March 17, 2026

Matthew 5: 23, 24 (NIV)

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift.”

People sometimes assume that they have secured forgiveness without specifically asking to be forgiven.*

Jesus’ message in this chapter was about “fulfilling the law.” That is, filling the law full of authentic worship instead of empty ritualistic obedience. Here, he is specifically addressing religious Jews who knew what it meant to offer a gift at the altar. But Jesus was speaking to us as Christians, too.  While we don’t bring offerings to the altar, we do participate in comparable activities – corporate worship; the Lord’s Supper; private devotions – anything that brings us to the throne of God.

For an act of worship to be authentic, we must examine ourselves, our relationship with others, and our standing with God. In the course of our introspection, we may recall some rift in our connection with another person. As someone has stated, “Proper worship makes us mindful of duty to others.”* Jesus isn’t satisfied with our mere acknowledgement of the problem – he wants us to make amends with the other party and he wants it done now. 

I like this alternate rendering of Jesus’ words: thy brother hath cause of complaint against thee, just or unjust.* This version puts the responsibility on us to take action, whether our brother knows about the offense or not. We don’t get a pass just because the other person isn’t aware of what we’ve done or if we believe ourselves to be falsely accused.

Finally, he says, “Be reconciled, then go offer your gift.” Jesus doesn’t give us instructions about what to do if our attempt at reconciliation isn’t well-received. I won’t presume to tell you what to do in this case, but there are other scriptures that set a precedent for how to proceed if it becomes clear that you are engaged in futile activity. I think it is safe to say that if you have dropped everything to be reconciled to your brother as Jesus commanded, then the Holy Spirit will speak to your spirit and direct your next course of action.

In geometry I learned that the shortest distance between two points was a straight line. And that may be true in geometry but not necessarily true in your getting to God. Quite often in our approach of God . . . the most direct approach . . . is not a straight line but it is by an offended brother.*

March 16, 2026

Jeremiah 2: 13 (NIV)

“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug cisterns that cannot hold water.”

We will never be happy until we make God the source of our fulfillment and the answer to our longings.*

If you walk away from your spouse but remain celibate for the rest of your life, you are still being unfaithful. Being true to your marriage vows is about more than sex. Similarly, if you turn away from God as the source of living water (salvation), even if you don’t actually bow down to another object of worship, by default you have replaced God with a manmade container that can’t hold water. Trusting in anything other than God is unfaithfulness (idolatry).

What are people looking for in these leaky cisterns when they choose to walk away from God? The commentaries I consulted seemed to think these folks are searching for happiness. Perhaps we might fine-tune the thought and say they are seeking fulfillment. They look for fulfillment in wealth, pleasure, other religions, jobs, self-empowerment, and more, but these things are stored in broken cisterns. The leak may be slow but the well will inevitably run dry.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well, “Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4: 14) That’s the well I want to draw my water from!

There is nothing wrong with these things [income, investments, education, jobs, homes, insurance, and relationships] – until they become replacements for our trust in God.  When Christians try to create their own protection, it may be because we are attached to the plans we have made instead of the plans God has for us.*

March 15, 2026

Isaiah 49: 23 (NIV)

“Those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”

When we don’t become what we think we’re supposed to be, it makes us critical of ourselves and our lives. It causes us to be insecure, oversensitive, judgmental, frustrated, and unfulfilled. We become self-absorbed, constantly having to think about ourselves and what we should be. It forces us to try too hard to make life happen the way we think it is supposed to.*

Many of our disappointments in life stem from our unrealistic expectations. We seem to think that others can read our minds and thus meet our expectations, or we expect them to perform at a higher level than they are capable of. Perfectionists are frequently disappointed in themselves because they can’t meet their own expectations. We misunderstand the promises of God and so we think that he has let us down as well.

Because of these typical human shortcomings, we easily miss the point of this verse. We might hope that God will work things out according to our plans but that is not "hoping in the Lord." Hoping in him means that we put our trust in his solution and his timing. Whether we are control freaks or not, handing our control over to God is something we all have to learn how to do – it doesn’t come naturally to us. Once you have experienced it, you will wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. It is liberating to leave the heavy lifting to the one who will never disappoint you.

Modern Christians . . . often face a Christ who isn’t what they expected or hoped for.*

March 14, 2026

Psalm 33: 3 (NIV)

Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

No matter how well orchestrated, worship isn’t intended to entertain but to feed and strengthen the soul.*

This must be the theme verse for the worship leader at my church. We sing new songs almost every Sunday; the praise team is carefully selected; and the congregation is led to experience joyful worship. Not every congregation has the luxury of professional-quality singers and musicians but the worship service should still be well-done. While perfection is impossible to attain, we should never stop trying to achieve excellence.

