September 30, 2025
Hebrews 6:7-9 “For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak”
The book of Hebrews, by its title, was written to Jewish believers who were coming to faith in Jesus Christ. They had centuries of their Hebrew history and traditions of the Law of Moses steeped into them. When Christianity demanded that they forsake the Law and their traditions as a path to righteousness, many were tempted to turn back to Judaism because of the difficulty. Today’s verses start with a statement of how soil can receive the blessing of rain, and some soil will produce good fruit, and some will produce thorns and briers. God is using this as a metaphor to explain how we receive His goodness and grace and how He desires that we produce good works to His glory. For the Jew, it’s a statement that God blessed them, prospered them, and gave them His love. They were to be the light of the world. But instead of them honoring Him and walking in His ways, they rebelled against Him. They didn’t shine the light of God to the other nations because of their unbelief. Today’s verses are saying that through salvation, believers, especially Jewish, have a wonderful opportunity to become what God purposed. It points us to John 15:2, “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit” and verse 5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing”. The Lord wants better things of us than thorns and briers and says these better things are things that accompany salvation. One of those better things is the perseverance of the saints as declared in 1 John 2:19, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us”. Salvation is a new birth resulting in new creations in Jesus Christ. It produces the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Him (Romans 8:9).
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September 29, 2025
1 Thessalonians 1:10 “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come”
Is there wrath coming in the future? Some people would answer this, “Absolutely not,” because the view of a God who is determined to punish sin has been erased from their minds. Spiritually, they’re like a bunch of Americans who believe nothing wrong should ever be punished because there’s no such thing as a criminal. So, there’s no such thing as a sinner. Others would laugh at the thought of taking this question seriously because they’ve been poisoned with unbelief, so that to them, anything the Bible says can’t be trusted as literal truth. They have, as 2 Timothy 4:4 prophesied, stopped listening to truth and now embrace fables. But John addressed God’s manifested anger in Matthew 3:7, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”. God’s wrath, His anger, is stated in many places in the scriptures. One such place is 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day”. That’s certainly not a favored subject now, even though generations past were well aware of it. Because the church once believed it, taught it, and warned unbelievers of the consequences of sin. But even though we might cringe when it’s declared, there is wrath to come. Some people believe that somehow, the people and nations of the world will one day stop fighting, marauding, committing crimes, and destroying themselves with drugs and other addictions. They never have for thousands of years and never will until the King returns. When He returns, He will meet the wrath of this world with the force of His righteous indignation. Jesus didn’t save us just to make us feel better or fit in with the Christian crowd. He saved us to give us eternal life and from the wrath to come.
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September 28, 2025
Psalms 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”
When we submit ourselves to God, body, soul, and spirit, we look to verses like 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”. It’s not an aim for perfection on our part, because we know that in our flesh, there is no good thing (Romans 7:18). But it is a desire to walk in obedience to our Lord, and to lay aside every weight of unbelief and every sin that holds us back from living our best for Him. If Jesus Christ has made us free, if He has given us power to refuse to live bound and motivated by sin, then why not be free to our fullest? Why not seek those things which are above and turn away from that which defiles us here? This desire for such a life, set apart for the glory of God, is not often presented as an option to believers nowadays. It’s an anything goes, an age of culture conforming theology, and the desire of pursuing personal holiness for the glory of God is a foreign thought. Holiness, not for self-honor or an attempt to earn God’s favor, but to live in such a way that we love what God loves, hate what He hates, and yield to the direction of the Holy Spirit. Today’s verse becomes a prayer for those who desire God to look deep within them, into the very corners and hidden places of their hearts, and shine His light of truth on anything and everything that’s not His will for us. The phrase, “Know my thoughts,” asks the Lord to be a part of the way we think and help us understand how we can surrender our thought patterns to Him to more fully transform to the mind of Christ. Some have said this is a dangerous prayer to pray because it’s asking God to expose us in ways that we don’t even know ourselves. When He does, we have to decide what we will do about what He reveals. It invites God to operate on us with the sword of truth, as described in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”.
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September 27, 2025
1 Timothy 1:19 “Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck”
The warning of the Apostle Paul to Timothy here is that some people have abandoned their faith, and the result is that their faith is now in ruins. It’s no different today, for there are those who’ve turned away from faith in the Bible and its inerrancy and, sadly, embrace the compromise of human reason. Following the teaching of the carefully crafted lies of pied pipers masquerading as enlightened teachers, they boast about their wrecked ship as if it’s a trophy of achievement. They feel they have found a path of superior knowledge that sets them apart from Bible-believers. They’re easy to spot because they suffer from a sort of Oppositional Defiant Disorder concerning fundamental Christianity. The Apostle Paul names some in his time in verse 20, Hymenaeus and Alexander, and categorizes them as blasphemers. In Christ’s time, the Pharisees were religious and considered enlightened and spiritually superior. But Jesus called them spiritually blind and said they would remain blind because they kept arguing that they could see. If they had admitted their blindness, the Lord’s Words would have opened their eyes to their true condition. Those of us who choose faith in God’s Word have been on a journey, a search for the truth. We’ve heard a lot of garbage along the way and have even stopped a few times to check it out. Different points of view, different interpretations of Christianity, and different cultures and various applications of Biblical truth. We’ve looked at different methods of exegeting scriptures and considered and questioned what is fundamental to our faith, and at what point does faith fade and reasoning step in. But thank God for the precious Holy Spirit, not a feeling or an emotion, but the persistent, directing power of His presence. So that when we submit ourselves to the Lord with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, he directs our steps. Even if we tear it all down, and I’m referring to our personal system of beliefs, the Lord God Almighty, in His amazing grace and unspeakable peace, puts us back together stronger, more steadfast, and full of faith than ever before. As our devotion yesterday declared, faith is what honors God, moves God on our behalf as believers, and what sets Bible believers apart from an unbelieving religious but shipwrecked crowd of naysayers. My prayers for those flailing and adrift in the seas of faithless confusion: Throw the poisoned trash away you’ve been eating and fall on your knees before the God of heaven and earth and in faith, fully surrender to Him and His eternal, infallible Word.
