July 15, 2025

Luke 17:15-16

15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.

Thankfulness is deceiving. It seems like a small nicety like making your bed or chewing with your mouth closed, but it isn’t small or merely polite. Thankfulness is more like the word praise, or worship. Those words are volcanic, world making or re-making, like in the story above.

In Luke 17, ten lepers cry out for Jesus to help them and are healed. Nine run to get a clean bill of health from the priests so they can go back to their families, which is very understandable. But one stopped, turned, and gave thanks. Stopping to realize what God had done for him resulted in not only clean skin, but the reward of Jesus Himself. Look at the gifts then look up to the Giver. Practice thankfulness today.

Prayer prompt: Lord, please forgive me for the thousand thousand things I haven’t thanked You for, and help me to look up from the gifts to enjoy the Giver.

July 14, 2025

Acts 5:29

29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. …”

A very smart philosopher named Charles Taylor talks about something called a “social imaginary”. The concept is that the society around us deeply affects our thinking whether we realize it or not. It may seem like something you grow out of, and sure, as a teenager you tried a lot more consciously to be cool, but the culture is a constant force that sways us all. The question isn’t if society affects your thinking, it’s where and how much it affects you.

Still, we must obey God rather than man. Looking danger in the eye and completely disregarding what the spiritual and political leaders of the day mandated, the Apostles obeyed God rather than man. They were beaten for it, but daily, in both public and private venues, they took their knocks to make the Kingdom go forward. Where in your life is there sin that needs to be strangled or obedience that needs to be performed even though it will be incredibly unpopular?

Prayer prompt: Lord, bend my will to Yours as I swim against the current of human opinion.

July 12, 2025

Titus 3:1

1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,

Pregnancy is hard on ladies. My wife still can’t eat really fresh salsa or cake pops. Both those lovely foods were favorites of ours until pregnancy when each was a cause of, shall we say, a refund. Somehow, those foods still turn her stomach even though that child is 12 years old. We can get that way with things that hurt us. They become sickening forever after.

For the Christian, what can be more repellant than rebellion? We watched it hang our Savior on a cross. We hate the memory of sin and, God forbid, the presence of sin still in our lives. While there are times when we must rebel against some crooked authority, we only do it to submit to God. Whatever leaders are in your life, search your heart to check your appetite for rebellion and be ready for every good work.

Prayer prompt: Lord, teach me to hate rebellion and draw close to You, ready to do the good works You have prepared for us.

July 11, 2025

1 Corinthians 9:22b

22 … I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.

What would you do to get the gospel to someone who needs it? If you really understood the time involved in a word like forever, the pleasure promised in a word like Heaven, or the horror hidden behind the word Hell, you would crawl across broken glass to speak these words of life. In 1 Corinthians Paul was defending his ministry which included different styles and approaches for different audiences. Was he allowed to break taboos and traditions to preach the gospel?

There is no question that we must obey Christ’s law. His laws will never pass away! So, while we will never sin to speak the gospel, there is no pain, deprivation or even humiliation which we should permit ourselves to avoid if it means another person can hear the words of life. What will you do to reach people unlike yourself?

Prayer prompt: Lord, push me to give up everything to speak of Your grace and share in the blessings of the gospel.

July 10, 2025

Hebrews 12:1-2

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

You have to get a good, wide base if you want to help me up. At 6’6” and a considerable weight, if you want to lift me, commitment is required. Think then, about what’s needed to get a sinner like me into God’s presence? If sin is a weight that entangles, I’ve got all the weight of hell itself on me.

Jesus wasn't just a religious leader. He is God’s Son and is seated at God’s right hand. That throne doesn't have the slightest tinge of weakness. From God’s mouth poured worlds and at His glance mountains skitter away like goats. He’s the One who can lift me up.

Prayer prompt: Lord, I keep my eyes on You.

July 9, 2025

Hebrews 12:1-2

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith. If asked to climb Everest and shown the path, I will politely decline. I’m just not able to do that. If asked to swim the English Channel, sorry, nothing doing as I would fail and then drown. Why then does it seem possible that I can run the race of the Christian life?

Jesus has made it possible. He is the founder, originator, author of this path that I tread and He has perfectly completed my race. I can run in complete confidence even as I know I am much much too weak. Keep running with your eyes fixed on Jesus.

Prayer prompt: Lord, teach me to run with confidence.

July 8, 2025

Hebrews 12:1-2

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, …

I don’t know if you’ve stopped to think about it, but Christianity is an old institution. Take a moment to think of anything in your world more ancient than this faith that goes back beyond Abraham to the founding of the world itself. In all those plodding centuries and millennia, men and women have encountered and wrestled with God. Untold millions have been devastated, daunted, and eventually delighted by God.

