1 John 1:3–4 “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete” (NIV). Observation: John the apostle was the...

1 Peter 1:7 “These have come so that your faith … of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire … may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (NIV). Observation: Peter is encouraging me to...

Ephesians 5:8 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” Observation: Paul has just encouraged the Ephesians to “be imitators of God … as dearly loved children …” (Verse 5:1) We are told to be a “fragrant offering” (Verse 2), and to carry not so...

John 20:6 “Then Simon Peter … arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen laying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen” (NIV). Observation: Mary Magdalene had...

1 John 1:1–4 “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life,...

John 18:1 “When he had finished praying, Jesus left with His disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley” (NIV). Observation: This verse follows Jesus’s priestly prayer of John 17, the longest prayer of the New Testament. Jesus had prayed first for Himself, then for the...

John 17:1 “After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed, ‘Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you’” (NIV). Observation: Jesus and His disciples had gathered for Passover where a long, far-ranging discussion had ensued....

John 12:3 “Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (NIV). Observation: It was nearly Passover, the annual celebration...

James 1:4, 12 “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything … Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who...

Amos 1:1 “The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—what he saw concerning Israel” (NIV). Observation: Amos is a book of prophetic doom and judgment to be brought against both Israel and Judah. Both nations were experiencing a season of prosperity. In their...