Understanding to the Simple

Psalm 119

129 Your statutes are wonderful;

therefore I obey them.

130 The unfolding of your words gives light; 


it gives understanding to the simple.

I am a simple man. A deep thinker yes, a man of logic, absolutely, but a simple man nonetheless. I believe in absolutes, and in absolute truth. God’s Word is Absolute Truth. God’s Word settles the debate. God’s Word is wonderful; therefore I will obey it. God’s Word gives light and understanding, and I will stay in the Word daily while trying to live my life as best as I can according to what I learn from studying the Word!

My Hope is in You

Psalm 119

114 You are my refuge and my shield; 


I have put my hope in your word.

My hope and my refuge are found in the Lord Jesus alone. May my eyes be filled with the sight of my Lord. May my heart overflow with His love. May my actions bring Him glory and honor and praise always. May I be sustained daily by the time I spend in His Word.

Life Attitude of Praise

Psalm 119

108 Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, 


and teach me your laws.

May my lips and my life always be filled with praise for my Lord and Savior! May my heart always be prepared to receive more of the teachings of Jesus. May all I do and all I say bring glory and honor and praise to Jesus always!

Jesus' Prayer

John 17

9 “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. 10 All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory.”

20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”

Jesus’ prayer for unity is a prayer for those who will follow Him. Look again at verse 9, He is not praying for the world, but for His followers. And in verse 20, the prayer is not just for His Disciples, but for everyone who will EVER believe in Him. May Jesus bring those of us who love Him and follow Him together. May we indeed do what He desires...to bring all those who belong to Him to a saving relationship with Him!

Give me the sense to follow your commands

Psalm 119

73 You made me; you created me.

Now give me the sense to follow your commands.

“Give me the sense to follow your commands.” Now, THAT is a prayer! I need to claim that prayer as my own. Why is it that I so easily get off track, and try to pull a “li’l brudder” with the attitude of, “I can make it on my own”? (Yes a Homestar Runner reference made this devo). I need the sense to follow the commands of my Lord and Savior, Jesus. Father, keep me close to You, focused on Jesus, and give me the sense to follow Your commands always.

So Be It

John 15

18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.”

Sometimes we who claim to want to follow Jesus get this all mixed up. We whine, moan, groan and complain with the world hates us. We act shocked and amazed. We should instead count it as a badge of honor to be hated by the world and those who are worldly in their thinking. We are not part of this world, we are strangers and aliens in a foreign land. Our Kingdom is in Christ, and our values are vastly different from the pagans around us. May we be salt and light attempting to draw all people into a saving relationship with Jesus, but may we also be aware that we are in a war with the thinking of this world. Thus, we are at war with the world, and those of this world will indeed hate us. So be it.

Who Am I, Lord?

2 Samuel 7

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed,

“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

The LORD has just promised David that his family will rule Israel, and that the kingdom will not be taken away from David’s family like it was from Saul’s. Let me be clear: I am no David. I do not claim any comparison to David, other than this: “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?” God blesses me in spite of who I am. God blesses my family in spite of the circumstances we are facing. I know that it is only by clinging to Jesus that I can not just survive, but thrive. Lord, I admit that I am tired, and I know that You think I can handle much more than I believe I can, but I will trust in You, give You the glory always, and remain Your faithful servant to the very best of my ability.

The ONLY Way

John 14

1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

Keeping one of the most famous sayings of Jesus in its proper context is key here. Jesus is talking with His closest followers, who still don’t “get it.” Like Thomas says, they have no idea where they are going or how they can know the way. Focusing on Jesus and following Him always is the ONLY way! Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and NO ONE comes to God the Father, expect through Jesus. Period. End of discussion.

Stay in the Word

Psalm 119

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.

By staying in Your Word, O Lord, even an old man like me stays pure. When I concentrate on the Bible and its teachings, my life is so much more complete and so much more filled with joy. Father, help me to discern what is pleasing to you by staying focused on Your Word always. I love You, Lord, and I love spending time in Your Word every day!

Jesus is the Centerpiece

Psalm 118

22 The stone that the builders rejected


has now become the cornerstone.


23 This is the Lord’s doing,


and it is wonderful to see.


24 This is the day the Lord has made.


We will rejoice and be glad in it.

What a beautiful day! Being given the privilege of performing the wedding ceremony for Katie & Chris was an honor beyond words. Doing the ceremony on the beach was a perfect settings. The fact that Jesus is the center of this relationship, and was absolutely the focus of this day, makes it that much more special! Jesus is the cornerstone. Jesus is the centerpiece. Jesus is the focus. May it always be so!

Strength in the Lord

1 Samuel 30

6 David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God.

Things have gone as badly as they could have for David and his army. Invaders have gone to their hometown and taken the women captive (including David’s wives), while destroying their homes. The men of David’s army are less than pleased with their leader at the moment. “But David found strength in the Lord his God.” This has been one of the most trying weeks of my life. But I am finding my strength in the Lord my God. Thank You, God, for helping me not only survive this week, but to draw closer to You because of it.

Praise the Lord

Psalm 117

1 Praise the Lord, all you nations.


Praise him, all you people of the earth.


2 For he loves us with unfailing love;


the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.

Praise the Lord!

The LORD is faithful, and He has answered my prayers in such a way as to boggle my mind once more. Thank You, LORD, for Your unfailing love for me and for my son, Ian. You are mighty, You are Awesome, You are Holy, and You alone are worthy of all praise!

Cry of My Heart

Proverbs 15

20 Sensible children bring joy to their father;


foolish children despise their mother.

I have had many years of great joy as a parent. Right now, that joy escapes me as I grieve over a child who is intent on turning his back on me, and more importantly on turning his back on God. I pray that it is only a very temporary thing. I am exhausted beyond measure, and I pray for my wayward one. I truly believe it is more an attempt to hurt me than it is an outright rebellion against God, at least I pray that it is what it is. May he despise me all he wants, as long as he doesn’t despise God.

I Love You Lord

Psalm 115

1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us,


but to your name goes all the glory


for your unfailing love and faithfulness.

I am bruised, battered, beaten and broken. Between what is going on with Dad and his very slow recovery (two steps back since Saturday), and the ongoing situation with Ian, I am simply exhausted. I am doing my level best to turn it all over to God, and I am crying out for some relief right now. I know that God is faithful, and that He is able. I am weak, weary, and worn out. Bruised, battered, beaten, and broken. I love You, Lord.

Bologna

John 9

24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.”

25 “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”

26 “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?”

27 “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”

28 Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.” 30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. 32 Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.”

34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.

What an instructive exchange between the “religious leaders” of Jesus’ day and a man who had been healed of blindness. Isn’t it cool to see how this “unlearned” formerly blind dude can clearly see Who Jesus is, while the folks with all the education are so blinded they can’t see what is plainly before them? Reminds me of the pointy-headed intellectuals of our day. The fact that he destroys their so-called logic with the simple facts at hand, and their reaction is to throw him out of the temple, well, it speaks volumes. Today’s so-called intellectuals try to dismiss any talk of Jesus. Their supposed wisdom cannot tolerate the notion of God, much less God in the flesh. Like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, the so-called intellectuals are way too full of themselves, and should be dismissed as such. I’ll follow Jesus any day. They can have their so-called intellectualism which is quite simply a bunch of bologna!

Faithful Living

John 8

31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Remaining faithful to Jesus is the key. It is easy to get swept up in the emotion of becoming a Christ follower, and it is easier to lose the flame of that emotion. Christian living is not a sprint, it is a lifelong marathon. As I spoke to our students this evening, I reminded them that the salvation process includes faithful living. It is not enough to once upon a time believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God, and to repent, and to be immersed into Him. That is just the starting point of the race. Finishing the race strong in the Lord, that is where it is at! For nearly 25 years now, I have run this race. Now, I am closer to walking than running, understanding that the race is a lifelong event, and that I need to slow down soas not to miss what Jesus wants me to see. Isaiah 40:31 is my standard by which I tackle this race:

31 but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

This is the Lord's Battle

2 Samuel 17

45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!”

48 As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. 49 Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. 50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. 51 Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head.

I LOVE this story! David has no fear because David gives all the credit, all the glory, and all the honor to God Almighty. David knows that God can do anything, and David is willing to allow God to use him to accomplish what God wants accomplished. May that be my attitude as I continue caring for my Dad in the aftermath of his surgery. May that be my attitude about everything in life!

