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About John D. Willome

I post a blog of daily devotions that are my prayer journals based on scripture.

Psalm 119:33-40 (He)

25 Jul

He

33 Teach me your decrees, O Lord;
    I will keep them to the end.
34 Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions;
    I will put them into practice with all my heart.
35 Make me walk along the path of your commands,
    for that is where my happiness is found.
36 Give me an eagerness for your laws
    rather than a love for money!
37 Turn my eyes from worthless things,
    and give me life through your word.
38 Reassure me of your promise,
    made to those who fear you.
39 Help me abandon my shameful ways;
    for your regulations are good.
40 I long to obey your commandments!
    Renew my life with your goodness.

Psalm 119:33-40

Dear God, I’m back with Psalm 119. This morning, I am going to look at the He section. Be with me as I go through this, Holy Spirit. Speak to me and teach me.

  • 33 Teach me your decrees, O Lord; I will keep them to the end. – Oh, how I would love to live up to this promise. That I could keep your decrees to the end! I don’t think I can make the next hour and keep all of your decrees. My selfishness takes over sometimes. I’m sorry for that. I’m coming to really think about the concept of self pity more and more. I’m starting to think that is a bigger driver of my sins than just about anything else. Selfish self-preservation is probably the leading driver of my sin, but self-pity and thinking I deserve better than I’m getting is a strong second.
  • 34 Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. – I think I am doing this just a little more each day. I am better at practicing your laws and instruction now than I was a year ago. Please help me to do this better today than I did it yesterday.
  • 35 Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. – There is something to be said for a clear conscience. There are times when I follow your commands that result in others rejecting me or rebuking me. But in the end, a clear conscience is worth more than their approval. In fact, I’d rather have their rejection and a clear conscience than their acceptance but underlying guilt.
  • 36 Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money! – There has always been a problem with a love for money. From the moment humans came up with a system that was beyond bartering, there was a desire to accumulate money. And what is the itch that money is scratching? I think it goes back to certainty. We have made an idol out of certainty, and we think that the knowledge that we have enough money in the bank will give us certainty. Then, after some have accumulated more than they can possibly spend in a lifetime, it starts to buy power and influence. No wonder Jesus warned about it so strongly.
  • 37 Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. – In the end, the possessions don’t matter. I think it was about a year ago that it occurred to me that I don’t have a bucket list. I just don’t have an emptiness in my heart beyond the sorrow I talk to you about. But even that sorrow sometimes makes me wonder if I’m sorrowful on behalf of those who are hurting me, or is it the self-pity I mentioned earlier that is bringing me sorrow. Help me to love them and care for them more than myself.
  • 38 Reassure me of your promise, made to those who fear you. – And what is the promise I’m claiming? The promise is not for anything in this world. It’s simply relationship with you now and forever. Help me to really live like that.
  • 39 Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good. – Of course, I’ve talked about this earlier. My shameful ways are usually driven by my selfishness and self-pity. Help me to reject both, consider my life worth nothing to me, and seek only to share the gospel of your grace.
  • 40 I long to obey your commandments! Renew my life with your goodness. – Verse 33 started with a confident statement about keeping your commandments until the end. Now, he ends with needing renewing because of how he failed to keep them although he longed to. Oh, Father, I long to keep your commandments. Help me to do that all day, and thank you, Jesus, for everything you did to reconcile me to the Father, even in this moment.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 25, 2025 in Psalm 119, Psalms

 

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Psalm 119:17-24 (Gimel)

24 Jul

Gimel

17 Be good to your servant,
    that I may live and obey your word.
18 Open my eyes to see
    the wonderful truths in your instructions.
19 I am only a foreigner in the land.
    Don’t hide your commands from me!
20 I am always overwhelmed
    with a desire for your regulations.
21 You rebuke the arrogant;
    those who wander from your commands are cursed.
22 Don’t let them scorn and insult me,
    for I have obeyed your laws.
23 Even princes sit and speak against me,
    but I will meditate on your decrees.
24 Your laws please me;
    they give me wise advice.

Psalm 119:17-24

Dear God, it’s time for the Gimel section of Psalm 119. I want to meditate on your word today, and the way I plan to do that is to spend some time in what this psalmist wrote to you in worship thousands of years ago. Thank you that I am tied to him and to your catholic church in this way.

  • 17 Be good to your servant, that I may live and obey your word. – I’m not sure what it means for me to tell you that I want you to be good to me. I mean, of course I want that, but is it presumptuous for me to ask? I want you to use each day to grow me closer to you. The challenges in the day. The good parts of the day. Maybe “good” in this context doesn’t mean spoil me and give me all that I selfishly want. Maybe the meaning can be found in the second part of the verse. Maybe good is giving me what you know I need so that I can become the man you have for me to be. A man who will live and obey your word.
  • 18 Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. – I was just listening to a discussion that is complicate to describe here, but it basically talked about how we have to have common truths among us as society in order to function as society. When be deny any moral absolutes and embrace complete individualism with no common ground then things will deteriorate. For me, I want to see the wonderful truths in your instructions, live them, and then share them with others so we can find common ground and function together to be your people.
  • 19 I am only a foreigner in the land. Don’t hide your commands from me! – I’m on vacation right now in a place I’ve never been to before. Now, it’s still in the U.S., so I have some basic understanding of how things work, but everything feels new and a little uncomfortable. When I wake up in the morning, I’m not sure where I am. When I’m not sure what to do during the day I have to rely heavily on the Internet to guide me to opportunities. But even in those moments I’m exploring and not in my comfort zone. I think this overall world is a bit like that. I am a foreigner–especially to what it would look like to have your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Help me to know you more through the direction and commands you give me.
  • 20 I am always overwhelmed with a desire for your regulations. – Well, I’m not sure I can say that is true. I am sometimes overwhelmed with a desire for your regulations, but I think that is not the majority of my desires. I mean, yes, I want to follow you, but I am rarely “overwhelmed” by the desire for your regulations. Maybe a little more each day? I hope so.
  • 21 You rebuke the arrogant; those who wander from your commands are cursed. – A friend told me years ago that “[I] don’t like bullies.” Sometimes the arrogant can be bullies. But it’s not only bullies. There are just some who think they can do this on their own. They are determined to find their certainty in themselves. I so appreciate some of the men I have met through Christian Men’s Life Skills, both instructors and participants, who are humble and submitted to you, flaws and all.
  • 22 Don’t let them scorn and insult me, for I have obeyed your laws. – The people who scorn and insult me tend to be people who actually profess to follow you intently. They think I don’t follow your laws enough because I don’t believe in forcing your laws on others. I believe in loving them and then using persuasion to do it. I frustrate them, and they frustrate me. We are probably both wrong to a certain extent. Guide me, Holy Spirit, in this area.
  • 23 Even princes sit and speak against me, but I will meditate on your decrees. – For the psalmist, I wonder what this meant. For example, let’s say this is during David’s time. Were some of the king’s sons speaking against the psalmist? Regardless, the psalmist found his peace through meditating on you and your decrees. Amen.
  • 24 Your laws please me; they give me wise advice. – There is so much wisdom in your decrees. So much why. You didn’t just give us laws. There was a why behind your laws. I like to challenge church friends on the LGBTQ issue. They talk about why it’s bad to lie. Why it’s bad to murder, steal, etc. So when I ask them why someone shouldn’t be in a monogamous same-sex relationship, they can only point to the law and not the wisdom behind the law. This is just one example. Help us to share your laws with your wisdom so that we can show your compassion and love for us through your laws.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 24, 2025 in Psalm 119, Psalms

 

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Psalm 119:9-16 (Beth)

23 Jul

Beth

9 How can a young person stay pure?
    By obeying your word.
10 I have tried hard to find you—
    don’t let me wander from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against you.
12 I praise you, O Lord;
    teach me your decrees.
13 I have recited aloud
    all the regulations you have given us.
14 I have rejoiced in your laws
    as much as in riches.
15 I will study your commandments
    and reflect on your ways.
16 I will delight in your decrees
    and not forget your word.

Psalm 119:9-16

Dear God, I’m here again with Psalm 119. I’ll confess that I’m not sure I’ll end up doing this in 22 consecutive days because I found myself kind of dreading doing this prayer to you this morning, and I don’t want to dread praying to you through these journals. So we’ll see. But for this morning, I want to dive into the second section of this psalm and see what you have for me. Holy Spirit, sit with me now and speak to me. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear.

  • 9 How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word. – Does this indicate that the author of this psalm is young? Maybe. Now that I think about it, as a psalm of orientation (as opposed to disorientation or reorientation) it makes me think that it is written by someone who hasn’t run into as many of the trials that come with life yet. I’m not as much referring to this one verse, but the rest of the psalm. In the case of this verse, however, the author seems to be talking about staying pure, and obeying your word is certainly foundational for that to happen.
  • 10 I have tried hard to find you—don’t let me wander from your commands. – This makes me think of the last verse for “Come Thou Fount:” Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the one I love. Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above. Why am I prone to wander? Why did I even dread sitting with you in prayer this morning? Why, oh why?
  • 11 I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. – I will say that the more I spend time with you and give your Spirit room to grow in me the less I find myself sinning. Oh, I sin. Don’t get me wrong. But not nearly as much. I am much more loving than I used to be, and I can see it growing almost every day.
  • 12 I praise you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. – Continue to teach me. Teach me through these times. Teach me through people you raise up in my life. Give me ears to hear. Help me to not see someone and prejudicially assume they have nothing to teach me. Or that I am more mature, older, smarter, etc. than them because they truth is I am a flawed, ignorant man who has a lot to learn.
  • 13 I have recited aloud all the regulations you have given us. – I wonder if I should memorize scripture more (or at all). I am certainly willing to share with others what you are teaching me. Should I be doing more to engrain it in my heart?
  • 14 I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches. – Oh, I hope it’s more than in riches. Now, this is easy for me to say as I sit on vacation because it took some amount of riches to be here. I know a lot of people who cannot afford something like this. But I certainly don’t pursue riches. But how much do I rejoice in your laws? I think I do. I hope I do.
  • 15 I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. – This is what it’s all about. Reflecting your ways. I want to impact the world as much as I can through my little life, but I want to do it as your servant and your child. I want to do it through my love for you. Help me to share you better.
  • 16 I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word. – I would say the theme for Beth is about learning your word and reflecting it/you to the world. Help me to do that today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 23, 2025 in Psalm 119, Psalms

 

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Psalm 119: 1-8 (Aleph)

22 Jul

Aleph

1 Joyful are people of integrity,
    who follow the instructions of the Lord.
2 Joyful are those who obey his laws
    and search for him with all their hearts.
3 They do not compromise with evil,
    and they walk only in his paths.
4 You have charged us
    to keep your commandments carefully.
5 Oh, that my actions would consistently
    reflect your decrees!
6 Then I will not be ashamed
    when I compare my life with your commands.
7 As I learn your righteous regulations,
    I will thank you by living as I should!
8 I will obey your decrees.
    Please don’t give up on me!

Psalm 119:1-8

Dear God, I want to continue this journey through Psalm 119 by doubling back and starting at the beginning. As a reminder to myself, I went back and read the description of this psalm: This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; there are twenty-two stanzas, one for each successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses within each stanza begins with the Hebrew letter named in its heading. So I’m at the beginning. It’s going to take me three weeks to get through these if I do one section a day. That’s good. I need to somehow sit with this piece of art in bite-sized chunks so I can see what you might have for me through it. So were we go, verse by verse:

  • 1 Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. – My first thought when I read this first verse was that this would be a psalm of “orientation” (as opposed to “disorientation” and “reorientation”). Life is good. Logically, this should make sense. It doesn’t always work this way. Sometimes I can have integrity and follow your instructions and still experience sorrow. But for the most part, this is true. If I don’t follow your instructions and have integrity, My life will, at a minimum, ring hollow, and, at a maximum, lead to my empty destruction.
  • 2 Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. – Searching for you with all of my heart is an interesting concept. Do I search for you? Is that what I’m doing even now as I type this prayer to you? Am I searching for you? Is that what I did yesterday when I listened to the instruction by N.T. Wright or listened to Christian music? What does it look like to search for you? That’s a good question.
  • 3 They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths. – Oh, my! What does it mean to compromise with evil? I am sure I compromise with evil every day. I wonder what the real difference is between compromising with evil and living in the world but not of it. There are things about this world I enjoy. To quote Rich Mullins in his song “Land of my Sojourn:” Nobody tells you when you get born here how much you’ll come to love it and how you’ll never belong here, so I’ll call you my country, but I’ll be lonely for my home. There are some things the world offers that I love. Mainly in the area of music and movies/television. Do I cross a line of compromising with evil when I indulge in some of it? I suppose it depends on what the evil looks like and what compromising looks like. There is a lot of secular stuff that is not evil. Help me to know how to walk only in your path.
  • 4 You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully. – This is interesting because all of us pick and choose which commandments to follow and which ones to ignore. When I read The Year of Living Biblically last year, it was a good reminder of just how selective I am with your commands. And I don’t think that’s necessarily wrong because Jesus introduced a freedom from following some of the laws. But what I really want to do is look at the Sermon on the Mount and consider Jesus’s admonition to obey the law to its fullest spirit and not just its most minimal letter: “You have heard it said…, but I say…”
  • 5 Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! – One of my biggest desires is that my actions would reflect who I am in you. That I would be the same person in the depths of my heart that I show people publicly. I know I wrote about this a few weeks ago, but what pleased me most about the DISC personality analysis I did a few weeks ago was the consistency between who others say I am vs. how I see myself vs. who I am in a crisis. The only real difference was that, in a crisis, I leaned even harder into who I am. The big question is, do people see me reflecting your decrees and who you are through who I am? Oh, how I hope so.
  • 6 Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands. – There is something to be said for a clear conscience. I don’t like it when I feel guilt for something. Or I have a secret of which I’m ashamed. I’m convinced that secrets of which we are ashamed is the crux of how Satan controls us. Help me to live with a clear conscience. Honestly, I think living with a clear conscience is the best way to be consistent between my public persona and who I am in my most private moments.
  • 7 As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! – How can I ever thank you enough? How can I ever tell you I love you enough? How can I ever repay you for everything you’ve done for me? The answer to all three of those questions is that I can’t. But one thing I can do is do my best to reflect you to the world and not bring shame on you. Oh, please help me to do this.
  • 8 I will obey your decrees. Please don’t give up on me! – I just love these last words: “Please don’t give up on me!” Yes, Father, I will fail you. I will anger you. I will disappoint you. I will hurt you and others. But please keep with me. Please don’t give up on me. Help me to continue, even in this day, to obey your decrees, love you with all I have, love everyone you put in my path, and represent you well to a world that needs you. Please, don’t give up on me.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 22, 2025 in Psalm 119, Psalms

 

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Psalm 119:25-32 (Daleth)

21 Jul

Daleth

25 I lie in the dust;
    revive me by your word.
26 I told you my plans, and you answered.
    Now teach me your decrees.
27 Help me understand the meaning of your commandments,
    and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds.
28 I weep with sorrow;
    encourage me by your word.
29 Keep me from lying to myself;
    give me the privilege of knowing your instructions.
30 I have chosen to be faithful;
    I have determined to live by your regulations.
31 I cling to your laws.
    Lord, don’t let me be put to shame!
32 I will pursue your commands,
    for you expand my understanding.

Psalm 119:25-32

Dear God, there is so much depth in this section of Psalm 119, I think what I want to do is break it up verse by verse and sit with each one.

