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Isaiah 55:10-11

12 Jul


10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:10-11

Dear God, when I read this passage this morning, I thought about a friend I had lunch with the other day. He’s been through a few tragedies I haven’t faced. Awful tragedies. And we started talking about what what good you would bring from it. Of course, the answer was, “I don’t know.” How can we know.

I’ve had my own pain and tragedies. I have my own sorrows that I carry with me daily. Nothing like his, but still, they are there. And after 17 years of struggle, I can see how they have shaped me. They’ve made me more compassionate. They’ve made me wiser. I’d still rather not have lived throug them, but I don’t know who I would be if I hadn’t.

I think about all of that with this passage because you were intentional about teaching your people, Israel. You teach with your words through your prophets and through scripture. You teach through the pastors who preach. You teach me as I prepare lessons and teach. You teach through your Holy Spirit working in us. Sometimes I misunderstand. Sometimes I get it wrong. All of us do.

Father, much like muscle needs to break down so that it can be built back stronger, and much like seeds must fall to the ground and die before they can bring new life, so must parts of my psyche and emotional makeup be challenged and pressed to get me to the place you need me to be. I’m a better man today than I was last month, last year, and certainly 17 years ago. And while there’s a lot to lament, there is also a lot for which I can be grateful. Thank you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 12, 2026 in Isaiah

 

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Jeremiah 32

11 Jul

32 The following message came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah. This was also the eighteenth year of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar. 2 Jerusalem was then under siege from the Babylonian army, and Jeremiah was imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace. 3 King Zedekiah had put him there, asking why he kept giving this prophecy: “This is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will take it. 4 King Zedekiah will be captured by the Babylonians and taken to meet the king of Babylon face to face. 5 He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, and I will deal with him there,’ says the Lord. ‘If you fight against the Babylonians, you will never succeed.’”

6 At that time the Lord sent me a message. He said, 7 “Your cousin Hanamel son of Shallum will come and say to you, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth. By law you have the right to buy it before it is offered to anyone else.’”

8 Then, just as the Lord had said he would, my cousin Hanamel came and visited me in the prison. He said, “Please buy my field at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. By law you have the right to buy it before it is offered to anyone else, so buy it for yourself.” Then I knew that the message I had heard was from the Lord.

9 So I bought the field at Anathoth, paying Hanamel seventeen pieces of silver for it. 10 I signed and sealed the deed of purchase before witnesses, weighed out the silver, and paid him. 11 Then I took the sealed deed and an unsealed copy of the deed, which contained the terms and conditions of the purchase, 12 and I handed them to Baruch son of Neriah and grandson of Mahseiah. I did all this in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, the witnesses who had signed the deed, and all the men of Judah who were there in the courtyard of the guardhouse.

13 Then I said to Baruch as they all listened, 14 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Take both this sealed deed and the unsealed copy, and put them into a pottery jar to preserve them for a long time.’ 15 For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Someday people will again own property here in this land and will buy and sell houses and vineyards and fields.’”

16 Then after I had given the papers to Baruch, I prayed to the Lord:

17 “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you! 18 You show unfailing love to thousands, but you also bring the consequences of one generation’s sin upon the next. You are the great and powerful God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 19 You have all wisdom and do great and mighty miracles. You see the conduct of all people, and you give them what they deserve. 20 You performed miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt—things still remembered to this day! And you have continued to do great miracles in Israel and all around the world. You have made your name famous to this day.

21 “You brought Israel out of Egypt with mighty signs and wonders, with a strong hand and powerful arm, and with overwhelming terror. 22 You gave the people of Israel this land that you had promised their ancestors long before—a land flowing with milk and honey. 23 Our ancestors came and conquered it and lived in it, but they refused to obey you or follow your word. They have not done anything you commanded. That is why you have sent this terrible disaster upon them.

24 “See how the siege ramps have been built against the city walls! Through war, famine, and disease, the city will be handed over to the Babylonians, who will conquer it. Everything has happened just as you said. 25 And yet, O Sovereign Lord, you have told me to buy the field—paying good money for it before these witnesses—even though the city will soon be handed over to the Babylonians.”

