Daily Devotion
March 16, 2026
Genesis 13:3-4 “And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.”
When God chose Abraham and called him to leave his country of Mesopotamia and his family behind, the Bible tells us that he obeyed as an act of faith. Scripture says in Hebrews 11:8, “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” Abraham stepped out not because he understood everything, but because he trusted the One who called him. When Abraham first arrived in the land God promised him, he built an altar at a place called Bethel. The name means “the house of God.” Genesis 12:8 tells us that there, at the altar he built, Abraham “called upon the name of the LORD.” That simple phrase is rich with meaning. It tells us that Abraham sought the Lord, spoke with Him, and placed his trust in Him. The altar at Bethel was more than a marker in the land; it was a place of communion with God. But soon a famine came, and Abraham’s faith faltered. Instead of remaining in the land and trusting the Lord, he went down to Egypt. There, fear took hold of him. Fearing for his life, he told the Egyptians that Sarai was his sister, a partial truth meant to protect himself. Sarai was taken into Pharaoh’s house, and Abraham’s deception created a situation that only the Lord could correct. God intervened and delivered both Abraham and Sarai. Abraham left Egypt and returned to the land of promise. More importantly, he returned to Bethel, “unto the place of the altar…which he had made there at the first.” And there, once again, he called upon the name of the LORD. His return to the altar signified a restoration of fellowship with God. He came back to the place where his walk with the Lord had first been strong. This story speaks plainly to our own lives. There are times when believers drift from that place of close fellowship with God. Fear, pressure, or the difficulties of life may draw us away from simple trust. But the path back is the same as it was for Abraham, we must return to the altar. We must come again to that place of prayer, surrender, and renewed faith in the promises of God. Call it revival, restoration, or rededication. Whatever name we give it, it is simply coming back to where we belong, walking with the Lord in humble dependence. There is no joy, no lasting peace, and no spiritual power when we try to live outside the will of God. Prodigals always end up in the pigpens of this world, and that is a miserable, shameful place for the children of God to dwell. But the Lord who called Abraham still calls His people today. He calls us back to our own Bethel, to that place where our hearts are right with Him, where we live by faith, and where once again we call upon the name of the Lord.
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March 15, 2026
Matthew 14:31 “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”
The disciples were in a boat, crossing the Sea of Galilee. A storm hit them, and they looked across the water and saw Jesus walking on the water. Peter said, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come”. Peter believed what Jesus said, and believed that walking on the water to Jesus was possible. He climbed out of the boat and began walking on the water towards the Savior. But as he walked, he started looking around as the wind whipped up the waves, and He began to sink. He prayed one of the shortest prayers in the Bible, “Lord, save me”. Today’s verse tells us what happened. Note that Jesus saved him before asking him the probing question: Why did you doubt? Every day, Peter had been with the Lord and watched Him do miracles. He had witnessed His power to do the impossible. And not only that, in chapter 10, we know Jesus sent the disciples to travel into towns and villages, and gave them the power to heal the sick of all types of illnesses, including leprosy, cast out demons, and to raise the dead. Yet there was still something within Peter that blocked his faith and pushed him into unbelief. That question still speaks to us today: Why do we doubt? I know that with me, I have times when my faith is so strong that I pray and believe God without hesitation. I don’t doubt that He can and will answer. These times are followed by seasons when my faith seems so weak, so small that I wonder what happened to those days when I was praying and declaring the Lord’s promises. If you are like that, it’s not that we doubt God exists or that we belong to Him. It’s that fear, dread, and doubt rise up and make us think that, for whatever reason, we will not see the goodness of God for us personally. It’s good to meditate on the details of Peter’s dilemma because it’s our personal dilemma. When Jesus told him to “Come”, that was His guarantee that he could safely walk across the water to Him. There was no reason to think otherwise. But it’s all about keeping our eyes, our focus on Jesus and His words. That’s why He told us in John 15:7, “If ye abide in me, (stay joined to me, remain connected to me) and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you”. When we are in moments of doubt, let’s keep asking ourselves: Why are we doubting when we know Jesus will never fail?
