Matthew 28, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: DARE TO THINK THE UNTHINKABLE - August 28, 2026

Dare we think the unthinkable? That God will hear our prayers, that he will listen when we speak? If you were to pray a faith-empowered prayer, what would you say? Then say it! Let faith fuel your prayers. And let prayers put starch in your faith.

Will God give you what you request? Yes, he will. He may do so in a different form than you ask for or a different time frame than you prefer, but “it is [Jesus] who is the ‘Yes’ to all of God’s promises” (2 Corinthians 1:20 GNT).

Let’s renew our commitment to unreasonable, unquenchable, unthinkable prayer.  Let’s ask God to resurrect hope that has perished and dreams that are buried.

Unbreakable Courage

Matthew 28

Risen from the Dead

1–4  28 After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God’s angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn’t move.

5–6  The angel spoke to the women: “There is nothing to fear here. I know you’re looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.

7  “Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.’ That’s the message.”

8–10  The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. “Good morning!” he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, “You’re holding on to me for dear life! Don’t be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I’ll meet them there.”

11–15  Meanwhile, the guards had scattered, but a few of them went into the city and told the high priests everything that had happened. They called a meeting of the religious leaders and came up with a plan: They took a large sum of money and gave it to the soldiers, bribing them to say, “His disciples came in the night and stole the body while we were sleeping.” They assured them, “If the governor hears about your sleeping on duty, we will make sure you don’t get blamed.” The soldiers took the bribe and did as they were told. That story, cooked up in the Jewish High Council, is still going around.

16–17  Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.

18–20  Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, August 28, 2026

by Karen Huang

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

2 Samuel 23:11-12

 Shammah son of Agee the Hararite was the third of the Three. The Philistines had mustered for battle at Lehi, where there was a field full of lentils. Israel fled before the Philistines, but Shammah took his stand at the center of the field, successfully defended it, and routed the Philistines. Another great victory for God!

Today's Insights

Thirty-seven loyal and fearless chief warriors led David’s army (2 Samuel 23:8-39). Collectively known as “the Thirty” (vv. 13, 23-24), God used these men to fulfill His purpose of making David king of the entire land of Israel (1 Chronicles 11:10). Of these chief warriors, a group called “the Three” (2 Samuel 23:8) were David’s top elite commanders. Josheb-Basshebeth killed eight hundred men at one time (v. 8). Eleazar struck down the Philistines after the rest of the Israelites had abandoned him (vv. 9-10). And Shammah stood his ground against the Philistines and was victorious through God’s power while the rest of Israel’s troops fled (vv. 11-12). 

The apostle Paul likens the faith of believers in Jesus to warfare, urging us to “put on the full armor of God” in order to “stand [our] ground” (Ephesians 6:13). Today, God can give us courage as we fight our battles and enable us to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (v. 10).

If you would like to read "One Woman’s Inspirational Story of Trust and Courage: Click here: For This, I Have Jesus. 

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ARTICLE

The King We Needed

The Courage God Gives

Shammah took his stand. 2 Samuel 23:12

The CEO was hurting employees with his sharp tongue. No one dared confront him. Everyone was afraid of him, including Gene. But one day the CEO berated a new employee, reducing her to tears. When Gene saw how everyone in the room stayed silent, he spoke up.

“I told him the way he was treating people was wrong,” Gene recalls. “He was astonished; it was the first time someone stood up to him. He didn’t change, but I’m glad I spoke up.”

Scripture tells us of another man who stood up to a challenge many were afraid of. Shammah, a military warrior of David, came to the future king from difficult circumstances (see 2 Samuel 23:11-12), but God used him to defeat the Philistines. “When the Philistines banded together at . . . a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them” (v. 11). Only Shammah had the courage to defend Israel’s food supply. Being the lone man against the Philistine army meant death, but Shammah “took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it” (v. 12). 

God helped Shammah defeat the Philistines (v. 12). He may have been the only Israelite in the field, but he wasn’t alone—God was with him, giving him great victory that day. There may be times when we’re called to stand up to a challenge that everyone else is avoiding. Like Shammah, let’s take our stand, relying on God’s presence and help.

Reflect & Pray

What challenge is God calling you to stand up to? How can you rely on Him for help?

Dear Father, please give me the courage to take a stand for You.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, August 28, 2026

What’s the Good of Prayer?

Lord, teach us to pray. — Luke 11:1

Prayer isn’t part of natural human life. It’s often said that those who don’t pray will suffer; I question it. What suffers is the life of Christ inside them, because the life of the Son of God is nourished not by food but by prayer.

When we are born again from above, the life of the Son of God is born inside us. Whether we starve this life or nourish it through prayer is up to us. Our ordinary views of prayer—as a way of getting blessings for ourselves from God or of having an emotional experience—are not found in the Bible. The Bible views prayer as a way of getting to know God himself.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find” (Matthew 7:7). We grumble before God; we are apologetic or apathetic, but we ask very few things. Our Lord says, “Unless you change and become like little children” (18:3). What wonderful audacity a child has! The child of God goes to God with every concern and desire, ready to lay it all out before him and ask. We don’t do this unless we are at our wits’ end. Before then, we think asking is cowardly or weak. Praying in our moment of need isn’t cowardly; it’s the only way we can get in touch with the reality of God. Be yourself before God. Lay before him what you’re at your wits’ end about, the issue you know you can’t deal with yourself. As long as you are self-sufficient, you don’t need to ask him for anything.

It isn’t so much that prayer changes things as that prayer changes me, and then I change things. Prayer isn’t a question of altering external circumstances but of working wonders in our disposition. One of God’s amazing gifts is that prayer on the basis of the redemption has the power to entirely transform a person’s perspective.

Psalms 123-125; 1 Corinthians 10:1-18

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

God does not further our spiritual life in spite of our circumstances, but in and by our circumstances. 

Not Knowing Whither, 900 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, August 28, 2026

When "Later" Never Comes - #10340

Scripture:  2 Corinthians 6:2

It was before Christmas, and I went shopping for toys for my kids. Now you might not think there's anything unusual about that – unless you happen to know that all my kids are grown up now. But that doesn't mean they can't have one little spark of childhood left in them, right? For example, I always buy my daughter a doll for Christmas. And we've got one son who for a long time was a big fan of a certain Sesame Street character, and he had a collection of everything Ernie. Well, there came a time when this Ernie toy was one of the hottest Christmas items on the market. I discovered the toy in September in a store before it became an officially hot item. I could have bought it, but I said, "Naw, Christmas is a long way off. I can always get it later." Wrong! When "later" came, no more Ernies to be found.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When 'Later' Never Comes."

When it's a toy you miss because you waited – no big deal. When it's God you miss, when it's eternity in heaven you miss, that's huge.

Our word for today from the Word of God, 2 Corinthians 6:2. God says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." God says here there is a time of His favor; there is a day of His salvation. And that's when you need to grab Him. Then He clearly spells out the time we need to respond to Him. God's Word says, "I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation."

When God talks about salvation, He's talking about rescuing us from the death sentence that we're all headed for because of our sin, which is basically the self-rule of our own life. A life that was created to be run by our Creator. This "salvation" came at a very high price for God. See, someone had to die as your substitute to pay for your sin in order for you to be rescued.

The only one who was qualified to pay that awful price was God's one and only Son. That is Jesus Christ. So, believe me, it really matters to God what you do with His Son, because of what His Son gave up for you. The only response that can change a person's eternal address from hell to heaven is putting your total trust in Jesus as your only hope of belonging to God and of being with God forever.

But so many of us are like I was the day I held that purchase I wanted in my hand. We decide to put it off – make it ours later. I chose to get it later, and later was too late. It was no longer available to me. That's the awful risk you take when you put off Jesus one more day.