26 Then this message came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 27 “I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me? 28 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I will hand this city over to the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 29 The Babylonians outside the walls will come in and set fire to the city. They will burn down all these houses where the people provoked my anger by burning incense to Baal on the rooftops and by pouring out liquid offerings to other gods. 30 Israel and Judah have done nothing but wrong since their earliest days. They have infuriated me with all their evil deeds,” says the Lord. 31 “From the time this city was built until now, it has done nothing but anger me, so I am determined to get rid of it.

32 “The sins of Israel and Judah—the sins of the people of Jerusalem, the kings, the officials, the priests, and the prophets—have stirred up my anger. 33 My people have turned their backs on me and have refused to return. Even though I diligently taught them, they would not receive instruction or obey. 34 They have set up their abominable idols right in my own Temple, defiling it. 35 They have built pagan shrines to Baal in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing. What an incredible evil, causing Judah to sin so greatly!

36 “Now I want to say something more about this city. You have been saying, ‘It will fall to the king of Babylon through war, famine, and disease.’ But this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 37 I will certainly bring my people back again from all the countries where I will scatter them in my fury. I will bring them back to this very city and let them live in peace and safety. 38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants. 40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me. 41 I will find joy doing good for them and will faithfully and wholeheartedly replant them in this land.

42 “This is what the Lord says: Just as I have brought all these calamities on them, so I will do all the good I have promised them. 43 Fields will again be bought and sold in this land about which you now say, ‘It has been ravaged by the Babylonians, a desolate land where people and animals have all disappeared.’ 44 Yes, fields will once again be bought and sold—deeds signed and sealed and witnessed—in the land of Benjamin and here in Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the hill country, in the foothills of Judah and in the Negev, too. For someday I will restore prosperity to them. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Jeremiah 32

Dear God, I don’t think I want to know when calamity is coming my way. I want you to chasten me. I want you to convict me and correct me. I want to repent. But I don’t want to know the future. It’s too much for me. But I don’t have to worry about that because you haven’t given me the gift of prophecy.

My wife and I were talking about end-time prophecies today and how people seem to want to know the future so badly. I don’t understand why. There are some who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture. There are some who believe in no rapture at all as part of your plan. I have my own thoughts on it after hearing teachings from different people and making my own assessments, but at the end of the day, my assessments are worthless (and probably wrong!). The truth is, no matter what my assessment is, it shouldn’t change how I live today. I don’t have to be smarter than the next person. I don’t have to have a deeper revelation from you that someone else. That’s not what you called me to do at all. You called me to love you and worship you. You called me to love others. You called me to keep myself pure in my pursuit of worshipping you and loving others. You taught me through Jesus that it’s okay if I mourn or even if I’m pour in spirit. You taught me it’s good to be a peacemaker. You taught me it’s good to love my enemies and embrace persecution for your name’s sake and not avoid it. You taught me that hating is as bad as murder and lusting is as bad as adultery. You taught me to not judge and be merciful. You taught me to pray. You taught me to forgive as I have been forgiven. You taught me to not worry, but put my “certainty” only in the fact that I am loved by you. You taught me to build on you and not shifting sand. You taught me that the gate is narrow, the narrow path is hard, and that few will find it. I think I’ve found it. I’m grateful to have found it.

Father, help me today to help others find the narrow path. Help me to introduce them to you, show them how to worship you, show them how to love others. And, in time, teach them everything Jesus taught us. I think about Jeremiah and how he was shouting into the wind with no one wanting to listen because they didn’t want to hear what he had to say. Well, give me ears to hear right now, Father. Holy Spirit, teach me what I need to learn today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 11, 2026 in Jeremiah

 

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Philippians 1:3-6

10 Jul

3 Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Philippians 1:3-6

Dear God, I wish I was better about praying for others. I think about other people all of the time. Can we count that as praying for them? Probably not. I was thinking about this young man I’m mentoring yesterday. I need to write him a letter today. I know he’s been at camp this week. I also know his mother was arrested for at least the fourth time in less than a year recently. His poor (figuratively and literally) grandmother is trying to raise him and his sister. Such instability. He needs you more than he needs me, but I am one of the instruments you’ve put in his life. I should pray for him more. Maybe I should do more materially as well.

I’m having lunch with a man today who is either currently going through a divorce or is recently divorced. I’ll learn more in a few hours. But I haven’t prayed for him like I should. I guess this is a recurring theme for me. I just don’t do intercessory prayer as a priority. My wife is great at it. She will pray for others all of the time. Is this a spiritual gift I don’t have or an imperative that I am lacking?

Father, you know the people who are in my mind this morning. Of course, my wife and children and their significant others (and their children). All of the students and teachers in Christian Men’s Life Skills. My coworkers and volunteers. My siblings and their significant others and their children. My close male friends and their families. My parents. Then there are the political leaders in my community, the state, the country, and the world. There is your church and the Christians in the world who are suffering. The suffering of those at home. Perhaps the reason I’m not better at this is that once I start on this path of praying for others, the path is endless. The road is narrow and hard, but it brings life. Help me to walk this road more narrowly and better.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 10, 2026 in Philippians

 

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Hosea 10:1-12

08 Jul

10 How prosperous Israel is—
    a luxuriant vine loaded with fruit.
But the richer the people get,
    the more pagan altars they build.
The more bountiful their harvests,
    the more beautiful their sacred pillars.
2 The hearts of the people are fickle;
    they are guilty and must be punished.
The Lord will break down their altars
    and smash their sacred pillars.
3 Then they will say, “We have no king
    because we didn’t fear the Lord.
But even if we had a king,
    what could he do for us anyway?”
4 They spout empty words
    and make covenants they don’t intend to keep.
So injustice springs up among them
    like poisonous weeds in a farmer’s field.

5 The people of Samaria tremble in fear
    for their calf idol at Beth-aven,
    and they mourn for it.
Though its priests rejoice over it,
    its glory will be stripped away.
6 This idol will be carted away to Assyria,
    a gift to the great king there.
Ephraim will be ridiculed and Israel will be shamed,
    because its people have trusted in this idol.
7 Samaria and its king will be cut off;
    they will float away like driftwood on an ocean wave.
8 And the pagan shrines of Aven, the place of Israel’s sin, will crumble.
    Thorns and thistles will grow up around their altars.
They will beg the mountains, “Bury us!”
    and plead with the hills, “Fall on us!”

9 The Lord says, “O Israel, ever since Gibeah,
    there has been only sin and more sin!
You have made no progress whatsoever.
    Was it not right that the wicked men of Gibeah were attacked?
10 Now whenever it fits my plan,
    I will attack you, too.
I will call out the armies of the nations
    to punish you for your multiplied sins.

11 “Israel is like a trained heifer treading out the grain—
    an easy job she loves.
    But I will put a heavy yoke on her tender neck.
I will force Judah to pull the plow
    and Israel to break up the hard ground.
12 I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness,
    and you will harvest a crop of love.
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts,
    for now is the time to seek the Lord,
that he may come
    and shower righteousness upon you.’

Hosea 10:1-12

Dear God, it is easy to take this passage from Hosea and think of it on a national level. Whether it’s our own country. Whether it’s the modern Israel. How have we let our impressive possessions and accomplishments tear our hearts away from you? That’s the easy thing for me to consider. How have all the people I share this country with done this awful thing?

But here’s the harder question: How have I done it? At the place I work, we are expanding our facility. You were gracious and led us to donors who helped us raise all the money. We have donations to help us run our operations. You have even brought us providers, although the search continues for a couple of people we need to help us. On a personal level, my wife and I are not wealthy (by American standards), but we are solidly middle-class. I can get sloppy in my prayer to you, humility before you, worship of you, and gratitude towards you. My eyes see so little. What they see is success. The see affirmation for me by this world. What I’m doing is working. That’s what they see. But I think the Holy Spirit is telling me this morning that if I find myself with resources it’s so that I can offer them to you to do what you want done. At work, we have a responsibility to make sure we are doing everything we can do. Personally, my wife and I need to be offering you the same. You’ve given us a lot of resources. How can we keep the soil of our hearts plowed and weeded before you so that you can plant seeds that will find good soil and produce great fruit for your glory?

Father, I’m sorry I take so much for granted. I’m an ignorant fool. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m grateful to you. I’m grateful to be called your child. I have such a small role to play in this world, but if just one thing I do, word I speak, or dollar I spend can be exactly what you need it to be then I will rejoice that you want me and that you made my life count.

