March 28, 2023

Tuesday

Tipping the Scale

Ecclesiastes 3: 16-17

² Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts.”

Proverbs 21:2

There is a world invisible to the naked eye beneath our skin. With every breath we take, our heart pumps blood through veins and arteries, minuscule cells reproduce and heal, and organs perform their functions. If this is true of the world within the walls of our skin, how much more is it true of the physical world surrounding us?

From our perspective it may appear that the unrighteous prosper, while the righteous experience trouble and pain. But when the scales seem incorrectly tipped in this life, remember that God not only created the entire universe, He sees the invisible motives of every heart. He will execute justice. We can trust Him to not only balance the scales of life but to also extend mercy. His plans and purposes are often hidden from us, but God is faithful. Yes, we will face challenging circumstances in life, but we are never alone or out of God’s sight. God sees our hidden tears and listens to our whispered prayers—we can trust that when the scales of justice are weighed righteousness will reign.

A point to ponder…

The state of your heart dictates whether you harbor a grudge or give grace, seek self-pity or seek Christ, drink human misery or taste God’s mercy.

Max Lucado

Read the Bible through in a year

1 Samuel 4-8

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 27, 2023

Monday

Fairweather or Faithful?

Genesis 39: 1-6

² Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

1 Corinthians 4:2

Most of us know what a fairweather fan is—the team supporter who supports the team only under one condition: a winning record. If the team is on a losing streak, the fairweather fan will likely stay home. The opposite of a fairweather fan is a faithful fan.

The biblical equivalent of a faithful fan is a steward—one who has been commissioned by an authority to carry out a specific task. And the chief characteristic of a steward is faithfulness (1 Corinthians 4:2). The steward will carry out his or her commission regardless of cost. The Bible speaks often of stewards: Joseph in Egypt, the faithful steward in Jesus’ parables, church overseers, and the apostle Paul—a steward of the grace of God. In every case, faithfulness was the chief requirement. We might ask ourselves whether we are a fairweather or a faithful fan of God’s assignments for our life. How inconvenienced are we willing to be for the sake of the Gospel?

God has made every Christian a steward of the gift of salvation by grace, a gift we are to use for His glory. Pray today to be a faithful steward.

A point to ponder…

Faithfulness in little things is a big thing.

John Chrysostom

Read the Bible through in a year

1 Samuel 1-3

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

Weekend Wisdom

March 25 – March 26, 2023

The Way Up Is Down

¹⁴ If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.

¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” 

John 13:14–15

Jesus Christ, Son of God, second person of the Trinity, Lord of the universe, humbled Himself and washed His disciples’ feet. This wasn’t a seminar on foot washing. It was an example of service. “For I have given you an example,” Jesus said, “that you also should do just as I have done to you” (13:15).

So what does that mean? Let’s not let the applications slip into something retouched and generic. Let’s be specific and consider five, necessary brands of humility—actual things we can do. What are the verbs that should be flowing out of our lives?

1. Choose a difficult obedience. You’ve got your run-of-the-mill obedience, things that may feel easy to you. These are everyday, entry-level actions. But there are actually some difficult obediences, choices that require sacrifice. We obey for Jesus Christ. He deserves everything, and it should cost us, it must cost us, and it will cost us. What is the difficult obedience right in front of you? Run to it, wrap your arms around it, humble yourself, and obey Jesus. It will be good for your soul.

2. Own it all to reconcile. Generally where there’s friction in relationships, there’s fault on both sides. But maybe you’re in a conflict with someone who can’t see his own fault and who won’t listen to you anymore, so you can’t reason with the person. If you want to work that out, humble yourself and own it all. Take everything you want to say, all your rightness and accuracy, and permanently file it under G for garbage. Forego any opportunity to clarify your position. Lay it all down, and humble yourself. “I’m sorry that I hurt you. I never wanted you to feel this way. I know that I have responsibility in that, and I want to own it, tell you how sorry I am, and ask you to forgive me.” Grace will rush like a river upon you. Even if the person refuses you, grace will flow into your life. God loves humility. He doesn’t like it. He loves it. With God, the way up is down. That’s how it is in the family of God.

3. Serve in total secrecy. Find ways to do things no one will know about. A few years ago, I felt an urge to serve somewhere anonymously, where no one knew my name or even recognized me. That experience was so good for my own soul. Find a way to serve in total secrecy.

