Daily Reflections From God's Word

Last weekend, Lisa and I had the opportunity to see David at Sight & Sound in Branson. The production was outstanding. Like most people, I expected to leave thinking about Goliath. Instead, I couldn’t stop thinking about Nathan. As I watched the prophet confront David over his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah, I found myself comparing that scene with another confrontation recorded in…

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:7–8; James 1:22–25 “Some Christians are addicted to inspiration but allergic to discipline.” Yesterday my cousin, Danny, a pastor in Edmond, Oklahoma, shared those words on Facebook. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them. The statement is intentionally provocative, but I believe it exposes something every Christian—including me—needs to examine from time to…

One of the saddest realities of our culture is that we have become convinced we must choose between truth and compassion. We’re told that if we stand for biblical truth, we cannot truly love people. Or, if we genuinely love people, we must eventually surrender biblical truth. Jesus accepted neither option. He never compromised truth. He never withheld compassion. And somehow, two thousand…

Today America celebrates 250 years of independence. Two hundred fifty years. That is an extraordinary milestone. Today there will be parades, flags waving in the breeze, backyard cookouts, fireworks lighting the night sky, and families gathering to celebrate the freedoms we often take for granted. And we should be thankful. The liberties we enjoy have come at an immeasurable cost. Countless…

There comes a point in life when you stop worrying about what people will remember about you… And you start wondering what your life will point them toward. I’ve made decisions I wish I could take back. I’ve hurt people I loved. I’ve failed in ways that still grieve me. If I could rewrite those chapters, I would. But I can’t. And maybe that’s exactly where God’s grace becomes most…

Today I turn fifty-nine. Fifty-nine years. Nearly six decades. More than twenty-one thousand days of joys, sorrows, victories, failures, unexpected blessings, and lessons I never saw coming. People sometimes ask what I would say to my younger self if I had the chance. For years, I thought I would tell him how to avoid mistakes. How to choose differently. How to spare himself…

Last summer, while driving through Wyoming and Colorado, I noticed something that challenged an assumption I’d carried for years. The valleys weren’t the difficult part of the journey. They were broad. Open. In many places, I could see for miles. The roads were relatively gentle, and obstacles could often be spotted long before I reached them. It was the mountains that demanded my full…

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…” — James 1:17 A song came to mind this week that asks a series of thought-provoking questions. What if the things we call hardships are sometimes the very means by which God accomplishes His greatest work in our lives? It isn’t asking whether pain is enjoyable.It isn’t suggesting that loss somehow becomes pleasant. Instead, it challenges…

Most of us know the story of Jonah. We remember the storm. The great fish. The reluctant prophet finally walking through the streets of Nineveh proclaiming God’s coming judgment. What often surprises people is that the real climax of the book doesn’t happen when Jonah is swallowed by the fish. It happens after Nineveh repents. The greatest revival recorded in the Old Testament had just…

“For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.” — 1 John 3:20 Someone once shared a thought that has stayed with me: “Sometimes maturing in Christ means letting people believe things about you that aren’t true, remaining quiet, and trusting God to defend you.” That isn’t always easy. Everything inside us wants to explain ourselves, defend our motives, and…

Over the past few days, I’ve shared my thoughts regarding a controversy that has generated no shortage of opinions. Some have agreed. Others have strongly disagreed. That’s okay. I’ve said what I believe Scripture requires me to say, and I don’t intend to continue debating it. But as I’ve reflected on the discussion, my thoughts have drifted toward something much bigger. Perspective. Jesus…

“Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful…” — Luke 10:41-42 Over the past few weeks, we’ve reflected on David’s years in the pasture before the palace. We’ve talked about waiting seasons, clearing the rubble, staying on the wall, looking back, the Cabinetmaker reshaping old wood into a new purpose, and Joseph waiting for years, forgotten in a…

I know this post may ruffle feathers. It may cost me relationships. Some will disagree with me, and that’s their right. But there are times when remaining silent would trouble my conscience more than speaking. Over the past few days, I’ve watched the discussion surrounding the incident involving Rev. Tony Spell. I’ve listened to the explanations. I’ve read the comments. I’ve watched the…

“Remember Lot’s wife.” — Luke 17:32 Those three words from Jesus have always fascinated me. Out of all the people and stories He could have referenced, Jesus pointed His listeners back to a woman whose name we don’t even know. Most people focus on what she did. She looked back. But I wonder if the deeper issue wasn’t where her eyes were focused. Perhaps it was where her heart…

Father’s Day has always been a difficult day for me. I lost my father in 1985… and the man who stepped in and helped raise me only three years later. So when I see little boys & young men sitting beside their fathers in church, I notice. When I see men my age spending Father’s Day with their dads, I notice. When I see fathers and sons fishing together, working together, or simply sharing life…

Yesterday, I listened to a song I’ve heard for decades. Or so I thought. Like most people, I knew the chorus. What I didn’t know very well were the verses. As I listened, one line stopped me in my tracks: “It may have a new perspective, on a different day.” The older I get, the more I realize that some of life’s deepest truths are hidden in those few words… Father’s Day always brings two men…

“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.”— Henry David Thoreau Truth sounds noble… until it costs you something. It’s easy to praise truth when it’s inspirational. It’s much harder when truth isolates you, threatens your comfort, damages your reputation, or costs you relationships. Biblical truth has always carried a price tag. Ask Noah. The man spent decades building an ark…