Proverbs 27:17
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Join me in reading How To Love People You Disagree With
Join me in reading How To Love People You Disagree With
I finished the God’s Surprising Word: Renewed by the Spirit Bible reading plan from @YouVersion!
I finished the God’s Surprising Word: Renewed by the Spirit Bible reading plan from @YouVersion!
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Biblestudytools.com
Biblestudytools.com Logo
Daily Verse Reading Plans Plus
6 Ways to “Be Holy for I am Holy” (And Why It's Important)
Aretha Grant
How to Trust God Through Life Changes
Amber Ginter
How I Learned How to Be a Peacemaker
Michelle S. Lazurek
6 Biblical Truths for the Depressed Dad Who Feels Like He’s Failing
Vivian Bricker
What Is a Bible Concordance? Meaning and Uses
Compiled & Edited by BST & Crosswalk Staff
Free Movie Screening - The 7 Churches of Revelation: Times of Fire
Sponsor: Revelation Media
Is Watching Pornography Really a Sin?
Bethany Verrett
4 Lessons from the Rise and Fall of King Saul
Heather Adams
How Is God's Power Made Perfect in Weakness?
Tessa Emily Hall
It it a Sin for Christians to Practice Yoga?
Mary Oelerich-Meyer
5 Sneaky Lies Your Anxiety Tells You Are True
Sophia Bricker
View this email in your browser
About Salem Web Network | Subscription Preferences | Unsubscribe
©2026 Salem Web Network. All rights reserved. 111 Virginia Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219.
This email is never sent unsolicited. You are receiving this email because your email address, peterhovis@icloud.com, is signed up to receive newsletters, updates, and special offers from BibleStudyTools.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
How Weakness Becomes Strength
How Weakness Becomes Strength
Think of a situation you wish you could change, and then imagine what the apostle Paul must have been going through in 2 Corinthians 12.
Paul was suffering, so he repeatedly begged God to remove his pain. But God doesn’t change Paul’s situation. Instead, God tells Paul that His “grace is enough” for him.
Charis, the ancient Greek word for “grace,” conveyed the favor that God showed humanity when He sent Jesus to earth for us.
Before Jesus, people couldn’t draw near to God on their own. But Jesus made a way for anyone to experience intimacy with God. A relationship with God isn’t something we earn—it’s a free gift we receive when we accept that Jesus died for us and rose from the dead.
So when God tells Paul that His “grace is sufficient,” what He’s essentially saying is: “I am enough for you.”
God could meet Paul’s needs because God was all Paul needed—and God was with Paul. The influence Paul had was only because God chose to show off His power through him.
“For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
2 Corinthians 4:6-7 NIV
We are all like “jars of clay”—simple and not that impressive. But when we submit our lives to God, we become containers that showcase His power.
Like Paul, we can then boast about how weak we are so that God gets the credit for every great thing that happens to us.
Our situations might not change, but our cry often changes from, “God, please remove this suffering,” to, “God, when I suffer—show me how You are using this for Your glory and my good.”
So whatever you’re facing, know that God is near. He sees you and He loves you. Take some time today and ask God to show you how He is empowering you. Draw near to Him, and let Him strengthen you.
“Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT
“Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”
2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT
I'm reading the @YouVersion plan 'God’s Surprising Word: Renewed by the Spirit'
I'm reading the @YouVersion plan 'God’s Surprising Word: Renewed by the Spirit'
Friday, May 29, 2026
This Teaching Clip made me think of you. Watch FRIDAY NIGHT PRAYERS - LECTIO 365 by 24-7 Prayer
This Teaching Clip made me think of you. Watch FRIDAY NIGHT PRAYERS - LECTIO 365 by 24-7 Prayer
Answer the Call
Answer the Call
More often than not, when we study today’s verses the focus rests on the promise of “immeasurably more.” This is not wrong; God has already done more than we could ask for or imagine in our lives through Jesus, and He continues to do so even today. But Paul’s message doesn’t stop there. He reminds us that the purpose of the church is to worship and glorify God.
Paul called us to participate in this great task: to make God known among the world and to celebrate Him forever. Paul invited us to glorify God through the church because the church is the primary agent for proclaiming God’s fame to the world.
How are you contributing to the glory of God through your church? Paul called all generations to serve in this way, which definitely includes us. Today, rejoice in the One who has already accomplished the impossible for us. Devote your gifts and talents, whatever they may be, to His glory, and respond to His grace by lifting up His name with your local church.
What in you needs to be healed?
What in you needs to be healed?
Although Jesus’s death brought about the ultimate healing that is a Christian’s greatest hope (1 Peter 2:24), we live in a world that’s riddled with nasty realities of brokenness. We need tastes of Jesus’s healing now—sometimes it feels like we can’t keep going without it. So, let’s be bold in asking for the healing we need from the One who can provide it.
There are wounds our parents inflicted that might be surfacing for the first time as we become parents ourselves, habits of control or perfectionism that have wreaked havoc in our relationships, or physical ailments and chronic pain that are obstacles to completing necessary everyday tasks like showing up to work or even grocery shopping.
Healing doesn’t always come on this side of heaven, we know that. There’s no guarantee that Jesus will immediately free us from the pain that we’re carrying. But there’s something to be said about letting others in on our pain so that we don’t carry it alone. When we share with close friends, we can find affirmation in the simple acknowledgment of what we’re dealing with. And, a friend who understands the intricate ways pain affects our daily life is one more person who can jump in when and where it’s appropriate to help us cope with the pain, even if Jesus doesn’t take it away.
Practice is Worth It
Psychotherapist Esther Perel says, “The quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives.” What better way to experience a richer, better quality life than to invest in godly friendships? As we practice intimacy with safe, godly friends, it grows our capacity to be intimate with God, too. We can’t get good at anything without practice, right?