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March 14, 2026
Numbers 11:5 “We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick.”
In today’s verse, the people described their life in Egypt as if it had been a wonderful time, as though all they had to do was sit down to great meals of every kind of food imaginable. Yet something seems terribly wrong with their thinking. They forgot that while there was food available, they were slaves to an empire that was killing their children and working them like animals. They were not free. They had no dignity, owned no land or homes, and for four hundred years they lived as poor foreign outcasts among the Egyptians. To that empire, they were nothing more than disposable labor. Their future offered no hope except that they and their descendants would remain enslaved. This is the deception of the world, and of sin itself. It convinces people that they are living their best life when, in reality, they are serving a system that quietly mocks them. They live in chains of bondage and addiction, believing themselves free. Their joy is shallow and fleeting, and they walk in a darkness so deep that they do not even realize they have no lasting hope. But when God’s promises become real to us, when we begin living for the things that will never pass away, our eyes are opened to the truth that we are children of the True God. When that happens, our past life of false hope, bondage, and emptiness loses its appeal. It becomes a place we never wish to return to. If the Israelites had paused for a moment and shaken off the illusion that Egypt had been some kind of paradise, they might have remembered the truth. They were no longer slaves. God was leading them toward a land He had prepared for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, where their future and the future of their children would be secure under His blessing. They could have said, “Let us settle our hearts, trust in the Lord, walk toward the promised land, and be thankful for what God provides along the journey.” Perhaps that is a lesson for us today. Our God is not only supplying our daily needs; He is also leading us toward a far greater promise. A place where there will be no sorrow, sickness, or death. We are going home to an eternal and perfect kingdom, and along the way, the Lord has promised us joy in the journey. All the allure of the fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic of this world is only a smokescreen of the flesh and the enemy, hiding the pit of sin and shame from which the Lord has delivered us. There is nothing back there worth even a glance. The human heart has a strange tendency to romanticize the past, even when that past was marked by bondage. Israel remembered the meals of Egypt but forgot the chains. In the same way, believers must guard against looking back longingly at the life Christ delivered them from. God has set us free and is leading us toward an eternal inheritance.
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March 13, 2026
Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
There are some who believe this verse means that God is managing every minute detail of our lives, piecing events together like a puzzle. They have a flat tire, shake off the frustration, and say, “It’s ok—God is probably protecting me from something else.” While that may certainly be true, it’s also possible they simply hadn’t checked their tire tread in a while and didn’t realize they needed new tires. But when we take the full picture of the context, we cannot overlook the first part of verse 18: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” The passage is speaking about the sufferings of this present time. From that perspective, we begin to see that the promise that all things work together for good is much larger than the small irritations of daily life. Consider the Apostle Paul, who by inspiration of the Holy Spirit penned these words. After assuring believers that all things work together for good, about seven years later he was beheaded under the rule of Nero. The “good” was not an immediate deliverance from life’s hardships. Rather, it was the eternal testimony of a life faithfully surrendered to God. The Almighty Sovereign Creator—the Ruler of the universe—brought all the twists and turns of Paul’s life to a moment where he glorified God even in death, becoming a hero of the faith whose witness has strengthened believers for generations. Some people struggle to see this reality in an age where many of us rarely suffer for our faith and live with comforts previous generations could scarcely imagine. In truth, the last few generations of ordinary people have lived with a level of abundance and convenience that most of human history never experienced. It can certainly be frustrating when the electronics in our thousand-dollar washing machine malfunction. But that may not be God orchestrating inconvenience for a mysterious purpose. It may simply be the result of profit-driven companies producing expensive items filled with cheap, fragile parts. Yet wherever we land in interpreting life’s circumstances, the greater promise of this verse remains unshaken. The Lord is bringing His people to a good place. Even the Apostle Paul, the moment he died for the glory of God, stepped into the presence of Jesus and fully realized the truth he had written only a few years earlier: “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” It’s never wrong to acknowledge the good hand of God in our everyday details, and give Him praise for all the blessings and victories. But when we keep eternity in view, we begin to understand the deeper “good” God is accomplishing in those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
