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

February 27, 2023

Monday

53 Seconds

Psalm 47

⁸ God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.”

Psalm 47:8

Does today’s breaking news frustrate you? Probably. The world’s headlines are enough to make our heads spin and our spirits sag. But lay aside the newspaper or turn off the cable news and read Psalm 47 aloud. It will only take 53 seconds at a reasonable speed.

The writer tells us to clap our hands and to shout in triumph (verse 1) for God is awesome, the King of the earth (verse 2). He will subdue peoples and nations (verse 3). We can sing His praises because He reigns over the nations and sits on His throne (verses 6-8). He is greater than all the leaders. He is highly exalted (verse 9).

Jesus came to die and rise again, ushering in His kingdom. We are His kingdom now, but one day His kingdom will fully come. Circumstances are aligning for His return and one day soon the kingdoms of this world will be the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.

Jesus may come in the next 53 seconds. So let’s not lose a minute in anxious fretting about this world. Let’s hold tightly to the truth of Psalm 47 and remember Who is truly in charge.

A point to ponder…

When He reigns there will be no one to dispute His Word, for He will be the only Potentate.

Harry Ironside

Read the Bible through in a year

Deuteronomy 1-2

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

Weekend Wisdom

February 25– February 26, 2022

When in Doubt, Love

¹⁴ And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”

Colossians 3:14

Sometime in the late 1990s, I began the habit of ending each of our worship services by declaring the same three-word benediction to our congregation--“I love you” --and I’ve been doing it ever since. It was a seemingly minor decision at the time, but it’s come to be of great importance to me. Little did I know then, as I know now, just how wonderful those words are to say--and not only to say, but to mean, to hear, and to live.

Because everything about being a Christian is tied up in love. It’s what “binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

The whole atmosphere of the Christian life is love. “In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:4b–5), making us His “chosen ones, holy and beloved” (Colossians 3:12). That’s why we can join with Paul in asking the rhetorical question, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ” (Romans 8:35)? The answer, of course, is no one. And nothing! Love is who Jesus is; love is what Jesus did; love is what Jesus gave; love is the ocean we are swimming in.

So as those who’ve been totally secured in His inseparable love by His grace and through faith in the Lord Jesus, love is what we’re now called to do--to love others, no matter what.

Each of us, whatever our circumstances or situation, shares at least a portion of our lives with someone who presses us to the edge of our capacity to love. Putting up with what they do to us or demand of us can sometimes feel nearly impossible to handle. But in those exasperating moments when you ask yourself, What should I do about all this?, let the Word of God speak your answer: “Put on love.” Love is what you should do.

But that is what I’ve been doing, you might say. Then keep on doing it! Because love will be the making of you. Whatever sense of relief or revenge you think would be gained by turning away and giving up on this person, will only actually result in regrettable loss compared to what love--and only love--can achieve.

When you don’t know what to do, love.

If we’d ever let God really convince us to live out this conviction . . . if word ever got out that our churches were places where, if someone were to bring all their mess and nonsense to us, they could know we would sit with them, cry with them, pray with them--love them--imagine the enormity of what might happen.

Love is not out there in the world for people to find. Love is not what they’re accustomed to experiencing. So, if it’s not here, with us, where is it? If it can’t be found in the church, coming from God’s beloved children, where else can anyone go to get it?

If you want to be a person whose influence can help change people’s lives, and if you want your church to become a powerhouse of blessing and impact, the choice is very clear.

What to do?

You should love.

Points to ponder…

• Who in your life is hardest to love?
• What would it look like for you to choose to increase your love for him or her?

Saturday’s Reading

Numbers 33-34

Sunday’s Reading

 Numbers 35-36

 I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

February 24, 2023

Friday

It’s Not Complicated

Psalm 119: 1-16

⁸ This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

Joshua 1:8

The primary lesson of life with God is not complicated: His Word (His leading and instruction) is given for our blessing and our benefit. God honors those who honor Him and follow His instruction in this life.

After the Exodus from Egypt, Israel was in the wilderness on the way to the land God had promised them. But when they approached Canaan, fear overtook them; they failed to believe God’s promise of blessing in their new homeland. So that generation spent the next forty years in the wilderness until their children reached adulthood and could enter the land (Numbers 13–14). When that time came, Joshua, their new leader, reminded them of the primary principle of success in walking with God: Follow His Word in all things (Joshua 1:8).

Today, life in this world can seem like a wilderness, but the principle of success remains the same: Trust the Lord; obey His Word; follow His direction in all things.

A point to ponder…

The Bible is the book of my life. It’s the book I live with, the book I live by, the book I want to die by.

N. T. Wright

Read the Bible through in a year

Numbers 31-32

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

February 23, 2023

Thursday

All You Need Is Love: Forgiveness

Colossians 2:13

⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.”

Mark 2:5

The hardest part of forgiving another person is acting like the offense never occurred. But that is what forgiving someone means—restoring relationships to the status they enjoyed before the offense took place. It’s one thing to say, “I forgive you,” but it’s another to act like all the effects of an offense are completely erased. After all, according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, love is known by its actions more than its words.

Jesus faced this dilemma when He healed a paralytic man. When He told the man that his sins were forgiven (and by extension, he was healed), He was criticized. He was accused of blaspheming by saying He had the authority to forgive sins—something only God can do. So, Jesus proved He had the authority to say, “I forgive you,” by doing something harder. He healed the man’s paralysis. After all, as Jesus explained, actions speak louder than words (Mark 2:8-11).

We cannot go through life without being hurt by others, so we should learn to forgive. Even more, we should practice demonstrating our forgiveness by our acts of lovingkindness. Look for opportunities to do both.

A point to ponder…

Forgiveness is to be set loose from sins.
G. Campbell Morgan

Read the Bible through in a year

Numbers 28-30

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

February 22, 2023

Wednesday

“But I Did Not”

Proverbs 10: 9-17

¹⁵ But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.”

Nehemiah 5:15

When Nehemiah became governor of the land of Judah, he and his family refused the common practice of having their meals provided from government funds. While there may have been nothing wrong with taxpayer-funded food for the nation’s leader, former governors had abused the practice. Their excessive lifestyles had burdened the people, and Nehemiah wanted to avoid even the appearance of wrongdoing. So he paid his own way because he feared God and wanted to protect his integrity for God’s sake.

Are there areas of your life in which you should draw some lines, erect some barriers, build some fences, and establish some standards? Any habits you should change? Our society has no established moral code, and the standards keep changing. We must not let the world keep rubbing out the lines we draw for ourselves. The Bible calls us to personal holiness, and our integrity comes from the standards we adopt.

“Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within” (Romans 12:2).

A point to ponder…

Everyone with integrity has drawn some lines and said, “Everyone else did these things, but I did not do so.”

David Jeremiah

Read the Bible through in a year

Numbers 26-27

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

February 21, 2023

Tuesday

Hear, O Israel

Colossians 3: 12-14

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called…

³ Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Ephesians 4:1, 3

Shema Israel—“Hear, [O] Israel”—are the first two words in the Hebrew prayer known as “the Shema.” They are found in Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” The prayer was central to the Jewish faith as the nation entered Canaan, a land filled with multitudes of “gods” The Shema affirmed that the God of Israel was one God, not many. To violate that belief was to violate the integrity of the Jewish faith.

The apostle Paul echoed the Shema in his call to Christian unity: “There is one body and one Spirit . . . one hope . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all” (Ephesians 4:4-6). To disrupt the unity of the Body of Christ with dissension or anger is to violate the integrity of God: Father, Son, and Spirit. Because God is one, His people must be one in “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (see Ephesians 4:3).

Let the words of Richard Baxter (below) inspire your thinking today about love and unity.

A point to ponder…

In necessary things, unity; in doubtful things, liberty; in all things, charity.

Richard Baxter

Read the Bible through in a year

Numbers 23-25

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

February 20, 2023

Monday

Praising God for Us!

Psalm 139: 13-18

¹⁴ I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

Psalm 139:14

The city of Corinth was one of the most modern and beautiful cities in the world in its day. As one of the best-located cities on earth for shipping, great masses of people were coming and going all the time. It was also famous for its sexuality, sensuality, and depravity. The entire city worshiped Aphrodite, the goddess of love and pleasure and the patron goddess of prostitution. Her temple sat on the acropolis looking down on a city in the grip of runaway sexual immorality.

The omniscient Engineer has designed our bodies with breathtaking complexity, and we should praise Him for that. Psalm 139:14 says, “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous.”

Have you made an inventory and praised God for how He created your hands, feet, lungs, heart, brain, ears, kidneys, ribs, and eyes? What about your circulatory system, digestive system, nervous system, and immune system? Perhaps if we were more thankful for our bodies we’d be better stewards of them, taking care of them for His purposes and using them for His glory.

A point to ponder…

The basic chemicals in our body, can be found in the “dust of the ground.” However, these chemicals cannot arrange themselves into cell tissues, organs and systems. This can only happen with an input of intelligence.

Joseph Paturi

Read the Bible through in a year

Numbers 21-22

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich