June 6, 2026

II Corinthians 3: 2, 3 (NIV)

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

The Bible tells us God’s truth is written on the hearts of humans.*

Friends and former employees sometimes give my name as a reference on their résumés. When friends use me as a personal reference, my response is easy because I can speak to their good character and other qualities; however, it is uncomfortable to be asked, “Would you rehire this person?” if the job-seeker is someone that I fired. It is gratifying, then, when I get to say of someone, “If she thinks she can do the job, she can do the job.” 

Paul gave the Corinthian church a good reference, and they in turn provided a testimonial to the effectiveness and authority of Paul’s ministry. What did Paul and the Corinthians do to qualify for their glowing recommendations from each other? For his part, Paul did his job as an apostle which the church at Corinth could verify. The church, in turn, was an example of changed lives – “living epistles”* – providing the credentials to prove Paul’s authenticity.

A hard-copy of a document may be more binding than an email, and when we say that something is written in stone we mean that it is permanent and binding. A letter that is engraved on a human heart may not stand up in court but it is personal and reliable. It is the character reference we would hope for. It is the equivalent of being told, “Keep your paper . . . and show us the changed lives from your ministry.”* Those are our true credentials.

Christian people owe a testimony to Christ. His name has been pronounced over them and all who look at them ought to see His nature.*

June 5, 2026

Mark 9: 24 (NIV)

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

. . .that strange mix of vulnerability, courage and hope the Bible calls faith.*

We can relate to the anguished cry of this father whose son is possessed by an evil spirit. He wants to believe that Jesus can deliver the boy from his affliction but what hope is there? Even if he could believe that Jesus was able to help him, why should he expect him that he would? Whose faith is as strong as it ought to be? We all have doubts and weaknesses. Jesus told the man that everything is possible for him who believes. Do we really believe that? 

Maybe we should ask ourselves what we don’t believe. First, let’s eliminate the silly and frivolous – Jesus is not a genie in a lamp to grant our wishes for riches, and nothing in his life or words indicates that we should expect him to be – so of course we don’t believe in a fairytale version of Jesus. So what are some real-life expectations that we think Jesus might not live up to? 

· Physical healing for ourselves or a loved one. 

· Forgiveness of some heinous sin in our past. 

· Finding our soulmate. 

· Delivering a loved one from a destructive lifestyle. 

· Peace on earth. 

As we look at this list again, let’s ask ourselves: Do we really believe that Jesus can’t do these things – or that he won’t? When I cry out to God to help me overcome my unbelief, I am not asking him to prove what he is able to do; I am asking for the strength to be obedient and remain faithful even when he denies my requests. While that is not the comforting thought we might be hoping for, the comfort comes when we have learned to walk in faith and obedience even when our wishes don’t come true.

Life has many unanswered questions, but God’s ability to save needn’t be one of them. Be settled about God’s faithfulness.*

June 4, 2026

Isaiah 57: 15 (NIV)

For this is what the high and lofty One says – he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

The central truth for the comfort of God’s people is that the infinitely Great One cares even for the infinitely little.*

I was in an airplane more than 30,000 feet above the earth when the thought struck me: I am no closer to God here than I am in my house. Where ever heaven is, God is there, but he is also where I am. God transcends space (high and holy place), time (lives forever), and character (whose name is holy), and yet he dwells within the souls of humble and repentant people.* 

While it is an honor to approach him freely, it is clear that we must also come before him humbly. The powerful God in heaven becomes the approachable God in the hearts of those who humble themselves before him. We find comfort in these words from God, delivered by Isaiah, but they were addressed to a specific audience in a particular situation. The message for us today comes from Jesus, who said that no one can come to the Father except through him (John 14: 6). A humble and contrite heart is still necessary but Jesus is our escort into the throne-room of God. It is through his blood that our hearts are purified and made fit to be the dwelling place of the lofty one. 

When we confess our sins and admit our unworthiness; when we crush our pride and hit rock-bottom, we receive the joyful message that God shared through Isaiah and Jesus: He dwells in us, not just to take up space, but to revive the spirit and the heart.

Through His blood we may draw near with boldness, and have access with confidence into God's presence.*

June 3, 2026

I Chronicles 29: 14 (NIV)

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”

Who ever gave any thing to God that he did not first receive from him?* 

This verse follows the prayer offered by David at the beginning of the construction of the temple. He and the people of Israel had given generously of their treasure to finance the house of worship. Christians who have learned the joy of giving can relate to the deep satisfaction David and his people were experiencing.

But David’s reminder in verse 16 is as timely now as it was then: “O Lord our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you.” Yes, the people had been lavish in their gifts towards the building of the temple but had they forgotten who had given them their wealth in the first place? We see how much they gave away, but do we know how much they kept for themselves?

In an offering meditation, a friend told about buying some French fries for his son. When he asked the boy if he could have a couple of the fries, the son was reluctant. “They’re mine,” he said. “Really?” the dad asked. “Where did you get them?” The boy would have had no French fries at all if not for his father’s benevolence.

When you find yourself hesitating to give generously to the Lord’s work, ask yourself who provided your wealth in the first place. When God provides an order of fries, how stingy it would be to refuse to give some of them back to him! Acknowledge that you have nothing that wasn’t God’s in the first place and lose that possessive and selfish barrier to blessed giving.

Worship is when you’re aware that what you’ve been given is far greater than what you can give.*

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.*