October 9, 2026

John 7: 46 (NIV)

“No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards declared.

It’s not erudition or education that matters, but availability. Anyone with the capacity to communicate – through writing, art, music, or in person – can offer words as a gift for God to use as he might like.*

When I was campaigning for election to public office, I observed that people respond differently to me than they do to others. Case in point: when I asked people to sign one of my petition cards – even people I knew – they looked at it like I was handing them something nasty. When a friend offered to help me, I saw that when he handed my cards to people, they took them from him gladly before they even knew what he was asking of them.

I don’t know what vibes I give off in such situations, but you can understand why I am stirred by this statement from the temple guards. They had failed in their mission to seize Jesus on behalf of the chief priests and Pharisees because they were so impressed with what he said and how he said it. Surely I could be an effective witness for Jesus if I could inspire such awe in my listeners!

Except that’s not how it works. Not even for Jesus. For awhile, he was the darling of the masses. He could have been on the cover of People more often than Princess Diana. Jesus knew his fans would soon be turning on him but until then, no one ever spoke the way he did.

Pray that your audience would hear Jesus instead of you – then your lack of eloquence will not be an issue. When we allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, we aren’t responsible for the response – or the lack of one. We can expect rejection because Jesus said we would – and he experienced it, too. By the end of his ministry, even his closest friends had turned their backs on him – and yet, eventually, he was able to use them to change the world.

Which would you rather be: eloquent or a world-changer?

Never rely on the clearness of your presentation, but as you give your explanation make sure that you are relying on the Holy Spirit.*

October 8, 2026

Matthew 8: 12 (NIV)

“But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst.*

To set the stage for this verse: A centurion came to Jesus, asking him to heal his servant. A centurion was a professional officer of the Roman army* and, thus, a Gentile. This man respected Jesus’ authority and did not question Jesus’ ability to heal his servant from a distance. Jesus marveled at the man’s faith, going on to contrast it with that of “the subjects of the kingdom.”

Jesus was, of course, referring to the Jews. They had been entrusted with the Law and with the prophecies concerning the Messiah so who better to recognize that the fulfillment of both was right there in front of them. Except that they didn’t. They thought their position in the kingdom was secure because of their relationship to Abraham. By bragging on the centurion’s faith, Jesus introduced a startling truth to his Jewish listeners: their racial identity didn’t guarantee them a place at the table and the Gentiles’ racial identity was not an automatic barrier to their entrance to the kingdom.*

Jesus’ condemnation of the Jews was chilling, their fate terrifying. But the same punishment awaits anyone who rejects Jesus as the Messiah – including many who call themselves Christians. As Christians, we can become complacent and arrogant in our role as keepers of the truth. It is possible to do everything a Christian should do and still not be a Christian.

Jesus said that if we love him, we will obey him (John 14: 23). If our obedient actions aren’t accompanied by love for him, we reject him as surely as the Jews did. If we love him, our obedience will reflect Christlike characteristics – humility; compassion; gentleness; joy. Each of us should enlist the Spirit’s help in guarding against hollow obedience, shallow faith, and self-righteous legalism. Love Jesus and have no fear of that outer darkness.

According to Jesus, how much of you should be engaged in loving God? ALL.*

October 7, 2026

Job 7: 11 (NIV)

“Therefore I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.”

How easy it is to believe in the infinite power of God and at the same time to feel that He is unable to meet our personal needs!*

Most of us will never have troubles to compare with Job’s. What’s worse for Job, he never knew that his suffering was the result of a behind-the-scenes arrangement between God and Satan. Our suffering probably stems from other causes, although I wouldn’t argue against the possibility of spiritual warfare of a personal nature in some cases. Most of us, however, are victims of our own poor choices or of someone else’s actions. Accidents, nature, life in a fallen world are also factors in our misfortunes. But even if our troubles are self-inflicted and minor, are we not entitled to cry out to God?

Job’s lament here is the cry of someone who is comfortable with God because he knows God. He is not afraid that God will reject him or belittle him. And God, at the end of the account, never condemned Job for his complaints or his “varying moods.”*

Venting to God – complaining in the bitterness of the soul – is often the first step in healing. Perhaps you struggle with the same issues that I do: When my problem is my own fault, or if it’s more of a whine than a legitimate complaint, I tend to think I don’t deserve to bring my hurt before God. 

I don’t think God intends for us to suppress our feelings in his presence. The Psalms of David provide us with examples of how crying out to God can clear the way to glorious praise as his Spirit helps us work through our hurts. Sometimes it helps to talk to another person, but it always helps to express your strongest – and even most inappropriate – feelings to God. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5: 4) He didn’t offer his comfort only to those who had a good reason to mourn. When he said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” (John 14: 1) he also included the how-to instructions: “Trust in God; trust also in me.” You can trust him with your feelings!

Christians have, so to speak, larger souls than other people; for grief and joy, like desolation and hope, or pain and peace, can coexist in their lives in a way than non-Christians know nothing about. This does not mean that grief, desolation, and pain cease to be felt (that idea is inhuman); it means that something else is experienced alongside the hurt.*

October 6, 2026

I Kings 22: 8 (NIV)

The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad.”

Killing the messenger is a long and dark tradition.*

I was hospitalized for a week and a half before my twins were born. My first roommate while I was there was only a few weeks along in her pregnancy but she had been so sick that she was weak and dehydrated. An ultrasound revealed that she, too, was having twins. After she was stabilized, they sent her home, only to have her return while I was still there. Another ultrasound and guess what . . . she was having triplets! I made my laborious (no pun intended) down to her new room to give her some wise advice: Don’t let them look again! Every time they do, they find another one!

Ahab, the king quoted in this verse, is notorious for being Israel’s worst king ever. He is also notable for the evil influence of his wicked wife, Jezebel. His lament in this verse is a clue that he also might not have been a deep thinker. Refusing to listen to the prophecies of Micaiah because he never said anything good about him made as much sense as my advice to my expectant roommate. Deliberate ignorance of the truth doesn’t change the truth into something more palatable. Truth doesn’t change.

We might be guilty of the same attitude as Ahab if we “church shop” until we find a preacher who says what we want to hear. Paul warned Timothy about people who would not put up with sound doctrine, choosing to associate with teachers who say only what they want to hear (II Timothy 4: 3). The Bible is full of sweet passages about love and hope and kindness but you aren’t getting the whole picture – the truth – if you ignore those about judgment and obedience and rejection. Don’t turn your back on the truth – and don’t hate the messenger who delivers it. Examine scripture yourself and let the truth convict you of your sinfulness and encourage your faithfulness.

The preaching and teaching of the modern church often leaves people unmoved and culture unaffected.*

October 5, 2026

Matthew 4: 17 (NIV)

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Mark 1: 15 (NIV)

“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.”

Scripture is a perfect book; but it has been given to imperfect people in an imperfect world.*

The gospel writers were neither novelists nor journalists. Their job was to share the good news of Jesus, not to tell gripping stories or get a nice, juicy sound bite. It wasn’t their place to editorialize or sensationalize. They were inspired by the Holy Spirit to deliver a message and each one fulfilled his obligation according to his abilities and with regard to his intended audience.

So, which is it – the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God? Are they two different places or the same place? If I said I was born in the USA and you told someone I was born in America, would you be misquoting me? What if the person you were talking to was from . . . say . . . Argentina or Canada. Would you tell them I was born in America or North America?

And so we find that “kingdom of heaven” is used 32 times in the gospels – and all in Matthew’s account. Can you guess who made up Matthew’s target demographic? Jews. And Matthew chose to show respect to his Jewish readers, who never wrote the word “God.”*

Before jumping to conclusions about apparent discrepancies in scripture, we would do well to do our homework. Who wrote it? What was his background? Who was his target audience? How does the culture affect the narrative? We should be careful about accepting any interpretation of a passage based solely on what we have heard or read from other sources. Enter into your Bible-reading prayerfully, open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and allowing him to speak through God’s word. The more familiar you are with the word, the better acquainted you will become with God and his purpose.

The only way to be certain what the Bible means here and now is to first understand what it meant then and there.*

October 4, 2026

Isaiah 6: 5-7 (NIV)

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips . . .” . . . Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand . . . With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Every Christian knows that the nearer he approaches God, the more aware he becomes of his sin.*

Isaiah’s consternation is due to what he has seen: The Lord, seated on a throne, high and exalted (verse 1).  Isaiah’s peek into the throne room of God has left him with an alarming awareness of his sinfulness and unworthiness. He specifically mentions his unclean lips, probably because he is about to be commissioned with delivering the word of God to people who aren’t interested in the message.

What could Isaiah have done to so defile his lips? Jesus said that it’s not what we put in our mouths that makes us unclean, but what comes out of it (Matthew 15: 11). What comes out of our mouths but words? How can words defile our lips? Words themselves seem harmless – powerless. But words can be weapons of mass destruction or instruments of healing, depending on whose mouth is speaking them. But if it’s what comes out of the mouth that defiles us, how did such nastiness get in there in the first place?

Our eyes and ears are the portals through which we allow ourselves to be sullied by the world. What you see can’t be unseen and what you hear can’t be unheard. As they say on Law & Order, “You can’t unring the bell.” Whether you invited the sight or sound into your mind, or whether it arrived by accident, it can become a tool for Satan to use against you. Once unwholesome thoughts take up residence in your head, they can turn into those words that defile your mouth.

What you say can’t be unsaid, only apologized for. God may say to you, “Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for,” but the damage has been done. Oh, be careful little eyes what you see; be careful little ears what you hear! Protect your lips from pollution by maintaining godly standards for what goes into your mind.

Words may be neither false, nor violent, nor defamatory, nor foul, nor senseless, nor profane, and yet be unwholesome.*

October 3, 2026

Romans 8: 16 (NIV)

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

If perfect biblical interpretation is the key to salvation, then we’re all doomed.*

I find this verse both confusing and reassuring. There are a few schools of thought regarding Paul’s intended meaning but we will look at only two of them.

The first interpretation is that Holy Spirit testifies to our spirit that we are God’s children. Those who adopt this viewpoint see the Holy Spirit acting in his role of Comforter as he assures us that we really are heirs of God. One writer goes so far as to say that the Spirit provides evidence to our minds.* It is through God’s word that the Spirit testifies to our spirits and “the Spirit in the heart cannot contradict the Spirit in the word.”*

The second interpretation is that the Holy Spirit stands beside us to testify to God that we are his children. Proponents of this position admit that testifying to the Father is not necessary for his sake but it gives us “a sense of calmness and assurance.”* Imagine yourself in a courtroom, trying to convince the jury to believe your testimony. You don’t know which way they are leaning but you feel so much more confident when an expert witness appears on your behalf. When we claim God as our Father, the Holy Spirit is our expert witness, “confirming our testimony.”*

Perhaps you feel strongly about one position over the other – or you have yet another idea of what Paul meant. While I remain confused, there remains the reassurance I find in this passage: 

• I am God’s child. Though I am adopted, I am a co-heir with his Son. 
• The Holy Spirit testifies on my behalf, wherever an expert witness is needed. 

This assurance is yours, as well if, “by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body . . . because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (Romans 8: 13, 14)

The Word of God is the objective side of faith, and the witness of God is the subjective side of faith. We need both if we are going to be winners.*