a new resource from April 2014

Dr. David Jeremiah

Understanding the 66 Books of the Bible

Understanding the 66 Books of the Bible is a resource to orient you to each of God’s
special books, whether you’re a new reader or a veteran student, whether you want to
visit the Gospel of John or take a journey into Nahum or Jude. In this volume you’ll
find a simple digest for each book, along with a key thought, key verse, key action,
and prayer. It will be the fastest journey through the Bible you will ever experience!

Features
• a simple digest of each of the 66
books of the Bible
• a key thought for each book
• a key verse
• a key action each book demands
• a key prayer each book offers
• four-color, beautiful book
Benefits
• You’ll find blessings times 66 as you
gain fresh insights into Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers … and
on to Revelation!

How to receive this resource:

You can order Understanding the 66 Books of the Bible by using the enclosed card,
calling 1-877-998-3555, or visiting our website from anywhere in the world at
www.DavidJeremiah.org
D14DT

www.DavidJeremiah.org
Turning Point | P.O. Box 3838 | San Diego, CA | 92163
 MAGAZINE &
DEVOTIONAL

24 Turning Point Resource

Understanding the 66 Books
of the Bible
Dear Fellow Bibliophile,

28 The Jeremiah Study Bible

30 What’s In a Message
You know the word “bibliophile,” I’m sure—a lover (philo) of books (biblos).
And I mean that as a compliment! Even though King Solomon expressed a note of
weariness about the proliferation of books in his day (Ecclesiastes 12:12), they are a
part of life. And with the invention of e-books, people are reading more than ever
before.
But with the multiplication of books comes a challenge: How do we choose the

s  There are books, and then there are

Books! Discover why the Bible has every
type of literature in it you could possibly
want to read … beginning on page 6.
4 Seek and You Will Find
5 Just Ahead
32 April Devotionals
This month’s devotionals
take us to the fundamentals about God
and His nature and correlate with this
month’s radio series, Knowing the God
You Worship.
The weekend devotionals will keep you
riveted with Page Turners.
46 Turning Point Radio and
Television
best ones? And how do we remember to stay continually focused on the best book
of all, the Bible? As Christians, we are blessed to have the Word of God as the guid-
ing light for our faith and practice; it is the foundation, the bedrock, of our belief.
Perhaps the greatest oversight we make about the Bible is how varied a book
it is. We shop online for books of history, biography, poetry, romance, adventure,
how-to, and self-improvement—and the Bible is filled with all that and more! The
Bible is the most comprehensive mirror of human life ever written, yet it contains
something that no other book is qualified to present: a context of redemption.
The Bible is about your life and mine—our biography, our trials, our desires, our
dreams, and our desire to know God and be all He created us to be. That’s why
bibliophiles the world over have made the Bible the best book in history.
Join me this month as we remind ourselves of all the reasons why the Bible
never disappoints when we turn its pages.

6 A Good Read
47 Turning Points of Interest Your Book-loving friend,

8 Biography and History

David Jeremiah
Have you ever
s

12 Mystery and Intrigue wanted a digest of

what each book of
the Bible is about?
We have the book TURNING POINTS MAGAZINE & DEVOTIONAL

16 Love and Romance for you—see the

back cover for more President/Publisher Writing Staff
information about Dr. David Jeremiah Weston Albert
Understanding the Editor-in-Chief Cherie Fritz
66 Books of the Paul Joiner William Kruidenier

20 “How To” and Reference Bible.

Issue Date: April 2014. Volume Sixteen, Issue Four.

Managing Editor
Myrna Davis
Art & Design
Robert Morgan
Lois Spain
Dianne Stark
Katie Michaelson Deanne Welsh
2 COPYRIGHT 2000—2014 DR. DAVID JEREMIAH | TURNING POINT FOR GOD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 3
 Seek and You Will Find
JUST AHEAD
A living laboratory
for everyday life. All Scripture was written by a fallible
(See page 6) person like you or me, but inspired
by an infallible God.
A living gallery (See page 6)
of people.
(See page 8)

When you pick up God’s Word,

you’re opening a collection of the
Trace the threads best biographies ever written.
of a tapestry. (See page 10)
(See page 12)

God’s heart beats

in the pages.
( See page 16) There are no mysteries to Him.
(See page 15)

how to |

how to fix my marriage Our God is a loving God, a God

how to be a good steward of money who loves and who is love.
how to raise my children (See page 17)
how to know God better

(see page 20)

Not all truth is in the Bible, but all
that’s in the Bible is true.
If you are joining us this month as a new reader, you will notice our (See page 22)
Read-Through-the-Bible-in-a-Year icon and reading plan at the end of
each devotional. Join the worldwide Turning Point family as we strive to read the
Bible, cover-to-cover, in one year.

4 5

ead a good book lately? The
traditional printed page may (or may
not) be going the way of clay tablets,
but one thing is for certain: People
still love to read. According to Pew
Research Center, seventy-five percent
of Americans read at least one book last
year.1 A similar survey by the Huffington
Post found twenty-five percent of us
read between one and five books last
year. Fifteen percent read between six
and ten; twenty percent read between
eleven and fifty; and eight percent read
more than fifty.2
Which books are most popular? I
was surprised to discover twenty-three
percent of readers mentioned science
fiction and fantasy. Sixteen percent went
for murder and mayhem—mystery nov-
els. Fourteen percent favored romance;
and another fourteen percent pursued
non-fiction.3
And why do we read? Seventy-two
percent said we read to learn something;
sixty-four percent to be entertained; and
nineteen percent to be able to talk with
others about the books we’ve read.4
All Scripture was written by a fallible person
like you or me, but inspired by an infallible God.
6 7
may have reflected actual events,
but He told them as simple, generic
We want to remind you that the tales, each having an essential point
regarding the various lessons flowing
Good Book is a Great Read. from His heart.
If you like how-to books, re-
member—the Bible is the greatest
villains of Jewish times. The Gospels self-improvement book ever penned.
present a fourfold life of Christ. Large For those who love fantasy and science
I love to read too; I enjoy many fiction, well, I can’t find that in the
chunks of Acts are biographical in na-
types of books, provided they aren’t Bible, but I can offer something better.
ture. The Lord provides these because
morally questionable or harmful to my Throughout Scripture God parts the
each story has lessons to either emulate
mind. But only one book expands both curtain and allows us to peer into the
or avoid. Each biographical sketch is a
my mind and soul whenever I pick it spiritual realm—the zone of angels,
living laboratory for everyday life.
up—the Good Book. demons, and the unseen forces at work
Maybe you like history. I’ve always
Have you read the Good Book in time and eternity.
loved history—not memorizing all
recently? Whatever you’re looking for, You’ll also find lots of theology in
the dates but the actual flow of events
you’ll find it in the Bible. It contains the Bible, basketfuls of sermons, the
that shaped our world, our lives, and
every type of writing, covers every richest personal letters and private corre-
our times. The Old Testament covers
conceivable subject, and communicates spondence ever written, the best poetry
about fourteen hundred years of history,
in practically every genre. It’s a timeless ever composed, and the most practical
and the New Testament covers about a
volume filled with timely texts. All proverbs ever spoken.
hundred years. And the biblical writers
Scripture was written by a fallible I can’t list all of the genres of
recount the unfolding events with un-
person like you or me, but inspired by literature contained in God’s Word,
erring accuracy.
an infallible God; and so the writings but in this issue of Turning Points we’re
If you like romance, read Song of
themselves are perfect. Every word is going to examine four categories to
Solomon, Ruth, or the book of Hosea.
true and every verse is profitable for see what we can learn—biography and
If it’s mystery you like, consider how
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, history, mystery and intrigue, love and
many murders are recorded in the Bible,
for instruction in righteousness, so
starting with Cain and Abel. In fact, the romance, and how-to and reference.
that the people of God may be mature, We want to remind you that the Good
entire story of Scripture is based on the
complete, wise, fulfilled, and thoroughly Book is a Great Read. If you’ve forgotten
most notorious murder in human his-
equipped for every good work (see about the best literature ever composed,
tory—the execution of Christ.
2 Timothy 3:16–17). I hope this month’s magazine will
If you like novels or fictional
If you like biography, the Bible is a encourage you to pick up God’s Word
stories, you’ll enjoy our Lord’s parables.
treasure trove. The last part of Genesis and read every day from the Book that
He used stories to illustrate the truths
is devoted to the story of Joseph. The has everything.
about which He preached. His parables
historical books of the Old Testament
give us warts-and-all stories about Saul, 1
www.pewresearch.org/2013/06/25/library-readers-book-type/
David, Solomon, and the heroes and 2
www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/07/american-read-book-poll_n_4045937.html
3
www.mhpbooks.com/poll-shows-ereaders-lead-to-more-reading-online-sharing
4
www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2013/10/06/e-books-reading/2877471
From This Point Forward: For more information about this fascinat-
ing Book called the Bible, visit our website at www.DavidJeremiah.org
and click on From This Point Forward to read “The Inspiration of the
Word,” by Dr. Jeremiah.

