April 12, 2022

Tuesday

A Ready Writer

Psalm 45: 1-6

“My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.”

Psalm 45:1

Many people find journaling a rich spiritual experience. It’s a simple process—just a matter of keeping a small notebook or using a journaling app on your phone. But what should go into our journals? Don’t think you must write so much it discourages you from continuing the habit. Scribble just enough. You can tailor it to fit your own specifications. For example, if you combine journaling with your daily devotions, you might jot down the date, a few lines about your day, and some observations about the passage you’re reading. When you study your Bible with a pen in hand, it helps focus your mind on what you’re reading. It’s also a good way to maintain an updated prayer list.

Journaling helps you leave a record of your daily life for those who will find it after you’re gone. When we write down what God has done for us, it creates a record of His faithfulness, preserving the lessons He teaches us in His Word.

The next time you sit down for your Bible study, try using the pen of a ready writer.

A point to ponder…

What happens to us is not as important as the meaning we assign to it. Journaling helps sort this out.

Michael Hyatt

Read the Bible through in a year

1 Kings 1-2

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

April 11, 2022

Monday

Golden Words

Proverbs 7: 1-5

“My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee… ³ Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.”

Proverbs 7:1, 3

Memorizing Bible verses isn’t hard; it’s a matter of learning one word at a time until a particular verse is installed in your mind. Nothing is more powerful, practical, and personality-changing. Nor is there a better weapon in spiritual warfare than the Sword of the Spirit.

When Satan tempts you to worry, quote Philippians 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing.” When tempted to speak rashly, remember James 1:19: “Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” When you awaken in the night with problems nagging at your mind, begin reciting Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

One way of keeping track of your Bible memory verses is to write them on cards or in a small notebook. As you learn new verses and review older ones, your cards or note pages will become as valuable as a stack of hundred dollar bills—more so—for, “more to be desired are they than gold” (Psalm 19:10).

A point to ponder…

The internalized truths of God’s Word keep us mentally healthy. It’s the greatest secret I know to personal resiliency.

Robert J. Morgan, in 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart

Read the Bible through in a year

2 Samuel 22-24

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

Weekend Wisdom

April 9 – April 10, 2022

Rules of the Road

^{12 "}And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, ¹³ To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?”

Deuteronomy 10: 12–13

Rules, some say, are made to be broken. And while you might not be the kind of person who’d say that (or mean it, at least), we all tend to question whether some of the rules we’re forced to follow are simply capricious or arbitrary and generally not founded in reason.

In some cases, of course, this is probably true. Cars traveling at 40 MPH, for example, might be just as safe and sensibly driven as ones following the posted 30 MPH speed limit on any given stretch of road. But someone in authority made a decision so, hey, that’s the way it is.

Please, though--do not extend this same line of thinking to God’s holy decrees in Scripture. Everything He’s said to us has its basis in His unique, all-knowing wisdom. The Bible is not a bunch of made-up opinions which, if God had been in a different mood one day, He might have configured in some other fashion. Life on Earth is not a sociological experiment. It is governed by its Creator, who perfectly understands everything about it--everything about us--and who in His mercy has given us His Word as the Manufacturer’s specifications for human happiness.

So when you hear the word sin--when you’re contemplating caving to a familiar temptation, when you’re building your case for why one little indulgence couldn’t possibly hurt--I hope you’ll hear something else instead. I hope you’ll hear sin to mean any action (or any failure to take action) that goes against God’s loving plan for human flourishing. Sin is not another pointless regulation that, if it wasn’t there, would make your life a whole lot easier and less stressful. The reason God doesn’t want you and sin to ever occupy the same living space is “for your good,” not a random restriction to your freedom.

When our church was designing a new worship center for one of our first buildings, my idea all along had been that we should remove the columns obstructing people’s view. I didn’t want all those posts interfering with the open floor plan we were hoping to create. One problem: those columns weren’t there for decoration; they each served an important, stabilizing purpose. We couldn’t just cut them out--or at least not if we wanted the building to stand. If we ignored the laws of physics and the rules of reliable architecture, people would eventually be hurt. By the fallout.

