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  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...

  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...

  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...

  Listen to today’s devotional Psalm 90:13-17 "You take the good. You take the bad. You take them both, and there you have the facts of life." I've always liked that opening line from the theme song to The Facts of Life . Of course, I'd like to keep the good and give the bad back to the network. Apparently, that's not an option. Our faith has taught me, though, that God is with us through both. Good days don't mean we've earned God's grace or approval. Bad days don't have to mean we've lost God's attention. Psalm 90, introduced as a psalm of Moses, brings to mind the good and bad of a people wandering through the wilderness. They have known deliverance. They have also buried a lot of people they love. So, the prayer gives us images of life's swiftness. A dream disappears, grass flourishes and fades (vss 5-6). It also brings to light questions about the people's sin and God's anger. Their whole troubled relationship with God is b...

  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...