Category Archives: Daily devotions

Martyred

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2 Corinthians 10

We wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against the powers of evil. Paul tells us the weapons God gives us are powerful for the demolition of strongholds. “We demolish arguments…” (vs 4b)

No one used those weapons better than Charlie Kirk. He wielded the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, wearing the belt of truth as he talked to millions of young people on college campuses. He understood the fight wasn’t physical. He didn’t call for violence against people who disagreed. But he demolished his share of strongholds. He demolished arguments with simple, yet powerful truth.

What we learned this week is that the weapons of God don’t stop bullets. This young man was assassinated – yes, it’s assumed for his political views. But let’s not forget his political views were grounded on the truth of God’s Word. Charlie wasn’t afraid to make that abundantly clear.

Satan didn’t care if Charlie was a Republican. Satan cared that Charlie was a vocal Christian fighting, and winning, the war between truth and lies.

We Christians mourn the man, the father and husband, the Christian, the warrior. It’s hard to fathom that God allowed Charlie’s life on earth to end when we see so much more he could have done. But we aren’t God.

Charlie will be remembered as a martyr. A martyr is, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, “one who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce religious principles; one who makes great sacrifices or suffers much in order to further a belief, cause, or principle.” The truth is, Charlie knew the risks. He went willingly to Utah to further his belief, cause, and principles.

And, according to the Scriptures, Charlie has heard those precious words: “Well done, Charlie. Enter your reward.” Charlie’s life has just begun.

So the question is, how far am I willing to go to further my beliefs, cause, and principals? I believe Jesus is the only way to the Father. I believe without God’s saving grace on a repentant sinner, the end is an eternity separate from God with more pain than I or anyone can imagine. I believe the Bible is true from Genesis to Revelation, and apart from Scripture there is no truth.

Now what?

I’ve got some soul-searching to do. I thank God for the life and example of Charlie Kirk. I’ve followed his ministry for several years and as someone who is decades older than those Charlie ministered to, he has influenced my own way of thinking about certain things. But is a change in the way I think enough?

I pray that I, that we as fellow believers in Jesus, will carry on the fight with the same fervor and commitment to God as Charlie had. Satan took out one man. Let’s return fire with all of us wielding the weapons of God to carry on the fight against evil. Are you willing? Am I? The war isn’t over.

No Other Motive

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Matthew 6:1-4

I don’t think passing an offering plate or taking a march offering goes against what Jesus is teaching in these verses. It’s not the means of giving, or even if someone sees you giving. In fact, I personally think our children are being deprived of a tangible example of the importance of giving. I digress.

As always, Jesus is speaking to our hearts. Our motives. I’ve always thought I understood that in regard to this portion of the Sermon on the Mount. But Oswald Chambers suggests I didn’t understand at all. (Studies on the Sermon on the Mount; Oswald Chambers Publishing; updated 2016).

Chambers sees Jesus telling us to “have no other motive in giving than to please God.” (Page 30) That, he says, includes being motivated to give by “they need help,” or “they deserve it,” or “it will do them good.”

No other motive.

So now I’m asking myself if I give to my church because they need to pay the bills. Do I give to missions so we’ll meet our goal? Do I take a meal because someone had surgery? Do I write my check each month thinking about my obligation to tithe, or the line-item on my tax form for charitable giving?

No other motive.

Jesus is telling us that wanting to please him ought to be our motive to the point that it’s second nature, our right hand won’t be aware of our left hand because our focus is on God.

That’s not limited to financial giving, either. I’m asking myself today if I give of my time, talents, and money with the singular goal of bringing a smile to God’s face. If others are blessed by what I do, do I consider that a bi-product of my desire to please God with my giving? Or do I consider the people who are blessed as my reason to give?

Will the decisions I make today, the words I say, the attitudes I have, and the love I express be motivated by my desire to please God, and nothing less?

That’s my prayer.

The Work

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Genesis 6:14-22

Warren Wiersbe, in his study on Genesis entitled Be Basic, talks about some things we can learn from Noah. Yesterday I shared about the fact that Noah was a believing man who walked with God. What a privilege we have of that same walk with God as we believe on HIs Son.

Today I concentrated on the second of Noah’s attributes that are imitation-worthy. Wiersbe says Noah was a faithful man who worked for God. I’d like to described as a faithful woman who works for God.