  • 25 I lie in the dust; revive me by your word. – Whenever I try to do it myself I end up back at myself which leads to death. Just returning me to dust. Only your presence and relationship with you can lift me beyond my fallen humanity and into what you originally created me to be in Genesis 1. Fill me with your word. Your presence. Your Holy Spirit.
  • 26 I told you my plans, and you answered. Now teach me your decrees. – My plans must seem so silly to you. Even now, I have things I want to do and accomplish professionally as well as privately. I want to be part of the alumni group for Christian Men’s Life Skills. I want to grow the facility we are in and work to touch the depths of people’s lives and not just the surface. I could go on and on. I have these plans. But the truth is, I am so fragile and ignorant. I don’t know what the next moment holds, much less the next day, week, month, year, or decade. Help me to take my eyes off of my plans and help me to simply learn more of you and your decrees in this moment.
  • 27 Help me understand the meaning of your commandments, and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds. – I wonder what the psalmist meant by understanding the meaning of your commandments. I know where my head went. My head went to not just spouting off your laws and commandments at people and chastising them for not obeying you, but loving them through the meaning of your commandments. Don’t just say, “Don’t lie!” but instead talk to them about how the truth is good for them and lies harm them and others. The why. Don’t just say, “Take a Sabbath day!” but help them to understand the need for rest that you have baked into each of us. This goes into every issue the church faces today, including the LGBTQ issue. I’m frustrated with the American church in that it spouts off on the command and doesn’t seem to understand its why. When they do that, it just comes across as mean and judgmental. Help me to understand the meaning of your commandments.
  • 28 I weep with sorrow; encourage me by your word. – How did the psalmist understand the meaning of your word? For me, I am interpreting it as not only scripture, but the still small voice you use to speak to me within my soul as I spend time with you. It is the words of Christians who speak to me. It is what I read or listen to, both secular and spiritual. It is the discernment the Holy Spirit gives me as I take in the world around me. And there are times I weep with sorrow. Just two weeks ago, I was talking to my wife about a shared pain we both have, and I just started crying on her. Sorrow is in me. Help me to be comforted and encouraged by your word.
  • 29 Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your instructions. – This is so good! Keep me from lying to myself. Powerful! Yes, I lie to myself. Sometimes, I take my own thoughts and agenda and ascribe your word to them and justify them as your will for me. Sometimes, I get defensive and self-righteous and tell myself that I’ve been wronged and I have rights that must seek justice. But in those moments I’m lying to myself. Teach me and help me to know your instructions.
  • 30 I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations. – It almost seems like this verse should have come before the last one. I do choose faithfulness, but please help me to keep from lying to myself. And teach me to be disciplined to follow you.
  • 31 I cling to your laws. Lord, don’t let me be put to shame! – Lord, if I am to be put to shame, let it be for clinging to your laws. If that is the shame I experience then I will gladly accept it. But help me to not let go of your laws and find shame down the path of my own sin. That’s what I desperately don’t want, but I don’t want it for your sake. I don’t want to bring shame upon you. While I’m thinking about it, give me mercy for those who do claim you but follow their own path into sin. Help me to know how to help them and love them back into you.
  • 32 I will pursue your commands, for you expand my understanding. – I need you. The only way I can make my small, small, small life count for the few year I have on this earth is to lean into you, get to know you and become like you as much as I can, and then let you use me how you will. But to do that, I need to not only pursue your commands, but I need to do it with the spirit of expanding my understanding of you and then letting that flow into the world around me.

Father, I got a lot out of that this morning. Thank you for this one section of this psalm. I might just go back and do the same thing, section by section, for this whole psalm on this vacation I’m currently on. Walk with me today. Walk with my wife and our friends today. Watch over and heal those I love. Not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 21, 2025 in Psalm 119, Psalms

 

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Michael W. Smith Worship

20 Jul

Dear God, I wanted to just have some Christian music playing while I got ready for church this morning, so I got on YouTube and started looking through the music section. I happened upon this concert by Michael W. Smith in Canada in 2002. I remember when this album came out. It was so successful they did a volume 2 of it. And I really liked it.

It’s funny how judgmental I can be, like I’m all that or I have it all figured out. I’m so sorry. My first response when I saw it this morning was to react negatively to all of the overproduction. Yuck. But then the Holy Spirit whispered to me, “Exactly what is your problem? There is an arena of people, thousands of people, earnestly worshipping me as best as they know how. Just how you worship me as best you know how. Their worship isn’t perfect. Your worship isn’t perfect. But all of it delights me. It is a sweet fragrance to me.” So I sank into it and came in and out of my worship as I ironed my shirt, shaved, and just got ready for church. It was a good experience. And I appreciate Michael. I think he’s a good, earnest man. I think he’s a lover and worshipper of you. He’s also a brilliant musician–especially as a pianist. And his notoriety led others to join him that evening 23 years ago to worship you.

Father, I know my worship is flawed. I know my prayer life is flawed. I’d like to think I know just how inadequate I am before you, but I still think I oversell myself and undersell you. But you smile at me. You have mercy on me. You ask me to love you, which I do. You ask me to love others and have mercy on them, which I try to do. I just want to be who you need me to be today. Walk with me, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 20, 2025 in Hymns and Songs

 

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Matthew 12:14-21

19 Jul

Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot how to kill Jesus. But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, but he warned them not to reveal who he was.