ow would you like to sit down over coffee
and have an unhurried conversation with a current or former
president of the United States, with a British monarch, or maybe
with an international superstar? How about spending a day with
an inventor whose products have changed the world, an evange-
list whose sermons have inspired millions, or a missionary whose
adventures rival a novel?
Whenever we pick up a biography or autobiography, we are
spending time with the most interesting people who ever lived.
8 9
We’re letting them into our homes, into
our evenings, into our schedules, into
our lives. Whether a troubled rock star,
a world-class athlete, a brilliant states-
man, a notorious criminal, or a saint of
God—when our bookshelves are lined
with their stories, we’ve created for our-
selves a most interesting society of peo-
ple. They visit our homes and occupy
our bedside tables and reading nooks.
No one really knows who wrote
the first biography or autobiography,
but Augustine’s Confessions is one of the
earliest examples of the genre. If you’ve
never read it, find a newer transla-
tion and enjoy the remarkable story of
Augustine’s troubled life and marvelous
conversion. Several biographies were
produced during the Middle Ages,
such as Einhard’s Life of Charlemagne.
In 1791, The Life of Samuel Johnson by
James Boswell established biography
as a solid genre of literature. Benjamin
Franklin’s autobiography became one
of the best-known books in American
history and opened the floodgates for
literary biography and history.
What one person is the subject
of the most biographies? There’s no
way to give a quantitative answer, but
it’s undoubtedly Jesus Christ. No one
knows how many books exist about
Him, beginning with the four “autho-
rized” accounts by Matthew, Mark,
Luke, and John. High in the second
If you like biography and
history, you’ll love the Bible.
tier are George Washington, Abraham
Lincoln, and Adolf Hitler. Personally I
love Christian and missionary biogra-
phy. When I read stories of people like
William Carey, William Wilberforce,
Corrie Ten Boom, C. S. Lewis, and
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, they become my
mentors.
James Martineau, nineteenth-
century English philosopher, said about
biography: “To study the lives, to
meditate on the sorrows, to commune
with the thoughts of the great and holy
men and women of this rich world, is
a sacred discipline …. We forfeit the
chief source of dignity and sweetness in
life, next to the direct communion with
God, if we do not seek converse with
the greater minds that have left their
vestiges on the world.”1
If you like biography and his-
tory, you’ll love the Bible. When you
pick up God’s Word, you’re opening
a collection of the best biographies
ever written. Almost every page gives
us samples of people whose lives were
good, bad, ugly, damned, saved, trans-
formed, inspired, revolting, or world
changing. Sometimes these sketches
are lengthy, such as the chapters about
King David or the apostle Paul. Other
times, a person’s life is summed up in a
one-sentence biography, such as Paul’s
descriptions of his various friends in
Romans 16, or the occasional sum-
maries appearing in the Bible’s various
genealogical listings.
Examples of Obedience
The Bible is filled with the tales of
those who inspire us with unrelenting
obedience. I love the stories of the Old
Testament heroes Joseph and Daniel,

because almost nothing negative is
said about them in the Bible. When
Joseph was tempted by Potiphar’s wife,
he replied, “How then can I do this
great wickedness, and sin against God?”
(Genesis 39:9) When Daniel was tempt-
ed by the lavish lifestyle of Babylon, he
“purposed in his heart that he would
not defile himself ” (Daniel 1:8). If they
can withstand temptation, so can we.
When we read of Stephen in Acts
6–8—another young man of whom
nothing bad is said—we learn we can
be filled with faith, wisdom, grace,
and the Holy Spirit even when facing
martyrdom. On the other hand, Jonah’s
four-chapter autobiography shows us
the folly of disobedience.
How many life lessons about
steadfast obedience we can learn from
the parade of characters in the pages
of Scripture!
Examples of Failure
The Bible also provides examples of
failure—from Adam and Eve, to Cain,
to King Saul, to Judas, to a little-known
character named Demas, one of Paul’s
companions. Demas is mentioned three
times in Scripture. In Colossians 4:14,
Paul wrote, “Luke the beloved physi-
cian and Demas greet you.” Writing to
When you pick up God’s
Word, you’re opening
a collection of the best
biographies ever written.
10
Philemon, Paul again relayed greetings
from Demas. But in the final chapter
of Paul’s life as he awaited execution in
Rome, he wrote: “Demas has forsaken
me, having loved this present world”
(2 Timothy 4:10). How easily that
happens! Careful students of the bio-
graphical cameos of Scripture can learn
lessons in advance and guard against
the breakdowns of Demas and others in
Scripture who are best remembered for
their failures.
Examples of Perseverance
Others, of course, inspire us by
their perseverance. Evangelist D. L.
Moody spoke of a time when he was
reeling under the blows of discourage-
ment. He didn’t feel God was blessing
his work. A friend, noticing his gloom,
suggested he study the character of
Noah. “Just study him,” said the friend,
“and you will find very much that will
help you.”
Moody resisted the idea, thinking
he already knew all about Noah. But
he finally opened his Bible to the life
of this unusual Old Testament hero. “I
found, among other things,” Moody
recounted, “that he had preached 120
years without making a single convert;
but still he kept at it, preaching, and
working on the ark.” Moody was
so moved by Noah’s perseverance in
laboring 120 years without a convert
that he rededicated himself to remaining
faithful for the duration of days God
gave him.2
The eleventh chapter of Hebrews
gives us a roll call of Old Testament
heroes like Noah, then we read at
the beginning of the next chapter:
“Therefore we also, since we are
surrounded by so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which so easily ensnares us,
and let us run with endurance the race
that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).
As we read the histories of the
characters of the Bible, we’re acquainted
with a great cloud of witnesses who
encourage us to persevere by their ex-
amples. I want to encourage you to add
biography to your reading list, for a
good biography can change your life.
I’ll close with this example from
missionary history: David Brainerd
was an early American missionary to
I want to encourage you to
read lots of biographies, but
begin with those in the Bible.
Native Americans who died at age 29.
Like Noah, he witnessed few observ-
able conversions from his ministry. But
his dedication deeply moved Jonathan
Edwards, who, as a result, helped usher
in the Great Awakening and also wrote
an account of Brainerd’s life.
In England, William Carey read
Brainerd’s biography and gave himself
to overseas service, launching the mod-
ern missions movement. Henry Martyn
read Brainerd’s life story and devoted
1
James Martineau, Hours of Thought on Sacred Things (Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1882), 239, 242.
2
D. L. Moody, W. H. Daniels, ed. : Moody: His Words, Work, and Workers (New York: Nelson &
Phillips, 1877), 140.
3
William D. Gale observed the power of Brainerd’s biography in Through Sunshine and Shadows
(Cincinnati, Ohio: 2004), 89–99.
himself to India. In Scotland, Robert
Murray McCheyne read about Brainerd,
and his sermons brought revival to
the land. Robert Moffat and David
Livingstone read Brainerd’s story and
were moved to reach Africa. Jim Elliot
read Brainerd’s story and felt compelled
to reach the Auca Indians of Ecuador.
Elliot’s story, in turn, inflamed an entire
generation of students to follow Christ
into the arenas of global evangelism.3
So I want to encourage you to read
lots of biographies, but begin with those
in the Bible. God’s Word provides the
greatest assembly of fascinating char-
acters ever to be compiled within the
pages of a single volume. Each story is
unique. And think of this—in a broad
sense the whole of Scripture—Genesis
to Revelation—is the autobiography
of God Himself and of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
As you read about Abraham, Isaiah,
Demas, David, and, most of all, Jesus,
remember to thank God for including
these stories in His Word. He is interest-
ed in people—interested in everyone’s
biography, in the story of each person’s
life. That means He is interested in
yours. He’s concerned with all your days
and with the circumstances filling every
page of your life. By learning what God
said about those described in the pages
of His Book and by following their les-
sons, you can build a legacy for others.
Your story can sing His praise. Your
biography can bring glory to Him who
is the author of your salvation.
11

