Zondervan Inspire

The Source of All Strength

From the Editor: When things are going well, it’s so easy to forget that God is our refuge and strength. Perhaps that’s why the Scriptures encourage fasting in conjunction with prayer. Both expose our weakness and need, and point us to the source of all strength. Any other thoughts on this subject?

Wishing you blessings today,

Keith 

The Hebrew Scriptures make it clear that God is the source of all strength. His power is so great that no power in heaven or on earth can compete with it. Moreover, his love impels him to use his power on behalf of his people, to save those who hope in him.

Ultimately, Jesus is presented as the strongest of all men, the One who through his death and resurrection has overpowered Satan, ultimately freeing us from the devastating consequences of sin.

Remember that God's Word is powerful, living and active, able to accomplish far more than we can even ask or imagine. Let it transform your understanding of how God wants to reveal his strength in you and for you.

From The Tender Words of God

by Ann Spangler

Listen for the Living Voice of God

Through its posture of silent, attentive listening, the meditative approach to Scripture opens the reader up to the quiet voice of God. It sets a tone of humility and receptivity, rather than one of assertiveness and control. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German martyr, like many others, commended this approach. He claimed that it was the best way to wait for the Word to address us personally. In Life Together, his little classic on Christian community, Bonhoeffer warned against neglecting to listen for the living voice of God. The obscene alternative is just to prattle on in God's neglected presence. The Bible is a repository of God's past communication, and where God has already spoken is a logical place to look for him to continue to speak.

From A Little Guide to Christian Spirituality: Three Dimensions of Life with God

by Glen G. Scorgie

Any comments or testimonies today?

Love Letters from God

When I open the Bible I don't just find instructions for life or a history book, but I also discover a series of love letters. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s love expresses itself in countless ways, stories, and lives. God and his love are manifested in the person of Jesus and demonstrated through his life, death, resurrection, and promise of imminent return. Why use sixty-six books and thousands of years of history to say three simple words? Because "I love you" is not just a piece of information or one-time revelation but an invitation to transformation.

From The Sacred Echo: Hearing God's Voice in Every Area of Your Life

by Margaret Feinberg

Any comments or testimonies today?

God's Word Is Like a Megaphone

When it comes to hearing from God, I firmly believe the Bible is our source and authority. God's Word is like a megaphone to his people. We recognize his voice best when we spend time listening to what he has to say through Scripture on a daily basis. Not only is God's Word the primary source of hearing from God, it is also our standard for filtering through the countless messages that bombard our minds and hearts each day. I love the description Paul gives to the Berean Jews: "They received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so."

From The Sacred Echo: Hearing God's Voice in Every Area of Your Life

by Margaret Feinberg

Any comments or testimonies today?

The New Covenant Promise

The foundational promise God made through the prophets and recorded in the Old Testament is the promise of a new covenant, or new testament (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36-37). Central to this covenant would be a decisive activity on God's part to deal with the problem of human sinfulness. This happened in the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross. In the horror and suffering on the cross, Jesus absorbed God's wrath against sin in his own body and in our place.

Much of the New Testament describes the passion of Christ and reflects on its significance for us. When Jesus of Nazareth began his three-year public ministry, he announced that he had come in fulfillment of this new covenant promise. During the last supper as he distributed the bread and wine to his disciples, he remarked, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you" (Luke 22:20). Jesus was truly "the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). The 27 books of the New Testament provide testimony of God's work in and through Jesus to fulfill this new covenant promise.

From How We Got
the Bible

by Clinton E. Arnold

Any comments or testimonies today?

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down

All that's left of ancient Jericho is this sliced-up mound of earth that stretches some 350 yards long and 150 yards wide. Archaeologists cut holes and trenches into the mound, searching for clues about what happened to the city. Most archaeologists agree Jericho died suddenly and violently, but many argue it happened long before Joshua got there.

However, Archaeologist Bryant Wood, in 1990, said others overlooked important evidence—pottery, magical charms, and carbon-dated burnt debris—from Joshua's time.

From Incredible Mysteries of the Bible

by Stephen M. Miller

Any comments or testimonies today?

What Is It?

Manna is Hebrew for "what is it?" The Hebrews had never seen anything like it. Manna covered the ground with thin flakes that looked like frost and tasted like honey. It arrived each morning—enough for two quarts per person. The exception was the Sabbath, when nothing came. But a double portion fell the morning before (see Exodus 16:11-24).

These mystery flakes—according to the most popular theory—were insect droppings. In May through June, parasitic insects bore sap from tamarisk trees, and excrete what they can't digest. The desert sun evaporates the liquid carbohydrate balls that are as large as peas. Flakes remain. Nomadic Arabs still call this manna, and use it as a sweetener.

From Incredible Mysteries of the Bible

by Stephen M. Miller

Any comments or testimonies today?

The Historical Reliability of the Bible

The Bible lists the Hittites as one of the nations living in the region of Canaan during the time of Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21) and says that they purchased horses from King Solomon (1 Kings 10:29), but critics of the Bible doubted that a people called Hittites ever existed. Not one shred of historical evidence of Hittites had ever been found.

In 1906 German explorers began to search the ruins of an ancient city in Turkey called Bogazkoy. After uncovering five temples, magnificent sculptures, and over 10,000 clay tablets, they announced to the world that the Hittites had been found! Not only was the historical reliability of the Bible confirmed again, but also scholars were able to fill in the political and cultural landscape of the Old Testament much more accurately with the art, history, and military exploits of Israel’s neighbor to the north.

From Amazing Discoveries That Unlock the Bible

by Douglas Connelly

Any comments or testimonies today?

The Nature and Character of God

The Old Testament is as important today as it was centuries ago. This collection of thirty-nine books written over a span of 1,500 years not only reveals the nature and character of the one true God but also chronicles his involvement in human history. The word testament means covenant and refers to God's agreement with his people. God chose Abraham and promised to bless his descendants and make them a special people through whom he would bless all the nations of the world (Genesis 12:1-3).

These books record significant promises that God made. The foundational promise especially relevant to us is "the new covenant" (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36-37). Central to this covenant would be a decisive activity on part to deal with the problem of human sinfulness and to provide the gift of his Spirit in the lives of all his people. The Old Testament portrays God as earnestly seeking to have a relationship with his people, motivated by his great love. He is constrained, however, by the problem of human sinfulness—an affront to his holiness and purity.

From How We Got
the Bible 

by Clinton E. Arnold

Any comments or testimonies today?

Any Sign of Sodom and Gomorrah?

The Bible records that in the days of Abraham an alliance of five cities stretched along a well-watered plain in the southern Jordan River valley (Genesis 13:10-11). At least two of these cities—Sodom and Gomorrah—were destroyed by a spectacular storm of fire and burning sulfur as an act of God's judgment (Genesis 19:24-29).

Many scholars have concluded that the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a myth or at best the exaggeration of a kernel of truth. But excavations in the 1960s and 1970s at a site on the east side of the Dead Sea (a site called Babedh-Dhra) revealed the ruins of an extensive fortified city. What caught the attention of the excavators was a layer of ash seven feet thick—the evidence of destruction by fire! Many archaeologists have concluded that this is the site of the biblical city of Sodom.

From Amazing Discoveries That Unlock the Bible 

by Douglas Connelly

Any comments or testimonies today?