August 17, 2026

Galatians 4: 16 (NIV)

Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

Nothing is so fickle and uncertain as popularity.*

Years ago, when I was working as a bank teller, the head teller asked if one of us would like to take on some added responsibility. No promotion, no title, and no more money except when the longer hours led to a little overtime. The only interested party was the newest girl on the line - who was not well-liked by her co-workers. When the others started to whine and gripe behind her back about, “who does she think she is,” I, who did not like her either, defended her. I said, “We were all given the same offer but none of us wanted the job. We have nothing to complain about.” I was oblivious to the animosity this provoked in my fellow tellers until one of them came to me and said something along the lines of, “I don’t care what they all say; you were right.”

The Apostle Paul was not one to keep silent when a truth needed to be expressed. We may love his words today but my guess is there was a lot of grumbling among his fellow Christians. Unlike me, Paul seems to be aware of his unpopularity. He, like the young lady in my story, was the new kid – and he came with a bloody past. How many of us could preach and teach with such confidence and authority if we were toting his baggage?  We want people to like us. We know that shooting the messenger never goes out of style. How did Paul overcome his insecurities - and will it work for us?

Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus was dramatic and abrupt but I don’t think the rest of his spiritual development occurred overnight. What we read about him mostly reveals the finished product, but he gives us clues that reveal that his struggles weren’t all that different from ours. This means that we, too, have the potential to be spiritual giants. We just have to be willing to suffer (Acts 9: 16) and surrender (Romans 12: 1) and trust God to supply all our needs (Philippians 4: 19). And to love Jesus more than our own comfort and convenience (II Corinthians 5: 14).

Peace if possible, but truth at any rate.*

August 16, 2026

Lamentations 3: 39 (NIV)

Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins?

Complaining may offer relief, but so does acceptance.*

I attended Christian colleges which were strict about things such as dress code and curfews. During my junior year, my roommate got caught breaking curfew to attend a party in town. For her punishment she was “campused” - she was restricted to her dorm room when not in class or in the cafeteria for meals. This meant trouble for her unfortunate, innocent roommate as well because I was the only one she had to talk to most of the time. One night, after listening to her complain – again – about her horrible fate, I reminded her that she knew the rules and she chose to break them. She reluctantly admitted that I was right – and that the party wasn’t even fun!

Whatever other rules she might have violated, my roommate never broke curfew again. It might be a good thing if we got caught and were punished immediately every time we sinned. Instead, when we get away with it we receive positive reinforcement for behavior that wasn’t even fun.

The actual payment for sin is death (Romans 6: 23). Suffering the natural consequences of your sin or paying your debt to society for breaking the law does not mean you have settled your debt with God. You may be alive and complaining now but you are not getting away with it. You sin, you die.

But wait. There’s an offer on the table. Eternal life can be yours. It’s free to you because Jesus Christ paid the price for your sin (Romans 6: 23 – again). He died so you don’t have to. I’m not an attorney but I suggest you accept the offer. And stop complaining!

We cannot justify ourselves before God, or plead Not guilty.*

August 15, 2026

Esther 4: 16 (NIV)

“. . . and if I perish, I perish.”

Whatever the problem, there is a biblical response to it.*

Picture the “Queen of Susa” pageant. All the beauties of the land competing for the crown. Literally. Enter Esther, the contestant representing the Tribe of Benjamin. She sweeps all the categories: congeniality; poise; evening gown . . . probably not swimsuit. No one is surprised when she is handed that big bouquet of roses and the crown is placed on her head for her stroll down the catwalk because Esther is beautiful and smart.

Esther was young (it’s safe to assume) but she was smart enough to listen to her older cousin Mordecai’s wise counsel. When it became clear that the fate of her fellow Jews was in her pampered hands, she considered Mordecai’s advice, weighed her options, and decided to take her chances. “Que sera, sera,” she said. Well, not quite. Same idea. “What will be, will be,” doesn’t sound as risky as, “If I perish, I perish.”

We will probably never be placed in a life-or-death situation like this but we often have tough decisions to make. On those occasions, Esther’s method of assessing the situation and determining her course of action could work for us.

• Seek wise counsel – and listen to it. We would include prayer and consulting Scripture in this step. 
• Weigh your options. Ask yourself, What is the worst that could happen? 
• Decide. Not deciding is a decision so allow yourself a measure of control in the situation.

Esther’s story has a happy ending. There is no guarantee that the same will be true for you, but there is satisfaction in knowing that you have made the right decision. Doing the right thing is always the right thing to do, regardless of the outcome. To God be the glory!

We make decisions throughout each waking moment of the day, but first those decisions must be evaluated and compared with what God has instructed his people to do.*

August 14, 2026

Ezra 3: 13 (NIV)

No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

Joy in God is never out of season.*

I used to be amused when my husband’s parents would try to tell of a shared experience. I would often wonder if they were actually talking about the same event since it couldn’t possibly have happened according to both versions of the story. Each had his or her own perspective.

A similar occurrence is described here in Ezra, chapter 3. The Israelites have returned from their exile in Babylon and have begun the slow process of rebuilding the temple. The shouts of joy and the sound of weeping were the people’s response to the laying of the foundation of the temple-to-be. Among the crowd of celebrants were some old people who remembered the glory days of the original temple; their joy was tempered by memories of what they had lost and what they had suffered. Their wailing was indistinguishable from the shouts of joy. Same view, different perspective.

It is the same for us. We see things differently from those whose experiences and memories are not exactly the same as ours. Nostalgia for the good old days can easily turn a celebration into a bittersweet moment. Remembering the past is a good thing – whether they are good memories or bad ones. As someone has observed, “Memories are a strange thing. We can’t see them or touch them, yet who are we when they’re gone?”*

But problems arise when we allow the past to rob us of today’s joy and tomorrow’s hope. Let your past be the place where you store your happy memories and your important life-lessons. Follow Paul’s example: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3: 13 and 14)

Shed a little tear for the good old days but celebrate the Lord’s goodness today as you look forward with hope for tomorrow. Shout for joy!

You can go back and review the previous chapter and rejoice in God’s goodness, but don’t live in yesterday’s chapter. It’s over. It’s time to move on.*

August 13, 2026

Genesis 6: 14 (NIV)

“So build yourself an ark . . .”

Rather than enjoying the present, we are constantly searching for what God has in store for us next.*

For all that Noah’s task was a daunting and time-consuming one, we might find ourselves envious that at least he knew what God wanted him to do. How much of our prayer life is dedicated to asking God to show us his will? Have we made it harder than it has to be? Speaking for myself, the answer is YES!

After I lost my job, I was constantly appealing to God to show me what he wanted me to do next. I wasn’t tuned in to his answer right away but I began to realize that instead of obsessing over what I should do next, I should be thankful for – and reveling in – the gift of time. For the first time in 30 years, my time was my own – and clearly that was God’s will for my life at that time. So I began trying to use my time more productively – I got all my old photos scanned and indexed; I was free to say “yes” to volunteer opportunities; I was more available for my family; and I began to write. And I started to hear what God was telling me: Decide what you want to do.

It was hard to admit – even to God – what I really wanted to do: Write. Long story short: I wrote a year’s worth of daily devotions. Now what, God? Rather than submit my work for publication (and for money), I posted a blog every day. I have now completed three years' worth of daily devotions and I'm working on a fourth. I have posted and reposted for twelve years. I don’t think I have a lot of readers but when someone says to me, “Your post was exactly what I needed today,” I know that God has answered my prayers to glorify him and bless others with my words.

So God told Noah to build an ark. What he has asked me to build is more like Huck Finn’s raft. But Noah’s big old ocean liner was built for the sake of only eight people (and a bunch of animals!) – though ultimately for all mankind. God can make our small efforts pay off in big ways.

What is God asking you to build? What would you like to build?

God wants to use people where he has gifted them. And sometimes, he has to prepare us first before moving to the next step.*

August 12, 2026

Acts 1: 7 (NIV)

He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.”

The finite cannot fully know the infinite.*

Let’s face it. We want answers but we don’t always get them. In this verse, we have Jesus’ response to the apostles who wanted him to do some fortune-telling: “It is not for you to know . . .” he said. Previously, he had told them that no one knows the day or hour of his return (Mark 13: 32); and John says that now we are children of God but what we will be has not been made known (I John 3: 2). And way back in the Old Testament, we were advised that the secret things belong to God (Deuteronomy 29: 29). 

But there is good news. The verse in Deuteronomy (29: 29) goes on to say, “But the revealed things belong to us.” With all the mysteries and the things we don’t know or can’t understand, there are some things that we can know. To name a few: 

• The truth. (John 8: 32) 
• The Father. (John 14: 7) 
• God works for the good of those who love him. (Romans 8: 28) 
• Your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (I Corinthians 15: 58) 
• The one who raised Jesus from the dead will raise us. (II Corinthians 4: 14) 
• God’s grace. (II Timothy 1: 8-10) 
• What love is. (I John 3: 16) 
• That we are children of God. (I John 5: 19) 

Search out God’s word for yourself and see what he has revealed. We may not know everything – we aren’t even supposed to – but the Christian life is not lived in darkness. In II Peter 1: 3, we read: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” What else do we need to know?

What God has revealed he expects his children to study, meditate upon and obey.*

August 11, 2026

Habakkuk 2: 1 (NIV)

I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give.

True prayer involves the expectancy of God’s answer, and of the worshipper’s earnestly watching to receive it.*

Habakkuk is ready to hear from God. He has announced his intentions to watch for God’s answer. What can we learn from Habakkuk about prayer? 

1. Specific prayer. He wasn’t waiting for God to reveal a random message to him. Chapter 1, verses 12-17, records his request – or, as some describe it, his complaint. 
2. Expectant prayer. Habakkuk knew from previous experience (chapter 1, verses 1-11), that God would answer him. 
3. Patient prayer. He was willing to wait for God’s answer. 

Someone has described this verse as “the spiritual preparation of the prophet's soul for hearing the word of God within.”* Prayer is like any other spiritual discipline – the more you do it, the better you do it. To prepare your soul for hearing the word of God, practice Habakkuk’s three-step procedure:

1.  Pray specifically. Developing this discipline will require you to zero in on what you really want. Often we are afraid to express our true desires. Maybe we think God won’t give us what we want because it’s a frivolous request – but ask anyway. Working through your fear and your shallowness is part of the discipline. 
2. Pray in faith. If God has spoken to you in the past, you are ready for this one. If this is new to you, include in your prayer a request for stronger faith. 
3. Wait. This is the hard part, but God has all the time in the world and he will use as much of it as he needs to arrange to work all things out for your good. 

Prayer is not really about getting things from God. Prayer is about building a relationship with the heavenly Father who loves you and longs to be with you. Spend some time with him and you will find yourself feeling the same way about him!

There is no way to learn to pray except by praying.*