June 15, 2026

Luke 5: 4-6 (NIV)

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.

Trust always begins with one side taking a risk.*

I don’t know how long Peter (Simon) had been a fisherman but it was probably long enough that he could have resented Jesus’ recommendation. “I’m a professional,” he might have thought. “I know how to fish.” Was he just humoring Jesus when he agreed to try something different? Or did he give Jesus’ word higher authority than his own experience, as John Maxwell suggests?*

As humans, we may become experts in many areas, but as Christians we often have to set aside what we know from experience, training, and intuition, and do something illogical - because Jesus asked us to. If we are Spirit-filled and Spirit-led, we will find ourselves making choices that defy reason. Faith and common sense do not go hand-in-hand.

Being asked to fish in deeper water may not be as risky as taking your seven children to live in a middle-eastern country to minister to refugees (as my friends have done) but Jesus does not always require us to follow him into danger – only to trust him with every step we take.

The Christian may find himself in situations in which it appears impossible for God to keep His word. Satan would have us trust our senses. He assures us that faith is contrary to right reasoning.*

June 14, 2026

Psalm 71: 18 (NIV)

Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your might to all who are to come.

God never gives us back our youth.*

I had a friend who was always the one that people called when they needed something – a meal, a ride, a hospital visit – but she was a widow and, in her 90s, she began to need others to take care of her. She once confided that she missed the sense of purpose she once had. 

Does the psalmist fear that God will forsake him just because he has grown too old to be useful? I suspect his concern involves his awareness that there is so much to do and so little time. Some senior Christians may need to be reminded that their works don’t save them, but most have spent their lives in service because they are saved, not as their hope of obtaining salvation. It is their spiritual act of worship - and now they are faced with learning a new way to worship. 

What words of comfort can we offer to aging saints whose days of productive service are dwindling away? We might remind them that they, as older people, have had “a peculiar privilege: the chance to see God’s faithfulness over a lifetime.”* Their lifetime of faithfulness can be a testimony to God’s faithfulness, a legacy to pass on to the next generation. A senior saint could also recall how blessed she was when she was being a blessing to others, and that now she becomes the vehicle of blessing by allowing others to serve her. This is truly the circle of life! 

A final reminder for every stage of life: God loves us because we are his, not for what we do and not for how we feel. Busyness – even in Kingdom work – distracts us from developing our relationship with the Lord. Feelings - of guilt, inadequacy, purposelessness, self-pity, unworthiness - hinder our spiritual growth. As we age and weaken physically, we should rejoice that, spiritually, we are now in the growing season.

Bringing enjoyment to God . . . is the first purpose of your life. When you fully understand this truth, you will never again have a problem with feeling insignificant. . . . If you are that important to God, and he considers you valuable enough to keep you with him for eternity, what greater significance could you have?*

June 13, 2026

Psalm 63: 6 (NIV)

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.

We should develop . . . a spiritual instinct, causing us to immediately turn to God when a concern keeps us awake at night.*

Sometimes sleeplessness is just the result of something physical: overeating; too much caffeine; illness; a crying baby. Trying really, really hard to fall asleep seldom ever works. 

I read some good advice for the sleep-deprived: “If insomnia visits you, don’t just waste it – invest it.”* In this verse in Psalms, David reveals the best way to invest your sleeplessness. Instead of lying in bed counting sheep (does that ever work?), take advantage of the quietness of the night and spend some time with God. I read a Facebook post that said, “When you can’t sleep at night, have you ever thought maybe it’s God saying, ‘We need to talk and you now have time.’” 

Don’t know what to talk about? Try journaling. Start by writing, “God, I don’t know what to talk about but here I am.” Or start by listing the things you are thankful for or the things you worry about. Or, begin with the words, “Be still,” and then do it - be still for a few moments, allowing God to make his presence known. Then write, “You are God,” followed by a list of God’s attributes or whatever thoughts God reveals to you. You will find that thinking of God through the “watches of the night” is as refreshing as a good night’s sleep.

To be kept in . . . perfect peace, our mind must be stayed on the LORD.*

June 12, 2026

Joshua 6: 16 (NIV)

The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!”

The Lord builds a bridge . . . directly under the feet of a . . . traveler. He never builds the bridge a few steps ahead.*

My husband and I liked to hike. When we started out on a trail, we would check on its length, but sometimes the posted signage wasn’t clear as to whether the distance was one way or round trip or if the trail looped. Occasionally the trail seemed to be much longer than indicated and we had to decide how much further we should go before giving up and turning around. If only we could have known how close we were to our goal! 

God announced to Joshua that he had delivered Jericho into his hands – but first he and the people had to march around the walls of the city every day for six days. So they did. And nothing happened. How many days would you have kept walking before giving up? On the seventh day, they got up at dawn to circle the city seven times. Everything was the same as on the last 12 circuits until the seventh one on the seventh day when Joshua ordered them to shout and blow the trumpets. What were their expectations this time? When the walls came down, did they remember that God had proclaimed that the victory was already theirs, before they had even started walking in circles? 

We don’t know how much further we have to go to reach our goal but every step we take brings us closer to the final circuit. As Max Lucado writes: “Keep walking . . . this may be the day the Jericho walls come down. You may be one step away from victory.”*

Trust God; for you cannot KNOW!*

June 11, 2026

II Corinthians 8: 3 (NIV)

For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.

If you’re generous, you don’t give till it hurts, you give until it feels good.*

We hear about athletes who give 110 percent but we know it’s not possible to give more than 100 percent - don’t we?

Paul had appealed to other churches to provide financial assistance for their brothers at Jerusalem who were in dire need. In his petition to the affluent church at Corinth, he is not-so-subtle in his attempt to shame them by sharing the example of the churches in Macedonia. They, while poverty-stricken and persecuted themselves, were able to joyfully and generously share a gift for their suffering brothers in Jerusalem. Not only did they give as much as they could – which others might claim that they, too, had done – but, he reports, they managed to give beyond their ability. How is that possible?

In verse 5, Paul gives the magic formula by which the Macedonians were able to defy the laws of nature. First, “they gave themselves to the Lord.” Full surrender to God enabled them to accomplish the miraculous. Second, “they gave themselves to others in keeping with God’s will.” They loved others more than they loved themselves and they sought God’s guidance in determining how to demonstrate that love.

Do you want to do more for the Lord than you are doing now? Do you dare step out in faith and say, “I am yours, Lord. What do you want me to do?” Are you able to “excel in this grace of giving” (verse 7) like the Macedonians? Are you prepared for the overflowing joy that will be your reward for giving 110 percent?

I give what He asks and enjoy what He promises.*

June 10, 2026

Acts 9: 1-5 (NIV)

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. . . . As he neared Damascus . . . suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

But looking at men like this – not as they are, but as they will be – I could also see in our persecutors a Saul of Tarsus – a future apostle Paul.*

It may seem that Saul/Paul had an unfair advantage with his conversion experience. If a bright light flashed and the voice of Jesus spoke to you, wouldn’t you be converted? I think that Paul received special treatment for (at least) two reasons: 1) he was being called for a very special ministry; 2) the Christians were afraid of him so who was brave enough to preach the gospel to him?

Paul’s conversion was unique and special but God does not ignore others as they are traveling on their Damascus roads. The testimonies of a couple of my friends come to mind. One friend repeatedly turned down her neighbor’s invitations to attend church with her – until finally she said yes. Due to that neighbor’s persistence, my friend eventually accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Now she, her husband, and their children and grandchildren are the legacy of the neighbor who never gave up.

Another friend remembers the woman who eventually led her to Christ but she looks back on her life and recalls other people that God put in her life to help turn her to the right path. Their influence wasn’t so compelling individually but each one was building on the efforts of the ones before as their planting and watering prepared the soil so that the last person in the chain could witness the harvest.

Yes, Paul’s conversion story may be the most dramatic in history but in my friends’ experience, the light still flashed and the voice of Jesus spoke and the results are spectacular. As Christians, we need to be reminded: never give up on your lost loved ones; and never underestimate the value of your prep work in the garden of souls.

Most people come to a saving faith in Jesus through an intentional relationship.*

June 9, 2026

Philippians 1: 18 (NIV)

But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. . .

There are times I believe I should be something special in order to be a preacher of God’s Word.*

There’s no such thing as bad publicity. Do you think that’s true? I tend to disagree with the philosophy but in this verse, it seems Paul might go along with it. Word has come to him that there are people who are preaching the gospel with less than honorable motives – envy, ambition, and a desire to stir up trouble for Paul – but Paul is just happy that the word is getting out. 

I find Paul’s outlook a little surprising because I thought that doing the right thing for the wrong reason was a bad thing. But here is Paul, contradicting my long-held belief. Paul doesn’t care about motives – he cares about truth. Motives take second place to preaching the true gospel. 

But what about the lifestyle of the preacher? What if he is well-known for his dishonesty or he is openly gay? He beats his wife and gambles away his paycheck? Shouldn’t the messenger match the message? 

If a man rescues your child from a burning building just to get a reward, should we object to his not having the right motives? What if your child also needed medical attention but his rescuer was not an EMT? Would you rather he left your child in the fire? A hero who is not a trained professional, his motives are not pure, and his rescue is incomplete because he only knows basic first-aid. Your child’s life may still be at risk but at least he is safe from the fire. Now that he is no longer in imminent danger, you can be concerned about proper follow-up.

Can we better understand Paul’s attitude now? I think he would say that desperate times call for emergency procedures. He was in prison and so his freedom to preach was limited. But jail and wrong motives will not hinder the gospel. “God’s work was still getting done, and that was cause for rejoicing.”*

That gospel has lost none of its power.*