Listen to today’s devotional Spilling Hope October 20, 2026 Romans 15:13 One of my nieces asked me if I knew Romans 15:13. I couldn’t call it to mind at the moment, so I asked her, "In the Greek?" I'm kidding, but have you noticed that when some people don't have an answer, they just make the question harder? My niece reminded me of this blessing: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Oh. That one. Maybe I needed to hear it. In English. I've used that as a benediction many times. Of course I know it. But is it still with me? The apostle Paul prays for a hope that fills us so fully that it begins spilling into the lives around us. Some people come in and spill all the latest news. They spill the beans about what's going on. Some spill their frustrations. Oh, but what joy to be around someone who spills a little hope. Paul prays that we will overf...
Listen to today’s devotional Daniel 3:16-18 I haven't met too many Christians who say they don't want to trust God. They do want to. And they often do. Many of them might appreciate knowing how everything turns out first. Preferably in writing. And many more probably want an ending where they're healthy and don't have to keep praying over their bank account. That's part of what makes this familiar story in Daniel so meaningful. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are brought before the king who has made worship a form of national loyalty. Bow before his golden image or burn in his furnace. No matter the king's threat, the three God-fearing men believe God can deliver them. What's meaningful to me is that their faithfulness doesn't depend on whether God will deliver them. “Even if,” they say, God does not rescue them, they will not worship the king’s idol. Let's reflect on that today. These three men have no promise that their obedience will spare their...