Today's Gospel is Luke’s account of the parable of the Good Samaritan.

The Epistle for today comes from the sixth chapter of Paul’s Letter to the Galatians.

Today we commemorate the prophet Isaiah, the most-quoted pre-Christ prophet in the New Testament. Our devotion comes from Treasury of Daily Prayer.

The appointed Psalm for today is Psalm 16. Our devotional reading comes from Martin Luther’s First Lectures on Psalms, as found in Psalm by Psalm: 365 Selected Readings from Martin Luther.

Today is the day we commemorate Jeremiah, appointed by God to be a prophet to Judah.

The Old Testament Reading for the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist tells of a voice in the wilderness speaking comfort to God’s people.

The Gospel reading for the today accounts Jesus healing a man possessed by a legion of demons.

Imagine having the world at your fingertips. God gave it all to young King Solomon when He gave him a wise and discerning heart. Like the prodigal son in Jesus’ parable, Solomon squandered God’s generous gift in wild living. Here in his Book of Ecclesiastes, he reports on his discoveries about a life of self-indulgence lived apart from God. 

Today, the Church celebrates the Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

This post is an excerpt from my newest Bible study, Shine: Sparkling with God’s Love.

In my life, I’ve struggled with real hope-crushing sadness. Not just the kind of sadness that comes from something hard that’s happened, but the kind that shifts my whole outlook on life.