June 25

 GOD, A FATHER TO ALL - June 25, 2026

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Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” A glimpse of God’s goodness changes us. If He is only slightly stronger than us, why pray?  If He has limitations, questions, and hesitations, then you might as well pray to the Wizard of Oz.

Psalm 68:5-6 says that God is “a father to the fatherless.  He sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity.”

Pray with me! “Dear God. Remind me today that you protect me.  Be my father and defender.  Defend those who are weak and afraid and feel forgotten.  Show up in their lives today. Thank you for giving me a spiritual family that can never be taken away.  I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.”

At any point you’re only a prayer away from help!

 Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer

Read more Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer

John 1:1-14

The Message

The Life-Light

1 1-2 The Word was first,

    the Word present to God,

    God present to the Word.

The Word was God,

    in readiness for God from day one.

3-5 Everything was created through him;

    nothing—not one thing!—

    came into being without him.

What came into existence was Life,

    and the Life was Light to live by.

The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;

    the darkness couldn’t put it out.

6-8 There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.

9-13 The Life-Light was the real thing:

    Every person entering Life

    he brings into Light.

He was in the world,

    the world was there through him,

    and yet the world didn’t even notice.

He came to his own people,

    but they didn’t want him.

But whoever did want him,

    who believed he was who he claimed

    and would do what he said,

He made to be their true selves,

    their child-of-God selves.

These are the God-begotten,

    not blood-begotten,

    not flesh-begotten,

    not sex-begotten.

14 The Word became flesh and blood,

    and moved into the neighborhood.

We saw the glory with our own eyes,

    the one-of-a-kind glory,

    like Father, like Son,

Generous inside and out,

    true from start to finish.

Our daily bread reading and devotion:

The Father’s Open Arms

In you the fatherless find compassion. Hosea 14:3

By Tom Felten

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Hosea 14:1-7, 9

Hosea 14:1-8

The Message

Come Back! Return to Your God!

14 1-3 O Israel, come back! Return to your God!

    You’re down but you’re not out.

Prepare your confession

    and come back to God.

Pray to him, “Take away our sin,

    accept our confession.

Receive as restitution

    our repentant prayers.

Assyria won’t save us;

    horses won’t get us where we want to go.

We’ll never again say ‘our god’

    to something we’ve made or made up.

You’re our last hope. Is it not true

    that in you the orphan finds mercy?”

* * *

4-8 “I will heal their waywardness.

    I will love them lavishly. My anger is played out.

I will make a fresh start with Israel.

    He’ll burst into bloom like a crocus in the spring.

9  If you want to live well,

    make sure you understand all of this.

If you know what’s good for you,

    you’ll learn this inside and out.

God’s paths get you where you want to go.

    Right-living people walk them easily;

    wrong-living people are always tripping and stumbling.

He’ll put down deep oak tree roots,

    he’ll become a forest of oaks!

He’ll become splendid—like a giant sequoia,

    his fragrance like a grove of cedars!

Those who live near him will be blessed by him,

    be blessed and prosper like golden grain.

Everyone will be talking about them,

    spreading their fame as the vintage children of God.

Ephraim is finished with gods that are no-gods.

    From now on I’m the one who answers and satisfies him.

I am like a luxuriant fruit tree.

    Everything you need is to be found in me.”

Today's Insights

The book of Hosea begins with a bitter, living picture of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God, lived out in the promiscuous lifestyle of Hosea’s unfaithful wife (1:2). Ultimately Hosea buys her back out of her enslaved condition—a picture of God’s redemption of His wayward people (3:1-5). At the time, Israel faced severe judgment for their sins. The book’s final chapter brings hope and an appeal. The prophet says, “Take words with you and return to the Lord” (14:2). He counsels them, “Say to [God], ‘Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips’ ” (v. 2). Some scholars believe the “fruit of our lips” is a reference to their honest confession before God—a far preferable sacrifice than the empty rituals they’d been performing (6:6). As we share what God has done for us, we invite others to accept the love of our gracious and forgiving Father.

Learn what it means to be a sacrificial servant by reading Who Is Your Neighbor?

Today's Devotion

Mary Slessor’s compassionate heart led her to open her arms to those in need. The Scottish missionary, born in 1848, served among the people of Okoyong in a distant land. Superstition led people of that region to believe that when twins were born, one was good and one was the child of a demon. This often led to both twins dying—being abandoned to starvation or other dangers. Reflecting the loving heart of God, in time Mary helped save hundreds of the at-risk children, adopting nine as her own!

In his inspired words to the rebellious nation of Israel, the prophet Hosea offers a glimpse into God’s caring heart for children. The prophet said of Him, “In you the fatherless find compassion” (14:3). Hosea stated that God cared for His own and desired to “love them freely” (v. 4). But they needed to turn from their defiance of Him and embrace His ways. They were instructed to turn from pagan deities to the true God who cares for the most helpless, the orphans. And if they returned to God, they’d find forgiveness from the one who would “receive [them] graciously” (vv. 1-2).

As we open our arms to those around us, including at-risk children, we reflect the love of God. Let’s embrace His compassionate heart and extend His care to those in need as He helps us.

Reflect & Pray

How has God’s loving example led you to care for those in need? How does it encourage you to know that in Him “the fatherless find compassion”?

Compassionate God, please open my heart and my arms to children and others who are in need around me.

Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow

BY OSWALD CHAMBERS

Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? “Father, save me from this hour”? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. — John 12:27 

As a child of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty shouldn’t be one of wishing they didn’t exist, nor of asking God to prevent them. I should be asking that, in every fire of sorrow, I receive the self God created me to be. Our Lord wasn’t saved from the hour, but out of it. He received himself in the fires of sorrow, fulfilling the purpose God had ordained for him.

We say that there shouldn’t be any sorrow, but there is sorrow. If we try to avoid it, if we refuse to take it into account, we are being foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts of life; it’s no use saying that it shouldn’t exist. Sin and sorrow and suffering are. It isn’t for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.

Sorrow burns up a great amount of our shallowness, but it doesn’t always make us better. Suffering either gives us to ourselves or destroys us. We can’t find ourselves in success; success makes us lose our heads. We can’t find ourselves in times of calm and monotony; they make us bored. The only way we can receive ourselves is in the fires of sorrow. This is true in both Scripture and human experience.

Have I received my self—the self God created me to be—in the fires of sorrow? It’s always easy to identify people who have. They are the people you know you can trust, the people you turn to in moments of trouble and find that they have plenty of time for you. Those who haven’t received themselves are likely to be irritated and contemptuous when you ask for their help; they have no time for you and your troubles. Only those who have received themselves are able to give with open hearts.

Receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, and God will make you nourishment for others.

Job 3-4; Acts 7:44-60

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Always keep in contact with those books and those people that enlarge your horizon and make it possible for you to stretch yourself mentally.

The Moral Foundations of Life, 721 R

Parents Afraid - #10294

By Ron Hutchcraft

Scripture:  2 Timothy 1:7

My wife and I were staying in this apartment at the Jersey shore for a weekend. We were going to save some money by cooking for ourselves. But, there was one small problem with the kitchen. We discovered it the first morning. We had this English muffin in the toaster. Suddenly I hear this high-pitched alarm in the kitchen. I went running out there. The smoke detector had gone off. Problem: There was no smoke, just a little English muffin cooking. It was just a little heat coming from across the room from the toaster. Oh, we got to hear that smoke alarm again several times while we were there. It was a very sensitive alarm. And the problem is because it would go off so often, guess what? Pretty soon you don’t take it seriously any more.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Parents Afraid.”

Our word for today from the Word of God is a great verse for anyone, but especially for parents in times like these. 2 Timothy 1:7 - “God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and a sound mind.” You’re not supposed to have a spirit of fear. See, fear-based decisions usually don’t take us down the right road. Fear-based parenting usually backfires.

If you’re a parent today, there are a lot of things you could be afraid of for your children. They could be physically hurt, they could be spiritually hurt, or they can be infected by the moral pollution that’s everywhere. They could lose their faith, they could rebel, or they could mess up sexually. Our kids can choose the wrong friends; they can make a romantic mistake. They can believe a sophisticated lie.

Raising children in this kind of world, you could find yourself letting fear take over; especially if you see a warning sign in your son or daughter. But God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear. He wants you to parent with a spirit of power and love and a sound mind. He wants you to parent positively, not with criticism and nagging and worrying and put downs or being overly possessive or protective. Those approaches usually help produce the very rebellion we were afraid of.

When we parent out of fear, our alarm keeps going off all the time. Every incident, every negative comment from our child becomes a battleground. Maybe you see signs that you’re becoming like that smoke detector; you’re going off on everything. If you do, eventually you won’t be taken seriously anymore, probably at just the point in your child’s life when you really need to be taken seriously. You just can’t afford to have your son or daughter saying, “The alarm, again?”

Parents whose fear or negativism or perfectionism makes them sound off all the time tend to create rebels, because we create an immunity to a parental voice. And a child who is immune to mom or dad’s voice is like an unguided missile. If you sense that your alarm’s been going off too often, it’s time to turn that around.

It begins with an apology - asking your child to forgive you because of the nagging and the negative. Be honest with them about some of your fears for them. Tell them how much you believe in their potential and in their gifts and that you hate anything that might keep them from becoming all they were created to be. Be willing to be vulnerable with them. Be willing to need forgiving. You might be amazed how many walls that can bring down.

Then choose your battlegrounds. Learn to analyze a conflict or a concern, and put them in one of two categories: major battle or minor battle. And then save your ammunition for the battles that really matter. Bite your tongue on the others. Before you talk to your child, talk to God about your child. Bring your fear and your anger and your frustration to God so you don’t always have to dump it on your son or daughter. Give God time to work it out, and then jump in only as He prompts you to.

Because of Christ in your life, you can parent with confidence, with authority and restraint. And then when your parent alarm goes off, your kids will respond. Just wait until there’s real smoke from a real fire.

June 24

AN OPEN DOOR TO GOD - June 24, 2026

By Max Lucado

A lot of us make unnecessary messes, but we can change that. May I make a suggestion? Before you face the world, face your Father.

Take this pocket prayer: Father…You are good. Your heart is good. Your words come slowly at first, but stay at it. You are always right. The weather’s bad, the economy is bad, but God, you are awesome. Don’t underestimate the power of this moment. You just opened the door to God and welcomed truth to enter your heart. Who knows, you might even start to worship.

Is your world different because you prayed? In one sense, no. But you are different. You have peace; you’ve talked to your Father. Here’s my challenge for you: every day for four weeks pray four minutes. Then get ready to connect with God like never before.

 Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer

Psalm 6

The Message

6 1-2 Please, God, no more yelling,

    no more trips to the woodshed.

Treat me nice for a change;

    I’m so starved for affection.

2-3 Can’t you see I’m black-and-blue,

    beaten up badly in bones and soul?

God, how long will it take

    for you to let up?

4-5 Break in, God, and break up this fight;

    if you love me at all, get me out of here.

I’m no good to you dead, am I?

    I can’t sing in your choir if I’m buried in some tomb!

6-7 I’m tired of all this—so tired. My bed

    has been floating forty days and nights

On the flood of my tears.

    My mattress is soaked, soggy with tears.

The sockets of my eyes are black holes;

    nearly blind, I squint and grope.

8-9 Get out of here, you Devil’s crew:

    at last God has heard my sobs.

My requests have all been granted,

    my prayers are answered.

10 Cowards, my enemies disappear.

Disgraced, they turn tail and run.

Our daily bread devotional and reading:

Faith Rooted in God

With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26

by Katara Patton

June 24, 2026

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Matthew 19:23-26

23-24As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.”

25The disciples were staggered. “Then who has any chance at all?”

26Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”

Today's Insights

The rich man was trusting in himself, his good works, and his wealth for eternal life rather than in God (Matthew 19:16-22). To highlight the impossibility that he could enter heaven based on his own merits, Jesus said it would be easier for a large camel to go through the small eye of a needle than for a rich man to save himself (v. 23). The Jewish belief at that time was that God bestowed wealth on the deserving. If a moral and rich person who had God’s favor couldn’t make it into heaven, then seemingly no one could (v. 25). Christ says it’s impossible for humans to save themselves but “with God all things are possible” (v. 26). God did the impossible and the unthinkable when “he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him” would “have eternal life” (John 3:16). As believers in Jesus, we can trust God—who can do the impossible—to help us.

Today's Devotion

I was inspired while reading a historical fiction account of the life of Mary McLeod Bethune, founder of Bethune-Cookman University. The stories of her determination and care for others led me to read more about her. One account tells how in the early 1900s, she “described” the buildings at her school for young African American women to a wealthy businessman. But when he visited the “campus,” he found only one building. She’d described her dream to him, hoping that he would invest in the school. Her faith and vision worked together to secure funding. Her school eventually became—and still is—a four-year university.

Bethune is credited with saying: “Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible.” Her quote is similar to what Jesus told the astonished disciples who were asking questions about salvation. They were trying to figure out how people could “enter the kingdom of God,” or heaven (Matthew 19:24). They wanted to know “who then can be saved?” (v. 25). Jesus shared with His followers that faith in God was the only way, because “with God all things are possible” (v. 26).

Faith is rooted in a belief in God and His abilities. Faith prompts us to believe in the possibility of things we don’t see yet (see Hebrews 11:1)—like a dream of a school for the underprivileged or an eternal home for those who accept Christ. May God help us see what He sees.

Reflect & Pray

What are you struggling to believe? How can trusting in God’s power help you?

Dear God of all, please increase my faith in Your ability to do the impossible.

For further study, read Are You the One? Keeping Faith when Life Doesn’t Go Our Way.

Reconciling Yourself to the Fact of Sin

BY OSWALD CHAMBERS

But this is your hour—when darkness reigns. — Luke 22:53

Not being reconciled to the fact that sin exists is what produces all the disasters in life. We talk about the nobility of human nature, but something in human nature laughs in the face of our ideals. If we refuse to accept that there is wickedness and self-seeking in human beings, something downright spiteful and wrong, we’ll compromise with sin and say there’s no use battling against it when it shows up in our lives.

Have you made allowance for the hour “when darkness reigns” in you? Or do you have a conception of yourself that leaves out sin? In your friendships and physical relationships, are you caught off guard by sinful impulses, or do you reconcile yourself in advance to the reality of sin? If you do, you’ll recognize danger the instant it appears; you’ll know ahead of time what engaging in sinful behavior would mean. Recognizing that sin exists doesn’t destroy human relationships; it establishes a mutual regard founded on the fact that the basis of life is tragic.

Always beware of an estimate of human nature that doesn’t take the existence of sin into account. Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet he was never cynical, never suspicious. He trusted absolutely in what God could do.

The pure person, not the innocent person, is the safeguarded person. Innocence is the quality of the child. You are never safe with an innocent man or woman; God demands that we be pure and virtuous. It is a blameworthy thing not to be reconciled to the fact of sin.

Job 1-2; Acts 7:22-43

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else. “Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord”;… 

The Highest Good—The Pilgrim’s Song Book, 537 L

A Leader’s Real Assignment - #10293

June 24, 2026 by Ron Hutchcraft

Scripture:  1 Peter 5:2

Before D. L. Moody became the greatest evangelist of the 19th Century, he ran a storefront Sunday School to reach some of the street kids of Chicago. The story is told of one tough little guy who was seen on Sunday after Sunday. He lived a long way from his destination. Well, on one brutally cold and snowy Chicago day, one man saw the boy walking into the wind, making his usual Sunday morning journey to Moody’s Sunday School. He asked the boy why he would make that effort every Sunday, even on a day when no one else was out, especially when he passed by a lot of churches that were a lot closer to his home. The boy’s explanation was pretty clear and pretty simple, “I go there Mister, because they really make a fellow feel loved there.”

