August 3, 2026

Genesis 9: 12, 13 (NIV)

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”

The Creator who sternly imposed sin’s penalty became the God of the covenant.*

God made lots of covenants with people in the Old Testament. Some covenants were with individuals, some were specific to the Hebrew nation. There are a few that we like to hijack for our own personal application – II Chronicles 7: 14 and Jeremiah 29: 11-14 come to mind most readily.

Three elements of this particular covenant in Genesis set it apart from others:

1. It is unconditional. God made a promise but he didn’t require anything from the other parties involved. 
2. It applies to all living creatures – human and animal. 
3. God created a sign as a permanent reminder of the covenant.

The rainbow reminds us that God keeps his promises. Circumcision was a reminder of his covenant with Abraham. And the cross is a reminder of the new covenant he has entered into with us – a covenant that was not unconditional but which has been ratified by the blood of Jesus. When we see the cross, we are prompted to recall that though the wages of sin is death, the free gift of God is eternal life through his Son (Romans 6:23). The cross is the symbol of God’s promise that he will be our God and we will be his people (Hebrews 8: 10), and that his will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life (John 6: 40).

The rainbow and the cross are reminders that though God has the power to destroy us, he has chosen to love us and to save us.

The relationship we have with God is not an agreement between equals.*

August 2, 2026

Genesis 2: 15 (NIV)

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Work was mankind’s lot before the fall.*

You have heard that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. It is also true that one man’s work is another man’s recreation. There are tasks that I did while at work that never seemed like work, while others were total drudgery. I was thrilled when I became a supervisor and found that I had a staff who didn’t mind when I delegated some of those dreaded chores to them. 

Work is not a curse. God placed his newly created staff in a garden to “work it and take care of it,” not because he wanted Adam to suffer, but to keep him occupied. God could have created a maintenance-free environment for man to live in but he purposely provided a place of employment. There are clues in the story that indicate that the work that Adam did in the Garden of Eden was a far cry from his labor following his banishment: “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.” (Genesis 3: 17) 

Whatever we do to provide for ourselves and our families, I believe that each of us is also called to tend God’s garden. We may have to get up every day and go to a job but we have more important work to do in the garden of the Lord. Such work is not to secure our own salvation but for the sake of those who are still lost. The work we do for the Kingdom should never seem like the drudgery of the curse for “there is true pleasure in the business God calls us to.”*

We were none of us sent into the world to be idle.*

August 1, 2026

John 6: 38 (NIV)

“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”

If everyone could live as though they were in jeopardy of shortly dying . . . the world would be a much better place.*

I have never been on a short-term mission trip but I admire those who make the sacrifice of time and money – and often, modern conveniences – to share the gospel. Personally, time and money would not be the big sacrifice. I am very partial to AC, indoor plumbing, and privacy. Two factors would make the hardships more tolerable for me: 1) knowing that the conditions are temporary; 2) knowing that I am serving the Lord.

Jesus’ time on earth was similar to a short-term mission trip. It was a temporary assignment – he knew he would be returning home soon - and he was performing his Father’s will. These conditions had to appeal to him as a human. Perhaps reminding himself of these things helped him deal with the discomforts of his life on the road, the incompetence of his followers, and the bitterness of rejection.

Life on earth is the same for us. We are pilgrims – on temporary assignment for the Lord. We are not here to do our own will but the will of the one who sent us. We may become weary and discouraged but there are eternal consequences for the work that we do. How satisfying is that?

When we realize that the universe is moving toward God’s intended end, and that in history’s great culmination all of His good purposes will be fully realized, we are strengthened to live for Jesus now.*

July 31, 2026

John 14: 2 (NIV)

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am.”

It is the Lord Jesus’ only unfulfilled promise.*

Jesus’ disciples were still a little fuzzy on the concept of Jesus’ leaving. Now he’s promising them that he will come back for them. For us today, accepting and expecting his return are components of our faith in his resurrection, but we, too, find ourselves wondering about our Lord’s return. 

Much about the Second Coming is shrouded in mystery and symbolism, but there are certain aspects that we can be sure about. 

1. He is definitely coming back. In this verse and in Matthew 24: 30, we read of Jesus’ pledge to return. 

2. Jesus will return at God’s appointed time. No one else knows when that is. (Matthew 24: 36; Acts 1: 7) 

3. Our job is to proclaim the hope and the promise. (Matthew 28: 20; Acts 1: 8) 

4. We should look forward to his return. (Matthew 24: 44) 

Jesus knew that we wouldn’t understand everything he said but he has made it clear that he wants us to be with him – he told his Father: “I want those you have given me to be with me where I am.” (John 17: 24) So of course he’s going to come back and get us!