4. Lay down a liberty. Too often we think the continuum runs between legalism and liberty. But legalism is a lie, so we don’t need to react against legalism by flaunting our liberty. For the followers of Jesus, the continuum is between liberty and the forgoing of our liberties. In Christ, we have freedom and liberty, but when our liberty becomes an obstacle to the gospel, we need to forgo our liberty. We lay down our liberty for the sake of Christ’s kingdom. We don’t glory in our liberties. We don’t fail to love our weaker brothers and sisters. We live in liberty, but we gladly and willingly forsake freedoms for the sake of our influence over others.

5. Refuse to be offended. It’s so easy to take things personally. I can't believe what she said about me. How dare he treat me that way! Instead of taking offense, we can simply refuse to be offended. My mom used to recite these lines from an anonymous poem:

             “I’ve asked the Lord to take from me
             the super-sensitivity
             that robs the soul of joy and peace
             and causes fellowship to cease.”

Do nothing when you’re hurt. Hurting people hurt people. If you want to break that cycle, get low. Humble yourself, and refuse to be offended.

Jesus gave us an example that we would go do for others as He’s done for us. Which brand of humility do you need to practice today?

Points to ponder…

• Review the five brands of humility. Which strikes a chord with you?
• How can you follow the example of the Master and humble yourself today?

Saturday’s Reading

Judges 19-21

Sunday’s Reading

Ruth 1-4

I love you!!!

© 2000-2021 B. Michael Goerlich

March 24, 2023

Friday

Temple Duty

John 14: 19-25

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”

1 Corinthians 6:19

Solomon’s Temple, perhaps the most beautiful building ever constructed, cannot compare with the temple of our bodies. Just one statistic will suffice: If you took all the blood vessels out of your body and laid them in a straight line, they would stretch close to 100,000 miles. We are fearfully and wonderfully made!

On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended on the believers who were meeting together, and tongues of fire sat upon each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3-4). That day the Spirit came down from heaven to indwell every believer, and now our very bodies are His temples. He does His work through our hands, feet, minds, and mouths. He lives within us.

Just as we grieve a little when passing a dilapidated church building, so we should grieve when we don’t care for our bodies as we should. We have a duty to stay as healthy as possible and glorify God through our body, which is the temple of the Spirit.

A point to ponder…

Christ wants to sanctify our body and fill it with the Holy Spirit so that it can be a vessel for Him.

Watchman Nee

Read the Bible through in a year

Judges 16-18

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 23, 2023

Thursday

March Madness—A Biblical Course in Anger Management: Forgiveness

Matthew 6:12

¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

Matthew 6:12

Between chemotherapy appointments a few summers ago, Mike Veley planned a trip to Europe with his wife, but things went wrong in Venice when a pickpocket robbed them. After asking God to help him manage his anger, Veley wrote an open letter to the thief: “This is my last trip with my wife. I’m dying from cancer. You left me with no money and no credit cards. Imagine for only a moment what this does to your victim. I have been praying for forgiveness. I also pray for you. Turn away from your sin which hurts innocent people. I forgive you. Michael Veley, USA.”

When a local Italian paper printed his letter, the couple was showered with hospitality, though they soon had to return to the States for chemotherapy. “The memory of this trip was initially ruined,” Veley said, “but after writing this letter the memory has now gone from anger and frustration to joy.”

When we choose to forgive, we unchain the shackles of anger in our hearts. Forgiveness helps us move from frustration to joy.

A point to ponder…

I don’t know the source of your betrayal, hurt or disappointment. But I do know that there is a way to get rid of those seeds of anger, and that it all relates to forgiveness.
Gary Smalley, in From Anger to Intimacy

Read the Bible through in a year

Judges 13-15

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 22, 2023

Wednesday

From Success to Significance

Matthew 6: 32-34

³⁷ Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.”

Daniel 4:37

The late Bob Buford had been successful in business but felt he was missing significance. He began writing books for leaders, challenging them to consider how to move from success to significance. The Halftime Institute is his legacy—a place successful men and women can learn to explore significance in the second half of life by making God their priority.

We hear it all the time: “I had everything I ever wanted, but still something was missing.” Step one is realizing something is indeed missing; step two is seeking and finding it. The great king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, had all the world could offer—but he didn’t have God. And he didn’t know what he was missing until God entered his life, humbled him, and opened his eyes to see. After seven years of humbling and learning, Nebuchadnezzar was a changed man—a man who glorified God.