prominent nation was at war with
a neighboring country; the fighting was intense. The
president of the nation sent a message to his commanding
general to assign one of the nation’s most loyal soldiers to
what amounted to a suicide mission. It was not a critical
mission and almost any soldier could have carried it out.
The commander carried out the president’s order and sent
the trusted soldier into the heat of the battle—where he
was killed instantly. What on earth prompted the nation’s
president to issue such an order?
12
The leader of a large organization
made a decision that affected hundreds
of thousands of people. Everyone was
excited about a new venture, a new
direction for the organization, when
suddenly the leader announced a new
plan. Instead of taking what looked like
a sure path to prosperity, the leader said,
“Trust me. We need to go in a different
direction.” Why would one man make a
decision to delay prosperity for such a large
number of people?
A well-respected young woman,
part of a strict religious community
that placed a high value on sexual pu-
rity, was engaged to be married. When
she announced she was pregnant, her
family and her husband-to-be were
shocked. Sexual immorality was the
only possible cause, death being the
traditional punishment. Shockingly,
the young woman’s fiancé stood by his
beloved, violating all traditional com-
munity norms, and embraced her and
the unborn child. What did he know, or
what did they both know, that led to this
unusual behavior?
Was the first situation I’ve de-
scribed from a Tom Clancy espionage
thriller? Was the second the revelation
of a Wall Street hedge fund manager?
Was the third taken from the pages
of a paperback romance novel? They
could have been, I admit. But the truth
Life has always been
full of mystery.
is, all those mysteries and stories of
intrigue—and more like them—are
taken from one single book: the Bible.
Details and lessons learned, below. But
first …
Modern Mysteries
Who doesn’t love a great mys-
tery? The world’s readers certainly
do. Mysteries of all kinds make up as
much as a fifth of all books sold in the
fiction category. Names like Agatha
Christie, Edgar Allan Poe, Dorothy
Sayers, Erle Stanley Gardner, and Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle call to us from
the archives, while Tom Clancy, Stieg
Larsson, John Grisham, Stephen
King, Patricia Cornwell and others
keep mysteries at the top of modern
best-seller lists. And what adults didn’t
spend hours as a child paging through
the sleuthing of the Hardy boys and
Nancy Drew? A great story of mystery
and intrigue can make time stand still
as we race toward the final chapter to
discover “who done it.”
While life has always been full
of mystery, what we know today as
mystery novels are a fairly recent
invention. Because most modern
mysteries revolve around violations
of the law, it has only been since the
development of localized, organized
police forces that stories of crime,
investigation, and judgment began
to be chronicled. Because real-life
incidences of crime and mystery
attracted local and national attention,
it is no surprise that fictional accounts
of mysteries began to be written.
And there seems to be no end to the
public’s hunger for pulse-pounding
mystery. Even in the Christian
13
 publishing market, fictional stories
of mystery and intrigue, couched in
a redemptive narrative, are category
leaders.
Modern mystery novels may only
have begun appearing a few hundred
years ago, but actual stories of mystery
and suspense were written in Scripture
several thousands of years ago.
Ancient Mysteries
If the Bible is anything, it is an
honest portrayal of human life—the
good, the bad, and the ugly. The Bible
shows that God is the God of reality.
When mysterious things happen, the
Bible tells the story. Sometimes we get
the answer to the mystery and some-
times we don’t. But there is always a
lesson to be learned. Take the three
story lines I outlined above. (If you
know your Bible, you recognized these
intriguing stories immediately.)
The first mystery involves some
very bad things done by a very good
man. David, King of Israel, had an
adulterous affair with Bathsheba, the
wife of Uriah, one of his most loyal sol-
diers. The affair resulted in Bathsheba
becoming pregnant. To cover up the
pregnancy, David brought Bathsheba’s
husband home from the war assum-
ing he would enjoy relations with
Bathsheba on his furlough—and Uriah
would assume the child was conceived
when he was with his wife. But Uriah
was so loyal to David that he refused to
allow himself the pleasure of relaxing
in his home with his wife until the war
was over. That plan of David’s having
14
failed, he sent Uriah back to the front
lines with a message for Joab, the
commander, to put Uriah in the heat
of the battle so he would be killed—
which is what happened. So David’s
reason for sending one of his most
loyal soldiers on a suicide mission was
to cover up his own sin. Even Joab
didn’t know the reason for David’s ac-
tion until almost a year later, after the
child was born and a prophet of God
revealed David’s sin (2 Samuel 11–12).
If the Bible is anything, it
is an honest portrayal of
human life—the good, the
bad, and the ugly.
As sad a story as David’s escapade
is, there are lessons to be learned:
There is no hiding of sin from God
and there is no sin beyond the reach of
God’s forgiveness (see Psalm 51—writ-
ten by David after he was exposed and
forgiven).
The second story is about Moses
leading the Hebrew slaves out of
Egypt to the Promised Land. The
trip from Egypt to Canaan should
have taken a few weeks at most—a
short walk along the shore of the
Mediterranean Sea on what was an es-
tablished trade route between Canaan
and Egypt. Instead, Moses turned the
huge crowd due south into the Sinai
Peninsula, a region of sand, sun, and
scorpions. Why did Moses take a detour
that added two years to the trip? For
two reasons: First, to avoid the certainty
of war when the Hebrews encountered
Egyptian outposts on the trade route or
the Philistine army once they entered
Canaan (Exodus 13:17). Second, to
introduce the Hebrews to their God and
His covenant at Mount Sinai; to forge a
million or more slaves into an obedient
nation.
This story reminds us that our tim-
ing and our ways are not God’s—and
there is always a reason for what seems
mysterious to us at the moment, even if
it is not revealed.
Finally, the last story is about Mary
and Joseph, the young couple who
would become the earthly parents of
Jesus (Matthew 1:18–25; Luke 1:26–
38). In spite of this couple being loyal
Jews, they did something completely
unexpected when Mary became preg-
nant before their wedding. Joseph stood
up for Mary instead of insisting on her
being stoned, and they married and
raised the “illegitimate” child as their
own. Why? Because they knew what no
one else did (except for Mary’s cousin,
Elizabeth—Luke 1:39–45). They knew
that the child was conceived by the
Holy Spirit to be the Son of God in the
flesh, to save His people from their sins.
Buried in this mysterious chain of
events is the warning for us not to pass
judgment impulsively. God may have
led others in ways that He hasn’t led us.
It is also a reminder that obedience to
God may exact a price in the court of
public opinion.
There are no
mysteries to Him.
Understanding Mystery
Someone once compared life to
a beautiful tapestry hung on a wall in
a European castle. On the front side,
we see a beautiful image. But how that
image was woven together is a mystery
until we look at the back of the tap-
estry. There we see a myriad of knots
and threads running in every direction.
What looks like a mystery to us on the
front was understood completely by the
weaver on the back.
God is like that weaver. That is,
there are no mysteries to Him. He sees
both the front and the back of the tap-
estry at once. God knows everything
but doesn’t reveal everything to us.
Some things He reveals, others He keeps
hidden for His reasons (Deuteronomy
29:29). The story of redemption He
is writing is, at times, full of mystery
and intrigue. But He is the author; He
knows the beginning and the end of
your story.
15
 most famous writers in history devel-
oped a set of books that sent romance
novels to the top of the charts—Jane
Austen. She wrote six full novels: Sense
and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice,
Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger
Abbey, and Persuasion. She left two nov-
els unfinished and wrote many short
stories and juvenile works.
Our God is a loving God,
a God who loves and
who is love.
Jane Austen’s success produced an
avalanche of romantic novels from other
pens and publishing houses, one of the
most successful being the Canadian
Harlequin company. Their twenty-five-
cent novels showed up in purses and
pocketbooks around the world, in train
stations and bookstores, and on bedside
stands and coffee tables everywhere. At
first the romantic scenes were all chaste
and modestly presented. But a few years
ago the publishing houses determined
that millions of readers wanted more
explicit scenes. Now, reflecting the cul-
tural climate of today’s world, anything
goes. Still, at its core, love and romance
literature is all about … love and ro-
mance. According to the Romance
Writers of America, every romance
novel features two elements: A central
confess I haven’t read many love and
love story in which the main plot cen-
romance novels. I suppose some of them aren’t fit to read,
ters around individuals falling in love
but that’s true of every genre of literature. On the other
and struggling to make the relationship
hand, some of our best Christian novelists produce modern
work; and an emotionally satisfying
romance novels based on biblical values with enriching and
and optimistic ending in which the two
redeeming content. After all, God values love in our hearts
people “are rewarded with emotional
and romance in our relationships. This category of literature
justice and unconditional love.”1
goes back to a book named Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, writ-
Which brings me to the Bible!
ten in 1740 by Samuel Richardson. A century later, one of the
16
Our God is a loving God, a
God who loves and who is love, who
created interpersonal relationships, who
designed marriage, who brings people
together in His providence, and
who is the only true expert on love
and romance in the universe. So
in opening the pages of the Bible,
we’re not at all surprised to find
it full of love and romance. God’s
Word is filled with tremendous
love stories—some wonderful,
some disastrous, some ending
happily, some ending sadly,
some godly, and some
godless. But all provided
for our benefit and personal
growth.
Romance in God’s Book
If you want to read the
Bible’s most frank and forthright
book of love and romance, turn to
Solomon’s Song of Songs. It’s the
story of young King Solomon fall-
ing in love and marrying a woman
identified only as the Shulamite.
As I wrote in the preface to this
book in The Jeremiah Study
Bible: “Certain portions of
the Song are so beautiful,
sensual, and graphic that
for centuries, many Bible
interpreters could not bring
themselves to admit that it was
a human and holy love story in-
spired by a holy God …. (Yet) Song
of Solomon should be read and
revered for exactly what it purports
to be: a record of the glory—and at
times the grind—of human, marital
love. It is a celebration of romance,
realism, and reconciliation, not to
mention purity, joy, and … love.”
In a day when romance,
17
 relationships, and marriage are being
redefined and reconsidered by a culture
that rejects biblical authority, the Song
of Solomon is God’s resounding
view of the pleasures and potential
of a godly marital union between
a man and a woman whom He
has blessed.
For an altogether differ-
ent plotline, turn to the book of
Hosea. Here was a man who
married a woman named
Gomer who violated her
marital commitment. She
hired herself out as a prosti-
tute. But with superhuman
love—a love given by God
to reflect His love for Israel—
Hosea redeemed Gomer from
her life of sin and remained
committed to her as a true and
faithful husband.
One of the sweetest stories
in the Bible is how God provided
a bride for Isaac. We’re even told
the angels were involved in
that bit of matchmaking, for
Abraham told his servant:
“[God] will send His angel
before you, and you shall
take a wife for my son”
(Genesis 24:7). The servant
was successful and arrived
back with the potential
bride, Rebekah, while Isaac
was out walking and meditating
in a field. It was love at first sight.
Perhaps the strangest roman-
tic triangle in the Bible involved
Isaac’s son, Jacob, who worked
seven years to marry the love of
his life, only to wind up in bed on
his wedding night with the wrong
woman (see Genesis 29).
It’s interesting to notice how many
18
marriages in the Bible were troubled.
Adam and Eve had their problems,
though they had the greatest wedding
in history—in the Garden of Eden with
Almighty God as the presiding minister.
Moses seemed to have struggled some
with his marriage. Abraham and Sarah
certainly had some rough patches. Job
and his wife had a pretty significant
disagreement. And don’t even ask me
about King David.
On the other hand, we’re given
some great models for marriage in
the Bible. I’m especially drawn to the
example of Priscilla and Aquila, a New
Testament tent-making couple who
labored side-by-side in marriage and
ministry for the Lord (see Acts 18;
Romans 16; 1 Corinthians 16; and
2 Timothy 4). I also love the stories of
Zacharias and Elizabeth and of Joseph
and Mary. Through biblical examples
and divine instructions, the Bible is
filled with information about cherishing
the most important relationships in
our lives.
Love in God’s Heart
The reason there is romance in
God’s Book is that there is love in His
heart. The entire scope of Scripture is
about God’s love for us, which is of-
ten likened to a romance. In the Old
Testament, God cherished Israel as
a loving husband cherished a bride.
The Bible is filled with
information about
cherishing the most
important relationships
in our lives.
The New Testament speaks of the re-
deemed—the Church—as the “bride of
Christ.” The book of Ephesians states
this explicitly when it says: “Husbands,
love your wives, just as Christ also loved
the church and gave Himself for her”
(5:25). In His parables, Jesus spoke of
His return like a groom coming back
home to receive His bride (Matthew
25:1–13). The book of Revelation pres-
ents the Second Coming of Christ in
terms of the “Marriage Supper of the
Lamb” (Revelation 19:7).
You have a God who longs to
love you with more romance
and realism than any
novelist could imagine.
God created romance, love, and
marriage for our pleasure; but He also
designed these relationships to teach
us something of the tenderness and
steadfastness of His own love for us.
His love for us is sacrificial—He died to
provide an eternal home for us. His love
is unconditional—even when we stray,
sin, and disobey, His love is as infinite
as ever. His love is faithful—it never wa-
vers or varies in durability or duration.
His love is eternal—we’ll never outlive
or outlast its reach.
Some years ago there was a
wonderfully active worker for Christ in
Ashland City, Tennessee, named Agnes
Frazier. She and her husband Emit were
married fifty years, and they opened
practically every morning with Bible
reading and prayer at the breakfast
1
<http://www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=578> accessed December 20, 2013.
table. On the day Emit passed away,
Agnes went to bed dreading getting
up the next morning. She didn’t think
she could start the day with devotional
exercises alone. But the next morning
she bravely sat at the kitchen table
and opened her Bible to the spot
where she and her husband had
quit their reading twenty-four hours
before, in Isaiah 54. The verse that
stared up at her was verse 5: “For
your Maker is your husband,
the LORD of hosts is His
name.” Agnes smiled and
said, “Thank you, Lord.”
Whether you’re a man
or woman, married or not,
young or old—whatever your
situation—you have a God
who longs to love you with more
romance and realism than any
novelist could imagine. His heart
beats for your soul. His ministry
is for your happiness. He longs for
you to walk beside Him on earth,
then to join Him in heaven. He
desires us to be where He is.
Behold, what love the Father
has lavished on us!
As we read the Good
Book, let’s learn its lessons
about love, courtship,
marriage, loyalty, fidelity,
patience, humility, and
godly relationships. Let’s enjoy
reading about the love lives of the
characters of Scripture. Whether
sweet or sordid, we can learn les-
sons from their examples. But most
of all, let’s exult in God’s love—His
endless, selfless, sinless love for you
and me. If you want to know true
love, you’ll find it on every page of
God’s Book.
19
 mastered what we think are the basics,
technology keeps giving us new chal-
lenges: computers, home audio-visual
systems, smart phones, GPS, and things
we haven’t even thought of yet. Saying
“I don’t know” is the first step toward
becoming equipped to be successful
in an ever-changing world—as long as
we’re willing to say, “I don’t know, but
I’m willing to learn.”
And apparently lots of us are
willing! Barnes & Noble’s website
lists 93,057 best sellers in its “Self
Improvement” category, and Amazon.
com’s “Self Help” category shows
280,407 titles broken down into 21 dif-
ferent topic areas. Given those numbers,
I’ll go out on a limb and say that there’s
probably at least one book available on
anything you want to learn to do.
We are awash in information.
But if there’s not, there’s always
Google! If your “how to” need is so rare
and so refined that there is not a book
available on the subject, you can always
search online. Someone, somewhere in
the world, has written about what you
need to know. Even if it was written
in a different language, a translation is
just a click away.
hen people need to know how to do some- Bottom line: We are awash in
thing, one of the first places they turn is to two popular series of information. Reference materials and
books: The Complete Idiot’s Guide (more than 1,500 topical books) how-to and self-improvement materials
and the For Dummies series (more than 1,800 subjects). exist in greater quantities than we could
We may not feel like dummies or idiots, but there are cer- ever work through. The challenge is not
tainly plenty of times that we have questions about how life works. finding help, but choosing among the
We find ourselves in the proverbial position, “When all else fails, plethora of options.
read the directions.” But that creates a different prob-
Life is a never-ending class in “how to.” Even after we’ve lem: a little thing called trust.
20
A Matter of Trust
Certainly with the
Internet at large, and also with
books in general, the question
of trust becomes critical. If you
throw your question out to the
world—“How do I …?”—whose
answers are you going to rely on?
If your question is in the objec-
tive realm—how to speak French,
how to bake a cake, how to knit—
then almost anyone’s advice will
work. There are some areas in
which the beliefs, character, and
reputation of a person are not
critical.
But what if you need
help with your marriage, with
knowing God, with manag-
ing relationships, being a
good steward of money, or
raising children—more sub-
jective areas of life? Then, the
beliefs, character, and reputa-
tion of a teacher are much
more critical. In those cases,
it pays to know the source.
It would be wonderful if
there were a reference source
that was totally trustworthy in
everything it discussed. Not
that it would have answers for
every single question, but that
the answers it did have would be
totally trustworthy. You already
know what I’m going to say: There
is such a book—the Word of God.
A Trustworthy Source
The best way to summarize
the Bible in terms of “how to”
is this: Not all truth is in the
Bible, but all that’s in the
Bible is true. You won’t find
instructions on algebra, car
21
 mechanics, or exercise rou-
tines in the Bible—you’ll have
to look elsewhere for those
and similar answers. But of this
you can be assured: What you
do read in the Bible is true and
trustworthy.
This is the Bible’s own wit-
ness about itself: “All Scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righ-
teousness, that the man of God
may be complete, thoroughly
equipped for every good work”
(2 Timothy 3:16–17). When
you need practical and profit-
able guidance in life—on any-
thing—the Bible is the first
source you should check. It’s
the only book on earth “given
by inspiration of God.” The
guidance you find there is
guidance you can depend on.
The book of Proverbs is
a good indication of God’s
heart when it comes to the
practical side of life. We think
of Proverbs as the “wisdom”
book of the Bible—and it
certainly is. But wisdom is
designed to answer life’s how-
to questions. The Hebrew word
for wisdom is the word for “skill.”
It was used to describe the skill of
artisans, craftsmen, ship captains,
builders—even people who were
skilled at trickery! Wise people in
the Old Testament were people
who knew the answers to life’s
how-to questions. The first
ten chapters of Proverbs are
the instructions of a father
to his son about how to live
life skillfully, the impartation
22
of wisdom from the wise to the
naïve (Proverbs 1:1–9). The rest of
the chapters are collections of short
how-to statements on money, work,
relationships, fearing God, marriage,
raising children, living a moral life,
leadership, emotions, and more.
Not all truth is in the
Bible, but all that’s in
the Bible is true.
Many people have taken the ad-
vice of Billy Graham through the years
and read five psalms and one chapter
of Proverbs each day—covering both
books in a month’s time. Psalms an-
swers the question, “How should I
relate to God?” while Proverbs answers
the question, “How should I relate to
people?” No other book in history has
provided so many practical answers
to so many pressing questions as the
Bible—and especially Proverbs.
Trustworthy Answers
Fortunately for us, the Bible gives
us the most important answers—God’s
answers—to life’s most important
questions. The very nature of biblical
revelation is epitomized by the “What?”
question asked by the Philippian jailer
when an earthquake shook the jail and
released the prisoners: “Sirs, what must
I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30) To that
all-important question, the apostle Paul
provided a succinct and sufficient an-
swer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and you will be saved, you and your
household” (verse 31).
If we add to “What?” the other
questions we most often ask in life—
Who? When? Where? Why? and
How?—we find the Bible providing
plenty of answers and guidance.
Who? Think of all the questions
pertaining to people that arise in life!
Relationships, marriage, family, lead-
ers, saved people, lost people, people
to imitate, and people to be on guard
against. The Bible won’t name names in
answering your “Who” questions, but
will provide principles to help you make
skillful choices.
What? This word begins more how-
to questions than perhaps any other:
What should I do (in a myriad of situa-
tions)? What does this circumstance or
experience mean? What is God doing in
my life? What is God’s will? All of these
and more are addressed in Scripture.
When? Time factors into all of life:
When was I saved? When will Christ
return to earth? When should I give
money to others? How often should
I go to church? When is it right to
speak to a friend about a matter of sin?
Answers are in the Bible.
The Bible gives us the most
important answers—God’s
answers—to life’s most
important questions.
Where? Where will I spend eternity?
Where should I seek to be entertained?
Where should I go to college, live, or
work? Where should I make an impact
for Christ in the world?
God cares about all these
questions.
Why? Why is there so
much evil and suffering in the
world? Why does God seem not
to answer my prayers? Why can’t
I conquer this troubling area in
my life? Why have so many people
lived and died without hearing the
Gospel? “Why” questions are hard,
but the Bible doesn’t shy away from
them.
How? This is a task-oriented
question: How do I love my
spouse? How do I raise godly
children? How can I be sure
I will go to heaven? How
many times must I forgive
another person, or how many
times will God forgive me?
How can I become a better
person? God has the answers
you seek.
God’s specific answers
for some of these questions
may be different for you than
for another person. Therefore,
you won’t find specific an-
swers—names, dates, places—
for some questions in Scripture.
But there are specific answers in
the Bible to many of life’s most
important questions—and guid-
ance regarding “all things that
pertain to life and godliness”
(2 Peter 1:3).
Instead of making the Bible
your last resort for practical an-
swers to priority questions, make
it your first choice! Ask God
to direct you as you allow His
Word to be a lamp unto your
feet (Psalm 119:105).
23