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March 12, 2026
Romans 7:19 “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”
If we take this verse out of context, it would seem to justify doing bad things because it sounds like the Apostle Paul is saying that he just can’t do good, and has resigned himself to evil ways. I’ve even heard this verse used by people who say, “Well, you know what Paul said, I want to do what’s right, but sometimes I just can’t”. But this chapter lays down the doctrine that people under the law could never become righteous by the law because the law didn’t give the power to defeat sin; it was just the light of truth that made sin highly visible by pointing it out. People remained carnal and dead to God under the law because they remained trapped in their sins. This is the meaning of today’s verse: Even though people may have wanted to achieve righteousness and live holy under the law, they could not reach a place where they lived pure before God because their sinful nature kept defeating them. This is why believers can not remain stuck in Romans Chapter 7. Chapter 7 sets up the problem and explains it and then Chapter 8 tells us that Jesus Christ stepped in where we were trapped, and He set us free. Romans 8:1-2, “There is therefore now no condemnation (judgment) to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death”. By the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can now obey God, follow His ways, and do what is pleasing to Him. That’s not saying that we always do good and shun evil, but we now have the power to. When this is combined with the fact that God has completely covered us with the righteousness of Jesus Christ and never sees us anymore as fallen, sinful people, we have the victory and the power to please God that the law could never give. Romans 8:37, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us”. Praise God, we don’t have to live defeated, trapped in ways that dishonor the Lord, and continually making choices that drag us down. Romans 8:4 tells us that Jesus came, “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”.
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March 11, 2026
1 Timothy 6:12 “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”
What is the good fight of faith? Some of the little churches I grew up in must have thought it was referring to business meetings and deacon sessions, because I can remember a few times when faces were red and voices raised. But it certainly is not about disagreements among believers. It is about the Christian life in general, when we go against the tide of this world and against the very nature of our flesh that lurks within us. The fight of faith is not fought with raised voices, but with a steadfast heart. It is the daily decision to believe God when circumstances suggest otherwise. Faith stands when fear tries to control us. Faith obeys when the flesh resists. Faith presses forward when the world says to compromise. Paul uses the language of a soldier because the Christian life truly is a battlefield. Our enemy is not one another. The real battle is against the pull of this present world, the deceitfulness of sin, and the weakness of our own hearts. The devil continually works to distract believers with arguments and divisions, but the real victory comes when we remain faithful to Christ. To fight the good fight means we hold firmly to what God has promised. When temptation comes, faith remembers that sin never delivers what it promises, but God always does. When discouragement pounds us, faith remembers that God has not abandoned His children. When trials storm us and test our patience, faith reminds us that the Lord is working something eternal through what feels temporary. This is why Paul tells Timothy to “lay hold on eternal life.” He is not suggesting that eternal life must be earned, but that it must be grasped by faith and lived in the light of it. The believer who keeps eternity in view will live differently in the present. When heaven fills our vision, the passing struggles of earth lose much of their power. Every day we wake up on a battlefield. The world pulls us in one direction, the flesh pulls in another, and the Spirit calls us higher. The good fight is fought quietly in the choices we make, choosing truth over error, obedience over convenience, and faith over fear. And though the fight is real, the victory is certain. Christ has already won the war. Our calling is simply to stand firm and faithful in the victory that’s already ours. Praise God, one day the battles will be over, and we will never fight them again. But until then, we will fight this good fight of faith!