Light of the World

John 8

12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

“Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness, opened my eyes let me see...” Yeah, I am about to bust out into song. “Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, here I am to say that You’re my God. You’re altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful to me!” Jesus is the LIGHT of the world. Jesus is my Lord and Savior, and I will worship Him always. Thank You Jesus for being with my Dad and with me over these past couple of days through his surgery. Strengthen his body so he may come home soon. I love You Jesus. Thanks for navigating me through the darkness of this life on planet earth.

Filled With the Living Water

John 7

37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

How blessed I am to live in the times when the Living Water has been freely given to those of us who love and follow the teachings of Jesus! What a peace that envelops me today even in the midst of Dad’s surgery (taking place as I type these words). Thank You, Lord Jesus, for providing the Comforter, the Living Water, to fill me so that the peace that passes understanding will indeed be strong within me on this day.

Praising God Today

Psalm 108

1 My heart is confident in you, O God;

no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!

2 Wake up, lyre and harp!

I will wake the dawn with my song.

3 I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.

I will sing your praises among the nations.

4 For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens.

Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.

May your glory shine over all the earth.

What an eventful overnight/early morning as Dad’s prep for his colonoscopy got more exciting than either of us wanted. Long story short, in spite of being ill prepared and having to consider a desperate middle-of-the-night run for colostomy supplies, God had the one and only wafer & bag that Dad had with him work! Once it comes loose, it never is able to reattach, but God is with us and all is well. As I write this, Dad is undergoing his colonoscopy. Immediately after being released from the surgery center, we head to the hospital where he will be admitted in preparation for his hernia repair surgery in the morning. Thank You, God for being with us during this difficult time, I will praise You for Your unfailing love, and Your presence with me in the midst of really tough times!

No Matter What

John 6

60 Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”

61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? 63 The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.) 65 Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.”

66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”

68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”

When the teaching gets tough, those who are true followers fall away. Those who are true followers know that there is no place else to go except where Jesus leads. It really is as simple as that. Lord, help me to be a true follower of Christ every day, no matter where that leads, no matter how difficult the teaching, no matter what anyone else is doing, no matter what!

We're not like them

1 Samuel 8

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. 20 “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”

What a sad day indeed when God’s people choose to be like the peoples around them, imitating the culture of the pagans, instead of relying on God. Christians in America have done a great job of blending in with the culture, and as a result, it is difficult to discern between the pagans and those who give lip service to Jesus. Those of us who try our best to follow Him daily stand out like a sore thumb. We are called radicals (so was Jesus), we are made fun of (so was Jesus), and in many nations around the world we are killed for our faith (so was Jesus). May we never succumb to satan’s ploy to get us to behave like the pagans around us. May we never settle to be like the peoples around us. May we never have a king other than Jesus! Lord, help me to stay faithful and strong as I do my best to obey You daily.

Testing, one, two, three

John 6

6 He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.

The “He” here is Jesus, and this is found in the midst of the passage about Jesus feeding the 5,000. It makes me wonder, am I ready to pass the test that Jesus has for me? There are several things going on right now that lead me to believe that a test is going on in my life right now. Strange, and never-before type things happening. Lord, my desire is to obey You. May my life bring You glory, honor, and praise, and may Your Will be my heart’s desire always. I pray that I pass the test, and I freely admit that You already know what You are going to do in this testing time of my life. Whenever You are ready to reveal it to me, I am ready.

His Love Endures Forever

Psalm 106

1 Praise the Lord!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!


His faithful love endures forever.

Now, before I break out into an old Chris Tomlin song, let me just say that with everything going on these days and the surgery awaiting my Dad this week, God is worthy of all glory and honor and praise! May I truly find the peace that passes understanding as we approach Thursday. I know that God is with us, that He wants what is best for us, and that He won’t put more on us than we can bear. I praise You, O LORD, for You are good. Your love endures forever!

That's NOT What Jesus Asked

John 5

1 Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. 2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. 3 Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. 4 for an angel of the Lord came from time to time and stirred up the water. And the first person to step in after the water was stirred was healed of whatever disease he had .5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”

7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”

8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

That’s NOT what Jesus asked! Did you catch it? Jesus approaches a guy who hasn’t been able to walk for 38 years, asks him if he would like to walk again, and this goober goes off giving excuses as to why he can’t get in the pool in hopes of being healed. That is NOT what Jesus asked! How many times do we fail to heed what God’s Word says because we are too busy giving excuses as to why we can’t do this or that? What if we just “listened” to what Jesus is asking us and then obeyed. Yeah, that would be much better all the way around.

