September 2, 2026

Romans 8: 1 (NIV)

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

His grace is greater than our disgrace.*

You may be one of those people who did something shameful in your past, and not only do you regret it, you can’t get over it. You carry a load of guilt. You can’t forgive yourself. I can relate – to a point. I did something stupid and sinful that I wish I hadn’t. I confess that I am more ashamed of the stupidity than of the sinfulness. See, I know God has forgiven me and that I am free of the penalty and the guilt. I’m just still mad at myself for behavior that is so out of character for me.

The good news in this verse doesn’t just apply to those benchmark sins in our past. The “law of sin and death” says that the soul that sins must die, and that refers to our daily, comfortable sins as well. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t possibly list all my sins at the end of each day, so unaware am I of what I have done. I confess my sinfulness to God, beg his forgiveness, and start over again with a clean slate – because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life has exempted me from the punishment I deserve under the law of sin and death.

If you are burdened by the sins of the past, I ask you, “If God doesn’t condemn you, why should you condemn yourself?”* If you insist on carrying your guilt and shame, you might as well wear a sign saying, “Jesus’ blood isn’t enough to wash away my sins.” If you are in Christ Jesus, the freedom from condemnation is yours. You need to start living like it!

When I hold on to what God has already let go of, I’m throwing away his grace as if it were the daily trash.*

September 1, 2026

Acts 2: 1–13 (NIV)

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. . . . All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. . . a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. . .  Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

The church grew and permeated Greco-Roman society for centuries in the face of official hostility and mob hatred.*

Upon first reading that the disciples began to speak in other tongues, we might picture a rather chaotic scene. Lots of babbling and confusion and miscommunication. But keep reading. “Each one heard them speaking in his own language” it says. That presents a more orderly picture, doesn’t it? What would be the point of the Spirit’s enabling the disciples to speak another language if it only resulted in pandemonium? Instead, they opened their mouths and whatever came out was understood by their foreign listeners. There is no indication that they were rudely speaking over each other.

It’s odd that some observers preferred to make fun of the disciples’ new linguistic abilities and to accuse them of being drunk. (It reminds me of a line I heard in a TV show or movie: "You're drunk. I see two of you.") But a drunk does not suddenly begin speaking a language he has never learned. Perhaps the skeptics didn’t hear their mother-tongue because they were not filled with the Holy Spirit. In any event, it is a reality 2,000-plus years later that sometimes people think you’re drunk or crazy when you speak God’s language.

The new-improved version of Peter did not take offense at the mockery or false accusations. We might have been embarrassed or felt inclined to launch a counterattack but Peter took advantage of an opportunity to preach. It was following that sermon that about 3,000 were added to their number - on that very day.

Being made fun of is never fun but following the Spirit’s leading in confronting your mockers is exhilarating. Let Peter’s example encourage you to speak God’s language bravely. The results could be astonishing!

Sermons may be clever, powerful, convincing, and yet, unless the Spirit’s power be sought . . . no spiritual harvest can be expected.*

August 31, 2026

Isaiah 30: 18 (NIV)

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. 

His grace exceeds the largest dimensions known to man.*

Have you ever been snapped at – or bitten by – an injured pet when you were trying to help him? You had only the best of intentions toward the hurting animal but he was in too much pain to understand.  Remember how you felt?

Other versions of today's verse say something along the lines of God is waiting to be gracious to you. I picture him waiting patiently, soothing us as much as we will allow, until we realize that he is there and ready with the first aid.  He longs to tend our hurts. He rises to show you compassion – he gets up to come to our side to comfort us. But just like an animal in pain, we reject his aid. A pet reacts instinctively to attempts to tend to his wounds. What is our excuse?

God isn’t just waiting for us to allow him to heal our hurts; he is also waiting for us to accept his offer of salvation. “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (II Peter 3: 9) There is a strong sense of urgency here – we don’t know how much longer he will wait. With God, a thousand years and a single day are equal increments of time (II Peter 3: 8) so has he been patient with you for a few days or for thousands of years?

For the present, the door is still open.*

August 30, 2026

Psalm 116: 2 (NIV)

Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.

It is such a comfort to drop the entanglements and perplexities of life into God’s hands and leave them there.*

The first week that my twin boys were in high school, I got hives. Dealing with their school was one of the most stressful experiences of my life. There were some issues with their schedule that needed to be worked out, but when the person who answered the phone at the school couldn’t help me, I couldn’t get any further, no matter how many times I called. No referring me to another person; just, “Sorry, I don’t know.” Finally, (long story short) I found someone who could help me – the district superintendent’s secretary. After all was sorted out, I told this long-time, knowledgeable, and helpful employee, “You can’t retire until after my boys graduate.” (And I did have to call on her again before their four years were up!)

My reliable source of help with the school system didn’t actually solve my problem but she put me in touch with someone who could. God doesn’t always provide the solution either. Sometimes he shows us how to live with our problems. Occasionally, he turns a problem into a blessing. But he never leaves us to face life alone.

I wish that I could have found that helpful employee before I had to run the gauntlet of futility. I would wish the same for you as you struggle with life’s issues. When you know who can help, why waste your time getting nowhere with people who don’t know anything? God is ready to listen and ready with the answers. Give him that first chance to be your source of help and you will say with the psalmist, “Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.” Perhaps you can say good-bye to high blood pressure, ulcers, anxiety . . . hives . . .

God wants to provide solutions that will nourish and sustain, not harm us in the long run.*

August 29, 2026

Exodus 33: 18 (NIV)

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

We try to describe God in human terms, but God is infinitely bigger than our ability to understand.*

God had already shown Moses his favor – verse 11 says that the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. How glorious would that be? And still Moses asks that God would show him his glory. Was Moses being arrogant? Audacious? Or appropriate? 

God didn’t seem to be put-off by Moses’ request. When Moses asked to see God’s glory, God showed him his goodness (verse 19). Is there a difference? If you’ve seen one attribute of God, have you seen them all? When God allowed, in verse 23, that Moses could see his back but not his face, what did Moses see? God is spirit and does not have body parts. Someone has suggested that instead of revealing his glory, God revealed his character.* Again I ask, is there a difference? 

Moses’ request to see God’s glory is typical human behavior. The more we know God, the more we want to know him. God’s response to Moses is typical divine behavior: he wants to show us more of himself. In his sermon at the Areopagus in Athens (Acts 17: 16-34), Paul proclaims that everything that God has done from creation forward was for this purpose: “So that men might seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him.” Turns out that Moses was not acting inappropriately when he asked to see God’s glory. It’s exactly what God wants all of us to do.

Christ only is the express image of God’s person.*

August 28, 2026

Daniel 1: 8 (NIV)

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine; and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.

Instead of engaging the culture we can end up embracing the culture.*

Babylon, under the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, besieged and defeated Jerusalem. The Babylonians sacked the temple and, per the king’s orders, carried off some of the finest young Israelite men to be groomed for service in the palace. These young men received much better treatment than the average captive, a condition which was conducive to sucking them into the pagan culture. 

Daniel was one of those young men. They changed his name as part of their indoctrination process but Daniel was determined to maintain his spiritual purity even though he no longer had access to the religious conveniences of home. We aren’t told specifically why he chose the dietary laws of the Jewish faith as the launching pad for his small rebellion, but we can guess: dietary restrictions of the Mosaic Law prohibited eating certain kinds of meat, most of which would have been included in a Babylonian menu; anything offered at mealtime could also have been offered to idols; and it was impossible to comply with most other components of the Law. 

Daniel’s life can teach us about living in our increasingly Godless society. Like Daniel, we need to resolve not to defile ourselves with the nastiness of the world. We are easily seduced into small compromises, and, little by little, soon nothing sets us apart from the rest of humanity. We should also note Daniel’s demeanor at the onset of his civil disobedience – he was respectful but resolute as he negotiated for sanctions, an attitude that did not guarantee that his “boss” would grant the ten-day deferral but one that surely didn’t hurt his chances of success. 

Choosing not to eat the royal food seems like a tiny battle in a gigantic war but every skirmish won is a step in the march to victory. What bigger issue could Daniel have chosen to make his point? Jesus said, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.” (Luke 16: 10) Daniel demonstrates that being trustworthy in small ways is no small thing with God.

If you think you’re too small to make a difference, you have never spent the night with a mosquito.*

August 27, 2026

Ephesians 4: 30 (NIV)

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

When God reveals himself in Scripture as a being who is both three and one we are not shocked. There is no surprise, for we knew all along that God was totally different from anything we could think or imagine.*

At the risk of sounding sacrilegious, I wonder if the Holy Spirit ever feels like Rodney Dangerfield? From being referred to as “it,” to being ignored, he doesn’t seem to get much respect. And how three distinct entities can be one entity is a topic for smarter people to discuss. Let’s just spend a few moments getting acquainted with the Holy Spirit. 

This verse in Ephesians introduces a characteristic of the Holy Spirit that we might find surprising: he has feelings. Here, Paul warns us not to grieve the Spirit (how we can cause the Spirit grief is another subject). In Galatians 6: 8, Paul also informs us that the Spirit can be pleased by our actions; and the writer of Hebrews tells us that he can be insulted (10: 29). Does knowing this about the Holy Spirit make him seem more accessible, more personal, to you? 

The Holy Spirit plays an important role in the life of a Christian. Some of his responsibilities include (but are not limited to):  

· Teach (Luke 12: 12; John 14: 26) 

· Enable (Acts 2: 4) 

· Give wisdom (Acts 6: 10; Colossian 1: 9) 

· Encourage (Acts 9: 31) 

· Warn (Acts 20: 23) 

· Lead (Romans 8: 14; Galatians 5: 18) 

· Help in our weakness (Romans 8: 26) 

· Intercede (Romans 8: 26) 

· Distribute gifts (I Corinthians 12: 4) 

· Minister (II Corinthians 3: 8) 

· Give joy (I Thessalonians 1: 6) 

· Justify (I Corinthians 6: 11) 

Other attributes of the Holy Spirit that are vital to our understanding of him and to our salvation include: 

· He gives life (John 6: 63; Romans 8: 10; II Corinthians 3: 6) 

· He knows the thoughts of God (I Corinthians 2: 11) 

· He lives in us (II Timothy 1: 14) 

· He raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8: 11) 

· He is our counselor (John 14: 16) 

As you get to know the Holy Spirit and what he can do for you, you will begin to recognize that he is your source of power. But that’s a subject for another day . . .

At the heart of who the Spirit is we find someone who cares, who is compassionate, and who can always be found by our side and on our side.*