The Greatest Stories Ever Told

Our February theme for the Today devotions, written by Rev. Art Schoonveld, is “The Greatest Stories Ever Told.”

Who doesn’t love a good story, especially when told or written by a master story-teller?

I certainly do! I love attending plays and musicals, and getting wrapped up in the drama of the story as it unfolds. I love watching good movies or television shows—stories that take me from my world into the world of fiction or fantasy. I love to hear stories told by my parents or grandparents of how life was when they were growing up. And I love reading biographies of those whose lives made a difference in the world.

The gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—are full of good stories. In fact, these are the greatest stories ever told! And these stories are told by none other than Jesus—the greatest story-teller!

But these aren’t just nice little stories or fascinating fairy tales. These are parables—stories about everyday objects or occurrences that have a much deeper meaning. Sometimes Jesus explains the meaning, and sometimes he leaves it to us to figure out.

Rev. Art Schoonveld is a veteran pastor and Today-writer. No doubt he has many stories of his own that could be told about his life and ministry. But in his writings this month, he invites us to listen carefully to what Jesus is saying to us. We learn more about God, who loves us and longs for us to be his children. We’ll learn about what it means to be a part of the kingdom of God—and how we can help to build that kingdom here on earth.

If you want to hear more of Rev. Schoonveld’s thoughts as he wrote these devotions:

May you be refreshed, refocused and renewed in God’s Word.