Proverbs 18, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Discharged From Prison

Have you ever heard of a discharged prisoner who wanted to stay? Nor have I. When the doors open, prisoners leave! The thought of a person preferring jail over freedom doesn't compute. Once the penalty is paid, why live under bondage? You are discharged from the penitentiary of sin. Why, in heaven's name, would you ever want to set foot in prison again?

The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 6:6-7, "Our old life died with Christ on the cross so that our sinful selves would have no power over us and we would not be slaves to sin."

He is not saying it is impossible for believers to sin; he's just saying it's stupid for believers to sin. What does the prison have that you desire? Do you miss the guilt? Are you homesick for dishonesty? Was life better when you were dejected and rejected? It makes no sense to go back to prison!

From In the Grip of Grace

Proverbs 18

Words Kill, Words Give Life

1  18 Loners who care only for themselves

spit on the common good.

2  Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse;

all they do is run off at the mouth.

3  When wickedness arrives, shame’s not far behind;

contempt for life is contemptible.

4  Many words rush along like rivers in flood,

but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs.

5  It’s not right to go easy on the guilty,

or come down hard on the innocent.

6  The words of a fool start fights;

do him a favor and gag him.

7  Fools are undone by their big mouths;

their souls are crushed by their words.

8  Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;

do you really want junk like that in your belly?

9  Slack habits and sloppy work

are as bad as vandalism.

10  God’s name is a place of protection—

good people can run there and be safe.

11  The rich think their wealth protects them;

they imagine themselves safe behind it.

12  Pride first, then the crash,

but humility is precursor to honor.

13  Answering before listening

is both stupid and rude.

14  A healthy spirit conquers adversity,

but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?

15  Wise men and women are always learning,

always listening for fresh insights.

16  A gift gets attention;

it buys the attention of eminent people.

17  The first speech in a court case is always convincing—

until the cross-examination starts!

18  You may have to draw straws

when faced with a tough decision.

19  Do a favor and win a friend forever;

nothing can untie that bond.

20  Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach;

good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest.

21  Words kill, words give life;

they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.

22  Find a good spouse, you find a good life—

and even more: the favor of God!

23  The poor speak in soft supplications;

the rich bark out answers.

24  Friends come and friends go,

but a true friend sticks by you like family.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, September 26, 2026

by Tom Felten

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Exodus 4:1-5, 10-11

Moses objected, “They won’t trust me. They won’t listen to a word I say. They’re going to say, ‘God? Appear to him? Hardly!’ ”

2  So God said, “What’s that in your hand?”

“A staff.”

3  “Throw it on the ground.” He threw it. It became a snake; Moses jumped back—fast!

4–5  God said to Moses, “Reach out and grab it by the tail.” He reached out and grabbed it—and he was holding his staff again. “That’s so they will trust that God appeared to you, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

10  Moses raised another objection to God: “Master, please, I don’t talk well. I’ve never been good with words, neither before nor after you spoke to me. I stutter and stammer.”

11–12  God said, “And who do you think made the human mouth? And who makes some mute, some deaf, some sighted, some blind? Isn’t it I, God?

Today's Insights

Exodus 4 records how God repurposed Moses’ staff (vv. 1-5) to accomplish His purpose. The gospel of John describes how a boy’s meager meal was repurposed. A great crowd of people had followed Jesus and were hungry. Christ asked His disciples, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” (6:5). A boy had a boy-sized lunch, barely enough to satisfy a boy-sized appetite. But when the seemingly insignificant was surrendered to God (v. 9), hungry people were fed (vv. 10-13), and God received the glory (v. 14). Today, we can ask God to use us to accomplish His purposes.

For further study, read: The Confidence to Grow

Gifts Repurposed by God

Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. Exodus 4:2 nlt

Captain Tim Mullane diligently worked at sinking the SS United States—a massive ocean liner. In fact, he was paid to send it down to the depths. Mullane repurposes ships from sailing the seven seas to serving as instant artificial reefs on the ocean floor. Sunken vessels provide attractive destinations for scuba divers and help protect coastlines as they curb the erosion of beaches. While no longer riding ocean waves, the ships continue to provide value lying far beneath them.

Moses’ shepherd’s staff was repurposed for something that would prove to be invaluable for the Israelites. God asked him, “What is that in your hand?” Moses replied, “A shepherd’s staff” (Exodus 4:2 nlt). Moses cared for sheep for forty years (Acts 7:29-30), but his staff would now be used to shepherd his people out of Egypt. The staff was a symbol of God’s working through Moses, and as he “[performed] the signs with it” (Exodus 4:17), God’s power was revealed. As Moses stretched out his “staff toward the sky” God rained hail on Egypt (9:23) and later allowed the Israelites to pass through “the sea on dry ground” (14:16).

God repurposed Moses’ staff and role to accomplish His purposes. He’ll often use our gifts and talents in fresh ways too. How might He be using your “staff” in a new way during this season of life?

Reflect & Pray

Why can it be hard to let go of roles and responsibilities? ?How might God be using your gifts and talents in new ways?

Loving God, please help me see how You’re using my gifts and talents in fresh ways.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, September 26, 2026

The Unblamable Attitude

If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift . . . and be reconciled to them. — Matthew 5:23–24

Jesus tells us that we should leave our gift at the altar if we remember, when we get there, that our brother or sister has something against us. He doesn’t say that every time we come to the altar we should begin, with a morbid sensitivity, to dredge up thoughts of possible problems with our brother or sister. “If you . . . remember” means “If the Spirit of God brings something to your conscious mind.” The Holy Spirit makes us sensitive to things we never thought of before. Never object to the intense sensitivity of the Spirit of God in you when he is educating you down to the scruple.

“First go and be reconciled to them” (Matthew 5:24). Our Lord’s command is simple: go back the way you came; go the way the Spirit of God indicates to you when you are at the altar; go to the person who has something against you, keeping an attitude of mind and a temper of soul that make reconciliation as natural as breathing. Jesus doesn’t mention the other person. He says, “You go.” There’s no question of your rights. The hallmark of the disciple is the ability to waive personal rights and obey the Lord Jesus.

“Then come and offer your gift” (v. 24). The process is clearly marked. First, you arrive at the altar in a heroic spirit of self-sacrifice. Then comes a sudden inspection by the Holy Spirit, followed by the sense of conviction that stops you in your tracks. You go back, tracing the way of obedience to the word of God and constructing an unblamable attitude of mind and temper toward the one you’ve wronged. Finally, you return to the altar, ready to make a glad, simple, unhindered offering of your gift to God.

Isaiah 1-2; Galatians 5

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

We all have the trick of saying—If only I were not where I am!—If only I had not got the kind of people I have to live with! If our faith or our religion does not help us in the conditions we are in, we have either a further struggle to go through, or we had better abandon that faith and religion. 

The Shadow of an Agony, 1178 L

Proverbs 17, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: WHERE TO TAKE YOUR HURT - September 25, 2026

Ahab and Jezebel were dead. Their Son Ahaziah, a chip off the old demonic block, had assumed the throne. He took a fall. Maybe he was paralyzed and in pain. Whatever his malady, he sought relief.

Where do you go when you hurt? Some people turn to alcohol. Others to opioids. Still others to a frenzied schedule. How many turn to Jehovah? Ahaziah could have. But, no, pain drove him to consult a false god, Baal.

The most insidious work of the devil is counterfeit religion. Why? The devilish cunning of counterfeit religion is that it mixes in just enough truth to make the lie all the stronger. Satan sold a bag of lies to Ahaziah. Don’t let him do the same with you.

Unbreakable Courage

Proverbs 17

A Whack on the Head of a Fool

1  17 A meal of bread and water in contented peace

is better than a banquet spiced with quarrels.

2  A wise servant takes charge of an unruly child

and is honored as one of the family.

3  As silver in a crucible and gold in a pan,

so our lives are assayed by God.

4  Evil people relish malicious conversation;

the ears of liars itch for dirty gossip.

5  Whoever mocks poor people insults their Creator;

gloating over misfortune is a punishable crime.

