So Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute and her relatives who were with her in the house, because she had hidden the spies Joshua sent to Jericho. (Joshua 6:25, NLT)

Matthew 25:14-30

Imagine that you’re minding two children. As they play, the younger one asks you to hold a dirty plastic pail. Awhile later the older one hands you a necklace that had been her grandmother’s. You wouldn’t worry too much about the toy, but you’d probably guard the jewelry with great care. The way we handle a possession reveals its value to us.

Matthew 1:18-25

Throughout human history, heaven was God’s dwelling place, and except for a few personal encounters (as with Abraham, Hagar, and Jacob), He seemed far away to most people. Then the Lord came to the Israelites in a pillar of cloud and fire, and later in the tabernacle and temple. But in time, He would do something new and even more remarkable: He would come to earth and live as a man.

God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:26–28, NIV)

John 15:5-8

Did you know God offers serenity of heart to all believers? The Holy Spirit, who lives inside every follower of Jesus, can keep peace flowing like sap from a vine to its branches. But sadly, this internal wellspring of calm is overlooked by many Christians because of several false assumptions.

Some wrongly think that peace is the result of perfect conditions, but this world is broken. That means we will never achieve an ideal existence on this earth, and its circumstances cannot yield serenity.

James 1:16-18

Our heavenly Father showers us with many good gifts, but the one that excels them all is His Son (John 3:16). The eternal Creator of all things wrapped Himself in human flesh to enter time and space as a baby. Although He appeared insignificant to the world, He was the best and most needed gift we have ever received.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Which would you say is more difficult: teaching a Sunday school lesson or loving your enemies? Helping a neighbor or practicing patience with troublesome people? Doing a good deed or holding onto joy in a crisis? Most of us find the latter in each pair more challenging and less rewarding.

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

In today’s reading, the apostle Paul discusses godly wisdom. This kind of knowledge isn’t available through human reasoning. It is of a higher realm and comes through divine revelation.

This supernatural insight is the only way to accurately know the Lord and His ways. People who lack it will often try to fit God into their preconceived image of Him. This amounts to custom-designing a god, based on their own ideas, to fit their preferences.

“But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land.