Weekly Devotion

Knowing Scripture is a crucial aspect of being a Christian. God gave us the Bible so that we would know His word, feel His love, and touch His heart. But knowing the Bible doesn’t mean we’re living it.

While most Christians share common beliefs for the cornerstone of our faith, too many times we also feel tiny chards of glass that create discord and disagreement.

Sometimes our plans align with God’s purposes and other times, they don’t. Proverbs 19 shows us how to trust God’s sovereignty and submit our plans to His will.

Traditionally, “woke” was a past tense conjugation of “wake.” According to Merriam-Webster, there’s now a slang version meaning “aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues, especially issues of racial and social justice.”

Sometimes the subtle things in life grab my attention more than the obvious ones. Just when I think I know God’s message for me in His word, I’m gently reminded, “Nope, read it again, my child.”

Bearing another’s burdens goes way beyond merely offering words of sympathy or encouragement; it’s about actively getting involved in each other’s lives to help shoulder the difficulties and challenges we face.

Following the Last Supper, Jesus, aware of his impending future, summoned his closest disciples, Peter, James, and John, to accompany him in the Garden of Gethsemane. There in the Garden, Jesus foresaw the anguish, humiliation, and separation from God that awaited Him.

The tipping point for me was when the host kept dismissing the Christian guest’s religious beliefs as simply “good-natured humanity.” He attributed all Christian principles to social justice, goodwill, and community benevolence and claimed that Christians behave in a certain way because they are conditioned to do so.

How many of us would like to take back what we said last month? How about in the last week? The last 24 hours? How about 10 seconds ago? Sometimes things slip out even when we don’t intend to be mean or condescending, but most of the time we consciously decide to make that wisecrack, criticism, or insult.

Describing my friend (J) as passionate about fishing would be an understatement of epic proportions. Most of his wardrobe is either oriented towards fishing and a small percentage Dallas Cowboys mixed in (yuck).