1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (NIV) Today's Thought One of the benefits to writing a daily devotional is that it keeps me accountable. Not only do I spend time praying, thinking and writing every day, but it challenges me to live out the things I write … Continue reading With apologies to Christmas cards everywhere
The Up Devo
Both pedals to the floor
Matthew 5:16 “let your light shine before others…” (NRSV) Today's Thought I remember when I was finally old enough to drive a Go-Kart by myself. I jumped in, pulled across the flimsy seatbelt and stepped on the gas. But I didn’t go anywhere. The engine was revving as loudly as any Go-Kart could, but I was … Continue reading Both pedals to the floor
Wings on words
Psalm 105:2 "Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!" (ESV) Today's Thought You end up believing what you make a habit of singing. I’ve seen that principle at work in a number of ways through the years. I’ll sometimes hear someone say, “Doesn’t the Bible say such-and-such?” Quite often, … Continue reading Wings on words
The War on Christmas
Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father..." (ESV) Today's Thought Is there a war on Christmas? According to some people, there certainly is. The “war on Christmas” phrase sometimes comes up in news stories or conversations … Continue reading The War on Christmas
Angels with Dirty Faces
Philippians 2:4 "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (ESV) Today's Thought In the movie Angels with Dirty Faces, James Cagney plays a criminal gangster named William “Rocky” Sullivan who is admired by a bunch of young misfits and delinquents in the city. He … Continue reading Angels with Dirty Faces
Scattered scurry masters
Ecclesiastes 3:1 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens" (NIV) Today's Thought Yesterday we walked through December’s door. Today we find ourselves in a world of twinkling lights and overflowing parking lots at the mall. Since I try to be an organized kind of person, I like … Continue reading Scattered scurry masters
When the vertical gets priority
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God..." (ESV) Today's Thought There’s a relationship between the vertical and the horizontal. By “vertical,” I mean your relationship with God. Time and time again the Bible describes this as the primarily relationship in your life. And by “horizontal,” I mean your relationship with the people around … Continue reading When the vertical gets priority
169,518,829,100,544,000,000,000,000,000
Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything..." (NIV) Today's Thought So many different things can happen in life. I recently read about how many possible outcomes there are in the first 10 moves of a chess game. It’s a lot because of all the different directions that the chess pieces can move. Okay, ready … Continue reading 169,518,829,100,544,000,000,000,000,000
Too far gone for God?
John 9:3 "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (ESV) Today's Thought Jesus is full of surprises. In fact, if he’s not consistently surprising you, you may not be consistently studying what he says! One of those surprises happens while talking with his disciples. They see a man who … Continue reading Too far gone for God?
The near-cataclysmic brain attack
Isaiah 9:2 "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned." (NIV) Today's Thought It’s hard to wait for things. And our society doesn’t make it any easier. We’re used to getting things pretty much right away. The other day I was in the … Continue reading The near-cataclysmic brain attack