Maybe you've been around the message of Jesus a lot. Maybe most folks think you belong to Him. But deep in your heart, you know there's never been a time when you've really committed yourself to Him. It could be you've said, "I will give myself to Jesus when I'm ready."

You need to hear the words of Jesus recorded in John 6:44. "No one can come to me unless the Father...draws him." You don't come to Jesus when you're ready. You come when God's ready. It's God who makes you ready to trust Jesus. If you feel that tug in your heart right now, this is the only time you can be sure God is readying you to come. There are no guarantees of one more opportunity. That's why the Bible says, "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near" (Isaiah 55:6). He may not always be findable. He may not ever be this close again.

If you've never had that "Jesus, I'm yours" moment, would you do that now and get this settled? Eternity is nothing to wait on, procrastinate on. This could be your "Jesus day." Tell Him, "Jesus, I'm yours. What you did on the cross is my only hope of rescue."

Go to our website. There's a pathway there that I've tried to lay out as simply as I could so that you could be sure you belong to Him before you hit the pillow tonight. That website is ANewStory.com.

Saying "later" to God's Son is eternally dangerous, because God says the day of salvation is now. It's almost yours now. But later – later may be forever too late.

Psalm 145, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: HIT YOUR KNEES - August 27, 2026

When the child of Elijah’s friend died, the prophet prayed for the boy. “And God listened to Elijah’s prayer…Elijah picked the boy up, carried him downstairs from the loft, and gave him to his mother. ‘Here’s your son,’ said Elijah, ‘alive!’” 1 Kings 17:22-23 MSG).

The power of praying it through. Elijah believed in it. Jesus taught it. He told his followers “that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit” (Luke 18:1 MSG). Take the dead and dying portions of your life—the vigor that has faded, the faith that has dwindled—and lay them before the Lord. And next to them place our society, which seems sicker day by day.

The theologian Samuel Taylor Coleridge called prayer “the greatest achievement of the Christian’s warfare upon earth.” If you want to take a stand against the enemy, hit your knees.

Unbreakable Courage

Psalm 145

David’s Praise

1  145 I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King!

and I’ll bless your name into eternity.

2  I’ll bless you every day,

and keep it up from now to eternity.

3  God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough.

There are no boundaries to his greatness.

4  Generation after generation stands in awe of your work;

each one tells stories of your mighty acts.

5  Your beauty and splendor have everyone talking;

I compose songs on your wonders.

6  Your marvelous doings are headline news;

I could write a book full of the details of your greatness.

7  The fame of your goodness spreads across the country;

your righteousness is on everyone’s lips.

8  God is all mercy and grace—

not quick to anger, is rich in love.

9  God is good to one and all;

everything he does is suffused with grace.

10–11  Creation and creatures applaud you, God;

your holy people bless you.

They talk about the glories of your rule,

they exclaim over your splendor,

12  Letting the world know of your power for good,

the lavish splendor of your kingdom.

13  Your kingdom is a kingdom eternal;

you never get voted out of office.

God always does what he says,

and is gracious in everything he does.

14  God gives a hand to those down on their luck,

gives a fresh start to those ready to quit.

15  All eyes are on you, expectant;

you give them their meals on time.

16  Generous to a fault,

you lavish your favor on all creatures.

17  Everything God does is right—

the trademark on all his works is love.

18  God’s there, listening for all who pray,

for all who pray and mean it.

19  He does what’s best for those who fear him—

hears them call out, and saves them.

20  God sticks by all who love him,

but it’s all over for those who don’t.

21  My mouth is filled with God’s praise.

Let everything living bless him,

bless his holy name from now to eternity!

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, August 27, 2026

By Marvin Williams

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

James 4:1-10

Get Serious

1–2  4 Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.

2–3  You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way.

4–6  You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find. It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.”

7–10  So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.

Today's Insights

In addition to the admonitions of Peter (1 Peter 5:8) and James (James 4:7) regarding spiritual vigilance in resisting temptation, Paul also had something to say about it. After noting how the Israelites had succumbed to temptation in the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:1-11), he warned the Corinthians: “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful . . . . When you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (vv. 12-13). The apostle lists two examples of how the “way out” can sometimes involve fleeing. He says we’re to “flee from idolatry” (v. 14) and “sexual immorality” (6:18). The Holy Spirit helps us to stand firm against the enemy.

Read further to understand how a boy who grew up in the church moved from Hidden sin to honest surrender: From Hidden Sin to Honest Surrender.

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ARTICLE

War Within

Where God Reigns

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

In 2018, a man checked into a room at New York hotel for a one-night stay. Remarkably, he used the room for five years without paying another cent—exploiting obscure rent laws to hold on to it. His refusal to leave, however, eventually led to potential prison time for him.

Like an unwelcome tenant who overstays, James warns us that the devil lingers in our lives when left unchecked. “Resist the devil,” James writes, “and he will flee from you” (4:7). The apostle emphasizes that our struggles often come from impure “desires” and “wrong motives” (vv. 1, 3)—things like pride, divided loyalties, and impure thoughts residing in our hearts. To counter such temptation, James offers two commands: “submit . . . to God” and “resist the devil” (v. 7). To submit means surrendering every part of our lives to God. Resisting the devil is equally active, requiring prayer, vigilance, and the wisdom of Scripture.

Like a landlord evicting an unlawful tenant, in God’s strength we can refuse to let the temptation of the devil overtake us. As we resist him, God promises victory as James asserts, “He will flee from you” (v. 7).

When we evict sin and the devil’s influence and “come near to God” (v. 8), we allow His peace, joy, and purpose to dwell more fully in us. The enemy can’t stay where God reigns!

Reflect & Pray

What can you do to remove “unwelcome tenants” from your life? How does submitting to God help?

Sovereign God, please help me surrender every part of my life to You so I can stand firm against the enemy's schemes.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, August 27, 2026

Theology Alive

Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. — John 12:35

Beware of not acting on what God shows you when you are up on the mountaintop with him. You have to obey the light you receive on high after you come back down into the valley. If you don’t, the light will turn to darkness. “If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23). The instant you brush aside an insight from God, you will begin to get dry rot in your spiritual life. Continually bring the truth out into your daily life. Work it out in everything you do. When you don’t, the light you’ve been given will prove a curse.

The most difficult kind of person to deal with is the one who has the smug satisfaction of recalling some past mountaintop experience, but who isn’t working out that experience in day-to-day life. If you say that you are sanctified, show it. The experience must be so genuine that it’s evident in your life. Beware of any belief that makes you self-indulgent. No matter how beautiful it sounds, it comes from the devil.

Theology has to work itself out in the most practical ways. “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees . . . you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). You must be more moral than the most moral being you know. You may know all about the doctrine of sanctification, but are you putting it to work in the practical issues of life? Every aspect of your life—physical, moral, and spiritual—is to be judged by the standard of the atonement of our Lord.

Psalms 120-122; 1 Corinthians 9 

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Jesus Christ is always unyielding to my claim to my right to myself. The one essential element in all our Lord’s teaching about discipleship is abandon, no calculation, no trace of self-interest.

Disciples Indeed, 395 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, August 27, 2026

Trying to Do God's Job - #10339

Scripture:  Psalms 84:11

It's almost become a gag line; it expresses the attitude of an employee who just wants to meet the bare minimums of their job. You ask them a question, ask them to do some small task; kind of shrugs his shoulders, puts his hands in the air and says, "Not my job!" Well, that can be a lazy response or maybe a wise one in some cases. For example, if you ask me to repair your car, I probably should say, "It's not my job." Or if you ask the local mechanic to take care of your toothache, it would be good if he said, "It's not my job." Or if you ask your dentist to program your computer, it would probably be good for him to say, "It's not my job." See, you really shouldn't be working out of what really isn't your job and you don't know how to do it anyway.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Trying to Do God's Job."

Our word for today from the Word of God is Psalm 84:11, "For the Lord God is a sun and a shield. The Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from them whose walk is blameless." Wow, that's a great promise, isn't it? No good thing... Any good thing; anything that's really good for you, He will never withhold if your walk is blameless. And, of course, He's the one who defines what's good for us, because He knows best.

What's interesting about this verse is that it tells you three responsibilities that are not your job. "It's not my job!" Number one it's not your job to provide. It says here, "The Lord bestows favor." God gives you what you need. Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount, "Don't go chasing after food and clothing like the rest of the world does, because your Father knows what you have need of. You seek the kingdom of God and all the things will be taken care of."

You lose a lot of peace worrying about where the dollars are going to come from, the transportation, the resources. Three times in that passage Jesus told us, "Don't worry! Don't worry!" They're going to come from your Jehovah Jireh - the Lord who provides. He will take care of it. Although He expects us to work, ultimately the provision of your needs is not your job, but your God.

Secondly, protecting is not your job. It says, "The Lord is your shield." We waste a lot of effort defending our position, trying to look good, answering criticism from people, trying to protect our spot, fearing injury, fearing disappointment. What are you doing to just try to protect yourself? The Lord is your shield. It's not your job.

Then it's also not your job to promote. It says, "The Lord gives honor to people." Quit trying to get the spotlight for yourself; God exalts people. What are you doing trying to promote yourself? So, what is your job? Well, it says, "He does this for those whose walk is blameless." Your job is your walk. You're supposed to concentrate on cleaning up your walk with God, getting rid of those traits that displease Him and that bring criticism from others. Your job is to focus on spending time with your Lord - treating people as your Lord does, eliminating those stubborn sins that you tolerate rather than eliminate.

God's job is to provide your needs, to protect you from hurt, and to promote you to positions that He chooses. I wonder, have you been trying to do one of His jobs? Why don't you concentrate on your own? Concentrate on the purity of your walk, and God will keep His promise, "No good thing will He withhold from those whose walk is blameless."

Psalm 144, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: PRAYER CHANGES - August 26, 2026

Elijah wasn’t equipped with unique-to-him abilities. He wasn’t embedded with superpowers. James says, “Elijah was a human being just like us. He prayed that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years!” (James 5:17 NCV). Elijah became Elijah by praying that way.

Let a man spend a night fasting and praying at the bedside of his sick child, and that father will not be the same man. Let a young mother pour out her complaint to God over the death of her young child, and that young mother will be forever changed.  Let a church challenge God to purge sin and send revival, and there is no way that church will be the same.

Prayer changes the heart of the one who prays. And prayer touches the heart of the One who hears it.

Unbreakable Courage

Psalm 144

A David Psalm

1–2  144 Blessed be God, my mountain,

who trains me to fight fair and well.

He’s the bedrock on which I stand,

the castle in which I live,

my rescuing knight,

The high crag where I run for dear life,

while he lays my enemies low.

3–4  I wonder why you care, God—

why do you bother with us at all?

All we are is a puff of air;

we’re like shadows in a campfire.

5–8  Step down out of heaven, God;

ignite volcanoes in the hearts of the mountains.

Hurl your lightnings in every direction;

shoot your arrows this way and that.

Reach all the way from sky to sea:

pull me out of the ocean of hate,

out of the grip of those barbarians

Who lie through their teeth,

who shake your hand

then knife you in the back.

9–10  O God, let me sing a new song to you,

let me play it on a twelve-string guitar—

A song to the God who saved the king,

the God who rescued David, his servant.

11  Rescue me from the enemy sword,

release me from the grip of those barbarians

Who lie through their teeth,

who shake your hand

then knife you in the back.

12–14  Make our sons in their prime

like sturdy oak trees,

Our daughters as shapely and bright

as fields of wildflowers.

Fill our barns with great harvest,

fill our fields with huge flocks;

Protect us from invasion and exile—

eliminate the crime in our streets.

15  How blessed the people who have all this!

How blessed the people who have God for God!

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

By Lisa M. Samra

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Daniel 6:3-7, 9-11

But Daniel, brimming with spirit and intelligence, so completely outclassed the other vice-regents and governors that the king decided to put him in charge of the whole kingdom.

4–5  The vice-regents and governors got together to find some old scandal or skeleton in Daniel’s life that they could use against him, but they couldn’t dig up anything. He was totally exemplary and trustworthy. They could find no evidence of negligence or misconduct. So they finally gave up and said, “We’re never going to find anything against this Daniel unless we can cook up something religious.”

6–7  The vice-regents and governors conspired together and then went to the king and said, “King Darius, live forever! We’ve convened your vice-regents, governors, and all your leading officials, and have agreed that the king should issue the following decree:

For the next thirty days no one is to pray to any god or mortal except you, O king. Anyone who disobeys will be thrown into the lions’ den.

9  King Darius signed the decree.

10  When Daniel learned that the decree had been signed and posted, he continued to pray just as he had always done. His house had windows in the upstairs that opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he knelt there in prayer, thanking and praising his God.

11–12  The conspirators came and found him praying, asking God for help.

Today's Insights

Luke’s gospel includes snapshots of Jesus’ prayer life. As the news of His ministry spread, He “often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (5:16). Prior to the selection of the twelve apostles, He “went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God” (6:12). And as was the case with Daniel, prayer was a prelude to a severe trial (Daniel 6:6-10). Before Christ faced the cross, He agonized in prayer in Gethsemane (see Luke 22:39-46). Being faithful in prayer cultivates our relationship with God, strengthens our soul, and helps us to be at peace during trials.

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Daniel 6: A New Empire, an Old Problem

Power of Consistent Prayer

Three times a day [Daniel] got down on his knees, and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Daniel 6:10

Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington encouraged a group of young actors to begin each day with prayer, suggesting they “put your shoes way under the bed at night” to ensure they “gotta get on your knees in the morning.”

Developing a regular habit of prayer might take some thoughtful and even creative planning, but it’s a practice that has sustained God’s people throughout history—especially in difficult times. We see this in the life of Daniel, who served in King Darius’ administration. He quickly distinguished himself as the top government advisor, which angered local officials (Daniel 6:3). Out of jealousy they plotted to oust the prophet, but quickly realized the only charge that would stick was related to Daniel’s devotion to the “the law of his God” (v. 5). Even after the officials tricked the king into making it illegal for Daniel to pray, Daniel still “got down on his knees, and prayed . . . just as he had done before” (v. 10).

A consistent prayer life was essential for Daniel to experience God’s sustaining strength and peace (Psalm 29:11). It helped him to triumph over the forces seeking to destroy him. In the same way, establishing a regular time to meet with God in prayer and making it a daily priority can help cultivate our relationship with Him. During each difficulty we face, it’s His strength that will sustain us.

Reflect & Pray

How has a regular pattern of prayer sustained you in difficulty? What example of prayer in the Bible encourages you?

Loving Father, please give me Your strength and mercy each morning.

Prayer is all about spending time with the one we love, Father God. To understand more about the joy of prayer listen to this video devotion: Luke 6:12 - A Master Class In Prayer| Our Daily Bread

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Are You Ever Disturbed?

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. — John 14:27

There are times when our sense of peace is based on ignorance. We may be filled with calm delight about the world, but only because our eyes are closed to its cruelties. When we awaken to the facts of life, inner peace is impossible—that is, unless we receive it from Jesus. When our Lord speaks peace, he makes peace; his words are forever Spirit and life (John 6:63). Have I ever received the peace of Jesus? It comes from looking into his face and realizing his undisturbed calm.

Are you painfully disturbed right now, distracted by the waves and billows of God’s providential permission? Have you been examining your beliefs, searching them for a bit of peace and joy and comfort and finding none? Then look up and receive the undisturbedness of the Lord. Reflected peace is proof that you are all right with God, because you are at liberty to turn your mind to him. If you aren’t right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. If you allow anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you, either you are disturbed or you have a false sense of security.

Are you looking to Jesus right now, in a matter that is urgently pressing, and receiving peace from him? If so, he will be a gracious blessing of peace in and through you. But try to worry it out and you will obliterate him from your life and deserve what you get. We become disturbed because we haven’t been considering Jesus Christ. When we turn to him, our perplexity vanishes, because he has no perplexity; our only concern then is to abide in him.

Bring all your troubles and worries to Jesus; lay them out before him. In the midst of difficulty, bereavement, and sorrow, hear him say, “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1).

Psalms 119:89-176; 1 Corinthians 8

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Wherever the providence of God may dump us down, in a slum, in a shop, in the desert, we have to labour along the line of His direction. Never allow this thought—“I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly can be of no use where you are not! Wherever He has engineered your circumstances, pray.

So Send I You, 1325 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Scripture:  Numbers 32:1

My friend Bobby served as a Marine in Vietnam, and he told me something about his experience there that really got my attention. He said his assignment was doing electrical work on airplanes - which is not necessarily a front lines assignment. But there was a war going on all around them. So, when there was enemy activity, every soldier was trained to grab their weapon and be prepared to fight. Their bottom line assignment was summed up in four words, "every Marine - a rifle."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "No Spectators In This Battle."

Nobody is just support troops. Everybody's needed on the front lines. That's the strategy for the most important battle of all time - the battle for the souls of lost men and women that rages in every generation.

God puts flesh-and-blood on that principle in a story in Numbers 32, beginning with vs. 1. It's our word for today from the Word of God. Here's the story. God has delivered the Jews from slavery in Egypt, led them through the wilderness, and now He's brought them to the banks of the Jordan River, the threshold of their Promised Land. Soon the battle for the land will begin. Even before entering, each of Israel's twelve tribes has been allotted a certain area of the land as their inheritance. That's on the west side of Jordan. On the east side of the Jordan, the Reubenites and Gadites "who had very large herds and flocks saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead" - that's the lands right there where they are on the east side of the Jordan - "were suitable for livestock." Okay, so these guys who already have their land kind of.

They come to Moses with an idea - a dumb idea. They said the land they were on was "suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock...let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan." Moses' answer cuts like steel: "Shall your countrymen go to war while you sit here?" They said, "How about we just settle down here, skip the battle, and root for you guys out there on the front lines? How does that sound?" Moses basically says: "No way, man. Every Marine a rifle. No watchers here; only warriors." These folks got the message. They said, "We would like to build pens here for our livestock and cities for our women and children." In other words, we'd like to stay here in our comfort zone - "but we are ready to arm ourselves and go ahead...every man armed for battle, will cross over to fight before the Lord." Good choice.

Now, about that battle for a lost and dying world from God's perspective, no one can just watch this battle. Every child of God is supposed to be a warrior in it...including you. You can't just support others who are fighting for lives Jesus died to save. You've got to be fighting for some yourself. You can't delegate Christ's world-reaching Great Commission to a few spiritual daredevils called missionaries or full-time workers. This call is for all of us, wherever we live, whatever we do. You may say, "Well, I don't have the gift to tell others." If you belong to Jesus, you have the assignment! Remember, "we are Christ's ambassadors" (2 Corinthians 5:20).

The truth is you're somebody's best chance of ever going to heaven, because you're the one with Jesus in their heart who is closest to that person at work, in your family, your neighborhood. If you don't tell them, chances are they'll never hear what Jesus did for them.

And your silence will be, in essence, an eternal death sentence for them. You say, "Well, I can't possibly care about or support all the mission needs out there." That's right. But you know what you can do? You can say, "God, go ahead and place a piece of your broken heart for this world in my heart. Help me care about some need that You care about, and let me focus on that one." He'll do that, and you can begin to pray and give and help His soldiers who are fighting for those particular people.

No watchers in the battle for lost hearts, only warriors. Because everyone who belongs to Him, has a place on the front lines.

Psalm 143, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: WRESTLE IN PRAYER - August 25, 2026

When the son of his friend died, “Elijah stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him’” (1 Kings 17:21 NKJV). Elijah had no precedent upon which to base this prayer. Up to this point in Scripture, no person had been brought back to life. He did this because he believed in a living God.

There are occasions in which we rest in prayer. There are other occasions in which we wrestle in prayer. Elijah wrestled. Elijah did first what mattered most: he prayed…passionately, dramatically, thunderously. Let’s do likewise. Let’s heed the command of Scripture: “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God…” (Hebrews 4:16 NLT).

Unbreakable Courage

Psalm 143

A David Psalm

1–2  143 Listen to this prayer of mine, God;

pay attention to what I’m asking.

Answer me—you’re famous for your answers!

Do what’s right for me.

But don’t, please don’t, haul me into court;

not a person alive would be acquitted there.

3–6  The enemy hunted me down;

he kicked me and stomped me within an inch of my life.

He put me in a black hole,

buried me like a corpse in that dungeon.

I sat there in despair, my spirit draining away,

my heart heavy, like lead.

I remembered the old days,

went over all you’ve done, pondered the ways you’ve worked,

Stretched out my hands to you,

as thirsty for you as a desert thirsty for rain.

7–10  Hurry with your answer, God!

I’m nearly at the end of my rope.

Don’t turn away; don’t ignore me!

That would be certain death.

If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice,

I’ll go to sleep each night trusting in you.

Point out the road I must travel;

I’m all ears, all eyes before you.

Save me from my enemies, God—

you’re my only hope!

Teach me how to live to please you,

because you’re my God.

Lead me by your blessed Spirit

into cleared and level pastureland.

11–12  Keep up your reputation, God—give me life!

In your justice, get me out of this trouble!

In your great love, vanquish my enemies;

make a clean sweep of those who harass me.

And why? Because I’m your servant.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

by Leslie Koh

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Amos 9:2-4, 11-12, 14-15

If they dig their way down into the underworld,

I’ll find them and bring them up.

If they climb to the stars,

I’ll find them and bring them down.

If they hide out at the top of Mount Carmel,

I’ll find them and bring them back.

If they dive to the bottom of the ocean,

I’ll send Dragon to swallow them up.

If they’re captured alive by their enemies,

I’ll send Sword to kill them.

I’ve made up my mind

to hurt them, not help them.”

Blessings Like Wine Pouring off the Mountains

11–12  “But also on that Judgment Day I will restore David’s house that has fallen to pieces. I’ll repair the holes in the roof, replace the broken windows, fix it up like new. David’s people will be strong again and seize what’s left of enemy Edom, plus everyone else under my sovereign judgment.” God’s Decree. He will do this.

I’ll make everything right again for my people Israel:

“They’ll rebuild their ruined cities.

They’ll plant vineyards and drink good wine.

They’ll work their gardens and eat fresh vegetables.

And I’ll plant them, plant them on their own land.

They’ll never again be uprooted from the land I’ve given them.”

God, your God, says so.

Today's Insights

We frequently encounter the metaphor of God’s “eyes” in Scripture, symbolism that speaks of His attentiveness to us. Before the Israelites entered the promised land, Yahweh told them: “If you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God . . . you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing Jordan to possess” (Deuteronomy 4:25-26). Centuries passed, and the people indeed became corrupt. God responded, “I will keep my eye on them for harm and not for good” (Amos 9:4). However, this “harm” (His discipline) ultimately was for their good. Although Yahweh said, “The eyes of the Sovereign Lord are on the sinful kingdom,” He also said, “I will not totally destroy the descendants of Jacob” (v. 8). God’s correction is for our benefit and intended to bring about our repentance. He’s quick to forgive and restore us.

For further study, read Taking Sin Seriously.

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ARTICLE

No Refuge, But a Remnant: The Climax of Amos 9

God Sees All

I will keep my eye on them. Amos 9:4

Michael couldn’t help laughing as Grace hid behind a menu. They were playing a game of hide-and-seek at the table in a café while waiting for the food. The five-year-old thought that if she couldn’t see her father, then he couldn’t see her. It seemed silly at the time, but as Michael reflected on the situation later, he realized it contained an important lesson: Do we believe we can hide our sins from God? Do we think that if we can’t see Him, then He can’t see us?

In Amos 9, this same point is made when God, speaking through the prophet, warns Israel not to think they can escape judgment for their sins: “Though they hide themselves . . . I will hunt them down.” He said, “I will keep my eye on them” (vv. 3-4). Nothing escapes the eyes of the all-seeing, all-knowing God.

But the warning also came with a message of hope. In verses 11-15, God promises restoration: “I will restore David’s fallen shelter—I will repair its broken walls” (v. 11). After suffering the consequences of their sin, God’s people would be restored and given bountiful blessings (vv. 13-15).

Just as God sees our failings, He also sees our repentance, and He’s ready to forgive and restore. As we draw comfort from this truth, let’s hold on tightly to our holy and righteous God, who is full of mercy and grace.

Reflect & Pray

What sins are you struggling with? How will you respond to God's readiness to restore?

All-knowing God, nothing I do, think, say, or feel is hidden from You. Thank You for Your mercy and grace, for my hope is in You alone.

Nearness not distance is what tax collectors and sinners need and it’s what sinners still need. Jesus showed that he took sin seriously when he came near to us—his fallen and sinful creation—so that he could take away our sins. If you and I are going to follow the way of Jesus we’re going to have to come to grips with the fact that taking sin seriously is not demonstrated by distance but through nearness. Taking Sin Seriously

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

The Fruitfulness of Friendship

I have called you friends. — John 15:15

We never know the joy of self-sacrifice until we surrender every aspect of our lives to God. Self-surrender is the most difficult thing. We are always putting conditions on it, telling God, “I’ll do what you ask, if . . .” Or else we treat it as an enormous burden: “I suppose I must devote my life to God.” There is none of the joy of self-sacrifice in that.

As soon as we do surrender, the Holy Spirit touches us with the joy of Jesus. When the Holy Spirit comes in, we are filled with the desire to lay down our lives for our Friend, and all thoughts of it being a burden vanish, because sacrifice is the love passion of the Holy Spirit.

“I delight to do thy will, O my God” (Psalm 40:8 kjv). Jesus was the embodiment of this passion. He wanted only to do his Father’s will, going about his sacrifice with exuberant joy and setting the example for us all. Am I following his lead? Have I yielded myself in complete submission to Jesus Christ? If Jesus Christ isn’t my lodestar, my sacrifice has no benefit. But if I set my eyes on him when I make my sacrifice, slowly and surely his transformative influence will begin to work.

“I have called you friends.” Our friendship with Jesus is based on the new life created in us, a life which has no connection with our old life. The new life is unutterably humble, unsulliedly pure, and absolutely devoted to God. When we enter into friendship with our Lord, we are called upon to show everyone we meet the love he has shown us. We must set aside our personal preferences and learn to love as God loves. Love, for God, is not sentimental. To love as God loves is the most practical thing for a disciple. Beware of letting natural inclinations hinder your walk in love.

Psalms 119:1-88; 1 Corinthians 7:20-40 

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

There is no condition of life in which we cannot abide in Jesus.

We have to learn to abide in Him wherever we are placed.

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Neglecting to Call Home - #10337

Scripture:  1 Chronicles 14:10

I remember the time that my son got in real late. And I remember because that really wasn't his usual style. And, of course, I was waiting calmly and patiently for him to get home and, you know, waiting to hear his explanation; except for the hand cuffs and the bright light that I greeted him with. Now, he had good reasons. There were car problems, and there were people who really did have to be dropped off before he was, and, oh yeah, they got lost. It all checked out, but I was still an unhappy father for one important thing that he missed. Can you guess what it is? Uh-huh, "You didn't call!" Every parent knows, and most teenagers learn that you're making a big mistake when you don't call home.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Neglecting to Call Home."

I'm going to read our word for today from the Word of God from 1 Chronicles 14. David is in his unstoppable years; everything he does works, and there are secrets here to being unstoppable. Verse 10 says, "David inquired of God, 'Shall I go and attack the Philistines?' And the Lord answered him, 'Go and I will hand them over to you.'" In verse 14, it says, "David inquired of God again." And in this case he happens to be asking Him about a strategy for defeating the Philistines. You see, David checked with the Lord apparently on everything...well, almost everything.

One day he did a great thing. He had the ark of the covenant moved from the suburbs so to speak, the outer country, to where it would be in the center of things. But it was only to be handled by the Levites. That's the law of God! And they didn't do it God's way and a man died while transporting that ark. Now we read in chapter 15 of 1 Chronicles, "You are the heads of the Levitical families. You and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord to the place I have prepared for it. It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us." Now listen to this. "We did not inquire of Him about how to do it in the prescribed way."

In other words, David is saying, "We messed up because we didn't call our Father; we didn't check to see how God wanted this done." Our tendency is to pray about something, and then check in, same time, same station maybe tomorrow. Or pray when we're losing the battle. Can we learn a lesson from David when he was in his unstoppable years? Pray first about which battles to fight. Not every battle is one God wants you to be involved in. Get His orders before you get involved.

Then ask the Lord about how to fight the battle. Pray until you start to feel His plan for that battle unfolding. The ark incident teaches us that you can do a good thing in a way God doesn't want it done. Good thing, wrong way, and it won't work.

Too often, this guy's got to confess to you, I will pray about something in the morning, and then I'll put myself on cruise control and just kind of go ahead and not check in again until I hit a crisis. I'm a victim of my own momentum. Our Father expects us to check with Him frequently, regularly, all through the day, before a call, before an email, before a text, before a signature, before we drive, before we park, before we make a decision about where we're going to go next. "What do You want me to do, Lord?" "How do You want me to do it?"

You can be unstoppable if you move through all your day's choices in consultation with your Heavenly Father. Like earthly kids, we tend to get in a mess, and then come into the Father's presence with our head hanging. And our Father says, "You didn't call."

Mark 16, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: THE STRATEGY FOR THE TRAGEDY - August 24, 2026

“Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse and finally stopped breathing…Elijah lay on top of the boy three times. He prayed to the Lord, ‘Lord my God, let this boy live again!'” (1 Kings 17:17, 21). The Lord answered Elijah’s prayer, the boy began breathing again, and was alive.

What if Elijah holding the dead boy is a picture of you and me in the midst of a sick society? Did you know that nine out of ten young people in Great Britain believe that life has no meaning? What happens when ninety percent of a generation find no reason to live? Anxiety, anger, depression, despair, suicide. We, like Elijah, have been handed a corpse. Elijah shows us what to do. Prayer was his strategy for the tragedy.

Unbreakable Courage

Mark 16

The Resurrection

1–3  16 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him. Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb. They worried out loud to each other, “Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?”

4–5  Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled back—it was a huge stone—and walked right in. They saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken aback, astonished.

6–7  He said, “Don’t be afraid. I know you’re looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He’s been raised up; he’s here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You’ll see him there, exactly as he said.”

8  They got out as fast as they could, beside themselves, their heads swimming. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone.

9–11  [After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared early on Sunday morning to Mary Magdalene, whom he had delivered from seven demons. She went to his former companions, now weeping and carrying on, and told them. When they heard her report that she had seen him alive and well, they didn’t believe her.

12–13  Later he appeared, but in a different form, to two of them out walking in the countryside. They went back and told the rest, but they weren’t believed either.

14–16  Still later, as the Eleven were eating supper, he appeared and took them to task most severely for their stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen him raised up. Then he said, “Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all. Whoever believes and is baptized is saved; whoever refuses to believe is damned.

17–18  “These are some of the signs that will accompany believers: They will throw out demons in my name, they will speak in new tongues, they will take snakes in their hands, they will drink poison and not be hurt, they will lay hands on the sick and make them well.”

19–20  Then the Master Jesus, after briefing them, was taken up to heaven, and he sat down beside God in the place of honor. And the disciples went everywhere preaching, the Master working right with them, validating the Message with indisputable evidence.]

Note: Mark 16:9–20 [the portion in brackets] is contained only in later manuscripts.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, August 24, 2026

by Karen Pimpo

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Exodus 14:10-18

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw them—Egyptians! Coming at them!

They were totally afraid. They cried out in terror to God. They told Moses, “Weren’t the cemeteries large enough in Egypt so that you had to take us out here in the wilderness to die? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt? Back in Egypt didn’t we tell you this would happen? Didn’t we tell you, ‘Leave us alone here in Egypt—we’re better off as slaves in Egypt than as corpses in the wilderness.’ ”

13  Moses spoke to the people: “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you’re never going to see them again.

14  God will fight the battle for you.

And you? You keep your mouths shut!”

15–16  God said to Moses: “Why cry out to me? Speak to the Israelites. Order them to get moving. Hold your staff high and stretch your hand out over the sea: Split the sea! The Israelites will walk through the sea on dry ground.

17–18  “Meanwhile I’ll make sure the Egyptians keep up their stubborn chase—I’ll use Pharaoh and his entire army, his chariots and horsemen, to put my Glory on display so that the Egyptians will realize that I am God.”

Today's Insights

The theme of God as a divine warrior (see Exodus 14:14) spans the landscape of Scripture. Exodus 15 poetically depicts God at war with Pharaoh’s army, saying, “The Lord is a warrior” (v. 3). One Bible encyclopedia has this to say: “In the New Testament, the Divine Warrior theme is fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While the imagery shifts from physical battles to spiritual warfare, the essence of God as a warrior remains. In Revelation, Christ is depicted as the ultimate Divine Warrior who will defeat evil and establish His kingdom.” Today, when faced with temptation, we can rest in God, who fights for us.

RELATED CONTENT

ARTICLE

When the Enemy Pursues: Exodus 14

Fighting for You

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14

Professional boxer Jim Braddock was known as someone who fought not for riches and fame but to put food on the table for his family. The movie Cinderella Man chronicles his fairytale-like comeback from a past-his-prime boxer to the world heavyweight champion. While facing extreme poverty during the Great Depression, Jim repeatedly sacrificed his own resources, health, and pride to provide for his children. He was never intimidated by an opponent and courageously endured pummeling in the ring to keep his family safe.

Jim’s legacy is one of passionate defense of his family. We, too, have a passionate defender who has promised to take our place in the ring. When the Israelites faced Pharaoh’s mighty army after their escape from slavery in Egypt, they were terrified and cried out to God. “It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” they foolishly said (Exodus 14:12). But Moses replied in faith, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (v. 14). And without any action from the Israelites, their enemies were literally swept away by the sea as God supernaturally ended the battle before it even began.

Sometimes it feels like we’re facing the trials of life or arrows from the enemy, Satan, on our own (see Psalm 91:5). But God’s with us (Deuteronomy 31:6), and He fights for us; we need only to be still.

Reflect & Pray

What battle are you tempted to fight on your own? What does it look like to “be still” as you trust God to fight for you?

Dear Jesus, I trust You as You fight for me.

Waiting is hard; there’s no question. But some of life’s most important seasons happen in the in-between. Through Psalms, Romans, and Galatians, this five-day study explores how God draws us closer and shapes our hearts through seasons of waiting. Learn to release control, trust God’s timing, and experience his nearness as you wait with this reading plan from Reclaim Today: Hope In the In Between

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, August 24, 2026

The Spiritual Inventory

Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? — Matthew 7:9

The illustration of prayer Jesus uses here is of a good child asking for a good thing. We talk about prayer as if the state of our relationship to God makes no difference to whether he gives us what we want. Never say that it isn’t God’s will to give you what you ask; don’t throw your hands up in defeat. Take a spiritual inventory; find the reason. Ask yourself: Am I in the relationship of a good child asking for a good thing? Am I rightly related to my spouse, my children, my friends and colleagues? Or am I saying to God, “Oh, Lord, I know I’ve been irritable and angry, but I want a spiritual blessing”? If this is my mindset, I’ll have to do without the blessing until I adopt the attitude of the good child.

We mistake defiance for devotion, telling God that we want to be abandoned to him, when really we just want to abandon our responsibilities. We refuse to take a spiritual inventory. Have I been asking God to give me money for something I want when there’s something I haven’t paid for? Have I been asking God for liberty when I am withholding it from someone else? Is there someone I haven’t forgiven, someone to whom I haven’t been kind?

I’m a child of God only through spiritual rebirth. I’m good only as long as I walk in the light. Most of us turn prayer into a pious platitude, using it to get an emotional fix or viewing it as a hazy, mystical experience. Spiritually, we are all good at producing fogs. If we take an inventory, we will see very clearly what we must set right—a friendship, a debt, a temperament. There’s no point in praying unless we are living as children of God. Once we are, then, Jesus says, “Everyone who asks receives” (Matthew 7:8).

Psalms 116-118; 1 Corinthians 7:1-19

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading. 

My Utmost for His Highest, March 19, 761 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, August 24, 2026

Missing the Turn that Saves Your Life - #10336

Scripture:  Acts 3:19

I was learning to ride a bicycle, and my dad was my teacher. Across the street from our apartment was a schoolyard as big as a city block. Like most city schoolyards, it was all concrete, no grass. In the middle of that big expanse was the only obstacle for a bike-riding rookie - a big old metal flagpole. But how could anyone run into that when he had the whole schoolyard to learn in, right? It can be done. Yeah, there I was, wobbling along, trying to learn to keep my balance on two wheels with my dad just behind me. Suddenly I heard him saying, "Turn, boy." My hands were frozen to the handlebars. I was sure turning either way meant crashing on that hard concrete. Again, "Turn, son!" I was closing in on the flagpole. Now it was a desperate cry from the lips of a disbelieving father, "Turn or you're going to hit the pole!" Bonngggg! I hit the pole. I still have the chipped tooth to prove it.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Missing the Turn that Saves Your Life."

I made a painful mistake. I didn't make the turn that could have saved me. You know, there are lots of people like that. There's a turn that God is telling them to make; a turn that could save them from a life without meaning and an eternity without hope. But they just won't turn.

You may know a lot about a lot of things, but there's nothing more important in all the world than to understand the turn that will keep you from God's punishment and take you to God's heaven. It's described in many places in the Bible, including Acts 3:19, our word for today from the Word of God. It says, "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."

Here's why this is so life-or-death important. The sin that verse talks about will keep us from ever experiencing God's peace and God's love in this life and from ever entering His heaven when we die. A perfect God cannot have a relationship with an unforgiven sinner. But what we just read from God's Word talks about every sin you've ever committed being erased from God's book forever! Which means the only thing standing between you and God - between you and heaven - could be gone if you make the turn.