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September 26, 2025
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”
Do you believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely look for Him? That’s what this verse says, and its message is loud and clear: God is real, and when we believe that and seek Him seriously, it pleases Him and He rewards us. Many people say they believe in God, but they have no relationship with Him. They don’t look to Him, pray to Him, worship Him, or acknowledge His reality. If there’s no action on our part, then the scriptures tell us that faith without works, action, is dead. If you believe that God is real, then it calls for some evidence. When the Israelites had turned their backs on God and were looking to idols, the Bible says in 1 Kings 18:21, “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word”. Why didn’t they respond? They had lost their faith in the reality of Almighty God and replaced it with faith in an idol they could see with their eyes. Joshua made a similar charge to the Israelites in Josh 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD”. Notice Joshua didn’t just say that me and my house will believe in the Lord, he said, “We will serve the Lord”. If we say we believe in God, let’s stand firm, dig in our heels of faith, and put our faith into action. Let’s diligently seek Him by praying to Him, worshipping Him, and reading and loving His Word. Let’s reach out in faith to others and encourage those who are believers and speak Jesus to those who are not. And let’s take God’s promises seriously and stand firm on what He promised. Daniel declared in Daniel 2:28, “But there is a God in heaven”. We believe it and are not ashamed to serve Him.
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September 25, 2025
Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful”
Let God’s peace rule. When we read the list of the works of the flesh in Galatians 5, it includes things like fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, strife, and so on. They are the outward signs of an inner turmoil, and they involve interactions with those around us. Angry people don’t just fight with themselves; they fight with others. Divisions, strife, and dissension describe conflict between people, often groups of people. But this verse is speaking both personally and collectively. God called us as His children to be at peace in one group, a body of believers. He wants us to choose peace, to be instruments of peace which our Lord called peacemakers. In life’s situations, there are paths forward that follow peace, and the Lord wants us to look for those paths. He tells us in Romans 12:18, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men”. In times when those we deal with do not want peace, the Bible gives us Romans 16:17, “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them”. This is a principle even when it doesn’t involve doctrinal disputes. Whenever possible, avoid conflict and those who bring it, and let peace rule your heart. Peaceful people make peaceful homes, churches, and help bring peace and stability to workplaces. The verse closes with, “and be ye thankful”. The word translated as thankful here also means pleasing, agreeable, acceptable to others, benevolent, and positive. Our prayer can be that the Lord will help us remember our blessings and help us to be truly thankful. Take a moment right now and consider all that you have to be thankful for and give praise to God; The praise of thanksgiving. The Bible says in Romans 14:19, “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another” (strengthen each other’s faith). The first 3 fruits of the Holy Spirit, love, joy, and peace, are perhaps the things that have the greatest impact on the world around us when we live our faith. In the words of the angels announcing Christ’s birth: Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men”.
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September 24, 2025
Matthew 25:10 “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut”
As I type this devotion, the rapture hasn’t happened yet. As we spoke about in a previous devotion, the internet has been ablaze with predictions that Jesus would come anytime between September 22nd and 24th. They offered various arguments, including one of a man in Africa, claiming that Jesus appeared to him in a vision, and said that He will return on September 23rd-24th. It’s a story that has been repeated many times for hundreds of years: people predicting Christ’s return, people believing them, and then Jesus didn’t come. No wonder the appearing of the Lord is scoffed at by so many. But you have to admit, it’s a useful tool of the devil that gets people to believe a lie, and then comes the big letdown. Many have walked away, vowing to never believe again. But Bible lovers have always held up the truth of God’s Word in the face of all the false prophets. Jesus said no one, not even Christ, knows the day or hour of His appearing, but the Father only. My wife and I decided today, the day most prominently predicted for our Lord’s return, to drive down to KFC and have a chicken sandwich and some ‘tater wedges. And it didn’t disappoint. Those sandwiches were enormous, hot, and fresh, and we had wedges left over. We were not disappointed at all that the rapture didn’t come. We were ready either way. The point of today’s verse, taken from the parable of the 10 virgins, is to be ready. We do not know when we’re leaving for our eternal home. Charlie Kirk left home that fateful morning, fully expecting to see his wife and children in a few hours. But his precious wife said that when the bullet struck him, he blinked, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the face of the Savior. Charlie went home, just not his earthly home. There will be a rapture one day, but we may leave here long before it happens. We don’t fixate on the Lord’s return on a certain day or time because He warned us not to do that. We focus on the readiness part, and make sure we know we’ve trusted in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord. Then, whether He comes for us in the clouds, or comes personally to take us away, we are not startled by His appearing. 1 Corinthians 15:53-54, “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory”.
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September 23, 2025
Mark 9:23-24, “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”
Most days, I’m so glad these verses are in the Bible. This man had brought his child to Jesus, asking for a miracle of deliverance. Our Lord said that if he would just believe, all things were possible. But the man knew his inadequacy, and knew that while he was reaching out in faith, a part of him was still unbelieving. Whenever I read this story or think about it, I always see myself completely identifying with the man’s confession. I wish I were so strong in faith that doubt never entered my mind. I wish I were always so sure that God was moving on my behalf that I could rise from prayer and never wavering, call it a done deal. But I’m just like the man in this story: I wrestle with doubts, fight with fear, and sometimes falter even when I’ve declared I’m standing on God’s Word. David said it like this in Psalm 56:3, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee”. David? Afraid? Does that fit his story? He killed a giant when he was but a teenager. He killed a bear and a lion that was attacking his sheep. The Bible reveals him to be a fierce warrior, and yet, he spoke about times he was afraid. The Lord knows our weaknesses, and He remembers we are bumbling, stumbling humans. He honors our faith, even when it’s, by comparison, smaller than a mustard seed. I’ve been saved for a long time and have seen God do mighty and great things for me. He’s answered prayers for things that seemed impossible, and He has shown Himself to be a faithful and true friend. You’d think by now I’d have watermelon-size faith. But it seems with each trial, when I begin to trust God, leaning on His promises, the battle begins. Maybe you’re like me and identify with the words of 1 Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of faith”. That’s where the perseverance and tenacity of the saints come in: we acknowledge our faith isn’t perfect, but it’s real, and we raise our prayers of faith to God, holding tightly to His promises. As tightly as a child can hold. When we stumble, by the grace of God, we get up, dust off the discouragement, and press towards the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Maybe we can pray together: “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief”.