In the verse after this one, we learn why we should sing, play and shout: “For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.” (Psalm 33: 4). We are to be joyful because of the Lord’s righteousness and faithfulness, not because a praise song makes us feel uplifted. A worship service that leads us to contemplate and appreciate God’s attributes may prompt strong emotions but we should never lose sight of the fact that it is God we worship, not the worshipful feeling.

Real praise is established upon sufficient and constraining reasons; it is not irrational emotion, but rises, like a pure spring, from the deeps of experience.*

March 13, 2026

Leviticus 4 (NIV)

“‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands - . . . If the anointed priest sins . . . If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally . . . When a leader sins unintentionally . . . If a member of the community sins unintentionally . . .’”

We are all sinners who sin. We are not sin.*

We Christians can be brutal with ourselves over sin. We wallow in our guilt and our shame because we have failed again – and again. We don’t meet our own expectations of the sanctified life therefore robbing ourselves of the joyous life we should be living. The thing is, God’s forgiveness is big enough to cover our failures. He knows that we aren’t perfect and he knows the difference between our human weaknesses and a sinful lifestyle.

What most of us deal with is the I didn’t mean to sin; however, “I didn’t mean to,” is not an excuse. When we say we didn’t mean to, what we mean is, “I didn’t plan to,” and “I wish I hadn’t.” No one makes us commit sin. According to James 1: 13-15, we are tempted and led into sin by our own evil desires. Satan takes advantage of our weakness but the devil doesn’t make us do it.

Under the law, even someone who sinned unintentionally was guilty and had to make restitution through the elaborate sin offering process. For our unintentional sin, that elaborate restitution process was performed by Jesus on the cross. Whenever we sin, intentionally or not, the price is paid in full. That payment covers not only our sin but our guilt as well. Repent and start fresh without the added burden of unnecessary guilt.

Some of us . . . hold ourselves hostage to our sins long after God has forgiven us.*

March 12, 2026

Hebrews 13: 2 (NIV)

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

Hospitality is inviting others to invade my comfort zone so they can be comforted. It’s sharing my space with a stranger.*

I did some research and I couldn’t find any consensus of opinion on whether the writer of Hebrews was referring to real angels or was merely speaking figuratively. There are a couple of stories in the Old Testament where the guests really were angels (Genesis 18 and 19); but I don’t know if we should expect that it could happen to us. I do know three things in regard to this verse: hospitality is our Christian duty; hospitality is to be offered to strangers, not just our friends and family; and even if we won’t be entertaining heavenly angels, Jesus said that whatever we do to the “least of these” we do to him (Matthew 25: 40), so we should treat our guests as if Jesus was among them.

Not everyone has the gift of hospitality. I don’t, but my mother did. When I was growing up, my dad encouraged my mom to exercise her gift freely. As a result, traveling evangelists, missionaries on furlough, Bible college students and professors, and people down on their luck passed through our house and blessed us on their way. To this day, whenever the name of some legendary preacher is mentioned, I often brag, “Oh, yes. He stayed at our house once.”

It is my Christian duty to be hospitable but it doesn’t come natural for me to practice it. The memories from my childhood motivate me to get out of my comfort zone occasionally. If hospitality isn’t your gift either, look for opportunities to invite angels over to your house!

The stranger at the door is the living symbol and memory that we are all strangers here.*

March 11, 2026

Hebrews 4: 12 (NIV)

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Spiritual standards do not change from generation to generation.*

I used to work for a government agency where every procedure had to be in compliance with state, federal, and local laws. Every year, following the state’s legislative session, we got handed new rules because somebody had changed a law or two or more. Man-made laws change in order to make accommodations for the inconsistency of humans. God’s law never changes and yet it is always applicable.

You might think I’m wrong. We are no longer bound by the Old Testament law, you remind me, so how can I say that God’s law never changes? Because Jesus fulfilled the law – he paid the penalty for all lawbreakers. Now we live under grace and we have God’s word to guide us in how we should live.

So what is the “word of God”? It is “what God speaks.”* God has spoken to us through his Son and we know what his Son has said because we read it in scripture; in fact, this passage could be speaking of both: God’s word “incarnate” (Jesus) and God’s word “inspired” (the Bible).* His word is not stagnant; it is alive and lively. The writer of Hebrews compares it to a sword that is sharp enough to sever your joints from the marrow of your bones – sharp enough, that is, to separate your spirit from your humanness. God’s word reveals our innermost thoughts and attitudes and shows us how they measure up to his standards.

God’s word judges us. No one else’s values apply to us. We can’t trust our own discernment of right and wrong unless it is based on the word of God. We know what truth is through the “Spirit’s leading and the Word’s revealing.”* And the rules never change.

The Word of God defines and reveals sin in our lives.*