February 18, 2025

Jeremiah 20: 8, 9 Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. (NIV)

It is not my call that keeps me going, but the One who calls.*

As God’s spokesman, it was Jeremiah’s job to be the deliverer of bad news. He was commissioned to warn the nation of Judah of their impending captivity by Babylon. He was never happy about his job but he performed it faithfully. In these verses, we see Jeremiah agonizing over the consequences of speaking the prophecies of the Lord. His predictions are met with insults, reproaches, and suspicion. But what can he do? If he tries to keep his mouth shut for the sake of popularity, he finds that God’s word is like a fire raging inside of him. The power of God’s truth overwhelmed his feeble attempts to speak a more socially acceptable message. 

We have no doubt that Jeremiah, though deeply convicted to proclaim God’s message, was free to choose his course of action. I think he would have benefitted from a decision-making tool I often use: I ask myself, “What is the worst that can happen?” and I choose the less odious of my options. For Jeremiah, would it be better to be well-received by his audience or to continue his attempts to hold back the seething volcano inside him?

Has God ever called you to some unpleasant task? Are you involved in a ministry that doesn’t bring you joy? Are you sure this is what God has called you to do? On one level, Jeremiah wanted badly to escape his calling; on another level, neglecting his duty was worse. If you ask yourself, “What’s the worst that can happen,” what is your answer? Is it worse to continue serving in your current capacity – or would you feel the fire of your calling if you tried to quit? When your heart fully submits to God’s call, you allow room in your heart for the joy he promised for those who serve him. You don’t have to love your job to experience the joy of the Lord!

 If you could do anything for the Lord, what would it be?*

February 17, 2025

Ruth 2: 11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband – how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before.” (NIV)

Even truthful words can damage.*

You get a strange feeling when you find out people have been talking about you. Alarming yet flattering. Chances are good that they weren’t saying good things about you – but you mattered enough to take up some of their time.  I have always wished that I didn't care what they said as long as it was the truth, but the truth isn't always spoken kindly.

Lucky Ruth. She has caught the eye of the local most eligible bachelor who, it turns out, has been asking around about her. People may have gossiped about the foreigner in their midst, but her reputation stood up to their scrutiny. Boaz’s sources seem to have reported the bare facts without editorial embellishment. How unusual!

A spotless reputation is no guarantee that you will be treated fairly when gossipers gather to plot character assassinations. It is possible for someone bent on mischief to use the truth against you. Did his accusers not sneer at Jesus for claiming to be a king? Was there not a kernel of truth in the accusations made against Paul in the province of Asia (Acts 21: 27-29)? Jesus said that we are in good company when others say bad things about us because of him – that’s how the prophets were treated (Matthew 5: 12). “Blessed are you,” he says, when the talk gets ugly. Take Peter’s advice: “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” (I Peter 2: 12)

Silence to man and prayer to God are the best cures for the evil of slander.*

February 16, 2025

John 14: 26 “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (NIV)

Apprentices to Jesus are lifelong learners.*

An attorney wears many different hats in the performance of his job. He provides legal advice, represents you in court, helps you complete and file important documents; he is a mediator and an advocate. My divorce attorney walked me through a process for which I was totally unprepared – and she gave me some very good personal advice as well. No matter which role your attorney is playing at the moment, he is still your attorney.

The same is true of the Holy Spirit. The word translated here as “Counselor,” is sometimes rendered as “Comforter.”  It literally means “one who is called to the side of another.” While the word usually refers to one who represents another in a legal process, it also applies to one who provides any kind of help or encouragement. So whether the Holy Spirit is serving as a counselor or a comforter or an advocate, he is still the Holy Spirit.

In this verse, Jesus tells his disciples that the Holy Spirit will come alongside of them to teach them all things and to remind them of everything Jesus has said to them. This should come in handy as some of them will be responsible for writing parts of the New Testament and they probably weren’t taking good notes as they followed Jesus around. Without the fulfillment of this promise, we wouldn’t be able to trust in the accuracy and authenticity of the gospels and the epistles.

This promise was delivered by Jesus to a specific group of people, but the gift of the Holy Spirit is promised to us as well. When he performs any of his roles on our behalf – whether we need him to intercede for us to the Father, to comfort us, or to remind us of a passage of scripture that applies to our circumstances of the moment – he is still the Holy Spirit whom the Father sent in the name of Jesus. We are not alone!

Without the voice of the Holy Spirit, there is no conviction of sin and ultimately no truly wise counsel.*

February 15, 2025

John 13: 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” (NIV)

We do not obey only as far as we have no questions left unanswered. That would be a pitiably small degree of obedience.*

To put this verse into context: It is just before the Passover Feast, at the evening meal. Jesus gets up from the meal and proceeds to wash the disciples’ feet – a duty usually performed by slaves. His demonstration of humility went right over Peter’s head so Jesus very kindly explains things to Peter, knowing that eventually Peter will get it.

We may not be as impetuous as Peter, but we can be much like him in our lack of understanding and our desire for action. Our enlightenment may be delayed due to our own misconceptions and spiritual immaturity, so we jump to conclusions and act rashly because we don’t know what else to do.  We haven’t learned to wait.

As we grow in the Lord, we learn that we often have to wait for the Lord to open our eyes. Sometimes we don’t understand his will or his purpose until he is ready for us to understand, not because we’re slow learners. We learn to wait before we act because he has yet to reveal to us the steps we should take next. My spiritual growth spurts almost always occur while I am waiting.

Next time you are bewildered about what the Lord is doing in your life, remember his words to Peter: You don’t understand now but you will later. The promise should comfort you while you are waiting.

Meaningless activity can produce the same results as no activity at all.*

February 14, 2025

I Corinthians 13: 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (NIV)

If we lack love, we misuse truth.*

When you watch a movie, do you cheer when the bad guy gets what’s coming to him? Do you feel the same way when it’s a real-life villain? Perhaps it’s become even worse – the bad guy doesn’t really have to be all that bad - he’s just someone we don’t like. 

Now that our country is so divided between “us and them,” we find ourselves feeling like “we” have won a victory when something bad happens to “them.” Why do we want bad things to happen to anyone? Shouldn’t we want them to learn a better way? The better way? 

As Christians, of course we don’t delight in evil . . . do we? If we are going to represent ourselves as followers of Jesus, we must respond to evil as he did: 

· He did not delight in evil, but he loved the sinner. 

· He rejoiced with the truth, but he spoke it in love. 

· He never got confused about what is truth and what is evil. 

The next time you see a Facebook post that gloats over the misfortune of someone with whom you disagree, turn it into an opportunity to pray for your enemies – and for those among your friends who just might have the wrong attitude about the bad guys.

This world always has and always will hate truth and truth-tellers. But I would at least have the world hate us for the right reasons. When the world hates us because we are hateful, no one wins – least of all our Lord.*

February 13, 2025

Acts 13: 15 After reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak.” (NIV)

It’s not about being at the right place at the right time but rather about being prepared when the time arrives.*

Paul and his traveling companions dropped in at the synagogue in the town they were visiting when this happened: Oh, look. Out-of-town guests. Come on up and speak some words of encouragement for the people! 

Most of us do not like being put on the spot like that. Finding yourself in the spotlight and unprepared can cause you to freeze like – well, a deer in the headlights! This kind of thing used to happen to my husband often. It wasn’t so bad when, as City Manager, someone would ask him to speak off the cuff about the state of the City because that was information that was always stored in his mind. But one time he was asked to say a few words at the funeral of the wife of one of his employees. He had never met the woman!

One Sunday morning, I got to witness my preacher do a masterful job of improvising in much the same way that Paul did on this occasion in the Book of Acts. Just before the first service, word was received that a young woman from our church had died, leaving a husband and two small daughters. She was very active in several areas of ministry, including children’s, women’s, and music, so she was well-known by many. Instead of preaching the sermon he had prepared, Jim stepped up and delivered a message of comfort and hope to a stunned congregation.  My thoughts that morning as I listened to the impromptu message are a truth about my preacher, about Paul, and about all of us: It can’t come out of you if it’s not already in there.

In Matthew 12: 35, Jesus says that the good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him. Nowhere in scripture are we promised that the Spirit will bring to mind things that we never knew. He won’t help us pass a test we didn’t study for. If we want to be prepared in season and out of season (II Timothy 4: 2), then we must do our best to present ourselves to God as one who correctly handles the word of truth (II Timothy 2: 15). 

Be ready in case someone asks you if you have a message of encouragement for the people. May it be true of us that the word is very near – in our mouths and in our hearts (Deuteronomy 30: 14).

Out of a heart well kept will flow . . . good products, to the glory of God and the edification of others.*

February 12, 2025

II Peter 3: 18 Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (NIV)

The greatest adventure of all mankind is to discover the mind of God.*

When my husband and I got married, we had known each other for less than two years. There was a boatload of stuff we didn’t know about each other, but we were still married. Our marriage didn’t become null and void just because we learned some previously undisclosed information about each other. What kind of marriage would it be if each of us didn’t know more about the other after 25 years together? And how sad would it be if we didn’t love each other more after many years than we did at the beginning of our life together?

The same principles apply to the Christian’s walk with the Lord. None of the sermons in the Book of Acts includes a clause about how much you have to know before you can be saved. Based on Peter’s sermon in chapter 2, pretty much all you have to know is that you need to be saved. When he had finished preaching, Peter’s listeners “were cut to the heart” and asked, “What shall we do?” Peter didn’t proceed to tell them what they had to know – he told them what they had to do. (Acts 2: 37-41)

“Grow in grace and knowledge,” Peter writes, thirty years later. Just as a successful marriage requires more than just saying, “I do,” living a Christian life doesn’t stop with repentance and baptism. Seeking knowledge of God leads to knowing God. Knowing God leads to loving him. The more you love him – well, the more you will love him as you grow in grace and knowledge.

It would be sad to settle for a marriage that never grows after the wedding day; sadder still to settle for less than the abundant life we are promised in Jesus. Grow in grace and knowledge – and love him more every day.

A true acquaintance with God produces reverence for Him.*