This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him: “Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, who pleases me. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious. And his name will be the hope of all the world.”
Matthew 12:14-21

Dear God, I particularly touched by the end of this passage from Isaiah: “Finally he will cause justice to be victorious. And his name will be the hope of all the world.”

I will probably be talking about the men from Christian Men’s Life Skills for a long time. I’ve been so moved by my time with them. All of them had some type of run-in with the law and were there to earn community service hours. On the day they were arrested for whatever it was they had done, I am sure they did not care much for justice. I am sure they didn’t want it to be victorious. They were probably, at a minimum, embarrassed and, at a maximum, furious that justice was treating them like this. What they didn’t know was you had a path for them through that gate. At some point down the road they would end up in a class with 19 other guys as well as some instructors who were donating their time to not only teach them but love them. Offer them grace through your power and love. Offer them you! And they found their hope. Not all 20 of them at this experience. But that’s okay because you still planted seeds in them that might just take a little longer to find fertile soil.

It reminds me of a Phillips, Craig, and Dean song called “Mercy Came Running.” It’s a deep cut back into 90s Christian music. The chorus says, “Mercy came a runnin’, like a prisoner set free. Past all my failures to the point of my need. When the sin that I carried was all I could see. And when I could not reach mercy, mercy came a runnin’ to me.” These guys have found the mercy in your justice. I’m finding it everyday for myself as well. Mercy, mercy, mercy. Blessed are those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. It’s a two-way street. It’s impossible to really receive mercy if I’m incapable or unwilling to give it.

Father, I pray for these men, the teachers and myself. We all need to give mercy and receive mercy from you and others we’ve hurt. Thank you for your system of justice. Thank you that the name of Jesus is the hope of all the world.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 19, 2025 in Matthew

 

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Psalm 119:1-8

18 Jul

Psalm 119[a]

Aleph

1 Joyful are people of integrity,
    who follow the instructions of the Lord.
2 Joyful are those who obey his laws
    and search for him with all their hearts.
3 They do not compromise with evil,
    and they walk only in his paths.
4 You have charged us
    to keep your commandments carefully.
5 Oh, that my actions would consistently
    reflect your decrees!
6 Then I will not be ashamed
    when I compare my life with your commands.
7 As I learn your righteous regulations,
    I will thank you by living as I should!
8 I will obey your decrees.
    Please don’t give up on me!

Dear God, verse 7 was the verse of the day on Bible Gateway, but it actually really works for this psalm to be a scripture I look at for today because I am going to the Poetry Society of Texas Annual Summer Conference tonight in Denton with my wife and this psalm has a special poetic dimension to it. The note that goes with the [a] next to the psalm title says, “This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; there are twenty-two stanzas, one for each successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses within each stanza begins with the Hebrew letter named in its heading.” I’m not going to do all 22 stanzas this morning, but I thought I would at least look at the stanza that includes verse 7.

Now, back to this passage. I participated in the graduation for the Christian Men’s Life Skills class last night, and it was remarkable. What has blown me away is the relationships between the men and how much some of them are clinging to this and to you right now. They are hungry and they need fed. The seeds planted are looking for good soil in which to take root. These verses reflect the state of many of their hearts right now. Of course the rains will fall. The wind will blow. When they come, will they come against lives that are established with deep roots? I pray for their roots right now. I pray for their soil. I pray that you will also help me to weed my own soil. Help your seeds to find good soil in me and develop deep roots.

Father, I have the words to “I Need Thee Every Hour” and its chorus going through my head: “I need thee, oh I need thee. Every hour I need thee. O bless me now, my Savior. I come to thee.” Bless me, my savior. Bless these men. Bless their families. We need thee every hour.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 18, 2025 in Psalms

 

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Romans 1:16-17

17 Jul

16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. 17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

Romans 1:16-17

Dear God, it is so easy for us to make the “Good News” so complicated. I think the tendency of the modern American Christian is to say it is that we get to go to heaven and escape hell. But that’s not what you’re offering. You are just inviting us to use you for our benefit. The Good News tells us that faith in Jesus and everything he taught makes us right in your eyes. And following Jesus in faith and being right in your eyes brings us life. It’s right there. And on the other side of the veil, eternity with you is our destiny, and that’s great. And I don’t know what they cut line for eternity with you is.

