darkness "nighttime." Together they formed the first day. Genesis 1: 1-5 (TLB) You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that

So I have asked these other brothers to arrive ahead of me to see that the gift you promised is on hand and waiting. I want it to be a real gift and not look as if it were being given under pressure. But remember this - if you give little, you will get little. A farmer who plants just a few seeds will get only a small crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much. Every one must make up his own mind as to how much he should give. Don't force anyone to give more than he reall