June 2, 2026

Exodus 13: 21, 22 (NIV)

By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

We all make decisions based on inadequate knowledge and understanding.*

While I have no desire to wander in the desert for 40 years, this verse makes me feel a twinge of envy for the Israelites. They always knew which way God wanted them to go, day or night, because they had visible evidence of his presence in the camp. I know that he directs my path today but sometimes it feels like guesswork. Where are my pillar of cloud and my pillar of fire? 

Jesus’ attitude toward those who asked him for a sign (Matthew 12: 38 and 16: 4), leads me to agree with the writer who said, “God’s will is not always the mystery we may think it is.”* His sovereign will for the world will be accomplished no matter what decisions you or I make. We are left to determine three things:

1. What is God’s moral will? 

2. What do I want to do? 

3. What can I do? 

God’s moral will is revealed in his word. If your course of action is not in violation of scripture or legal authorities, you are free to choose your path according to what you want to do within the boundaries of opportunity and ability (you can’t have the job you want just because you want it and you probably won’t be playing professional basketball if you are 5’2” and not very athletic). 

In 2 Timothy 3: 16 and 17, we learn that scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness “so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” But the scripture can’t help you if you don’t know what it says. You have a responsibility to read your training manual.

Yes, a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire might be nice but we have something better. In John 14: 15-17 and 16: 5-11, Jesus promised to send his Holy Spirit to be our Counselor. And Paul offers these words of hope in Romans 8: 26: “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us.” Know the word. Know the Spirit. Know the will of God.

Making decisions is hard enough. We certainly do not need to add to it the burden of evaluating our options against a false understanding of whether or not we have properly uncovered the divine plan.*

June 1, 2026

Genesis 12: 13 (NIV)

“Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

So I decide that the rightness of my position justifies the wrongness of my action . . .*

Today’s journalists could learn a lot about their craft from the writers of the Bible. The reporter who filed this story about Abram (Abraham) and Sarai (Sarah) just conveyed the facts. He didn’t condemn, speculate, or make excuses. Abram lied to save his life, he reports, and we are left to make our own judgments. 

Is it ever right to lie? Is a half-truth okay? Sarai really was his half-sister but if Abram thought that leaving out the information about her being his wife would save his own neck, what did he suppose were the possible consequences for Sarai? (Read the entire story if you aren’t familiar with it or need to refresh your memory.) 

We can’t hop into our tricked-out DeLorean and travel back in time to see what would have happened if Abram had been completely honest. (In the Back to the Future movies, tinkering with the “time/space continuum” could have dire consequences!) We can’t know how (or if) Abram’s telling the truth would have changed history any more than we can be certain of how our own decisions about truth and lies could alter the course of our lives, but we can be sure that: 

· Lying is never not a sin, not even to save a life. 

· God does not need us to lie in order to accomplish his purpose. 

· God uses imperfect people – even liars – because that’s all he has to work with, not because he approves of sinful methods. 

I hope that none of us is ever forced to make a choice such as Abram thought he faced: lie or die. If you were faced with such a dilemma, would you think it was up to you to save yourself or would you trust God to deliver you?

Man must not stop to ask himself which is best, right or wrong; he must do right.*

May 31, 2026

Acts 8: 6, 8, 26-35 (NIV)

When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. . . . So there was great joy in that city. . . . Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road – the desert road – that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch . . . Then Philip . . . told him the good news about Jesus.

Christ doesn’t just save sinners generally, he saves specific sinners individually.*

It’s thrilling to hear reports and see videos of large numbers of people being baptized. We rejoice when more souls are saved. But most often, the lost are won to the Lord one soul at a time. Case in point: Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. 

Philip was holding a successful revival meeting in Samaria when an angel appeared with orders: go south! As far as we know, Philip wasn’t told why he was being relocated and there is no indication that he even asked. He just went. As another writer expressed it: “He left a place where he was able to tell hundreds of people about Christ to walk along a road where he would encounter hardly anyone.”* But he did encounter someone - someone who was seeking, so God sent Philip to preach to him. 

God cares about individuals. One lost sheep is as precious as the hundred safely tucked away in the barn. Be willing, as Philip was, to be God’s messenger to the lost. Don’t be discouraged when the audience is small. We might ask ourselves: was Philip more productive when he was baptizing crowds or when he converted the “lone Ethiopian on the desert road?”* One soul at a time can soon become a multitude. 

Does someone you love need Jesus? Pray that God will send a messenger like Philip to preach to them. And pray that their hearts will be receptive to the good news.

Someone may suggest that those we may save are only like a drop in the ocean. But every drop is a soul.*

May 30, 2026

Mark 10: 51 (NIV)

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

Some Christians are burdened by an unexpressed fear that it may be wrong to want anything.*

For most of my life, I have been asking God for the wrong things. I find myself reluctant to express my true desires to God because . . . well, I know that he’s going to give me what’s best so it must not matter what I want. And I’m thinking that might be the wrong attitude!

Jesus asked the blind man what he wanted Jesus to do for him. I believe Jesus wanted the man to be specific. Would Jesus have granted his request if he had asked for anything other than healing? Who knows. But what if the man had been cautious – even timid – in his request? Perhaps asked for a new cane, a service dog, money . . . How silly would that have been when Jesus had the power to make him able to see!

I say, if you want something, ask for it. Ask for it according to God’s will. Wait expectantly for God to give you what you asked for - or something better. I believe that if you are thankful for what you get, you won’t regret what you didn’t get. As your faith matures, I predict that your asking will mature, too. 

I look forward to the day when I always want what God wants. And then when he asks, “What do you want me to do for you,” I won’t hesitate to tell him.

The more we thank, the more we see to be thankful for.*

May 29, 2026

Isaiah 6: 8 (NIV)

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

How can God use me, exactly as I am right now?*

God speaks to me in various ways. Most often, his Spirit speaks to me through the Bible - a magical book that holds messages for me to find just when I need them. Sometimes God uses my preacher or the author of a book to communicate with me. Occasionally, he speaks directly to my mind. Whatever method he uses, I confirm that the message is from God by holding it up to the light of his word.

What if I heard God’s voice with my ears? What if he said, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” Would I go? Would I think, “Oh, he doesn’t mean me”? How would I know he was talking to me?

Well, just because my ears didn’t hear him ask, “Whom shall I send?” doesn’t mean he’s not talking to me. “Go” was Jesus’ final message to all of us. He wasn’t hinting around for a few volunteers. Our response, as his disciples should be, “Here I am. Where do you want me to go?” If we are tuned in to his voice – as his sheep are expected to be – we can know where he wants us to go, whether it is to our family in our own home or to the other side of the planet. As I said, God speaks to us through his word and through his people, so pay attention!

Where the world’s deep hunger meets your deep gladness is where God calls you.*

May 28, 2026

Mark 8: 27-29 (NIV)

. . .  he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Jesus’ disciples called him “Lord,” but he didn’t hesitate to call them “friends.”*

If someone asked me, “Who is Mark Durbin?” I would say, “He is my husband.” His mother would say, “He is my son.” Someone at church might say, “He is my Sunday School teacher.” When identifying someone, we usually begin with who they are to us. But underneath the basic question is another implied question: “Do you believe there really is a Mark Durbin?” If you don’t believe he exists, you won’t care what he means to me.

Jesus’ disciples believed in God. They believed in Jesus the person. But they didn’t understand Jesus’ relationship to God and they certainly struggled with grasping what he might mean to them. Can you relate to them? You believe in God. You even believe in Jesus. Probably most of you believe he is the Son of God. You know who other people say he is. But who is he to you? Can you claim a relationship with him? Is he your Savior? Lord? Friend?

Stop and listen to Jesus as he asks you, “What about you? Who do you say I am?” Does your answer involve what you have heard others say about him, or do you have a defining relationship with him?

We need to know Jesus the person, not just the plan.*

May 27, 2026

Psalm 46: 10 (NIV)

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

If we don’t spend time “with him,” how can we know his heart?

When my boys were little guys, our mornings were hectic. Hurrying was not a concept they understood. Getting them dressed, fed, and out the door was exhausting for this working mom who had to get herself dressed and fed, and who is neither a morning person nor a hurrier. There were a few mornings, though – well, maybe two or three - when we somehow had an extra moment before we had to leave for work and preschool. So we sat together on the couch and breathed. We were free to speak what was on our minds or just to sit quietly and enjoy being together. I cherish the memory of those few precious moments and I think my boys remember them fondly, too.

I have recently begun implementing a similar routine with God. We don’t exactly sit on the couch together but the results are the same.  In my journal, I write, “Be still.” Then I try to quiet my mind. The challenge for me is that a quiet mind usually leads to a sleeping mind but it is worth the effort to stay awake. After a time of stillness, I add, “You are God,” and continue writing what has been revealed to me in the stillness. I have never been more aware of God’s presence than in those moments. Sometimes he reveals things about himself; sometimes we just “sit on the couch” and enjoy the quietness. As with any spiritual discipline, it improves with practice.

If you are looking for a way to turbo-charge your devotional time with God, adding this discipline to your Bible study is a good place to start. Allow him to speak to you through his word then sit quietly in his presence, acknowledging who he is and what he does. You won’t be disappointed!

When the Lord is present, you are not alone.*