Understanding the 66 Books of the Bible
The Bible is the mind of Christ
between two covers; but those covers
enclose 66 books that may seem
confusing. After all, God’s Word is a
big book—66 segments, Genesis to
Revelation. But the Lord imparted His
Word to teach us, not baffle us; and
each of His 66 books is understandable
and vital to our well-being.
Understanding the 66 Books of the Bible
is a resource to orient you to each of
God’s special books, whether you’re
a new reader or a veteran student,
whether you want to visit the Gospel
of John, or take a journey into Nahum
or Jude. In this volume you’ll find a
simple digest for each book, along
with a key thought, key verse, key
action, and prayer. It will be the fastest
journey through the Bible you will
ever experience!
You know the important themes in some
of the more familiar books in the Bible,
but what about those you are less familiar with?
24
the fastest
trip through
the bible you
will ever
experience!
Features
• a simple digest of each of the
66 books of the Bible
• a key thought for each book
• a key verse
• a key action each book demands
• a key prayer each book offers
• four-color, beautiful book
Benefits
• You’ll find blessings times 66 as you
gain fresh insights into Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers … and
on to Revelation!
• Great reference tool for teaching a
class or personal study
• Helpful to all believers—whether
new in Christ or a mature Christian
• Excellent gift or a personal,
treasured resource book
Excerpt:
AMOS
W
hen Paul Harvey gave his famous Amos tells us God despises the
speech, “So God Made a Farmer,” exercise of empty religious ritual. Our
at a 1978 convention of the Future conduct must always grow from an
Farmers of America, he began: “God authentic desire to love others and
said, ‘I need someone willing to get up please Him, and our lives should always
before dawn, milk cows, work all day in produce a true harvest of justice and
the fields, milk cows again, eat supper,
and then go to town and stay past mid-
righteousness.
night at a meeting of the school board.’
So God made a farmer.”
• Key Thought: God hates oppres-
sion. His justice will roll down like
Well, I have a feeling Amos would a river, and His righteousness like
have liked that speech. Amos was a a mighty stream (see Amos 5:24).
farmer—a sheep breeder and fruit
grower—from the town of Tekoa in • Key Verses: “‘The days are com-
Judah. In the eighth century B.C., when ing,’ says the LORD, ‘when … I
God needed a plainspoken man to de- will bring back the captives of My
liver His message to Samaria, He chose a people Israel …. I will plant them in
farmer—Amos. Amos traveled north and their land, and no longer shall they
preached during a period of prosperity. be pulled up from the land I have
Worship was hollow and injustice filled given them,’ says the LORD your
the land, with the rich trampling the God” (Amos 9:13–15).
rights of the poor. The book of Amos is
• Key Action: Our religious practices
a collection of sermons condemning the
are worthless unless we treat oth-
nations—including Judah and Samaria—
ers with integrity and compassion.
for the absence of true worship and the
presence of true injustice.
• Key Prayer: Lord, may I love
The first two chapters of Amos
others in the same spirit in which
focus on God’s judgment on the nations.
you love them, unconditionally
The next several chapters warn of
and full of grace.
judgment on Judah and Samaria. The
last half of the final chapter is a beautiful
promise of hope and restoration.
25
 Excerpt:
OBADIAH
S W
ibling rivalry is sometimes as
innocent as the competition between
brothers who are NFL quarterbacks or
sisters who are tennis champions. But
on other occasions, sibling rivalry can
be tragic. Consider the biblical story
of Jacob and Esau, twin sons of Isaac.
In the womb, they struggled with each
other. In life, they fought. In death, their
descendants became two nations in
perpetual animosity—Israel and Edom.
Saul, David, and Solomon all
battled the Edomites, and Edom
committed many sins against the
Israelites, especially during the
Babylonian invasion. They rejoiced
when Jerusalem fell, not realizing they,
too, would be swept away by Babylon a few
years later.
Obadiah’s brief prophecy was a
bittersweet consolation for Jews who
remained in Judah after Babylon had
crushed their nation. He apparently wrote
his book after the destruction of Jerusalem
but before the invasion of Edom. His
twenty-one verses fall into two parts: The
first fourteen describe God’s judgment on
Edom for her treachery against Israel; and
the remaining verses give a description of
the coming day of the Lord when God will
judge all nations and establish Israel as the
center of His kingdom on earth.
Obadiah tells us that God will deal
justly with those who harm His people. But
his book is also a subtle reminder of the
importance of family loyalty. We should do
our best to live in peace with those we love.
As Psalm 133 puts it, how good and pleasant
it is when brothers live together in unity.
When you are doing a personal study or are
planning to teach a Sunday school class, the key
thoughts and points in this book for the well-loved
familiar Scriptures will be of benefit to you as well.
26
• Key Thought: Those who are
cruel like the proud leaders of
Edom will be judged, but the
nation of Israel will eventually
be restored in triumph.
• Key Verses: “The day of the
LORD upon all the nations is near
…. But on Mount Zion there shall
be deliverance, and there shall be
holiness” (Obadiah 1:15, 17).
• Key Action: When you feel
mistreated by others, leave it
with God who sees everything;
and rest your case with Him who
deals justly with His people.
• Key Prayer: Heavenly Father,
give me a love for others that
rejoices when they succeed,
not when they fail.
Excerpt:
JOHN
e have many friends, but only one said, “that you may believe that Jesus
or two are best friends—those who is the Christ, the Son of God, and that
are very special to us, whom we call even believing you may have life in His
when we have nothing much to talk name” ( John 20:31).
about. An acronym has seeped into our We too can be disciples whom
society to describe these special people: Jesus loves. If you’re lonely, study John,
BFF—Best Friends Forever. discover Jesus’ abundant life, and real-
Without being irreverent we can ize that by grace He is your best friend
think of the apostle John as our Lord’s forever.
best friend. Among His twelve disciples,
Jesus chose three to be with Him at criti- • Key Thought: Jesus Christ, the
cal moments: Peter, James, and John. Son of God, is the Word—God
Within that circle, John seemed to have Himself—who became flesh,
a special relationship with Jesus. Five dwelled among us, and gave
times in his Gospel he described himself Himself for us, that all who be-
as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” lieve in Him “should not perish
Matthew, Mark, and Luke take a bi- but have everlasting life.”
ographical approach to Jesus’ life. John is
• Key Verse: “But these are written
more thematic and theological. He loved
that you may believe that Jesus is
to show patterns in the Lord’s ministry,
the Christ, the Son of God, and
such as the seven signs Jesus performed
that believing you may have life
and His seven “I am” statements. The
in His name” ( John 20:31).
subject of “life” is a primary theme in
John—eternal life, abundant life, the
• Key Action: “You must be born
bread of life, the water of life; and the
again” (see John 3:7).
way, the truth, and the life. John’s goal
was to portray Christ as God who be- • Key Prayer: God, thank you for
came flesh to save those who believe sending Your Son, Jesus Christ,
in Him. “These [things] are written,” he to die for my sins.
This 7” x 7” hardback book contains 286 pages of
wisdom about the Word of God. This book is beautiful
in design; and yet the words within its pages hold much
more value, for they will help you to understand
the Bible in a way you never have before.
This new Bible treasury from Turning Point is available
now for a gift of any amount. Quantities are limited,
so be sure to order your copy today.
How to receive this resource:
To order your copy of Understanding the 66 Books of the
Bible, you can either complete and return the enclosed
card, visit our website at www.DavidJeremiah.org, or call
Turning Point at 1-877-998-3555.
27
 COVER OPTIONS INCLUDE:
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WHAT IT SAYS. WHAT IT MEANS.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU.
Since its release in November, thousands of people have requested and received The
Jeremiah Study Bible. The comments we are receiving from our readers have been a
great encouragement. This Study Bible contains a wealth of information that will help
you understand what the Bible says, what it means, and what it means for you.
Available in six cover options, this is your opportunity to receive your copy; or if you
already have a copy, for yourself, to buy one as a gift for a friend and loved one.
This month, we have a special offer to enrich your
Bible study experience.
For a gift of $100 or more, you can receive the hardback edition of The Jeremiah Study
Bible plus the beautiful hardback book, Understanding the 66 Books of the Bible.
These two resources will be a great addition to your personal library or to share as a
graduation gift with a loved one. Order now, the quantities are limited.
To order, visit www.DavidJeremiah.org or call 1-877-998-3555.

28 29
 WHAT’S MESSAGE? IN A
At Turning Point, it’s our priority to make reliable Bible teaching and study
How Long Does it
Take to Create a
Each Bible-based resource created by
Turning Point is meticulously prepared with your
spiritual growth in mind—with every project
taking months to complete. These are just a few
materials available to you when you need them most. Whether it’s this magazine,
New Resource? of the ministry materials we are dedicated to
or perhaps the monthly Bible Strong packages that reach thousands of homes developing each year and the time required to
every month, we begin planning and designing each series and Turning Point produce each resource:
resource months and even years in advance. But where do all of these resources
originate? It all starts with a single message. From one sermon comes a series, and
from one series come radio broadcasts, television broadcasts, a book, a study guide,
magazine articles and devotionals, online study tools and resources, and much 5 MONTHS
more! Here’s how it works . . .
A single Issue of Turning Points magazine & devotional
A single Issue of the Influencing Your World Newsletter
1. PULPIT One Turning Point study guide
FROM THE Each Turning Point Yearly calendar and kids’ calendar
message is written and
PULPIT preached by Dr. Jeremiah
nearly a full year in 2. PRODUCTION
TO YOUR advance to allow time for Sermons recorded 6 MONTHS
One Volume of the Bible
the production of radio and Strong Living Library
DOORSTEP television programming
at Shadow Mountain
Community Church
plus the development are edited and
of corresponding study
materials.
produced for radio 7 MONTHS Self-Published Books
and television and in
CD/DVD formats.
6. DESIGN
Next, the content
9 MONTHS Yearly Devotional Book
for the product is
given to a team of 5. EDITING
graphic designers to 3. TRANSCRIPTS
Written materials
create the artwork Dr. Jeremiah’s sermons
are sent to a team
and layout of the
resource.
of proofreaders
and editors for
4. WRITING are transcribed and
delivered to various COMING SOON Content Created Just for You
Messages are used
review. departments for
to create study In 2014 alone, we will not only air more than 300 different messages
resource development.
guides, Bible Strong
Living Library internationally through radio and television, we will release . . .
volumes, magazine
7. REVIEW articles, devotionals,
After going to and more!
art, materials are
reviewed again
8. PUBLISHING
Finally, the
1 2 4 12
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30 31

