CHECK ON YOUR FRIENDS!

 

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

 

CHECK ON YOUR FRIENDS!

 

Acts 15:36

36 And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.

 

          Paul travelled the civilized world preaching and giving birth to churches along the way. He had made many enemies in the doing but also a treasure chest of dear friends. In this morning’s verse he enlists Barnabas to go with him to check on those churches and friends “to see how they do.”

 

          In this age of instant and oft times irritating communication, we still long to connect with our dear friends. I have lived long enough, like Paul, to have a treasure chest full of far-flung friends. If only I could gather them all together, what a wonderful time we would have.

 

          I was in an Apple Store some years ago, and I was immediately struck with two thoughts. The first was: “I suddenly feel old.” It was full of young people with skinny jeans and odd styles. The second thought was “none of these people are talking to each other! They are talking to their machines.” It is a paradox, but we get busy – too busy to maintain friendships in these days.

 

          Dr. Charles Stanley defines friends this way: “FRIENDS - People who accept you just as you are and love you too much to leave you that way.” Why not take the time today to check on some friends you have been too busy to talk to lately. It will cheer both of you.

 

Prov 27:9

9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.

 

Dear Lord, how I love my far-flung friends. Bless and keep all of them. AMEN

 

COURAGE AND CONFIDENCE!

 

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

 

COURAGE AND CONFIDENCE!

 

Hab 3:17-18

17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

 

          When things are bad, we cry out to a God who is not only aware of our needs and troubles but has already begun rescue operations! He knows what we have need of before we ask (Matthew 6:8,32).

 

          Jacob slept under a canopy of stars with a stone for a pillow, but he did not know he was at the gate of heaven (Genesis 28:12). He was not aware of the plans God had for him (see verses 13-15).

 

          The answer to Daniel’s prayer was delayed because of cosmic spiritual opposition! The angel skidded to a halt before a praying Daniel and said:  

 

Dan 10:12-14

Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

13 But the prince [devilish spirit] of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days:

 

          If we only knew what God had in store for today; If we could only see all those who were, at this moment, praying for us; oh, if we could only understand that we are not victims but victors – courage and confidence would be our constant companions.

 

Dear Lord, pull open the curtain a bit so that I can see the vast resources engaged to help me today. Minister to me both courage and confidence. AMEN

 

STRUGGLE!

 

Monday, January 19, 2026

 

STRUGGLE!

 

1 Cor 10:13

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

 

2 Cor 12:9-10

9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

 

          I’m watching some dear people struggle and I think of the Monarch. The monarch butterfly begins its life cycle as a caterpillar, eating various plants of the milkweed family. Compounds in these plants make the monarch poisonous to predators. The larval stage in which the butterflies live as caterpillars lasts only two weeks. After this period, the caterpillar forms a chrysalis around itself and transforms into a butterfly after nine to 15 days. The adult monarch's distinctive orange color is a way to warn predators that the insect is poisonous.

 

          Nine to 15 days of struggle! Think about that for a moment and realize that many of our troubles last that long or less with less dramatic results. God is growing some of us through struggle. It is a natural process though we don’t often understand it. We find ourselves in a cramped environment and we long to be free of it. We may even cry out for relief only to hear God reassure us of His sustaining grace. We can’t imagine that the struggle might be good for us.

 

          If we could only see what God intends for us to be we would, like Paul, “glory” in our struggles. The word glory means to boast. It means to feel glad about what is bad. Once we emerge from the struggle – and we will emerge – we will be both beautiful and deadly.

 

Job 23:10

10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

 

Dear Lord, watch over me as I struggle. Let the struggle make me strong. Let the beauty you intend for me be a warning to the enemy. AMEN

 

THOUGHTS AFAR OFF

 

Sunday, January 18, 2026

 

THOUGHTS AFAR OFF

Psalm 139:2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 

 

          The minds of some very sincere believers view God as echoes in a cathedral. Me, I prefer to hear Him as a whisper in my soul. I don’t consider it a disrespect but an acknowledgment of our relationship which His Son purchased on the cross. He knows me and I desire to know Him. John 15:15 “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends.”

 

          Sometimes I think of myself as being somewhat prayerless, but I am a thinker. I think a lot. That being said, I commune with God almost incessantly. I think my thoughts and do not try to hide them from the One who knows “my downsitting and my uprising.”

 

          It was the fall, the disobedience, that caused Adam to try to hide from God. Adam withheld fellowship and friendship because he was ashamed. God, being God, covered Adam’s shame with a blood sacrifice. Therefore, I may come “boldly to the throne of grace.” Hebrews 4:16. Jamieson-Fausset and Brown explains that word boldly — Greek, “with confidence,” or “freedom of speech.”

 

So, Lord, here I am as I am. Thank you for being my Friend. AMEN

 

JUST LOT

 

Saturday, January 17, 2026

 

JUST LOT

 

2 Peter 2:4-9

4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation [manor of living] of the wicked:

8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

 

          If we were asked to name a “righteous” person in the Old Testament, we might name Moses or Abraham or Joseph, but Lot would probably not be our choice. Yet Peter uses Lot as an illustration of God’s gracious redemption and rescue. Lot had made a series of very bad choices. His focus was not on heavenly things, and he appeared to be overly tolerant of evil but Peter seems to understand his heart and calls him “righteous.”

 

          Maybe you don’t consider yourself a very good “Christian.” Perhaps you wimp out when it comes time to witnessing your faith. Maybe you are often too tolerant of evil and are even frustrated with yourself because you are not more aggressive in resisting wrong but deep down inside there is a vexation that is almost painful. You would like to be rescued from this wicked world.