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

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 8, 2026 in Hosea

 

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The Gospel

06 Jul

Dear God, this evening, I will be presenting the Gospel to a group of men. Help me. I want you to speak through me. I want you to draw them to yourself through me. I don’t want to scare them. I don’t want to threaten them. I want to invite them. I want to show them who you really are and what you mean to me. Why I’m here nearly every morning praying to you. Why I pray to you througout the day. Why I listen to Christian teaching. Why I read Christian things. Why I have Christian friends. I’m not here because I’m afraid of hell. I’m here because I love you. I’m here because I worship you. I’m here because I need this relationship with you today. You make me better. You grow your fruit in me. That’s what I want to offer these men tonight.

I still love this one interview that Andy Stanley did with John Dickson on how Christians have poorly played the music of a faith you authored for us through Jesus 2,000 years ago. What makes us misunderstand what Jesus taught us? I think it’s grasping for idols. Power to mask our uncertainty. If we think it will be more beneficial in the short-term then we will go for it.

The one I think about is the Crusades. What were they trying to prove? Where did they find that in Jesus’s teaching?

Father, maybe I’m wrong about all of this, but I go back to another thing that Mr. Dickson said in this interview. At least I think it was Mr. Dickson in this interview. Anyway, someone told Andy one time that you gave us four tools to use to impact our world: Prayer, Service, Persuasion, and Suffering. Help me to embrace those tools and those tools only today, tonight, and tomorrow as I tell the world–and these 24 men tonight–about the narrow path and your love.

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

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 6, 2026 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

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Isaiah 12:4

05 Jul

4 In that wonderful day you will sing:
    “Thank the Lord! Praise his name!
Tell the nations what he has done.
    Let them know how mighty he is!

Isaiah 12:4

Dear God, when I first read this verse this morning (the verse of the day from Bible Gateway) my thought was, “What day?” What’s Isaiah referring to. Is it some day when Israel is returned to glory? I’ll admit I was a little cynical about “that wonderful day” Isaiah talks about.

Then I backed up to chapter 11 to see what the day was that Isaiah was describing, and I found that he was describing a day that I materially benefit from. The day of Jesus (Isaiah 11:1-5):

11 Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—
    yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 He will delight in obeying the Lord.
    He will not judge by appearance
    nor make a decision based on hearsay.
4 He will give justice to the poor
    and make fair decisions for the exploited.
The earth will shake at the force of his word,
    and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
5 He will wear righteousness like a belt
    and truth like an undergarment.

May I just say now, “Thank the Lord! Praise His Name! I will tell the nations how might you are and the things you have done. Let all the earth praise your name!”

The stump that was taken to the ground still had life, and it gave us a shoot. It gave more than Israel a shoot. It gave one to the whole world. It gave one to me.

Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection was quite remarkable. He taught us so much. He showed us so much. The history the men of the time recorded for us to have, even to this day, is really beyond belief. He was so special that even those who cannot bring themselves to believe in the resurrection want to follow his teaching and example.

Father, I don’t want to lose my awe and wonder about who Jesus is (he is part of who you are–God, man, alive today) and just how much I’ve been forgiven of. I’m presenting a Gospel message to the men in Christian Men’s Life Skills tomorrow night, but I’m also very distracted by the other lesson I’m supposed to teach afterwards. Wow. You just gave me an idea as I typed those words. Thank you. I think that will help. Tomorrow night, I’m supposed to teach a Bible study explaining the Gospel and inviting those in the room who are not already following you to follow you. Then I’m supposed to teach about applying for jobs. The idea you gave me just now is to switch the order so that we talk about the applications first and then we do the Bible study so they will be able to marinate in the Bible lesson and the seeds of it won’t be taken away by the birds like the seed that fell on the path. Thank you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 5, 2026 in Isaiah

 

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Matthew 20:1-16

03 Jul

20 “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.

3 “At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. 4 So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. 5 So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.

