Devotional

Read the Word: Galatians 5:16-25 Meditate on the Word: Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously wrote in his opinion in a 1964 obscenity case (Jacobellis v. Ohio), “I know it when I see it.” It seems that Paul has a similar opinion about “the works of the flesh.” He calls them obvious. Then he goes through… Read More »

Read the Word: Ezekiel 3:16-21 Meditate on the Word: In 2019, Dayton meteorologist Jamie Simpson went viral for a rant while covering a severe tornado in the area. Many people were complaining to the station that his coverage of the severe weather was interrupting their watching of The Bachelorette. Knowing that people needed to be warned… Read More »

Read the Word: Psalm 29:1-2 Meditate on the Word: I find it interesting that David calls on the heavenly beings to worship God. Certainly, the king of Israel has no actual authority over the heavenly beings yet he simply causes them to do what they are made to do. He calls on people to do… Read More »

Read the Word: Revelation 22:6-9 Meditate on the Word: John, elderly and exiled to the island of Patmos, received a stunning revelation from the Lord, which he recorded as instructed. It is a vision of images both wonderful and terrifying. And since his time of penning these words in the mid-90s A. D., people have… Read More »

Read the Word: Acts 1:1-11 Meditate on the Word: How great must it have been for the apostles to have had Jesus back with them for the forty days after His resurrection! Then, on the day of the Ascension, they are left standing there staring up into heaven. Jesus had promised to send them the… Read More »

Read the Word: Psalm 93:1-5 Meditate on the Word: I know someone who loves to tell stories from the past in vivid detail. She relays the events of days gone by with great clarity. But sometimes, others who were there do not remember things exactly the same way. Sometimes our mind fills in details that… Read More »

Read the Word: John 14:23-24 Meditate on the Word: I have often heard people say, “You cannot be a true Christian and _______.” There are certainly many things that a true believer would not do, but many times statements like these are inappropriately used as a litmus test for orthodoxy. This is never more true… Read More »

Read the Word: Proverbs 2:6-8 Meditate on the Word: Yesterday, we looked at the verses that immediately precede this section and learned that we must take action in order to receive wisdom. Today, we see that God gives wisdom. Of course both of these are simultaneously true. God gives wisdom in response to our seeking… Read More »

Read the Word: Proverbs 2:1-5 Meditate on the Word: We have access to information that is unprecedented in the history of the world. Yet, this increase in the availability of information has not caused an increase in wisdom. Instead, the exact opposite has occurred. Information is everywhere, but wisdom is scarcely found. I believe that… Read More »

Read the Word: Leviticus 19:9-18 Meditate on the Word: How we treat our neighbor is a direct reflection of our reverence (or lack thereof) for God. This section of the Law was written to discourage selfish accumulation at the expense of the poor. There was always to be something left at the end of the… Read More »