True significance in life is not found in possessions or power but in knowing the one true God through Christ.

A point to ponder…

If God is God and man is made in His image, then each man is significant.

Os Guinness

Read the Bible through in a year

Judges 10-12

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 21, 2023

Tuesday

Resist or Assist?

Matthew 23: 11-12

⁶ But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

James 4:6

When the new nation of the United States of America elected its first President, no one knew how to address him. Since America was populated by people from European monarchies, some wanted to call the President “Your Highness” or “Your Excellency” or other such fancy titles. But the first President, George Washington, would have none of such exaltation. The title he agreed to use was humble and has stuck: “Mr. President.”

History is littered with the biographies of leaders of nations who loved to be exalted and who loved to exalt themselves. The king of Babylon was one. Nebuchadnezzar, typical of ancient kings, saw himself as all-powerful, a potentate above even God Himself. But through Daniel, God delivered a humbling message to the king: He would be humbled for seven years until he confessed that God was the Almighty—which he did (Daniel 4). Nebuchadnezzar learned the lesson of humility the hard way—by suffering.

Nebuchadnezzar is an example of what the Bible teaches throughout: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Better to humble ourselves before God and others than for God to humble us Himself.

A point to ponder…

God assists the humble but resists the proud.

John Blanchard

Read the Bible through in a year

Judges 8-9

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© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 20, 2023

Monday

The "Better" Principle

Mark 4: 35-41

²⁵ He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

Daniel 3:25

The “better” principle is illustrated a number of different ways in Proverbs. For instance, Proverbs 15:16 says, “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble.” And Proverbs 16:8 reminds us that “Better is a little with righteousness, than vast revenues without justice.”

Another example of the “better” principle is this: Being in God’s will in a difficult place is better than being out of God’s will in an easy place. Or, said another way: Being in a hard place with God is better than being in an easy place without Him. There are examples in Scripture. When the three young Hebrew men found themselves in a fiery furnace in Babylon, they discovered that another person—“like the Son of God”—was with them. And they came out alive. Likewise, when the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee with Jesus in a storm, His presence assured their survival.

God may not always keep us out of hard places, but He is always with us. A hard place with Him is better than an easy place without Him.

A point to ponder…

The more terrible the storm, the more necessary the anchor.

William S. Plumer

Read the Bible through in a year

Judges 6-7

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© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

Weekend Wisdom

March 18 – March 19, 2022

The Arm of God

¹⁰ Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

¹¹ He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Isaiah 40:10–11

Have you ever given much thought to God’s arms? (“God has arms?” you might be wondering.) When God describes His arms, He doesn’t tell us their circumference or how much He can lift—those are human, physical terms, like the jock showing off at the gym. But God’s description of His arms tells us some awesome things about Him. In fact, the dual description of God’s arms in this passage shows us His power and His comfort.

“Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him.” When the Bible talks about God’s right arm, it refers to His powerful, ruling arm—His justice, His holiness, and His strength. God is like that. He is all that and more.

But then the very next verse describes His tender shepherd arm. “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” If you’ve spent any time in church, sadly you’ve probably heard one extreme or the other: a ton of preaching about the transcendent, holy, awesome Judge or a ton of preaching about the tender, loving, merciful Shepherd. But He’s both, right? In this passage we clearly see both. Don’t let God’s nearness minimize His transcendence nor let His transcendence make you think He isn’t very aware of you individually.

Imagine a shepherd in the fields, and this gives you a picture of God. A shepherd can oversee hundreds of sheep, but he holds only one at a time. He gathers the lambs one by one in his arms. The point here is that this awesome God cares for you. Personally. Individually. Yes, He’s guarding a big flock, but when He cares for the lambs, He tends to them one by one. This is God’s love for you. Personal. Individual. Attentive. Aware. Devoted. That’s how He cares for you.

When He carries His lambs, He holds them “in his bosom.” Picture that. He doesn’t hold us awkwardly squirming at arms’ length. No, He draws us close, right to His own heart.

And He will “gently lead those that are with young.” The sheep that is about to give birth has special needs, and the shepherd accommodates those needs. In the same way, when our needs are great, the Lord is that much more attentive to us. Some of us are at a point of acute need right now in our business or in our family. God knows what it is. And just as pressing as that need is, His attention matches that. He’s on it! He is right there, gently leading those whose circumstances demand additional care.

So which one is He—mighty or tender? Yes. His arm is a picture of absolute power and unconditional love.

That’s your King. That’s your Shepherd.

Point to ponder…

• According to A.W. Tozer, the most important fact about any person is “what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.” How does Isaiah 40 shape your theology—your thoughts about God?
• On which side do you tend to err—God as Judge or God as Shepherd? Why is it important for you to realize He’s both mighty and tender, both transcendent and near?

Saturday’s Reading

Judges 1-2

Sunday’s Reading

Judges 3-5

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 17, 2023

Friday

Speak Up for Revival

Ezekiel 2: 1-10

⁷ And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.”

Ezekiel 2:7

After one hundred years of Protestantism and in the wake of the Thirty Years’ War, Philipp Jakob Spener, a German pastor, called people back to regular Bible study, prayer, and piety. The Church had grown cold, and many Christians had become indifferent. Spener exhorted people to trust God completely and to produce good works. He felt pastors should rededicate themselves to ministering the Word of God to their people, and that youth should be well-instructed in Scripture.

For all this, Spener was frequently attacked, yet the revival begun under his ministry—called Pietism—touched Christianity in a way felt to this day.

It seems odd we’d be attacked for calling people back to God, back to Bible study, prayer, faith, and good works. Yet we live in a culture increasingly opposed to spiritual revival. Don’t be intimidated. God is able to protect us when we take a stand for Him. We need revival in our lands, and it won’t come unless it begins in us.

A point to ponder…

If we succeed in getting the people to seek eagerly and diligently in the book of life for their joy, their spiritual life will be wonderfully strengthened and they will become altogether different people.

Philipp Spener

Read the Bible through in a year

Joshua 22-24

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© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 16, 2023

Thursday

March Madness—A Biblical Course in Anger Management: Actions

Numbers 20: 1-13

¹¹ And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.”

Numbers 20:11

In May 1962 a new comic book showed up on newsstands The Incredible Hulk—about Dr. Bruce Banner, who, when enraged with angry surges of adrenaline, was transformed into a huge, green-skinned humanoid. It is an image we can identify with because strong anger has a way of transforming our personalities for a few moments and making us destructive people.

Psychologist Dr. Joshua Klapow warns, “Anger is a highly physiological emotion. There are so many changes going on when we are angry that we literally become a different person—if only temporarily—if we are angry enough. Adrenaline rushes through our body causing us to feel strong and ready to act. We very much go from ‘normal’ to an ‘Incredible Hulk’ state.”

In Numbers 20, God told Moses to speak to the rock and it would bring forth water, but Moses was so enraged at the people that he struck the rock twice. It was a brief act of anger, but it kept Moses from leading Israel into the Promised Land.

Robert Ingersoll said, “Anger is the wind that blows out the lamp of the mind.” Don’t let the winds of March madness blow across your mind this month.

A point to ponder…

Anger is one letter short of danger.
Anonymous

Read the Bible through in a year

Joshua 19-21

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 15, 2023

Wednesday

A Whole Person

Titus 2: 1-9

⁷ In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,”

Titus 2:7

In mathematics two of the basic kinds of numbers are integers and fractions: 2, 100, and 56 are integers, while ½, ¼, and 2.5 are fractions. Integers, from a Latin root meaning “whole” or “entire.” The word integrity comes from the same root; a person with integrity cannot be divided in beliefs or morality based on varying circumstances.

When the apostle Paul wrote to his young pastoral protégé, Timothy, he told him to show “integrity” in doctrine, to be incorruptible in belief and in actions. Paul wanted Timothy to hold fast to the truth of God, not allowing himself to be divided. A person of integrity obeys the whole counsel of God every day, in every circumstance. Daniel’s three friends in Babylon demonstrated integrity when they were threatened with being burned alive (Daniel 3:16-18). They told the king they would not divide their allegiance, that they would maintain their faith in God and His promises. That is integrity.

Are you a whole person or a fractioned person today? If your beliefs, and therefore your actions, have become divided, gather them back together as you commit to God and His Word.

A point to ponder…

Integrity of heart is indispensable.

John Calvin

Read the Bible through in a year

Joshua 16-18

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 14, 2023

Tuesday

Labor Pains

Romans 8: 22-25

²⁰ He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

Revelation 22:20

Have you seen videos of labor pain simulation? Electric currents to the abdomen of men cause muscle contractions that approximate the pain a woman feels during childbirth. Most childbirths are prolonged and painful. So it’s no surprise that Paul used labor pain as a way to illustrate the “groans and labors” that “the whole creation” is experiencing as it waits for the birth of the new earth (Romans 8:22-25).