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “A Leader’s Real Assignment.”

The first portrait of Jesus I can ever remember seeing as a child was one that portrays Him as the Good Shepherd, with His sheep following Him closely and this one little lamb cuddled in His arms. Interestingly enough, now that I’m in Christian leadership, I realize that picture is also what I’m supposed to be about. And you, too, if God has entrusted you with any kind of influence or direction in people’s lives. Your template is supposed to be that of a shepherd of whom people say, “He or she sure makes a person feel loved.”

Listen to 1 Peter 5, beginning with verse 2. It’s our word for today from the Word of God, and it’s a picture of leadership worth planting deeply in your heart. Writing to those in leadership God says, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers...” OK, quick timeout here! Notice whose sheep your people are—your children are. They’re God’s; they’re not yours. Don’t ever start acting like they’re yours. And notice, too, that they are given to you to be under your care, not under your thumb.

Peter goes on: “Not because you must, but because you are willing…not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” OK, what’s the Biblical picture of being a leader? Right, shepherding. Leading the sheep, not lording it over them. Loving the sheep, not using them for your own ends. Modeling more than demanding.

So if you’re a shepherd, what should you be doing? Well, a shepherd always leads the sheep to what they need. If you’ve been entrusted with people to lead, it’s your job to gently direct them to what they need emotionally, spiritually, physically, mentally, and to know when they need encouraging, and when they need correcting, and when they just need loving. Christian leadership is all about you meeting their needs, not them meeting yours.

Shepherding also means keeping your sheep from wandering—establishing clear boundaries and pulling them back at the first sign of wandering. Being a shepherd also means protecting your sheep from the enemy. A few verses later in this passage, Peter talks about resisting the roaring lion who’s looking for someone to devour. It is the Christian leader’s job to keep his eyes open for where Satan might get in and then to defend his flock from the stalking of the lion.

And Jesus taught us one other thing the “good shepherd” does. He said, “He calls His own sheep by name” (John 10:3). I love that! In other words, if you’re a good shepherd, you will give each of His sheep individual attention, the kind that street kid in Chicago must have felt at D. L. Moody’s Sunday School. Make each one feel like the most important person in the world when they’re with you. There’s nobody else for you right now, than them. Don’t treat them just like another nameless face in the flock.

Jesus was a shepherd, and now He’s called you to be one, trusting you with some of the sheep that He died for. Your children, your grandchildren, your church, your Bible study. All those people under your leadership. Is leadership worth the price you pay? Is it worth the sacrifices you make? Listen to the bottom line in 1 Peter 5:4 - “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory, that will never fade away.”

June 23

AUTHORITY OVER YOUR WORLD - June 23, 2026

By Max Lucado

Most people have small thoughts about God. In an effort to see God as our friend, we have lost his immensity. In our desire to understand him, we have sought to contain him.

The God of the Bible cannot be contained. With a word he called Adam out of dust and Eve out of a bone. He consulted no committee; he sought no counsel. He has authority over the world, and he has authority over your world. He’s never surprised. He has never, ever uttered the phrase, “How did that happen?”

God’s goodness is a major headline in the Bible. If he were only mighty, we’d salute him. But since he is merciful and mighty, we can approach him. If God is at once Father and Creator, holy—unlike us—and high above us, then we at any point are only a prayer away from help.

 Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer

Psalm 5

The Message

5 1-3 Listen, God! Please, pay attention!    Can you make sense of these ramblings, my groans and cries?

    King-God, I need your help. Every morning you’ll hear me at it again.

Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend.

4-6 You don’t socialize with Wicked, or invite Evil over as your houseguest.

Hot-Air-Boaster collapses in front of you; you shake your head over Mischief-Maker.

God destroys Lie-Speaker; Blood-Thirsty and Truth-Bender disgust you.

7-8 And here I am, your invited guest— it’s incredible!

I enter your house; here I am, prostrate in your inner sanctum,

Waiting for directions 

    to get me safely through enemy lines.

9-10 Every word they speak is a land mine;

    their lungs breathe out poison gas.

Their throats are gaping graves,

    their tongues slick as mudslides.

Pile on the guilt, God!

    Let their so-called wisdom wreck them.

Kick them out! They’ve had their chance.

11-12 But you’ll welcome us with open arms

    when we run for cover to you.

Let the party last all night!

    Stand guard over our celebration.

You are famous, God, for welcoming God-seekers,

    for decking us out in delight.

Our Daily bread reading:    to get me safely through enemy lines.

9-10 Every word they speak is a land mine;

    their lungs breathe out poison gas.

Their throats are gaping graves,

    their tongues slick as mudslides.

Pile on the guilt, God!

    Let their so-called wisdom wreck them.

Kick them out! They’ve had their chance.

11-12 But you’ll welcome us with open arms

    when we run for cover to you.

Let the party last all night!

    Stand guard over our celebration.

You are famous, God, for welcoming God-seekers,

    for decking us out in delight.

Our daily bread reading and Devotion

Exodus 34:29-35

The Message

29-30 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the two Tablets of The Testimony, he didn’t know that the skin of his face glowed because he had been speaking with God. Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, saw his radiant face, and held back, afraid to get close to him.

31-32 Moses called out to them. Aaron and the leaders in the community came back and Moses talked with them. Later all the Israelites came up to him and he passed on the commands, everything that God had told him on Mount Sinai.

33-35 When Moses finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face, but when he went into the presence of God to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. When he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they would see Moses’ face, its skin glowing, and then he would again put the veil on his face until he went back in to speak with God.Today's Insights

In Exodus 34, Moses’ face was literally shining after his encounters with God captured the intensity of His glory. It revealed that God was truly with His people through Moses and that His revelation could be trusted. In the ancient Near East, shining faces were believed to indicate someone was divine. Aaron and the Israelites were frightened by Moses’ appearance (v. 30), perhaps thinking he’d become a god himself. By allowing his shining face to be seen only when delivering God’s instructions to the people and veiling it the rest of the time (vv. 34-35), Moses may have been trying to prevent the people from worshiping him instead of God.

In 2 Corinthians 3:12-18, Paul suggests that because of Jesus, anyone can encounter God’s glory like Moses did. Those who “contemplate” Christ’s glory are “transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory” (v. 18)—reflecting Him more and more. As we spend time with God, our faces will “shine” with His love.

God loves us even in our imperfect state. Learn more by watching this video.

Shining Faces

When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant. Exodus 34:30Today's Devotion

“He has a sugar face!” our vet exclaimed as she gave our young dog his annual checkup. “A sugar face?” I asked. “It’s a term used for retrievers whose faces turn prematurely white,” she replied, smiling. “It’s just a sign of the sweetness inside.”

Reflecting on that moment later, I thought about what shows up on my face when others meet me. Do they catch a glimpse of “the sweetness inside,” the transforming power of Jesus’ love in my heart and life? The Bible tells of the breathtaking moments when Moses came down from Mount Sinai after spending days in God’s presence. Moses “was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord,” so radiant that the people “were afraid to come near him” (Exodus 34:29-30). To avoid frightening them further, Moses “put a veil over his face” and removed it when “he went in to speak with the Lord” (vv. 33, 35).

Moses was of course literally speaking with God “face to face” (33:11), a unique moment in the Bible. But Scripture also reminds us that we who know God through Christ “are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). His presence within us can be winsome to others—a work of God’s love. Our faces may not shine like Moses’ did, but as we spend time in God’s presence, He’ll become increasingly evident in us.

Reflect & Pray

How is God’s love evident in your life? How might you share it with others today?

Please let my face shine with Your love, dear Father, that others may love You 

Acquaintance with Grief

BY OSWALD CHAMBERS

He is . . . a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. — Isaiah 53:3

We are not acquainted with grief in the way our Lord was acquainted with grief. We endure it, we get through it, but we don’t become intimate with it. The reason for this is that we don’t understand the cause of grief and sorrow in life. Grief and sorrow are caused by sin— but many of us refuse to recognize the fact that sin exists.

At the beginning of our lives, we take a rational view of things. We say that human beings, by educating themselves and looking after their instincts, by controlling “the ape and tiger” within, can produce a life that will slowly evolve into the life of God. But as we go on, we discover the presence of something we hadn’t taken into account: sin.

Sin upsets all our calculations. Sin has made the basis of things wild, not rational. Some of us never learn to accept the fact of sin because we don’t think it should be there. We have to recognize that sin is a fact.

Sin is red-handed mutiny against God. Either God or sin must die in my life. The New Testament brings us down to this one issue. If sin rules in me, God’s life in me will be killed. If God rules in me, sin in me will be killed. There is no other possible outcome. Sin reached its climax when it crucified Jesus Christ, and what was true in the history of God on earth will be true in your history and in mine. We have to reconcile ourselves to the fact of sin as the only explanation for why Jesus Christ came, and the only explanation for grief and sorrow in life.

Esther 9-10; Acts 7:1-21

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Sincerity means that the appearance and the reality are exactly the same.

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 1449 

The Power of Powerlessness - #10292

By Ron Hutchcraft

Scripture:  2 Chronicles 20:12

When you grow up in the Midwest, you don’t get too much experience with hurricanes; a tornado maybe, but not hurricanes. We were vacationing out on the end of Long Island some summers ago, and the word came that there was a hurricane making its way up the East Coast and would probably go over Long Island. We were well up from the water and were not in any real danger, even though the people near the water were being evacuated.

So we went into town and every store had candles and batteries. We thought we might lose power during that time and evidently so did the whole town! We got everything out that we thought we'd need; all the batteries, a little hibachi grill in case we had to cook without a stove, we lined the refrigerator with newspaper like you’re supposed to, we filled the bathtub with water so in case the electric goes out we’d still have some water. And then we all moved, as the storm was moving up the coast, from our upstairs bedrooms to the living room, and we all just kind of slept together on the floor there.

You know what? Everybody loved it! The kids said, “Is this a hurricane? This is cool!” Because we weren’t in separate bedrooms; we were all kind of all cozy together, and sure enough we lost the electric. It was knocked out for four days. So our nights were all by candle light, and it was great! We read, we cuddled, we got close, we made lifetime memories. That power outage gave us a whole new closeness; one of the best things that could happen for us turned out to be losing all our power.

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

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 2 Chronicles 20, and I’m going to read at verse 12. Jehoshaphat is the King of Judah, and Judah has already encountered enough difficulties, and they are now having a massive army coming toward them. And this is the testimony of Jehoshaphat to the Lord, “We have no power to face this vast enemy that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” Isn’t that great?

Can you relate to those words, “no power”? You say, “Boy, when it comes to money right now, or my health, or my family, or people that I’m having trouble with, I feel like I have no power against it.” Can you relate to those words, “a vast army”? You say, “Man, I’m overwhelmed by all that’s going on. I’m paralyzed. Sometimes I’m about to panic.” Well, that’s good! You say, “Why is that good?” For the same reason no power was good for our family during that hurricane. Something happened between us that would never have happened if we had the power that we always depend on.

Right now you have the opportunity to run and wrap yourself around your Heavenly Father like a desperate child. And in that complete dependency His power takes over unobstructed by your efforts to do it. It’s all God; it’s none of you, because there’s no more of you left to fight. And at that moment you are more powerful than you have ever been – powerless but powerful.

You’ve admitted you’re a beggar and God is a billionaire. You have nothing to contribute to a victory, and so now the billionaire pours His resources into you. This vast army moving against you could be the greatest thing that ever happened to you if you do what Jehoshaphat says here, “Our eyes are upon You.” Not on that army. “Our eyes are upon You.” You say, “Lord, it’s all Yours.” Your power has been blown out by the storm, but it would and it could lead you to a deeper closeness with your Father than you have ever known.

By the way, an incredible victory was wrought by the power of God back in Jehoshaphat’s day. And maybe that’s going to happen in your life right now because you’re powerless at last.

June 22

 A Heartfelt Plea - June 22, 2026  by Max Lucado-

When my eldest daughter was 13, she flubbed her piano piece at a recital. The silence in the auditorium was broken only by the pounding of her parents’ hearts. She hurried off the stage, threw her arms around me and buried her face in my shirt. “Oh, Daddy.” That was enough for me. At that moment I’d have given her the moon, and all she said was, “Oh, Daddy.”

Prayer starts here. Prayer begins with an honest, heartfelt, “Oh Daddy!” Jesus invites us to approach God the way a child approaches his or her daddy.

Here’s my challenge for you: every day for four weeks, pray four minutes. Then get ready to connect with God like never before.

 Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer

Psalm 4

The Message

4 When I call, give me answers. God, take my side!

Once, in a tight place, you gave me room;

Now I’m in trouble again: grace me! hear me!

2 You rabble—how long do I put up with your scorn?

How long will you lust after lies?

How long will you live crazed by illusion?

3 Look at this: look

Who got picked by God!

He listens the split second I call to him.

4-5 Complain if you must, but don’t lash out.

Keep your mouth shut, and let your heart do the talking.

Build your case before God and wait for his verdict.

6-7 Why is everyone hungry for more? “More, more,” they say.

“More, more.”

I have God’s more-than-enough,

More joy in one ordinary day

7-8 Than they get in all their shopping sprees.

At day’s end I’m ready for sound sleep,

For you, God, have put my life back together.

Our daily bread byKaren Pimpo

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Leviticus 19:1-10

1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.

3Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.

4Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.

5And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it at your own will. 6It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire. 7And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted. 8Therefore every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the hallowed thing of the LORD: and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

9And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. 10And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.

Today's Insights

God promised to abundantly provide food for His people (Leviticus 25:18-19), and so, in remembrance of their enslavement in Egypt, He commanded them to feed the poor and needy (19:9-10; Deuteronomy 24:19-22). The story of Ruth took place in the backdrop of this law of gleaning (Ruth 2). God also wants us to be open-handed with his material blessings (see Deuteronomy 15:7-11). The apostle Paul says that God gives us material blessings for our enjoyment and commands believers in Jesus “to use their money to do good. . . . Be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others” (1 Timothy 6:18 nlt).Today, because God has richly given to us, we can look for opportunities to be generous to others.

Each of us has been given a gift we can use to bless others. Learn more by watching this video.

Ready to Be Generous

My great-uncle’s memorial service featured a meal of roast beef, corn, and beans to honor the hospitality that he and his wife had lived out for many years. Each Sunday morning, they would put a large roast and veggies in the Crock-Pot before going to church. After the service, they would look for someone to invite for lunch. Sometimes it was a good friend, sometimes a stranger. Either way, they made sure there was plenty of food at home and those afternoons were especially set aside for hospitality.

Their Sunday habit required an intentional readiness for generosity. The Israelites followed a similar pattern. Through Moses, God commanded them to leave a portion of their food “for the poor and the foreigner” (Leviticus 19:10). During harvest time, they were instructed not to reap to the edges of their field, leave what had fallen, and not re-harvest their vineyards (vv. 9-10). With these redeeming methods, those who didn’t own land could still work to gather food. For the people of God, this wasn’t a one-time, spontaneous act—although that can be a beautiful blessing too. It was how they lived year after year.

There are opportunities all around us to show Jesus’ hospitable love. Some we can’t prepare for; some we can. As God helps us, let’s consider how we can treat others kindly today (v. 33).

Reflect & Pray

Where is God calling you to be generous? What does it look like to be ready to show love and kindness?

Dear Jesus, You modeled perfect love and self-sacrifice. Please help me to be ready to show Your love to others.

The Undeviating Test

BY OSWALD CHAMBERS

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. — Matthew 7:2

What Jesus says here about judging isn’t a haphazard guess; it’s an eternal law of God. Whatever judgment you make of another person will be made of you. There is a difference between retaliation and retribution. Jesus says that the basis of life is retribution: “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” If you have been shrewd in finding defects in others, remember that this is how you will be dealt with. This is the law from God’s throne downward: “To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd” (Psalm 18:26). Life serves you back in the coin you pay.

Romans 2 applies this law of judgment in an even more definite way. It says that the person who criticizes another is guilty of the exact thing they’re criticizing. God doesn’t look at the act alone; he looks at the possibility of the act. The problem with many of us is that we don’t believe the statements of the Bible in the first place. Do you, for instance, believe you are actually guilty of all the things you criticize in others? The reason we see hypocrisy and fraud and unreality in others is because we have these things in our own hearts. The defining quality of the truly righteous person is humility. The righteous person knows, “All those evil things and many more would rule me if it weren’t for the grace of God. Therefore, I have no right to judge.”

Jesus says, “Do not judge” (Matthew 7:1). If you judge, you will be judged to the same degree. Which of us would dare to stand before God and say, “My God, judge me as I have judged my fellow human beings”? We have judged our fellow human beings as sinners. If God were to judge us like that, we would be in hell. God judges us through the marvelous atonement of Jesus Christ.

Esther 6-8; Acts 6

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

There is nothing, naturally speaking, that makes us lose heart quicker than decay—the decay of bodily beauty, of natural life, of friendship, of associations, all these things make a man lose heart; but Paul says when we are trusting in Jesus Christ these things do not find us discouraged, light comes through them. 

The Place of Help, 1032 L

Why God Will Never Be a Grandfather - #10291

June 22, 2026

By Ron Hutchcraft

Scripture:  John 1:12

It was one of those unforgettable, milestone moments for our family. Our firstborn child was holding her firstborn child. Wow! What a moment! And we got to join them in the delivery room just moments after the little guy's arrival. And I knew this presented a shocking development. My wife was a grandmother! Could you believe it? Me, living with a grandmother! Yes, I was living in denial. And then after becoming a grandmother more than once, well finally, I had to accept that disturbing reality and glorious reality. I am a grandfather!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Why God Will Never Be a Grandfather.”

All through the Bible, God introduces Himself to us as our Father in heaven, but never as our grandfather. God never has been and never will be anyone’s grandfather. See, He only has children. He doesn't have any grandchildren.

That might be some very important information for you to consider - eternally important - because you might be one of the many people who could be counting on the faith of their family to qualify them for heaven. If you've got a Christian mom or dad, that might help you know about Jesus. It won't do a thing for you when it comes to knowing Jesus personally though. You can't "osmote" a relationship with Jesus from your Christian parents or your Christian husband or your wife, or from the Christians you've been with your whole life. Unless there's been a personal transaction between you and Jesus to have your sins forgiven, you've never been born into God's family, and you'll never see heaven. God has no grandchildren.

Jesus described the essential qualification for going to heaven when He said, “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3). A couple of chapters earlier, the Bible describes just how that birthing into God’s family takes place. It’s in John 1:12, our word for today from the Word of God. Speaking of Jesus, it says, “To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”

What does it mean to “receive” Christ? Well, it’s consciously opening the door of your heart and welcoming Jesus in. So, has there ever been a time when you did that for yourself? This verse talks about “believing in His name.” What’s that about? When you check out “believe” in the original language of the New Testament, it’s clear that it’s a lot more than just agreeing with all the facts about Jesus dying for your sin. It’s about total trust in Jesus like He's your only hope. “His name” literally means, “Jehovah rescues.” That’s what He died for—to pay for your sin so you don’t have to. To rescue you.

Just picture that you're desperately drowning and Jesus has come like the rescuer. You’ve got to grab onto Him like He's your only hope. Has there ever been a time when you did that with Jesus? You say, "I'm not sure." Well, if you don’t know you have, I'd say you probably haven’t. When you’ve grown up in a Christian home, spent a lot of time in a Christian environment, it’s easy to feel like, "Man, I must have picked up Jesus somewhere." Well, no, not unless there’s been a time when you consciously put all your trust in Him for yourself and you told Him that. That’s when your sins get erased from God’s records. That’s when you get born into God’s family.

It may be God has you listening today so He could whisper to your heart, “Take care of this now. Look, you’ve known a lot about Me all these years, but you’ve never known Me. Don’t wait another day to begin your personal relationship with Me.” You know, you could do that by telling Jesus, “Beginning this day, I'm Yours.”

This what could be your Jesus day, this would be a great day for you to go visit our website. It's ANewStory.com.

From now on, this date can be your new birthday—your second birthday. The day you got God as your Father. You got Jesus as your Savior—your personal Savior!

June 20

 Max Lucado Daily: He Leads

Worrying is one job you can’t farm out, but you can overcome it. There’s no better place to begin than in Psalm 23:2. “He leads me beside the still waters,” David declares. “He leads me.”  God isn’t behind me, yelling, “Go!”  He’s ahead of me bidding, “Come!”  He’s in front, clearing the path, cutting the brush. Standing next to the rocks, He warns, “Watch your step there.”

Isn’t this what God gave the children of Israel? He promised to supply them with manna each day. But He told them to collect only one day’s supply at a time. Matthew 6:34 says, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.  God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

God is leading you! Leave tomorrow’s problems until tomorrow!

From Traveling Light

Luke 22:24-46 The Message

Get Ready for Trouble

24-26 Within minutes they were bickering over who of them would end up the greatest. But Jesus intervened: “Kings like to throw their weight around and people in authority like to give themselves fancy titles. It’s not going to be that way with you. Let the senior among you become like the junior; let the leader act the part of the servant.

27-30 “Who would you rather be: the one who eats the dinner or the one who serves the dinner? You’d rather eat and be served, right? But I’ve taken my place among you as the one who serves. And you’ve stuck with me through thick and thin. Now I confer on you the royal authority my Father conferred on me so you can eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and be strengthened as you take up responsibilities among the congregations of God’s people.

31-32 “Simon, stay on your toes. Satan has tried his best to separate all of you from me, like chaff from wheat. Simon, I’ve prayed for you in particular that you not give in or give out. When you have come through the time of testing, turn to your companions and give them a fresh start.”

33 Peter said, “Master, I’m ready for anything with you. I’d go to jail for you. I’d die for you!”

34 Jesus said, “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Peter, but before the rooster crows you will have three times denied that you know me.”

35 Then Jesus said, “When I sent you out and told you to travel light, to take only the bare necessities, did you get along all right?”

“Certainly,” they said, “we got along just fine.”

36-37 He said, “This is different. Get ready for trouble. Look to what you’ll need; there are difficult times ahead. Pawn your coat and get a sword. What was written in Scripture, ‘He was lumped in with the criminals,’ gets its final meaning in me. Everything written about me is now coming to a conclusion.”

38 They said, “Look, Master, two swords!”

But he said, “Enough of that; no more sword talk!”

A Dark Night

39-40 Leaving there, he went, as he so often did, to Mount Olives. The disciples followed him. When they arrived at the place, he said, “Pray that you don’t give in to temptation.”

41-44 He pulled away from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, “Father, remove this cup from me. But please, not what I want. What do you want?” At once an angel from heaven was at his side, strengthening him. He prayed on all the harder. Sweat, wrung from him like drops of blood, poured off his face.

45-46 He got up from prayer, went back to the disciples and found them asleep, drugged by grief. He said, “What business do you have sleeping? Get up. Pray so you won’t give in to temptation.”

Our daily bread reading and devotion Colon

Galatians 5:13-26 The Message

13-15 It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?

16-18 My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are contrary to each other, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?

* * *

19-21 It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom.

22-23 But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

23-24 Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

25-26 Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

Receiving from God

Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:16

In his 1937 book Think and Grow Rich, author Napoleon Hill said, “Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” Hill’s quote epitomizes the American Dream: If you work hard, you can achieve your wildest dreams.

Hard work may lead to earthly benefits; many passages of Scripture—especially in Proverbs—link those things. But as I grow older, I also see a real danger in following Hill’s ideas: My grasping attempts to achieve my dreams can be a self-focused attempt to live independently from God.

In Galatians 5, Paul contrasts two ways of life: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (v. 16). Eugene Petersen paraphrases it this way: “Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness” (The Message). A few verses later, Paul describes what a flourishing life in Christ looks like: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (vv. 22-23).

Many voices in this world compel us to grasp our desires with both hands. The life we long for, though, is not one we earn but one we receive as we yield to the Holy Spirit—freely walking with Him—rather than striving desperately to grasp blessing on our own terms.

Reflect & Pray

How have you tried to achieve your dreams? What habits help you to be in a posture to receive blessings from God?

Dear Father, sometimes I try to fill myself apart from You. Please help me yield to Your Spirit’s guidance and trust You to fill me.

My Utmost for his highest 

Have You Come to “After” Yet?

BY OSWALD CHAMBERS

After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. — Job 42:10

A self-centered, pleading prayer—the kind of prayer in which I vow to “get right” with God if only he’ll help me—is never found in the New Testament. Am I telling God that I’ll purify my heart if he’ll hear my plea? That I’ll make myself good and righteous if he’ll extend his grace to me? I have to realize I can’t make myself right with God; I can’t make my life perfect, no matter how I plead. The only way I can be right with God is by accepting the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ as an absolute gift.

Am I humble enough to accept the gift Jesus bought for me on the cross? I have to stop every effort I’m making and leave myself entirely alone in God’s hands. If I find myself constantly trying to get right with him, it’s a sign that I’m rebelling against the atonement. Many prayers are made in total disbelief of the atonement. We beg Jesus to save us, forgetting he already has. Asking him to do it again is an insult.

“After Job had prayed for his friends . . .” If your fortunes haven’t been restored, if you aren’t getting insight into God’s word, stop praying in a self-centered way and start praying for others. Intercessory prayer is the real business of your life as a saved soul. Wherever God places you, no matter the circumstances, pray immediately for those around you. Pray that the atonement will be realized for others as it has for you. Pray for your friends; pray for your acquaintances; pray for all whose lives have been brought into contact with your own.

Esther 1-2; Acts 5:1-21

 

 

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Christianity is not consistency to conscience or to convictions; Christianity is being true to Jesus Christ. 

Biblical Ethics, 111 L

June 19

Jesus invites us to approach God the way a child approaches his or her daddy. And how do children approach their daddies? When a five-year-old spots his father in the parking lot, how does he react? “Yippee!” was screamed by a red-headed boy wearing a Batman backpack. “Pop! Over here! Push me!” yelled by a boy wearing a Boston Red Sox cap who scooted straight to the swings.

Here’s what I didn’t hear: “Father, it is most gracious of thee to drive thy car to my place of education. Please know of my deep gratitude for your benevolence. For thou art splendid in thy attentive care and diligent in thy dedication.”

I heard kids who were happy to see their dads and eager to speak to him. God invites us to approach him in the same manner. What a relief!

Psalm 18

The Message

Psalm 18

The Message

18 1-2 I love you, God—

you make me strong.

God is bedrock under my feet,

the castle in which I live,

my rescuing knight.

My God—the high crag

where I run for dear life,

hiding behind the boulders,

safe in the granite hideout.

3 I sing to God, the Praise-Lofty,

and find myself safe and saved.

4-5 The hangman’s noose was tight at my throat;

devil waters rushed over me.

Hell’s ropes cinched me tight;

death traps barred every exit.

6 A hostile world! I call to God,

I cry to God to help me.

From his palace he hears my call;

my cry brings me right into his presence—

a private audience!

7-15 Earth wobbles and lurches;

huge mountains shake like leaves,

Quake like aspen leaves

because of his rage.

His nostrils flare, bellowing smoke;

his mouth spits fire.

Tongues of fire dart in and out;

he lowers the sky.

He steps down;

under his feet an abyss opens up.

He’s riding a winged creature,

swift on wind-wings.

Now he’s wrapped himself

in a trenchcoat of black-cloud darkness.

But his cloud-brightness bursts through,

spraying hailstones and fireballs.

Then God thundered out of heaven;

the High God gave a great shout,

spraying hailstones and fireballs.

God shoots his arrows—pandemonium!

He hurls his lightnings—a rout!

The secret sources of ocean are exposed,

the hidden depths of earth lie uncovered

The moment you roar in protest,

let loose your hurricane anger.

16-19 But me he caught—reached all the way

from sky to sea; he pulled me out

Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos,

the void in which I was drowning.

They hit me when I was down,

but God stuck by me.

He stood me up on a wide-open field;

I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!

20-24 God made my life complete

when I placed all the pieces before him.

When I got my act together,

he gave me a fresh start.

Now I’m alert to God’s ways;

I don’t take God for granted.

Every day I review the ways he works;

I try not to miss a trick.

I feel put back together,

and I’m watching my step.

God rewrote the text of my life

when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

25-27 The good people taste your goodness,

The whole people taste your health,

The true people taste your truth,

The bad ones can’t figure you out.

You take the side of the down-and-out,

But the stuck-up you take down a notch.

28-29 Suddenly, God, you floodlight my life;

I’m blazing with glory, God’s glory!

I smash the bands of marauders,

I vault the highest fences.

30 What a God! His road

stretches straight and smooth.

Every God-direction is road-tested.

Everyone who runs toward him

Makes it.

31-42 Is there any god like God?

Are we not at bedrock?

Is not this the God who armed me,

then aimed me in the right direction?

Now I run like a deer;

I’m king of the mountain.

He shows me how to fight;

I can bend a bronze bow!

You protect me with salvation-armor;

you hold me up with a firm hand,

caress me with your gentle ways.

You cleared the ground under me

so my footing was firm.

When I chased my enemies I caught them;

I didn’t let go till they were dead men.

I nailed them; they were down for good;

then I walked all over them.

You armed me well for this fight,

you smashed the upstarts.

You made my enemies turn tail,

and I wiped out the haters.

They cried “uncle”

but Uncle didn’t come;

They yelled for God

and got no for an answer.

I ground them to dust; they gusted in the wind.

I threw them out, like garbage in the gutter.

43-45 You rescued me from a squabbling people;

you made me a leader of nations.

People I’d never heard of served me;

the moment they got wind of me they listened.

The foreign devils gave up; they came

on their bellies, crawling from their hideouts.

46-48 Live, God! Blessings from my Rock,

my free and freeing God, towering!

This God set things right for me

and shut up the people who talked back.

He rescued me from enemy anger,

he pulled me from the grip of upstarts,

He saved me from the bullies.

49-50 That’s why I’m thanking you, God,

all over the world.

That’s why I’m singing songs

that rhyme your name.

God’s king takes the trophy;

God’s chosen is beloved.

I mean David and all his children—

always.-

Our daily Bread:

Reading:

Proverbs 3:1-6

View Full Chapter

1My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 3Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Today's Devotion

He was born a slave in the 1860s. A sickly baby, he was sold to a slave owner for the cost of a horse. As a teenager, he witnessed the killing of a black man by a group of white people. Remarkably, George excelled in school, but when he applied to Highland University in Kansas, he was denied admission because of his skin color. Yet through it all, the young man maintained a deep faith in God. George Washington Carver’s life verse was Proverbs 3:6: “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

We sometimes feel overwhelmed by our circumstances. We experience setbacks. We find ourselves at a loss for where we should go. But Proverbs encourages us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (v. 5). This is the Bible’s way of saying, “Let go and let God” lead your life.

George Washington Carver followed God’s path, persevering against all odds, teaching himself botany and geology and eventually becoming a renowned scientist. He famously developed hundreds of uses for the peanut plant but also developed methods of crop rotation that revolutionized agriculture in the United States. God has a way of making the best out of bad situations. Whatever you’re facing today, the key is to “acknowledge Him” and listen for His voice. Watch Him open up the paths of your life.

Reflect & Pray

What circumstances are troubling you? How can you seek God’s direction for your life?

Loving God, please help me focus on You always and listen for Your direction for my life.

For further study, read Hope in Sorrow.

Today's Insights

Proverbs 3 emphasizes the benefits of aligning one’s life with wisdom. The advantages of being guided by wisdom as described in this chapter—“peace and prosperity” (v. 2), “a good name” or reputation (v. 4), and “health” (v. 8)—shouldn’t be understood as promises of an easy life. Throughout Scripture, we also find that in this fallen world God’s people often experience great hardship. Instead, the chapter points to the principle that since the world was created by God’s wisdom, human beings are most likely to thrive when they live in alignment with that wisdom.

Peace in verse 2 is the Hebrew word shalom, a rich word capturing not just absence of conflict but flourishing. It describes a rich and abundant life. Shalom points to the world as it’s meant to be. When there’s harmony between God and creation, everyone thrives. Whatever we face, seeking God’s wisdom and direction can bring new life and hope to our situation.

By Oswald Chambers

Edition

Modern Classic

The Service of Passionate Devotion

Do you love me? . . . Feed my sheep. — John 21:17

Jesus doesn’t say, “Make converts to your way of thinking.” He says, “Look after my sheep. Make sure they are nourished with knowledge of me.” We think that the work we do in Christian ministry counts as service; Jesus Christ says that service is what we are to him, not only what we do for him. Christianity is not devotion to a work or a cause or a doctrine; it is devotion to a person.

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). Jesus doesn’t argue or compel. He simply says that if we wish to be his disciples, we must be devoted to him. When we are touched by the Spirit of God, we see suddenly who Jesus is, and this becomes the source of our devotion.

Today, we’ve substituted ideological belief for personal belief. This is why so many are devoted to causes and so few to him. People don’t want to be devoted to Jesus; they want to be devoted to the cause he started. Jesus Christ the person is deeply offensive to the educated mind of today, to those who don’t want to see him as anything other than a champion of their cause.

Our Lord’s obedience was to the will of the Father, not to the needs of humanity. The saving of humanity was the natural outcome of that obedience. If we are devoted only to humanity, our love will falter, and we will soon be exhausted. But if we love Jesus, personally and passionately, we will be able to serve humanity, even if people treat us like doormats.

The secret of the disciple’s life is devotion to Jesus Christ; its hallmark is unobtrusiveness. It is like a kernel of wheat that falls to the ground and dies, then springs up, transforming the entire landscape (John 12:24).

© 2026 My Utmost For His Highest

Nehemiah 12-13; Acts 4:23-37

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

Fine China – Not Paper Plates at Your House - #10290

June 19, 2026

Ron Hutchcraft

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:29

Oh, we have different kinds of meals at our house - "paper plate" meals. You know, pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs - if you want to be more frank. And then we have the "fine china meals." We don’t have too many of those, but on some special occasions we break out the fine china. We don’t break the fine china; we break out the fine china. Now, it’s very different the way we treat those two kinds of plates when we’re finished eating. For example, when we have paper plates, we don’t wash them after we’re done. That probably doesn’t come as a great surprise to you. We don’t put them in a nice careful place to keep them there. In fact, we just kind of wad them up and throw them away because they’re disposable. You don't wash those. No big deal!

Now, I'm sure you won't be surprised when I tell you what we do with our china plates. We do wash those. In fact, we put them back in a special place where they are stored until another special occasion. You’d better not drop them or you might be out of the family. I think we know it’s fine china because my wife took something and wrote on the back “Fine China.” Not really. But it’s kind of nice, and we reserve that fine china for special uses. Paper? You throw that away because you know it’s not worth much. So many people I know feel as if they are paper plates and they’re throwing themselves away.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Fine China – Not Paper Plates at Your House.”

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Ephesians 4:29. It’s a great family verse here: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs that it may benefit those who listen.” This verse talks about two kinds of talk. There’s the talk that tears people down, and there’s the talk that builds people up.

There’s been some recent social research that shows for every negative comment we get in our lives, we need seven positives to bring us back to zero. Is that pretty much the ratio at your house between you and your children; you and your husband or wife? So, I give you seven praises for every one criticism; seven positives for every one negative. Well, I don’t know that we have to be legalistic about the ratio, but the point is God says here, “Don’t let any tear-down talk come out of your mouth, but only what builds people up."

So, how is the praise ratio at your house? As parents it’s up to us to communicate to our children that they are fine china, uniquely created, that they have valuable gifts in their life that they have to give, and they can’t throw themselves away. See, we do that by building them up.

Too many kids I know feel like paper plates. They’ve been criticized so much, they’ve been told what’s wrong with them, what needs improving, but not what’s right with them. They’re never told the strengths that they have. We parents tend to focus on what’s weak instead of what’s strong, because we figure that’s what they need to work on. But, you know, they need to hear from us over and over again the great strengths that God has put into them. They hear what’s wrong with them all day long in school, “It is cool to be cruel.” So they need your praise; they need your compliments. Not for our glory, but it glorifies the Creator who creates only masterpieces.

Think about what’s coming out of your mouth, and whether it’s more build-up talk or tear-down talk. What’s the ratio between the two? Check up on the kind of talk that’s going on at your house, especially that’s coming from you. You’re building either paper plates or fine china. Tell the people you love what’s good about them. They will be a lot more likely to say no to what’s cheap and to stay reserved for the things that really matter.

Luke 22:47-71, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

 Max Lucado Daily: CLOSET PRAYERS - June 17, 2026

Religious leaders loved to make theater out of their prayers. The show nauseated Jesus. In Matthew 6:6 he said, “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who cannot be seen. Your Father can see what is done in secret, and he will reward you.”

The words surely stunned Jesus’ audience. The people were simple farmers and stonemasons.  They couldn’t enter the temple, but they could enter their closets. The point? He’s low on fancy, high on accessibility. You needn’t woo him with location or wow him with eloquence. It’s the power of a simple prayer.

Join me every day for four weeks to pray four minutes. A simple prayer. Then get ready to connect with God like never before.

Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer

Luke 22:47-71

 No sooner were the words out of his mouth than a crowd showed up, Judas, the one from the Twelve, in the lead. He came right up to Jesus to kiss him. Jesus said, “Judas, you would betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

49–50  When those with him saw what was happening, they said, “Master, shall we fight?” One of them took a swing at the Chief Priest’s servant and cut off his right ear.

51  Jesus said, “Let them be. Even in this.” Then, touching the servant’s ear, he healed him.

52–53  Jesus spoke to those who had come—high priests, Temple police, religion leaders: “What is this, jumping me with swords and clubs as if I were a dangerous criminal? Day after day I’ve been with you in the Temple and you’ve not so much as lifted a hand against me. But do it your way—it’s a dark night, a dark hour.”

A Rooster Crowed

54–56  Arresting Jesus, they marched him off and took him into the house of the Chief Priest. Peter followed, but at a safe distance. In the middle of the courtyard some people had started a fire and were sitting around it, trying to keep warm. One of the serving maids sitting at the fire noticed him, then took a second look and said, “This man was with him!”

57  He denied it, “Woman, I don’t even know him.”

58  A short time later, someone else noticed him and said, “You’re one of them.”

But Peter denied it: “Man, I am not.”

59  About an hour later, someone else spoke up, really adamant: “He’s got to have been with him! He’s got ‘Galilean’ written all over him.”

60–62  Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” At that very moment, the last word hardly off his lips, a rooster crowed. Just then, the Master turned and looked at Peter. Peter remembered what the Master had said to him: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” He went out and cried and cried and cried.

Slapping Him Around

63–65  The men in charge of Jesus began poking fun at him, slapping him around. They put a blindfold on him and taunted, “Who hit you that time?” They were having a grand time with him.

66–67  When it was morning, the religious leaders of the people and the high priests and scholars all got together and brought him before their High Council. They said, “Are you the Messiah?”

67–69  He answered, “If I said yes, you wouldn’t believe me. If I asked what you meant by your question, you wouldn’t answer me. So here’s what I have to say: From here on the Son of Man takes his place at God’s right hand, the place of power.”

70  They all said, “So you admit your claim to be the Son of God?”

“You’re the ones who keep saying it,” he said.

71  But they had made up their minds, “Why do we need any more evidence? We’ve all heard him as good as say it himself.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

by Tim Gustafson

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Job 11:7-20

 “Do you think you can explain the mystery of God?

Do you think you can diagram God Almighty?

God is far higher than you can imagine,

far deeper than you can comprehend,

Stretching farther than earth’s horizons,

far wider than the endless ocean.

If he happens along, throws you in jail

then hauls you into court, can you do anything about it?

He sees through vain pretensions,

spots evil a long way off—

no one pulls the wool over his eyes!

Hollow men, hollow women, will wise up

about the same time mules learn to talk.

Reach Out to God

13–20  “Still, if you set your heart on God

and reach out to him,

If you scrub your hands of sin

and refuse to entertain evil in your home,

You’ll be able to face the world unashamed

and keep a firm grip on life, guiltless and fearless.

You’ll forget your troubles;

they’ll be like old, faded photographs.

Your world will be washed in sunshine,

every shadow dispersed by dayspring.

Full of hope, you’ll relax, confident again;

you’ll look around, sit back, and take it easy.

Expansive, without a care in the world,

you’ll be hunted out by many for your blessing.

But the wicked will see none of this.

They’re headed down a dead-end road

with nothing to look forward to—nothing.”

Today's Insights

Some scholars have claimed that the remarkable story of Job is mere allegory and didn’t really happen. The Scriptures, however, refer to Job as an historical figure. Ezekiel twice mentions “Noah, Daniel, and Job” (Ezekiel 14:14, 20). And James writes of Job’s perseverance and how God used it (James 5:11). These writers of inspired Scripture considered Job to be real. His story warns us against the dangers of offering mere words instead of compassion and understanding as we comfort suffering friends. Instead of telling them where they’re wrong, how much better it is to listen to them and pray with them.

Read a prayer for when you struggle to ask for help.

With Friends Like These . . .

To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his. Job 12:13

“I know you better than you know yourself!” As a young man, I heard that confident declaration from a friend. Her intentions were good, but my complicated life as an adopted missionary kid had been shaped across four continents and cultures. She didn’t really know me.

Zophar, a friend of Job’s, sounded wise in his assessment of Job’s difficulties. “Can you fathom the mysteries of God?” Zophar asked him (Job 11:7). “They are higher than the heavens above” (v. 8). Who can argue with that? But then Zophar dared speak of something he couldn’t know: Job’s heart. Without evidence, he proclaimed, “If you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then . . . you will stand firm and without fear” (vv. 14-15). 

Job responded sarcastically, “Wisdom will die with you! But I have a mind as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know all these things?” (12:2-3). Job’s reality was so complex that even he didn’t know what was taking place (see Job 1-2). He correctly said, “To God belong wisdom and power” (12:13). It didn’t come from Zophar, who presumed to have authority and insight that weren’t his.

Our friends may need our loving counsel from time to time. But usually friends in crisis need us to bring their names in prayer to the one who truly does know them.

Reflect & Pray

When has someone been truly helpful to you in a crisis? How can you help another in a difficult situation today?

Heavenly Father, please help me rejoice and relax in the wonderful truth that you truly know me and still love me.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

The Uncritical Temper

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. — Matthew 7:1

Jesus says one simple thing about judging: Don’t. The average Christian is the most sharply critical individual. The human mind has a natural tendency to criticize, but spiritually nothing is accomplished by criticism. Only the Holy Spirit is in a position to point out what is wrong in someone, because only the Holy Spirit can do so without causing pain. When humans criticize, they only succeed in weakening and wounding.

It is impossible to enter into communion with God when we are in a critical mood. A critical mindset makes us hard and vindictive and cruel. It leaves us with the flattering idea that we are better than others. Jesus says that his disciples must cultivate the uncritical temper. This cultivation must happen again and again; we can’t do it once and be done with it.

There is no getting away from the penetrating gaze of Jesus. He tells us that if we see a speck in another’s eye, it means we have a plank in our own. Every wrong we see in another Jesus finds in us. Every time we judge another, we condemn ourselves (Romans 2:17–21). We must stop using a measuring stick for other people. There is always one fact more, in every person’s case, about which we know nothing.

When we decide to commit ourselves entirely to Jesus, the first thing God does is give us a spiritual spring-cleaning, showing us what we would be if it weren’t for his grace. After that, there is no possibility of pride left, nothing that allows us to go on criticizing others from a place of superiority. Once I realize what God has done for me, it is impossible to despair of anyone else.

Nehemiah 7-9; Acts 3

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

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Leaving No One Behind - #10288

Scripture:  John 4:28

Ted’s an ex-Marine. I guess once a Marine, always a Marine. Right? You know — halls of Montezuma, shores of Tripoli, and semper fi. Since his days in the Corps, Ted’s gone on to become very successful in business, but he keeps getting invited back to talk to Marine recruits as an inspirational speaker. And in the process, he tells them about a rescuer who came for him in the Marines and saved him — Jesus Christ. And I love what he tells them — “One thing about Marines — we always go back for our own, and that’s why I’m here today. I’m going back for my own.”

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Leaving No One Behind.”

Those Marines really listen to Ted, because he’s one of their own. That’s sort of a law of life, isn’t it? We tend to listen to our own kind; maybe when we would listen to no one else. Especially when it comes to the rescuer that my friend tells the Marines about. More and more, people aren’t going to listen to some “Christian professional” tell them about Jesus. No, even though their lives depend on understanding Jesus. They’re not likely to go to one of those meetings that we have. It’s probably going to have to be one of their own…like you.

Jesus understood that approach to rescuing spiritually dying people. He used that approach Himself in our word for today from the Word of God. Here’s the deal: Jesus has gone into Samaria to reach the Samaritans, and since the Jews and Samaritans basically couldn’t stand each other, how is this Jewish rabbi going to reach them? He’s going to send one of their own to go back and get her own — even though she is probably known for her immorality, her relationships with many men, her string of marriages and divorces.

First, she meets Jesus at a well where she discovers who He really is. Then in John 4, beginning with verse 28, the Bible says, “Leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’ They came out of the town and made their way toward Him…Many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony…” Well, they listened to her when she talked about Jesus because she was one of their own.

That’s what makes you so eternally important to your coworkers, your fellow students, your neighbors, your teammates — you’re one of them. They’ll be more likely to listen to you talking about a personal relationship with Jesus than to any preacher or evangelist or radio or TV guy. Well, you may say, “but I’m not trained…I’ve got a lot of problems…I don’t know enough.” Excuse me, but have you thought about the one Jesus sent as His ambassador to the Samaritans?

See, what qualifies you is two things: you’ve met Jesus, and you’re one of them. He’s placed you where you are not just to get grades or get paid or get comfy. He’s put you there to take some of those people to heaven with you! So, how are you doing?

The best one to reach a lost farmer is another farmer…the best one to reach a lost mom is another mom. a lost teacher, a teacher. How about a lost businessman? It will take a businessman, and so on. But so many people die without ever knowing what Jesus could have done for them. They die without a chance at heaven — because the Christian close to them never told what they knew. That’s a death sentence by silence.

You don’t have to tell them about Christianity, about church, about your religion or a list of Christian beliefs. Just do what the Samaritan woman did — stick to Jesus. She just said, “Come, see a Man!” But don’t take them to a well — take them to the Cross and show them how much Jesus loves them. Their best hope is you, because you are already there.

Of all the New Year’s resolutions you could make, could there be a better one than to say, “I will finally tell the lost people in my world about my Jesus.” You’re in their world. You’re their spiritual “Marine.” Go back for your own, and don’t leave any of them behind.