In view of that cloud of witnesses, that matchless gallery of people so unlike and exactly alike you in heart and soul, run the race set before you. They had the same valleys and deeper ones to cross. They’ve had the same joys and fuller ones to enjoy. And each, without a single exception, wishes you to run on and run faster. Hear their cheers and see their smiles beckoning you on.

Prayer prompt: Lord, lift my eyes to see the endless examples of the joy You give your people.

July 7, 2025

Hebrews 12:1-2

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Running can be awful. Anyone who tells you differently has endured so much running that they enjoy it becoming slightly less awful as they get stronger. Why run any race? Why run this race? If running this race means you have to give up sins that you love, why go through with it?

Because of Jesus. God has set this race before us with Jesus as the example, the reward, and the constant encouragement. He is the reason we run and the strength to run. There will be pain on this road, but Jesus is worth it. We can endure it with the joy set before us.

Prayer prompt: Lord, please hold Jesus before my eyes all day today.

July 5, 2025

Hebrews 12:1-2

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

How do we stop sinning? This verse, like many places in the New Testament, uses the metaphor of a race. Because I want to cross the finish line, I toss anything that may slow me down. That’s what sin does.

God has given us the great desire of life with Him and the great mission of reaching the world with the gospel. With a race to run like that, our desires begin to work for us rather than against us. Instead of wanting our sin, we will want to lay that sin down in order to run with greater speed and constancy. What is slowing you down?

Prayer prompt: Lord, please teach me to run to You.

July 4, 2025

Psalm 119:11

11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

When I was growing up, this verse was sometimes used to get children to memorize scripture. Teachers used the fear of sin and God’s judgment to push your nose into the text. Sin is tempting but leads to God’s wrath. Memorize scripture or you’ll fall into it! I think they were right; fear of punishment is a fair and helpful motivator, but it’s not the only one.

God’s word is full of a beauty that captures the heart. When I memorize those words they open up in my mind like a remembered view of Zion Canyon or the sunset over the Pacific. They calm, inspire, invigorate, and woo. They put the true God back into my world and leave the sin I was tempted by to shrivel away. Find and memorize that beauty today.

Prayer prompt: Lord, open up Your word so that I can’t sleep until I store it up in my heart.

July 3, 2025

Ezekiel 20:7

7 And I said to them, ‘Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.’

God wanted to give the Israelites the greatest of all lands, a place with pleasure overflowing. But the people wanted to return to the idols of Egypt. If you remember, Egypt was the nation that had enslaved the Israelites. In a very real sense, the people of God wanted to leave God and go back to idols even if that meant slavery. How stupid is that?

The Bible tells us about Israel’s folly because we make the same choice. When we reject God’s ways, we reject God’s rewards. When we return to sin, we return to slavery. Following God does mean pursuing purity, self-control, sacrifices, service to others, and rampant giving. It can seem like a grueling walk, but remember two things: the reward and the alternative. Be free!

Prayer prompt: Lord, corral me back to Your ways and away from the slavery my heart sometimes desires.

July 2, 2025

Ezekiel 20:6

6 On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands.

Travel is always difficult. It’s hard to look longingly at photos of amazing landscapes or read reviews of paradise-on-earth beach resorts and know they’re probably too expensive. It would be bliss to get away from where we are, to walk in a stress-free, beauty-filled somewhere instead of being stuck in our more dark, difficult, real life.

Take that little version of longing and let it inform the longing we should feel for the “most glorious of all lands” God is preparing for us. It will be a place flowing not only with provision but with pleasure. You don’t need milk or honey to survive, but are you really living without them? God has promised to take you to pleasure, to Himself, will you walk away from your sin and into His paradise?

Prayer prompt: Lord, fill me so full of longing for You and Your blessings that sin loses all allure.

July 1, 2025

Acts 18:9

9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”

When it comes to telling other people about Jesus, many of us get scared and just don’t. It would be an incredible boost to have God give us a personal promise that we won’t be attacked in our city! But be honest for a second, is that why you’re silent? Are you really afraid of physical attacks?

Blinded by our pride, arrested by our fear, insensible through our total self-absorption, there are very few of us who are faithful to our calling to make God’s name known. Yet look at the end of those verses, “I have many in this city who are my people.” God has people in SLC who need to be rescued. It is time for us to speak.

Prayer prompt: Lord, open my eyes to the people You have planned for me to speak to today.