But it’s not just “creation” that is groaning and laboring; “we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for . . . the redemption of our body.” It is painfully obvious that things are not right with the world. And if we are honest with ourselves, things are not always right with us either. We know the world needs to be fixed, and we long for the day when there will be no more tears, death, sin, or pain (Revelation 21:4).

But Jesus did not tell us when He would return (Mark 13:32; Acts 1:6-7). What to do in the interim? Pray as the apostle John prayed: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20) And live in a manner that proves our longing for His appearing (1 Timothy 6:11-16).

A point to ponder…

God’s people may groan, but they may not grumble.

Charles H. Spurgeon

Read the Bible through in a year

Joshua 12-15

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© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 13, 2023

Monday

The Cornerstone

Ephesians 2: 19-22

¹⁷ And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?”

Luke 20:17

In the ancient world, when a new stone building was to be constructed, the first stone set in place was the cornerstone. Great care was taken with the carving of the cornerstone since it determined the direction of the walls that were built out from it. The cornerstone was the most important stone in the building.

To the religious leaders of His day, Jesus intimated that He was the “chief cornerstone.” But of what? To what building was Jesus referring when He declared Himself to be the chief cornerstone? He didn’t say, but the apostle Paul did in Ephesians 2:19-22. Jesus initiated the building of what is becoming “a holy temple in the Lord”—that is, the Church of all true believers, also called “the household of God.” Jesus is the chief cornerstone, “the apostles and prophets” are the foundation, and we are the “living stones” (1 Peter 2:5) God is using to build the temple in which His presence dwells.

Everything depends on Jesus; He is the cornerstone that provides direction and structure to the Church. Our faith begins and ends with Him.

A point to ponder…

Christ is our temple, in whom by faith all believers meet.

Matthew Henry

Read the Bible through in a year

Joshua 9-11

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

Weekend Wisdom

March 11 – March 12, 2023

Strength in Weakness

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.

2 Corinthians 12:9–10

How do people do it? How do they withstand the Hurricane Katrina–like blows that pummel their lives? The wind, the waves, the surges of heartbreak, crashing one after another, unrelenting in their destruction. How do these people survive . . . and still lift their faces to the Lord? How can they be so strong when they are at their weakest?

I know the answer. I know it because I’ve lived it. Over the course of my life, some violent storms have hit me. But somewhere in the middle of each storm, God’s voice reminds me that He provides sufficient grace for this trial. And when I am weak, He is always very strong. “Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Note that connection between my weakness and Christ’s power. “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” It’s the hard times and the unhealthy times and the hurting times that reveal my weaknesses. And it’s also during those times that God shows up strong.

We often treat suffering like a game of dodgeball. When anything hard comes at us, we jump out of the way. We duck, dive, and hide. We spend our whole lives trying to avoid anything painful or hard. But there’s a better kind of life—a deeper, more fulfilling kind of life—that isn’t about avoiding pain. It’s about finding God faithful and sufficient in the midst of whatever trials or thorns He allows. There’s something about our weakness that opens the flow of God’s strength. In the midst of a trial, there’s a power coming into your life that you’ve never experienced before, because you never needed it so desperately before. Only when you’re personally weak can you experience this supernatural strength.

When you see a hard thing coming your way, try a different reaction: I may not want this, I certainly didn’t choose it, but I can accept it and be content even now. I know God’s grace is sufficient to get me through it. I’m going to see the power of Christ in my life in an incredible way. I’m weak, but He’s strong.

God never allows a thorn without providing sufficient grace and strength in our weaknesses. Sufficient grace is not just enough to survive, but enough so that we can have supernatural joy in the midst of anything He allows us to go through. That’s strength.

Points to ponder…

• “My grace is sufficient for you,” God promises. What does grace look like? Describe how you’ve received God’s grace during a trial.
• “For when I am weak, then I am strong,” Paul admitted. How are you weak? How does this actually make you strong?

Saturday’s Reading

Joshua 1-4

Sunday’s Reading

 Joshua 5-8

 I love you!!!

© 2000-2021 B. Michael Goerlich

March 10, 2023

Friday

Knowing the Future

Isaiah 46: 8-13

⁹ Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,

¹⁰ Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”

Isaiah 46:9-10

In the fall of 2018, Business Insider ran an article on books that have predicted the future. For example, Gulliver’s Travels described a planet with two moons, and 150 years later astronomers noticed Mars had two moons. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea anticipated the invention of the submarine. H. G. Wells predicted the atomic bomb in his 1914 novel The World Set Free. Martin Caidin’s Cyborg envisioned bionic limbs. Science fiction writers use their imaginations to create scenarios that may later match reality.

But only one book predicts the future unfailingly, far in advance, and with a proven track record of total accuracy. God’s quality of omniscience (He is all-knowing) includes every future contingency and event. And He has revealed those future events for our preparation and anticipation. God has foretold the future because He knows it—and He controls it.

We have hope because God is in control of the future, and His every promise anticipates a fulfillment that will eventually culminate in His glorious return. Our hearts should overflow with gladness.

A point to ponder…

God, the architect of the ages, has seen fit to take us into His confidence concerning His plan for the future and has revealed His purpose and program in detail in the Word.

J. Dwight Pentecost

Read the Bible through in a year

Deuteronomy 32-34

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© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 9, 2023

Thursday

A Biblical Course in Anger Management: Words

Proverbs 15: 1-4

“A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”

Proverbs 15:1

Roger Dawson is known as “America’s Premier Business Negotiator.” He’s spent his life training business executives to negotiate good deals in tense settings. His advice: “Be careful what you say at the beginning. If the other person takes a position with which you totally disagree, don’t argue. Arguing always intensifies the other person’s desire to prove himself or herself right.”

Solomon said something similar nearly three thousand years ago. Never has society so needed this advice! Our world is filled with angry words between heads of state, between political leaders, between politicians, between newscasters and commentators. Our electronic media doesn’t help; it often amplifies the anger. If we aren’t careful, the world’s angry spirit can seep into our marriages, homes, and churches.

Proverbs 15:1 teaches us to underreact. If someone approaches you in an angry spirit, you gain the advantage over them by remaining calm. When you argue with someone, it makes them defensive and locks them into their position. That’s not a winning strategy.

It takes the Holy Spirit’s calmness within us, but we should take Proverbs 15:1 as our guide: “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.”

A point to ponder…

Hot heads and cold hearts never solved anything.
Billy Graham

Read the Bible through in a year

Deuteronomy 30-31

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 8, 2023

Wednesday

First Responses

Psalm 107: 1-8

¹⁹ Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.”

Daniel 2:19

Sadly, “first responders” is a term we know all too well today. They are the trained technicians who are the first on the scene of a tragedy or disaster: police, medical personnel, fire fighters, wilderness and water rescuers, various military units, humanitarian teams, and others. What is the first response of the first responders? It is to save, to help, to give aid and comfort wherever needed.

Christians might be considered “first responders” in the world as well, offering whatever practical help we can to those in need. But what about our “first response”? Paul gives three good ones in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: rejoice, pray, give thanks. Specifically, how often do we couple prayer and thanksgiving together? When we pray, and God answers, what is our first response? In Scripture, it is often praise before anything else. When Daniel and his three friends prayed for God’s intervention in Babylon, the answer came and Daniel’s first response was to praise God (Daniel 2:17-23).

God is to be praised and thanked in all things, as Paul wrote—but especially when He answers our prayers.

A point to ponder…

When all Thy mercies, O my God, my rising soul surveys, transported with the view, I’m lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Joseph Addison

Read the Bible through in a year

Deuteronomy 28-29

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 7, 2023

Tuesday

The Need for Prayer

Daniel 2: 16-18

¹² And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”

Luke 6:12

Officially, church historians recognize seven ecumenical church councils held between A.D. 325 and A.D. 787. The first, the First Council of Nicaea, met to agree on the nature of Jesus of Nazareth as both Son of God and Son of Man, as both fully divine and fully human.

The humanity of Christ, while at the same time divine, is hard to understand. But thankfully, Scripture gives us illustrations: Like us, Jesus suffered, experienced hunger, required sleep, ate food, and had limits on His knowledge (Mark 13:32). One of the most striking and helpful illustrations of Jesus’ humanity was His prayer life. We might think that, if Jesus was truly divine, He would have had no need to pray for knowledge, guidance, or help. Yet He did, following the example of godly men like Daniel in Babylon (Daniel 2:16-18). Jesus repeatedly said that He only did what the Father showed Him to do (John 5:19), and prayer was His means.

If Jesus, the Son of God, needed to go to His Father in prayer for strengthening and guidance, how much more do we (Psalm 32:6)?

A point to ponder…

Prayer and a holy life are one.

E. M. Bounds

Read the Bible through in a year

Deuteronomy 24-27

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 6, 2023

Monday

I’d Rather Be Hunting

Psalm 78: 70-71

⁷⁰ He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:

⁷¹ From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.”

Psalm 78:70-71

When Jason Cruise was pastoring a church, he sometimes felt guilty because he wanted to be hunting. One day it dawned on him God was calling him to minister to sportsmen. In the NIV Outdoorsman Bible, he wrote of the moment, “God’s heart connected with mine and pushed me toward the idea that I could use my passion for hunting to bring him glory…. When I was a young boy stomping through the woods, I had no clue that God was preparing me to hunt with a purpose…or that I’d get the honor of speaking to hunters across the nation…and yet do it all in the name of Jesus.”

The Lord gives us passions, purposes, and life experiences—like hunting or shepherding—to prepare us for the personal and unique ministry He has for us. No experiences of life are wasted. He prepares us to stand up for Him, and every part of your background can fashion you for what He wants you to do today.

A point to ponder…

Monumental changes often occur in simple, quiet moments, and it’s in those few seconds that a person makes a clean break with an old way of living and never looks back.

Jason Cruise

Read the Bible through in a year

Deuteronomy 21-23

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

Weekend Wisdom

March 4 – March 5, 2023

Awakening Love

⁴ I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.

Song of Solomon 8:4

But why?

Why does God insist on our being married before we can pursue intimate, sexual experiences with someone we love? Does marriage magically flip a switch that causes eros to go from being forbidden and wrong, to being encouraged and celebrated? (Eros is my preferred term for sex. It’s the Greek word describing the physical, affectionate, intimate relationship between a man and a woman.) 

Most people’s plan for how to make their sexual decisions in life is . . . not to have a plan. When the opportunity arises, when the conditions are right, when the person seems special enough, it’ll just happen. Natural as breathing. But that’s not God’s plan. Eros has a right time and a righteous place.

So why does the context of eros matter so much?

• Because God says so.Again and again in the Bible, we’re told this in words similar to these, “Sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints”(Ephesians 5:3). “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5). The only way for us to live in clear-conscience relationship with God is to let the authority of His Word be able to take us down. May He forgive us “every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Simply let Him be Lord.

• Because when God says, “Don’t,” He means, “Don’t hurt yourself.”I’ve made this statement countless times, but the expiration date on its truth never runs out. Choose to sin; choose to suffer. Stop thinking you’ll be the first person in human history to find an exception to this rule.

• Because relationships built upside-down don’t last. Physical attraction can never support a lifetime of marriage. So when that’s where marriage starts--even beforeit starts--the structure will need to be torn down and rebuilt if it hopes to survive. The proper way to construct a marriage is by beginning with love for Christ, committing to live under the authority of His Word, and deciding to obey Him. Erosis the topping on the sundae of an awesome marriage, not the first layer that’s sure to melt away.

4) Because relationships that involve sex before marriage are difficult to break. The introduction of eros prior to the commitment of marriage can make you desperate to keep maintaining and pursuing the relationship, even if it’s fraught with trouble. Your family and friends may see the problems, common sense may be waving red flags, but you’ll fight to keep it going in an effort to avoid watching the precious part of yourself that you’ve given to this person become a discarded waste.

That’s why the Song of Solomon says not to “stir up or awaken love” until the time when eros can settle into its appropriate place, where it can function as a generator of pure love and blessing in marriage. To awaken it too soon will only cause it to get ahead of itself and to impose undue control and influence over you.

There’s a reason why God designed eros to work this way. There’s a method to this alleged madness of marital exclusivity. And when we wake up one day to find He’s right--which we will--how much better to let it fall on us with the grateful recognition that God’s ways are best, than with the costly sadness of a life lived outside of His pleasant boundaries.

Points to ponder…

• Spend some time in payer asking God to show you any areas where you resist the authority of His Word.
• Whether you’re married or single, what are some ways you could come into greater agreement with the Lord’s design for eros?

Saturday’s Reading

Deuteronomy 14-16

Sunday’s Reading

 Deuteronomy 17-20

 I love you!!!

© 2000-2021 B. Michael Goerlich

March3, 2023

Friday

Committed to Our Commitments

Proverbs 20: 7-12

²¹ For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.”

Job 34:21

There’s an old folktale about a man who wanted to sneak into his neighbor’s fields to steal some wheat. He waited for a dark, moonless night, and he asked his young daughter to be the lookout. “Call if anyone sees me,” he told her. Just as he was stuffing grain into his apron, the little girl shouted, “Father, someone sees you!” The man dropped his grain and ran to her in a panic asking, “Who was it? Who saw me?” She replied, “Someone above is watching you.”

Proverbs 15:3 says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” Maintaining our integrity in times of pressure brings glory to God.

But God isn’t the only one watching us. Others see us more clearly than we think, and we can’t hide our deceit and infidelity forever. Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper.”

We have to be committed to our commitments, to keeping our word and honoring our pledges. A heart of integrity remains committed to the holy and omniscient God who desires honesty in our hearts.

A point to ponder…

Integrity is not so much what we do as much as who we are.

John Maxwell

Read the Bible through in a year

Deuteronomy 11-13

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 2, 2023

Thursday

A Biblical Course in Anger Management: Our Thoughts

Ephesians 4: 25-32

⁹ Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.”

Ecclesiastes 7:9

There’s a time and place to be angry—at the right moment and to the right degree—but our anger is often destructive, for “human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” (James 1:20). We get angry about politics; our traffic snarls exasperate us; and daily life has its own tensions. Eruptions of anger may be understandable, but they can damage our most precious relationships.

The first way of dealing with madness this March is recognizing that the anger isn’t contained in our circumstances; it’s contained in our hearts. The circumstances—a rude caller, a bounced check, a burnt biscuit—may provoke our anger, but the real source is the underlying rage in our own spirits. Anger begins in our minds and thoughts.

The best way, then, for dealing with anger is to fill the mind with God’s Word. If you need some anger management, open your Bible and seriously search out its best verses about anger. Start with Ecclesiastes 7:9 and James 1:20, then check out Ephesians 4:25-32. Find some verses to commit to memory, and let God use His words to bring healing to your angry thoughts.

A point to ponder…

Anger is short-lived in a good man.
Thomas Fuller, Puritan

Read the Bible through in a year

Deuteronomy 8-10

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

March 1, 2023

Wednesday

Pressing

Romans 5: 1-5

³ And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

⁴ And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

Romans 5:3-4

Recently a student was asked to give a talk at his church, and he spoke of the importance of perseverance, but he didn’t know how to correctly pronounce that word. Throughout his talk, he kept talking about presseverance. His listeners smiled and nodded in agreement because they fully understood that perseverance really is press-everance. It’s the quality of pressing forward whatever comes.

We demonstrate our integrity when we stick with our commitments without wavering, even when grueling times arrive. The apostle Paul emphasized this quality over and over. He told the Romans that the quality of perseverance created hopeful hearts (Romans 5:3-4). He told the Corinthians about his own perseverance as he labored among them and faced great opposition (2 Corinthians 12:12). He told the Ephesians to be “watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18). And he reminded Timothy, “But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance” (2 Timothy 3:10).

Let’s be true to our commitments to God and others as we “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

A point to ponder…

Whenever God sends a trial with one hand, He gives grace with the other.

J. Sidlow Baxter

Read the Bible through in a year

Deuteronomy 5-7

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

February 28, 2023

Tuesday

Faith in Faithless Times

Habakkuk 3:17-19

⁴ Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.”

Habakkuk 2:4

The prophet Habakkuk left us an interesting book. Its three short chapters are essentially a counseling session between Habakkuk and God, for the prophet was troubled by the turbulent times in which he lived. He couldn’t understand why his culture had crumbled and why the streets of his city had become so lawless, so godless. He prayed about it in chapter 1; and in chapter 2, God told Habakkuk to trust Him and to live by faith (verse 4), for “the Lord is in His holy temple,” and one day “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (verses 20, 14).

In response Habakkuk composed a hymn of rejoicing in his third and final chapter, saying, “The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills” (verse 19).

When the way becomes rough, trust Him who is still in His holy temple. He will give you hinds’ feet on high places.

A point to ponder…

May all bow to the scepter of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the whole earth be filled with His glory.

John Hancock, in a proclamation to Massachusetts, October 15, 1791

Read the Bible through in a year

Deuteronomy 3-4

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich