Tag: devotional

November 11, 2025

November 11th, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 23

Highlight Verses:

““If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner. If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭23‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I once ticked off a coworker inadvertently.

It’s a long irrelevant story but, suffice it to say, he did everything he could to snub me and undermine me at work.

While I couldn’t fully understand his reasoning, I made an effort to be friendly and helpful whenever I could.

It took over a year, but eventually, we were on friendly terms.

I wouldn’t call us besties but, in the end, we got along pretty well.

I don’t know if that is exactly what these verses are talking about.

I do know that God wants us to treat everyone with respect and generosity.

Everyone.

Including those we don’t get along with.

Maybe especially those we don’t get along with.

Both Jesus and Paul confirmed this in the New Testament. (Matthew 5:44, Romans 12:20).

Is there someone who could use your help that you have been avoiding?
What would happen if you started helping them?
November 10, 2025

November 10th, 2025
Monday – Gospels

Reading – Matthew 19-20

Highlight Verses:

““Lord,” they said, “we want to see!” Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20‬:‭33‬-‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus turned more than tables upside-down.

Today’s reading highlights several teachings and attitudes of the religious that Jesus turned upside-down:
- The ease which divorce could be granted to men. (19:6)
- The idea that He shouldn’t be bothered with children. (19:14
- The hopelessness of truly finding a relationship with God. (19:26)
- That God would favor the hardest workers. (20:16, 26)
- That the Messiah would overthrow the Romans. (20:18-19)
- That the imperfect should be ignored.
The true Gospel turned all these ideas around.

In two of these cases, Jesus also met a basic human need – touch.

He touched the children when He blessed them, bridging the gap of formality.

Then Jesus brought a healing touch to the blind men, turning around the idea that the imperfect need to be kept separate.

Jesus turned the religion of the day on its head.

He is still flipping our pious religious ideas around when they contradict the Gospel.

What religious ideas do we harbor now need to be flipped?
Are there any specific things this passage inspires you to do to live out the Gospel? What are they?
November 9, 2025

November 9th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 137-139

Highlight Verse:

“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today, I thank God for His amazing craftsmanship in creating not just this amazing universe but each incredibly complex inhabitant of it.

There are about 8 billion humans alive today and there have been about 117 billion since Adam and Eve.

God designed each one.

The possible number of gene combinations is about 4 to the 3 billionth power.

That’s 4 followed by 3 billion zeros!

One website I checked called it functionally infinite.

The God I trust designed each one of us.

Even identical twins have unique life stories laid out for them.

I’ve lived out over half of my earthly story but am still very excited to see what God has in store for me for the rest of it.

For that, I will gladly pause and give thanks today.

How has God surprised you with the gift of your life story?
What are you thankful for today?
November 8, 2025

November 8th, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Isaiah 9:1-7

Highlight Verse:

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today I am thankful for holidays.

Between now and the end of the year, I have 6 paid holidays.

I have friends who have already decorated for Christmas.

One of our local Christian radio stations has already started playing Christmas music.

To me, it’s way too early to go full Christmas mode, but I don’t see any problem with anticipating celebrating the birth of Jesus.

After all, Isaiah talked about it 700 years before it happened.

As far as I’m concerned, in December we can talk about Advent and the hope and joy that brings.

For now, I choose to concentrate on being thankful in November.

Do you keep Christmas restricted to December, start decorating in October, or rock it all year? Why?
What are you thankful for today?
November 7, 2025

November 7th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Lamentations 5

Highlight Verses:

“Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had! Or have you utterly rejected us? Are you angry with us still?”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

These are the final words of the Lament.

But they are not the last word on God’s relationship with us.

This book has an unfortunate end before the return from exile.

But the return happened.

And later, God Himself came in the form of Jesus.

And Jesus made the sacrifice that gives us the ability to enjoy new life with God.

It may be cliché but the saying “if it’s not good, then it’s not over” applies to every believer’s life.

If we trust in God, He will make a way for us to live fulfilling lives culminating in a heavenly eternity (literally).

Can you relate to the laments in this book?
Do you know the peace and joy of trusting in God?
Do you trust Him to turn your mourning into dancing? (Psalm 30:11)
November 6, 2025

November 6th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 Timothy 1

Highlight Verse:

“The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I would have thought that Paul would have said that his purpose was to evangelize the world or something like that.

But then I read it again and he says that this is the purpose of his instruction.

I get it.

I’ve always been one of those teacher types.

I’ve trained other techs for many years.

I’ve taught children and youth at church since I was a youth myself.

But I have to stay on guard against teaching others so that I feel good about myself.

I’m not saying that people shouldn’t feel good about themselves, but that shouldn’t be the main purpose.

I’ve said before that I do this so that I would be held accountable to study the Bible for myself.

The truth is the main reason I do this daily writing is so that people would come to a better understanding of the relevance of God’s Word and would be empowered to put it into practice in their lives.

In today’s highlight verse, Paul makes it clear to his successor in training, Timothy that he wants to see the love of God in action among the believers.

Like it or not, we are all teachers with what we say or do.

So shouldn’t we do what we do with a purpose in mind?

What is it that you want other to learn from you?
What are the other main purposes in your life?
November 5, 2025

November 5th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Samuel 19-20

Highlight Verse:

“One of Joab’s young men shouted to Amasa’s troops, “If you are for Joab and David, come and follow Joab.””
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭20‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We never know his name,

but this young man may have been the biggest factor in David’s complete return to power.

Joab and Abishai had already left in pursuit of the rebellious Sheba.

They apparently didn’t even think of the confusion Amasa’s body would cause.

Our anonymous young hero saw the problem.

He could have said, “Not my problem,” and moved on.

He could have asked an officer what to do.

But to him it was obvious. Those recruited by Amasa would obviously be confused by his corpse on the trail, so he took it upon himself to do the dirty work of moving and covering the body.

While we never learn his name, his deeds will always be remembered.

That’s the ideal that Jesus spoke of in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:3-4).

If we want rewards in heaven for our good deeds, we shouldn’t brag about them here on Earth.

Without mentioning names, what good deeds have you seen done around you?
What are ways that we can remain anonymous while performing good deeds?
November 4, 2025

November 4th, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 21-22

Highlight Verse:

“If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door or doorpost and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will serve his master for life.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭21‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Let’s go straight to the elephant in the room – slavery was legal then.

The rules in this chapter and elsewhere didn’t make slavery right or okay in the eyes of God.

They did represent a huge step toward fairness.

While a slave was obligated to serve their master, men were given freedom in the seventh year.

After that, they were allowed to stay on to stay with their family.

Notice that it was the master who was to pierce the ear of the slave using an awl or large needle on the door post of the house.

That implies an obligation on the master’s part as well.

The slave was obligated to serve the master; the master was obligated to treat the slave fairly and to provide for their needs.

Again, it sounds barbaric by today’s standards but in those days, it gave the slave unprecedented rights.

I see two applications to this passage:
• First, employers and employees are obligated to serve and provide for each other.
• Second, we should always consider the context when we seek God’s intent for a passage.

How do you think employers should treat their employees?
Do you agree or disagree about the context and meaning of this passage? Explain please.
November 3, 2025

November 3rd, 2025

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Matthew 17-18

Highlight Verse:

“However, we don’t want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭17‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today I’m thankful for government.

I know many may point out the many flaws of our government. Both sides of the political spectrum find things to criticize about the government no matter what country you are in.

Keep in mind that almost every government in the world today is better than that which Judea and the time of Jesus lived under.

Judea was an oppressed nation within the Roman Empire. In some ways they were treated as slaves.

At the very least, they were considered second rate citizens of a conquered back-water region.

Even so, Jesus saw fit to pay taxes.

He and His disciples did not have voting rights.

Most of us reading this do.

In most of the US, tomorrow is Election Day. While it is an “off year” election with mostly local measures on the ballot,

I believe we should do our part and let our voice be heard.

I know this is a little stretch from today’s reading, but I believe it lines up with the Word of God and I also believe it is very important that believers speak up when it comes to public policies and laws.

How important is voting to you?
Do you think your attitudes toward paying taxes lines up with Jesus? (I struggle with that myself).
November 2, 2025

November 2nd, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 134-136

Highlight Verses:

“Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord! Praise him, you who serve the Lord, you who serve in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭135‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today, I thank God for all those who make church happen, from the Pastor to the set-up crew and everyone in between.

I’ve served in and around churches long enough to know that it can be tough to serve and it can be tough to lead those who serve.

It can be very difficult to balance the demands of family responsibility and ministry.

I’ve seen families torn apart by overwhelming ministry responsibilities.

And I’ve seen other families thrive by working together with one purpose in ministry.

I cannot claim to have all the secrets to thriving as a family, but I know one thing from today’s passage.

God must be praised by what we sing and say and do.

Praise sung to God is precious and awesome.

Bringing God glory by what we say is equally as important.

What we do to bring God glory is what will be remembered by those who witness our lives.

And no one sees what we do more than our families.

Therefore, ignoring our families to spend all our time serving ministry is not bringing God praise.

That’s a tough lesson to learn and I pray we all learn it the easy way.

How have you found a good balance between ministry and family time?
How have you worked together as a family to do ministry?

Tag: devotional

I once ticked off a coworker inadvertently.

It took over a year, but eventually, we were on friendly terms.

I do know that God wants us to treat everyone with respect and generosity.

Jesus turned more than tables upside-down.

He is still flipping our pious religious ideas around when they contradict the Gospel.

Today, I thank God for His amazing craftsmanship in creating not just this amazing universe but each incredibly complex inhabitant of it.

The God I trust designed each one of us.

For that, I will gladly pause and give thanks today.

Today I am thankful for holidays.

After all, Isaiah talked about it 700 years before it happened.

For now, I choose to concentrate on being thankful in November.

These are the final words of the Lament.

But they are not the last word on God’s relationship with us.

It may be cliché but the saying “if it’s not good, then it’s not over” applies to every believer’s life.

I get it.

But I have to stay on guard against teaching others so that I feel good about myself.

So shouldn’t we do what we do with a purpose in mind?

We never know his name,

Our anonymous young hero saw the problem.

That’s the ideal that Jesus spoke of in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:3-4).

Let’s go straight to the elephant in the room – slavery was legal then.

Again, it sounds barbaric by today’s standards but in those days, it gave the slave unprecedented rights.

Today I’m thankful for government.

Even so, Jesus saw fit to pay taxes.

I believe we should do our part and let our voice be heard.

Today, I thank God for all those who make church happen, from the Pastor to the set-up crew and everyone in between.

It can be very difficult to balance the demands of family responsibility and ministry.

Therefore, ignoring our families to spend all our time serving ministry is not bringing God praise.