Tag: Gospel

February 21, 2026

February 21st, 2026

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Acts 20:13-38

Highlight Verse:

“But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭20‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

At first glance, you might feel pity for Paul.

He says his life is worth nothing if he doesn’t do the work God set out for him.

Then you realize that he did fulfill that assignment and then some.

Nearly every Christian today can trace their spiritual heritage to Paul.

He had a heavy responsibility, but he stepped into it and God supplied the ability and opportunities and the work of the Holy Spirit to fulfill it.

Not too many of us are called to spread the Gospel to the known civilized world.

Wait, that’s not quite true.

We are ALL called to spread the Gospel to the entire world.

We each have our part in that calling.

Some preach to the masses, some make friends and share the love of Jesus, some produce content to influence people toward Jesus, some support the work in various ways.

If you feel like your life is useless, let me assure you that, if you join in the calling to Spread the Gospel, there is great purpose in every breath you take.

Do you know your current part in spreading the Gospel?
What can you do today to help spread the Gospel to the World?
February 19, 2026

February 19th, 2026

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Hebrews 7

Highlight Verse:

“For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭7‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There are many ways that Jesus is so much better of a priest than the Old Testament priests.

This whole chapter is a nice logical discourse on that subject.

But this one verse sums it up nicely.

Basically, the law fell short of what Jesus did. Jesus made the perfect sacrifice, taking away our guilt so that we can be close to God.

That truly is the best hope and the deepest joy.

As we go through this season of Lent (which I completely forgot about yesterday, Ash Wednesday), let’s focus on that hope that was fulfilled on Easter Sunday 2000 years ago.

What is one way you can sharpen your daily focus on Jesus?
Have you ever found yourself trying to earn your way to heaven through keeping the Old Testament Law (or legalistic church rules)? In what ways has accepting Jesus brought you closer to God?
February 16, 2026

February 16th, 2026

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Luke 7

Highlight Verse:

“When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people, he returned to Capernaum.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭7‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus had a home base.

He often returned to Peter’s home in Capernaum.

Kfar Nahum, the original name of Capernaum can be translated “place of comfort” or “village of comfort.”

Image courtesy of http://www.HolyLandPhotos.org – Capernaum today.

Mentioned 16 times in the New Testament, it was a small fishing village on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Jesus recruited Peter and Andrew from there and likely John and James too.

For a time, He was accepted there, teaching in the synagogue and performing quite a few miracles there.

Eventually the establishment there rejected Jesus, prompting Him to mention Capernaum as a place that was condemned for their unbelief despite the miracles performed there. (Luke 10:13-14)

Why do I focus on a place today?

It was a place that Jesus could launch His ministry from.

Having a home base gave Jesus a place to regain his physical energy.

At times, the house he lived in (Peter’s house) was a place of ministry where people came to hear the Word of God and receive healing.

When we bought our home, we hoped that it would be a place of ministry.

Since then, we have hosted small groups, housed a church intern, raised 4 kids, and spent many hours of reading, studying, praying, and writing.

I’m certainly not Jesus, but I am called to do His work.

If you follow Him, so are you.

Where is your home base?
How is God using it for His work?
February 9, 2026

February 9th, 2026
Monday – Gospels

Reading – Luke 6

Highlight Verse:

““But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭27‬-‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Are you willing to listen?

These are hard lessons to put into practice.

Our first response is to retaliate against those who hurt us.

I’m no exception. Relatively minor offenses like bad driving can trigger angry words in me.

Major offenses can trigger rage.

This is normal.

It’s even just on some level.

Until we think about the fact that we all fall short. We are all worthy of judgement.

If you have accepted it, that judgement falls on Jesus at the Cross.

Does that mean that we should just let people walk all over us?

Do you really think that our Father would want that?

He would desire a change in the people who hurt us that they would stop causing harm to others.
- Sometimes that starts with someone expressing forgiveness to them.
- Sometimes that starts with jail and healing comes though the justice system.
- Sometimes that behavior never changes and the offender needs to be stopped from hurting others by what ever means possible.
And still, we are called to forgive them, pray for them, and love them even if it is not accepted.

Without forgiving, the healing in us will be forever hindered.

Are there those who you need to forgive?
What thought patterns in you (and me) need to change to make thoughts of forgiveness come before thoughts of revenge?
February 2, 2026

February 2nd, 2026

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Luke 5

Highlight Verse:

“But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I withdraw for prayer to my basement most mornings.

Not exactly the wilderness. But at least most distractions go away down there.

I highly recommend withdrawing to a quiet place daily for prayer.

As dear as studying the Bible is to me, if you have to choose between prayer and Bible study, I recommend prayer (but get back to studying the Bible as soon as you can).

As far the getting to the wilderness, for most of us, that’s not very practical every day.

For the last twenty years, I’ve had the privilege of living in Colorado. An hour’s drive can take me to some of the most beautiful pristine wilderness in the world.

Zion National Park

I’ve enjoyed many a prayerful hike in the Rocky Mountains as well as the Blue Ridge Mountains, the rugged wilderness areas of Arizona and the beautiful coasts and mountains of California to name a few of the more memorable places.

My advancing age is beginning to limit the places I can get to, but there are still plenty of inspiring locations within reach.

I admit I don’t get to those kind of places nearly as often as I should but this year should present a few opportunities.

I’ll take advantage of my opportunities if some of you promise to do the same.

What is the most faith inspiring place you have been to?
Where do you go for day-to-day distraction free prayer?
January 31, 2026

January 31st, 2026

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Psalm 78:1-8

Highlight Verses:

“So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭78‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This weekend we are going through some of my wife’s parent’s belongings.

Her father passed away a little over a month ago. Her mom over two years earlier.

Her parents lived a simple life, expressing love to their family through words and actions.

Along the way, they taught their children about the Gospel and Jesus.

That legacy lives on through their daughters and grandchildren.

We each have a choice to follow the examples set for us by our parents.

In some cases, they are good examples, leading us along the path of faith.

In other cases, we need to find our own way to Christ.

Whichever way we find our way to a saving faith in Jesus,

it is our responsibility to do all we can to pass it on to the next generation.

It is then up to our children whether to accept it or not.

What are you doing to pass your faith on to the next generation?
Did your parents pass that faith to you? If not, how did you find faith?
Reading – Ezekiel 34-36

January 30th, 2026

Highlight Verses:

““For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search and find my sheep. I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭34‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Do you have loved ones who have wandered away from the faith? Perhaps you know someone who rejected faith in Jesus from the beginning.

Let these verses encourage you.

God doesn’t just wish that the people He created (everyone) would trust him, He longs for them so much that He pursues them like lost sheep from His flock.

Let’s spend the rest of this devotion time lifting those lost sheep up in prayer, praying that God would not only pursue them but that they would be drawn by that love to seek Him.

If you like, you can share the first names of those who you would like the rest of us to pray for.
Monday – Gospels

January 26th, 2026

Reading – Luke 4

Highlight Verses:

“Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Did you know that the devil knows the Bible?

He knows it very well; well enough to twist it to his own purposes.

Frankly, he knows it better than I do.

If that’s true, how do we protect ourselves from his twisted lies?

One thing you may have noticed at the beginning of the chapter was that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit.

If you trust Jesus for your life, you have the Holy Spirit. I believe that it is important to continue to invite the Holy Spirit to work in you and through you including through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

With the gift of discernment, you will be able to tell when Scripture is being applied correctly and when it is being twisted.

Still, there are times when even the Spirit filled, well studied believer can be fooled into believing an inappropriate twist of Scripture.

To guard against that, especially when I study for these posts, I turn to other seasoned believers.

The most convenient sources I’ve found for that are in online commentaries. My favorite is Enduring Word dot com, but there are several others and it is good to check multiple sources. There are many printed Bible commentaries available as well.

There have been multiple times when those commentaries have helped make the meanings of some passages more clear to me. A time or two, they have corrected my inaccurate understandings.

How do you check your understanding of Scripture?
What twists of Scripture have you believed in the past and since had to correct that belief?
January 23, 2026

January 23rd, 2026

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Ezekiel 31-33

Highlight Verse:

““Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭33‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This verse begs the question, “Are we called to be watchmen for our people.”

The simple answer is “yes.”

But that doesn’t mean we should be exactly like Ezekiel.

We are not all called to be prophets.

But we are all called to speak the truth of the Gospel to the ends of the earth (see Matthew 28).

In that context, I believe we are responsible to speak up when we have the opportunity.

How we speak up depends on the situation and, especially, the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit may prompt you to speak the Gospel through your acts of charity.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit may ask you to speak direct uncomfortable words.

Always, He will have you act in love.

It is our responsibility to speak and/or act when the opportunity arises.

How has God used you to speak truth to people?
How have people responded?
January 19, 2026

January 19th, 2026

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Luke 3

Highlight Verses:

“One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭3‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Can you imagine the scene?

The Holy Spirit Descending as a dove.

The voice from Heaven.

John the Baptist’s recent declaration of the coming Messiah.

It would be like standing at the biggest moment of history up until that moment –

Because it was.

Luke shows a definitive beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

He recorded the event within its historical context.

Because of its spiritual focus, secular historians often discredit the Bible as a source of accurate historical information.

While it is true that the purpose of the Bible is to lead people to spiritual truth, Luke’s Gospel was so thoroughly researched that

it rivals or beats the most detailed historical records of the day for accuracy.

What that means to you and me is that we can depend on it.

Yes, we believe by faith, but that faith is founded on truth, and it makes sense that truth should be backed up by facts. And many of those facts are found here in Luke’s Gospel.

How do the facts presented here affect your faith?
Are there questions about your faith for which you would like to find answers in the facts of the Bible?

Tag: Gospel

Nearly every Christian today can trace their spiritual heritage to Paul.

We are ALL called to spread the Gospel to the entire world.

If you feel like your life is useless, let me assure you that, if you join in the calling to Spread the Gospel, there is great purpose in every breath you take.

But this one verse sums it up nicely.

That truly is the best hope and the deepest joy.

Jesus had a home base.

It was a place that Jesus could launch His ministry from.

If you follow Him, so are you.

These are hard lessons to put into practice.

Do you really think that our Father would want that?

Without forgiving, the healing in us will be forever hindered.

I highly recommend withdrawing to a quiet place daily for prayer.

I’ll take advantage of my opportunities if some of you promise to do the same.

Along the way, they taught their children about the Gospel and Jesus.

We each have a choice to follow the examples set for us by our parents.

it is our responsibility to do all we can to pass it on to the next generation.

Let these verses encourage you.

Did you know that the devil knows the Bible?

With the gift of discernment, you will be able to tell when Scripture is being applied correctly and when it is being twisted.

To guard against that, especially when I study for these posts, I turn to other seasoned believers.

This verse begs the question, “Are we called to be watchmen for our people.”

But we are all called to speak the truth of the Gospel to the ends of the earth (see Matthew 28).

It is our responsibility to speak and/or act when the opportunity arises.

Because it was.

it rivals or beats the most detailed historical records of the day for accuracy.

What that means to you and me is that we can depend on it.