God is the Structural Engineer of the universe. Our thoughts are not His thoughts, and we will not always understand His ways. But hear this: Sin is sin for a reason. Disobedience is painful for a reason. The problems that come about from the failure to be a person who, as Isaiah 66:2 says, “is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word” aren’t the random, backhanded slap of mere coincidence. We either follow the Manufacturer’s specs, or we suffer the consequences.

Guaranteed.

Points to ponder…

• How have you experienced the “for your good”reality of God’s Word, both by what He commands us to do, as well as what He commands us not to do?
• How does meditating on God’s goodness and greatness help you to submit to His precepts even when it’s difficult?

Saturday’s Reading

2 Samuel 16-18

Sunday’s Reading

2 Samuel 19-21

 I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

April 8, 2022

Friday

Bumping Into Isaiah

Isaiah 7: 1-9

³ "Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field; ⁴ And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.”

Isaiah 7:3-4

Imagine you are in a distressing place in life, say, at a hospital as a loved one languished. Or in a courthouse before the verdict was rendered. Or in an office building before the financial reports were issued. You’re tense, uneasy, and discouraged. But imagine walking down the corridor, turning the corner, and bumping into a olive-skinned young man, robe-clad, with a short black beard. Imagine it was Isaiah the prophet, and he pulled you aside. He had a message from God for you: “Take heed and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted.”

That’s what happened to Ahaz, and it happens to us whenever we open the Bible. Almighty God sent Isaiah, Moses, Luke, Paul, and all the other biblical writers with an infallible message, and, by interpreting the verses correctly, we can put our names in them and apply their truths to our situations.

Personal Bible study yields a myriad of outcomes, including inner peace, moral clarity, and good works.

A point to ponder…

Whenever you read a verse in the Bible, pause to think about it for a moment. Notice each word. Underline. Circle. Add an exclamation mark or a question mark. Read it emphasizing each word in turn…Take it into the day with you, and think about it throughout the day and into the night.

Robert J. Morgan

Read the Bible through in a year

2 Samuel 13-15

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

April 7, 2022

Thursday

Spring Cleaning—A Clean Heart

Psalm 51:10

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."

Psalm 51:10

Is there a particular room in your house you keep cleaner than the rest? When it comes to weekly house cleanings—or spring cleaning—where do you start? Maybe it’s wherever you consider the nerve center of your life, the room which, if it is dirty or disorganized, keeps you off balance until it’s back in order. Maybe it’s the kitchen? The den or family room? Your bedroom and clothes closet? Or maybe for commuters it’s their car—interior and exterior.

Wherever the center of your physical life is, the center of your spiritual life is what the Bible calls the “heart.” Not the physical organ in your chest, but the place where the mind, will, and emotions merge to create your true spiritual life. And when the heart is dirty or disorganized, everything else is, too. After King David sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, her husband, David lived with an unclean heart for many months—until he finally confessed his sins to God and asked for a clean heart.

Does your heart need spring cleaning today? God is ready to hear your prayer if only you will talk to Him (1 John 1:9).

A point to ponder…

The pure heart is God’s paradise where He delights to walk. 
Thomas Watson

Read the Bible through in a year

2 Samuel 8-12

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

April 6, 2022

Wednesday

The Living Book

Jeremiah 23:29

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Hebrews 4:12

Amazon.com has more than 3 million book titles for sale. In spite of whatever claims those books make, none makes a claim like the Bible makes about itself: that it is alive.

What does that mean? It means the Bible is not just words. The words are inspired by God’s Spirit (see 2 Timothy 3:16). And because the words are alive, they can find their way into the lives of those who read them, right down to the division between soul and spirit, joints and marrow—down into the inner parts of our life. God’s Word can even cause us to see the true intention of our thoughts and desires. And, like all living things, the Word of God can produce new life. As Peter wrote, we are “born again . . . through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).

Be forewarned: Reading the Bible is not like reading any other book. It has the power to change your life!

A point to ponder…

There is a living God. He has spoken in the Bible.

J. Hudson Taylor

Read the Bible through in a year

2 Samuel 4-7

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

April 5, 2022

Tuesday

In Whatever Circumstances

Ephesians 5:8-16

"Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord."

Ephesians 5:10

After the Communist Revolution in China in 1949, Western missionaries found themselves in danger. China Inland Mission evacuated its missionary force, but Arthur and Wilda Mathews had trouble securing safe passage. Their lives were at risk. One evening as Wilda sewed (she was cutting off Arthur’s shirttails to make patches for their clothing), he sat reading his Bible and came across Weymouth’s translation of Ephesians 5:10: “And learn in your own experiences what is fully pleasing to the Lord.”

Rather than desperation, he realized, they should learn to please God through their situation. He shared the verse with Wilda, and their joint desire became to use their experiences to learn what is fully pleasing to the Lord. This new attitude gave them courage to press on until they were safely home.

Whenever we’re in a tough place, we will always find a verse in God’s Word to sustain us. Becoming Bible Strong happens as we apply the truths of the Word to our lives, leading to spiritual growth and a life fully pleasing to Him.

A point to ponder…

Pray on for all of us, that wherever and in whatever circumstances, it may be true that for us to live is Christ. That’s all that matters.

Arthur Mathews, quoted in Green Leaf in Drought Time

Read the Bible through in a year

2 Samuel 1-3

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

April 4, 2022

Monday

Sound Choices

Joshua 1:8

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;"

2 Timothy 4:3

Last fall LifeWay Research released a study showing that less than half of U.S. evangelicals “strongly agree” with core biblical tenets. About the same time, another study showed that most people in Western nations no longer believe in heaven or hell.

In his final epistle, Paul told Timothy to continue in the things he had learned, for all Scripture is inspired by God. The time will come, Paul said, when people will not endure sound doctrine but will accumulate teachers who will say what they want to hear (2 Timothy 3:14–4:5).

Now more than ever, we must study God’s Word—carefully, daily, systematically, thoroughly. The more our culture rejects Scripture, the more we must advance sound doctrine. Sitting at the feet of the Savior through Bible study changes our worldview, champions the truth, and rejects the status quo of culture.

A point to ponder…

Give to the Bible attention with intention…. Perhaps there is so little attention in Bible reading today because there is so little intention.

Henrietta Mears in What the Bible Is All About

Read the Bible through in a year

1 Samuel 28-31

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

Weekend Wisdom

April 2 – April 3, 2022

Choice Considerations

"Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another."

Romans 14:19

Life is full of gray areas, choices that individuals or families can make--and even biblically defend, whichever side of an issue they may come down on.

The drinking of alcohol, for instance, is one of those debatable areas. On one hand, numerous verses in the Bible, particularly in Proverbs, decry how drinking impairs wisdom, how it’s unnecessary, destructive, addictive, and harmful in numerous ways. “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, Those who go in search of mixed wine” (Proverbs 23: 29-30). Yet someone else, equally confident in his or her stance, can note how the drinking of wine is almost assumed in the Scriptures, that Jesus turned water into wine as His first recorded miracle, or that Paul advised Timothy to “use a little wine for the sake of your stomach” (1 Timothy 5:23).

But while drinking alcohol is an example of an area where we may choose to lovingly differ, the Bible provides a proven path for taking the high road through all kinds of gray areas. When faced with an unknown that could be argued either way, consider the following criteria.

• Make the wise choice. While you may technically feel the freedom to indulge in a particular pleasure or activity, permission alone should not be the final determinant in your decision-making. Solomon said, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise”(Proverbs 20:1). What if you and your family would be better off if you chose to forego something, even if you felt a personal green light yourself for doing it? Wouldn’t forgoing it be the wiser way to go?

2) Make the loving choice. “Above all,” said the apostle Peter, “maintain an intense love for each other” (1 Peter 4:8). Love for others, not your own preferences and desires, should be a main filter that every decision of yours runs through. Paul, in advising the Romans on a contentious first-century matter about the acceptability of certain foods, said, “If your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love” (Romans 14:15). Your actions or decisions may be fine on a superficial level, but do they stand up to the test of love?