Obviously, the turn is a turn to God. And the way to Him is through His Son, who died to make that way. In God's own words, Jesus "bore our sins in His own body on the tree, so that we might die to sins" (1 Peter 2:24). The gift of eternal life is in the nail-scarred hands of Jesus, the One who purchased that life by giving up His own life for you. But here's the part that some people miss. When you turn to Jesus, you're turning your back on something else. You're turning your back on the junk that killed Him. You're making a decision that you're going to abandon the sins of the past that were the very sins He died to get rid of.

That's what the "repent" part of turning to God is all about - turning your back on your sins to turn to Jesus as your Savior. You won't be instantly perfect, but you're deciding to let Jesus change you. It's His power that will change you, but your decision that you will change.

Look, you can't face east and west at the same time. You've got to turn away from one to face the other. So it is with Jesus and the sin He died for. But then, why would you want to continue to defy God and poison your life with the sin that ultimately always kills? We're talking a new you here, from the inside out! A new you that begins the moment you say, "Jesus, I'm Yours!" God's come to you today to offer you complete forgiveness and life forever. Don't miss this opportunity.

In fact, that new you is what our website's all about. It's called ANewStory.com. Will you go check that out today?

Without Christ in your heart, you're heading for a collision with God and an eternity you don't want. But hey, listen, today there's still time to turn.

Psalm 141, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado: Make a Choice

Maybe your past isn’t much to brag about. Maybe you’ve seen raw evil—and now you have to make a choice. Do you rise above the past and make a difference? Or do you remain controlled by the past and make excuses?

Healthy bodies.  Sharp minds.  But retired dreams.  Back and forth they rock in the chair of regret.  Lean closely and you’ll hear them.

If only I’d been born somewhere else. . .

If only I’d been treated fairly. . .

If only I’d had more opportunities. . .if only. . .

Put down the scrapbook of your life and pick up the Bible.  Read Jesus’ words in John 3:6: “Human life comes from human parents but spiritual life comes from the Spirit.”

God has not left you adrift on a sea of heredity. You have a choice in the path you take.

Choose well!

From Cast of Characters

Psalm 141

A David Psalm

1–2  141 God, come close. Come quickly!

Open your ears—it’s my voice you’re hearing!

Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising;

my raised hands are my evening prayers.

3–7  Post a guard at my mouth, God,

set a watch at the door of my lips.

Don’t let me so much as dream of evil

or thoughtlessly fall into bad company.

And these people who only do wrong—

don’t let them lure me with their sweet talk!

May the Just One set me straight,

may the Kind One correct me,

Don’t let sin anoint my head.

I’m praying hard against their evil ways!

Oh, let their leaders be pushed off a high rock cliff;

make them face the music.

Like a rock pulverized by a maul,

let their bones be scattered at the gates of hell.

8–10  But God, dear Lord,

I only have eyes for you.

Since I’ve run for dear life to you,

take good care of me.

Protect me from their evil scheming,

from all their demonic subterfuge.

Let the wicked fall flat on their faces,

while I walk off without a scratch.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, August 23, 2026

by Kenneth Petersen

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Isaiah 53:1-7

Who believes what we’ve heard and seen?

Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?

2–6  The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,

a scrubby plant in a parched field.

There was nothing attractive about him,

nothing to cause us to take a second look.

He was looked down on and passed over,

a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.

One look at him and people turned away.

We looked down on him, thought he was scum.

But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—

our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.

We thought he brought it on himself,

that God was punishing him for his own failures.

But it was our sins that did that to him,

that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!

He took the punishment, and that made us whole.

Through his bruises we get healed.

We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.

We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.

And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,

on him, on him.

7–9  He was beaten, he was tortured,

but he didn’t say a word.

Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered

and like a sheep being sheared,

he took it all in silence.

Today's Insights

Isaiah 53 is the last of four messianic prophecies in the book of Isaiah known as the “Servant Songs” (chs. 42, 49, 50, 53) because they speak of the ministry, suffering, and exaltation of God’s Servant, the Messiah. Chapter 53 describes the rejection of Jesus (vv. 1-3), His suffering and death in our place (vv. 4-6), His sacrificial death and burial (vv. 7-9), and His resurrection (vv. 10-12).

The New Testament unequivocally applies Isaiah 53 to Christ (see John 12:38; Romans 10:16 [Isaiah 53:1]; Matthew 8:17 [Isaiah 53:4]; 1 Peter 2:22-25 [Isaiah 53:4-9]; Acts 8:32-33 [Isaiah 53:7-8]; Luke 22:37 [Isaiah 53:12]). Peter quoted Isaiah 53:4-9 (1 Peter 2:22-25) to encourage believers in Jesus who were suffering because of their faith (1:6) that Christ also endured unjust suffering. When we put our faith in Jesus—the authentic Son of God—He’ll help us reflect Him in our lives and “follow in his steps” (v. 21).

RELATED CONTENT

ARTICLE

Servant or King? Isaiah 53

Authentic Son of God

He was despised and rejected by mankind. Isaiah 53:3

A photography contest featured images created by artificial intelligence (AI). People from around the world submitted pictures they had fabricated by AI text prompts on computers. Only AI-generated images were allowed. One winner was a surreal depiction: something that looked like a pink flamingo curled into a feathery ball, against a sandy landscape.

There was only one problem. The winning image was a real photograph of a real flamingo. The photographer had entered an authentic photo in an AI-contest. His picture, “Flamingone,” was disqualified. That’s right—the authentic photo was rejected for being the real thing.

The prophet Isaiah vividly foretells a similar irony about the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ: “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7). Christ was taken to court for claiming to be the Jewish Messiah. Yet he did not offer a defense: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth” (v. 7). Isaiah points to the ultimate contradiction: “He was despised and rejected by mankind” (v. 3). That’s right—the authentic Messiah, the true Son of God, was rejected as being fake.

Today, you and I are judges in that court of decision. Do we accept Jesus as the authentic Son of God? Or do we reject Him as something less? Even if we believe in Him, does our daily living sometimes reject Him as the real deal?

Reflect & Pray

How does your life reflect the authenticity of Jesus Christ? How might it reject Him?

Dear God, please help me to honor You as I live in Your genuine presence.

Kristen “KB” Newton is the creator and founder of HEARTConvos, an organization that helps people build authentic relationships through having hard conversations. In this episode, KB and Rasool discuss her military-family life and the difference between civilian life, how she learned to survive and adapt, and why she never truly had a place she called “home” while growing up. We also spoke about what prompted her to create HEARTConvos, and why she believes Jesus championed friendship more than any other relationship: Developing Real Friends With K B Newton

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, August 23, 2026

Prayer Choice and Prayer Conflict

When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father . . . who sees what is done in secret. — Matthew 6:6

Jesus didn’t say, “Daydream about your Father.” He said, “Pray to your Father.” Prayer is an effort of will. The most difficult thing to do after we’ve gone into our room and shut the door is to actually pray. We struggle to get our minds into working order; we struggle to rein in our wandering thoughts. The great battle in private prayer is overcoming this indulgence in aimless daydreaming. We have to discipline our minds and learn to concentrate on willful prayer.

We take care to select a specific place for prayer, but when we get there the plague of flies begins. Thoughts about all the things we have to do go buzzing through our minds. “Close the door,” Jesus says. To enter a secret silence is to deliberately shut the door on emotions and anxieties and open the door to God. God sees us in the secret place. He does not see us as other people see us, nor as we see ourselves. When we live in the secret place, it becomes impossible for us to doubt him. We become more certain of him than of anything else.

Your Father, Jesus says, is unseen; he “sees what is done in secret.” You can enter the secret place no matter where you are. Even in the hustle and bustle of daily life, you will always find God. Get into the habit of going to him about everything and learn to start every day in his presence. Unless you fling the door to your mind wide and let God enter in your first waking moment, you will work on a wrong level all day long. But if at first light, you swing the door open and pray to your Father in secret, everything you do in public for the rest of the day will be stamped with his presence.

