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Devotional Read, Oct. 7, 2025

Luke 23:11-16

13 Then Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. When I examined him before you, I did not find this man guilty of anything you accused him of doing. 15 Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, he has done nothing deserving death. 16 I will therefore have him flogged and release him.” 

Both Herod and Pilate found Jesus not guilty. That placed the responsibility for his death upon the Jews. That was definitely Jesus' prediction, and his warning of judgement was directed to them. But Jesus was not killed. He gave his life. He gave it willingly and in obedience to the Father. And he gave it for the sins of all the world. It may have been the Jews who cried for his crucifixion, but it for my sin he died.  

Devotional Reading, Oct. 6, 2025

Luke 22:65-71

Then they led Jesus away to their council 67 and said, “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 70 So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” He answered them, “You say that I am.” 71 Then they said, “Why do we need further testimony? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips!” 

"If I ask you, you will not answer."  The men of the council knew that he was the Messiah. That made their crime all the more heinous. They knew that they were going to crucify their Messiah. Nothing could be more directly a repudiation of God than this. 

But there was more. Jesus told them he would be seated at the right hand of God. That is a reference to Daniel 7:12-14 in which one like a man approached God surrounded with the host of heaven and was given " ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty."  The council understood that to describe a man who would be given the authority of God.  Who else would that be but his Son? And it was on that testimony that they crucified him. The Lord would rise to take his place on the throne at the right hand of God. But the council upon Jesus' testimony and their condemnation of the Son of God sealed their fate.  Jesus will reign eternally. They will suffer the condemnation of God eternally. The utmost seriousness of that decision takes my breath away. 

Devotional Reading, Oct. 3, 2025

Luke 19:8-9

 8 But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!” 9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this household, because he too is a son of Abraham! 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” 

Repentance is seen in our actions. Zacchaeus gave away half of his wealth and repaid those he had cheated 4X what he had stolen. He was serious about turning his life around. But that is an extreme  example. Few of us have it quite so easy. We must ask what it is that we need to change if we are to start a new life in a new direction. Do we have people we need to ask forgiveness of? Do we have people we need to confess our wrongs to? Do we have priorities we need to change? Do we need to become more generous or kind or forgiving? I cannot say what you need to do to repent and change your life to a life that honors the Lord and is lived under his direction. I have a hard enough time doing that for myself. But be sure, repentance is expected of everyone who will follow Jesus. It is not a condition of salvation. It is the result of salvation. But it is the tell of salvation. 

Devotional Reading, Sept. 12, 2025

Luke 1:78-79

78 Because of our God’s tender mercy

the dawn will break upon us from on high

79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace.” 

This is from Zechariah's song. It has Israel in view, but it echoes the heart of every child of God: Peace - peace through the child and Savior God was sending to us. I sing that song today as I think about the turmoil and conflict and violence these past few years have brough upon us.  And there is no end in sight. No man has a solution. But God has. It is a changed heart conformed to the Lord's heart.  

And it starts with me. Lord, change my heart. May it reflect your heart. May the peace spoken of here become my peace and through me be peace experienced by those around me. 

Devotional Reading, Sept. 9, 2025

Isaiah  64

8 Yet you, Lord, are our Father.

   We are the clay, you are the potter;

   we are all the work of your hand.

9 Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord;

   do not remember our sins forever.

Oh, look on us, we pray,

   for we are all your people. (Isaiah 64)

Isaiah is speaking about Israel after the exile to Babylon and looking back on both days of glory and times when they danced with idols. They are back in the land, but the temple has not been rebuilt. The city walls remain in ruins. And the glory has not returned. Will they settle for that?

Isaiah will not. He cries, "Look on us, we pray, for we are your people."

I find myself crying the same prayer. We are the work of your hands, Lord, make us into a holy people.  We have danced too often with the idols of our generation. Forgive us. Return to us. Renew us. May your glory return.

Devotional Reading, August 25, 2025

Isaiah 48:9,10

9 For the sake of my reputation I hold back my anger;

for the sake of my prestige I restrain myself from destroying you.

10 Look, I have refined you, but not as silver;

I have purified you in the furnace of misery. 

Isaiah 48 

The Babylonian captivity was the first. The captivity of the Romans in 135 AD was the second, and it continues to this day. It has been characterized as a furnace of misery just as the first. When will it end, and Israel be revived?  I pray for Israel. The hardest part may still be ahead when the lawless one is revealed and takes his hatred of God out on the people of God. I pray for Israel. Save, Lord, save. 

Devotional Reading, Aug. 15, 2025

Isaiah 35:8,10

8 A thoroughfare will be there—

it will be called the Way of Holiness.

[...]

10   those whom the Lord has ransomed will return that way.

They will enter Zion with a happy shout.

Unending joy will crown them,

happiness and joy will overwhelm them; grief and suffering will disappear. 

It has been now a little more than a month since Connie's passing to Glory. I continue to grieve her. But I rejoice that she is free now of the pain and suffering she experienced in the last four or five years. I am thankful to the Lord that he enabled me to care for her in those years. And this verse reminds me that there is coming a day in which grief and suffering will disappear. They will be replaced with overwhelming Joy. Reunion of the redeemed. The presence of God as we do not know it now with all the distractions of life and our nature. Zion, the city of our God.   I wait with anticipation. 

Devotional Reading, July 21, 2025

Psalm 72:8-11

May he rule from sea to sea,

and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

9 

Before him the coastlands will bow down,

and his enemies will lick the dust.

10 

The kings of Tarshish and the coastlands will offer gifts;

the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring tribute.

11 

All kings will bow down to him; 

By Jewish tradition this is David's prayer for his son Solomon. But it is really a prayer for his greater son, Jesus the Messiah. It is he who would reign from sea to sea and to the ends of the earth. That is not hyperbole; it is literal. Jesus does and shall reign over all the earth. As King of kings he is worthy of the praise of kings. He is worthy of the gifts we bring. He will reign in justice and wisdom that only the Son of God is capable of. He will reign in goodness. And he will reign over his enemies. He does now and he will at his appearing. 

That day of his appearing is not far off for us. It is approaching as every sign the Lord has given tells us. He is at the door. May we lift up ur eyes and welcome him.   

Devotional Reading, July 18, 2025

Psalm 46:1-5

1

God is our strong refuge;

he is truly our helper in times of trouble.

2 

For this reason we do not fear when the earth shakes,

and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea,

3 

when its waves crash and foam,

and the mountains shake before the surging sea. 

Events in recent days give this psalm new meaning. The world is experiencing a time of trouble with threats of war and the pain climate change is inflicting such as it has never before experienced. Earthquakes and volcanic activity are increasing along with devastating tsunamis. What shall we do? It is too much for us. In this strange time, a time that very likely is the time of the end of humanity on earth, I take refuge in God. 

My life is not bound to this time and place. My life is hidden in  God. I am confident of the Glory he has prepared for those who love him. I will face these things in peace and confidence.  

Devotional Reading, July 10, 2025

Psalm 81

5 I heard an unknown voice say:

6 “I removed the burden from their shoulders;
    their hands were set free from the basket.
7 In your distress you called and I rescued you,
    I answered you out of a thundercloud;
    I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
8 Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—
    if you would only listen to me, Israel!
9You shall have no foreign god among you;
    you shall not worship any god other than me.
10I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

I can't help thinking about Israel in these days. Israel was as precious to God as the apple of his eye. What wonderful things he might have done for them and through them. The tragedy was "My people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. "  But God has not abandoned them forever. He will renew them and revive them. Then as Paul said it will be like one risen from the dead. I pray for that day, for today Israel seems bent on self-destruction. 

Devotional Reading, July 9, 2025

Dear Lord, I have lost her, the one who was my treasure, my love, my dear wife. I hurt. Life is crazy. We are too much into ourselves to know the blessings you give. And my dear wife was the greatest you gave me on earth.  But I rushed on to busyness. Forgive me, Lord. Forgive me, my dear wife. 

Psalm 119:105 

Your word is a lamp for my feet,

    a light on my path. 

Now I must go on alone without her. Be, O Lord a light to my feet. Be a comfort to my soul. May I live out the days yet allotted to me in wisdom to your glory.  

My wife of sixty years passed away at my side the afternoon of July 7th into the presence of the Lord. She passed in absolute confidence that she was going home to Jesus. As much as I miss her, I would not call her back. In time I will go to join her. I look forward to that day.  We may then enjoy the Lord together and all he has planned for us. 

Devotional Reading, July 5, 2025.

Hebrews 13:13-16

13 We must go out to him, then, outside the camp, bearing the abuse he experienced. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, acknowledging his name. 16 And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for God is pleased with such sacrifices. 

Though this is not the end of the story that began with Genesis 2-3, it is a fitting admonition for those of us who are in the middle of the story, between Eden and Glory. As strangers in a strange land, continue to share in the Lord's suffering as we witness to a better land for all who seek owlam (Owlam is eternity of harmony and intimacy with God, the heavenly city in a new heaven and earth). In this land there will be little understanding of those who live as Jesus lived or of his mission and purpose. There will be opposition.  Live for the future glory promised. Give God glory. Do good.   

And keep on doing it. 

Devotional reading, June 27, 2025

Jeremiah 31:31-34

31 “Indeed, a time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 32 It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt. For they violated that covenant, even though I was like a faithful husband to them,” says the Lord. 33 “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them back in the land,” says the Lord. “I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my people.

34 “People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” says the Lord. “For I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done.”

This passage is quoted in Hebrews 10. There it ends with this verse: 13 When he speaks of a new covenant, he makes the first obsolete. Now what is growing obsolete and aging is about to disappear. 

Within a very few months or years it came to pass in a dramatic fashion. The temple was destroyed. The priesthood died. The sacrifices ceased. And that is how they have remained for 2000 years. Talk about a dramatic fulfillment of prophecy. But it is the promise to which I look today. It has to do with Israel. The day is coming when beloved Israel will be revived and will come with repentance and singing to the Lord and to the land. And all who are adopted into Israel will rejoice. With Israel now in the land the stage is set for the final act and Israel is revived and the olive tree brings forth new leaves. May it be Lord. May it be. 

Devotional Reading June 26, 2025

Hebrews 7:17-19

17 For here is the testimony about him: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” 18 On the one hand a former command is set aside because it is weak and useless, 19 for the law made nothing perfect. On the other hand a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. 

It has been two weeks since last post. A lot has happened. Connie has been very sick. But she is improving now. Thanks to the Lord. 

Reading now in Hebrews. The law was temporary given to be a teacher to bring us to Christ Jesus, the priest forever. He provided for us a better hope because it is complete and eternal. It perfectly covers our sins and does so forever. Thank you, Lord.  I rest in that today. 

Devotional Reading, June 5, 2025

2nd Peter 1:3

2 May grace and peace be lavished on you as you grow in the rich knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord!  3 I can pray this because his divine power has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence.  

Every day as I surf the videos on YouTube, I find scholars and skeptics puzzled at why Christians keep on keeping on. And rejoicing in it. This is the reason: grace and peace. As I come to the final years of my life after having grown in the knowledge of God and of our Savior Jesus Christ over 65 years I am enjoying a season of grace and peace that is the fruit of the knowledge of Jesus.  I have fought with wild beasts. I have purposefully allowed my faith to be tested in intellectual and spiritual encounters. And I have found the Lord to be able to give peace through it all. I do not know all the answers, but I know the one who is the answer, the answer to whom no one has an answer. You have been there, Lord. Thank you.  

Devotional Reading, June 2, 2025

1st Peter 4:7-11

7 For the culmination of all things is near. So be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of prayer. 8 Above all keep your love for one another fervent, because love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without complaining. 10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, let it be with God’s words. Whoever serves, do so with the strength that God supplies, so that in everything God will be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. 

The end of this world is near. It is always near.  So, be self-comtroled and pray and  serve each other. That will glorify God.  Don't be preoccupied by the world and what is happening in the world. Focus on God and his calling to serve. Keep it simple. 

Devotional Reading, May 30, 2025

1st Peter 3:8-9

8 Finally, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, affectionate, compassionate, and humble. 9 Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult, but instead bless others because you were called to inherit a blessing.  

Live at peace with God and at peace with others. This is the secret of the Christian life.  I am learning how much a joy it is, relaxing in God's love. There is nothing better. 

Devotional Reading, May 29, 2025

1st Peter 2:4-5

4 So as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight, 5 you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  

Peter is speaking about the rejection of the Jews, but it is also true of many who today speak for our changing culture in America. The internet, TV, and film are the spokesmen for our culture, and increasingly the voice of rejection. BUT we are chosen and precious in God's sight. And the offering of our praises are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 

I can bear the rejection, as Jesus was rejected,  Knowing God's acceptance. I love you, Lord.  

Devotional Reading, May 23, 2025

1st Kings 17:24

The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a prophet and that the Lord’s message really does come through you.” 

God brought upon the widow's son (or allowed)  a deadly illness for the purpose of demonstrating that all this that has come upon her and the nation, as well as the authenticity of Elijah as a prophet,  is not a coincidence but ordained by God.  We may ask the same. Are the things that happen to us mere pointless events or the acts of a capricious God or coincidences?   This story assures us that they are purposeful and have the intent of showing God's hand in them and that they in one way or another further God's purposes for us and in history. They drive us to God for relief and mercy, and there we find God sufficient.  

Devotional Reading, May 20, 2025

1st Kings 13:26

 When the old prophet who had invited him to his house heard the news, he said, “It is the prophet who rebelled against the Lord. The Lord delivered him over to the lion and it tore him up and killed him, in keeping with the Lord’s message that he had spoken to him.”  

The prophet ignored what God had spoken to him and believed what the other said God had spoken. If there is a personal application, it is to pay attention to what God says to us and not be swayed by anyone who claims tombe speaking in God's authority. Seek God and his direction through his word and through his Spirit.  Those things we hear from others must be tested by that. 

Devotional Reading, May 19, 2025

1st Kings 12:15

The king refused to listen to the people, because the Lord was instigating this turn of events so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. 

Throughout scripture there are moments when God instigates events to bring to pass his purposes. This in 1st Kings is one: God was curbing Solomon's influence in Israel toward idolatry while at the same time preserving the Davidic line through whom the Messiah would come. 

When I look at the mess our culture has become, I wonder what God is doing. We are dividing as resolutely as Israel and Judah divided. Will that lead to a country at war with itself and reduce our influence in the larger community of the world? Even the church is divided. Will that reduce the influence and witness of the church in America? (There are other trends that are undermining faith in America as well.) I fear it will, if it has not already. Will these things provide a vacuum which the "man of lawlessness" of 2nd Thessalonians 2 will fill?  I do not know. But my heart is grieved at what is happening. and I think that it is not insignificant in God's plan. 

Devotional Reading, May 7, 2025

1st Kings 2:3

Do the job the Lord your God has assigned you by following his instructions and obeying his rules, commandments, 

regulations, and laws as written in the law of Moses. Then you will succeed in all you do and seek to accomplish,  

This is a good rule to follow in every endeavor, but it is crucial for a leader whether King or President.  God has given us a blueprint for building our lives and kingdoms that will ensure success and blessing. But it sometimes comes with messiness that requires decisiveness, as it does here in 1st Kings and in our lives and in our institutions; Solomon had to deal with simmering rebellion. I am not in Solomon's place, so I cannot comment on how a good and Godly leader would deal with rebellion, but I know that personally, I must deal with rebellion of the heart decisively. I must not allow a seed of rebellion to remain. The Lord helping me. 

Devotional Reading, April 16, 2025

Matthew 20: 42-44

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:

‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls will be crushed.”

The result of either enmity and opposition toward the Savior or apathy toward him is the same, destruction. No matter what one thinks about him, he is the Cornerstone. It is as God the Father determined. The opinion of men will not change it.  Wisdom is to accept Jesus as the one designated by the Father to be the cornerstone upon which the whole of God's house will be built. 

Devotional Reading, April 14, 2025

Matthew 18:6,7

6 “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a huge millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the open sea. 7 Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! It is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom they come. 

I have fought my way through many of the things that have oversimplified the faith and stunted growth in faith and made it too childish for it to make any impact on the thinking of moderns. But in so doing I have also wrestled with answers that were not fully formed and may create difficulties for young believers in their journey. I have not wanted to disturb them with things that seem to conflict with their faith, yet I want them to grow up into a mature and confident faith they can share.  I need to be careful and at the same time discerning about when and where to share these things. 

Devotional Reading, April 11, 2025

Matthew 16:1-3

16 Now when the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He said, “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be fair weather, because the sky is red,’ 3 and in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, because the sky is red and darkening.’ You know how to judge correctly the appearance of the sky, but you cannot evaluate the signs of the times.  

The world of the Jews was crashing down around them. Yet they could not see it. They asked for a sign that Jesus was the Messiah. But they didn't need a "sign"; they had is words. He was there to set Israel right and avoid the judgment that was on the near horizon. But they were not able or willing to hear. The king of Ninevah heard and repented. This generation of Israel would not. 

 Our generation is faced with the same future. Judgement. The signs are all around us. Trump is trying to correct some of the failures we have made. But he misses the point: correcting the culture is not enough unless we repent. Without recognizing our own personal failure to live in a way that honors God and obeys his instructions for life will fail. Using laws and force to correct the failure of others is doomed to fail because it does not address the root of the problems - my failure.  Lord, help me see my sin and repent.   

Devotional Reading, April 9, 2025

Matthew 15:24

34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

This differs from the feeding of the 5,000. Here Jesus doesn't challenge the disciples to feed the multitude. He simply asked how much they have. Their answer was "not much." They did not remark on how insufficient this was. They knew it was, but they knew Jesus was sufficient. They had learned. Here they were simply presenting their need to the Lord expecting in faith that he would make up what they lacked. And he did. Have I learned that lesson? I think I have to some degree, but it is yet to become automatic. But on the other hand, I have come a long way from declaring that the need is impossible.    

Devotional Reading, April 5, 2025

Matthew 14:30-31

 30 But when he saw the strong wind he became afraid. And starting to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 

This is the second lesson/test of the Disciple's' faith in Jesus. The first was that they needed to do what they could with what they had and trust that Jesus would take it from there. The second is that they need to continue to trust him. Both are lessons I need to learn and continue to learn.  Thank you, Lord, for your patience and faithfulness to me. 

Devotional Reading, April 3, 2025

Matthew 13:14,15

‘You will listen carefully yet will never understand,

you will look closely yet will never comprehend.

15 

For the heart of this people has become dull;

they are hard of hearing,

and they have shut their eyes,

so that they would not see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their hearts

and turn, and I would heal them.’ 

There is both a passive aspect and an active response. Hearts are dull: they are not hungry for God or his word. But that is followed up by the decision to shut their eyes. I hear both in the testimonies of many of the skeptics and atheists who used to be Christians I speak with. But the warning is not so much for them as for me. I must not allow my heart to become dull by neglecting God and his word.