God has chosen the right time for Christ’s second coming without any reference to clocks and calendars.*

July 30, 2026

Leviticus 19: 33, 34 (NIV)

“When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

God’s own deep commitment to justice leads Him to require that in human society we also maintain a commitment to do right by all.*

The subject of illegal aliens is an explosive one right now. No matter where you stand politically, there is one position that meets with God’s approval: the alien living in the land must be treated with the same respect as the native-born.

Did I say that illegal aliens should be granted amnesty or citizenship? Did I say they should all be shipped back where they came from? Does it matter what I say? Look again at what God said: “Do not mistreat him.” What did God not say? He did not say that aliens should not be subject to the same laws as citizens. In fact, God is not addressing immigration policy at all; he is addressing his stance on the treatment of the powerless.

When we study the Old Testament, we become acquainted with God’s position on many social issues. How we treat the weak among us is a frequently recurring theme and is reinforced by Jesus during his public ministry. The passage and enforcement of civil laws is a matter for the secular authorities. Our job is to extend God's mercy to the poor, the hungry, the sick, and the lonely - regardless of their legal status. 

Please understand that I am not advocating for interference with law enforcement. As Christians, we are called to love others as God loves them – without prejudice. How we demonstrate that love is often a matter of our personal calling from God but it is always a priority. Because he is the Lord your God.

Deep down in the heart of every person is a hidden desire to reinterpret Jesus in light of our own culture, political bent, or favorite theological belief.*

July 29, 2026

Hebrews 10: 25  (NIV)

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Often the road to forsaking the Lord begins with missing the assembly with believers on the Lord’s Day. Vince Lombardi said, “Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.”*

We like to use this verse as a command to attend church every Sunday and as a condemnation of those who don’t follow the command. Faithful church attenders can feel smug about how much they are doing for the Lord when they take up space in a pew each week. With such a stance, we read too much and not enough into the meaning of these words.

Too much: The writer of Hebrews does not mention Sunday or first day of the week.

Not enough: The people to whom he was writing probably met together a lot more than one hour a week.

Too much: It is not something we do for God.

Not enough: We should get together with our community of faith as often as we can for the sake of each other.

The frequency and format of our worship services are fairly recent developments. The Book of Acts gives us a peek into the life of the newborn church and it has little resemblance to how we do it today. For them, meeting together as a body of believers was a bit of a challenge. People did not have weekends off from work and the closest thing to a church building was a synagogue which might be available for their use as a place to assemble – as long as it wasn’t the Sabbath. It wouldn’t be surprising if some found it more convenient to stay home and worship God from there.

Meeting together as a church, whatever day or hour it occurs, is not an activity we are commanded to do for God. Yes, our worship is for God, but our meeting together is something we do for ourselves. We need each other. The encouragement we receive from our fellow believers fuels our ability to stay strong when we leave the shelter of the church.

There is another good reason to make the effort to attend church: your witness. Retired preacher Bob Russell says, “Church attendance slowly and quietly testifies to the world which side you’re on.”* When others see that church attendance is a priority for you, they will also suspect that God is important to you.

When believers encourage each other, it’s like lighting two matches and joining them together to start a fire that is greater than the sum of the two flames. The writer of Hebrews didn’t say it but I will: go to church. Every Sunday. Join a small group and attend every week. Participate in every opportunity for fellowship that you can. Then go out and set the world on fire.

God often speaks to us through the witness of the church.*

July 28, 2026

Ephesians 2: 10 (NIV)

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Christian faith must be demonstrated to be credible.*

The relationship between faith and works gets all tangled up in our minds at times. We are saved by faith, we understand, but does that mean we don’t have to do anything? According to James 2: 17, faith not accompanied by action is dead. So when we start to give works the respect it deserves are we then in danger of trying to earn our salvation?

Let’s forget about our own salvation for a moment. Let’s talk about those lost people out there. How will they come to know the Lord if we don’t do or say anything? Without works, there is no witness. Faith doesn't walk or talk by itself. If a Christian can’t at least testify to his faith, I would argue that he doesn’t even have a dead faith. I would say he has no faith at all.

In II Corinthians 5: 17, Paul declares that if we are in Christ, we are a new creation. In today's verse in Ephesians, he builds on the new creation theme to inform us that we were created in Christ Jesus to do good works. If he created us to perform good works, I wonder: can we be saved if we don’t fulfill the purpose for which were created?

Let us remember that we are Christians not only for our own sake but also for the sake of others.*