6  Old people are distinguished by grandchildren;

children take pride in their parents.

7  We don’t expect eloquence from fools,

nor do we expect lies from our leaders.

8  Receiving a gift is like getting a rare gemstone;

any way you look at it, you see beauty refracted.

9  Overlook an offense and bond a friendship;

fasten on to a slight and—good-bye, friend!

10  A quiet rebuke to a person of good sense

does more than a whack on the head of a fool.

11  Criminals out looking for nothing but trouble

won’t have to wait long—they’ll meet it coming and going!

12  Better to meet a grizzly robbed of her cubs

than a fool hell-bent on folly.

13  Those who return evil for good

will meet their own evil returning.

14  The start of a quarrel is like a leak in a dam,

so stop it before it bursts.

15  Whitewashing bad people and throwing mud on good people

are equally abhorrent to God.

16  What’s this? Fools out shopping for wisdom!

They wouldn’t recognize it if they saw it!

One Who Knows Much Says Little

17  Friends love through all kinds of weather,

and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.

18  It’s stupid to try to get something for nothing,

or run up huge bills you can never pay.

19  The person who courts sin marries trouble;

build a wall, invite a burglar.

20  A bad motive can’t achieve a good end;

double-talk brings you double trouble.

21  Having a fool for a child is misery;

it’s no fun being the parent of a dolt.

22  A cheerful disposition is good for your health;

gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.

23  The wicked take bribes under the table;

they show nothing but contempt for justice.

24  The perceptive find wisdom in their own front yard;

fools look for it everywhere but right here.

25  A surly, stupid child is sheer pain to a father,

a bitter pill for a mother to swallow.

26  It’s wrong to penalize good behavior,

or make good citizens pay for the crimes of others.

27  The one who knows much says little;

an understanding person remains calm.

28  Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise;

as long as they keep their mouths shut, they’re smart.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, September 25, 2026

by Tim Gustafson

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

2 Chronicles 35:20-27

Some time later, after Josiah’s reformation of The Temple, Neco king of Egypt marched out toward Carchemish on the Euphrates River on his way to war. Josiah went out to fight him.

21  Neco sent messengers to Josiah saying, “What do we have against each other, O King of Judah? I haven’t come to fight against you but against the country with whom I’m at war. God commanded me to hurry, so don’t get in my way; you’ll only interfere with God, who is on my side in this, and he’ll destroy you.”

22–23  But Josiah was spoiling for a fight and wouldn’t listen to a thing Neco said (in actuality it was God who said it). Though King Josiah disguised himself when they met on the plain of Megiddo, archers shot him anyway.

The king said to his servants, “Get me out of here—I’m badly wounded.”

24–25  So his servants took him out of his chariot and laid him down in an ambulance chariot and drove him back to Jerusalem. He died there and was buried in the family cemetery. Everybody in Judah and Jerusalem attended the funeral. Jeremiah composed an anthem of lament for Josiah. The anthem is still sung by the choirs of Israel to this day. The anthem is written in the Laments.

26–1  The rest of the history of Josiah, his exemplary and devout life, conformed to The Revelation of God. The whole story, from start to finish, is written in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

Today's Insights

In addition to authoring Jeremiah, the longest book in the Bible, the prophet Jeremiah also wrote the book of Lamentations, a record of his mourning over the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. In 2 Chronicles 35:20-27, we’re told that Jeremiah was also a songwriter, and the songs mentioned were tributes to Josiah, the king of Judah (v. 25). We don’t need to be songwriters, however, to honor the memories of those who’ve gone before us. We can encourage others as we share our memories of them. And we also receive comfort ourselves when we privately reflect on their acts of devotion to Jesus.

For further study, read: The Oldest Theology

Acts of Devotion

The other events of Josiah’s reign ?and his acts of devotion . . . are written ?in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. 2 Chronicles 35:26-27

Like all early departures from this life, Joe’s death shocked those who knew him. Just before he died, he’d begun making poor decisions. Now this husband, father, coach, and youth leader would no longer be there for those who’d relied on him.

It’s easy to focus on Joe’s recent bad choices. Yet when his daughter spoke at his funeral, she rightly highlighted how her dad, though flawed like all of us, had served Jesus with his life.

We find something similar in the story of Judah’s King Josiah. When Egypt’s King Necho mounted a military offensive against Babylon, Josiah foolishly “marched out to meet him in battle” (2 Chronicles 35:20). Necho had no intention of attacking Judah (v. 21), and Josiah’s intervention ignored “God’s command” (v. 22). It cost him his life (vv. 23-24).

Though Josiah finished unwisely, the prophet Jeremiah “composed laments for Josiah” (v. 25). The story concludes, “The other events of Josiah’s reign and his acts of devotion . . . are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah” (vv. 26-27). Acts of devotion. A timely epitaph for an untimely death.

It’s good to ponder the apostle Paul’s words: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). As we consider how our heavenly Father sees us in Christ, it’s easy to recall the acts of devotion done by His children who’ve left us.

Reflect & Pray

Who have you lost to death? What acts of devotion might you recall in memory of them?

Thank You, heavenly Father, that You see Your children in Christ.?For further study, read The Oldest Theology: Jesus’s Victory over Adam’s Curse at odbm.org.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, September 25, 2026

The “Go” of Relationship

If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. — Matthew 5:41

The demands our Lord makes in the Sermon on the Mount are impossible for us to meet—unless he has done a supernatural work inside us. Not only does Jesus Christ demand that his disciples go the second mile, he also demands that there be no trace of resentment inside them when they come up against tyranny and injustice because of their commitment to him: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad” (Matthew 5:11–12). There’s no enthusiasm, no natural human quality, that can withstand the strain that Jesus Christ places upon his workers. The only thing strong enough is a personal relationship with him. This relationship must be put to the test until the disciple has just one purpose remaining: “I am here for God to send me wherever he will.” Everything else in a disciple’s life may get muddied, but this relationship to Jesus Christ must remain perfectly clear.

If I am going to be a disciple of Jesus, I must be made one supernaturally. As long as I’m dead set on being a disciple, I can be sure I am not one. Discipleship isn’t a matter of my determination, but of God’s: “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (John 15:16). This is the way the call to discipleship begins. I can ignore God’s call, but I can neither generate it nor decide how to answer it. When our Lord makes disciples, he doesn’t ask them to do things they’re naturally cut out for. He asks them to do things they’ve been supernaturally cut out for by his grace.

The Sermon on the Mount isn’t some unattainable ideal. It’s a statement of what will actually happen in me when Jesus Christ has changed my disposition and put into me a disposition like his own. Jesus Christ is the only one who can fulfill the Sermon on the Mount.

Song of Solomon 6-8; Galatians 4 

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

The sympathy which is reverent with what it cannot understand is worth its weight in gold. 

Baffled to Fight Better, 69 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, September 25, 2026

Holy Huddles At Home - #10360

Scripture:  Nehemiah 4:19-20

Did you ever do the bumper cars at the carnival? Our family loves bumper cars! When you first get in the bumper car, you start at approximately the same place. But when you step on the pedal, you take off in about ten different directions and occasionally bump into each other. That was a description of our family when we were all still living under one roof. A description of yours maybe, too? You know, a bumper car family! See, you start out at the same place in the morning, you step on the gas pedal, and off we would go in five different directions, and every once in a while we would just happen to bump into each other.

In our world today it is so easy to let families just fly apart. And as the kids get older and mom and dad get busier and busier and we need to work more to keep up our standard of living, a lot of times there’s less and less time spent together. And then add in the internet and social media! Without even knowing it, sometimes your family – my family – becomes a group of strangers. And then later on we look back with regret and we say, “If only I could have those years back. Why didn’t we spend more time together?” See, every family needs to be together, but it actually takes someone to blow the trumpet to make it happen.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Holy Huddles At Home.”

Our word for today from the Word of God is found in the book of Nehemiah 4. I’m going to be reading verses 19 and 20. If you remember a little of your Bible history, you may know that Nehemiah was God’s man to lead the people in rebuilding the dilapidated and destroyed walls and gates of Jerusalem. It was a major task. It had pretty much been a mess for about 100 years. It took a lot of major organization, and he was able to mobilize all those people, each with a different assignment. And in 52 days, this small group of people literally rebuilt the walls and gates of the city of Jerusalem.

