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Bow Before You Battle

  Listen to today’s devotional Psalm 5:1-7 God and evil are not traveling companions. Speaking of God, Psalm 5 says, “evil will not sojourn with you.” The Message Bible translates that to say that God doesn't socialize with Wicked or invite Evil as a houseguest. They aren’t cozy. God doesn’t pull up a chair for evil. I wish I could say the same about us. We know evil is wrong. But spend enough time around it, and you notice something. We trade contempt with contempt. We let resentment sound like righteousness. And we can become so determined to oppose evil that we stop noticing what it’s doing in us. Paul’s later warning makes sense then. “Do not be overcome by evil” (Romans 12:21). Evil can overcome us even while we’re arguing against it. So, what do we do with the pressure building in our souls? The psalmist says, “Through the abundance of your steadfast love, I will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.” With God’s steadfast love as his startin...
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Sharing Happiness

  Listen to today’s devotional Psalm 128 Chances are that you've heard Pharrell Williams' song "Happy." It was named the best-selling song of 2014---worldwide. It has over a billion online streams. It went triple-platinum in the UK and was recognized as the most-played song of the 2010s. It's a fun song, of course. But sometimes when I hear it, I wonder: Why is he so happy? Whatever is fueling that happiness, wouldn't you like a bit of it? If the writer of Psalm 128 had written the song, we’d know where to start: “Happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways.” Fear might sound like a strange starting point for happiness. Here, though, it describes reverence for God that shapes how we live. God matters enough that we pay attention and adjust our steps to God's way. Then the psalm's happiness gets practical. There’s work that puts food on the table. There are people gathered around it. The vine and olive shoots picture a household flourish...
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But We Bought the T-Shirts

  Listen to today’s devotional But We Made T-Shirts November 2, 2026 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 My mailbox is full, and my phone won’t stop buzzing. And I bet you know the feeling. Every commercial break is a chance to learn that "the other guy" is personally responsible for everything wrong with civilization. I wonder how many people actually change their minds because of the seventeenth political postcard. The thing is, we all feel like none of it "works" on us because it’s comical how absurd it all is. But you know what? Somebody gets to say, “We sent 50,000 mailers!” And sometimes churches do their own version of that. We see something another church is doing. It's a program or a catchy slogan. Maybe it's a sermon series with graphics so good you almost don’t need the sermon. So, we order the banners, print the shirts, and launch the initiative. Then we announce that something exciting is happening. Then say, "You're not going to want to miss this!...
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Check the Label

  Listen to today’s devotional Ezekiel 13:1-7 We have put people in space, but keeping cereal fresh is still a chore. How long, O Lord, should we wrestle a cereal bag into submission, folding it over, and hoping the cardboard tab holds everything together? But finally, someone called the meeting. Cheerios and Ziploc are partnering. Now, two familiar names will share one package. Both belong there because both are involved. That's where breakfast meets Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 13:1-7, God confronts prophets who have put God's name on their ideas. They follow their own spirits, have their own visions, and expect God to deliver what God never promised. In a sense, they've announced a partnership without consulting the Holy partner. Now, before we shake our heads at those prophets, we might need to check our own packaging. It's easy for something I want to become something God must want, too. And add a favorite Bible verse that sounds close enough, and we can have it all ready f...
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If You Say So

  Listen to today’s devotional Psalm 107:1-7 I’m always surprised how surprised Christians can be when “the world” acts like, well, the world. We complain as though everyone attended the same Bible study and agreed to bring the casserole. Let me ask you, Would you expect an Eagles fan to cheer for that Dallas team? Then why are we so shocked when someone who doesn’t follow Jesus doesn’t share our convictions? And why are we sometimes more overly interested in correcting their behavior than sharing the grace that keeps changing ours? Psalm 107 begins with gratitude for God's goodness. God’s steadfast love endures forever. Then comes the charge: “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.” Say what, exactly? Well, tell how God found us. The psalm remembers people wandering in the wilderness, hungry, thirsty, with no place to call home. They cried out, and God delivered them. God led them toward a place where they could settle. That’s the story we’ve been given to tell. We know something ab...
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See What Opens Up

  Listen to today’s devotional Psalm 119:41-48 Even people who have never opened a Bible can name something Christians "shall not" do. Over time, we’ve let those prohibitions shape an understanding of faith that means God is keeping us from living. Well, if debauchery and wickedness are your favorite pastimes, you might feel inconvenienced. But there is wisdom in God’s commandments that actually opens life to us. Unfortunately, abundance and freedom aren’t always the first words Christians associate with faith. Yet Jesus came so we could have abundant life. Somehow, we’ve made that sound like a disappointing offer. In Psalm 119, the psalmist begins with God’s steadfast love. Before declaring what he will do for God, he asks for the love and salvation God has promised. That love gives him an answer when others taunt him. God’s word gives him something trustworthy to stand on. Then we hear an important connection he makes. Because he seeks God’s commands, he says, “I shall walk...
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Faith Worth Meeting

  Listen to today’s devotional James 2:14-17 We’re supposed to give people the gospel, right? People ask me that sometimes when we talk about church work. Mostly, they mean, “When do we start preaching and praying for salvation?” First, thank you for caring. Second, you should already be praying. Third, whether we realize it or not, we’re all preaching a sermon. And I'll strongly ask you to consider that people hear loud and clear something about our faith through the way we treat them. That’s why I encourage churches to serve their communities. We can organize something at church or join good work already happening somewhere else. We don’t have to worry that caring for people somehow distracts us from sharing the gospel. James makes that connection uncomfortably clear. Someone needs clothing and food, and a believer offers a blessing without offering help. What good is that? Faith without works is dead. James won’t let us talk about someone’s soul while ignoring their empty stomac...
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