A s Christians, most of us have a
Bible in our home, but do we know
what it says about the nature of the
God we serve? The daily devotionals
take a look at the attributes of God
and correlate to the radio series
this month, Knowing the God You
Worship.
Each of us may have a preference
regarding what type of book is our
favorite to read, but whether you like
a mystery, a biography, or romance,
they are all found in the Bible. Learn
more about them in the weekend
devotionals in Page Turners.
Turning Point
April Radio Series
Angels
Knowing the God You Worship
Study the Bible throughout the
week with Dr. David Jeremiah on
Turning Point Radio and Television.
For a listing of Turning Point stations
and air times, please call our toll
free number, 1-877-998-3555,
or visit us on the web at
www.DavidJeremiah.org.
32
1 2
Tuesday
Heavenly Companion
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
to keep you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11
W hen God created man, he left no
detail to chance. The precision
and perfection of our body’s systems are
without equal: our circulatory, digestive,
immune, and muscular systems are
designed to sustain our life.
God’s care for us goes beyond the forma-
tion of our bodies. The world was created
for us to inhabit, rule over, and enjoy.
Even in the creation of His angels, we
see God’s great care and concern for us.
Angels protect and watch over us in life;
and in Luke 16:22, the Bible describes
Lazarus as being ushered into heaven
by angels. Later, in Luke 24:51, Jesus is
carried up into heaven.
What a loving God we serve! Not only
has He prepared a heavenly dwelling for
us, but His angels also accompany us as
we transition from this world to the next.
Our hearts
will be filled
Genesis 28:10–22
with great
comfort and
joy as we reflect on God’s goodness. He
has provided more than we could have
imagined or asked for.
Turning Point
When my time to die comes, an angel will be
there to comfort me. He will give me peace and
joy even at the most critical hour, and usher me
into the presence of God, and I will dwell with
the Lord forever. Thank God for the ministry of
His blessed angels!
Billy Graham
2 Samuel 1–3
Wednesday
The Ultimate Relationship
Woe to him who says to wood, “Awake!” To
silent stone, “Arise! It shall teach!” Behold, it
is overlaid with gold and silver, yet in it there
is no breath at all. Habakkuk 2:19
T o the modern, Western mind, trained
in logic and rational thinking, noth-
ing seems as illogical or irrational as some
of the practices of people in the ancient
Near East: Create an image out of wood
or stone, then treat the image as if it was
a living, breathing being—a god with
whom the
worshipper
Psalm 115:4–8
can relate.
Educated people don’t do that today
because we know that inanimate objects
can’t be animated just because we want
them to be. We know that a true relation-
ship requires two sentient beings, at the
very least. Even our family pet has more
life than a stone idol. Relating to a pet or
person is better than trying to relate to
wood or stone, but it still leaves us want-
ing more. It is only when we enter into
the relationship for which God created
us—a personal, intimate relationship with
Himself—that our hunger for knowing
and being known can be satisfied.
If you are seeking the ultimate relation-
ship in life, don’t seek it in things that
cannot respond and relate in the way you
are meant to. Seek it in the One who said
He is the life (John 14:6).
Turning Point
Man, made in the image of God, has a pur-
pose—to be in relationship to God, who is there.
Francis Schaeffer
2 Samuel 4–7
3 April
Thursday
Certain Peace
You will keep in perfect peace him whose
mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
Isaiah 26:3 NIV
W e know the bus we need to catch is
always on time. A friend who has
promised to help us on Saturday is one
who always keeps his word. The pension
check we need by the end of the month
has never been late. Certainty—or as close
as we can get to it in human terms—
brings peace of mind.
But the truth is, nothing is absolutely cer-
tain in life. Things happen that have never
happened before. So if we achieve a degree
of peace by trusting in things that are less
than certain, how much more peace could
we enjoy by trusting in Someone who has
never failed? The psalmist wrote, “Your
testimonies, which You have commanded,
are righteous and very faithful” (very
certain; Psalm
119:138). And
the apostle Philippians 4:6–7
Paul said that
when we commit our uncertainties to
God in prayer, “the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding, will guard
your hearts and minds through Christ
Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). We have peace
because we believe in God’s absolute
trustworthiness.
If peace seems elusive in your life today,
commit yourself to God, commit your
concerns to Him in prayer, and then rest
peacefully as you trust in Him.
Turning Point
To added affliction He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
Annie Johnson Flint
2 Samuel 8–11
33
 4 5/6
Friday
Reflecting His Holiness
So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I
dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of
hosts.” Isaiah 6:5
T ennis players like to play opponents
who play at a higher level than them-
selves. Parents encourage their children
to make friends with upstanding peers.
Teachers encourage promising students
to take advanced placement classes. Why?
Because we
can always do
better; there Luke 5:1–8
is always a
higher level of potential achievement.
Fortunately, in most areas of life there
are examples of outstanding achievement
to emulate.
When it comes to holiness, however,
grasping the concept is harder because
none of us knows a perfectly holy person.
That is, it is not normal today for people
to have personal, face-to-face encounters
with God, the Angel of the Lord, or Jesus
Christ—those who personify pure holi-
ness. But we can read from Scripture what
happened to people who did: Their lives
were radically changed; they became more
holy.
When Moses met with God face-to-
face, it was obvious to everyone (Exodus
34:29–30). That’s why worship, Bible
study, and communion with God are so
important. The more we see His holiness,
the more like Him we can become.
Turning Point
Everything in Scripture has in view the promo-
tion of holiness.
A. W. Pink
2 Samuel 12–13
34
Weekend
Page Turners
David and Goliath
Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart
fail because of [Goliath]; your servant will go
and fight with this Philistine.”
1 Samuel 17:32
R udy Ruettiger dreamed of playing
football for the “Fighting Irish” of
Notre Dame even though his chances
were slim. But Rudy made it to Notre
Dame, made the team, and actually got
to play in the last game of his senior year.
The 1993 movie, Rudy, is one of the
greatest underdog dramas of all time.
Rudy’s heroic story took four years to
play out; but another one, even more
dramatic, lasted for forty days. When
the Philistine giant, Goliath, taunted the
armies of Israel for more than a month,
the Israelite soldiers cowered in fear. It was
a common practice in the ancient world
to have two champions fight and decide a
matter instead
of risking the
lives of many Deuteronomy 20:1–4
soldiers in a
mass battle. But no Israelite soldier would
step forward to accept Goliath’s chal-
lenge—until a teenager named David
volunteered (1 Samuel 17). So, after forty
days of intimidation, Goliath lay dead and
Israel was saved.
God has stepped in at the last minute
more than once in history (remember
Moses at the Red Sea?). And He can do
the same for you. Keep turning the pages
by faith and let the story play out to the
end.
Turning Point
The Bible has a story-line. It traces an unfolding
drama.
Edmund P. Clowney
2 Samuel 14–19
7 8
Monday
Holy Is and Holy Does
To all who are in Rome, beloved of God,
called to be saints … Romans 1:7
W e often hear people give this tes-
timony: “I am a sinner saved by
grace.” Technically, that’s true. But the
New Testament would say it this way: “I
was a sinner, but am now a saint, saved
by grace.” The New Testament does not
refer to members of the body of Christ as
sinners: “And such [sinners] were some
of you. But you
were washed,
but you were 1 Peter 1:15–16
sanctified
[made holy], but you were justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit
of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).
The word “saint” in the New Testament
is based on the Greek word for “holy”—a
saint is a “holy one.” “Saint” represents
the position of the Christian before God,
a position to which we are called in Christ
(Romans 1:7). Because Christ is holy, and
we are in Christ, we share in His holiness
as saints before God. But as Paul wrote
in 1 Corinthians 6:7–10, the life of a
sinner is to be a past tense matter for the
Christian. As holy ones before God, we
are to live a life of holiness that mirrors
our holy, positional life in Christ.
So, holiness is something we are (“called
to be saints”) as well as something we
do (“Be holy, for I am holy”). Let your
standing in Christ reflect your conduct in
Christ today.
Turning Point
Christianity is a universal holiness in every part
of life.
William Law
2 Samuel 20–22
April
Tuesday
Eyes of Faith
O our God, will You not judge them? For we
have no power against this great multitude
that is coming against us; nor do we know
what to do, but our eyes are upon You.
2 Chronicles 20:12
T here are times in life when we have
done everything we know to do in
the face of a crisis—an illness, a financial
reversal, an approaching natural disaster, a
family problem. To paraphrase the apostle
Paul when he wrote about spiritual armor
in those times, “having done all, [we can
only] stand” (Ephesians 6:13). But stand
how? While tempted to stand in fear, the
Bible encourages us to stand in faith in
the One who can do what we cannot.
King Jehoshaphat of Judah found himself
in such a situation when neighboring
kings banded together against him. His
army was vastly outnumbered, so he did
the only thing
he could do.
He stood in Isaiah 41:8–10
faith rather
than fear. In prayer, before all the people,
he called upon God to defend His own
name. His final confession was brutally
honest: “We don’t know what to do, but
our eyes are on You.”
If you find that you have done everything
you know to do and the crisis is not yet
solved, stand in faith. God is faithful and
true. Confess your inability and His abil-
ity, and keep your eyes on Him.
Turning Point
The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and
the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.
George Müller
2 Samuel 23–24
35
 9 10
Wednesday
Only a Cat’s Paw
If we ask anything according to His will, He
hears us. 1 John 5:14
W hen missionary J. Hudson Taylor
was conducting services aboard a
ship one Sunday, he noticed the captain
looked troubled. A contrary wind was
bearing the ship toward a dangerous reef.
As the course grew more perilous, the
captain said, “Well, we have done every-
thing that can
be done.”
1 John 5:13–15
“No,” said
Taylor, “there is one thing we have not yet
done. Four of us onboard are Christians.
Let us each retire to his own cabin, and
in agreed prayer ask the Lord to give us
immediately a breeze.” After a brief time
in prayer, Taylor returned to the deck and
told the first officer, a godless man, to let
down the mainsail. With an oath the man
did so, and a slight breeze caught it. “It’s
only a cat’s paw,” said the sailor, meaning
a mere puff of wind. But it became a sus-
tained breeze that pushed the ship back
into its desired course.
Our prayers are strengthened when we
know God is listening and that He is
faithful. While we always say, “Your will
be done,” we must never lack confidence
that He hears, answers, and keeps us on
the right course.
Turning Point
You must go forward on your knees.
J. Hudson Taylor
1 Kings 1–2
36
Thursday
The King Eternal
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible,
to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory
forever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:17
T here are two eternities in 1 Timothy
1:17. There is a King who reigns eter-
nally; and there is praise that greets Him
forever and ever. Because God is eternal,
His praise is everlasting.
One of the reasons God promises us
eternal life is so we can render everlast-
ing praise. The Bible says, “Even from
everlasting to everlasting, You are God”