So let’s dive in. This week, find a friend who also wants to go deeper in their life with God, and ask these three questions. We can’t wait to hear where it takes you!
What in you needs to be forgiven?
What in you needs to be forgiven?
Regret and shame about our mistakes can hold so much power over us and make us completely miserable— but only until we bring it into the light. Confessing or sharing about our mistakes kick starts the process of being made clean, or pure (1 John 1:9). When light shines on even our darkest spots, those spots aren’t dark anymore.
Sharing with a trusted friend what in us needs to be forgiven can shake loose our mistakes’ hold on us, freeing us to turn away from the dark things we’ve been hiding. Seriously, there’s something about letting the thing we’ve been making ourselves sick over be finally spoken aloud that makes it a lot less scary. Once it’s out there, we can finally start dealing with it.
And most of the time, all the dark scary scenarios we’ve been dreading just don’t come true. More often than not, we find an empathetic friend who listens, and reminds us of this: we’re already forgiven. We have a father who wants really good things for us. He’s not mad at us for messing up. He’s broken and sad because we’re fighting this battle against brokenness. Then, with that friend, we can seek Jesus, asking him for wisdom and strength to navigate a way forward.
What in you needs to be celebrated?
What in you needs to be celebrated?
We can’t exactly “rejoice with those who rejoice” (Romans 12:15) if we aren’t sharing with close Christian friends what’s worth rejoicing. And no— we’re not talking about a promotion or work bonus. Instead, let’s try celebrating more nuanced things.
It’ll take some context (and some time) for a friend to understand why not having a panic attack when we were triggered in a work meeting is such a victory. Or how big of a deal it is that we stayed porn-free for a whole week, or actually enforced a boundary when that toxic family member called again.
Let’s invite others to celebrate the big and little things that God is doing in us. It’s part of being better known and understood in healthy, faith-based relationships. Inviting others to join us in celebrating what God’s doing will also help solidify the memory of God’s provision, which we’ll need to call on when we inevitably encounter more of life’s craziness in the future (and even if we forget, now we’ve got a friend who can remind us!).
3 Questions to Deepen a Friendship
3 Questions to Deepen a Friendship
Let’s be honest: sometimes, it’s easier to go deep with friends who aren’t believers. Maybe it’s because they’ve been there since our awkward middle school stage, and we’ve gone through so much with them. Or it’s simply because we can be ourselves around them without fear that they’ll judge us for not being a “good Christian.”
Even so, when it comes down to it, we need deep connections with friends that do share our beliefs—that get that foundational part of us, and help us love Jesus more. Paul talks about believers “mutually building each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11), and we want that. We want to be reminded that we’re not alone in our faith.
If you’ve got a friend (or friends) in mind that you’d like to go deeper with but you’re struggling to get there, we’ve got you covered. Here are three questions that can help deepen a friendship.
Go into your room
Go into your room
You don’t need a theology degree to realize that something always comes up the moment we decide to spend time with God.
Right?
That’s one reason the Bible says: “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6 NIV)
Let me break that down for you:
“Go into your room…”
This means intentionally going to a place that separates you from everything else, including the noise and the distractions. It also sends a signal to your mind: it’s time. We’re opening ourselves to what God wants to say.
“Close the door…”
This is a decision: nothing else gets in right now except what God wants to speak to me. I shut the door on distractions of every kind—messages, appointments, everything—and become fully present.
“Pray to your Father, who is unseen…”
Especially when you feel misunderstood or alone, you will experience God’s presence in the unseen—right where you feel invisible—in a powerful way.
And here’s the best part:
“Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
He doesn’t just see you in the hidden place, but He rewards you for it. For choosing to seek Him instead of staying stuck. For closing the door and giving Him your time. Yes: He will reward you.
What a gift! Not only does God want to hear from you and spend time with you, but He wants to reward you for it.
Behind closed doors, God will open your heart.
So what are you waiting for? Go into your room… Close the door… Pray… And experience your reward.
You are a miracle!
Déborah Rosenkranz
What It Takes to Thrive
What It Takes to Thrive
In both gardening and spiritual terms, planting and harvesting are exciting seasons. Planting is the start of an adventure; harvesting is the product of hard work. It’s easy to celebrate new beginnings and hard-earned completions—but one thing that’s not as much fun?
The pruning process.
Who wants to acknowledge what’s dead and unproductive in their lives? Who wants to trim back what’s already blooming—leaving you smaller, awkward, and feeling extra weak?
But pruning is exactly what we need to keep producing fruit.
“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”
John 15:2 NIV
Jesus mentions two separate actions in this process—cutting off what’s dead and pruning fruit.
Cutting out what’s dead makes sense. It’s extra weight, it’s unproductive, it’s blocking sunlight, and it’s stealing good energy from branches that could thrive. But without proper context, pruning fruit feels backwards.
However, the purpose of pruning isn’t to disable something, but to revitalize it.
If a branch is weak or diseased, it could not only damage itself, but the surrounding trees as well. Without pruning, both the tree and the life surrounding it can never reach full potential.
Pruning creates room for more growth.
Pruning stimulates production.
Pruning keeps the plant or person strong.
God is a good Gardener. He wouldn’t be a good Gardener if He left you to yourself—overgrown, ineffective, and full of dysfunction. But He cares for those He loves. He cuts off what’s dead for your benefit. He lovingly trims back ineffective things in your life to make way for more fruit.
You can trust God with your life because He cares about who you are and who you can become.
So what “dead branches” are you dragging around? Is it possible that God is pruning you for future growth? Take a few moments and talk to God about any areas in your life that you recognize need to change.
“He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” John 15:2 NLT
“He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.”
John 15:2 NLT
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)