December 12, 2022

Monday

Early Traditions

John 3: 10-17

¹⁴ When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:”

Matthew 2:14

Many of our Christmas traditions are very old. We typically date nativity scenes from the time of Francis of Assisi; Christmas trees from the time of Martin Luther; and greeting cards from Victorian England. But a few traditions are as old as the Nativity itself. For example, the singing of Christmas carols was started by the angels, and the custom of gift-giving was begun by the Wise Men.

Their gifts had spiritual significance—the gold pointed to Christ’s role as King; the frankincense to His role as Priest; and the myrrh pointed to His role as Savior and to His redeeming death. But these gifts were also practical, for they conveyed financial value. Some scholars believe it was God’s way of providing Joseph and Mary the funds needed to flee to Egypt and raise their baby in a foreign but safe environment.

How wonderful when our gifts can be both meaningful and practical!

A point to ponder…

But wait! There’s a mistake in today’s devotion—did you spot it? Christmas gift-giving didn’t start with the Wise Men, did it? No, its origin is even older.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son….

Read the Bible through in a year

Colossians 1-4

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

Weekend Wisdom

December 10 – December 11, 2022

Enriching The Heart Of The Giver

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness 

2 Corinthians 9:10

God promises in His Word to bless the giver—He just comes right out and says it. Not once or twice but numerous times. Yet as nice as it sounds, maybe there’s something in you that feels uneasy about such a brash declaration. You detect a tinge of false theology imbedded in there somewhere—this idea that if you give a certain amount of money to God, you’re pegging Him in to respond to you in like fashion. You’re giving, yes (that’s good), but you’re expecting a payback in return. Something just doesn’t sound right about that.

Except that if God has decided He wants to motivate your giving by telling you up front what He’ll give you if you do, who are you to say His inducement is beneath you?

And what if financial blessing is only the beginning (even the least) of the benefit package?

Based on what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9, it’s outright impossible to out-give God. If you are generous in your giving, you can be absolutely confident that “he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing.” Your needs will be abundantly met. And more.

And that’s not even the best part. You can also expect . . .

• Abundant righteousness. “The harvest of your righteousness.”Within the dynamics of your genuine, non-compulsory giving, God may take the opportunity to set you free from a stubborn, sinful habit. He may relieve you from a debilitating bondage to anxiety. He may release you from a certain addiction or lifestyle pattern that has plagued your family for generations. In some measure, He will take action that impacts your personal righteousness for the better.
• Abundant ministry. “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way” (2 Corinthians 9:11). In being part of meeting others’ needs by giving to the Lord, your generosity will overflow “in many thanksgivings to God”(2 Corinthians 9:12). Lives will be touched. Hearts will be changed. You’ll be able to look down at the fruit of your investment and say, “I can’t believe how God is using me—me!—to bless and serve people like this.” Do you know how many never feel that? Largely because they’re not being generous in their giving.
• Abundant relationships. Those to whom you minister “will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others”(2 Corinthians 9:13). As you give, God begins to surround you with those who are blessed by what you’re doing. He keeps filling your life with people who soon become new friends, as well as new brothers and sisters in Christ.
• Abundant worship. “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift”(2 Corinthians 9:15)! As if all these other things aren’t enough, God works through your giving to grow in you a deeper capacity for worship . . . because nothing else owns you now. Nothing else controls you. You are no longer enslaved by selfish wants and wishes. Therefore you’re unshackled, unburdened to worship Him with your whole heart.

And this is the kind of abundance that always flows from our generous Father as His children follow in His steps.

Points to ponder…

• What keeps you from sowing as generously as you could?
• How have you experienced some of these returns on your giving investment?

Saturday’s Reading

Ephesians 4-6

Sunday’s Reading

 Philippians 1-4

 I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

December 9, 2022

Friday

Flock Faith

Luke 2: 15-18

¹⁵ And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”

Luke 2:15

The French government is restoring brown bears to the Pyrenees because the animals have become nearly extinct. That’s good news for the bears, but not for the fluffy sheep dotting the brown hills. The bears are nearly invisible against the landscape, and shepherds are upset. In one case, a charging bear sent dozens of sheep plunging off a high cliff. “They didn’t ask us if we wanted the bears here” said one distraught shepherd after losing 35 sheep last year.