(Psalm 90:2). The cry of the holy ones
in heaven is: “Blessing and honor and
glory and power be to Him who sits on
the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and
ever!” (Revelation 5:13)
If Christians only think in terms of time,
our lives are miserable. The Bible says that
without the reality of the resurrection and
its ensuring eternal life, we are the most
pitiful of people (1 Corinthians 15:19).
But Christ has risen from the dead! The
Day of the Lord is coming. Eternity is our
inheritance.
As we better
contemplate Revelation 5:8–14
the nature of
our eternal King, we’ll better cope with
the tensions of time. Since we’re going to
praise Him forever, why not begin now?
Why not start living with eternity in view!
Turning Point
We must meet the uncertainties of this world with
the certainty of the world to come.
A. W. Tozer
1 Kings 3–5
11
Friday
What God Knows
Declaring the end from the beginning, and
from ancient times things that are not yet
done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I
will do all My pleasure.” Isaiah 46:10
A n obscure literary figure of speech,
called merism, occurs often in
Scripture. A merism is the use of two
contrasting words to refer to something
in its entirety. For example, if we say,
“He searched
high and low,”
Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13
we are really
saying, “He
searched everywhere.” Or if we say, like
the psalmist, “You know my sitting down
and my rising up” (Psalm 139:2), we
would be saying that God knows every-
thing about us. That’s what God meant
when He said, through Isaiah, that He
declared “the end from the beginning.”
That is, God knows everything “from A
to Z” about everything! He knows A, He
knows Z, and everything in between.
God employed merism to describe
Himself. Christ called Himself “the Alpha
and the Omega, the Beginning and the
End,” and then explained the figure of
speech: “Who is and who was and who is
to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).
Christ is eternal and His knowledge is
complete.
There is nothing God doesn’t know about
your life. You may know the past and
present, but God also knows the future.
Choose today to walk securely—not in
what you know, but in what you believe.
Turning Point
God knows what He is going to make of us.
James M. Boice
1 Kings 6–7
12/13 April
Weekend
Page Turners
Jesus’ Temptation
Then Jesus went about all the cities and
villages, teaching in their synagogues,
preaching the gospel of the kingdom.
Matthew 9:35a
W ill the family survive the flood?
Will the jury declare the innocent
man not guilty? Will the mistreated wife
forgive her husband? Will the rescue party
find the lost hiker? When everything
hangs in the balance—when everything
depends on a moment in time—we can’t
put the story down until we know how it
ends.
Too many people read the story of Jesus’
temptation by Satan as just another event
without realizing it was a crisis situation.
It was all about why Paul referred to Jesus
as “the last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45).
As the last Adam, Jesus came to restore
all that the first Adam had lost through
sin. But in order to reverse Adam’s failure,
Jesus had to
be tempted
like the first Matthew 4:1–11
Adam was.
The last Adam had to obey God in the
wilderness in order to reverse what the
first Adam gave up in the Garden. The
kingdom of God was hanging in the bal-
ance. Fortunately, Jesus remained true to
the Father and established the authority
of God’s kingdom on earth.
Every moment of temptation in our lives
is a crisis moment. Purpose today to be
true to your kingdom calling.
Turning Point
Before we can pray, “Thy kingdom come,” we
must be willing to pray, “My kingdom go.”
Alan Redpath
1 Kings 8–12
37
 14
Monday
No Credibility Gaps
… being fully convinced that what He had
promised He was also able to perform.
Romans 4:21
S everal years ago when a particular
United States governor was caught
breaking an oft-repeated campaign prom-
ise, he explained that his prior words were
simply “political statements” that had to
be adjusted with changing circumstances.
He was adopting the philosophy of
Machiavelli, the prince of politicians, who
said, “The
promise given
was a necessity Romans 4:16–25
of the past;
the word broken is the necessity of the
present.” Promise breaking seems to be
standard operating procedure for many
of today’s politicians. Still, we somehow
expect our leaders to keep their promises;
and when they break them, it creates a
credibility gap with those they govern.
God is different. His promises are sure.
No matter how many promises He has
made, each one is more certain than
the sunrise, more enduring than the
highest mountain, more abiding than
the deepest sea.
When Abraham believed the promises of
God, it was credited to him as righteous-
ness. Whenever in a time of doubt or
darkness we find a promise in Scripture
and cling to it in faith, God is pleased.
He is faithful. He will always do as He
has said.
Turning Point
We break our promises to one another. We break
our promises to God. But God never breaks His
promises to us.
R. C. Sproul, in The Promises of God
1 Kings 13–15
38
15
Tuesday
Abide With Me
My days are like a shadow that lengthens,
and I wither away like grass. But You, O Lord,
shall endure forever. Psalm 102:11–12
W hen you see a butterfly with its
beautiful wings fluttering around
your yard or park, you might wonder
about its longevity. It has a one-month
lifespan. Alligators live about 50 years.
There are whales swimming in the oceans
that carry around ivory points of spears
flung at them 200 years ago. A giant
tortoise can celebrate 250 birthdays. The
Antarctic Sponge has a lifespan of 1500
years. And there is a species of jellyfish
said to be virtually immortal. When it
grows old it has the ability to cycle back to
an immature stage and start all over again.
Yet time passes, everything decays, and
except for the reality of God, the entire
universe will one day burn out, die out,
and fade to
blackness.
Psalm 102:8–17
Except for the
reality of God. The psalmist said, “But
You, O Lord, shall endure forever.” God
is our constant in a changing world. He
is our stability in unstable times. You can
anchor your soul on Him, the Rock that
abides forever. He died to give us eternal
life, and He lives to prepare our eternal
home. You can forever abide in Him who
changes not.
Turning Point
Change and decay in all around I see; O Thou
who changest not, abide with me!
Henry Lyte, in the hymn “Abide With Me.”
1 Kings 16–18
16
Wednesday
The Fatigue Factor
I know that You can do everything, and
that no purpose of Yours can be withheld
from You. Job 42:2
T he word “fatigue” frequently shows
up in the headlines, preceded by a
host of adjectives. Congress suffers bud-
get fatigue. Sports teams lose because of
travel fatigue. Trains derail because of
driver fatigue. Soldiers face battle fatigue.
Ministries go unfunded because of donor
fatigue. There was even a report recently
about young people suffering Facebook
fatigue. All these reports—and more—are
accurate. We are a society of tired people
in a tired
world.
Isaiah 40:27–31
But God isn’t
tired. “Have you not known? Have you
not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord,
the Creator of the ends of the earth, nei-
ther faints nor is weary” (Isaiah 40:28).
Since God possesses all the power in the
universe, He can do anything He chooses.
He can do everything as easily as He
does anything. Nothing is more difficult
for God than anything else; He does all
things with the same amount of ease.
Nothing is too hard for Him. Nothing
is remotely hard for Him. He never
grows tired.
The Bible repeatedly reassures us of God’s
strengthening grace. So take care of your-
self, avoid unnecessary weariness, rest in
Him, and draw from His strength.
Turning Point
The same God who built a 100,000-mile ring
around Saturn also made the tiny feather of a
humming bird. He can do anything; His power
is unlimited.
David Jeremiah
1 Kings 19–20
17 April
Thursday
The Power of Jesus’ Name
Every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord. Philippians 2:11
I n his 1875 book on the history of
hymns, Edwin Long tells of a mission-
ary in India named Reverend E. P. Scott
who determined to reach a dangerous
tribe with the Gospel. His friends sought
to dissuade him, saying, “We will never
see you again.” He said, “But I must carry
Jesus to them.” Traveling through the
area, Scott found himself surrounded by
warriors brandishing spears pointed at his
chest. The missionary, expecting to die,
quietly extracted his violin from its case,
closed his eyes, and decided to die singing
“All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.”
The expected attack didn’t come. On
the third verse (“Let every kindred, every
tribe, on this terrestrial ball …”), Scott
opened his eyes to see the spears lowered
and tears in the eyes of the warriors.
Reverend Scott went on to devote years
of labor to
evangelizing
this tribe. Philippians 2:5–11
The power of the Lord Jesus exceeds
all the dangers and demands of earth.
Nothing is too difficult for Him, and no
prayer too hard to answer. Praise Him
today for His power, find strength in His
omnipotence, and crown Him Lord of all.
Turning Point
All hail the power of Jesus’ name! Let angels
prostrate fall; bring forth the royal diadem, and
crown Him Lord of all.
Edward Perronet
1 Kings 21–22
39
 18
Friday
Signs of Easter
A wicked and adulterous generation seeks
after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it
except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Matthew 16:4
A merica begins showing signs of Easter
earlier and earlier every year. Plastic
eggs for sale by the millions, chocolate
eggs and bunny rabbits in every store,
pastel colored Easter baskets and bundles
of plastic green “grass” to fill them—the
world’s signs of Easter can’t be missed.
But today’s signs of Easter are a far cry
from the signs that proved the reality
of the very
first Easter
morning. John 20:1–9
Jesus told His detractors who had asked
Him for a miraculous sign that they
would see only one sign—the sign of
Jonah, who spent three days in the belly
of a great fish before being rescued from
death. On the third day after Jesus’ own
death, He came out of the grave to give
the world a sign it cannot deny. For a man
to predict His own death and resurrection
was something only God could do. The
Gospel writers give us many proofs of His
resurrection: sightings by witnesses, nail-
scarred hands, a stone rolled away, and
more. Truly, Jesus was—is!—alive.
As you prepare to celebrate Easter this
Sunday, give thanks to God that your
faith is not in vain—that Christ was
raised for you (1 Corinthians 15:14).
Turning Point
The Easter story ends not with a funeral but with
a festival.
John Blanchard
2 Kings 1–3
40
19/20
Weekend
Page Turners
Facing the Giants
Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear
the people of the land, for they are our bread;
their protection has departed from them, and
the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.
Numbers 14:9
W hen first graders start grammar
school, and ninth graders start high
school, they can feel like grasshoppers in
a land of giants. Everything seems bigger
and scarier. While things normally turn
out okay, for one group of “new students,”
they didn’t.
When Moses sent the 12 spies from
Kadesh into Canaan to spy out the land,
10 of the 12 returned shaking in their
sandals because of the giants in the land.
They told Moses they would never be able
to conquer such people and their walled
cities. Their fear spread throughout the
assembled nation and they were forced to
spend their lives wandering in the wilder-
ness. But when Jesus commissioned His
apostles to go
throughout
the world to Deuteronomy 1:19–31
preach the
Gospel to people who might be opposed,
they obeyed wholeheartedly in spite of
“giants” in the land.
By the Holy Spirit, God has not given us
a spirit of fear but of power and love and a
sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Don’t worry
about the assignments God gives you.
We’ve read this page-turner and know that
we win in the end!
Turning Point
When a man makes alliance with the Almighty,
giants look like grasshoppers.
Vance Havner
2 Kings 4–8
21
Monday
Staying Cheerful in an Evil
World
In the world you will have tribulation; but be
of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
R ecently Britain’s Prince Charles added
his voice to those alarmed about
the dramatic increase of violence against
Christians.
He warned
that Islamic John 16:25–33
militants are
deliberately targeting Christians in parts
of the Middle East and seeking to wipe
out the followers of Christ in Arab lands.
It’s true, but that’s not the half of it. The
crisis is global. Christians are the most
persecuted group in the world today—
with millions facing pressure, danger, and
death because of their faith. One expert
called Christian persecution a worldwide
human rights disaster of epic proportions.
With the violence against believers esca-
lating and the Western world becoming
increasingly secularized and given over to
sin, we can grow discouraged.
According to Jesus, discouragement
isn’t the correct response. We should
maintain our cheerfulness, knowing He
is in control. “In the world you will have
tribulation,” He said, “but be of good
cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Turning Point
From Genesis to Revelation, here’s the central
message: God Almighty, the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Spirit of God, the Triune God is in control of all
things, period.
Charles Stanley, in God Is in Control
2 Kings 9–10
22 April
Tuesday
Were They Wise …
He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the
good, and sends rain on the just and on the
unjust. Matthew 5:45
J esus told us to treat people as kindly as
we can, for that emulates our heavenly
Father. He shares His sun with everyone
whether they are good or evil; and He wa-
ters the fields of both the righteous farmer
and the ungodly landowner.
Were they wise, people everywhere would
look to the sky, see the beauty of the
sunrise, feel the refreshing drops of re-
plenishing rains, watch the migration of
the birds, and praise God for the genius
of His creation.
Were they wise, secularists and atheists
and skeptics would notice the brilliance of
the stellar heavens and their self-evident
intelligent design, and they would praise
the God of
the stars. Were
they wise, all Matthew 5:38–48
the hedonistic,
self-absorbed people on earth would pause
to thank God for their pulsing hearts and
breathing lungs and incredible brains.
The evidence of God’s goodness is every-
where to be seen. Some people are blind
to it, but they’re the ones most needing
our kindness. Let’s praise God for His
power, and let’s share His compassion
today even with those who don’t believe
in it.
Turning Point
Does your love to Him ring true? And your life
and service, too? Can the world see Jesus in you?
Leila N. Morris, hymnist
2 Kings 11–13
41
 23
Wednesday
One Would Think …
Consider the lilies … Matthew 6:28
I n her book, God of All Comfort, devo-
tional writer Hannah Whitall Smith
said, “The Lord assures us that we need
not be anxious about anything, but may
commit all our cares to Him; for He
careth for us. We are all familiar with the
passages where He tells us to ‘behold the
fowls of the
air,’ and to
‘consider the Matthew 6:25–34
lilies of the
field’ and assures us that we are of much
more value than they, and that, if He cares
for them He will much more care for
us. One would think there was comfort
enough here for every care or sorrow all
the wide world over. To have God assume
our cares and our burdens and carry them
for us; the Almighty God, the Creator
of Heaven and earth, who can control
everything, and foresee everything, and
consequently can manage everything in
the best possible way, to have Him declare
that He will undertake for us; what could
possibly be of greater comfort?”
But, said Smith, we often don’t enjoy
God’s comfort because we doubt the
power of His promises.
Take God at His Word today. Today,
know He cares for you.
Turning Point
If we want to be comforted, we must make up
our minds to believe every single solitary word of
comfort God has ever spoken.
Hannah Whitall Smith,
in God of All Comfort
2 Kings 14–16
42
24
Thursday
The Preeminent One
By Him all things were created … that in
all things He may have the preeminence.
Colossians 1:16–18
R ecently the website Wikipedia
released a report based on its research
and analysis listing the ten most influential
people in human history. Who tops the
list? It’s Jesus Christ, of course; followed
by Napoleon Bonaparte, William
Shakespeare, Muhammad, Abraham
Lincoln, George Washington, Adolf
Hitler, Aristotle, Alexander the Great,
and Thomas Jefferson.
It’s undoubtedly true that Jesus of Nazareth
is the most influential person who ever
lived. But here’s what’s wrong with the
list. The Lord Jesus Christ is in a class all
by Himself; there are no competitors, no
rivals; He is unique. He is Lord of all. He is
King of kings, Lord of lords, the image of
the invisible God. He is Alpha and Omega,
the First and the Last, the Preeminent One.
That’s won-
derful to Colossians 1:15–18
contemplate.
We’d be in sad shape if we had to worship
Napoleon or some other name on that list.
We don’t pray to Shakespeare. We may
admire Washington and Lincoln, but they
can’t give abundant life. There is only one
Jesus, and He alone guides our steps, re-
ceives our worship, and gives us everlasting
hope. He alone is preeminent.
Turning Point
He is preeminent in creation because He is the
Creator. He is preeminent in redemption for He
is the Redeemer. He is preeminent in the church
because He is the One who gave Himself for the
church.
J. Vernon McGee, in Thru the Bible: Colossians
2 Kings 17–18
25
Friday
Responding to Life
And we know that all things work together for
good to those who love God, to those who
are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28
W e are used to hearing people say, “I
did what I thought was best.” Even
if a person’s actions didn’t produce the
desired outcome, we empathize with him
or her because we’ve been there ourselves.
Faced with a decision, we gather our facts,
seek advice,
weigh the pros
and cons, and Ephesians 1:11–12
then finally
make a decision. Because we are imper-
fect, it’s hard for us to imagine someone
choosing and acting perfectly. It’s hard to
imagine someone with a sovereign will
whose decisions are always right and for
the good.
But that is how the Bible portrays God.
Paul says that God “works all things
according to the counsel of His will”
(Ephesians 1:11). God doesn’t gather
facts, weigh options, seek advice, compare
outcomes, and then decide. Rather, God’s
will and word have been “forever …
settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89), carried
out, as it were, before the foundations of
the world (Ephesians 1:4).
God is love (1 John 4:8, 16) and God
is sovereign (Acts 4:24). Those biblical
truths must define our response to every
circumstance in life.
Turning Point
Good when He gives, supremely good; nor less
when He denies. E’en crosses from His sovereign
hand are blessings in disguise.
James Hervey
2 Kings 19–21
26/27 April
Weekend
Page Turners
Saved From Doomsday
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a
white horse. And He who sat on him was
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness
He judges and makes war. Revelation 19:11
T he late Tom Clancy defined the
military-thriller-doomsday genre.
Almost all of his twenty novels were best-
sellers, and many were made into movies.
In all of his novels, the future of the world
hangs by a thread as a nuclear, terrorist,
military, or other scenario unfolds—nar-
rowly averted by one of his heroic main
characters.
A bigger conflagration than Tom Clancy
ever wrote about is coming—and it is
anything but fiction. The Bible says
that at the end of the age, the nations
of the world, led by the Antichrist, will
be united in their goal to destroy Israel.
Just as they are about to unleash their
destruction, the heavens will part and
Jesus Christ will return to save Israel,
destroy the Antichrist’s armies, and judge
the nations.
It will not be
the first time Revelation 16:16–21
Israel has been
saved from a doomsday scenario, but it
will be the last: “And so all Israel will be
saved” (Romans 11:26).
Life is filled with close encounters. But
God’s promises govern them all. Never
forget that God’s plan to conform you to
the image of Christ is inviolable (Romans
8:28–29).
Turning Point
Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues.
John R. W. Stott
2 Kings 22–25
43
 28
Monday
His Way
And you shall remember the Lord your God,
for it is He who gives you power to get
wealth. Deuteronomy 8:18
O ne day while vacationing in the
south of France, singer Paul Anka
heard a song titled “Comme d’habitude.”
He flew to Paris to negotiate the rights
to translate and record it in English.
Back in New York, Anka sat down late at
night and began writing his version on
an old electric typewriter. He had only
one soloist in
mind—Frank
Sinatra. Anka Deuteronomy 8:18–20
composed the
lyrics as he thought Sinatra would have
written them if he were dying: “The end
is near … I’ve lived a life that’s full …
I’ve done it my way.” It became one of
Sinatra’s greatest hits: “My Way!”
As our culture has advanced in entertain-
ment, technology, science, and education,
a humanist philosophy has overtaken our
hearts. People want to do things their way,
take all the credit, and live as though God
has little to do with everyday life. Like the
people of Babel, we want to make a name
for ourselves with no thought of God.
But it’s God who gives us the ability to
do things, even to gain wealth; and we
must remember that what we do is only
successful when we do it—His Way.
Turning Point
God’s way is still the best way.
Zig Ziglar, in his book by that title
1 Chronicles 1–2
44
29
Tuesday
The Heavens Declare
The fool has said in his heart, “There is no
God.” Psalm 14:1
P hysicist Tony Rothman wrote an ar-
ticle for Discovery Magazine discussing
the problem secular scientists face with
the complexity of the universe and the re-
markable scientific laws and fine-tuning of
the cosmos. “When confronted with the
order and beauty of the universe and the
strange coincidences of nature,” he wrote,
“it’s very tempting to take the leap of faith
from science into religion. I am sure many
physicists want to. I only wish they would
admit it.”
Acknowledging the creative power of God
isn’t really a leap of faith; it’s obvious for
those who are honest and objective. Psalm
19 says (in The Message): “God’s glory is
on a tour in the skies …. Madame Day
holds classes each morning, Professor
Night lectures each evening. Their words
aren’t heard … but their … unspoken
truth is spoken
everywhere.”
Psalm 14
The universe is
filled with the evidence of God’s greatness.
In awesome wonder we can consider the
worlds He has made. When we see His
stars and hear His rolling thunder, we can
praise Him. We can say with the writer
of Psalm 104: “O Lord my God, You are
very great.”
Turning Point
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee: How
great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Stuart K. Hine
1 Chronicles 3–4
30 April
Personal
Wednesday Journal
Hide & Seek
How is God’s Word transforming your life?
“Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so How is God answering your
I shall not see him?” says the Lord; “Do I not prayer requests?
fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.
Jeremiah 23:24
Record your personal turning points below.
W hen we try to hide from God, we
are like small children hiding in
plain view. We may think we are hidden,
but God sees us. The thought of God’s
omnipresence can either be comforting or
frightening.
It’s easy to Psalm 139:7–12
forget that
God is everywhere. Adam and Eve sought
to hide from God. Jonah hoped to sail
away from God and His plan. Each of
them learned firsthand that it is impos-
sible to evade God. God is unlimited
and infinite with respect to time; He is
eternal. God is unlimited and unaffected
by space; He is present everywhere at the
same time.
While God’s presence is frightening
when we are trying to continue in sin,
His constant presence can be a deep
comfort for those who follow Him.
His forgiveness, grace, and mercy are as
constant as His presence. We no longer
need to fear challenges, difficulty, or
even death because He is with us and has
promised to remain with us. Even if we
fight against or ignore God’s glory and
presence, we cannot diminish them.
Turning Point
A man can no more diminish God’s glory by
refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put
out the sun by scribbling the word, “darkness”
on the wall of his cell.
C. S. Lewis
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