I don’t know where you draw those lines. But I know that what you’re offering me and all of us is life now. If I ignore you and just walk through my life as best as I can in my own power then I don’t know what will happen to my soul. Jesus was a little vague on how you’ll decide those things. He said in Matthew 25:31-46 that some of us who claim to know you don’t know you, and some who didn’t realize they were loving you were loving you all along by loving the least of these.

Father, help me to be absolutely loving to everyone today. Help me to see every interaction with everyone who crosses my path as an opportunity to love. Give me ears to hear. Give me eyes to see. Help me to be slow to speak and quick to listen. Help me to be curious and not judgmental. Help me to offer you to those who need you. Help me to recognize those you are calling me to serve. Help me to be wise, shrewd, and discerning. Holy Spirit, speak to me today. Help me to hear you and your counsel. Give me the life Jesus promised and Paul offered.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 17, 2025 in Romans

 

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Colossians 2:8-10

16 Jul

8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Colossians 2:8-10

Dear God, I was listening to the Geoff Moore and the Distance song “Tell Me Again” this morning while I was getting ready for work, and it was talking about some of the Bible stories from the Old Testament that I love so much, and I got to thinking about Daniel and then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Are these the most flawlessly-portrayed Bible characters? Okay, now that I think about it, there are a lot of Bible characters for whom we don’t really get to see their weaknesses. Isaiah. Even Paul after he’s converted on the road to Damascus seems pretty perfect. But all those guys from Genesis all the way through 2 Kings are pretty flawed. But when you get into the exile and you look at Daniel and the other three and how they worshipped and loved you through difficult times, even up to the threat of death, is really impressive.

But I know that I know that I know that if I were to tell any one of those four men that I perceived them to be as good and holy of people as there are in the Bible they would roll their eyes, laugh, and tell me just how flawed they were. They weren’t even close to being who they were designed to be. I just didn’t get those stories. In some way, I just get the Facebook version of their lives. The highlights. The greatest hits. And if someone were to see my greatest hits only then it would look pretty cool too. But there is a lot of crud that fills in between those highlights. And that’s okay in the sense that I don’t have to be perfect or even better than David to be good enough for you. In fact, the more time I spent with David the last few months working with the men from Christian Men’s Life Skills the more I learned that there really wasn’t that much about him I found honorable. He lied a lot. He killed a lot. But I think what made him different is that he leaned into you in his failings. He prayed. He sang and wrote psalms/poetry. And he didn’t take shortcuts to the throne. He waited on you. Ironically, I think he had my problem in that he seemed to have a problem with confrontation. He didn’t confront Amnon when he raped Tamar. He didn’t confront Absalom when he killed Amnon. He didn’t confront Joab when he killed Abner. He just kind of let things fester and left some of the confronting (and killing) to Solomon to do later. In fact, now that I think about it, Solomon is different because he wanted peace on all sides on a macro level, but he didn’t mind confronting individuals in front of him.

All of that is to say that this passage by Paul makes it clear that Jesus was different. He wasn’t a good man. He wasn’t a good teacher. He was you incarnate. He was you in the flesh. And somehow, through this reconciliation with you through Jesus, there is this piece of my nature, the core of me, that is whole. While I’m still here in the current earth, I will make mistakes. I will hurt people. I fill frustrate you and grieve you sometimes. But I also walk with this newness about me that, the more I allow it to, exudes your fruit. On a scale of 1-10, I might be a 3, but at least tomorrow I have a chance to be a 3.0001. Just a little more every day.

Father, thank you that you love me through all of this. Thank you that I can be sure that Daniel et. al. were just as flawed as I am. They had amazing faith in their best moments, but I am sure they also had their moments like Elijah where they were calling down fire and being powerful in your name in one moment and then hiding in caves from the king in the next. As a flawed man, I am in good company. Thank you for Jesus. Now, help me to take the mercy you have for me and give it generously to those around me.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 16, 2025 in Colossians

 

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