 

          The word “vexed” is the Greek word basanizo which means “tortured.” Lot lived a tortured life because he had blended with a world in which he did not belong. It may not have been evident to onlookers, but Lot knew it and God knew it too. So, God dispatched angels to redeem and rescue “just Lot” from his condemned world.

 

          The following portion of scripture seems to indicate a strong fellowship of believers is a shield against the vexation of this world. Speak often one to another. Encourage one another. Rescue is on the way!

 

Mal 3:15-17

15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

16 Then they that feared the Lord  spake often one to another: and the Lord  hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord , and that thought upon his name.

17 And they shall be mine, saith the Lord  of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

 

Dear Lord, this world is a vexation to my soul. Help me to remain tightly involved in my Christian fellowship. AMEN

 

JUST A VERY OLD HYMN

 

Friday, January 16, 2026

 

JUST A VERY OLD HYMN

 

Ps 121:5-7

5 The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.

6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

 

This morning I’d like to offer just a very old hymn for you to devotionally consider. “Immortal, Invisible” was written by Walter C. Smith in 1876. The American flag had only 37 stars. Ulysses S. Grant, a Republican from New York was our President. The Civil War was over, and reconstruction was underway. The Presidential election of November 7 ended in dispute with 184 electoral college votes for Samuel Tilden and 165 for Rutherford B. Hayes. 20 votes were in dispute, and the outcome of the election was not determined until 1877. This sounds somewhat familiar.

 

Perhaps that is too much history for so early in the morning, but it points out that our present time – so characterized by controversy, violence and change – is not the first period of instability our nation has endured. While all this was going on, Walter C. Smith wrote about a wonderful, unchanging, and very stable God!

 

Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise

 

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.

 

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

 

To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish7, but naught changeth Thee.

 

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
But of all Thy rich graces this grace, Lord, impart
Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart.

 

All laud we would render; O help us to see
'Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee,
And so let Thy glory, almighty, impart,
Through Christ in His story, Thy Christ to the heart.

 

Dear God! Thank you for being a great big God. AMEN

 

ARE YOU FALLING APART?

 

Thursday, January 15, 2026

 

ARE YOU FALLING APART?

 

Col 1:15-17

15 Who [He, Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him [Jesus] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

          The word “consist” in verse 17 is the Greek word sunistao which literally is “strengthened; or to constitute” but sounds a bit like our word sustained. The idea is that Jesus holds things together.

 

          As this graphic shows “laminin” looks very much like a cross!

 

 

Wikipedia describes Laminins as “a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of base membranes in almost every animal tissue.”

 

Laminins are what hold us together…. literally. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart.

 

Here we have one of those many astounding examples of God’s handiwork that fill our world. How amazing to know that the very base of my structural existence is held together by a cross! (Source: James Ryle)

 

Dear Lord, some days I feel like a basket full of disjointed parts. Thank you for holding me together, especially in the tough times. AMEN

 

LAZY!

 

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

 

LAZY!

 

Prov 26:13

13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.

 

          Let me tell you a story from my childhood. In our front yard there was a mound of topsoil that my father had bought in to fill a low spot. I was assigned the task of spreading it and smoothing it out. I procrastinated and made excuses saying I couldn’t do it. After a while it hardened into a small mountain of crusty dirt.

 

          Time after time, Dad would tell me to smooth out that mound of dirt. He even suggested I could use the bone shaking, front tine, rotor tiller to break it up. I still made excuses! Finally, in exasperation, my father called me lazy! It hurt my feelings and made me angry.

 

          With an angry “I’ll show you” attitude, I started the tiller and literally climbed that mountain with it. I dragged the dirt down and smoothed out that mound of dirt. When I finished, I was still steaming mad, but I noticed that Dad was standing not far away laughing at me. Proudly he said: “I knew you could do it if you tried.”

 

          I had more ability than I thought. All I needed was proper motivation. My father had first angered me and then complimented me on a job well done. Now, even to this day, I remember this story whenever I have a difficult task.

 

Phil 4:13

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

 

AND AFTERWARD!

 

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

 

AND AFTERWARD!

 

Ps 73:24

24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

 

Ps 32:8

8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

 

          The life of the believer is not a series of accidental happenings. We are children of the Most High God and we are called to a glorious purpose. While we have freedom of choice in the decisions we make, God leads us along and guides the events of our lives to accomplish His goals for us. Roadblocks, detours, and potholes are actually guides. The Word of God is our roadmap, and our destination is sure.

 

          Much of my life has already been spent and I can see His loving hand guiding me all along the way. I thrill at what he has yet in store for me. I am more settled now than ever before and yet more restless. It is a conflict I have learned to accept as normal for me. My gifts and my calling are more acceptable to me, and I have left off trying to accomplish someone else’s dreams. This is the backward look.

 

          Our text offers a forward look. It says: “and afterward!” Ah! Afterward! I take that to mean the end of life. Like Stephen when he was being stoned, I expect to see Jesus standing at the Father’s right hand. I shall see angels waiting to congratulate me on finishing my course. I look forward to seeing loved ones gone before and I shall receive an inheritance that does not fade away. Afterward! This is the forward look.

 

Mark 9:2-4

2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.

3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.

4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.

 

Dear Lord, thank you for daily counsel and guidance but most of all, thank you for a bright “afterward!” AMEN