January 11, 2023

Wednesday

Good Things

1 John 4: 7-12

²² Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.”

Proverbs 18:22

God specializes in good things. Moses told the Israelites, “So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given to you and your house” (Deuteronomy 26:11). Joshua told them, “Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken” (Joshua 21:45). Psalm 34:10 says, “Those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” Psalm 84:11 adds, “No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Paul told Timothy, “That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit” (2 Timothy 1:14).

According to Proverbs 18:22, having a husband or wife is a “good thing,” but we must guard the relationship committed to us. The foundation of a good marriage begins with knowing and loving God. As we grow in Christ, He gives us the spiritual resources we need to bring patience, joy, and faithfulness into our home. Marriage is really a three-way friendship between a man, a woman, and the Lord. We must be zealous to guard that.

Galatians 4:18 says, “It is good to be zealous in a good thing always.”

A point to ponder…

Men, you’ll never be a good groom to your wife unless you’re first a good bride to Jesus.

Timothy Keller

Read the Bible through in a year

Genesis 32-34

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

January 10, 2023

Tuesday

Flee!

1 Corinthians 10:13

¹⁸ Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.”

1 Corinthians 6:18

The English word “flee” occurs 81 times in the eminently physical contexts in the Old Testament—most of them having to do with escaping with one’s life in the midst of conflict. In the more spiritually-focused New Testament, “flee” only occurs 14 times, but it loses none of its Old Testament urgency: run for your life; flee the enemy; escape while you can.

Therefore, when Paul tells the Corinthians to “flee sexual immorality,” he was being extremely serious. In the same way that we flee things that can hurt us, we should flee sexual immorality. Normally, we flee from an external force that might come against us. In the case of sexual immorality, we are fleeing the possibility of hurting ourselves. Who would want to harm themselves? Moreover, our body is not our own—it is a sanctuary for God’s Holy Spirit. So not only do we sin against ourselves with sexual immorality, we sin against God within us.

Thankfully, God provides a way of escape from the temptation to sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). When you are tempted, look for the way He provides to flee.

A point to ponder…

Holiness is not freedom from temptation, but power to overcome temptation.

G. Campbell Morgan

Read the Bible through in a year

Genesis 30-31

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

January 9, 2023

Monday

Commit Your Eyes

1 Corinthians 6: 19-21 

²⁷ Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.”

Proverbs 7:27

In the Old Testament, a covenant was entered into as a guarantee of future benefits and protection. Consider the covenant Job made: “I have made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I look upon a young woman?” (Job 31:1) That was a man speaking, but the same gender-neutral idea is in Psalm 119:37: “Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way.” The time to make a covenant with your eyes is in a time of reflection and sober commitment.

The father in Proverbs warned his son to consider the danger and damage associated with yielding to sexual temptation (Proverbs 7:1-27). As parents tell their children about all of life, an important lesson they might share is that it’s easier to stay out of trouble than it is to get out of trouble. And the way to avoid the trouble that comes with sexual immorality is to make a covenant with God not to go there. And a covenant with your eyes, in our visual world, is a good place to begin.

Commit your eyes to God in prayer, that they may look upon and desire only that which is good and godly.

A point to ponder…

No sinful act desecrates the body like fornication and sexual abuse.

R. C. H. Lenski

Read the Bible through in a year

Genesis 27-29

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

Weekend Wisdom

January 7– January 8, 2023

The Power of Simple Prayer

“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

² And he said unto them, when ye pray…”

Luke 11:1–2a

From the time humans were created, prayer has been part of our experience. God designed us with the ability to communicate. Not only do we talk to each other, but we also have a natural compulsion to talk to the One who made us. And just as every aspect of humanity is tainted by sin, communication with our Creator is broken too.

Jesus addressed several ways prayer can become twisted, one of which is empty repetition—something our ancestors had a reputation for doing. Pagan Gentiles practiced polytheism, so they had a lot of deities to juggle. For them, praying involved coping with the demands of all these gods. Prayers became rote incantations designed to keep the gods happy and distracted. But as their gods weren’t real and their idols were powerless, it follows that the phrases said to them were meaningless, no matter how high the petitioners stacked them up.

Jesus was clearly unimpressed by repetition in prayer. His descriptions of how people “heap up empty phrases” and use “many words” vividly depicts people mindlessly, frantically trying to reach a god by using multiple echoes. They think, this god will be pleased if I say it one more time. If I persist, this god will hear me.

A clear illustration of the contrast between impotent, repetitive prayer vs. a simple prayer of faith is found in 1 Kings 18:17–40, when the prophet Elijah went head-to-head with pagan priests in a prayer contest. Each side was to call down fire from heaven to consume a sacrifice. Outnumbered 400 to 1, Elijah basically said, “The God who answers with fire is the real God. The other one is an impostor. This pits your god Baal vs. my God Yahweh; may the true God win.” Then Elijah prompted, “You go first.”

So, the priests “called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying ‘O Baal, answer us!’ ”(18:26). Such frantic repetition—today we’d call it a mantra: “O Baal, answer us!” repeated over and over. 

During the lunch break, Elijah “mocked them, saying, ‘Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened’”(18:27). So, they cried louder—literally “raved on” to Baal hour after hour—but there was no answer, only silence (18:29).

After a full day of this circus, it was time to get real. Elijah prepared his sacrifice, even drenching it with water. Then he simply and calmly prayed one time, inviting God Almighty to do His thing. “Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench”(18:38). God won the contest decisively.

As Elijah’s story illustrates, answers to prayer don’t come from some sort of obnoxious yammering, like a child wearing down a parent. Lose that idea. The issue isn’t limiting us to mention something to God only once—we can talk to Him as often as something is on our hearts and minds. The issue is the misconception that incessant repetition will force God’s hand. It won’t.

God is pleased with simple, trusting prayer. Can He hear us? Yes. Is He listening? Yes. We may have the same issues to talk to Him about many times, even over the span of years. But we repeat them out of trust and to release our anxiety to Him, not because we think repetition gains His attention or favor. Our requests are but a small part of the broader and deeper conversation we have with our heavenly Father.

Points to ponder…

• What’s the difference between empty repetition and speaking often with God about an important issue?
• How could you apply the model of Elijah’s simple prayer to your conversations with God?

Saturday’s Reading

Genesis 22-24

Sunday’s Reading

 Genesis 25-26

 I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

January 6, 2023

Friday

Wise Counsel

Proverbs 20:18

 ²² Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.”

Proverbs 15:22

Roughly speaking, around 2.5 million people work for the American federal government in some capacity. Theoretically, all of those individuals have the ear of the President of the United States through the President’s Cabinet—the heads of fifteen executive departments (State, Defense, Treasury, and more), plus the Vice President. Eight other counselors attend Cabinet meetings but are not official Cabinet members. Then, the President has a roster of hand-picked White House advisors. Finally, every citizen can give the President advice through their Congresspersons and Senators.

The Founding Fathers’ idea was that the Executive leader of the United States was to be held in check by an abundance of counselors. And that idea—a “multitude of counselors”—is thoroughly biblical. Even King Solomon, a royal monarch, knew there was value in the accountability and wisdom of many counselors. The same surely holds true for us as individuals.

Who are your wise counselors? What kind of access do you allow them in your life? Purpose to make 2023 a year of wise counsel. Seek out godly friends and mentors who can help you make the wisest decisions and whose counsel you are prepared to take.

A point to ponder…

It is better to get wisdom than gold.

Matthew Henry

Read the Bible through in a year

Genesis 19-21

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

January 5, 2023

Thursday

New Leaves: Anger

James 1: 16-20

¹⁹ Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

²⁰ For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”

James 1:19-20

When you think of turning over a new leaf, perhaps you envision a leaf from a tree, but that’s not what the expression means. Back in the 1500s, pages of books were called leaves. Turning over a new leaf meant turning to a blank page to begin again. Every January we have the opportunity to turn the page and start afresh.

For example, perhaps you’d like to be less irritable this year. Many people are irritable because they’re tired, so a new bedtime routine might help. Some are angry because they’ve allowed bitterness to accrue in their hearts, so they might want to ask God for a forgiving spirit.

Sometimes we’re irritable just because we’ve learned patterns of impatience. In that case, set a goal of memorizing James 1:19-20: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires”.

The best way of turning over some new leaves is by leaving anger behind—and the leaves of Scripture can help you with that.

A point to ponder…

Hot heads and cold hearts never solved anything.
Billy Graham

Read the Bible through in a year

Genesis 16-18

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

January 4, 2023

Wednesday

The Woman in Your Life

Proverbs 9: 1-12

⁶ Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.”

Proverbs 9:6

In Proverbs 9, we find a woman working hard to prepare a banquet. She starts by building a house for it, hewing out seven pillars. Then she selects the menu, prepares the feast, and sends maidens who find the highest spots in town to shout the invitations: “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed” (verse 5). The woman’s name is Wisdom, and Proverbs 9 describes all the blessings that come from her menu.

But the chapter ends with another woman: “A foolish woman is clamorous; she is simple and knows nothing” (verse 13). Lady Folly also sends invitations into the streets, saying, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here” (verse 16). Her meal is junk food that ruins the heart.

Every person on earth goes to one house or the other for their understanding of life. One or the other of these addresses is downloaded onto the GPS of your soul. You’ll have a better life by going to Wisdom’s address. There you can feast on the richness of God’s Word, drink the wine of His thoughts, and be sustained by the energy of His Spirit.

A point to ponder…

The Scriptures are radiant with divine wisdom. This wisdom shines with the glory of God.

John Piper

Read the Bible through in a year

Genesis 12-15

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

January 3, 2023

Tuesday

Comedy of Errors

Proverbs 8: 12-21

¹⁴ Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.”

Proverbs 8:14

A few years ago, a man in Colorado planned to rob a store, but he drew attention to himself by pacing on the sidewalk, gathering his courage. Then he entered the store and pulled a gun from his clothes—it was a BB gun—but he lost his grip and sent it tumbling behind the counter where the clerk picked it up. The man then ran from the store, but his pants, once held up with his BB gun in the waistband, fell around his legs.

It’s amazing how our foolish deeds start multiplying on us.

It’s also amazing how our wise deeds multiply. Our actions flow from values and convictions, and our wisdom comes from God. He says, “Counsel is Mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength.”

Life is confusing for us, but we don’t have to bungle our way through it. Ask God for wisdom for each day and study the counsel of His Word. The fruit of righteousness abounds with each passing year; instead of a comedy of errors, our lives become channels of blessing.

A point to ponder…

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” It is in our coming before the Lord that we see the true nature of all that we observe around us.

W. A. Criswell

Read the Bible through in a year

Genesis 8-11

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

January 2, 2023

Monday

One Resolution

Proverbs 2: 1-6

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”

1 Corinthians 13:12

Most people make New Year’s resolutions, but research shows that most people don’t achieve them. Today is a good day to think about simplifying the whole process of New Year’s resolutions. How? By making only one.

There is one resolution guaranteed to be achievable and impact all your other goals for 2023: Seek wisdom from God every day. One of the Old Testament meanings of wisdom was skill; a wise person was skilled in living (see the book of Proverbs). If we ask God for wisdom, He will provide it (James 1:5). And if God provides wisdom, then every day we will become more skilled at living life in a way that is fruitful and honoring to God. If we ask for wisdom, and are serious about applying it, then all of life will become better: finances, personal goals, relationships, direction for the future, marriage and family—everything.

We see life dimly now, like looking through a dark glass. Therefore, we need wisdom to see more clearly. Ask God for wisdom today and every day of this year.

A point to ponder…

He who has a constant longing for wisdom will persistently pray for it.

D. Edmond Hiebert

Read the Bible through in a year

Genesis 4-7

I love you!!!

© 2000-2023 B. Michael Goerlich

December 13, 2022

Tuesday

Joy to the World

Psalm 98

² The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.”

Psalm 98:2

Hymn lyrics and tunes stay with us when almost everything else fades. How many of us know of elderly friends, parents, or spouses with memory loss? Some of these senior saints no longer recognize anything except for the words or music of some great hymn, one they absorbed over the course of a lifetime, one that settled into the deepest spheres of their souls. Historian Ernest Edwin Ryden said, “The memory of a single hymn learned in childhood has often proved decisive in the spiritual crises of later years.”

That’s especially true for our Christmas carols, because they’re deeply intertwined with our annual celebration of the greatest gift humanity has ever received. Music brings the celebration in our hearts into fruition in our very being. It brings the joy of the angels into our lives.

A point to ponder…

Perhaps this season you’ll be in a public spot when you hear a Christmas carol playing in the background. Who knows? It might be a good opportunity to look at someone nearby and, with a smile, say, “They’re singing about my Savior.”

Read the Bible through in a year

1 Thessalonians 1-5

I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

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