October 3, 2024

1 Corinthians 4:4

4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.

As hard as it would be, I do see the appeal in something like Islam. In that rigid religion if you do the right things someone will pronounce you Good. No matter how nagging your insecurities, if you follow all the commands all the time then you can walk around with your head held high. Of course, everyone who tries such a thing ends up proud or decimated by the attempt. It’s just not possible to stand up under God’s judgment.

That total inability is the beginning of the gospel and why we need the gospel so much. We can’t stand before God’s judgment, but Jesus can. We have to stand in Him. If you know that all the way down then you can live the kind of life that religion promised but never delivered. You can pursue good things and hate wicked things while still able to quiet shame and guilt with assurance of God’s acceptance in Jesus. Is that how you think?

Prayer prompt: Lord, teach me to live in a gospel way not in a religious way.

October 2, 2024

1 Corinthians 4:3

3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.

In 1 Corinthians we are told not to be judged by people and our culture gives a surprised “Amen!” Culturally, we’ve been told to follow our heart, to make our own right and wrong for ourselves for generations. But then, the Scripture checks us by saying we don’t judge ourselves either. Let this light shine over your identity: you are not what people around you say you are, or even what the shame and insecurity in your own head say you are. You are who God says you are. 

As we’ll see as we dig into the scriptures further, God goes way further than we would in the way He judges and in the way He loves. You are both way worse than you thought and infinitely more loved than you ever dreamed. If you can stop judging yourself and start trusting God’s truth about who are then Heaven itself will open up to you.

Prayer prompt: Lord, thank You for loving me despite it all my sin!

October 1, 2024

Romans 5:1

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Reality shows leverage the moment of judgment. Talent shows squeeze every last ounce of tension from the moment before a judge allows a contestant to continue or sends them home crying. Imagine being in a more serious version, in a real courtroom. The presiding juror hands the decision to the judge to read, then gets it back as everyone sweats with anticipation. Your freedom, maybe your very life, hangs on that judgment.

The gospel tells us a different story. We have been, in the past, justified by faith. It has already happened. The judgment has already come and you are declared innocent. Even now, right now, you have peace with God through Jesus Christ. It isn’t a hope for the future but a present reality. Live in the incredibly free joy of that most lovely truth!

Prayer prompt: Lord, thank you so much for giving me certainty of my future in Jesus.

September 30, 2024

Hebrews 10:30-31

30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

If I forgive you, does that mean you got away with it? Doesn't it seem like the only person who will pursue justice on my behalf is me? I know movies have those dogged detectives who stay up at night looking at giant tack boards of clues and pictures, but can I count on justice in my life? I think that may be the biggest hurdle to forgiveness.

The hard truth of scripture is that God is the judge who will bring about vengeance on any and all who do evil. No one escapes, and His justice is perfect. That means I can forgive, but it also means I really, really need forgiveness. I may not be a picture on a detective’s cork board, but God has seen the way I’ve lived. Go to Jesus to be forgiven for your sin! Otherwise, well, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 

Prayer prompt: Lord, please forgive me my debt of sin as I forgive those who hurt me.

September 28, 2024

1 Corinthians 3:11

11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

So whose truth is really true? We live in a world that’s pretty sure of two things which can’t both be true. We believe each person can decide on what is true for him or herself, and we believe the lots of people who disagree with us are evil. You are encouraged to “live your truth”, unless of course it involves stepping on mine. So is truth something individuals come up with or is it something true for everyone?

The Bible is clear about where truth comes from. God’s view on truth is the True Truth. What He says goes. If you then, like you should, question who knows God’s truth, look with us at Jesus. That life and teaching which has unlocked the hearts of so many billions across time and culture is a sublime indicator. Look to that foundation and live. 

Prayer prompt: Lord, teach me to tell the world Your Truth with humility and out of love.

