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

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© 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

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© 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

August 30, 2022
Tuesday

Positive Words
Psalm 100

3  Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and
the sheep of his pasture.”
Psalm 100:3

Those words—Know that the Lord, He is God—are what separate Christian optimism from the rest of the body of literature about positive thinking. There’s a wide array of material about optimism and positive thinking. Books, magazines, seminars, courses, workshops, and websites. But positive thinking is worthless unless it’s grounded in God’s theology. It’s nothing but cotton candy and vaporous thoughts without this truth—“The Lord, He is God.” On the other hand, the existence and perpetual reign of the Lord Himself as God of theuniverse is sufficient to fuel anyone’s optimism. Those words—The Lord, He is God—are the answer to every problem, the solution to every heartache, and the remedy for every perplexity we ever face.
 
The Lord, He is God. He is on His throne. He is in control. He is our God, and nothing can withstand Him. God is the sovereign ruler of the earth to whom everyone will give an account. He wants us to make a joyful shout to Him, to serve Him with gladness, and to come before Him with singing. That’s something we can be positive about.
 The Lord reigns; let the earth be glad!

A point to ponder…

Sovereignty characterizes the whole being of God. He is sovereign in all His attributes.
A. W. Pink

Read the Bible through in a year
Ezekiel 1-4
I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

August 29, 2022
Monday

All Things Bright and Beautiful
Matthew 10: 27-31

10  A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.”
Proverbs 12:10

Have you ever asked yourself why God created animals—so many of them with such variety?

Clearly God loves animals. He filled the Garden of Eden with them, preserved them during the Flood, and expressed concern about the cattle of Nineveh at the end of the book of Jonah. He even makes the surprising statement in Proverbs 12:10 that righteousness includes treating our animals well.

God undoubtedly created animals to be lessons for us. We learn diligence by watching ants do their work (Proverbs 6:6); we learn trust from the sparrows (Psalm 84:3); safety from the hen with her chicks (Matthew 23:37); confidence from the eagle (Isaiah 40:31); surefootedness from the deer (Habakkuk 3:19); discipleship from the sheep (John 10:4); gentleness from doves (Matthew 10:16); obedience from the horse (Psalm 32:9); wisdom from the badger (Proverbs 30:26); courage from the lion (Proverbs 30:29-30); and faith from the raven (Luke 12:24).

If you’re vacationing with your children this summer, talk about the animals. Sometimes their very presence is a sermon for our souls.

A point to ponder…

All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, / All things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all.
Cecil Frances Alexander

Read the Bible through in a year
Lamentations 3:37- 5:22
I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

Weekend Wisdom
August 27– August 28, 2022

Reaching Across the Aisle

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you
also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have
love for one another” 
John 13:34–35

It turns out that loving Jesus is the easy part. And why shouldn’t it be? We who deserved so little have received so much. We who’ve earned nothing have been given everything. We who merit only judgment have been extended total forgiveness through Him. Instead of death, life. Instead of punishment, grace.

Privilege. Status. Eternity.

What’s not to love here? What should be so hard about loving Jesus? But then comes this “new commandment” that He left for His followers, less than twenty-four hours before He’d be hanging on a cross. And this commandment, oddly enough, would be the tougher one: “that you love one another.” Because what’s not to love here? In our Christian friends? In our Christian family? Well, a lot of things.

But while loving Jesus is vitally, centrally important—“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30)—our love for Jesus is not what creates the most
lasting impression on the people around us. The thing that does the best job of helping people see and know what He can truly do to change a person’s life is our difficult obedience to this single, new commandment: “just as I have loved you,
you also are to love one another.”

People in the world are accustomed to seeing relationships that don’t work. They see it at home. They see it on the job. They see it just about everywhere they go. But sadly, this same kind of breakdown occurs also among Christian believers and
institutions. Often people have grown up in churches where they felt judged, inspected, measured, excluded—but not loved.

Just imagine, though, if people who almost never see actual demonstrations of sacrificial, forgiving, unselfish love could see it in real life—in us—as we relate to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Imagine what they would think. They’d started to wonder what this kind of community was rooted in. What would keep them from wanting to be part of a place where people genuinely love each other? Outsiders are not as intrigued and impressed as we think by how well we do our worship, how well we teach our classes, or how well we proclaim the Word from our pulpits. But the assurance Jesus gives us, if we will faithfully develop and nurture this kind of love for one another, is that “by this all people will know that you are my disciples.” Our love for each other is what will convince them.

John the apostle, the same writer who captured these words of Jesus, would later say the same thing another way: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:20–21).
That’s what people really want to see.

Points to ponder…

• Think of one or two relationships with other believers where you’re withholding
  love from them. In light of Jesus’ commandment, how justified do you feel in
  your reasons for keeping your distance?
• After praying about it, what are some practical ways the Lord would lead you to
  show genuine love to these individuals?