Throughout Scripture we are told that faith and works go together. James tells us faith without works is dead, meaning that if you aren’t actively working for the Lord, you’d better check your faith-pulse.

But we’re also told that we are saved through faith and not our works. I think Noah is a great example of the truth if it.

It started with Noah’s faith. God didn’t find favor with Noah because Noah was a nice guy. Noah was the only person (and by extension his sons and family) in the world who still honored God. Noah demonstrated his faith to the world by obeying God’s instruction to build a big boat on dry land. Not just a big boat, mind you. Probably the biggest structure built my any man at that time.

Plus… it had to be seaworthy.

For 120 years Moses dragged lumber, mixed pitch, pounded nails, all the while explaining the importance of what he was doing to the masses who simply laughed at him. Regardless of their opinions, Noah kept working for God. God was providing the means of salvation for anyone who would believe. And Noah would not be deterred from being instrumental in that work.

You say you’ve placed your faith in God. What does that look like? God has provided the means of salvation for anyone who believes. Are you being instrumental in HIs work?

Moses could have had all the faith in the world. But without doing the work God had given him, things would look quite differently today. Have faith in God. Then get to work.

In The Beginning God…

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Genesis 1:1

Happy New Year, 2025. Praying that God will be glorified in you, and that you will know the joy that comes from an honest relationship with your Savior. What a privilege we have to know our Creator as our friend.

This year, instead of reading the Bible through, I’ve chosen to do a topical series of studies written by Warren Wiersbe known as the “BE Series.” I’m starting with “Be Basic,” a study on Genesis 1-11. Not sure what this will look like, or how often I’ll post my thoughts. But my plan is to read the study along with God’s Word every day, journal my thoughts, and meditate on the beauty of Scripture as led by Rev. Wiersbe.

Today I was challenged to considered the first four words of the Bible: “In the beginning God…”

What does it mean to me that God is eternal? I can’t wrap my mind around “always existed.” I think I can imagine eternity future, never ending. But eternity past? How long did God exist before He created anything? What did He do all that time?

And there’s my answer. Words like “always,” or “future,” “ending,” “past,” “before,” and “time” are words bound by time. God exists outside of time. He exists in a perpetual “now.”

It’s not that He was or will be. It’s that He is. He just is. He even identified Himself as such when He told Moses, “I AM.” The disconnect comes with me, with my finite mind, limited understanding.

It’s like standing inches away from the Mona Lisa, gazing at it through a paper straw. If I tried to describe what I saw, or tried to imagine the whole, I would fail miserably. I would only be seeing the painting in part, I would not be able to understand the beauty of it. I would be limited by the lens through which I was looking.

Right now we can only know God in part. Our lens is like that of a paper straw. I love what I see through that straw, in nature and in His written Word. But if what I see of Him is limited by time and space, the whole of Him must be spectacular!

Even in my limited view of God, I see Him as all-powerful, all-knowing, kind, compassionate, faithful, true, righteous, and holy, singularly worthy of my worship. I can face the New Year with confidence, not because of who I am or what I’ve accomplished, or how determined I am to become a better person. I can face 2025 with confidence because of WHO GOD IS!

I can stand on the truth of, “In the beginning God…” because it’s THAT God I depend on.

Losing Faith

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Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30

I kind of feel bad for the Greek lady. She got on her knees and asked Jesus to help her, and His first was response was – NO! But she didn’t lose her faith. She stayed right there and boldly expressed her faith in Jesus’ ability to heal her daughter.

Is that how I react when God’s answer to my prayers isn’t immediate, when His first response is, NO or WAIT? Let me learn from this non-Jewish believer to hold onto faith no matter what.

God is faithful. Always. So I’m not losing my faith in Him.

I’m Excited

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The Gospels

Every time I start reading the Gospels I get excited. After nine months of reading the Old Testament, I finally arrive at what the prophets, the Law, even the lives of the Jewish people pointed me toward – Jesus!

As hard as it is to read parts of the Old Testament, I still love it. I love looking for pictures of Jesus in the day-to-day lives of the Jews, through the words of the prophets, and the poets. I think it’s an amazing part of the Bible and there is something to learn on every page. It provides the backdrop and helps us understand the significance of what we are about to read in the New Testament. – Jesus!