September 27, 2024

Matthew 7:3

3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

God doesn’t have to give us the reasons behind His commands. I can’t explain all of my decisions to my children because sometimes the reasons are beyond their reasoning. Here though, God gives us a pretty plain sense of why we shouldn’t judge. We are hypocritical judges who use different standards for ourselves and other people. 

We are willing to tolerate and even approve of massive transgressions in ourselves while at the same time finding the smallest infractions in our neighbors. Imagine a society where each legal case was decided by completely different, and arbitrary, laws. One person is fined $100 for murder while another is hanged for jaywalking. I don’t want to live in that world. Be glad that God, the only righteous one, is our Judge.

Prayer prompt: Lord, thank You for bringing order to the moral universe. Teach me to see myself and others the way You do.

September 26, 2024

Matthew 7:1

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.

I don’t know what the civil war would have felt like. Brother against brother, the country was filled with people who loved and hated the same people. Our world today is taking on some of that tinge. We are mandated to vilify a huge number of people, and while it used to be a manageable group, it’s now just about everyone. It's here that Jesus’ radical command strikes like a lightening bolt. 

Jesus has commanded the finger waving Pharisees and the easy-going tax collectors to hand God’s responsibilities back to God. It just isn’t our job to judge other people. Right is still right and wrong is still wrong, but we can never overstep our role. We tell the world about sin and about God’s grace and forgiveness not as God’s judges, but as fellow sinners amazed by God’s grace. 

Prayer prompt: Lord, teach me to see things through Your eyes, loving all and trusting You to judge.

September 25, 2024

Romans 5:1

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

They say war is Hell. The Bible makes it clear that war with God will inevitably end up in Hell. He is always undefeated, a perfect record against all challengers. His enemies have to be a hopeless, pitiable rabble. How terrifying then that God considers us His enemies. We rebel and rebel and disregard and disrespect Him in 1,000 ways daily. Being His enemy, what incredible joy would we have in finding peace with Him?

An old preacher said, “Peace is joy at rest. Joy is peace dancing.” In Christ, we are either resting in peace or whirling around changing the world with joy. God Has made peace with us through Jesus. He took His own Son and paid our debt of Hell on the cross. We need to more regularly honor God for that peace and relish the sensation of a cease-fire with the All-Powerful.

Prayer prompt: Lord, thank You for giving me peace and making peace at such an unimaginable cost.

September 24, 2024

Psalm 130:3-4

3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. 

If you’ve tried to talk to people about the Bible, you’ve probably heard them set the Old Testament against the New. The Old Testament God was angry, vengeful, and a judge. The New Testament God is forgiving, kind, and grandfatherly. If that were true, it would mean God perjured Himself, as if He was simply making it up as He went along. Does the message of the Old Testament anticipate and set the stage for the message of the New Testament? Are they the same?

The message of the New Testament is summed up perfectly in the Gospel. God has made a way to forgive sinners through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Does the Old Testament prepare us for that message? Look at the verses above. We are sinners before God and yet He forgives. Let the weight of the whole bible assure you: God can forgive you. Do you trust Him? 

Prayer prompt: Lord, I praise You for Your unending work of salvation for sinners like me.

September 23, 2024

Psalm 124:2, 4-5

2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when people rose up against us, … 4 then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; 5 then over us would have gone the raging waters.

Israel had a thing about water. When you read through the Bible, Israel was never a sea-faring race. Think of what they saw when they looked out over the waters: the flood in Genesis, the storm that took Jonah, the monster Leviathan that God described to Job, and the chaos of dark waters that took many sailors down to death. While a sunset over the ocean is definitely beautiful, Israel was also right. 

When we see the waters like the Psalmist, then we’re ready to see how our God makes a way through death. All of Scripture shows us, in more and more elaborate ways, the beauty of God’s salvation. Israel passed through the Red Sea on dry ground. They passed through the Jordan on dry ground. Jesus went down in baptism, then went down in the tomb. When He came back up, He declared for all time a way through death. Let that picture explode on your imagination and inform your praise!