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March 10, 2026
Hebrews 12:16-17 “Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”
In Old Testament times, the law of the firstborn wasn’t that the firstborn son inherited everything, and that was the end of the story. Being the firstborn carried a great responsibility, and upon his father’s death, he became the head of the household, managing the family estate, land, and flocks. He received twice the inheritance of his brothers, given to ensure that he had the resources to support the family unit and chart its growth and success for the future. He was responsible for the protection and welfare of his mother and for providing for any unmarried sisters, along with serving as the family’s priest or spiritual head, guiding the family in the ways of God. This responsibility and right, this great blessing, is what Esau thought so little of, cared so little for, that he sold it to his brother Jacob for a bowl of stew. Let’s let that sink in for a minute and understand why Esau is called a “profane” person in today’s verse. He was so self-centered, so wrapped up in pleasing himself and doing what he wanted that he cared nothing for the responsibilities and great blessings that came with being the firstborn. When the Bible says here that he was not able to repent, it’s not saying that God wouldn’t forgive him, but that once his birthright was sold, the deed couldn’t be undone. Though he begged Isaac to reconsider and reverse the blessing and the conferment of the rites of the firstborn, it was too late. The driving force behind his being willing to give up such an honor and blessing so easily, with no thought or care for his family and their future, revealed the evil of his profanity: Taking something sacred and a highly valued gift of God and casting it aside as if it were trash. The warning to us is that what we have been given in Jesus Christ, what God has planned and done for us, has infinite value because it’s an eternal gift of an unspeakable price. If we lose sight of that and treat our salvation as if it is cheap, common, or as worthless as the things this world offers, we can make choices, cross lines, and throw away blessings that we can’t recover. It’s not that we lose our salvation, but that we, like Esau, miss God’s best for us. God forgives, God restores, and God keeps moving us forward in His plan, sometimes in paths that are alternatives to His best ways. But why would we cast aside the things that have such great value? Why not desire and seek His best? Why not carefully make choices that honor Him, honor others, and show honor to His great grace?
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March 9, 2026
Exodus 3:1 “Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.”
When this moment occurred, Moses was nearly eighty years old, and his life had taken a strange path. Raised in Egypt as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, he had once lived among the splendor and power of the greatest empire of that age. Egypt was the center of wealth, learning, art, and influence. Roads, chariots, luxury, and prestige surrounded him daily. Humanly speaking, Moses possessed every advantage the world could offer. Yet the direction of his life changed when he chose to identify with the people of God rather than remain in the privileges of Egypt. Scripture tells us this decision was not impulsive but an act of faith. Hebrews 11:24-26 says, “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.” That choice eventually led Moses far from the palace into the desert land of Midian. There he spent forty years living a quiet life as a shepherd, tending the flocks of his father-in-law. It was a drastic contrast to the life he had once known. Instead of royal halls and political influence, his days were spent among sheep in lonely places. Yet it was precisely in that setting that God was shaping the man He would use. Exodus tells us Moses led the flock to the “backside of the desert” and came to Horeb, a name associated with barrenness and desolation. It was there, in that quiet and unremarkable place, that the Lord appeared to him in the burning bush and called him to the work that would define his life. God often prepares His servants in hidden places long before He reveals His purposes. There is no standard curriculum in the school of God. Each servant is trained according to the work appointed for him. The patience learned in shepherding sheep, the solitude of the wilderness, and the stripping away of Egypt’s glamour were all part of God’s preparation for Moses. Others were trained in similar ways. John the Baptist also spent years in the wilderness before his ministry began. In such places, there is little to distract the soul. The noise of the world fades, human pride loses its appeal, and the heart becomes quiet enough to hear the voice of God. Many believers experience their own “backside of the desert.” These seasons may feel slow, hidden, or even unproductive. Yet God wastes nothing. What seems like a delay is often divine preparation. The Lord is never in a hurry, but His timing is always perfect. Times of solitude with Him are not wasted moments but sacred ones; opportunities to grow in faith, to deepen in His Word, and to be shaped for the work He has prepared.
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March 8, 2026
Song of Solomon 2:4 “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.”