According to Jesus, a good shepherd will risk his life for his sheep, and the shepherds watching their flocks near Bethlehem were very good shepherds. Yet when honored with the angelic announcement regarding the birth of Christ, they exercised “flock faith” and entrusted their sheep into God’s care for a few hours. They were given a greater mission—to go into Bethlehem and bear witness to the arrival of Heaven’s King—the Good Shepherd.

A point to ponder…

Faith and obedience work hand in hand. When God gives us a command, we must entrust our other concerns into His keeping while we hasten to obey.

Read the Bible through in a year

Ephesians 1-3

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

December 8, 2022

Thursday

Fit for a King! Frankincense

Philippians 4:18

³⁴ And the Lord said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:

³⁵ And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:”

Exodus 34:35

For thousands of years, the tree arbor thurifera, growing in the Arabian Peninsula and Lebanon, has been tapped for its resin. The bark was cut and exuding resin was allowed to dry as nodules, or “tears.” When hardened, the resin, called frankincense, was ground into a fine powder. When subjected to a flame, it gave off a sweet and powerful aroma—an incense used in the worship of God in the tabernacle and temple. (“Frankincense” derives from the old French franc encens, meaning “highest-quality incense.”)

When the Magi journeyed to Bethlehem and saw the baby Jesus, they “fell down and worshiped Him,” presenting frankincense—the most noble incense of worship—as one of their gifts (Matthew 2:11). Paul refers to the life of the Christian as a living sacrifice, a reasonable service of worship (Romans 12:1). That service becomes a wonderful aroma—the incense of worshipful service—in our life (Philippians 4:18).

A point to ponder…

What gift of frankincense can we give to Christ this Christmas? The highest quality incense of service to Him and to others—the aroma of Christ in us.

Read the Bible through in a year

Galatians 4-6

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

December 7, 2022

Wednesday

Shepherds and the Good Shepherd

Ezekiel 34: 11-16

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Psalm 23:1

The story is told of a graduate of a top-tier, Ivy League college who took a vocational placement test. He was sure he would find himself suited for being a banker, doctor, lawyer, or executive of a huge corporation. When he read the results, to his embarrassed surprise, the test indicated he was best suited to be a shepherd.

A few thousand years earlier that could have been a badge of honor—it was normal for kings, priests, and other leaders to be referred to as shepherds. God certainly referred to the leaders of Israel that way (Ezekiel 34). But due to their failure to shepherd God’s people, He told them He Himself would become their Shepherd. How fitting, therefore, that the angels of heaven chose humble, Bethlehem shepherds as the recipients of the announcement of God’s incarnation on earth—the incarnation of the One who would become the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-21).

A point to ponder…

Psalm 23 is a wonderful Christmas meditation—the image of the Lord as Shepherd of His sheep. If you belong to His flock, then He is leading and caring for you.

Read the Bible through in a year

Galatians 1-3

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

December 6, 2022

Tuesday

Eternal Life Before Earthly Life

John 1:14

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

² The same was in the beginning with God.”

John 1:1-2

The modern debate about abortion rights in the West has centered on the questions of personhood and the beginning of life. Does life begin at conception? At birth? With the first breath? With the cutting of the umbilical cord? Christians are almost unanimous in their belief that life begins at conception and should be honored as such throughout pregnancy. But there is one life in human history that began even before conception.

The Bible is quite clear that the Man who came to be known as Jesus from Nazareth was the eternal Second Person of the Trinity. He existed in fellowship with the Father and the Spirit before He was conceived and incarnated as a human being on earth. The eternal Word of God “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), though He had existed from eternity before His birth. Though eternal and God, He did not lord His status over humanity, but came as one of us, humble and a servant (Philippians 2:6-8).

A point to ponder…

Divesting, humbling, serving, submitting—these traits of Christ that we remember at Christmas become the template for the life He gives to us.