6 “At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’

7 “They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’

“The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’

8 “That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. 9 When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. 10 When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. 11 When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, 12 ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’

13 “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? 14 Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. 15 Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’

16 “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

Matthew 20:1-16

Dear God, it’s interesting that the theme of my series teaching Samuel, Saul, Jonathan, and David to the Christian Men’s Life Skills class over the last eight weeks has been the danger of self-pity. I’ve tried to teach them that we are all at our worst when we are claiming our rights and feeling sorry for ourselves. I’ve been that way often (I’m still sometimes that way) when I get upset about how different people treat me. “How dare they?!?” “I deserve better!” But do I? Do I have a right to the rights I’m claiming, or am I allowing my self-perceived rights to distract me from loving and worshipping you and caring about and loving them? If I start to make an idol out of my rights with my self-pity then that’s the top of the slippery slope into selfishness.

I thought of this story this morning because I am supposed to be teaching the guys about work ethic over the last two weeks of the class. This next week will be mostly about applying for a job, interviewing, explaining their legal past, etc. But at some point we are going to be talking about working as unto you. So I’ll explore these passages a little bit. For me, while this story is mainly about those coming into your Kingdom at the end of their lives getting the same reward as those that come to you early in their life, it is also about this idea of dying to yourself. The other one that comes to mind is Colossians 3:23 which talks about working as unto you. Again, am I in it for me or for my love and worship of you?

Father, as I enter this day, help me to work as unto you. Help me to love as unto you. Help me to die to myself. Help me to sacrifice my selfishness and rights to the cross and take up your cross and follow you. Jesus didn’t show us his own rights while he was here. He showed us selflessness. Help me to live that way today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 3, 2026 in Matthew

 

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Amos 7:10-17

02 Jul

10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam, king of Israel: “Amos is hatching a plot against you right here on your very doorstep! What he is saying is intolerable. 11 He is saying, ‘Jeroboam will soon be killed, and the people of Israel will be sent away into exile.’”

12 Then Amaziah sent orders to Amos: “Get out of here, you prophet! Go on back to the land of Judah, and earn your living by prophesying there! 13 Don’t bother us with your prophecies here in Bethel. This is the king’s sanctuary and the national place of worship!”

14 But Amos replied, “I’m not a professional prophet, and I was never trained to be one. I’m just a shepherd, and I take care of sycamore-fig trees. 15 But the Lord called me away from my flock and told me, ‘Go and prophesy to my people in Israel.’ 16 Now then, listen to this message from the Lord:

“You say,
‘Don’t prophesy against Israel.
    Stop preaching against my people.’
17 But this is what the Lord says:
‘Your wife will become a prostitute in this city,
    and your sons and daughters will be killed.
Your land will be divided up,
    and you yourself will die in a foreign land.
And the people of Israel will certainly become captives in exile,
    far from their homeland.’”

Amos 7:10-17

Dear God, how do I make sure I’m more Amos and not Amaziah? What was Amaziah’s path for discerning your voice? Or did he even have one. We know Amos was a legitimate prophet and Amaziah wasn’t. But we have the benefit of hindsight. How do we figure out if we are right or wrong in the moment?

I think about this thing the Southern Baptist Convention is considering this year regarding women as pastors. They’ve adopted an amendment that can be ratified at their annual convention in 2027 that will prohibit women from serving in a lot of areas. There are people on both sides of this debate, and both have compelling arguments. Personally, I don’t have to make an argument on this one way or another. I have my opinions, but I have the luxury of keeping my opinions on this to myself. Another one is the LGTBQ+ issue in the church. Many opinions on many sides. What to do?

What I appreciate is sensitivity to you in prayer, and I admire that my wife really has it. I have it sometimes, but not at the rich depths she does. She felt compelled to pray for my coworkers this morning, and then when she got home from her walk I told her about a situation that has come up with one of my employees overnight. That’s when you revealed to her why you had compelled her to pray. She would make a good Amos. Not that she prophesies, but she makes room to hear you.

Father, help me to make some room to hear you. I normally listen to things–podcasts, YouTube videos, music. I rarely allow for silence. That’s probably a mistake. It’s most assuredly a mistake. So help me to be comfortable in silence, to hear your voice in the stillness, and to know how to discern between your leadings and the corrupt desires of my own heart. I want to hear you. I want to know you deeply. I need to allow for more silence if I’m to accomplish that. And I do pray for my employee and also for the mother of a young man who died yesterday. My employee has a difficult path. Give them your peace. Help them to shed any pretense and simply be at peace in you and then share that peace with others. For the mother, please find her and comfort her. Guide her. Love her. Raise up people around her who will strongly support her. She mourns. Let her be comforted.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 2, 2026 in Amos

 

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Romans 12:3-5

01 Jul

3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

Romans 12:3-5

Dear God, I took a personality test nearly 30 years ago, and my wife and I still joke about it to this day. It came back with something like, “John does not see a reason to change the way he is doing things…John needs a lot of affirmations.” I told my wife, “Translation: John is confident but needs compliments. OR: John is arrogant, but the arrogance needs fed.” And I’ll admit there is something to that. I do tend to think I’m right and my way is the right way until I’m proven wrong. Now, I think I’m willing to be proven wrong. I’m approachable and willing to see someone else’s idea or point of view, but I won’t go down without a struggle.

Case in point, the nonprofit where I’ve worked over 20 years now is going through a facility expansion. I’m completely on board with it now, but when the idea first came up, I was very resistant. I was comfortable and things were going just fine as far as I was concerned. But some board members and a staff member had a vision for more. I wasn’t too stubborn about it. I heard their arguments. I helped us plot a path forward to examine if we needed expansion and what we’d use it for if we did, and through that process we came up with something really great. And you seem to have blessed the process. It’s going remarkably smoothly, including the fundraising. I’m grateful to you for so much, including this.

But my point is, I still need the reminder Paul gives here. I’ve been fairly successful in my job now, but I’m not perfect, and I make mistakes. I make them daily. My personality and abilities are an important part of the team, but they aren’t all of it. I need other people. I need their opinions that differ from mine. I need their talents. And I have some great talent around me. I’m grateful for my coworkers. My wife and I have embraced a line from the old TV show “The West Wing.” They are recruiting someone from a different political party to work for them and the chief of staff tells the prospective employee, “The President likes smart people who disagree with him.” I want to be that kind of person. But they don’t have to be what might be the traditional definition of “smart.” Maybe I’d add the word thoughtful. But everyone–EVERYONE–has something to offer if we let them contribute.

Father, help me to lead those around me today in the spirit of this passage. We need each other. I cannot be everything. Nor can anyone else in the office. And you know we have some specific needs regarding staffing. Please guide us to the person we need, and guide them to us. I love you. I worship you. I give you my flawed, sinful self and ask that you take this offering and do what you will with me.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 1, 2026 in Romans

 

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Matthew 8:23-27

30 Jun

23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

26 Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

27 The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”

Matthew 8:23-27

Dear God, I’m convicted this morning that I haven’t prayed intentionally enough lately. I have a friend who had a mild stroke a couple of weeks ago. I prayed for him and his family initially, but I haven’t prayed for him enough lately. I have a young man who is special to me, and he has a hard life. I’ve thought about him a lot, but I haven’t prayed for him enough. There is a host of others–too many for me to count–for whom I haven’t prayed intentionally enough.

It makes me wonder if I really (and I mean really) believe in the power of prayer. In your power to intervene and move the needle in someone’s life. I see this story from Matthew about you calming the storm, and the disciples just left asking, “Who is this man?” It’s like they’re asking, “What have we gotten ourselves into with him, and what is the limit of what he can do?”

Father, I look at my stroke victim friend and ask that you please move to solve the myriad of problems facing him. Healing. His wife’s health. Limited financial resources. Limited family able to help. Please use this pain in all of their lives. I know he has a grandson who has issues. I know there are other things facing them as a family. I know he has responsibilities in the community. I know there are a lot of people who depend upon him. While you are healing him, while you are strengthening him, please make this pain count for your plan and your glory in a lot of lives and the community. For the young man I know, his situation seems so awful to me. Help him, Father. Help his family. Help him to grow. Use the pain for your glory. I have so many people running through my head right now. My children. My wife. My family. The couples my wife and I have done pre-marital counseling with. our priest, my coworkers and volunteers, our patients and clients, our political leaders here and in the rest of the world, Oh, God, please be powerful. Calm the storm. And if it is not your will to calm the storm. If there is destruction you need to happen, give us peace and comfort as we sail into it. All for your glory. All for your plan.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 30, 2026 in Matthew

 

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