Devotional Posts

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. ~ Psalm 1:1-2 (NLT) Everyone wants to be happy. Well, most everyone. There are some curmudgeons who seem to take delight in complaining and making everyone miserable. But most people want to be happy in a more self-adjusted manner. But we often wonder how we get there. The Psalms is a book of collected ancient songs and prayers. Each, in some way or another, stands as a meditation on God and his … [Read more...] about The Source of Happiness

“But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.” ~Jesus, Mark 10:43-44 What makes a person great? If you look at the people we exalt in society, it would seem that greatness comes in money, power, fame, popularity, and ability. Yes, we will scoff at people with money or fame if they have a moral slip deemed too immense by society; but, for the most part, we flock to certain movies because of the headlining actor or actress, we listen to certain speakers because of the business they’ve built, and we pine for the … [Read more...] about Topsy-turvy Upside-down Greatness

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. ~ Judges 21:25 If you were looking for a Bible verse to describe the attitude and ethic in western culture today, Judges 21:25 might be your verse. We live in a culture that values individualism and autonomy so much that the greatest wrongs seem to be offending someone’s feelings about himself or herself and limiting a person’s self expression. We even see a love for autonomy in many churches. The churches of my tradition tend to wear it proudly as a badge: We are an autonomous body under no other … [Read more...] about When Individualism and Autonomy Rule (a meditation on the sense of self in the Christian life)

After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel. ~Judges 2:10 The Old Testament is filled with a lot of sad commentary about people and human nature, even among the nation that was supposed to be the people of God. One reason is that the God did not intend for us to idolize any one person or group of persons. He alone is God. The Bible recounts the many flaws, even of men and women of great faith, so that we will not look to anyone outside of Jesus for our salvation and hope. Still, there are some … [Read more...] about One Generation’s God Is Another Generations… (a meditation on how our lives witness to our children)

And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise. ~ Galatians 3:29 We all want to belong. The place God designed for us to naturally belong and be welcomed and accepted, to feel like we’re home, is family. Of course one of the sad realities of living in a post-Genesis 3 world is seeing so much brokenness and division in family life. But as much as Jesus came to redeem individuals, so he came to redeem family. In the story of scripture one family stands apart from all others: that of Abraham. After all, it was in Genesis 12 where God promised a land, … [Read more...] about Children of Promise

After writing that title, I feel the need to grunt or wrestle a bear or something. Yet I also have a confession about that title: I’m not really that much into ‘life verses’. If anyone ask me what my life verse is, I’m likely to tell them Judges 3:17 and get a good laugh after they look it up. But… the other day I was rolling through the New Testament passage in the two year Bible reading plan I put together for my church, and I came across an old familiar set of verses (meaning: I had memorized them at one point, but haven’t thought about them in a while. Sad, I know)—1 Corinthians … [Read more...] about A Dude’s Life Verse for Manly Manhood

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. ~ 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Shame. We all feel it at different times, either for a present failure or a past way of life. The past comes back … [Read more...] about “How could God love and use me?” (a meditation on the regrets of the past and the joys of now)

“These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness…” Deuteronomy 1:1 The book of Deuteronomy is about Moses as an old man and respected leader reminding a new generation of Israelites about their past while pointing them into the future. In Numbers 13 and 14 the people chose fear over faith. Despite all the good and powerful things God had done on their behalf up to that point, the people rejected the promises and cried out against God. Because of their sin, instead of taking possession of the land God had promised, the people had to wander the … [Read more...] about Remembering the Past, Looking to the Future

4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. ~ 1 Corinthians 3:4-7 We live in a world of favorites. What’s your favorite color? What’s your favorite food? We can choose to follow or not follow certain people on Facebook. We can favorite Instagram pics and Twitter tweets. In some cases, … [Read more...] about The Comparison Game (a meditation on things that divide us)