3) Make the edifying choice. Choices are never made in a vacuum. They either build up or cause damage to those who observe you. Especially in families, kids tend to embrace what their parents tolerate. So when evaluating the wisdom of doing something, don’t think only of its rightness or wrongness. Take into account that your children may go further in your choices than you’ve gone. The next generation could go to a destructive level with what you’ve deemed harmless, unless you make a deliberate effort to “pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”

4) Make the supportive choice. Others will be much quicker to notice your behaviors than to ask you for your reasons and rationales for why you’re okay with them. Realizing this, will the silent perception you’re sending be one that helps protect the people you influence, or will it do more harm and raise more questions? “It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble” (Romans 14:21). Does your position on an iffy subject meet this biblical standard?

Especially when a decision falls in a gray area, evaluate it in the light of God’s Word and counsel.

Points to ponder…

• What are one or two traditionally gray areas that you’ve come to your own personal conclusions about? What have you decided?
• How confident are you of your positions after evaluating them in light of these four biblical benchmarks?

Saturday’s Reading

1 Samuel 21-24

Sunday’s Reading

1 Samuel 25-27

 I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

April 1, 2022

Friday

Tools for Life

2 Timothy 3: 16-17

"Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner."

Nehemiah 8:18

Imagine you’ve hired a contractor to carry out some major remodeling on your home. You open the door to find a man dressed in casual clothes and no sign of tools or workers. Expressing surprise, you ask him if he is there to begin work and he says, “Yes, I am!” When you ask where his tools and workers are, he says, “Well, I’ll figure something out!”

This is a man who is not “thoroughly equipped” for his job (2 Timothy 3:17). And sometimes we find ourselves not equipped for the job of living life. But sometimes we meet people who are—they possess a sense of wisdom, of peace, of contentment, and of purpose that amazes us. When we get to know them, we discover they have spent consistent time, for many years, studying the Word of God. The doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction they have gained is evident in their lives (2 Timothy 3:16).

Don’t show up for the job of life without the tools you need. Let the Word of God thoroughly equip you for life.

A point to ponder…

The truly wise man is he who always believes the Bible against the opinion of any man.

R. A. Torrey

Read the Bible through in a year

1 Samuel 18-20

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

March 31, 2022

Thursday

The Third Day

1 Corinthians 15: 50-58

"And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures…⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

1 Corinthians 15: 4, 58

Easter is why we don’t give up. According to the Resurrection Chapter of the Bible—1 Corinthians 15—Christ arose as the firstfruits of all who fall asleep in Him (verse 20). He destroyed our last enemy (verse 26) and provided the power, proof, and pattern for our own resurrection (verse 49). Because of Easter, the trumpet will sound and we’ll be raised incorruptible (verse 52). Our Lord gives us the victory (verse 57), which is why we remain immovable and abounding in His will and work.

OUR FINAL VICTORY

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

We don’t give up when Satan attacks, when friends turn against us, when family upsets us, or when the work seems futile.

History’s worst moment occurred on Good Friday, when the Savior perished and the devil gloated. But everything was different three days later—so don’t give up. Look up. Cheer up. Your life and labor in the Lord is not in vain. That’s His promise at the end of Resurrection Chapter.

A point to ponder…

Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there.
Clarence W. Hall

Read the Bible through in a year

1 Samuel 15-17

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

March 30, 2022

Wednesday

Zebrafish

Acts 26: 12-18

"To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."

Acts 26:18

How amazing the Creator! He endowed zebrafish with remarkable abilities. According to Smithsonian Magazine, these minnows have supersized powers. When their brains are damaged, they regenerate. When their fins are cut off, they grow back. When they are blinded, they regain their sight. That’s why scientists at Vanderbilt are studying the zebrafish’s retina regenerative abilities to find applications for humans. Could one of God’s smallest creatures help the blind to see?

The miracle of sight could never have happened randomly or through a set of biological accidents. It’s a God-given endowment.

In Paul’s testimony before King Agrippa, he spoke of how Jesus had appeared to him on the Damascus Road and told him to share the message that opens the eyes of the blind. May the Lord give us the same task! May we take the Resurrection message to those blinded by Satan, and may the Creator of the zebrafish open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light!

A point to ponder…

May God open your eyes to see the reality of His kingdom in your midst, may He open your ears that you may clearly hear His voice.

Susie Larson, in Blessings for the Evening

Read the Bible through in a year

1 Samuel 13-14

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

March 29, 2022

Tuesday

A True Mirror

Acts 26: 4-11

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."

1 Timothy 1:15

Mirrors help us see ourselves as we are on the outside, but not who we are on the inside, nor the person we might become. Average athletes think they are good until they play against someone who is great—same for musicians, artists, teachers, or any other role in life. To know who we really are we must see ourselves in light of a higher standard.

That happened to the apostle Paul. Before he met Jesus Christ, he had one of the most impressive résumés in Israel. As a young man, he was brilliant, a Pharisee, a law-keeper, a defender of the faith, and destined for greatness (Philippians 3:4-6). But after meeting Christ everything changed. He had one phrase to describe himself: the chief of sinners. He was still profoundly qualified and capable, just in a different way. He suddenly realized that without the grace of God, he was nothing (Philippians 3:7-11).

The more we get to know Christ—“the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15)—the more accurate picture we have of ourselves. He is our true mirror.

A point to ponder…

We are transformed into the image of the Lord by beholding it, not by reflecting it.

Charles Hodge

Read the Bible through in a year

1 Samuel 9-12

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

March 28, 2022

Monday

God’s Timing

Romans 8:28-29

"And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?"

John 11:37

A young man visited the father of his girlfriend to ask the father’s permission to marry his daughter. To his surprise, the father said “No.” The young man thought it was a formality; the father took it much more seriously. The father explained to the young man that there were character and behavioral issues in the young man’s life that concerned him. If he would agree to work on those issues, they could talk again about marriage.

Timing in life is often a puzzle to us. We ask God for something and we wonder why He doesn’t immediately say “Yes.” Even more puzzling, God is aware of our needs even before we ask (Matthew 6:8), so why doesn’t He just provide what we need without our having to ask? Jesus once initially told a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit to “Let the children be filled first” (Mark 7:27); He only healed one person out of all the sick at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15); and He waited four days before raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44).

Delays are only from our perspective. God’s timing and reasons are always perfect (Romans 8:28-29).

A point to ponder…

God has His hours and His delays.

J. A. Bengel

Read the Bible through in a year

1 Samuel 4-8

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

Weekend Wisdom

March 25 – March 26, 2022

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 25, 2022

Friday

Never Alone

Isaiah 43: 2-3

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

Psalm 23:4

For David, youngest of Jesse’s eight sons, the life of a shepherd could be lonely. When Samuel, the prophet, went to Jesse’s house in Bethlehem to anoint one of his sons as successor to King Saul, Samuel rejected the seven older sons. Jesse mentioned that there was one more, the youngest, who was “keeping the sheep” (1 Samuel 16:11). The implication was that David was away, in the hills with the sheep, tending the flock alone as he had to be sent for.

There are many references to David’s solitary life as a shepherd, during which he had time to contemplate God, creation, and his place in it (Psalm 8). Psalm 23 is the ultimate example—David puts God in the role of shepherd, his shepherd (Psalm 23:1). Though often alone, and sometimes in dangerous situations (1 Samuel 17:34-36), David fell back on one truth: “You are with me”—even in the “valley of the shadow of death.”

You may not be facing death today (all will one day), but wherever you are, whatever your circumstances, you are not alone. God is with you.

A point to ponder…

True peace comes not from the absence of trouble but from the presence of God.

Alexander MacLaren

Read the Bible through in a year

Ruth 1-4

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© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

March 24, 2022

Thursday

Who Is My Neighbor?

Luke 10: 25-37

"But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?"

Luke 10:29

Jesus once advised a certain lawyer to love his neighbor as himself. The lawyer asked a burning question: “And who is my neighbor?” In response, Jesus told the story of a Jewish fellow who was waylaid by thieves on the ancient road from Jerusalem to Jericho, a trail that wound through a stark and treacherous valley. This was likely the same gorge David had in mind in Psalm 23—the Valley of the Shadow. It was a dramatic, twisting, dangerous path of several miles, riddled with thieves.

The victim was attacked, beaten, robbed, stripped, and thrown into a ditch. A priest and a Levite passed by on the other side, but it was the Samaritan who saw the wounded man, rescued him, and tended to his needs. The Samaritan knew that one’s neighbor is anyone in need.