Prayer prompt: Lord, help me to see Your salvation and praise You for it every day!

September 21, 2024

Psalm 124:2-3

2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when people rose up against us, 3 then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us;

Every time I go into the canyons, I hope I get to see one of those massive boulders come rolling down. Along the trails they sit where they landed, some as big as RVs, weighing thousands and thousands of pounds. I try to imagine the power, the noise, the sheer magnitude of that event. I would love to see it… from about 300 yards away. Any closer would be too terrifying. Anything under that stone is toast.

It is sobering to realize that a force sits above your head which will end you with as much force as that boulder. It will defeat you with as terrible a crash and as inevitable a result. There is only One who can save us from death. Only One can lead us through it. Have you put all your trust in God to bring you through those waters to Himself?

Prayer prompt: Lord, I trust in You alone to save me from my sin.

September 20, 2024

Psalm 139:23-24

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

I used to hear these verses in the voice of the Pharisee. Pharisees were confident of their righteousness before God. They were the kids who looked forward to exam day because of their confidence in an A++. “See if, because I’m sure there isn’t, if there be any grievous way in me.” But the whole of Psalm 139 shows it wasn’t that way for the Psalmist, and it’s not that way for the Christian.

The Christian knows sin because we have seen the cross. At the cross, God showed what we deserve for our sin and put the nail, or literally the nails and spear, into our self-righteousness. Knowing our own guilt, we must confess. Confessing, and being forgiven, we come back to God again and again asking to be made clean. He can show us where things in our lives need to change. Go to Him ready to ruthlessly root out any grievous ways.

Prayer prompt: Lord, show me what must change and lead me as I walk in that new way.

September 19, 2024

Ephesians 2:10

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

In Christ, we praise God that we are Fully Known and Fully Loved. We are known by God even in all our sin, but He still loves us and loves us fully. We can add another phrase after reading Ephesians 2:10, we are Fully Engaged. Now that God has saved us and called us, He invites us to ride with Him. In many ways, the adventure can now begin.

There are uncountable examples from stories of the hero beginning the adventure. We all get goosebumps when a new name, a new identity, and a new view of the problems of the world coalesce into a grand beginning to the adventure. God’s horse snorts and paws the ground as He waits for you to mount up with Him and ride! What good work has He prepared for you today?

Prayer prompt: Lord, I am ready! Help me to see the tasks You have for me today.

September 18, 2024

Psalm 32:8

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

When you were young, did you ever get “the look” from a teacher or your parents? In that moment, no words are spoken, but something is very clearly communicated - stop doing that thing you’re doing. However, “the look” only works if the one being looked at is looking back. Are you looking at God to see what He’s trying to tell you?

God is looking at you with love and care, and he wants to show you the path of joy, peace, and life. Seek His face through prayer and reading His Word. Let Him guide you with His eye. Not to worldly riches and selfish ambition, but to the greatest joy of all - Himself.

Prayer prompt: Father, show me Your face and teach me how to follow You.

Written by Andrew Hobbs

September 17, 2024

Psalm 139:14

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 

Crowds line up to see the latest Apple or Tesla product. Those wizards make cool things, and the little logo is enough to excite potential buyers. If they make it, I’m interested. Think for a moment about taking that principle all the way to the extreme. If God made a smart phone or a car, how amazing would that be? With no constraint in materials, wisdom, skill, or capital God would make something beyond imagining. 

Now, what has God actually made? He hasn’t invented a Tesla like Elon Musk, He invented Elon Musk. God didn’t start Apple, but He did invent Steve Jobs and actual apples. God did condescend to create something we can see and enjoy and the crown of that creation is humanity, even you. You aren’t something worthless to be thrown away in rebellion, but something that can be redeemed and sanctified to a high shine. Praise God for the impeccable craftsmanship evident even in you.

Prayer prompt: Lord, I praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!

September 16, 2024

Psalm 139:7-8

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

If you read the verses we talked about yesterday, you feel the joy of the Psalmist in God’s presence. He is with us and loves us and such knowledge is too wonderful for us. Then these verses come and make our reaction more authentic. After the initial rush of amazement, God’s presence continues to be with us. He’s with us even when we might wish His Holy gaze to look somewhere else for a moment or two.

The blessing of God’s presence can also spark a resentment. If He’s with me, I can’t pretend to be in charge. I can’t live however I choose. I can’t entertain pride or walk with a strut. It makes me want to hide away and create a smaller pond in which I can be the big fish. Yet, where can I hide from His presence? He won’t allow me to keep living in rebellion. That is even greater love.

Prayer prompt: Lord, I confess that I try to hide sometimes, but I can’t. Thank you for coming after me.

September 14, 2024

Psalm 139:5-6

5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

In the early days of a relationship, before your gaze loses the rose-tinting and warts emerge, it is just amazing to think this person would be with you. It feels like you’re walking on clouds; how could they like me? The first time you hold hands or kiss there is a rush of affirmation like a drug. Can you feel the Psalmist’s wonder that God lays His hand upon us?

In this case, you haven’t wooed God by showing your best side. Out of the overflow of a love we can’t understand, He chooses to love you. He has chosen to place His hand upon you and hem you in before and behind. Let that mystifying love change every thought and action you take today.

Prayer prompt: Lord, Your love is too wonderful for me. I turn it back to you in praise.

September 13, 2024

Psalm 18:6

6 In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.

When I was a child, we would have career missionaries speak at some of our church services. They would present pictures of far away places where they spoke to people about Jesus. It was such a special moment because their passion would soon whisk them away, and we would hear nothing until they reemerged years later. Now I can message our missionary partners and get replies in seconds even if it would take me weeks to physically visit. We take for granted how easy it is to communicate.

Do you take for granted how easy it is to communicate with God? You have always, at any time and in any state of holiness or sin, been able to speak to the God of the Universe. The distance that separates us isn’t physical, He’s everywhere, but it is great. How could dust like us dare to speak to the Holy One? Yet, in our distress we can call and He will hear. Mercy like that should not be forgotten, but valued as precious. Pray to your God today.

Prayer prompt: Lord, thank You for hearing me, even me, when I call.

September 12, 2024

Psalm 20:9

9 O Lord, save the king! May he answer us when we call.

It would be a lot easier to trust God to help us if we knew how He was going to do it. I can trust you to fill my belly more easily when I see a full pot or a loaded grill. My wife can trust our bills will be paid on time when she sees the budget we’ve laid out. It’s always easier to trust a process when you can see the means.

So much of my anxiety comes from my lack of trust in God. I can fight that fear by looking at how He is going to help me. He has put a King in this world. Our King will protect and provide for His people. He has a throne that will never be shaken and a rod that can dash apart our enemies. He also has the scars of the price He paid to make His enemies His friends. Look to Jesus and Trust. 

Prayer prompt: Lord, lift my eyes to my King so my heart will trust in You.

September 11, 2024

1 Peter 5:6-7

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 

Most of us don’t see it, but there’s a direct connection between our pride and our anxiety. If you are experiencing anxiety in this current cultural moment (and who isn’t?) take a minute to see how quickly that anxiety subsides when you cast your cares on God. The Holy Spirit, through Peter, tells us we can give God our anxieties. But let me ask, when you do, does your anxiety go down?

I think for most people, most of the time, it doesn’t. These verses help us see why. If I’m proud, my problems are big and my God is small. If I’m humble, my problems are small and my God gets bigger and bigger. In truth, God is bigger than any problem, bigger than we could ever imagine. Why let pride get in the way? Humble yourself and get happy again.

Prayer prompt: Lord, humble me so I can be happy.