Tag: teachable moment

August 7, 2025

August 7th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Galatians 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s all about the optics. NOT!

It’s easy to get caught up in pleasing people at the expense of truth. Legalism is often rooted in people pleasing.

Even Peter fell into that trap.

And Paul called him out.

Like Peter, it pays to have friends who aren’t afraid to point out when you blow it.

Even when you have those friends, it’s tough to listen to them.

If someone does speak a correction into your life, verify what they are saying in God’s Word.

If there’s truth in it, be grateful and do something about it.

If they missed the mark, you can still be thankful that they cared enough to speak up but stick with the truth in the Bible.

I’ve been in both situations.

The true corrections I’ve received have been priceless.

On a couple of occasions, the correction was off base.

While it is tough to get past what feels like meddling, I recognize that my friends are just as flawed as me.

I need to give them the grace to make mistakes without rejecting them.

Being the advisor is a subject for another day.

How have friends spoken into your life?
How have you dealt with it when they were wrong?
August 1, 2025

August 1st, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 25-27

Highlight Verse:

“I will gather together all the armies of the north under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, whom I have appointed as my deputy. I will bring them all against this land and its people and against the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy you and make you an object of horror and contempt and a ruin forever.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭25‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’ve never felt comfortable with the fact that Jeremiah speaks of God lashing out against Israel.

But think about this. The destruction was done by violent nations.

If it wasn’t for God’s protection over Israel, these nations would have conquered Israel long before.

In God’s eyes, allowing Israel to be conquered was the height of anger; anger motivated by love.

In a sense, God takes the credit for the violence against Israel.

It kinda reminds me of Jesus taking the credit for all our sin.

In both cases, God’s actions are motivated by love for His people; a tough love to be sure, but love, nonetheless.

It’s a difficult concept to grasp, violence equaling love. But God’s goal was always to bring His children back to Him.

Have you ever had to exercise tough love on your kids, letting them feel the full consequences of their actions?
Has tough love ever brought you back in line? Share your stories.
July 31, 2025

July 31st, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 2 Corinthians 11-13

Highlight Verse:

“Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I admit that I was tempted to write about Paul’s thorn in the flesh – not for any deep spiritual truth but because of a meme I recently saw. Paul was writing about his thorn in the flesh while in a prison cell with a roommate; SpongeBob SquarePants.

That could be a far worse hardship than any of the others he endured.

In the end I decided it was the end that really mattered to me in today’s reading.

Paul, with all the authority he outlined in the previous two chapters, sums up what he wanted the Corinthians to take away from his teaching.

• “Be joyful” – could be considered a result of following the rest of his commands.
• “Grow to maturity” – Don’t dwell in the simple truths of mercy and repentance but move on to deepen and share your faith.
• “Encourage each other” – We’re not in this alone. Find and give strength in the body of Christ.
• And “Live in harmony and peace” – both with fellow believers to fulfill the previous command and with others that they may find salvation through your love.

What did you take away from Paul’s letters to the Corinthians?
How will you apply what you learned?
July 30, 2025

July 30th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Samuel 21-22

Highlight Verses:

“David heard these comments and was very afraid of what King Achish of Gath might do to him. So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭21‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

They say the truth is stranger than fiction.

Quite frankly, I can’t imagine someone making this up. But I’ve written about the unflattering stories of the Bible being evidence of its veracity before.

The question that rises for for today is, is it okay to lie?

Some would point to this passage and say that if David lied, it must be okay to lie when it is expedient to.

Before we jump to that conclusion, I should point out that David was not God. His actions should not be used to define what is or isn’t sin.

Don’t forget there is a commandment against lying.

You could argue that the commandment speaks of “bearing witness” implying a legal context.

But then, there’s Proverbs 12:22 stating that lying lips are an “abomination” to God. That’s pretty strong language.

That begs the question, what would I have done in David’s place?

Hopefully, I would have the foresight to stay away from Achish.

But if David messed up like that, I probably would too.

In which case I would probably lie, knowing that to be a necessary compromise to ensure that I would be around to continue what God had called me to do.

Would it be sin? Maybe. If so, Jesus already paid the price for it.

Yes, we should not go willingly into sin, but I don’t think that qualifies as willful sin.

What do you think? Is lying always sin? Why or why not?
June 27, 2025

June 27th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 10-12

Highlight Verse:

““I have abandoned my people, my special possession. I have surrendered my dearest ones to their enemies.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭12‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If you read this with a view of God as the old man in the sky judging every little bad thing we do,

you miss the point entirely.

This verse is part of a reply to Jeremiah when he complained about evil people prospering.

God basically says, “Quit your whining! I had to remove my protection from my children. There’s nothing that could possibly be harder.”

Jeremiah already knows the heart of the Father.

When he heard this reply, it would have reminded him how tough it was for God to allow His children, the nation of Israel, be conquered and taken captive.

He allowed that not out of a vindictive attitude toward them but because He knew it was the only way to turn their hearts back to Him in the long run.

He also knew it would set things up for Jesus to bring salvation to the world.

Trusting God’s wisdom when we can’t see the reason behind it is one of the toughest parts of faith.

But He always acts out of a heart of absolute love, no matter what it may look like to us.

Have you ever complained to God only to have him remind you that He knows what He is doing?
Has He ever had to let you fail before you came back to Him?
June 25, 2025

June 25th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Samuel 11-12

Highlight Verse:

““Give us seven days to send messengers throughout Israel!” replied the elders of Jabesh. “If no one comes to save us, we will agree to your terms.””
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭11‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This was a strange method of warfare.

A city is attacked with overwhelming force and the city leaders say, “Whoa there. Give us a chance to get reinforcements.”

Who would agree to that – unless they were influenced by the Holy Spirit to agree to those terms?

My opinion is that God set up the situation so that Saul could intervene and unite Israel.

It worked.

It also provided an amusing story for the Bible. Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor?

There are many times in our lives when situations don’t quite make sense. Unusual things happen – some scary, some amusing, some both.

I dare say, God is at work in those situations, working behind the scenes influencing people to bring His love and salvation to those who need it.

When have you seen God work in mysterious ways in your life?
In hindsight, are there times you can now identify that God was working behind the scenes in ways you couldn’t see at the time?
May 30, 2025

May 30th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 64-66

Highlight Verse:

“The Lord says, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭65‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I caught a cold last weekend. Until today, I’ve just been powering through it.

Honestly, I only took today off because my workload was less, and it wouldn’t hurt anything to rest.

I’ve been taking meds and finally started taking supplements and the symptoms are improving slowly.

But reading this verse, I realized that I have barely mentioned this cold to God in my prayers.

My “power through it” mode didn’t leave much room for God’s help.

Maybe that’s kind of like what Israel was going through, though magnified in the extreme.

They got caught up in the region’s culture that valued military strength and local religious traditions.

They powered through, relying on their own strength rather than seeking the help and guidance of their Heavenly Father.

That didn’t go so well for them – at least until they turned back to God.

While my problems are minuscule compared to Israel when this verse was written, I can still learn from it.

As of today, I am expressly asking in God to carry me through this illness and to bring me back to strength quickly.

Don’t worry, I believe God would want me to continue to rest and take the right meds, But I will ask for help consistently in my prayers and be open to His guidance and support through it.

How quickly do you think of asking God for help in your day to day problems?
What does it take for Him to get your attention?
May 21, 2025

May 21st, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Samuel 1-2

Highlight Verses:

“As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

I’ve never been mistaken as being drunk (that I know of). But I’ve been misunderstood.

I’ve been friend-zoned by someone who I never thought of as anything more than a friend.

I’ve had people think I was angry when I was just concerned.

And I’ve misunderstood others, sometimes to embarrassing lengths.

Never as bad as this…

During World War II, when the Japanese ambassador was asked if they would surrender, he replied with a word that basically meant, “no comment – pending discussion”. It was mistranslated, “we are treating your message with contempt.” At that, President Truman assumed the only way to change their minds was to drop atomic bombs.

I pray I never get involved in such a bad misunderstanding.

Eli and Hannah’s misunderstanding was minor in comparison.

And they showed us how to deal with misunderstandings.

Hannah respectfully presented the truth, and Eli was open to hearing it.

Sounds like a good example to follow.

What’s the worst misunderstanding one have been involved in?
How was it resolved?
May 16th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 58-60

Highlight Verse:

“All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭60‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I love the full moon.

I’ve admired the moon over majestic snowy mountains, across shimmering harbors, and filtering down through autumn leaves.

It always inspires me.

But the moon would be nothing but a big dark rock without the sun’s light to reflect.

The light this verse refers to is the glory of God (v. 1 and 2).

We were meant to reflect that light.

So how do we shine the brightest?

Don’t let anything block the light.
• Sin
• Selfishness
• Pride, etc.

And do what you can to magnify it.
• Love
• Charity
• A servant heart, etc.

When we truly shine with God’s light, we will not only dispel the darkness but also attract those who need the light.

How have you seen God’s light reflected well?
What have you seen that blocked that light?
May 15, 2025

May 15th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 Corinthians 7-8

Highlight Verses:

“Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭8‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I tend to be a “know it all” or at least act like one.

I like trivia.

I’m an information geek, addicted to YouTube for car shows and history and travel documentaries.

And I love the Bible.

I can’t always quote chapter and verse, but I can usually get you close.

I like to say that I have a photographic memory – but I sometimes run out of film (storage memory for you young folks).

But no matter how much I can stuff into this brain and recall at will, it all means nothing!

What really matters is love.

Love God! (v. 3)
Love people! (v.13)

It can be said that knowing the Bible helps you love people by leading them to Jesus.

That’s true, but we have to guard against knowledge replacing love as the goal.

How do you balance loving God and people with learning more about God?
Does learning about other things help you to love God and people?
I would say it can. Prove me right or wrong.

Tag: teachable moment

And Paul called him out.

If there’s truth in it, be grateful and do something about it.

While it is tough to get past what feels like meddling, I recognize that my friends are just as flawed as me.

I’ve never felt comfortable with the fact that Jeremiah speaks of God lashing out against Israel.

If it wasn’t for God’s protection over Israel, these nations would have conquered Israel long before.

It’s a difficult concept to grasp, violence equaling love. But God’s goal was always to bring His children back to Him.

In the end I decided it was the end that really mattered to me in today’s reading.

They say the truth is stranger than fiction.

Before we jump to that conclusion, I should point out that David was not God. His actions should not be used to define what is or isn’t sin.

But if David messed up like that, I probably would too.

you miss the point entirely.

God basically says, “Quit your whining! I had to remove my protection from my children. There’s nothing that could possibly be harder.”

Trusting God’s wisdom when we can’t see the reason behind it is one of the toughest parts of faith.

But He always acts out of a heart of absolute love, no matter what it may look like to us.

This was a strange method of warfare.

Who would agree to that – unless they were influenced by the Holy Spirit to agree to those terms?

I dare say, God is at work in those situations, working behind the scenes influencing people to bring His love and salvation to those who need it.

But reading this verse, I realized that I have barely mentioned this cold to God in my prayers.

My “power through it” mode didn’t leave much room for God’s help.

That didn’t go so well for them – at least until they turned back to God.

And I’ve misunderstood others, sometimes to embarrassing lengths.

Never as bad as this…

Hannah respectfully presented the truth, and Eli was open to hearing it.

I love the full moon.

We were meant to reflect that light.

When we truly shine with God’s light, we will not only dispel the darkness but also attract those who need the light.

I tend to be a “know it all” or at least act like one.

And I love the Bible.

Love God! (v. 3)Love people! (v.13)

Love God! (v. 3)
Love people! (v.13)