In the beautiful poetic language of the Song of Solomon, the Holy Spirit paints a picture of a special place where the bridegroom brings the bride; a place called the banqueting house. The Hebrew language suggests a quiet, secluded, outdoor setting where the bridegroom and his bride could be together. Yet he marked the place with something meaningful: he raised a banner, a flag that declared his heart: love. In our practical, duty-driven, and success-pressured religious world, there often seems little time, or appetite, to consider such a scene. Some Christians even wince at the thought of the Song of Solomon being inspired Scripture. One scholar once remarked that the book “sneaked its way into our Bibles.” Yet today’s verse casts a bright light on the depth of God’s love for His people. The Song of Solomon uses the language and poetry of earthly love to help us glimpse something higher. It points us to how God loved us when we were unlovable, and how He foresaw what we would become after He covered us with His grace (Song of Solomon 1). The banqueting house also reminds us of other rich biblical pictures. Psalm 23:5 says, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” And Revelation 19:9 declares, “Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” These passages present the image of a table filled with abundance, an arrangement of provision prepared as though for honored guests at a royal feast. We might say that the Lord is not offering us a bag lunch, a fast-food combo, or a frozen heat-and-serve meal. What He spreads before us is a banquet, a sit-down, waiter-served, multi-course feast of grace. Yet as wonderful as that provision is, it is not the food that captures our attention most. It is the banner flying above the table. Over all the blessings, over all the provision, over all the grace stands a declaration: love. Jeremiah 31:3 reminds us of this thrilling and humbling truth: “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Every blessing, every mercy, every invitation to sit at His table flows from that everlasting love. My wife hangs flags on a pole off our back porch. She changes them with the seasons and holidays, and they quietly speak to those who see them that we are thankful and enjoying the moments God has given us. In a far greater way, Jesus has raised His banner over His people. His flag does not change with the season, and it never fades. It declares forever the heart of the Bridegroom toward His bride. As the Song of Solomon beautifully expresses in 2:16, “My beloved is mine, and I am his.”
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March 7, 2026
John 4:3-4 “He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria.”
In John 4, our Lord was traveling with His disciples and deliberately chose a route no devout Jew of His day would normally take: through Samaria. The Jews despised the Samaritans and would go miles out of their way to avoid passing through their land. The Samaritans were a mixed people, the result of Assyrian conquest and intermarriage, and generations of hostility had hardened hearts on both sides. But Jesus did not travel according to prejudice. He traveled according to purpose. John 8:29 reminds us that He always did those things that pleased the Father. So, when Scripture says He “must needs go through Samaria,” it was not geographical necessity; it was divine appointment. The Father had business with a woman at a well. While the disciples were away buying food, Jesus met a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. There, in that unlikely place, He revealed her sin, offered her living water, and transformed her life. The reason for the journey became clear: the people of Samaria needed Him. The tension between Jew and Samaritan is not just ancient history. It is a mirror of the human heart. Our nature leans toward division, suspicion, and self-righteousness. But God’s heart beats with mercy. Revelation 5:9 declares that Christ “hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” His kingdom has no room for racial pride or cultural contempt. When hatred erupts in any society, when lives are lost, wounds deepen, and bitterness spreads, we are seeing what Psalm 37:35 describes: “the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.” Lawlessness grows where Christ is refused. But when the Lord stops at our well and exposes what is really in us, we face the same question Pilate asked in Matthew 27:22: “What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?” Those who receive Him discover that barriers fall. Galatians 3:28 tells us, “There is neither Jew nor Greek… for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” At the well, walls of division began to crumble. When the disciples returned and found Jesus speaking with the woman, they “marveled” (John 4:27). They didn’t yet understand, but something was changing in them. Soon they would stay two days in a Samaritan town. Later, Peter would enter the house of Cornelius in Acts 10, and Paul would declare in Acts 18:6 that he would go to the Gentiles. The gospel would move beyond borders they once defended. Our walk with Christ may lead us through uncomfortable Samarias, toward people we once avoided or misunderstood. But if He must needs go through Samaria, then so must we. There are souls He loves, souls He died for, and souls He desires to make children of the King.
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March 6, 2026
Job 17:15 “where then is my hope? Who will see my hope?”
We can find ourselves in storms of life and situations that wear us down. We can pray, pray, and pray some more, but it still seems there’s no solution, no end in sight of the ordeal. In today’s verse, these are the words of Job, spoken when he was going through a most difficult time. And, difficult isn’t a strong enough description: It was horrific, painful, and with unspeakable loss. Of all the seasons we go through, such times might be called the night seasons, and Job certainly had a miserable one. When we examine his words in Job 7:3, he said: “So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me”. He’s having to go through months of vanity where vanity means emptiness, nothingness, ruin, and devastation. Then in the next verse, he talked about the wearisome nights when he tossed and turned until daybreak, and most of us can identify with such times. It feels like whatever we’re going through, it’s never going to end, and there’s no way out. For many, discouragement, depression, despair, and dismay, all the “dis” words set in, and it’s hard to pray, hard to believe, and hard to have hope. We can identify with Job’s pain and His words because we, too, have been in night seasons. Can you remember the last time you went through such a season? Or perhaps you’re going through one right now, and there doesn’t seem to be an answer or a solution for the situation. It took Job a while in his season of trouble until he was able to have the hope he finally declared in Job 19:25-26, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God”. When we read Job’s story, it’s easy to get caught up in the unspeakable trial, the heartbreaking circumstances he faced, and keep our eyes on the suffering he went through. But Job is also a book of hope, for it tells how Job had a season of trouble, but it passed, and when it was over, the Lord blessed him, comforted him, and rewarded him. When we get to the closing verses of the book, we breathe a sigh of relief because Job’s season of sorrow ended, and the sun of God’s grace shone brightly on him. No matter the storm, it will come to pass. No matter the trial, the Lord has already made a way for escape. And, no matter what our fears and natural view is telling us, God will always be for us, with us, and He will deliver us.
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March 5, 2026
Mark 6:31 “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”
It wasn’t that Jesus and His disciples were swinging hammers, shoveling dirt, or plowing fields and were simply exhausted from manual labor. Their weariness came from the pace of life: the constant demands, the continual press of people, the endless coming and going. They were so busy ministering that they did not even have time to eat. Our Lord’s invitation is personal and instructive: “Come ye yourselves apart… and rest a while.” God is not calling us to laziness or neglect of duty. But He is calling us to intentional seasons of withdrawal, places of refuge where we step away from the noise and refocus our gaze upon Jesus, the Prince of Peace. In those quiet places, the Holy Spirit clears the fog from our hearts and minds. He strengthens our resolve. He realigns our purposes. He steadies us again for the sake of our families and the work He has entrusted to us. For many, even weekends and days off are crammed with errands, chores, and obligations. The pace becomes so normal that we do not realize we are running a race God never intended for us. We grow accustomed to being hurried. We accept being drained. Yet the words of Christ here literally carry the idea, “Let us go somewhere quiet and secluded and be alone for a while.” That is God in the flesh with His disciples, setting an example for us. And this is not the same as our modern idea of vacation. We often return from vacation needing another break. True rest is deeper than recreation. In Isaiah 28:12, the Lord says, “This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing.” The primary meaning points to spiritual rest: rest for the soul. Jesus clarified this in Matthew 11:29: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me… and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” That is rest from working to earn salvation. Rest from trying to make ourselves right with God through effort. But when we connect that promise with today’s verse, we see something broader. The Lord cares about our whole person, body, soul, and spirit. Daily, like Lot, we are vexed by the pace, the sin, and the confusion of the world around us. The strain seeps into our homes if we are not careful. Tension builds quietly. So, we must purposefully carve out time to step away, to sit before the Lord, to let Him refresh us. A quiet room with our Bibles, a walk enjoying God’s beautiful creation, or moments when we turn off our phones and learn to think again. Our Lord Jesus set the example. He withdrew. He rested. He returned strengthened for the work. If the Son of God needed to “come apart” for a while, surely, we do as well. Let’s follow His example, come apart for a while, and let Him make us whole again.
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March 4, 2026
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts”
New Testament believers have a provision from God in the new birth that was unknown to believers in other dispensations: the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is tempting to look back at Old Testament accounts and view those saints from our present position in Christ, but that’s a mistake. Before our Lord Jesus was crucified, resurrected, and ascended back to heaven, He gave a promise that believers in the past did not possess in this way. In John 14:16-17 He said, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth… for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” That promise was fulfilled after His ascension. The Spirit would not merely come upon believers temporarily: He would dwell within them permanently. I have found that often there are at least two camps of people concerning this truth. Some seldom mention the wonderful presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Their central message is the gospel of the cross and then the responsibilities of believers, and rightly so, but they rarely encourage people to seek the fullness of the Spirit’s power or to rely daily upon His help. Then there is the other side, those who seem to have lost themselves in a doctrine that is almost entirely Holy Spirit-centered, making their main message about miracles and a continual focus on the supernatural. It sometimes appears that both sides are fearful of becoming like the other. But there is a beautiful balance. We can faithfully preach Christ crucified and call believers to holy living, while at the same time acknowledging that we cannot live the Christian life apart from the Spirit who indwells us. We honor Him not by imbalance, but by dependence and obedience. Today’s verse tells us that God has established us in Christ. He has anointed us, set us apart, and part of that anointing is that He has sealed us and given us the earnest, the down payment, of the Spirit in our hearts. The word “seal” carries the meaning of stamping with a signet, a private mark for security and preservation. In the ancient world, a seal signified ownership and protection. God has given us the Holy Spirit not only to accomplish His will through us, but also to mark us as His own. This seal signifies our eternal covenant with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is heaven’s declaration that we belong to Him. Praise God, we belong to Him, body, soul, and spirit.
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March 3, 2026
2 Timothy 3:5 “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away”
The form of godliness is the outward practice of religion without the inward life of Christ. It is going through the motions of Christian activity and appearing to follow Jesus Christ, while in reality, everything is being done in our own strength and not in the power of the Holy Spirit. We used to call this “Sunday morning religion.” It describes those who rarely seek the Lord through the week, who do not order their steps by His Word, yet show up on Sunday as though worship and obedience were their daily pattern. There is a routine, there is Christian language, and there is activity. But there is no transforming power. Jesus confronted this very thing in Matthew 15:7–8: “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” The Lord does not accept a heartless approach. He will not receive worship that is mechanical, lips that move without love, or service that flows from self rather than surrender. The warning in today’s verse is direct: from such turn away. That command still speaks in this day of grace. When hearts are not anchored in Christ, people attempt to live with divided affections: partly looking to God, partly walking in step with the spirit of this world. But God has always dealt with divided hearts. Hosea 10:2 says, “Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty.” A divided heart will eventually be exposed. We are often quick to deny that idolatry exists among us. We imagine that because we mention the Lord’s name or maintain a religious appearance, all must be well. Yet the form of godliness is itself a subtle idolatry. It replaces the living Christ with religious performance. It substitutes atmosphere for anointing, activity for obedience, and excitement for holiness. If you have ever truly drunk from the fountain of living water, you recognize the difference. No amount of polished presentation can substitute for the presence of God. Stage effects like fog machines cannot replace the breath of the Spirit. Perfectly timed music cannot replace hearts yielded to Him. And ministers who echo the latest cultural trends can never replace those who obey Isaiah 58:1, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression.” The question is simple and direct: Do you belong to Jesus Christ? And do you desire to follow Him in truth? Then weigh carefully what you receive. Listen to what is being offered as the Bread of Life. If it is not Heaven’s Bread, if Christ is not central, if repentance is absent, if holiness is ignored, and if there is no witness of the Holy Spirit, then obey the Scripture. Turn away.
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March 2, 2026
Romans 3:21-22 “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference”
When our Lord Jesus was on earth and ministering, He spoke the words of Matthew 5:20 that shook the very foundation of Jewish confidence: “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” To the average listener, that must have sounded impossible. The Pharisees were the strictest religious people in Israel. They refined their lives around the Law, carefully observing its commands and even adding safeguards to avoid the slightest violation. If anyone appeared righteous, surely it was them. But that was exactly the point. They appeared righteous. The Pharisees believed that careful obedience to the Law, over six hundred commandments, produced righteousness. They strained their drinks to avoid swallowing an unclean insect. They tithed with precision. They polished the outside of the cup. Yet they misunderstood what God wanted. The Law was never given to create righteousness; it was given to reveal sin. It could restrain behavior, but it could not transform the heart. Jesus made this painfully clear in Matthew 15:19-20: “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries…” The problem is not merely what we do; it is who we are. You can modify conduct and still have a corrupt heart. You can clean up habits and still be unchanged within. The Law can fence in actions, but it cannot breathe life into a dead spirit. As Galatians 3:21 declares, if righteousness could have come by the Law, then it would have come that way. But it did not, and it cannot. This is where many stumble. We want to believe our good deeds will outweigh our failures. We argue with the clear testimony of Scripture because admitting our helplessness wounds our pride. Yet until we understand that even our best efforts fall short, we will never appreciate the glory of what God has done for us. Romans 3:21-22 unveils the “new and living way.” A righteousness apart from the Law has been manifested. It is “the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.” Notice those words: unto all and upon all. This righteousness is not achieved; it is received. It is not earned; it is imputed. The only way our righteousness can exceed that of the Pharisees is by possessing a righteousness that is not our own. When we trust Christ, we are clothed in His righteousness. God does not measure us against religious elites; He sees us covered in the perfection of His Son. What we could never produce, He freely provides. That is grace. And that is the only righteousness that satisfies God.
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March 1, 2026
Acts 4:13 “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”
Peter and John were fishermen, considered by their culture as part of the working class. The fishing tradition was usually a family business, passed down from fathers to sons, and they had specific skills that were unique to their occupation. They were in no way a part of the educated elite of their day and were considered just ordinary people. That’s what today’s verse is referring to when people witnessed Peter and John doing the mighty works of God, and it took them by surprise because they were just, well, fishermen. The religious world decided long ago that the only way to carry out God’s will is to form organizations, qualify people, certify them as “competent”, educate them with their agendas and belief systems, and then weave all this into a social and economic fabric they present to the world as “God’s work”. They rely on this system to produce results which they periodically analyze, evaluate, and present to committees. The organizations then make adjustments to produce better numbers. Fishermen? Not hardly. Religion is more like a mechanized sardine harvesting operation where no one comes in contact with the fish, and no one has a personal vested interest in the real purpose of our Heavenly Father. His plan is to bring people into the lives of other people in intimate, Holy Spirit-filled power connections. And, one-on-one, they present God’s love, mercy, and kindness, and willingness to save, deliver, and bless the people He created. Organizations may serve a purpose, but the real fishing is done by you and me daily as we cast the nets of truth, mercy, and compassion: nets that our Lord provides. We do it over and over again, personally touching the lives of people who are beaten, bruised, and living in darkness without hope, longing for a God they have rebelled against. They are His creations, and His methods to reach them won’t always fit our man-made criteria, platforms, and patterns. But He uses those He has called, qualified, certified, and educated by His power and grace to accomplish His purpose. After all, it’s really His Word and His Spirit that’s doing the fishing: we are just casting the nets. Even if we try to point to apostle Paul to show that his education and intellect made the difference, just listen to what he said after listing all his personal accomplishments and accolades: Philippians 3:7-10,” But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death”. May the Lord raise up people, filled with the Holy Spirit, of humble hearts and reeking of the things of God to confound the things which are wise and mighty (1 Corinthians 1:27).
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