Read the Bible through in a year

2 Corinthians 10-13

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

December 5, 2022

Monday

A Humble Birth

Philippians 2: 5-8

⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Luke 2:7

Where do the rich and famous have their babies? Perhaps at the Matilda International Hospital in Hong Kong where arrangements require a $20,000 deposit. Or at the Grangettes Clinic in Geneva where the birthing suite comes with a Michelin-starred chef. Perhaps Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles where a three-room, two-bath suite provides fresh fruit, muffins, juices, and bedside salon services.

None of these amenities were available in the first century, of course. But where the wealthy gave birth was probably a cut above where Jesus was born. One would have thought that the Son of God would have been born in Judea’s finest facility, but no. He was born in a stable, a manger (feed-trough) being His first bassinet. From the very beginning of His life on earth, Jesus Christ identified with “everyman”—those who live a life of lowliness, humility, and dependence. And that surely caught the attention of all, rich and poor alike.

A point to ponder…

Jesus came into the world “in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). This month, remember that Jesus’ birth was His invitation to welcome Him as a humble Lord and Savior.

Read the Bible through in a year

2 Corinthians 5-9

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

Weekend Wisdom

December 3 – December 4, 2022

A Preview of God’s Plan

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart”

Jeremiah 29:11–13

God has a plan for your life. He has some objectives for you. Even knowing those truths, it’s still easy to get stuck in the bottomless vortex of questions: Who am I supposed to marry? Where am I going to live? What am I going to do for work? It’s time to set aside the questions and get back to what God has said.

His plans for you are not so much about those specifics as they are about developing your character. Everything else will sort itself out.

God always has plans for the welfare and future of those who are His. He always has plans to give His children hope. Even in the midst of sobering seasons of discipline, God pours out His heart for His people, pointing them (and us) toward relationship. The circumstances He allows are designed to cause us to call upon Him. We’re always able to call, seek, and find Him because He wants us to call, seek, and find Him!

When God says, “I know the plans I have for you,” His words are a great comfort. But wouldn’t you love to get a look at those plans? The tension isn’t, “Does God know?” The tension is, “I want to know!” Although God understands our questions, He doesn’t owe us any answers. It’s as if He says, “I know, but I’m not going to fill you in . . . yet.”

He does give us hints, however. God provides us with some general categories that describe His purposes. First, they are plans for your welfare. The Hebrew word is shalom, meaning “the complete state of well-being; fulfillment; prosperity; peace.” As God looks down the telescope of time, His plans are for your total well-being.

Second, His designs for you are not for evil. People who are determined to prove they can live contrary to God’s program will pay a price for their experiment. God’s plans take us away from evil; ours tend to take us smack into the middle of it.

Third, God’s plans are designed to give you a future and a hope, both immediately and eternally. The biblical definition of hope is a confident expectation of something better tomorrow. When your hope is in God, He’ll always deliver. It doesn’t matter what has happened, better things are coming. That's hope! You can be confident He has good plans for you.

Points to ponder…

• What have you learned about God’s good plans for you?
• Why doesn’t God reveal all His plans for us now? How does the not-knowing grow our faith?

Saturday’s Reading

1 Corinthians 15-16

Sunday’s Reading

 2 Corinthians 1-4

 I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

December 2, 2022

Friday

The Everlasting Light

Micah 5: 1-4

⁴² Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?”

John 7:42

Bethlehem is mentioned more than 35 times in the Old Testament. It was the birthplace of David and became known as the City of David. It’s also the birthplace of the Son of David, Jesus. Through Bethlehem flows the lineage and descent of the Savior, as the prophet Micah predicted: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).

When Jesus was born, there were three major continents known to scholars—Europe, Asia, and Africa. Asia was chosen, but Asia has many countries. Micah selected one country, Israel, with three districts—Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. Judea was chosen, but Judea had thousands of villages. Yet seven hundred years before Christ, Micah pinpointed the very town of His birth—Bethlehem.

A point to ponder…

This is one of more than three hundred predictions about Christ from the Old Testament. If you ever harbor nagging doubts about the truthfulness of Christianity, spend some time in the Old Testament and look at what it says about Jesus.