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September 22, 2025
Colossians 3:1-2 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth”
A quick scan of the news, both here in America and abroad, and you might come away feeling like all hope is gone. Many of us sense that there’s been a big shift in everything and that it’s happened lightning fast in the past few years. It’s a sort of uneasiness, at times a grimness that my grandmother used to call “a worry”. It’s things we can’t always put our finger on, things we can’t verbalize and connect all the dots on, and yet, we know things are different. This isn’t negativity speaking; it’s a reality of the rapidly expanding differences in our world, and we’re experiencing the change daily. How do we follow the teaching of today’s verses and keep this eternal, Christ-centered view when we’re only surrounded by things that are temporary and a society about to burst at the seams? It’s an act of our will, powered by the Holy Spirit, to intentionally direct our thoughts and attention towards Jesus. We pursue heavenly vision by worshiping, desiring His presence, and acknowledging that our Lord is at the right hand of God, interceding for us. Matthew 6:19 tells us,” Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal”. Unless we do this, the pull of the temporary things of this world will seep into our minds and hearts, and provide tinder for the surging fires of discontent and covetousness. A daily reckoning, a time when we stop everything and evaluate what we’re doing, what we’re thinking about, and where it’s taking us, would help us all. It only takes a second to remind ourselves that everything we see, touch, and feel is temporary. The news bombarding us is out of our control, God is and always will be on heaven’s throne, and everything down here, as the Old Testament so many times says, “will come to pass”. We need to look heavenward daily and confess as did the saints before us in Hebrews 11:13-14,” These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country”. Jesus said in Luke 21:28, “Look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh”.
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September 21, 2025
Romans 3:13-14 “Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”
Verses 10-18 of this chapter of Romans use Old Testament teaching to describe the spiritual depravity of man and his fall into the depressing, dismal depths of sin. It’s an ugly picture of the worst of humanity, and frankly, it describes a lot of what we see and hear around us today and in the news. Today’s verses describe the words of the wicked, saying that their throat, a word for larynx or voice, is an open grave. Now that brings up a horrid picture of a dead body thrown aside, uncovered in plain sight, decomposing with a wretched smell. It’s when mouths speak words that are foul, wicked, and disgusting. This nation should be ashamed of the profanity we have accepted as normal speech. We should be angry and nauseated at the filth we hear spewing from the mouths of our leaders, entertainers, and even those who say they align with the Lord. We hear cursing by men, women, and children everywhere. They’re continually taking the name of the Lord in vain, and vulgar speech is becoming the societal norm. We’re watching and hearing a pathetic, nasty culture unapologetically disintegrate into a pool of verbal trash. One thing is for sure: God’s Word says in Matthew 12:34 that what’s coming out of our mouths is proof of what’s in our hearts. They speak vile and wicked because they are vile and wicked. Of all the religious leaders I’ve heard recently, Franklin Graham is the only one I’ve heard mention this, and he called for our political leaders to refrain from swearing. It’s shameful that they have to be urged to clean up their speech, and so far, they’ve ignored Graham’s pleas. Today’s verse follows up by calling out lying tongues, poisonous lips, and cursing, bitter speech. The word cursing refers to commanding or calling for God’s damnation. I beg all of us to guard our lips and speak those things that are honorable, honest, and uplifting. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:29,31-32, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers”. “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you”. Good, peaceful, and honest hearts produce good, peaceful, and honest words.
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September 20, 2025
Colossians 1:14 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins”
When the Lord was ready to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, He sent the final plague on Egypt. But before the destruction, He told the Israelites to kill a lamb and, using a branch from a hyssop bush, they were to dip the hyssop into the blood of the lamb and smear the blood on the sides and top of the doors of their dwellings. God promised them in Exodus 12:12-13, “For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt”. We hear a lot on the internet, religious broadcasts, and from pulpits about believing in God, a new start with the Lord, life resets, and hope through faith. But the foundation of saving faith rests on two principles: The blood of Jesus, spilled on the cross, and His glorious resurrection three days later. Those born again are not having a life-reset, a renewal of hope, or a spiritual encounter. They have seen themselves as lost sinners, acknowledged that Jesus shed His blood, dying in their place. They repented of their sins and believed that God raised Jesus from the dead just as He promised He would, ensuring them the gift of eternal life. Today’s verses tell us that, “we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins “. The scriptures declare in 1 Peter 1:18-19, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot”. And in Hebrews 9:22, “without shedding of blood is no remission”. We need the presentation of God’s plan of salvation with the truth that only by the precious blood of Jesus Christ are we forgiven. Revelation 1:5, “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood”. What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
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September 19, 2025
Romans 16:20 “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly”
When it seems like there’s no end to the evil around us, when it seems like violence and wars will never cease, and when it seems like the future looks bleak, we have today’s verse. The word bruise here, referring to Satan, the original source of all that is wicked, deceitful, and destructive, means to completely crush him, break him into pieces, and trample him underfoot. We will not do this, but God will. Almost every day, the news carries stories of unspeakable, wicked crimes against innocent people, especially children. We are fulfilling the words of Isaiah 5:20, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness”. It’s sickening and disgusting to hear about all the prominent, pompous men, men who had power, influence, and wealth beyond imagination, who ran with Epstein, and know that they are only a tiny sample of what the Almighty God sees every day. The young girl murdered by a demonic maniac on the train, police officers murdered in the line of duty, and Charlie Kirk gunned down by a man following the brainwashing of evil are small examples of what happens every day. It’s dreadful to watch the leaders and nations of the world denying the horrors of the holocaust, and march down the same road to a place that Hitler and his hideous servants went only a few decades ago. The cries of seven million Jewish people, men, women, and children who suffered and died in ways beyond imagination, are being silenced by the hatred and contempt of a world empowered by Satan. The atrocities committed against the descendants of Abraham through the years are being seen again, and Satan is at the root. And what he will unleash on this world in the near future will make all the evil he’s planned and executed in the past look insignificant. But the God of peace will completely crush Satan under the feet of God’s people soon. His days are numbered, and I like to remind him that after God finally crushes him, his destination is declared in Revelation 20:10, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever”. An allegory or a symbolic fable? Not hardly. Devil underfoot soon.