It’s as simple as that. Whoever is in trouble, whoever is hurting, whoever has been abused, whoever is experiencing trials, whoever needs us—that is the neighbor we’re to love as ourselves.

We’re to go and do likewise.

A point to ponder…

Not everyone is your brother or sister in faith, but everyone is your neighbor, and you must love your neighbor.
Timothy Keller, in Generous Justice

Read the Bible through in a year

Judges 16-18

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© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

March 23, 2022

Wednesday

That’s It!

Isaiah 58: 10-12

"And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not."

Isaiah 58:11

In his autobiography, Warren Wiersbe described his struggles with getting older. “There are times when I feel like a dinosaur,” he wrote. He described one drizzly day when his arthritis was acting up. “I asked the Lord in my morning devotional time to give me a promise that would sustain me for the ‘declining’ years to come. (No sense fooling myself!) In the course of my regular Bible reading I came to Isaiah 58:11; and I said, ‘That’s it! Thank you, Lord!’”

It’s a promise for us all. Whether we’re young or old, we face pain, problems, and unknown possibilities for the future. Sometimes we feel beat up. But God’s grace is sufficient, and He uses difficulties to cultivate us like a well-watered garden. Obedience to Him provides the opportunity, through trials, to learn that our only hope is His sufficiency, not our own.

A point to ponder…

I do hope my Father will let the river of my life go glowing fully till the finish. I don’t want to end up in a swamp.

F. B. Meyer

Read the Bible through in a year

Judges 13-15

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© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

March 22, 2022

Tuesday

Begin With God

Colossians 2: 2-3

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

Matthew 6:33

There are many vocations focused on problem solving: consultants, psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, practitioners, advisors, life-coaches, mentors, and more. Some may be biblically focused, but most use secular approaches to solving problems.

Because Christians live in the world, it is hard not to be influenced by how the world approaches life—which is generally, not from a biblical perspective. We have to constantly remember that no one knows as much about our life, our circumstances, and the solutions we need than God. While we may end up getting helpful advice from a “consultant” of some sort, our first counselor should be God: Lord, You know my situation and my need. I begin with You, asking for You to be involved in this with me. Give me Your wisdom; help me choose the right path; show me Your purposes; reveal to me any error on my part. If You want me to get help from others, please show me who to talk to.

If you need wisdom or guidance today, begin with God. Start by asking Him to direct your thoughts and your steps.

A point to ponder…

I live in the spirit of prayer…. And the answers are always coming.

George Müller

Read the Bible through in a year

Judges 10-12

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© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

March 21, 2022

Monday

Faster or Better?

Mark 16: 19-20

"And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people."

Mark 8:6

It’s faster for a parent to pick up a toddler’s toys than to watch and encourage the child to do it. But which is more educational, edifying, bonding, and discipline-promoting for the child? Obviously, to have the child (or help the child) pick up the toys. There is more to a task than the task itself.

Which raises the question: Why doesn’t God just blanket the world with the Gospel message all at once? Why has He chosen to use fallible, fickle, often-faithless humans to “help” Him in this eternally significant task? Why did Jesus use the disciples to help Him feed the multitudes? For the same reason parents work with their children instead of doing things more quickly themselves. In our case, God’s goal is to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29). Just as the Father worked with the Son, so the Son works with us (John 20:21).

Enjoy the blessing of doing kingdom work with Jesus. By the power of the Spirit, He uses us to be His hands and heart in the world.

A point to ponder…

Jesus Christ didn’t commit the Gospel to an advertising agency; He commissioned disciples.

Joseph Bayly

Read the Bible through in a year

Judges 8-9

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© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

Weekend Wisdom

March 19 – March 20, 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 3-5

Sunday’s Reading

Judges 6-7

I love you!!!

© 2000-2021 B. Michael Goerlich

March 18, 2022

Friday

Peace, Be Still!

Psalm 89: 8-9

"And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm."

Mark 4:39

In ancient literature, water often represents chaos. In Genesis 1:1, water covered the formless, empty, dark earth. God used a flood of waters to judge the earth in Noah’s day. In Exodus, the Red Sea threatened to destroy the escaping Hebrew slaves. And during the ministry of Jesus, storms on the Sea of Galilee threatened the well-being of His disciples. In each case, God brought order out of chaos; God was bigger and more powerful than the disorder.