Saturday’s Reading
Jeremiah 51-52
Sunday’s Reading
Lamentations 1:1-3:36
I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

August 26, 2022
Friday

He Who Understands
Hebrews 4:14-16

2  Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.”
Psalm 139:2

The famous prayer usually associated with Francis of Assisi begins, “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace”—thus often called the “Peace Prayer.” It is a prayer that asks for things that are counterintuitive to natural human impulses, such as, “O divine Master, let me not seek as much to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand.” Consoling and understanding (instead of being consoled and understood) are not natural to us.

Most teenagers say to their parents at least once, “You just don’t understand!” And that may be true—parents are long past their own misunderstood teenage years. Yet even as adults, we wonder if anyone really understands us. Francis’ prayer seems to be modeled after the life of Christ, for surely He was one who came to serve rather than to be served, to console and understand rather than to be consoled and understood (Mark 10:45).  Indeed, the Bible tells us that Christ understands our lives since He endured every human experience we do (Hebrews 4:15).
 
When you think no one understands, turn to Jesus in prayer (Hebrews 4:16). Not only will He hear, He will understand.

A point to ponder…

Christ understands loneliness; He’s been through it.
Paul S. Rees

Read the Bible through in a year
Jeremiah 49-50
I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

August 24, 2022
Wednesday

A Patient Father
Psalm 37: 7-9

9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-
ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9

A mom or dad can put a toddler’s shoes and socks on and tie the shoes in a fraction of the time it takes the little one to do the same thing. And a neighborhood walk takes several times longer when a child is allowed to stop and explore bugs, rocks, leaves, and flowers along the way. Loving parents understand what’s happening in those moments. Their little one is learning and exploring at his own speed. Patience is the speed of the parent until the learning is done. Patience is an expression of a parent’s goodness and love.

That’s an imperfect way to think about God’s patience with us. He is a perfect Heavenly Father; we are imperfect (still learning) earthly children. God is patient with humanity, believers and unbelievers alike. He knows our weaknesses and is patient with us (Hebrews 4:15). He knows unbelievers’ hearts and is longsuffering toward them, “not willing that any should perish” (2 Peter 3:9).
 
When you feel impatient with yourself or with others, remember God’s loving patience with you.

A point to ponder…

Where there is no patience, there is not even a spark of faith.
John Calvin

Read the Bible through in a year
Jeremiah 42-45
I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

August 25, 2022
Thursday

The Great Outdoors—Valleys
Isaiah 41: 17-20

18  I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a
pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.”
Isaiah 41:18

“The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome,” said Helen Keller. “The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse.”

To travelers enjoying the great outdoors, valleys are a sight to behold. Certain websites suggest the most beautiful valleys in the world. Usually, the list includes the Valley of Geysers, a remarkable nearly four-mile long basin in the Russian Far East with ninety pulsating geysers sending plumes of steam into the air like tea kettles.

All of us occasionally end up in our own Valley of Geysers. Valleys are symbols of suffering and shadows. But when we’re walking with God, He creates rivers from the heights and fountains in the valleys. Isaiah 41, addressed to people in captivity, assures us that God knows how to refresh us in the valley as well as on the mountaintop. If you’re in a valley today, remember, “Though I walk through the valley…I will fear no evil; for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4).

Valleys are great places to enjoy your walk with God.

A point to ponder…

Jesus will walk with me down through the valley.
Haldor Lillenas in the hymn, “Jesus Will Walk With Me”

Read the Bible through in a year
Jeremiah 46-48
I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

August 23, 2022
Tuesday

Loyal Love
Psalm 145: 1-9

“Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.”
Psalm 52:

We have some examples of things happening “continually” in our world: the thunderousflow of water over Niagara Falls or Victoria Falls in Africa. Or consider the constant flow of energy from our solar system’s sun, or the continual pull of gravity that keeps us grounded.Some things happen so continuously that we don’t think about them; we take them for granted and thus fail to appreciate them.

While the continual action of some things in nature might one day be interrupted, there is one continual reality that will never be—God’s goodness: “The goodness of God endures continually.” The Hebrew word translated “goodness” in Psalm 52:1 is the foundational word for God’s chief attribute in the Old Testament: hesed. It is most often translated

“lovingkindness” or “mercy,” but a more illustrative way of rendering hesed is “loyal love.” What do you think of when you think of loyalty? In a friend, loyalty means a person who is always faithful, always dependable, always there, and always good. That is a person you count on through thick and thin.

That is how the psalmist describes God when he says, “The [loyal-love] of God endures continually.” Waterfalls, sunlight, and gravity may end, but God’s goodness will not.

A point to ponder…

God’s goodness is the preeminent expression of His glory.
Jerry Bridges

Read the Bible through in a year
Jeremiah 38-41
I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

August 22, 2022
Monday

Just a Prayer Away
Matthew 6: 5-8

13  Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto
the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”
Hebrews 4:13

An idea that we now take for granted used to be the stuff of science fiction. Technology now allows us to track the movements of cars, phones, and people with digital devices. We can pull up maps to that effect on our computer screens. This is not actually omniscience since there are limits.

True omniscience is one of God’s attributes; because He is love, His exhaustive knowledge is used for our benefit. The psalmist David wrote eloquently about God’s all-knowing awareness of his life (Psalm 139:2-11). The phrase “misery loves company” comes to mind: When we are suffering, the knowledge that God knows about our pain is comforting. He is with us (Hebrews 13:5) and, even before we tell or ask Him, He knows what we need (Matthew 6:8). Whether in good times or bad, God is with us, never more than a prayer away.

Are you standing on troubled ground today? Be assured that you do not stand alone. God is with you always, “even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

A point to ponder…

God has never promised to solve our problems. He has promised to go with us.
Elisabeth Elliot

Read the Bible through in a year
Jeremiah 35-37
I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

Weekend Wisdom
August 20– August 21, 2022

The Schools of Gratitude

Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ 
Ephesians 5:20

If we never received another thing from God for the rest of our lives, we could still fill each day with genuine gratitude: “Thank You, God, for this new day.” “Thank You for life so that I can serve You.” “Thank You for each breath I can use to praise You.” “Thank You for health.” “Thank You, Lord, for strength.”

But somehow we make the choice to turn from all that we’ve received and to focus on what we still want. We minimize the blessings of life and magnify every negative circumstance we encounter. The litany of complaints begins.

“I can’t believe the nursery workers are late again today.” “I am sick and tired of this lousy weather.” “Why can’t the kids remember to pick up after themselves?” “Nobody appreciates me.” When we focus on the negative around us, life starts to feel like a wilderness.

Instead, we need to grow in our level of gratitude. Thankfulness is a spiritual discipline that we can learn, starting with elementary school gratitude, then high school gratitude, and finally graduate school gratitude. Let’s visit these three schools of gratitude.

The elementary level teaches us to be thankful in the most basic sense. We learn to “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name” (Hebrews 13:15). At the elementary level, thankfulness feels like a sacrifice. We wring out of our hearts, “Thanks, God. There

I’ve said it, God, so You should be happy.” When God helps us, we say thanks out of obligation. Now that is something, but it’s not much. When thankfulness is a begrudging sacrifice, we won’t find much joy.

With high school gratitude, we come to a better place. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). In every situation, we can always find something to bethankful for always. We can make the decision to focus not on what’s wrong but on what’s good and right in our lives and give thanks for that. This growing level of gratitude does produce joy . . . as long as we’re not going through anything too difficult.

But if you want real joy, if you want to be done with poverty of spirit, if you want to escape from the cheerless, joyless wilderness forever, then advance to level three, graduate school thankfulness. Be thankful for all things. Whereas high school thankfulness searches for a good aspect in a challenging circumstance, graduate school thankfulness trusts God and thus feels grateful for the bad things, even the things we wouldn’t choose. “Be filled with the Spirit . . . giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18b, 20).

This is the Mt. Everest of thankfulness, and here you will find victory over every circumstance. No matter what you’re suffering—a health crisis, a deep sorrow that won’t go away, a financial need—you can come to the place where you sincerely say by faith, “Thank You, God. This is the thing You’re using in my life. You’ve allowed it because You love me, and I trust You. Thank You, God, even for this!” When you grow up into that kind of thankfulness, you will experience a depth of joy you never thought possible.

We really have so much to be thankful for. Did the sun come up again this morning? Do you have another day to live for the glory of God? Then you can give thanks. You might argue, “Yes, but I have plenty of negatives to focus on and complain about too.” Exactly the point. You have a decision to make.

Points to ponder…

 How would you assess your ability to give thanks? Are you enrolled in the elementary, high school, or graduate school of gratitude?
 When thankfulness is part of the discipline of our lives, our joy increases. Does your life feel joyful, focusing on the positives in life, or more like a wilderness, fixating on the negatives?

Saturday’s Reading
Jeremiah 30-31
Sunday’s Reading
Jeremiah 32-34
I love you!!!

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich

August 19, 2022
Friday

One Solitary Man

1 Timothy 1: 15-17

9  Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in
Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.”
2 Chronicles 36:9

James Baker’s influence in Washington was legendary. He could walk in and out of the Oval Office at will. One day while serving as Presidential Chief of Staff, Baker was traveling home in his limousine. He noticed a man walking alone. No reporters were around him. No security. Just a man on an empty street. Baker recognized him as the Chief of Staff of a prior administration.

“There he was, alone,” Baker said. “No reporters, no security, no adoring public, no trappings of power—just one solitary man alone with his thoughts.” That image became a constant reminder to Baker of the fleeting nature of power. “That man had it all,” said Baker, “but only for a time.” 1

History is littered with the names of people who rose and fell, who lived and died. But we serve a God whose power will never diminish and whose rule and reign will      never end. Our God doesn’t rule for three months and ten days. His kingdom is forever.

A point to ponder…

Having a position of power does not bring inner security and fulfillment. That comes only by developing a personal relationship with God, which for me is personified in Jesus Christ.
James A. Baker

Read the Bible through in a year
Jeremiah 26-29
I love you!!!

 
1 From James Baker’s Address at the 1990 National Prayer Breakfast.

© 2000-2022 B. Michael Goerlich