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September 18, 2025
Mark 14:36 “And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt”
Sometimes, this is a hard prayer to pray. Jesus prayed it when He was wrestling within Himself in the Garden of Gethsemane, crying out to His father. The words, Abba Father, are a child’s name for its father, daddy, father. Can you hear the intensity of His soul as he cries out? All of us can be at a place like that when we are facing things we don’t want to face and wishing there was a better way forward than the path we see in front of us. Like Jesus, we declare that nothing is impossible with God, and we know all He has to do is speak the Word and everything changes. But the final say is in His hands, and when we finally exhaust all our prayers and yield to His will, there’s a strange peace from knowing that we belong to Him, we are His children, and He has a plan and purpose for us that will work all things for our good. It’s still sometimes hard to say, “Not my will, but Yours be done”. I was at that place again today when my wife and I were headed to the doctor for a follow-up appointment from 2 recent scans I’ve had. My insurance company had refused to pay for a PET scan this year, so they sent me for another CT scan. It showed something they couldn’t make out in the area where the tumor had been, and even after having been declared cancer-free a few months ago, it raised a question. So, they sent me for an MRI scan, and that one too was inconclusive. The doctor said they’re going to put pressure on the insurance company to authorize a PET scan just to make certain all is well. It seemed easier 5 years ago to pray, “Your will be done,” when the cancer was first diagnosed than it does now. It’s because none of us like trials to begin with, and when they’re long, drawn-out ordeals, we just want God to deliver us so we can put it all behind us. But we either trust His plan for us or we don’t. And, after we’ve stood on the Word of God concerning our situation, declared our faith in His unlimited power, and acknowledged Him in all of our ways, the only thing left is to come boldly to the throne of grace and receive what He has for us. I proclaim Isaiah 12:2, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song”.
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September 17, 2025
Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”
It seems strange to me that there are people who make a lot of money by being “influencers”. People follow them on social media, and the influencers are always hawking products and recommending lifestyles and points of view. When we were growing up, none of us ever had the idea of lugging around a huge water bottle as if we were going to walk across the Sahara Desert. We stayed outside all day, and when we got thirsty, we drank out of someone’s garden hose. Not saying that water bottles are a bad idea, but when we have to have a certain size and a certain brand to imitate an influencer, that’s a bit too much. But we’re all being influenced by someone or something, and today’s verse tells us our minds need to be influenced by the things of God, not the ideas and views of this world. When we follow the beliefs and hold the values of this world, the scripture says in Colossians 1:21, “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works”. But by the new birth and the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, 1 Corinthians 2:16 says, “But we have the mind of Christ”. There is a battle always going on to dominate our thoughts and the Bible describes this in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”. How do we bring our thoughts under control as described here as “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”? We have to change the source-stream of our thoughts: Renew the things in our lives that contribute to the way we think. Better choices in the entertainment we have, friends and their conversations, music we listen to, and time spent in prayer and meditation on the things of the Lord help us in this battle. God’s Word must be the source of our thought material. It is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. The truth of God’s Word must replace all the lies and worldly craziness that people’s minds normally use as a source of their thoughts. We transform our minds by renewing them with truth and focusing on the grace of God, the peace of God, the mercy of God, and the will of God. A transformed mind that is filled with God’s truth is a priceless treasure.
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September 16, 2025
Matthew 24:42,44 “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”
The internet and social media are ablaze with predictions that Jesus is coming next week, either the 23rd or 24th, depending, I assume, on your time zone. I’ve watched a few videos of people with some rather elaborate calculations, along with some other circumstances, which they say are pretty solid proof. I’ve also seen some other videos of people refuting those claims, with one fellow declaring that Jesus is absolutely NOT coming on those days. I remember back a few years ago, 2014 and 2015, when there were four “blood moons” and the internet was filled with people who thought that was a sign of Christ’s appearing. Some ministers even wrote books on the subject and raked in a lot of money. But they say this time is different because there are too many things all aligning at the same time to dismiss it as another soon-to-be failed attempt at foretelling our Lord’s return. I hope Jesus does return next week because I’ve been looking for Him since I became a believer years ago. Even better, I hope He returns before I finish typing this devotion. Today’s verses are our Lord’s words, encouraging us to watch for Him because we do not know when He will return. In fact, He said in Mark 13:32-33, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is”. The point is in Jesus’ words, “Therefore be ye also ready”. It’s for sure that a casual look at the world and its current state, in every country, there are upheavals, violence, and uncertainty. The clock is ticking towards an eternity that many people are unprepared for or even considering. It’s a mindless, mad rush into a future with no thoughts of the God who made them and to whom they will one day stand accountable. The old message of “You must be born again” is a strange concept in many countries that were once bastillions of the faith. But whether Jesus comes this week, next week, or next year, He IS returning, and those of us who anticipate His appearing are ready. It’s a point of mockery, scoffing, and giddy glee by those who have abandoned their faith in the Bible’s inerrancy and the glory of God’s dispensations. But we stand firm and undeterred: Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
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September 15, 2025
Daniel 1:8 “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself”
When the Babylonian army defeated Israel and destroyed Jerusalem, Daniel had been captured and forced to live in Babylon. The Babylonians often took the most promising young people of places they conquered as captives to assimilate them into the Babylonian culture and use their talents to strengthen their empire. Daniel was at a life-defining moment in today’s verse. He could follow the Babylonian ways and perhaps excel, making the best of a terrible situation, or he could refuse to follow any Babylonian things that were not permitted by the Law of Moses. One such thing was the dietary customs of the Babylonians, which included foods forbidden by the Jewish Law. Daniel purposed in his heart to obey the Law of Moses and not compromise his faith. The word “purposed” here comes from a Hebrew word “suwm,” which means to set one’s heart with a spiritual discipline that steadfastly follows God’s divine order. Standing strong in his faith, Daniel made a deliberate, unwavering decision to pursue intentional holiness. When we are in situations that test our faith and our allegiance to the Lord, honoring God and doing what’s right isn’t always easy. The enemy will offer us many reasons and excuses to lower our standards and choose to fly under the radar. Daniel could have thought to just eat a small amount of food that was forbidden and to eat mostly food that was Kosher. He could have decided that God wouldn’t mind, and that, after all, the Lord allowed him to get put in that situation. He could have opted for a stealthy solution and scraped off the forbidden food into the trash when no one was watching. But he made a bold, faith-based decision openly and unapologetically. The Bible tells us that the vegetarian diet Daniel and the other young Jewish men with him chose over the meat eaten by the Babylonians was so nutritious that Daniel and his fellows were much healthier than those who ate a Babylonian-style diet. There’s no doubt that the Lord blessed their food because of their faith. Daniel became a great man God used mightily during his captivity and went on to write the amazing Book of Daniel. His story encourages us to stand strong in our faith in God and His Word and refuse to compromise. It encourages us to make decisions based on what the Bible says, not what the world around us thinks and does.
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September 14, 2025
Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work…For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
Let’s take a few minutes today to reflect on this third commandment of the Ten Commandments. In our New Testament dispensation of salvation by grace through faith, we do not keep the commandments to become righteous. But the principles of the commandments are very much a part of the teaching of grace such as honoring our parents taught in Ephesians 2:6. So, this commandment to set aside the Sabbath day as a day of rest and honor of the Lord, linked to the seventh day in God’s week of creation, should be considered as a principle we can see a need for in our day of grace. The Bible says in Mark 2:27-28. “And he (Jesus) said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath”. God set a day aside for His people to stop working, stop focusing on buying and selling, and spend the day with their families, directing their attention to Him. It was not a commandment to confine people, frustrate them, or cause them any harm. God commanded His people to set aside a day a week where they could rest, relax, and enjoy an entire day of peace and good times. Can you imagine that? They didn’t cook but ate pre-prepared meals. They weren’t instructed to attend public worship services, and they didn’t travel far, mainly to visit with their families and friends. Parents taught and instructed children in the ways of God, and they did activities together that united their families around their Jewish heritage and their faith in God. It was a weekly blessing, something to look forward to in the work week, and God gave it so people would refresh spiritually. Our world never stops for anything. Even when we take vacations, they’re not times of rest. And, we’re so used to the continual motion and activities, that when we have to stop for some reason, we feel anxious, bored, and even guilty. But the principle of the Sabbath is in the scriptures, and we might do well to consider its value.
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September 13, 2025
Numbers 20:7-8 “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water”
The Israelites were in the desert, and there was no water. When Moses and Aaron went to God for an answer, the Lord spoke the words in today’s verse. They were to speak to a rock, and water would flow from the rock. But that day, Moses didn’t do as the Lord told him. The Bible gives us his actions in verses 10-11: “And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also”. Instead of speaking to the rock, he took his rod and struck the rock twice. And, to make matters worse, he didn’t attribute the miracle to God alone but spoke as if he and Aaron, along with God, were the ones performing the miracle. He said, “Must we fetch you water out of this rock?”. Even though the Lord followed through and sent water, because of Moses and Aaron’s lapse in faith and reverence for God in this incident, God would not allow them to enter the promised land. It’s a point we should all reflect on because before that day, Moses had always obeyed the Lord and interceded to God for the people as a priest. But the account shows us that as great as Moses was, and the Lord said of him when he died in Deuteronomy 34:10, “And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face”, we can all be sometimes carried away by unbelief, pride, anger, and a disregard for the Holiness of God. The pain of God’s rebuke to Moses was great. The thing he had dreamed of and longed for, leading God’s people into their wonderful promised land, was taken from him. God allowed Moses to stand on top of a mountain and look at the promised land, but would not allow him to enter. Don’t think Moses wasn’t saved because he appeared alive and well to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17:3. But his disobedience cost him a great blessing. Let’s pray every day that the Holy Spirit will fill us and that we will be faithful to obey our Lord.
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September 12, 2025
Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord”
This verse reminds me of our Lord’s teaching in St John 15:7, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you”. The words “dwell in you” mean that the Word of God needs to get down inside us and have a home there. It’s not just picking up a Bible now and then and skimming over a couple of verses or sitting through a Sunday Morning sermon where the minister mentions some scriptures as part of his message. It’s like training for a profession where you read and study everything you can about the subject until you become an encyclopedia of knowledge. If I go to a Doctor, I prefer one who doesn’t have to leave the room and start looking through his medical books, searching for a clue to what’s ailing me. Believers become so acquainted with God’s Word that it becomes part of their identity. It forms the foundation of our lives and, as we interact with others, the good news of Jesus Christ flows from us to encourage and bless others. Job said in Job 23:12, “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food”. This gives us the comparison that, just as we hunger for food and take it into our bodies, we hunger for the Word of God as the Bread of life and hide it in our hearts. It’s a call for us to give the Bible a place of honor in our lives. An encouragement to set a priority to read and study God’s Word and make it a discipline in our daily patterns. We will make time in our busy schedules for prayer and the Word of God together: More important to our souls than a nutritional meal is to our bodies. Let’s read and study like an explorer looking for a treasure. The Word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light for life’s path. It’s the sword of the Spirit and the source of our faith. It changes the way we see ourselves, others, and the world around us. God’s Word tells us about our heavenly destination and protects us as we journey. Psalms 119:140, “Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it”.
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September 11, 2025
Acts 27:44 “And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land”
The shipwreck described in Acts 27 is one of my favorite Bible accounts. It’s full of experienced sailors making bad choices, the I-told-you-so’s of the Apostle Paul, and the dramatic fury of a Mediterranean cyclone beating a ship full of people and cargo for days. Seasoned crews were in hopeless despair, and what started as a calm, pleasant voyage ended with disaster and great financial loss. But it’s also the story of the magnificent power of God, working in a great storm, keeping Paul and all those sailing with him safe. Today’s verse describes how when the ship crashed on rocks and broke apart, everyone on board made it safely to shore. Swimming, clinging to broken pieces of the ship, and floating on boards. Soaking wet, in a driving rain, but alive. There are many metaphors and allegories in the events of that shipwreck that picture the storms and trials we all go through. From the gospels, we get the account when Jesus commanded a storm to cease, and the Bible says that immediately, there was a great calm. That’s the way we like it, and we sing, “He’s the Master of the sea”, at the top of our lungs. We testify that He is Lord of all, the One who can rescue us out of trouble by simply saying 3 words: “Peace be still”. We smile from ear to ear. But we don’t like it when the storms beat us severely and wreck our plans. Then we’re washed up on the shore, alive and safe, but soaking wet, cold, and trying to figure out what just happened and why. But what I like about the Acts story is that there were people on the island who built a fire for the cold, wet strangers and welcomed them. The Bible says they showed the shipwrecked people great kindness. Paul was able to minister to them, healing the Chief’s sick father and several other sick people on the Island. God worked good things in a seemingly terrible situation and He always will. To this day, the bay where Paul and the others were washed ashore is called “St Paul’s Bay”. A lot of these devotions are written to encourage us in our trials because, when I look around, I see people dealing with a lot of trouble. We all need the assurance that the Lord knows where we are, and that, like Paul in Acts 27, He will not only bring us through our storms, but He will restore all the enemy has tried to steal from us.
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September 10, 2025
2 Corinthians 4:15 “For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God”
Paul wrote to the church at Corinth in this verse, telling them that his preaching, his suffering, and the goal of his ministry were for their sakes. He says that the end result is that it will all bring more and more thanks for God’s glory. In this age of Laodicea, if many were honest, they would say, “All things are for my sake, that I can become all I’ve dreamed to be”. But when we see people through the wisdom of God’s Word, we see a world of souls that God loves so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die in their place. We reach out to them by encouraging them with the message of Isaiah 45:22, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else”. Some people are easy to love. They have certain qualities in their personalities, and the way they carry themselves, make us want to help them and befriend them. They seem receptive, kind, and appreciative. Others are like thorn bushes: prickly, defensive, and quarrelsome. We can’t let distractions like people’s complex personalities stop us from surrendering ourselves to the call of the gospel. We can’t just minister to those who are pleasant and receptive. Jesus died for all, and at the root of the hearts of those who seem to reject our Lord, there is often a story of pain only God can imagine. When the church turns away from them, it’s just another wound of false hope. Let’s rise up, filled with the Holy Spirit, and the message our Lord preached: “Whoever comes to me, I will in no wise cast them out”. It’s time to put away any chips on our shoulders and the temptation to be quickly offended. It’s time to come into agreement with Romans 13:14 and “Put on Christ”, where the Greek word is a picture of getting dressed in a garment that covers us. This world doesn’t need to see us; It needs Jesus. We do what we do in His name, but for the benefit of those we serve. Our goal? That the Lord may be honored above all, and that all glory and praise go to Him.
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September 9, 2025
Job 23:8-9 “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him”
Sometimes God seems so close, and we enjoy the fullness of His presence. We don’t struggle in our prayers, and we have solid faith that He is listening and answering. The Holy Spirit makes Himself known, and we sense His guiding power. Times like those are akin to seasons of revival when our souls are lifted up, and we find ourselves singing praise to the Lord. I wish I could stay in a constant state of awareness of the Lord, full of faith, and expecting Him to do great things. But Job is describing seasons when our faith is weak, and the Lord seems far away. We all experience this, and we become spiritually cold, almost numb to the things of God that had the power to move us closer to Him. Part of us, our soul that was created to be near to God, longs to be restored to a place of sweet communion with Him. Our human nature withdraws, enjoying the activities and distractions of this world, pulling our thoughts in circles of anything and everything that seeps in to replace our focus on the heavenly. Praise God, believers can’t stay in a place of apathy towards the Lord long. The Holy Spirit begins to push us towards Him, causing us to remember how wonderful it is to walk in His presence and power. We might think and feel that God is hiding Himself, but He is actively at work, following a plan that once again will restore us to full fellowship with Him. Times of coldness, times when our fire for the Lord has stopped burning hot and bright, are times when He is testing us, causing us to become hungry for the bread of life and thirsty for the living water. God hasn’t abandoned us, pushed us away in anger or disgust, or playing some kind of game. He’s helping us to become more Christ-centered and more thankful for His nearness. We should never take the Lord’s presence for granted or forget that He will not compete with this world for our attention and devotion. Jesus taught us in Luke 11:34, “The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness”.
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September 8, 2025
Genesis 7:16 “And they that went in (into the ark), went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in”
This verse is a point to ponder because it reveals the security of the ark and the safety of all those inside: “The Lord shut him in”. There was no need for Noah to question, “wonder if I shut the door tightly enough?” or “should I have made the latches stronger?”. Because when God shut the door, that action spoke to several things. First, the God-shut door meant God had sealed the ark and locked it tight. I believe Noah and his sons did a good job building the boat, following God’s directions carefully. But I believe because the ark was an instrument of God’s grace, it was unsinkable. No matter how fierce the floods, how powerful the winds, and how deep the water, the ark simply could not sink because it was God’s plan to keep all the people and animals inside the ark alive. He planned to use them to repopulate the earth after the destruction of all things. Second, the God-shut door separated all those inside from those outside. Noah didn’t shut the door against the unbelieving world that had rejected God’s Word: God did it. When God shut the door, it meant there was a point when all choices had been made, and God took full responsibility for the salvation of those inside the ark and the destruction of those outside. Thirdly, all those inside the ark were safe, and everyone who entered the ark came through the flood and exited the ark after the judgment was over. Noah and his family didn’t have to fiddle with the door or worry about it leaking to keep themselves safe from the destructive water. They were sealed in, a type of Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption”. St John 10:9 tells us that Jesus is the door, and all those who come to God through Him will be saved. In Jesus, we are invited, we are welcome, we are shut in, we are secure, and God is with us. In this time of worldwide confusion, uncertainty, and the coming judgment, it is a blessed comfort to know we are safe. Jesus is our ark, and all who trust in Him have His promise, given in John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand”.
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September 7, 2025
1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love”
The initial context of the fear described here points us back to verse 17, “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world”. Although the scriptures tell us to fear the Lord, for believers, that’s not a fear that has us trembling in uncertainty before the righteous Judge of the universe. Instead, with wonder and reverence, we come into His presence now and will also do so at the judgment seat of Christ in boldness. If we fear His wrath and judgment, it is because we have not fully trusted His amazing love, called here, “made perfect in love”. But it’s not only the day of judgment when we do not have to fear God’s condemnation, it’s also in this life. One of the lies of the enemy is when he tries to make us doubt that God is not in control of all the facets of our lives. In every circumstance that seems to have a possibility of causing us harm, holding us back, or in some way having a negative impact on us, the devil will whisper gloom, doom, death, and destruction to us as if God either doesn’t love us or care enough to deliver us. For example, when the medical report looks questionable, the devil will start with his “it’s bad, bad, bad, and death, death, death is on the horizon”. When we have become fully confident in God’s love for us, the meaning of perfect love, we will not listen to the lies of the enemy because we know we belong to the Lord, body, soul, and spirit. Nothing can happen to us unless it first comes with His will or permission. And, no matter what it is, it’s always going to work for our good. Knowing and trusting God’s love and faithfulness to us casts out the fear. That doesn’t mean every circumstance is pleasant or in line with our wants and will, but it does mean that God will be with us and we will come out on the other side in victory with the Lord’s stamp of approval. Let’s make it a point and purpose of our lives to get grounded in the grace and love of our Amazing God. Let’s praise Him in the storms, follow Him in the valleys, and shout His name on the mountain tops! We are His people, His children, and it’s all about His everlasting love for us!
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September 6, 2025
Philippians 4:5 “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand”
The word moderation here is translated from a word that has multiple meanings, all giving us a description of a gentle, peaceful, considerate, and reasonable person. In the Old Testament, Abigail in 1 Samuel 25 is an example of such a person. She was married to a fellow named Nabal, whose name means: Idiot, fool. When foolish Nabal insulted David and his band of fighting warriors, David and his men were on their way to kill Nabal and everyone in his household. But Abigail hurried to meet David en route and spoke graciously, humbly, and wisely to him. David changed his mind and spared Nabal and his household. In the New Testament, our Lord was confronted with a woman accused of adultery, and during that encounter, Jesus showed us what moderation means. He remained holy and righteous, but His words and acts of kindness to the woman speak to us of how to show gentle compassion and consideration to all people. The religious leaders threw her to the ground at Jesus’ feet, but Jesus stooped down to where she was and restored her to a place of dignity. He was kind, gentle, peaceful, considerate, and reasonable. Some have taken the phrase, “The Lord is at hand,” as referring to the second coming. And, that may be a meaning. But it also refers to the fact that the Lord is always near us and He is fully aware of all our circumstances. We can be kind and gentile because He is fighting our battles. We can be kind even to our enemies because our Lord knows every heart and every intent. He is the avenger of all wrongs against His children. When we receive Jesus as Lord of our lives, we surrender our personal rights to Him. That’s a point of hesitation for many people, and they want to hold on to their right to get revenge, their right to have their way, their right to speak their minds, and their right to plot the course of their destiny. But when we surrender our will to Him, walking by faith in His promises and power, we know that He is directing our steps and working all things for our good. His way for us is the way of peace, the path of kindness, and the walk of grace. He is always with us, and the Holy Spirit is always encouraging us to trust the Lord, to rely on His strength, and live with the goal of “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God”. Our moderation will be noticed by everyone.
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September 5, 2025
Luke 13:34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!”
Our Lord spoke these words after being scorned with contempt by the ruler of the synagogue. Jesus had healed a woman on the Sabbath day, an act that made the religious crowd angry. They were so wrapped up in their traditions that they thought it was a sin for someone to be healed on the Sabbath. Our Lord’s response to the religious ruler is given in verses 15-16, “The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?”. Even though there was so much morally wrong with Jerusalem, Christ’s love for the city and its inhabitants can be seen in His lament in today’s verse. He pointed out that they killed and stoned the very people God sent to help them. He was foreshadowing His own death at the demands of the same religious leaders that supposedly represented God and were to guide people in the ways of Truth. Today, there are many who reject the message of Jesus and His cross, the very message that can set them free and give them joy. Some not only reject, but become angry when they encounter the gospel or people representing Christ. Why would a religious leader or anyone else get angry because a poor, suffering woman was healed? Why would anyone find fault with someone who is filled with love for people and does whatever they can to help them? Strange, isn’t it? But it reveals the depth and power of the hatred for the truth. God’s love for us is seen in our Lord’s words for Jerusalem as He uses the farming picture of a mother hen protecting her little chicks from danger. The people of that day had no doubt seen that example played out many times and the message touched their hearts. Even for those who are pushing the Lord away and stopping their ears to His call, God still loves them and is waiting for them to respond to His invitation: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. Matthew 11:28
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September 4, 2025
Romans 7:21 “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me”
Romans 7 deals with our dual natures as believers. We have been transformed by the grace and power of God, and by the Holy Spirit, we are no longer the servants of sin. Yet we still live in our mortal bodies, and our old nature still tempts us to think and act contrary to God’s will. This is the dilemma of today’s verse: We are led by the Holy Spirit to do God’s will, and at the same time, our old nature throws up resistance. Part of this chapter explains that when the Levitical Law was active, people seeking to obey the law could not escape the never-ending demands of the law. Worse yet, Paul said in verse 10, “the commandment (the law), which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death”. The summary and conclusion of the struggle is laid out in Romans 8:3-4, “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”. While our flesh, our human nature, still pulls at us, we no longer have to walk in its ways. Salvation has set us free to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. So, having the ongoing conflict between our old nature’s will to follow a path away from God, and the Spirit’s power, Who’s is guiding us in God’s ways, does not contradict Romans 6:11, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Every hour of every day, we are the Children of God, and Christ in us has overcome the world, our human nature, and the devil. The children sing, “Just say no to the devil,” and we should be singing it too. We don’t have to lie, cheat, steal, swear like a nincompoop, or walk puffed up with pride. We don’t have to be grouchy, argumentative, or unthankful. We have a new nature and a new mind: the mind of Christ. Whenever we would do good and evil is with us, we have the will and power to turn from the evil and do what is right.
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September 3, 2025
Romans 6:11-12 “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof”
These are strong words and strong doctrine. The word “reckon” here means to take an inventory and reach this conclusion: We are dead to the power of sin, but alive and responsive to the Lord and the things of God. This is a completely different theology than the one many people believe. Namely, that we are just poor old sinners saved by grace and still trapped in this body of flesh. So, it’s a foregone conclusion that we are just going to keep on sinning every day, and God understands that. His remedy? He just keeps pouring grace on us, and we keep continually feeling guilty and repenting. But salvation did not take away the possibility of us being lured by sin and following sinful ways. But now that we’re saved, we have the power of the Holy Spirit within us to help us say no to sin and turn away before it becomes embedded and we take its bait. Notice the command here: “Let not sin reign in your mortal body that ye should obey it”. We can’t always stop the thoughts from coming, and we can’t always avoid circumstances that tempt us. But we can choose not to follow through and allow sin to reign. This is not a doctrine of perfectionism, but a doctrine teaching that Jesus set us free from the chains of sin and that sin is no longer our boss. Verse 20 says, “For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness”. Follow this up with verse 22, “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life”. The old message of “I’m just a sinner” is a statement of defeat, of powerlessness. The true doctrine is one of power and victory. Yes, we may and will stumble and fall sometimes, but that’s not who we are now. Before salvation, we were sinners before God and unclean. But now, we are children of God, washed clean by Christ’s blood, and no longer the servants of sin. Does this contradict Paul’s argument in chapter 7, where he says in verse 21, “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me”? Absolutely not, and tomorrow, we will consider that section which concludes with Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death”. Halleluiah! We are more than conquerors!
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September 2, 2025
Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”
Does that verse really say that God is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think”? That means superior to, over the top, and more than enough. It means entirely, fully, thoroughly, way above, and beyond. Although we often settle for the mundane, God wants to do the extraordinary. Think about this verse for a while, and you will walk away expecting great things to happen. Have you seen the Lord do wonders for you or someone you know? Some of you, God has healed. Others, God has provided for you in a way that’s beyond explanation. God has broken addictions, brought wayward children back, and delivered from accidents. He has solved problems for which there were no known solutions, brought companionship or maybe a spouse that you know was heaven-sent, and helped you through a crisis. He brought people to your aid, delivered you from death, rescued you from self-imposed dilemmas, and the list never stops. Then why should we not expect the Lord to continue to show us His good favor, power, and grace, and do for us what seems utterly impossible? It’s not arrogance to expect that, it’s arrogance not to expect it because He is a God of the impossible. He wants to show us His glory. The prodigal could have lived out his life with the pigs. He would still have been his father’s son, but he didn’t. Peter could have stayed in the boat, but he didn’t. He walked on the water, stumbling a bit on the waves, but he still walked. Blind Bartimaeus could have remained blind, but he didn’t. He cried out to Jesus to do the impossible. David could have walked away from the giant and gone back to his sheep. That would have been a more sensible choice for a young teenage boy, but he didn’t. What’s our story going to be? Maybe it will be that we could have settled for humdrum, mediocre, Sunday-morning-style, Laodicean Christianity, but we didn’t. Maybe our testimony will be that we woke up, we sat up, and we stood up. Then we reached up, we prayed up, we believed up, and heaven came down. It could be that we will see exceedingly, abundantly above all we could think, ask, or even imagine! The point is, God is able! Let’s pray bold prayers and refuse to set little limits on what God can and is willing to do.
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September 1, 2025
Ecclesiastes 2:24 “There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God”
There have been many Bible teachers and scholars who have ripped this verse to shreds, along with much of Ecclesiastes, because they believe it comes from a fleshly, depressing point of view. I’ve read and listened to what they’ve said, but I come away with a different perspective. In the light of Jesus Christ and the New Testament, we certainly have a greater understanding of grace and truth, and salvation in Christ changes our eternal view as nothing else can. But today’s verse takes us back to the here and now with our families, jobs, houses and apartments, fast food, and all the other stuff that makes up our daily lives. It speaks to me to take a step back from trying to frame everything through a religious lens and simply enjoy the life that God has given me. On this Labor Day, when we celebrate the American worker, we can praise God for the health and strength He gives us to earn a living, buy things for our families, and then have a great time with some burgers on the grill and time with our friends and kin. We don’t have to have deep, spiritual discussions all the time, and just because we’re not humming a worship song doesn’t mean we’re backslidden and worldly. I read this verse as, “Enjoy the life God has given you and don’t spoil it by always wanting what you don’t have”. If God allowed you to have a job where you can afford to buy a steak to plop on your Blackstone Griddle, then praise God in your heart and cook that bad boy. If it’s a peanut butter and jelly day, thank God and enjoy that sandwich. To me, it’s about finding joy and contentment in everyday things and, as the verse says, cause our souls to enjoy the good of what we’ve worked for. Everything doesn’t have to be wrapped in a religious wrapper or interpreted by some imposed spiritual spin. We don’t have to spiritualize Tennessee Football, bass fishing, camping, or growing flowers to enjoy things that God allows in our lives. So, on this Labor Day, I encourage you to lighten up and read this verse again. Let’s purpose to live for God, but also let’s enjoy the life that the Lord God has given us. There are always some troubles and trials, but there are also great blessings and joy at our fingertips.
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