There is a lesson there: Whenever chaos or danger appears imminent, our concern is not how big the problem seems but whether God is with us or not. The disciples learned this lesson when a storm threatened to take their lives on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus commanded the storm (the chaos) to be still and peace was restored (Mark 4:35-41). They learned that having Jesus with them was more important than the storm that was against them.

If chaos is threatening your peace, let Jesus be your ark of safety in the storm. He can bring peace in any storm.

A point to ponder…

Jesus Christ is no security against life’s storms, but He is perfect security in life’s storms.

Wendell Loveless

Read the Bible through in a year

Judges 1-2

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

March 17, 2022

Thursday

Who Do You Say That I Am?

Mark 8:27-32

"And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ."

Mark 8:29

There is a turning point in the ministry of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel. Prior to chapter 8, our Lord’s main emphasis was in His identity. Through His teachings, conversations, parables, and miracles, He wanted His disciples to comprehend His personhood, that He was the Messiah. In Mark 8, He took the disciples to the remote areas of Caesarea Philippi and quizzed them. “Who do [men] say that I am?” He asked. “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”

Jesus abruptly changed subjects and began teaching them about His work—what He had come to do. Mark 8:31 says, “And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things…and be killed, and after three days rise again.” In the next chapter, He repeated the lesson (Mark 9:31). In the next chapter, He explained it again (Mark 10:32-34).

These are the two foundational questions we must understand—the person and the work of Christ. Who is Jesus? What did He do?

The answers to those questions provide the basis for our entire walk of faith.

A point to ponder…

Because He was God as well as man, He was able to be the one final sacrifice for our sins.
Billy Graham

Read the Bible through in a year

Joshua 22-24

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

March 16, 2022

Wednesday

Yesterday, Today, Forever

1 Timothy 3: 14-16

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."

Hebrews 13:8

Christian leader A. B. Simpson wrote, “Yesterday, today, forever, Jesus is the same. / All may change, but Jesus never–Glory to His Name!” We have a Savior who is eternal in the heavens, without beginning or ending, from everlasting to everlasting. He is our Alpha and Omega. After He descended to the world, lived righteously, died sacrificially, and rose victoriously, He resumed His place on the throne of majesty.

What He did for us changes everything about our yesterday, today, and forever.

All the sins, hurts, abuses, failures, and regrets of yesterday are swallowed up in the crimson flood of His all-forgiving, all-redeeming blood. Our lives today are in His hands, guarded by His power, and guided by His purposes for us. Our future is filled with reassurances for our remaining days on earth, with eternal glory to follow.

The Resurrection of Christ changes our past and future, and it changes our today. To the believer, every Lord’s Day commemorates the Resurrection of Christ, and every moment of every day is a celebration of His blessings to us—yesterday, today, and forever.

A point to ponder…

As He walked once to Emmaus, with them to abide, / So through all life’s way He walketh, ever near our side.

       A. B. Simpson

Read the Bible through in a year

Joshua 19-21

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© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

March 15, 2022

Tuesday

The Greatest Miracle

Romans 8:11

"And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain."

1 Corinthians 15:14

A Latin phrase has survived for two millennia: sine qua non. Like many Latin words and phrases, it is rarely translated into English. Instead, it is used in its Latin form. A literal translation explains why: “[that] without which not.” To paraphrase, sine qua non means “something indispensable or essential,” as in anatomy is a sine qua non for a career in medicine.

The Christian faith has its own sine qua non—its own indispensable or essential element: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To paraphrase the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:14, 17, without the miracles of the Resurrection of Christ, faith and the Christian life are futile. We are still in our sins. Those who say it really doesn’t matter if Christ rose from the dead have it all wrong. Everything depends on the Resurrection! Christ’s being raised from the dead was God’s seal on the work Christ accomplished on the cross—the work of propitiation, forgiveness, and reconciliation—the greatest miracle of all.

Good news! The same power and Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead will also transform us from death to life (Romans 8:11).

A point to ponder…

Christianity is essentially a religion of resurrection.

James S. Stewart

Read the Bible through in a year

Joshua 16-18

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich