Daily Devotionals

Psalm 78:9

Psalm 78 is a hymn of history. Being a Maskil psalm, it is designed to instruct those who ponder its message. The opening words command us to listen...to incline our ears to what the composer, Asaph, has to say. Immediately we realize that he is recounting the unhappy days of disobedience which characterized the Jews during their rebellion and wandering. Throughout the psalm, Asaph contrasts God’s faithfulness and patience with Israel’s failure and unbelief. The ancient hymn was, no doubt, sung in a minor key. 

Romans 10:13–14

Are you what we might call a modern-day prophet, a tomorrow-thinker in a world of yesterday-dwellers? Or do you know somebody like that? Though often unpopular and unthanked, these people perform a vital role in society. They look at the future and issue precious warnings.

Amos 3:7-8

Have you noticed? Some people have the uncanny ability to see so far into tomorrow, you feel like you’re operating in the shadows of yesterday. While you and I are evaluating where we’ve been, those forward-thinking people are forever exploring where we’re going. Instead of reacting, they’re on the offence...probing, innovating, analyzing, and warning—always warning. While we search for ways to settle in and find comfort on our sofa-like surroundings, they are confronting the consequences of reality, facing the music before we even realize the prelude has begun. 

1 Corinthians 15:58

God makes some people large, others moderate in stature. Still others are small in size. We frequently make the mistake of calling small folks “little,” but that is an unfortunate and unfair tag. I’m not picking at terms...there is a great deal of difference between being small and being little. If you don’t think so, just ask someone who is less than average height. They won’t hesitate telling you they may be small, but they’re definitely not little. 

Colossians 3:23-24

Some collegians think manual labour is the president of Mexico...until they graduate. Suddenly, the light dawns. Reality frowns. And that sheltered, brainy, fair-skinned, squint-eyed scholar who has majored in medieval literature and minored in Latin comes of age. He experiences a strange sensation deep within his abdomen two weeks after framing his diploma. Hunger. Remarkable motivation accompanies this feeling. 

James 1:22–25

Once upon a time life was simple and uncomplicated. Oh sure, there were struggles and problems, but they weren’t all that complex. Good and evil did battle with each other. So did willpower and laziness. Right fought against wrong in the main event and not too many folks remained neutral. There was a clear, unmistakable line between winning and losing...victory and defeat...accomplishment and failure...actual war between opposing forces and peace, real peace—not smouldering, game-playing peace. 

Isaiah 50:7

Making one’s own decisions develops healthy mental muscles. But there will always be a few who crave to be told what to do. A major reason some prefer to be indecisive is laziness. Decision-making is hard work. Peter Drucker was correct when he said: 

A decision is a judgment. It is a choice between alternatives. It is rarely a choice between right and wrong. It is at best a choice between “almost right” and “probably wrong”—but much more often a choice between two courses of action, neither of which is probably more nearly right than the other. 

Joshua 24:14–15

2 Timothy 2:14–17

I repeat: Don’t garble the message! 

Psalm 40:10

“Don’t garble the message!” 

If I heard that once during Marine boot camp, I must’ve heard it four dozen times. Again and again, our outfit was warned against hearing one thing, then passing on a slightly different version. You know, changing the message by altering the meaning a tad. It’s so easy to do, isn’t it? Especially when it’s filtered through several minds, then pushed through each mouth. It is amazing how the original story, report, or command appears after it has gone through its verbal metamorphosis. 

Consider the following: