April 17, 2026

Luke 24: 55, 56 (NIV)

The women who had come with Jesus . . . followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

The cross was not the end but the beginning of something amazing.*

It was the day before the Sabbath so these devout Jewish women had to be satisfied with a hurried burial for their beloved teacher, but they made plans to return after the Sabbath to complete the job.

The Sabbath - the day before Easter. The day between the worst day and the best day in history. I wish I knew all the details of that day. Did Jesus decide on the moment he would arise? Did he lay there in the grave until sometime that morning or did he get up as soon as the tomb was sealed? Did he walk around in there, lighting it up with his presence, or did he just transport through the rock? What was his first thought? Or did his consciousness never disconnect? Did he think, “I’m glad that’s finally over,”? He was God and man before; what was he afterwards? 

The day after the Sabbath – Resurrection Day! If only I could hear the stories from those first people who saw him alive. Best news ever! How special to be one of those people! If only we were as caught up in the excitement of the moment as they were. He is alive! Don’t you want to run and tell someone?

Easter is too often used as a testimony to the past and a promise of the future without emphasizing its meaning for the present.

April 16, 2026

Ecclesiastes 9: 11 (NIV)

I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.

Life is hard, and you are not entitled to anything.*

Solomon’s attitude about the unfairness of life reflects our own at times. It doesn’t seem right when the slow and the weak win, but actually, most times the swift do come in first in the race and the strong do win battles. Should we be discouraged because life’s moments of fairness aren’t consistent?

Recently, a young couple that I know lost their baby boy after only 26 days of life. Someone said that they are struggling to understand why this happened. Sadly, there probably isn’t a “why.” As Solomon says, “Time and chance happen to them all.” Life happens – and death happens. The best we can hope for on earth is to reveal the glory and the blessing to be found in such unfairness. Of course, that isn't much comfort in our deepest grief.

Solomon lived in a time when knowledge of the details about heaven and hell was somewhat vague. We live in more enlightened and hopeful times because Jesus has revealed that a bright future lies ahead for his faithful followers. As it turns out, that hope is as unfair as Solomon’s hopelessness. If it were fair, it wouldn’t be grace.

Life happens. And none of it takes God by surprise.*

April 15, 2026

James 2: 19 (NIV)
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.

Belief in the one God does not mean salvation.*

Recently, someone told me that she believes in God but she doesn’t believe in Jesus. She is one of those “we’re all going to the same place just taking different paths” people. Wouldn’t it be nice if believing in God was all we had to do to be saved? Well, maybe not so nice for heaven because that means the devil and his minions will be there. And not so nice for Jesus because that would mean that he suffered and died for nothing.

James’ little display of sarcasm is directed at his readers who believed that faith alone meets the requirements for salvation. In this passage and the verses surrounding it, he makes two points: we aren’t saved by faith and we aren’t saved by works. If faith was enough, we would be sharing heaven with those shuddering demons. If good deeds could save us, any altruistic, hardworking heathen has a chance at eternal life.

But the equation still doesn’t add up. Faith plus good works doesn’t equal salvation. We are saved by the grace of God. We can’t work our way to heaven; no amount of faith merits eternal life. It is only through the sacrifice of God’s Son that we are saved from hell. Obedience to God’s plan is how we receive grace, not how we earn it.

Salvation was free to us, but expensive to God.*

April 14, 2026

Romans 15: 1, 2 (NIV)

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

Whenever two people are together, one is influencing the other.*

Which one are you? Are you the strong one or are you the weak one? I think I agree with this assessment: “I have never heard anyone say he or she was the weak person! We always hear the text and identify with the strong (or the right) person!”*

The truth is, as Christians, each of is both the strong one and the weak one. That’s why we need each other. I may be able to prop you up on one side but look over and you will see someone else supporting my weak side. But here’s the thing: we can’t always know another’s weaknesses. Maybe we aren’t even aware of our own. Paul offers us the solution to this dilemma. “Each of us,” he says, “should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”

In your community of faith, someone is looking to you for clues as to how you manage your Christian walk. You, in turn, are looking at others to be your example. If we seek to “emulate Christ who did not please himself,”* we will be bearing with the failings of the weak whether we know it or not.

Relationships give us a safe place to watch how someone further down the road navigates through life.*

April 13, 2026

II Chronicles 20: 12 (NIV)

“O our God . . . We do not know what to do but our eyes are on you.”

While it is important that we keep our eyes on what God says in the Word, it is also important that we keep our eyes on what God does in His world.*

If you have ever sung in a choir or played in a band, you know how important it is to keep your eyes on the director. No matter how many hours you have practiced the song, it is still the director’s discretion to change things up a bit. He doesn’t ask us to play different notes; he only rearranges the timing of the piece. If you aren’t paying attention, yours may be the lone voice who holds that note too long. The only way to prevent such an awkward faux pas is to keep your eyes on the director.

In our walk of faith, God is our Director. That moment of uncertainty is his clear signal to pause until he indicates our next move - but a prolonged rest is not a sign that we should consult another piece of music! He communicates through various means – a sermon; wise words from a friend; a timely entry in a daily devotional; a still, small voice - but his directions will never lead us to play or sing a different song.

Practice daily; attend all the rehearsals; know the right notes. His directions are true to his word and if we keep our eyes on him, our timing will be impeccable!

If we know the God of the Word, through faith in Jesus Christ, then we can know the Word of God and understand what it is that God wants us to do.*

April 12, 2026

Leviticus 22: 20 (NIV)

“Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.”

God’s great promises deserve our best effort!*

Some of the “benefactors” of our church’s former food pantry clearly had never heard of the concept of giving God your best. From expired food to products that were unidentifiable because their packaging was in a foreign language, to bags that included roaches along with the food, many items went straight to the trash can. Frequently, the shelves included borscht (what is it, anyway?), sauerkraut, and pickled beets; and always, after the holiday season, there was a nice supply of canned pumpkin pie filling and cranberry sauce – not necessarily bad things but not one’s first choice for feeding a hungry family.

When God required his people to offer their best, it was a sacrifice in more than one way. I can imagine the temptation to bring their defective animals to the temple instead. What difference could it make if the deformed or the diseased animals were culled from the herd to be burned on the altar? It wasn’t as if God was going to eat the meat – it was all merely symbolic, wasn’t it?

Well, yes, the sacrifices and the rituals were symbolic but they were instituted to remind God’s people of his place in their lives.* And apparently, we need to be reminded that God deserves our best. Whether it’s in how we use our time or talents, or how generously we give to the poor, we demonstrate our level of appreciation to the one who has given us everything we have.

God gives liberally; man divides it badly.*

April 11, 2026

Micah 3: 11 (NIV)

Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the Lord and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us.”

God does not respond to the occasional seeker.*

I have friends who “sort of” believe in God. Some call him The Man Upstairs. Most don’t think about him until something bad happens – then they want me to pray for them. I guess it’s good that my faith is so obvious to them, but I often feel like the middle-man in some shady deal: “Hey, could you put in a good word for me?”

The situation that Micah describes is even worse. The religious elite have sold out for financial gain while they regard God as some sort of good luck charm. If the leaders are judging for a bribe, there is no hope for justice. If priests teach for a price, no one will be taught the truth. If prophets tell fortunes for money, who can know what the future holds? Can they really believe that God is among them and that he will protect them from disaster? What kind of religion is it if they proclaim reliance on God just in case?

How far removed are you from a real relationship with God? Is he like a celebrity that you read about in People? Sure he’s real; sure you’ve read a lot about him; yes, you know someone who knows someone who saw him in a crowd once; but you don’t know him - and you don’t know what you’re missing. He promises that if we seek him we will find him. Crack open his diary (the Bible) and get to know him. He wants to be your friend – not your rabbit’s foot.

Some who have ridiculed faith all their lives will express a faint hope that there is something beyond the grave. What they may sneer at in the routine of everyday life, they long for when the life of someone close to them ends. It’s as though they just can’t resist having a hint of hope to soothe their sadness.*