Listen to part of the plan here as he gives instructions to his work crew. “Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, ‘The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall.’” Sounds a lot like the bumper cars syndrome; they all started out in the morning and they all went their separate directions. He says, “Whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us.”

He said, “In my family of workers we’re going to need to get together. And so I’ll sound the trumpet, and when I do, come together.” Did you know that whenever there is a family that is spread out in their lifestyles like yours and ours, there’s got to be one person in the family who plays Nehemiah; someone who insists that the family comes together. Families are pulled apart unless somebody is willing to work at them being together, communicating, hugging each other, touching each other, praying together, keeping in touch with each other’s lives. It’s like a football team that has to regularly have a huddle. You can’t have a family without regular huddles.

So the person who sounds the trumpet is the person in the family who sets a time and a place and makes it happen to make sure that family comes together. If it doesn’t, people leave home with dangerous, unmet needs. They don’t have the closeness, the intimacy, the encouragement they need, and they’ll go looking for it in places they never should.

Now, biblically, this should be dad. In a single-parent family it may have to be mom. But certainly everyone in the family should come when the trumpet is blown. Dinner together, pre-committed days together, family devotions, vacation, prayer time. Don’t let your family be every man/every woman for himself or herself. Bring them together! Remember, every family needs that trumpet.

Proverbs 16, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: DO NOT BE TROUBLED - September 24, 2026

Psalm 23:4 (NKJV) reads, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” God promises to come at an unexpected hour and take us from the gray world we know to the golden world we don’t. But since we don’t, we aren’t sure we want to go.

Discover Faith Communities

On the night before his own death, Jesus told his friends, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled…I will come back and take you to be with me…” (John 14:1, 3 NCV). The apostle Paul announced that “Death has been swallowed up in victory…”  (1 Corinthians 15:54 NIV).

The message is consistent. We do not know the hour, nor do we know the circumstances. But an exit is scheduled for each one of us. Yet we need not fear the moment. Why? Because our Father is a good Father.

Unbreakable Courage

Proverbs 16

Everything with a Place and a Purpose

1  16 Mortals make elaborate plans,

but God has the last word.

2  Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good;

God probes for what is good.

3  Put God in charge of your work,

then what you’ve planned will take place.

4  God made everything with a place and purpose;

even the wicked are included—but for judgment.

5  God can’t stomach arrogance or pretense;

believe me, he’ll put those upstarts in their place.

6  Guilt is banished through love and truth;

Fear-of-God deflects evil.

7  When God approves of your life,

even your enemies will end up shaking your hand.

8  Far better to be right and poor

than to be wrong and rich.

9  We plan the way we want to live,

but only God makes us able to live it.

It Pays to Take Life Seriously

10  A good leader motivates,

doesn’t mislead, doesn’t exploit.

11  God cares about honesty in the workplace;

your business is his business.

12  Good leaders abhor wrongdoing of all kinds;

sound leadership has a moral foundation.

13  Good leaders cultivate honest speech;

they love advisors who tell them the truth.

14  An intemperate leader wreaks havoc in lives;

you’re smart to stay clear of someone like that.

15  Good-tempered leaders invigorate lives;

they’re like spring rain and sunshine.

16  Get wisdom—it’s worth more than money;

choose insight over income every time.

17  The road of right living bypasses evil;

watch your step and save your life.

18  First pride, then the crash—

the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.

19  It’s better to live humbly among the poor

than to live it up among the rich and famous.

20  It pays to take life seriously;

things work out when you trust in God.

21  A wise person gets known for insight;

gracious words add to one’s reputation.

22  True intelligence is a spring of fresh water,

while fools sweat it out the hard way.

23  They make a lot of sense, these wise folks;

whenever they speak, their reputation increases.

24  Gracious speech is like clover honey—

good taste to the soul, quick energy for the body.

25  There’s a way that looks harmless enough;

look again—it leads straight to hell.

26  Appetite is an incentive to work;

hunger makes you work all the harder.

27  Mean people spread mean gossip;

their words smart and burn.

28  Troublemakers start fights;

gossips break up friendships.

29  Calloused climbers betray their very own friends;

they’d stab their own grandmothers in the back.

30  A shifty eye betrays an evil intention;

a clenched jaw signals trouble ahead.

31  Gray hair is a mark of distinction,

the award for a God-loyal life.

32  Moderation is better than muscle,

self-control better than political power.

33  Make your motions and cast your votes,

but God has the final say.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, September 24, 2026

by Katara Patton

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Job 2:7-13

 Satan left God and struck Job with terrible sores. Job was ulcers and scabs from head to foot. They itched and oozed so badly that he took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself, then went and sat on a trash heap, among the ashes.

9  His wife said, “Still holding on to your precious integrity, are you? Curse God and be done with it!”

10  He told her, “You’re talking like an empty-headed fool. We take the good days from God—why not also the bad days?”

Not once through all this did Job sin. He said nothing against God.

Job’s Three Friends

11–13  Three of Job’s friends heard of all the trouble that had fallen on him. Each traveled from his own country—Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuhah, Zophar from Naamath—and went together to Job to keep him company and comfort him. When they first caught sight of him, they couldn’t believe what they saw—they hardly recognized him! They cried out in lament, ripped their robes, and dumped dirt on their heads as a sign of their grief. Then they sat with him on the ground. Seven days and nights they sat there without saying a word. They could see how rotten he felt, how deeply he was suffering.

Today's Insights

For seven days, Job’s friends were a silent presence with their suffering friend (Job 2:13). Silence tends to make us uncomfortable, so we may try to fill that void with words. But in times of great suffering (like Job’s), words alone are often inadequate to express the comfort or help that the hurting person truly needs. Job’s friends caused more hurt when they began to offer answers that didn’t ease his hurt, pain, or loss. We can ask God to give us wisdom to know when to speak and when to offer the comfort of a silent presence with those who are hurting.

For further study, listen to the Discover the Word Podcast: Rediscovering Friendship

Words from Friends

[None of Job’s friends] said a word to him, ?because they saw how great his suffering was. Job 2:13

As I sat in a Bible class at the age of twenty-six, I was baffled. ? Some of my classmates’ comments were discouraging. They ? seemed to have so many problems. I responded by asking, “If we’re Christians, why are we so down? Don’t we know how this thing really ends?” I was referring to the promise of eternal life in Christ but also to the many promises in the Bible of God’s care for His people. The instructor simply smiled and moved on. But my comment has stuck with me for years.

Eventually life hit me. Job loss, bereavement, illness, and more led me to feel discouraged. Yes, God’s promises are comforting and true, but they don’t promise an easy life. Jesus said we “will have trouble” (John 16:33).

Quite naturally, we feel the impact of such troubles, just as a man named Job did. He was tested, and it hit him hard: He lost his children, his property, and his health (Job 1:13-20; 2:7). His friends came to visit him to console him (2:11-13). In the beginning they simply supported their friend quietly, noting “how great his suffering was” (v. 13). But then they began asking unhelpful questions, not too dissimilar to the one I posed in Bible class.

As we encounter others going through trouble, the Holy Spirit can help us respond with love and compassion. And as we experience sorrow, we can remember the comfort of God’s promises.

Reflect & Pray

How has a friend helped you during a rough time? ?How can you help others by using sensitivity and discernment?

Loving God, please teach me to use wisdom when sympathizing with others.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, September 24, 2026

The “Go” of Preparation

If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. — Matthew 5:23–24

It’s easy to imagine that someday we’ll get to a place where we are complete and ready. But preparation isn’t accomplished suddenly; it’s a process that must be steadily maintained. Our lives must be preparation and preparation. To be in a settled state of experience is a dangerous thing.

A sense of heroic sacrifice appeals readily to young Christians; humanly speaking, what attracts us to Jesus Christ is our sense that he was a heroic figure. But the words our Lord speaks in Matthew 5:23–24 soon put our enthusiasm to the test. Don’t come to the altar in a moment of enthusiasm, Jesus says. “First go” and reconcile yourself to your brother or sister; first prepare yourself to make your offering. The “go” of preparation involves submitting yourself in advance to the scrutiny of Jesus’s words. Simply having a sense of heroic sacrifice isn’t enough.

Do you have anything to hide from God? Let him search you with his light. If you are harboring within you the disposition that can never work in his service, his Spirit will detect it and reveal it. When he reveals sin, don’t admit it; confess it. Never ignore the Spirit’s conviction. If it’s important enough for the Spirit of God to have brought it to your mind, it’s something God wishes you to confess. Perhaps you were looking for something big to give up, but God has pointed out something tiny. No matter what it is, God is telling you about it because beneath it lies the great stronghold of obstinacy: “I won’t give up my right to myself.” This is the very thing God intends you to give up if you are going to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Are you willing to obey your Lord, whatever the humiliation to your right to yourself may be?

Song of Solomon 4-5; Galatians 3

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

A fanatic is one who entrenches himself in invincible ignorance.

Baffled to Fight Better, 59 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, September 24, 2026

Will the Real You Please Stand Up? - #10359

Scripture:  2 Corinthians 5:17

Long ago it was a TV show, and it was resurrected then again and became a TV show again. The idea maybe still had some life in it! It was called "To Tell the Truth." Maybe you saw it. Three contestants would all tell the panel their name and they all claim to be the same person. The host would read a little background on the person, and then it was up to the panel to try to figure out which one was the real one. The climactic moment came when the host said, "Will the real Joe Slobotnik please stand up?" They all shift in their chairs. Finally, one would stand up. The real one!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Will the Real You Please Stand Up?”

For many people, the struggle to identify which person is really them is a deeply personal one; one that rages inside of us. It's very important that you decide which of three identities is really you. In fact, the identity you choose will determine much of how you make your life choices and whether you feel significant or insignificant.

Identity number one - the victim. If you've been hurt, betrayed, abused, abandoned, or neglected, it's possible to live your whole life thinking of yourself as a victim. Which means you'll spend much of your life feeling worthless, depressed, distrusting, maybe negative, or self-pitying. And your relationships, your decisions, your goals will all be shaped by choosing "victim" as your identity.

Identity number two - the sinner. While the victim focuses on their pain, the sinner focuses on their failures. You’re frequently reliving the things you've done that were wrong, maybe very wrong in some cases. If you decide that the "you" that is going to stand up is you, the sinner, you're also going to feel worthless much of the time, and ashamed and never good enough. You'll accept and you'll expect a little life because you think that's all you deserve. And your shame will cause you to feel, "What's the use?" and that will set you up for more and more mistakes.

But there is a third identity you can choose. It's spelled out in the Bible in 2 Corinthians 5:17, our word for today from the Word of God. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" There’s an amazing transformation that takes place when a person gives themselves to Jesus Christ. From that moment on they have the right—they have the spiritual power—to live as a new person!

So if you belong to Jesus Christ, the real you is identity number three: new person in Jesus Christ! You don't have to be identified by your past pain. You don't have to be defined by your past sin. You are now defined by your relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. You’re a child of God. You’re a servant of Christ. You’re a make-a-difference person because you are forgiven, you are clean, and you are free from the shackles and the shame of the past. You're about your future now, not your past! Don't forget who you really are! It's time for the real you to stand up!

And if you've never given yourself to the man who died so you could be forgiven and new; if you're ready to begin a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ, you need to tell Him that right now. “Jesus, I’ve been running my life long enough. You drive from here on. I know that me driving my life is sin, and I know You had to die to pay for that sin. I’m turning from my sin to You.”

I hope you make today the day that you begin this great life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ and become a new creation in Christ; start with a clean slate. If you want to do that, I want to encourage you to go to our website right away today. Because there’s a lot of information that will help you be sure you’ve begun this relationship. Your new story can begin today and that’s our website - ANewStory.com.

From today on, your life can be defined by your relationship with the Son of God, Jesus Christ the healer, the forgiver of the past, and best of all, the author of a new beginning!

Acts 2:1-21, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: GOD’S MESSAGE TO AHAB - September 23, 2026

Consider Elijah’s pronouncement of judgment on Ahab: “[God] says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants…because you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin’” (1 Kings 21:21-22 NIV).

This solemn prophecy shook Ahab. “He tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted” (1 Kings 21:27). God responded to this gesture of humility by postponing the penalty of killing all Ahab’s sons.

Years later the seventy remaining descendants of Ahab died by the sword of King Jehu. God sends them message after message, prophet after prophet, yet they slay the innocent and take what is not theirs to take. They forget what sustains them, and in the end they perish at their own folly.

Unbreakable Courage

Acts 2:1-21

A Sound Like a Strong Wind

1–4  2 When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.

5–11  There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world. When they heard the sound, they came on the run. Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were thunderstruck. They couldn’t for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, “Aren’t these all Galileans? How come we’re hearing them talk in our various mother tongues?

Parthians, Medes, and Elamites;

Visitors from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene;

Immigrants from Rome, both Jews and proselytes;

Even Cretans and Arabs!

“They’re speaking our languages, describing God’s mighty works!”

12  Their heads were spinning; they couldn’t make head or tail of any of it. They talked back and forth, confused: “What’s going on here?”

13  Others joked, “They’re drunk on cheap wine.”

Peter Speaks Up

14–21  That’s when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency: “Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight. These people aren’t drunk as some of you suspect. They haven’t had time to get drunk—it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. This is what the prophet Joel announced would happen:

“In the Last Days,” God says,

“I will pour out my Spirit

on every kind of people:

Your sons will prophesy,

also your daughters;

Your young men will see visions,

your old men dream dreams.

When the time comes,

I’ll pour out my Spirit

On those who serve me, men and women both,

and they’ll prophesy.

I’ll set wonders in the sky above

and signs on the earth below,

Blood and fire and billowing smoke,

the sun turning black and the moon blood-red,

Before the Day of the Lord arrives,

the Day tremendous and marvelous;

And whoever calls out for help

to me, God, will be saved.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

by Sheridan Voysey

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

The Master’s Coming

13–14  And regarding the question, friends, that has come up about what happens to those already dead and buried, we don’t want you in the dark any longer. First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus.

15–18  And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence—we have the Master’s word on it—that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they’ll be ahead of us. The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God’s trumpet blast! He’ll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they’ll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we’ll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.

Today's Insights

Grieving the loss of a loved one is a natural and necessary process that takes time. With death can come gut-wrenching pain and heartache. But in 1 Thessalonians 4, we’re instructed not to grieve like “the rest of mankind”—nonbelievers—“who have no hope” (v. 13). Our grief is made more bearable because the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, is with us (John 14:15-17); and we have the assurance of one day being reunited with our believing loved ones and of enjoying our Savior together, forever. Believers in Jesus know this life isn’t all there is. We have the promise of eternal life (3:16). Our loved ones are safe in Christ’s arms, and we can entrust them into His care. One day we’ll be reunited and “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4).

For further study, read: Hope

Comfort Amidst Tears

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind. 1 Thessalonians 4:13

The call from my mother came around 9 p.m. “It’s about your dad,” she said. “He’s gone.” While I’d been expecting this call for days and was relieved my father was no longer in pain, the news still hit hard. I sobbed deeply as grief took its course over the following days and weeks.

While losing my father was hard on us all, it was particularly hard for some of my unbelieving family members. To their understanding, Dad was gone forever. It was then that I realized how believing in Jesus helps us to grieve.

Paul explained it this way: Since Jesus rose again from death, those who believe in Him will one day rise again too (1 Thessalonians 4:14). This will happen on the day He gathers us up to spend eternity together with Him (vv. 16-17). Paul tells us this “so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope” (v. 13). Knowing I will see my father again brings comfort amidst the tears.

Scripture never promotes griefless loss. Even Jesus wept for a dead friend he knew would return to life (John 11:34-44). And sometimes we don’t know what a loved one believed before they died. Still, our grief has a safety net. Because of Him, we will see our believing loved ones again, and we can entrust all into His care.

Reflect & Pray

When have you realized the power of hope in Christ? ?How do you think that hope differs from the world’s idea?

Dear Jesus, thank You that my loved ones who believed in You are held safe in Your arms even in death, and one day You’ll bring us together again.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

The Disciple’s Goal

Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem.” — Luke 18:31

In our natural life, our ambitions change as we grow and mature. In our Christian life, the goal is given to us at the beginning: we start with Christ and we end with him; the beginning and the end are the same. Disciples live this out in their willingness to follow Jesus wherever he leads. We think the aim of the Christian life is to be useful or to win converts. The disciple is useful and does win converts, but this isn’t the aim. The aim is to do the will of God by following Jesus when he says, “We are going up to Jerusalem.”

In our Lord’s life, Jerusalem was the place where he reached the climax of his Father’s will upon the cross. Unless we go with Jesus to Jerusalem, we will have no companionship with him. Nothing ever discouraged our Lord on his way to Jerusalem. He didn’t hurry through the villages where he was persecuted or linger in the villages where he was blessed. Neither gratitude nor ingratitude turned him away from his purpose: to go up to Jerusalem.

“The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master” (Luke 6:40 kjv). If Jesus Christ is our master, then the same things that happened to him as he went to his Jerusalem will happen to us as we go to ours. Works of God will be manifested through us; people will be blessed. One or two of these people will show gratitude; the rest will show ingratitude. No matter what, we must let nothing deflect us from going up to our Jerusalem.

“They crucified him there” (23:33). The cross is what happened when our Lord reached Jerusalem, and that happening is the gateway to our salvation. Those who follow Jesus Christ do not end in crucifixion; by the Lord’s grace, they end in glory. In the meantime, our watchword is “I, too, go up to Jerusalem.”

Song of Solomon 1-3; Galatians 2 

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

The fiery furnaces are there by God’s direct permission. It is misleading to imagine that we are developed in spite of our circumstances; we are developed because of them. It is mastery in circumstances that is needed, not mastery over them.

The Love of God—The Message of Invincible Consolation, 674 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Everyday Stuff, Never Everyday Again - #10358

Scripture:  2 Kings 5:2-3

My wife and her family were out for a swim in a nearby river. They had invited their pastor to go with them. He was pretty much a pool swimmer, a lake swimmer. He was unfamiliar with the river currents that can make swimming a little more challenging than usual. Pastor wasn’t aware of the whirlpool in that water near the bluffs that overlooked the river. He got too close, and suddenly he got sucked into that swirling water. Their pastor was in serious trouble. And since everyone was swimming, they didn’t immediately see the danger he was in. He’d already gone down twice when he finally managed to get off one yell for help. My father-in-law responded immediately and he went in for the rescue, and he saved his pastor’s life that day.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Everyday Stuff, Never Everyday Again.”

My father-in-law was not a professional lifeguard. Had he waited for one that day when his pastor’s life was at stake, his pastor would have died. But this was a man who knew that he was the one that was there, and the responsibility for the rescue rests with the one who is where the dying person is. Right? Especially when it comes to the people near us who are going down spiritually; dying spiritually because they don’t know the Savior who’s the only one who can rescue them from the death penalty for their sins.

Once you realize the ultimate reason why you are where you are, your everyday activities will never be everyday again. Consider the example of the young woman in our word for today from the Word of God in 2 Kings 5:2-3. It’s the story of a young Jewish girl who has been taken captive by the Syrians and forced to become a servant girl in the home of a Syrian military leader. She’s clearly a victim of unfair circumstances that are beyond her control. She’s in a situation that had to be lonely, she’s ripped from her home, she’s forced to live in another country, and we can be pretty sure she’s in a place she doesn’t want to be. But none of that makes her forget why she is where she is. In the course of her everyday chores, she has the opportunity to save a life…and she does.

Her master, General Naaman, has developed leprosy. He will die from it unless he can find a cure which, humanly, does not exist. But the Bible tells us, “She said to her mistress, ‘If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’” She realizes she is in a unique position to save this man’s life because she knows the dying person and she knows the only one who can save him. Now, if you belong to Jesus Christ, that is exactly the position God has put you in with the people you go to school with, the people you work with, the people you live near, the people you recreate with, the people in your family.

When you go where you go each day to do what you do each day, you go on an eternal rescue mission! Jesus put you there so you can take some of those people to heaven with you. Every day, you’re there to show by your life the difference that Jesus makes and to capture every God-given opportunity to tell them how they can belong to Him. And suddenly this everyday stuff you do, it becomes eternally significant.

That Syrian commander did not die by the way, because someone who worked for him cared enough to tell him how he could live. Imagine if that girl had been too shy or too scared to speak up about the answer she knew. Her silence would have been his death sentence. And so it is for the people near you who don’t know Jesus. Your silence could ultimately mean their death sentence, because you know the Jesus who is their only hope. They don’t know Him, but they do know you. And, humanly speaking, you are their best chance—maybe their only chance—of ever belonging to Jesus…and of ever being in heaven with you someday.

Proverbs 15, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: GET MOVING - September 22, 2026

Elijah was depressed. Among God’s word to him were these: “Go back the way you came through the desert to Damascus. When you get there anoint Hazael…Then anoint Jehu…Finally, anoint Elisha…to succeed you as prophet” (1 Kings 19:15-17 MSG).

These assignments add up to one point: Get moving. God’s message to the prophet was “I still have work for you to do. You may think you’re alone; you’re not. Thousands will stand with you. It’s time for you to get back in the game.”

God’s message to you is this: You are more than the sum of your dark days. I bought you, and I have a destiny for you. Now, with my help, let’s get back in the game.

Unbreakable Courage

Proverbs 15

God Doesn’t Miss a Thing

1  15 A gentle response defuses anger,

but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.

2  Knowledge flows like spring water from the wise;

fools are leaky faucets, dripping nonsense.

3  God doesn’t miss a thing—

he’s alert to good and evil alike.

4  Kind words heal and help;

cutting words wound and maim.

5  Moral dropouts won’t listen to their elders;

welcoming correction is a mark of good sense.

6  The lives of God-loyal people flourish;

a misspent life is soon bankrupt.

7  Perceptive words spread knowledge;

fools are hollow—there’s nothing to them.

8  God can’t stand pious poses,

but he delights in genuine prayers.

9  A life frittered away disgusts God;

he loves those who run straight for the finish line.

10  It’s a school of hard knocks for those who leave God’s path,

a dead-end street for those who hate God’s rules.

11  Even hell holds no secrets from God—

do you think he can’t read human hearts?

Life Ascends to the Heights

12  Know-it-alls don’t like being told what to do;

they avoid the company of wise men and women.

13  A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face;

a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day.

14  An intelligent person is always eager to take in more truth;

fools feed on fast-food fads and fancies.

15  A miserable heart means a miserable life;

a cheerful heart fills the day with song.

16  A simple life in the Fear-of-God

is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches.

17  Better a bread crust shared in love

than a slab of prime rib served in hate.

18  Hot tempers start fights;

a calm, cool spirit keeps the peace.

19  The path of lazy people is overgrown with briers;

the diligent walk down a smooth road.

20  Intelligent children make their parents proud;

lazy students embarrass their parents.

21  The empty-headed treat life as a plaything;

the perceptive grasp its meaning and make a go of it.

22  Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail;

take good counsel and watch them succeed.

23  Congenial conversation—what a pleasure!

The right word at the right time—beautiful!

24  Life ascends to the heights for the thoughtful—

it’s a clean about-face from descent into hell.

25  God smashes the pretensions of the arrogant;

he stands with those who have no standing.

26  God can’t stand evil scheming,

but he puts words of grace and beauty on display.

27  A greedy and grasping person destroys community;

those who refuse to exploit live and let live.

28  Prayerful answers come from God-loyal people;

the wicked are sewers of abuse.

29  God keeps his distance from the wicked;

he closely attends to the prayers of God-loyal people.

30  A twinkle in the eye means joy in the heart,

and good news makes you feel fit as a fiddle.

31  Listen to good advice if you want to live well,

an honored guest among wise men and women.

32  An undisciplined, self-willed life is puny;

an obedient, God-willed life is spacious.

33  Fear-of-God is a school in skilled living—

first you learn humility, then you experience glory.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

by Alyson Kieda

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Acts 2:42-47

They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.

43–45  Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met.

46–47  They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.

Today's Insights

The early church in Acts recognized the need for community (Acts 2:46). The author of Ecclesiastes also confirmed this truth: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up” (4:9-10). Strength in numbers is one reason community is so important. Families and churches that are grounded in God’s truth can support us and help us to survive and thrive. Jesus reminded us that “where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20). In such a Christ-centered community, we’re enabled to “carry each other’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2), “pray for each other” (James 5:16), and “be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (Romans 1:12).

For further study, read: Should We be the Acts 2 Church?

The Warmhearted Church

Every day they continued to meet together. Acts 2:46

When I was a child, I gladly accompanied my family to church every Sunday morning and evening. Our pastor exuded joy and always included the children in the service—and even encouraged my writing. My Sunday school teachers and pastor instilled in me a love for Scripture. And Sunday nights often meant a guest speaker or missionary who stirred my heart toward missions. Our church truly earned the slogan our pastor created: “The warmhearted church on Coldwater Road.” It wasn’t perfect, but we were a family. Since that day, I’ve continued attending church (even when it was hard to find the right one), and I’ve been encouraged and have grown in my faith as a result.

Just as we do today, believers in Jesus in the early church needed support and encouragement, and they understood the importance of meeting together with fellow believers (Acts 2:46). They were a family. Together they built each other up when doing life and serving God became difficult. They gathered to pray, study Scripture, praise God, enjoy fellowship, and eat meals together (v. 42). As a result, God caused their numbers to grow (v. 47).

Finding a like-minded church may take time, but it’s vital. Life is difficult to face on our own, and that’s why God gave us families and communities. A church is a great place to build community.

Reflect & Pray

Why do you think it’s important to have a church community? How might participating in church activities encourage you?

Dear God, thank You for giving me Your church, where I can learn more about You and be encouraged.?For further study, read Should We Be the Acts 2 Church? at odbm.org.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

The Disciple’s Master

Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. — John 13:13 kjv

To have a master and to be mastered aren’t the same thing. To have Jesus as a master means that there is someone who knows me better than I know myself, someone who is closer than a friend, who is able to satisfy the deepest longing of my heart. It’s to belong to someone who gives me the secure sense that he has met and solved every perplexity and problem of my mind. To have Jesus as my master is all this and nothing less.

To be mastered is different; it implies coercion or force. Jesus Christ never enforces obedience. At certain times, I wish he would, but he doesn’t. At other times, I wish he’d leave me alone, but he won’t.

“Ye call me Master and Lord.” We call Jesus our Lord and Master, but is he? “Master” and “Lord” have little place in today’s vocabulary. We prefer “Savior,” “Teacher,” and “Healer.” The only word to describe the experience of having Jesus as master is love, and many of us know very little about love as God reveals it. This is proved by the way we use the word obey. We use it to mean the submission of a weaker person to a more powerful person. In the Bible, obedience is based on a relationship of equals: the relationship of the Father and the Son. Our Lord wasn’t God’s servant; he was God’s Son. Jesus obeyed his Father because he loved him.

Our relationship to Jesus is to be the same as his relationship to the Father. If instead we think we are being mastered, it is proof that we have no master. To take this attitude toward Jesus is to be far from the relationship he wants. He wants us in a relationship in which he is easily and effortlessly Master, so much so that we aren’t even conscious of it. All we know is that we love him, and that we are his to rule.

Ecclesiastes 10-12; Galatians 1

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Beware of pronouncing any verdict on the life of faith if you are not living it.

Not Knowing Whither, 900 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

The Only Hope For a Dying Heart - #10357

Scripture:  Jeremiah 17:9-10

David Letterman was one of the kings of late-night television for years. His offbeat sense of humor gave him a prime spot in America’s entertainment constellation for a long time. But one day, suddenly everybody stopped laughing. David Letterman, whose family had a bad history when it came to heart problems apparently, went in for some seemingly routine cardiac tests. Suddenly, this comic king was rushed into surgery by his doctor and given a multiple bypass operation on his heart. The doctor saw major blockage in David Letterman’s heart and he took radical action to save him.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Only Hope For a Dying Heart.”

We all have heart trouble—potentially terminal heart trouble—according to God. Even if you have perfect EKGs and cardiac test results, you may very well have the kind of spiritual heart trouble that can only be removed by the greatest Heart Specialist in the universe. Like David Letterman, if you don’t allow the Surgeon to take radical action, your condition will be fatal—forever.

God’s Book, the Bible, says that our heart “is deceitful above all things and beyond cure” (Jeremiah 17:9). Then God says, “I the Lord search the heart” (Jeremiah 17:10). Man, God knows all the darkness we’ve concealed from everyone else. His heart tests expose every lie you’ve ever told, every adulterous thought or relationship, all the anger, all the selfishness, all the prejudice, bitterness, everything you’re ashamed of, and everything you wish you hadn’t done.

It isn’t that you don’t want to change—that you haven’t tried to change—but there’s this darkness inside of each of us that it seems nothing on earth can change; nothing on earth that is. In fact, a parent of yours, a grandparent of yours, may have had the same kind of heart trouble—the same sins. Those sins probably hurt you didn't they, and now maybe you’re hurting people you love repeating those same sins.

Without radical action, we die spiritually from our heart trouble. That’s die as in being separated from God and His love forever in a place Jesus called hell. That’s the penalty for our sin, but your hope is in this wonderful word for today from the Word of God in Ezekiel 36:26. God says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit in you.”

God actually says He wants to give you a heart transplant; a whole new perspective on life, a whole new power to change, a whole new eternity. He wants to forgive all the sin and remove all the sin that has clogged your heart for so long.

It took His Son, Jesus, dying for your sin to make this miracle possible. And then Jesus walked out of His grave under His own power on Easter Sunday to prove He can give us eternal life. If you’ll give yourself to Jesus Christ and trust Him to be your Savior from your sin, the healing heart miracle can begin in your heart that very moment.

If you want to begin this life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ - and oh how I hope you do - you need to tell Him that right now. Tell Him, “Jesus, I know that I have sinned against You by running my own life. I know the penalty for that is spiritual death. Thank you for taking that penalty for me. Thank You for rising from the dead and for giving me this chance to begin a relationship with You. I want to, Jesus. Beginning right now, I’m Yours.”

If you want that, and you'd like a little encouragement in that direction, go to our website. It's for you for a moment like this. It's ANewStory.com.

See, religion can’t do this. It can only make you look better on the outside. Jesus will change you from the inside. There’s no need to hurt like this anymore. There's no need to go on flirting with eternal death. There is a Savior who loves you and who paid the price so you could have a new beginning today my friend!

Proverbs 14, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: GOD’S SOOTHING TOUCH - September 21, 2026

When darkness descends, flee solitude. 1 Kings 19:11 (NIV): “The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’”

God wanted Elijah’s attention. Elijah obeyed and beheld a display of power. The roar of tempests bounced off the canyon walls. “But the Lord was not in the wind” (1 Kings 19:11). An earthquake sent tremors through the desert floor. “But the Lord was not in the earthquake” (1 Kings 19:11). Next came fire that leapt to the height of the trees. “But the Lord was not in the fire” (1 Kings 19:12). Then… “the sound of a low whisper” (1 Kings 19:12).

The soothing touch of God was needed for  Elijah’s season of sadness. Listen for it…listen for Him.

Unbreakable Courage

Proverbs 14

A Way That Leads to Hell

1  14 Lady Wisdom builds a lovely home;

Sir Fool comes along and tears it down brick by brick.

2  An honest life shows respect for God;

a degenerate life is a slap in his face.

3  Frivolous talk provokes a derisive smile;

wise speech evokes nothing but respect.

4  No cattle, no crops;

a good harvest requires a strong ox for the plow.

5  A true witness never lies;

a false witness makes a business of it.

6  Cynics look high and low for wisdom—and never find it;

the open-minded find it right on their doorstep!

7  Escape quickly from the company of fools;

they’re a waste of your time, a waste of your words.

8  The wisdom of the wise keeps life on track;

the foolishness of fools lands them in the ditch.

9  The stupid ridicule right and wrong,

but a moral life is a favored life.

10  The person who shuns the bitter moments of friends

will be an outsider at their celebrations.

11  Lives of careless wrongdoing are tumbledown shacks;

holy living builds soaring cathedrals.

12–13  There’s a way of life that looks harmless enough;

look again—it leads straight to hell.

Sure, those people appear to be having a good time,

but all that laughter will end in heartbreak.

Sift and Weigh Every Word

14  A mean person gets paid back in meanness,

a gracious person in grace.

15  The gullible believe anything they’re told;

the prudent sift and weigh every word.

16  The wise watch their steps and avoid evil;

fools are headstrong and reckless.

17  The hotheaded do things they’ll later regret;

the coldhearted get the cold shoulder.

18  Foolish dreamers live in a world of illusion;

wise realists plant their feet on the ground.

19  Eventually, evil will pay tribute to good;

the wicked will respect God-loyal people.

20  An unlucky loser is shunned by all,

but everyone loves a winner.

21  It’s criminal to ignore a neighbor in need,

but compassion for the poor—what a blessing!

22  Isn’t it obvious that conspirators lose out,

while the thoughtful win love and trust?

23  Hard work always pays off;

mere talk puts no bread on the table.

24  The wise accumulate wisdom;

fools get stupider by the day.

25  Souls are saved by truthful witness

and betrayed by the spread of lies.

26  The Fear-of-God builds up confidence,

and makes a world safe for your children.

27  The Fear-of-God is a spring of living water

so you won’t go off drinking from poisoned wells.

28  The mark of a good leader is loyal followers;

leadership is nothing without a following.

29  Slowness to anger makes for deep understanding;

a quick-tempered person stockpiles stupidity.

30  A sound mind makes for a robust body,

but runaway emotions corrode the bones.

31  You insult your Maker when you exploit the powerless;

when you’re kind to the poor, you honor God.

32  The evil of bad people leaves them out in the cold;

the integrity of good people creates a safe place for living.

33  Lady Wisdom is at home in an understanding heart—

fools never even get to say hello.

34  God-devotion makes a country strong;

God-avoidance leaves people weak.

35  Diligent work gets a warm commendation;

shiftless work earns an angry rebuke.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, September 21, 2026

by Bill Crowder

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

1 Samuel 16:6-12

  When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Here he is! God’s anointed!”

7  But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.”

8  Jesse then called up Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. Samuel said, “This man isn’t God’s choice either.”

9  Next Jesse presented Shammah. Samuel said, “No, this man isn’t either.”

10  Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel. Samuel was blunt with Jesse, “God hasn’t chosen any of these.”

11  Then he asked Jesse, “Is this it? Are there no more sons?”

“Well, yes, there’s the runt. But he’s out tending the sheep.”

Samuel ordered Jesse, “Go get him. We’re not moving from this spot until he’s here.”

12  Jesse sent for him. He was brought in, the very picture of health—bright-eyed, good-looking.

God said, “Up on your feet! Anoint him! This is the one.”

Today's Insights

When Samuel saw Jesse’s son Eliab, he assumed that “the Lord’s anointed” (1 Samuel 16:6) stood before him, for he was strong, impressive, and outwardly fit for kingship. Yet God interrupted Samuel’s confident judgment with a sobering truth: “The Lord does not look at the things people look at” (v. 7). We can sometimes be quick to measure others based on outward appearance, to mistake confidence for calling and stature for faithfulness. But God searches deeper: “[He] looks at the heart” (v. 7). He alone understands the full story within each person, and He’s the only righteous judge. The apostle Paul says that “when the Lord comes,” He’ll “bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart” (1 Corinthians 4:5). Today, when we’re tempted to judge others, God can help us entrust judgment to Him, who sees the heart.

For further study, watch the daily video devotional: It's Easy to Judge

The Heart of the Matter

People look at the outward appearance, ?but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7

On a teaching trip to Moscow, I decided to take the subway to get lunch. Standing in the subway car, I started whistling simply because I felt good after an enjoyable morning teaching and the day was pleasant. The passengers stared at me like I was insane. When I got back to the school, I told one of the office workers that the people were so discouraged and downhearted they stared when I whistled. She politely informed me, “Yes, their lives are very hard, but that isn’t why they stared. They stared because it’s rude to whistle in public here.”

When we make assumptions, we base them on external factors that may not have any bearing on the moment. It’s helpful to recall the story of David’s selection as future king of Israel. As the prophet Samuel considered Jesse’s eldest son, he thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord” (1 Samuel 16:6). But God told Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (v. 7).

Basing judgments on appearances will lead to wrong conclusions. We do well to let God do the judging. He sees the heart of the matter.

Reflect & Pray

How do you feel when someone makes wrong assumptions ?about you? Why is it so easy to make assumptions about others?

Wise Father, please forgive me for judging people’s motives when I don’t know the truth about their hearts. Help me to entrust such judgments to You.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, September 21, 2026

The Disciple’s Purpose

And now the Lord says—he who formed me in the womb to be his servant . . . “I will also make you a light.” — Isaiah 49:5–6

After we’ve recognized our calling to God in Jesus Christ, the first thing that happens is the destruction of our prejudices and patriotisms. No longer are we servants of our own creeds and convictions; we have become servants of God’s purpose.

The whole of humanity was created to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Sin switched humanity onto another track, but it hasn’t altered God’s original purpose. When I am born again, I’m brought into the reality of God’s great purpose for humankind; I realize that I have been created for the God who made me. This is the most joyful realization on earth.

We have to learn to rely on the tremendous creative purposes of God. Once I’ve recognized my calling, the first thing God does is “force thro’ the channels of a single heart” the interests of the entire world. The very nature of God is introduced into me, and his nature is this: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” (John 3:16).

We have to keep our souls open to God’s creative purposes and be careful not to muddle them with our own. If we do bring in our agendas, God will have to crush them, however much pain it may cause. The purpose for which the Christian disciple is created is to be God’s servant, one in whom God is glorified. Through the salvation won for us by Jesus Christ, we are made perfectly fit for God. Once we realize this, we will understand why Jesus Christ is so ruthless in his demands. He demands absolute virtue and honor from his disciples because he has put into them the very nature of God. Be careful not to forget God’s purpose for your life.

Ecclesiastes 7-9; 2 Corinthians 13 

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

No one could have had a more sensitive love in human relationship than Jesus; and yet He says there are times when love to father and mother must be hatred in comparison to our love for Him.  

So Send I You, 1301 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, September 21, 2026

The Cost of Compromise - #10356

Scripture:  1 Samuel 13:10

Gary had a hotel on the Jersey Shore. It’s one of those big, old rambling hotels with a lot of style the East Coast is famous for; kind of a bed and breakfast place. Now, if you had just taken over a hotel, what would be your greatest need? Well, of course, fill the rooms! How do you get all these rooms filled to pay off all that you’ve just invested in the place?

Well, a man stopped and offered to fill Gary’s hotel for a week. That sounded pretty good. Gary was about to give in to the possibility, but he asked this important question, “Who’ll be staying here?” The man said, “Oh, it’s senior week! Our high school seniors will come down and take over your hotel for a week.” Gary thought about that, thought about the kind of damage and mayhem that those high school students could do with a week of senior partying. And he very wisely said, “No, thank you.”

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Cost of Compromise.”

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Samuel 13. Let’s get a little background. Saul is in a dilemma. He is the king of Israel, his enemy the Philistines are marching their troops. He is wanting to get to battle and stop this enemy. He’s waited a week, and there’s one thing they needed to do before they went. They had to present a burnt offering to the Lord. That was the way to seek God’s favor to present that offering. That’s a good thing to do.

The problem was only a man of God could do that, like a priest. Samuel promised he’d be there in seven days. It is the seventh day, the troops are leaving, the enemy troops are amassing, the day is almost over, so Saul decides to do something. He invades holy ground and he himself - not a priest - offers the sacrifice. That’s a good thing to do, right? It’s the wrong way to do it.

It’s kind of like Gary who needed to fill his hotel. That was a good thing to do, but he knew there was a wrong way to meet that need. Saul knew that the end he was working toward was positive, but the means were wrong. He went ahead because he was in a jam.

1 Samuel 13:10 - “Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived.” Samuel asks, “What have you done?” Saul explains his predicament, and he says, “’I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.’ ‘You acted foolishly,’ Samuel said. ‘You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom.’” Listen to this, “Now your kingdom will not endure.’”

There’s a principle here: when you’re in a jam, it’s tempting to compromise, especially if the result would be something good. Don’t do it! It will cost you what you need the most. It will cost you God’s blessing. You have a need right now. You have a chance to meet that need if you just shave the truth a little bit, if you allow yourself to get into a romantic relationship with someone who doesn’t know Christ or who doesn’t love Him as much as you do, if you just give in to a temptation to get even a little bit, if you just take matters into your own hands because after all, God hasn’t come through yet, right?

Look at the price Saul paid. I’ve often thought impatience may cost us God’s will more than any other thing we do. And the end does not justify the means. It is better to have your need unmet than to cross God’s line to save the situation. That hotel owner knew it was better to fill it right or leave it empty because of the damage that would be left behind. When it comes to meeting your needs, don’t panic because God is taking longer than you think He should. Let God fill that need the right way. Believe me, it’s worth the wait.

Proverbs 13, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Behind Bars

In 1965 Howard Rutledge parachuted into North Vietnam and spent the next several years in a prison in Hanoi, locked in a filthy cell breathing stale, rotten air trying to keep his sanity. Few of us will ever face the conditions of a POW camp.

Yet, to one degree or another, we all spend time behind bars. After half-a-century of marriage, my friend's wife began to lose her memory.  A young mother called, just diagnosed with Lupus. Why would God permit such imprisonment?  To what purpose?  Jeremiah 30:24 promises, "The Lord will not turn back until He has executed and accomplished the intents of His mind."

This season in which you find yourself may puzzle you, but it doesn't bewilder God.  He will use it for His purpose. Please be reminded…You will get through this!

From You'll Get Through This

Proverbs 13

Walk with the Wise

1  13 Intelligent children listen to their parents;

foolish children do their own thing.

2  The good acquire a taste for helpful conversation;

bullies push and shove their way through life.

3  Careful words make for a careful life;

careless talk may ruin everything.

4  Indolence wants it all and gets nothing;

the energetic have something to show for their lives.

5  A good person hates false talk;

a bad person wallows in gibberish.

6  A God-loyal life keeps you on track;

sin dumps the wicked in the ditch.

7  A pretentious, showy life is an empty life;

a plain and simple life is a full life.

8  The rich can be sued for everything they have,

but the poor are free of such threats.

9  The lives of good people are brightly lit streets;

the lives of the wicked are dark alleys.

10  Arrogant know-it-alls stir up discord,

but wise men and women listen to each other’s counsel.

11  Easy come, easy go,

but steady diligence pays off.

12  Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick,

but a sudden good break can turn life around.

13  Ignore the Word and suffer;

honor God’s commands and grow rich.

14  The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

so, no more drinking from death-tainted wells!

15  Sound thinking makes for gracious living,

but liars walk a rough road.

16  A commonsense person lives good sense;

fools litter the country with silliness.

17  Irresponsible talk makes a real mess of things,

but a reliable reporter is a healing presence.

18  Refuse discipline and end up homeless;

embrace correction and live an honored life.

19  Souls who follow their hearts thrive;

fools bent on evil despise matters of soul.

20  Become wise by walking with the wise;

hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.

21  Disaster entraps sinners,

but God-loyal people get a good life.

22  A good life gets passed on to the grandchildren;

ill-gotten wealth ends up with good people.

23  Banks foreclose on the farms of the poor,

or else the poor lose their shirts to crooked lawyers.

24  A refusal to correct is a refusal to love;

love your children by disciplining them.

25  An appetite for good brings much satisfaction,

but the belly of the wicked always wants more.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, September 20, 2026

by Lisa M. Samra

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

1 John 3:18-24

When We Practice Real Love

18–20  My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.

21–24  And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! We’re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we’re doing what he said, doing what pleases him. Again, this is God’s command: to believe in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in line with the original command. As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us.

Today's Insights

When we believe in Jesus as our Savior, we become “children of God” (John 1:12). The Holy Spirit “testifies [confirms] with our spirit” that this is true (Romans 8:16; see 1 John 3:24). Our sonship is a gift of God “through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). We can’t earn it. As God’s beloved children, He “has lavished” love on us (1 John 3:1), which includes a personal relationship with Him, eternal life, and guidance by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14)—and we’re considered “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (v. 17). He provides all we need in this life—comfort, hope, joy, strength—to live for and serve Him. As God’s children, nothing—“neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future” (v. 38)—can separate us from His great love (v. 39).

For further study, listen to the Discover the Word Podcast : Who Am I?

Children of God

If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 1 John 3:20

One of my favorite books of optical illusions always astounds me as the pictures deceive my eyes—like one with two lines of the same length appearing to be different sizes, or the famous “impossible staircase” in which four flights of stairs seem to link in a continuous loop. It can also be a little disconcerting to realize we don’t always see things as they truly are.

But it’s not only our eyes that deceive us. We can sometimes believe illusions about our identity as God’s children when we’re bombarded daily with the world’s deceptive claims. Author Henri Nouwen wrote, “Jesus came to announce to us that an identity based on success, popularity and power is a false identity—an illusion!”

Our true identity, possible because of God’s lavish love, is that when we receive Jesus as our Savior we become “children of God” (1 John 3:1). As the apostle John recognized, sometimes “our hearts condemn us” (v. 20), and we begin to doubt God’s love or even question if we truly belong to Him. However, “God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything” (v. 20). Instead of being deceived by damaging illusions, we can believe the truth that we are God’s beloved children.

Whatever illusions you may encounter about your identity today, hold fast to the truth that you’re God’s beloved child.

Reflect & Pray

What illusions about your identity have you encountered? How does the truth that you are God’s child encourage you?

Heavenly Father, even when I can’t see or feel it, please help me remember the truth of Your love for me.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, September 20, 2026

The Divine Rule of Life

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. — Matthew 5:48

In Matthew 5, our Lord calls on us to be generous in our behavior with everyone we meet. Be careful of allowing yourself to be led by your natural affinities in your spiritual life. Everyone has natural affinities—everyone likes some people and dislikes others—but we must never let these likes and dislikes rule in our Christian life. If we “walk in the light, as he is in the light” (1 John 1:7), God will give us communion with people for whom we have no affinity.

The example Jesus holds up for us in Matthew 5:48 isn’t of a good person, or even of a good Christian, but of God himself. When Jesus says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” he means that we must show to others what God has shown to us. In our lives, God will give us many opportunities to prove whether we are perfect as he is perfect. He will ask us to deliberately identify ourselves with his interests in other people.

“Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12). The expression of Christian character isn’t good-doing; it’s God-likeness. If the Spirit of God has transformed you on the inside, then on the outside you will display divine characteristics, not human characteristics. God’s life in us expresses itself as God’s life, not as human life trying to be godly. The secret of being Christian is that the supernatural is made natural in us by the grace of God. We experience this in the regular, busy moments of our lives, not in times of quiet communion. When we come into contact with people or circumstances that should throw us off-balance, we find to our amazement that we have the power to keep wonderfully poised in the center of it all.

Ecclesiastes 4-6; 2 Corinthians 12

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

There is no allowance whatever in the New Testament for the man who says he is saved by grace but who does not produce the graceful goods. Jesus Christ by His Redemption can make our actual life in keeping with our religious profession.

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 1465 R