Read the Bible through in a year

1 Corinthians 12-14

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

December 1, 2022

Thursday

Fit for a King! Gold

1 Kings 6: 20-22

¹¹ The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

¹² And the gold of that land is good…”

Genesis 2:11-12

The most timeless store of value in history has been gold. It is beautiful, durable, malleable, conductive, and does not tarnish. It has been the precious metal of choice for kings and rulers through the ages. Gold is the first metal mentioned in the Bible, suggesting its timeless value (Genesis 2:11-12). In the numerous places where the three most precious metals are mentioned in Scripture—gold, silver, and bronze—gold is usually mentioned first.

Solomon covered the inside of the temple in Jerusalem with gold—suitable for the dwelling place of God. It is no surprise, then, that when the Magi came to worship the “King of the Jews,” they brought gold as a gift (Matthew 2:2, 11). As the most timeless store of value in the world, gold is the right gift for the One who transcends time—the eternal Son of God.

Point to ponder…

What gift of gold can we give that is fit for our King? Our timeless devotion to Him. Let your love for Christ be timeless until you see Him face to face.

Read the Bible through in a year

1 Corinthians 9-11

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

September 16, 2022

Friday

When Müller Forgot to Pray

John 6: 1-14

5  When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”

John 6:5

Because of his faithful work with orphans, George Müller is considered a hero in the faith. But his ministry nearly ended before it began because he forgot to pray about something. Müller had prayed for all aspects of his envisioned orphan house—land, building, supplies, provisions. “There was, however, one point I never had prayed about, namely that the Lord would send children; for I naturally took it for granted that there would be plenty of applications.” The work began without any children! Müller went back to his knees, and the next day the first application for the orphanage arrived.

God’s provisions come in response to our prayers. In John 6, Phillip asked Jesus how to feed the 5,000; and Jesus, of course, was waiting to be asked for He knew exactly what He was planning to do. He is not limited by our obstacles.

Müller said, “In leaning upon the living God alone, we are beyond disappointment, and beyond being forsaken…. How precious to know that surely no good thing shall be withheld from us whilst we walk uprightly!”

Your God will meet your needs. Trust Him today.

A point to ponder…

God meets our needs one day at a time.

Max Lucado

Read the Bible through in a year

Daniel 4-6

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlichvv

September 15, 2022

Thursday

Life Is What You Make It: Make Friends (For Strength)

Daniel 2: 16-19

17  Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:

18  That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellowsshould not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.” Daniel 2:17-18

A family in China’s Yunnan province adopted a Tibetan mastiff puppy with a big appetite; it ate a box of fruit and two buckets of noodles per day. Within two years, the animal weighed 250 pounds and started walking on its hind legs. That’s when they suspected it wasn’t “man’s best friend” after all. The animal was an Asiatic black bear. The Yunnan Wildlife Rescue Center took the bear to a more suitable environment.

Sometimes our best friends don’t turn out as we’d hoped. When we become close to someone who harms our well-being, it’s unhealthy and co-dependent. You can change that. Life is what you make it. Look around for someone you can encourage, pray for, pray with, and build up.

Be wise in your friendships. Daniel thrived in Babylon because of the support of his three friends. The fellows encouraged each other, and their exploits are honored in Scripture. Make the right friends and make time to pray for them. Good friends make life bear-able.

A point to ponder…

They are rich who have true friends.

Thomas Fuller

Read the Bible through in a year

Daniel 1-3

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

September 14, 2022

Wednesday

Out of the Heart

Matthew 14: 1-12

19  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:”

Matthew 15:19

Mao Zedong believed sparrows were pests, and he initiated a campaign to eradicate sparrows in China. But he was wrong. Sparrows are natural predators to locusts. With the sparrows all gone, the locusts multiplied, devastating Chinese agriculture. It’s estimated that more than 30 million Chinese died of malnourishment because of Mao Zedong’s defective thinking.

Defective thinking results in destructive living. It’s impossible to think wrongly and live rightly, which is the problem with the human race. Our evil hearts produce evil thoughts, and all kinds of tragedy ensues. Take Herodias and her daughter, for example. They viewed John the Baptist as a pest, and they schemed to have him murdered and his head brought to them on a platter. Today they’re remembered in history as villains. Their evil schemes came from their mistaken thoughts, and their thoughts arose from their wicked hearts.

That’s why the Bible says, “To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6). We only gain wisdom when Jesus Christ is at the very center of our hearts and minds.

A point to ponder…

Every day in which I do not penetrate more deeply into the knowledge of God’s Word inHoly Scripture is a lost day for me.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Read the Bible through in a year

Ezekiel 46-48

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

September 13, 2022

Tuesday

Who Is the Greatest?

Daniel 2: 16-19

11  Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Matthew 11:11

Starting in 1927, Time magazine began choosing a “Man of the Year.” In 1999 they switched the designation to “Person of the Year.” Not always an individual, the magazine has honored couples, classes, movements, and groups of people—whatever was deemed to have been the greatest influence for the preceding year.

Around A.D. 31, the choice would have been easy: John the Baptist. Jesus said that none born of women had risen greater than John the Baptist, and then He went on to state that those who are born anew into the kingdom of God would surpass even John in greatness. What made Jesus give John the Baptist this commendation? We can speculate that John’s dedication, sacrifice, commitment to calling, humility, and understanding of who Jesus was would have played a role. Many did not fully comprehend who Jesus was, but John did. He prepared the way for the ministry of Jesus, explaining to others that “‘I am not the Christ,’ but ‘I have been sent before Him’” (John 3:28).

 He said of Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). John knew his role and responsibility; he is a model of greatness for all to follow.

A point to ponder…

Great men never think they are great; small men never think they are small.

Anonymous

Read the Bible through in a year

Ezekiel 43-45

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

Weekend Wisdom

September 10 – September 11, 2022

Authority Issues

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, andfor training in righteousness.

2 Timothy 3:16

The Word of God isn’t just any book. It is God’s owner’s manual. It is God’s manifesto for human life. It is the manufacturer’s specification for all things happiness. It is the authoritative Word from the Creator of the universe about how life really works. Every word of it comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). The Author is God, and the writers were “holy men of God [who] spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). It is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). It will outlast heaven and earth (Matthew 24:35). It instructs us about “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).

You will never have the power to live a full, fruitful, godly life until you choose God’s Word as your final authority. Do you want power over temptation? Do you want power over that draining and difficult circumstance that you can’t conquer on your own? God’s Word has the power.

God has eternally determined that what is written there will happen. That’s why, in the  face of temptation, Jesus replied, “It is written . . . It is written . . . It is written . . . ” (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10). It will be as God said.

Which begs the question: Do you treat God’s Word as the authority in your life? Some people minimize the Bible. They treat it like . . .

 an hors d’oeuvres tray—where you can pick and choose what looks appetizing.

 rental car insurance—which you’re glad to have, but only in an emergency.

 a seatbelt—an unavoidable nuisance that cramps your style.

 high school algebra—technically accurate but practically irrelevant.

 a hobby—like a fun phase in life.

Does this characterize your thinking in any way? If so, it’s time to accept the priority and authority of God’s Word. Here’s how you know when the Bible is your authority: when it can stop you dead in your tracks. If you were going in one direction that seemed right to you but then realized the truth, slammed on the brakes, and changed direction, then that’s proof you’re living under the authority of God’s Word.

We all have a propensity to go the wrong way. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12). We can’t follow the direction that feels right. We have to choose the route we know is right according to God’s Word.

You also know the Bible is your authority when it helps you recognize and break a negative pattern of thinking in your life—a lustful thought, a selfish habit, or a destructive way of looking at someone or something. Your thinking was skewed and taking you down the wrong way, but God’s Word stopped your spiral and corrected your direction. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). God’s Word keeps you from falling in the sin-ditch. It keeps you from stepping in a sinkhole. God’s map keeps you from speeding up the freeway ramp into oncoming traffic. It keeps you from devastating your life and the lives of the people you love.

Is it the authority in your life?

Points to ponder…

 Do you treat God’s Word as the authority in your life? Recall a time when God’s Word

stopped you dead in your tracks.

 In what ways have you been tempted to minimize the authority of the Bible in your life?

Saturday’s Reading

Ezekiel 34-36

Sunday’s Reading

Ezekiel 37-39

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

September 12, 2022

Monday

Learning to Trust

Mark 6: 7-9

25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Matthew 6:25

Every thirty days we pay the mortgage or rent, the utility bills, insurance premiums, and more. Once we clear the bills, the thirty-day cycle starts all over again. For that reason, modern Christians have a hard time with Jesus’ admonition not to worry about life—to take no thought for tomorrow. How will the bills be paid if we “take no thought”?

Jesus didn’t say, “Don’t work”; He said, “Don’t worry.” Part of life in the kingdom of God is the realization that we are stewards and God is the Master. He provides opportunities for us to do His work. That was a central theme when Jesus sent His disciples out, two by two, to preach and heal with kingdom power (Mark 6:7-13). They were instructed to take no worldly resources with them. They were to live like Jesus lived—in complete dependence on the Father (Luke 9:58).

We work to eat and provide for our families (2 Thessalonians 3:10), but we do so with God’s blessing and provision. It is a reminder to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

A point to ponder…

Worry is an indication that we think God cannot look after us.

Oswald Chambers

Read the Bible through in a year

Ezekiel 40-42

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

September 9, 2022

Friday

House of Kindness

Acts 9: 36-43

41  And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.”

Mark 5:41

Bethesda, Maryland, took its name from a church called the Bethesda Meeting House (1820), which took its name from the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. In Hebrew, Bethesda meant “house of kindness/mercy.” It is not surprising that one of America’s largest centres of healing, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, is located in Bethesda.

It was at the Pool of Bethesda where the sick in Jesus’ day gathered to look for healing when an angel stirred the waters. And it was there that Jesus chose to heal a very sick man—he was an invalid for 38 years (John 5:1-15). There is no mention of why Jesus chose to heal this man, nor why He didn’t heal others that day. Jesus didn’t heal every sick person in Palestine. But those He did heal were truly healed—body, soul, and spirit. Like the young girl who had died in Capernaum whom Jesus restored to life with a word. Healing is never a question of God’s ability, but of His purpose.

God’s healing is always a gift of kindness and mercy. Ask Him if you are in need and trust Him for His answer.

A point to ponde…

Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.

Thomas Moore

Read the Bible through in a year

Ezekiel 31-33

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

September 8, 2022

Thursday

Life Is What You Make It: Make Room (For Service)

Colossians 4:7-17

17  And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.”

Colossians 4:17

In a Wall Street Journal blog, Marc Agronin, a psychiatrist at Miami Jewish Health, wrote, “During a routine visit with your doctor, you anticipate questions about your diet, weight, smoking and drinking. But there’s one important health-related question our doctors never ask, but should: ‘What’s your sense of purpose in life?’”

Researchers have found that purpose is as great a factor in health and longevity as exercise. It improves our body’s stress response, fosters healthier behaviors, and reduces certain risk factors for heart disease. What kind of activities? Dr. Agronin suggests “volunteering, caregiving, grandparenting, craft-making, traveling, praying, creating… it’s an endless list.” 1

For Christ-followers, service comes naturally. Jesus sends us into each day with work to do, and our lives are immortal until our work is done. In Colossians 4:7-17, Paul lists ten different men who encouraged him by their lives of service. Life is what you make it. Make room for service. Ask the Lord what He wants you to do today and do it with all \ your heart.

A point to ponder…

Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever our lord the king shall appoint.

Amy Carmichael, in Edges of His Ways

Read the Bible through in a year

Ezekiel 28-30

I love you!!!

1 https://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2018/02/25/the-one-question-doctors-should-be-asking-but-never-do/?guid=BL-258B-

8146&mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1&dsk=y

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

September 7, 2022

Wednesday

Healing

Matthew 9: 18-26

20  And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, andtouched the hem of his garment:”

Matthew 9:20

Jesus healed many people in the Gospels, and He raised the dead. But His miracles were, in a sense, temporary, for all these people eventually died. Take the woman with the flow of blood. She reached through the crowd and touched the edge of our Lord’s robe as He passed by. Instantly power flashed from Him, through His garment, into her body, and she was healed. But as time passed this woman grew old or ill, and she eventually passed away.

Why, then, did Jesus heal the sick? To demonstrate His power over disease. Why did He raise the dead? To exhibit His power over death. His miracles of healing show us two things. First, He can heal us presently, even miraculously, if and when He chooses. Second, ultimate healing awaits us at the moment of the resurrection. Not a shred of death or disease will enter heaven with us.

 Jesus is the everlasting healer. He heals not only physical afflictions but also the diseases of the soul. And our ultimate healing is permanent, powerful, and awaiting us in eternity. By His stripes we are healed.

A point to ponder…

Father, there is nothing too hard for You. When You take us by the hand, we’re in good

hands.

David Jeremiah

Read the Bible through in a year

Ezekiel 25-27

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

September 6, 2022

Tuesday

Afraid of the Light

Mark 5: 14-17

7  And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.”

Mark 5:17

For instinctual reasons, nocturnal animals avoid the light, venturing out only at night. The same avoidance of light can apply to some people. When Jesus came, most people didn’t embrace the light He brought (John 1:4-5).

When Jesus drove a crowd of demons out of a deranged man, the unclean spirits rushed into a herd of two thousand pigs. The swine ran into the sea and drowned. When word of what happened got out, the local population begged Jesus to leave. Rather than celebrating that this person who had been dwelling in the tombs in his madness was now made well, they didn’t want to live with something they did not understand. The same thing happened in Philippi when Paul cast a demon out of a girl who told fortunes, depriving her owners of income (Acts 16:16). And in Ephesus, Paul preached against idols and the silversmiths lost their income (Acts 19:26-27). In both places, the apostles were persecuted for doing good. When light touches the darkness people love, they reject the light.

 It is a reminder to embrace the light and share the light (Acts 17:11-12), and be prepared for rejection when you bring God’s light into a dark world.

A point to ponder…

A glory gilds the sacred page, majestic like the sun; it gives a light to every age, it gives, but borrows none.

William Cowper

Read the Bible through in a year

Ezekiel 23-24

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

September 5,2022

Monday

What Is Your Name?

Mark 5:6-9

9  And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.”

Mark 5:9

The army of the Roman Empire was nothing if not organized. The largest division was a legion, consisting of 6,000 soldiers. Legions were divided into ten cohorts (600 soldiers each), and each cohort was divided into six centuries (100 soldiers each).

In the fifth chapter of Mark we are introduced to the Gadarene demoniac. Upon His arrival in the country of the Gadarenes, Jesus was approached by this deranged man, who cried out, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” (verse 7) Jesus responded with a single command for the “unclean spirit” to come out of the man. And then Jesus asked him his name. The man replied, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” That didn’t mean the man was possessed by 6,000 demons; it only meant that there were “many” demons in him, not just one. Once Jesus ordered the demons to leave the man, they did, and he was immediately restored to his right mind—a miracle of restoration.

The use of the military term “Legion” was appropriate for this man during his torment, for it represented the multitude of demons that plagued him until he met Jesus and he was healed. When we meet Christ, we are set free from the chains that once kept us captive to our sin as well.

A point to ponder…

We can call out even to the demons in hell, “Which of you is going to condemn me?” And

there will be no answer.

John R. W. Stott

Read the Bible through in a year

Ezekiel 21-22

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

Weekend Wisdom

September 3– September 4, 2022

Who God Says You Are

But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine”

Isaiah 43:1

God is very personal. Consider the word formed (v.1)—it’s so intimate. God may have spoken the universe into existence, but He formed you. This is the same word used in Jeremiah 18 to describe God as the potter with His hands on the clay, personally shaping you. He did not just make your life and bring you into existence; He is forming the kind of person you are becoming day by day. God is making you into who He wants you to be.

When it comes to your identity, the critical issue is not what you think about yourself—because you can’t be trusted! As Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Ultimately, the only thing that matters is what God thinks about you.

Tune in to the biblical message of who God says you are and allow His thoughts about you to build your identity. You will discover a remarkably different thought pattern developing, I’m not who my parents or my spouse say I am. I’m not who my boss says I am. I’m not what my performance or my appearance says I am. I am who God says I am!

If you let your mind be renewed with His Word, the truth that God formed you will download into your identity and your attitude. This involves accepting truths about God that will affect your understanding of who you are, and it results in an attitude that honors Him. You’ll be surprised by how your actions naturally begin to flow out of who you know you are in Christ.

The fact that God is personal reinforces this awesome identity truth: the Lord has redeemed you and called you His own. He paid your redemption price with His Son’s life so He could have a relationship with you that will last forever.

If you have put your trust in Jesus, God says, “You are mine.” That is who you are. And what God says is the only thing that will ultimately matter. Let this truth shape your identity for His glory today.

Points to ponder…

• Which of these three actions by God—redeeming you, calling you by name, declaring you are His own—means the most to you right now?
•  What pattern of thinking do you need to release today to move forward in who God says you are?

Saturday’s Reading

Ezekiel 16-17

Sunday’s Reading

Ezekiel 18-20

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

September 2, 2022

Friday

Refusal to Panic

Matthew 8: 23-27

26  And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the windsand the sea; and there was a great calm.”

Matthew 8:26

Many of the storms in the Bible were occasions for God to teach us about faith. Just as the weather changes from sunny to stormy, so some of our days are bright and happy; while others are dark and tempestuous. Our Lord is the same in every condition, and all the winds and waves are under His control. In Matthew 8, the disciples woke Jesus during a storm on the Sea of Galilee. They were terrified. After rebuking the storm, Jesus rebuked His disciples, saying, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “Faith is the refusal to panic. Do you like that sort of definition of faith? Does that seem to be too earthly and not sufficiently spiritual? It is of the very essence of faith. Faith is the refusal to panic, come what may.” 1

If you’re in a boat and the waters are raging, remember—the Savior is aboard. He wants you to trust Him, and faith is the refusal to panic.

A point to ponder…

This agitation and alarm always carries with it a lack of implicit trust and confidence in Him.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Read the Bible through in a year

Ezekiel 13-15

I love you!!!

1 Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965), 143.

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

September 1, 2022

Thursday

Make Time (For God)

Psalm 119: 145-152

147  I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word. 148  Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.”

Psalm 119:147-148

September is for improvements. Children return to school to improve their minds, and we, too, need to make sure we’re enrolled in God’s classroom—the Bible. The American Bible Society’s “State of the Bible: 2018” reports that 61 percent of Bible-engaged Americans say they need the Bible more than coffee to jumpstart their mornings. Nothing helps us begin or end our days like meeting with the Lord and listening to His voice in Scripture. 1

With or without coffee, the Bible is our greatest educational opportunity—one in which we learn how to live while falling in love with the Author of the Book.

Life is what we make it, which means we need to make time for the Lord, for the lessons of His Word, and for prayer. It’s the greatest classroom in the world, and the professor is our Father and our Friend. Let’s give Him first place in our time, starting today.

A point to ponder…

Happiness does not depend on outward circumstances but on the state of the heart.

J. C. Ryle

Read the Bible through in a year

Ezekiel 9-12

I love you!!!

1. https://www.americanbible.org/state-of-the-bible-coffee

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

August 31, 2022
Wednesday

Never Alone
Mark 16:20

29  Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”
Colossians 1:29

As children, we hated having to go places alone without the security of a parent—like walking into a new school building alone on the first day of school. Little has changed. As adults we still fear being alone—in times of trouble or crisis or discouragement, when facing responsibilities and challenges that only we can undertake. God noticed the unnatural state of aloneness shortly after creating Adam (Genesis 2:18).

There’s another way that little has changed: the presence of Christ with those who follow and serve Him. Before His death, resurrection, and ascension, Christ was always with His disciples. He taught them, modeled life for them, and trained them. After His ascension, His physical presence changed but not His spiritual presence. By the presence of His Spirit, He was with them as much as He had been. Paul gave testimony to this fact more than once (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:29). Jesus promised He would be with His disciples (Matthew 28:20), and He was (Mark 16:20).

If you are Christ’s, He is with you in every situation of your life. You never have to go anywhere or do anything alone.

A point to ponder…

The problem with atheism is having nobody to talk to when you are alone.

Unknown

Read the Bible through in a year

Ezekiel 5-8

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich