Nehemiah 9:1-3 Listen to today’s devotional As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, it's fitting to celebrate our achievements, remember our heroes, and tell stories of courage and sacrifice. But Nehemiah also reminds us that honest reflection requires more than celebration. After returning from exile, the people of Israel gathered to fast, mourn, and listen to the Word of God. Then they did something surprising. They confessed not only their own sins but also “the iniquities of their ancestors” (Nehemiah 9:2). They seem to have understood that faithfulness requires telling the whole story. Before they could move forward, they had to acknowledge where they, and those who came before them, had fallen short of God’s purposes. It's worth asking why we so often see this kind of honesty as a weakness or inappropriate. In truth, there is deep wisdom and faithfulness in naming where we have not lived up to God’s ideals. What is true for individuals is also true for nations, ...
Genesis 25:7-11 Listen to today’s devotional I hope not to spoil the show for you. But there's a scene in the final episode of The Buroughs that really touched me. There's a moment when someone asks what most of us would if we had the chance to see someone we've lost. Instead of being in the moment, the character asks, "How much time do we have before this ends?" The response was something like: "Just shut up and enjoy it." It sounds funny at first, but what great wisdom there is in those words. Stop counting and measuring. Stop worrying about how long the moment will last. And just be present and live. Genesis tells us that Abraham died "old and full of years." That phrase made me think of that final scene. Abraham's life was not easy. He experienced uncertainty, failure, waiting, disappointment, family conflict, and grief. He wandered far more than he ever settled. But his story ends as "full of years." That means something mo...