The words of Psalm 143:10 are a good prayer for all of us: “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”As followers of Jesus, we want to do God’s will. Sometimes his will is clear. Sometimes it is not. What do we do … Continue reading How do I discern God’s will when the path is uncertain?
wisdom
Think first
“All who are prudent act with knowledge, but fools expose their folly” (Proverbs 13:16).If you ever get caught under a colossal pile of snow as a result of an avalanche, don’t dig blindly. Spit first. Let me explain.Science Magazine told the story of an individual who, after being trapped under the snow, died. But before … Continue reading Think first
Knowing + Doing =
Hello and welcome back to The Up Daily Devotional. I’ve been taking some vacation time but am now back five mornings a week to your email inbox, social media and podcasts feeds, and radio airwaves.I also return to teach and preach at Westminster this coming Sunday.Okay, here we go.I often say that September is the … Continue reading Knowing + Doing =
A stone in his mouth for 3 years
In elementary school there was a kid who did a lot of annoying things. He would slap people in the back of the head for no reason or pull a girl’s ponytail and run away.Other kids would inevitably chase him or call him names. In response he would shout out the well-known playground rebuttal: “Sticks … Continue reading A stone in his mouth for 3 years
Time with God, in tune with God
Mixed-up thinking results in mixed-up living. Really? Yes. Here’s why. Pretend Scenario #1: Let’s say you think that God is apathetic toward his world and his people. You think there’s a Bible verse somewhere which says: “God is apathetic.” As a result, you adopt a posture of apathy toward the world and other people. Since … Continue reading Time with God, in tune with God
Maturity is meant to be shared
In yesterday’s devotional I spoke about spiritual maturity. There are times when someone who is new to the faith and has limited knowledge and experience needs to seek out some help from someone who is more spiritually mature than they are. There are also times when the person who is more spiritually mature needs to … Continue reading Maturity is meant to be shared
God is more committed to my ultimate joy than I am
In 1 Corinthians 1 Paul doubles down to make a point. God is waaaaay smarter than any of us: “Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?... For the foolishness of God is wiser … Continue reading God is more committed to my ultimate joy than I am
Mid-course corrections and moving forward
In yesterday’s devotional I highlighted a Chinese proverb: “A millimeter discrepancy leads to a thousand mile loss.” To explain it, Christopher Yuan tells the tragic story of Korean Airlines flight 007 which veered off course. A problem had occurred with the autopilot. At first, a few degrees wasn’t such a big deal. But after a … Continue reading Mid-course corrections and moving forward
A millimeter discrepancy leads to a thousand mile loss
Christopher Yuan’s mother taught him a Chinese proverb: “A millimeter discrepancy leads to a thousand mile loss.” To explain its meaning he tells the story of Korean Airlines flight 007. It departed from New York City for South Korea in 1983. After refueling in Alaska, something went wrong with the autopilot. It was off by … Continue reading A millimeter discrepancy leads to a thousand mile loss
As a dog returns to its vomit
Proverbs are short, memorable statements in the Bible meant to help us live wisely daily. One of them is Proverbs 26:11: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.” Wow, talk about memorable! What principle is it trying to teach us? We should learn from our mistakes. We should not foolishly … Continue reading As a dog returns to its vomit