Fear of the Lord

Proverbs 14

26 Those who fear the Lord are secure;


he will be a refuge for their children.

27 Fear of the Lord is a life-giving fountain;


it offers escape from the snares of death.

Contrast this sentiment with the passages from Judges just a few days ago, where it is said that the people did what was right in their own eyes. When there is no healthy respect for, when there is no fear of God, people will revert to the lowest common denominator. They will act like pagans. When we DO have that respect/fear, our lives truly are better. Not that we don’t still have the tough times, but we have the LORD to get us through them. I’ll take refuge in the LORD over flying on my own any day of the week!

Praise God Always

Psalm 105

1 Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.


Let the whole world know what he has done.


2 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.


Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.


3 Exult in his holy name;


rejoice, you who worship the Lord.


4 Search for the Lord and for his strength;


continually seek him.

How could I do any less than give thanks and praise to my Lord and Savior Jesus and to my Creator God? How could I desire to do anything that would quench the Holy Spirit residing in me? Yet, my life often is less than filled with praise, and I know that this saddens my Heavenly Father, my Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. May it never be so again. May my life be filled with praise always. May the frustrations of life be turned to times of thanksgiving, and looked upon as opportunities to sing praises to God. He alone is worthy of such praise, and it is my desire to be a “praise machine” for God always!

God is the Source of Life

Psalm 104

24 O Lord, what a variety of things you have made!


In wisdom you have made them all.


The earth is full of your creatures.


25 Here is the ocean, vast and wide,


teeming with life of every kind,


both large and small.


26 See the ships sailing along,


and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.

27 They all depend on you


to give them food as they need it.


28 When you supply it, they gather it.


You open your hand to feed them,


and they are richly satisfied.


29 But if you turn away from them, they panic.


When you take away their breath,


they die and turn again to dust.

30 When you give them your breath, life is created,


and you renew the face of the earth.

31 May the glory of the Lord continue forever!


The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made!

So, Dad had the History channel on this afternoon while he was sleeping, and they had “experts” talking about how life on this planet could have come from extraterrestrial beings, or even from humans who time traveled back from the future to “plant the seed of human life.” Really? I mean, that is what passes as intellectualism these days? Hey, I like science fiction as much as anybody, but remember it is FICTION! To have so-called scholars discussing this crap with a straight face makes me want to laugh, and then it makes me want to throw up. Way too many of the so-called intellectuals refuse to believe in God as Creator of all life, but they can postulate that aliens came to this planet long ago to get the human race started. No wonder that God calls the wisdom of man foolishness. I agree with God!

In Their Own Eyes

Judges 17

6 In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

This is one of the saddest passages of Scripture ever. It does remind me of people in this nation today. See, when Jesus is NOT the King of our lives, we humans have the tendency to do whatever is right in our own eyes. So, the moral decay in which America finds itself in 2010 should come as no surprise. We kicked God out of the public discourse nearly 50 years ago. We have effectively raised two generations of Americans without the same basic Christian foundation that was in place for the first two centuries of this nation’s history. Why should we be surprised at the decidedly pagan turn the people of this nation have taken? We shouldn’t.

Obey Your Mamma

John 2

1 The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. 3 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”

5 But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

I LOVE this story! Jesus’ Mom tells him the problem, knowing that He can solve it quickly, quietly, and efficiently. Jesus doesn’t want to get involved here, telling His Mom that it is not His problem and that His time has not yet come. She ignores His protestations, and tells the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do. Then, she walks off! What does Jesus do? He performs the miracle at Cana, turning water into wine! He does what His Mamma told Him to do. See, Jesus not only obeyed His Heavenly Father, He obeyed His Mamma, too. A lesson we can all learn from, and apply in our daily lives.

Calling It Like It Is

John 1

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Oh, to be so quick in recognizing and calling out for Jesus! He IS the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world, and like John the Baptizer, we need to boldly proclaim Jesus to be Who He is, while submitting to His Lordship daily.