June 30, 2025

Exodus 15:1

1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

God saved the people of Israel by the waters of the Red Sea twice. The water moved so Israel could cross on dry land, then the waters crashed over the Egyptians, killing them to the last man. As the waters stilled over the defeated enemy, a nation of former slaves broke out in song. Imagine the million mouths hanging open in shock, then the eruption of cheers and praise!

If you find it difficult to praise God today, take a moment to remember the enemy He has defeated, that He swallowed up in victory. You haven’t been saved from an Egyptian army, Jesus saved you from the penalty and sting of death itself. There is no problem facing you that He can’t overcome. Look back, praise, and trust for tomorrow.

Prayer prompt: Lord, I praise You as my Protector and Savior! May praise fill up my thoughts and bring me joy even through the tears.

June 28, 2025

Psalm 31:23

23 Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.

Here’s the real question: are you more in love with God or yourself? Which love wins in a fight? The results of each option are described above. You can either love God most which makes you a saint and faithful, or you can love yourself most, with is called pride.

If in your heart, pride wins, you are working against the flow of the universe. You have attempted to make a fantasy into a reality. Believing you can fly is harmless if it’s only a fantasy, but if you jump off a house you’ll break your neck. At some point, God will either preserve you because you are His or He will let you attempt to fly on your own. Humble yourself before God.

Prayer prompt: Lord, increase in my love of You and humble my heart.

June 27, 2025

Revelation 7:9-10

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

In Heaven, before God’s throne, we are united. All the differences that seem so obtrusive fade in that glorious picture. The things that make us unique unite in a harmony as each heart unites in adoration of God. They all love the same thing.

The differences in our world breed suspicions; we wonder at another person’s deeper motives and allegiances. But in the Kingdom, whatever I don’t know about you pales in comparison with what I do know. We can spread that love of God and watch it unite across any boundary, no matter how formidable. That’s our calling as believers. Pursue it today.

Prayer prompt: Lord, please use the pain I see around me to push me to spread Your gospel.

June 26, 2025

2 Corinthians 5:18

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

When the world is on fire, what do we Christians do? Didn’t God see all this coming? If you check the manual, what are His people supposed to be doing when sins big and small rip the world apart? We have to stay focused on the one real answer out there: continue in your ministry of reconciliation.

God has reconciled us to Himself. He put away our sins by nailing them to the cross. He now hands us the family business of reconciliation. We can only really put out the fire in this world by bringing people to Jesus. Any other solution leaves the real problem to smolder and flame up again and again. Join us in praying and then pursuing the ministry of reconciliation.

Prayer prompt: Lord, heal our land by bringing the nations to Yourself.

June 25, 2025

Psalm 69:5

5 O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

No temptation has ever hooked the brain of a human without whispering “And, no one will ever know.” The thought is so seductive. But it’s also a lie. It doesn’t matter if the action only happens in your mind or heart, God knows what you’ve done. How could we possibly hide anything from the One who is everywhere and knows everything?

That truth is terrifying, and it should be. We should see sin and hate it the same way God does. As we start to really cringe, even to weep for the wrong things we have done, then we go to the cross. Yes He knows, and still He loves. Knowing you, He still died for you. Feel that forgiveness and go and sin no more!

Prayer prompt: Lord, please forgive me. I commit to a new level of holiness walking in the confidence of Your love.

June 24, 2025

Isaiah 53:3

3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

In life, you can be certain of suffering. It can be the big disasters that affect masses of people, or the painful tragedy of losing loved ones. As a pastor, I have to try and comfort the bereaved, but Jesus is able to be there for them in a way I cannot. I haven’t been through their experience, but Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

As one song says, “Man of sorrows, what a name for the Son of God who came.” How could the Lord of Glory become a man and then a man acquainted with grief? Yet He did, and He did for you. Now He can hold your hand in your grief. He can tell you that He’s felt that pain too and that God will make it right. This morning, let your heart grow warm to that kind of leader.

Prayer prompt: Lord, thank you for being so close, for loving me enough to suffer.

June 23, 2025

2 Timothy 3:16

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

In Scripture, God has given you every tool you need, made you complete and equipped for every good work. It is like M showing James Bond the functions on that unbelievable Jaguar. It is like the cases of guns and gadgets the Men in Black have stashed all over the world. Everything you need is bursting from that book, waiting on you to open it up.

It is as effective and profitable as the verse says because of its source. The Bible is God’s actual word. God’s word created the universe from the Sun’s magnitude to the complexity of your circulatory system. His Word was among us in Christ. His Word is with you right now. You can hear Him speak to you if you open your Bible today.

Prayer prompt: Lord, as I read Your Word, help me to remember I hear Your Voice.