The fulfillment of every word from Genesis to Malachi – Jesus!

I love reading the Old Testament. But I can’t help but get excited when I turn the page to the New. What a privilege it is to get to know my Savior through the eyes of people who knew Him!

I pray that God will open my eyes, draw me closer, challenge, convict, strengthen me, and reveal Himself a bit more as I spend the next three months in the New Testament.

I’m excited!

What If We Obeyed?

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Zechariah 8; Ezra

The temple in Jerusalem was being rebuilt. There was opposition, of course. But the opposition could not stand against the Truth. God’s house would be restored.

The Jews let God call the shots. (now there’s a novel idea). They didn’t go to war against those who wanted to stop the work. There was no mean Twitter exchange. They kept on working and let the Truth do its thing.

In fact, here are the things God told them to do instead of seeking revenge:

“…Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord. (Zechariah 8:16-17)

I wonder what would happen if Trump and Harris obeyed this during tonight’s debate. I wonder how our nation, our churches, our families would fare if we all obeyed.

No, Thank You.

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Ezra 4

When people came and offered to help build the temple in Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity, Zerubbabel told them: no, thank you. Even though they claimed to seek God, and would have lightened the load on the Jews (many hands make light work), the people offering their help were not true believers. In fact, Scripture calls them enemies.

Zerubbabel told them they had no part in the building of the temple, and sent them away.

I wish the Church was as protective of the work of the Lord. today It seems we are quick to welcome anyone who knows the password: “I’m a Christian.” But we aren’t necessarily hearing what their lives are telling us.

We welcome the enemy by singing Bethel songs, listening to the likes of Joyce Meier, Andy Stanley, and Joel Osteen. We welcome the enemy when we focus our worship on the band, or focus on the raising of hands and clapping along with the drums. The enemy comes saying the Gospel needs to be relevant to a changing society, that homosexuals can be pastors, that humans are basically good. The list goes on.

We’ve welcomed the enemy, and think we’re building the Church. Zerubbabel knew that you can’t build anything pleasing to God working shoulder-to-shoulder with the enemy.

When are we going to realize the same?

Weird

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Ezekiel 3-4; Jeremiah 27-28

The label “weird” is being thrown out a lot lately in the political arena. No one likes to be thought of as weird. It’s a term that is intended to make you think something is wrong with you. That you don’t fit it. That you should be ashamed.

When I read about the Old Testament prophets, I have to think many were considered “weird” by the people around them. I mean, making a model of the city, putting a frying pan up as a barrier, then lying beside it on your side for a year and a half is weird. Going around with a yoke around your neck is weird. Reading God’s Word aloud in a public setting, then tying a rock to it and throwing it into the water is weird.

Elijah, Elisha, all the way up to the last Old Testament prophet, John the Baptist were all kind of weird. But their weirdness was obedience to God to point people to the truth. God revealed Himself in dramatic fashion through the obedience of these precious weird-os.

So what do people see when they look at you? Do they see someone who looks and acts just like a non-believer? Do they see someone who fits in, plays it safe, doesn’t stand out as a child of God?

Or are you weird because you are obedient to your Lord? It might seem weird to shine your light in a world that is more comfortable in the dark. But isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?

The world’s definition of “weird” IS WEIRD!

I hope you are weird.

Just Stop

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Psalm 49:13-14

There is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them.

Stop with the “I am powerful, I am beautiful, I am brave, important, worthy” ideology. Just stop! Not only are you NOT those things, you were never intended to be. You are not enough, and you never will be. This whole self-empowerment thing is really self-imprisonment.

I know you’ve been told differently, that you can’t be happy or successful or fulfilled unless you tell yourself how great you are often enough until you believe it. “Trust yourself,” they say.

Dear Ones, stop being sheep. The psalmist reminds us where that leads.

Instead, humble yourself before God and let Him lift you up. (see James 4:10). God is our refuge and strength, a present help, the giver of life and eternity through His Son. (see Psalm 46:1 and John 14:6)

You are wasting your time and squandering the blessings that come from surrendering to God. Stop trusting in yourself. In reality, you make a lousy god. Stop trying.

Just stop.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13, emphasis mine)