Psalms 113-115; 1 Corinthians 6

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

The life of Abraham is an illustration of two things: of unreserved surrender to God, and of God’s complete possession of a child of His for His own highest end.

Not Knowing Whither, 901 R

Psalm 140, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Our Reluctance

Perhaps the most amazing response to God's gift is our reluctance to accept it. We feel better if we earn it. So we create religious hoops and hop through them-making God a trainer, us his pets, and religion a circus.

If only, when God smiles and says we are saved, we'd salute him, thank him, and live like those who've just received a gift from the commander in chief. We seldom do that, though. To accept grace is to admit failure. We opt to impress God with how good we are rather than confessing how great he is. We dizzy ourselves with doctrine.  Burden ourselves with rules. We think that God will smile on our efforts. But He doesn't. God's smile is not for the healthy hiker who boasts that he made the journey alone. It is, instead, for the crippled leper who begs God for a back on which to ride!

From In the Eye of the Storm

Psalm 140

A David Psalm

1–5  140 God, get me out of here, away from this evil;

protect me from these vicious people.

All they do is think up new ways to be bad;

they spend their days plotting war games.

They practice the sharp rhetoric of hate and hurt,

speak venomous words that maim and kill.

God, keep me out of the clutch of these wicked ones,

protect me from these vicious people;

Stuffed with self-importance, they plot ways to trip me up,

determined to bring me down.

These crooks invent traps to catch me

and do their best to incriminate me.

6–8  I prayed, “God, you’re my God!

Listen, God! Mercy!

God, my Lord, Strong Savior,

protect me when the fighting breaks out!

Don’t let the wicked have their way, God,

don’t give them an inch!”

9–11  These troublemakers all around me—

let them drown in their own verbal poison.

Let God pile hellfire on them,

let him bury them alive in crevasses!

These loudmouths—

don’t let them be taken seriously;

These savages—

let the Devil hunt them down!

12–13  I know that you, God, are on the side of victims,

that you care for the rights of the poor.

And I know that the righteous personally thank you,

that good people are secure in your presence.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, August 22, 2026

by Dave Branon

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Ephesians 4:26-32

  Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.

28  Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can’t work.

29  Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.

30  Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.

31–32  Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

Today's Insights

Ephesians 4:26-32 begins with an assumption that anger is inevitable: “In your anger do not sin” (v. 26). But Paul quickly guards against any sinful expression of anger: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (v. 31). The emphasis in this passage, as in other epistles, isn’t only on behaviors that give the “devil a foothold” (v. 27) and “grieve the Holy Spirit” (v. 30). It’s also on what we replace our actions with as we “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (v. 24). Our individual submission to God’s supernatural righteousness makes it possible to follow His example: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (v. 32). In all our relationships, God can help us reflect the forgiving heart of Jesus.

RELATED CONTENT

ARTICLE

It Begins with Me: Ephesians 4

A Marriage Observed

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other. Ephesians 4:32

Of all United States presidents, Jimmy Carter had the longest marriage. He and his wife Rosalyn were married for seventy-seven years. When Carter was asked the secret to his long, successful marriage, he replied, “Choose the right person to marry.” Beyond that, he named three other concepts for marital success: reconciliation, communication, and devotion to faith.

We see the idea of reconciliation in Ephesians 4:26: “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” The Carters took this seriously. “Every night, we try to make sure we’re completely reconciled from all the arguments during the day,” Jimmy once said. We can also see the secret to Christlike communication in Ephesians 4. Paul wrote, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (v. 32).

God ordained marriage as something good—something established by Him (Genesis 2:24; Hebrews 13:4). Proverbs 18:22 says that marriage is a divine blessing: “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.” And the way we treat one another, in marriage and in the entire body of Christ, can encourage and positively affect others. Whether we’re single or married, our words and actions can truly reflect the loving, forgiving heart of Christ.

Reflect & Pray

How can God help you reflect Christ in your relationships? What does it mean to be compassionate and forgiving today?

Dear Jesus, please help me to compassionately forgive others and point them to You. 

What does forgiveness look like? Is it a single act or a process? Do we wait until we feel ready to forgive? Do we require the other person to repent, or is forgiveness personal and internal, something we do for ourselves? If we forgive, does that mean we must immediately return to a persistently abusive relationship? You can read more for answers to these questions at the following link: https://www.odbm.org/en/spiritual-living/family-relationships/risking-forgiveness

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, August 22, 2026

I Indeed . . . but He

I indeed baptize you with water . . . but he . . . shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. — Matthew 3:11 kjv

Have I ever come to a place in my experience where I can say, “I indeed . . . but he”? Until that moment comes, I will never know what the baptism of the Holy Spirit means. It means that “I indeed” am at an end; I can do nothing more. “But he” begins right there—he does what no one else can do.

“But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry” (Matthew 3:11). Am I prepared for his coming? Jesus cannot come to me as long as there’s something inside me blocking his way. It doesn’t matter whether the thing is bad or good, sin or something I consider a personal quality. When he comes, I must be prepared for him to drag everything into the light. Wherever I know I am unclean, he will put his feet. Wherever I think I am clean, he will withdraw them. Repentance doesn’t bring a sense of sin but a sense of total unworthiness. When I repent, I realize that I am completely helpless; I know that no part of me is worthy even to carry his sandals. Have I repented like that? Or do I have a lingering urge to defend myself? The reason God cannot come into my life is because I haven’t entered completely into repentance.

“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11). John doesn’t speak of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an experience. He speaks of it as a work performed by Jesus Christ. The only conscious experience those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit ever have is a sense of being absolutely unworthy.

“I indeed” was unworthy, “but he” came, and a marvelous thing happened. Get to the place in the margin where he does everything.

Psalms 110-112; 1 Corinthians 5

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

We are not to preach the doing of good things; good deeds are not to be preached, they are to be performed.

So Send I You, 1330 L

Psalm 139, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: PRAY IT THROUGH - August 21, 2026

No verse in the Bible promises the absence of struggle. Quite the contrary. Scripture is stained with tears, problems, injustices, immorality, and wars. Tough times come with life. But troubling times don’t have to take the life out of your life.

God gives us this invitation: “Pray it through.” It is what troubles you, fatigues you, shames you. It won’t have the last word. God will. Prayer slaps handcuffs on the culprit. Prayer marches the problem into the presence of God, the One who can solve it.

The prophet Elijah is remembered as an example of radical prayer. He is living proof that “when a believing person prays, great things happen” (James 5:16 NCV).

Unbreakable Courage

Psalm 139

A David Psalm

1–6  139 God, investigate my life;

get all the facts firsthand.

I’m an open book to you;

even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.

You know when I leave and when I get back;

I’m never out of your sight.

You know everything I’m going to say

before I start the first sentence.

I look behind me and you’re there,

then up ahead and you’re there, too—

your reassuring presence, coming and going.

This is too much, too wonderful—

I can’t take it all in!

7–12  Is there any place I can go to avoid your Spirit?

to be out of your sight?

If I climb to the sky, you’re there!

If I go underground, you’re there!

If I flew on morning’s wings

to the far western horizon,

You’d find me in a minute—

you’re already there waiting!

Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!

At night I’m immersed in the light!”

It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;

night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.

13–16  Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;

you formed me in my mother’s womb.

I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!

Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

I worship in adoration—what a creation!

You know me inside and out,

you know every bone in my body;

You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,

how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;

all the stages of my life were spread out before you,

The days of my life all prepared

before I’d even lived one day.

17–22  Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!

God, I’ll never comprehend them!

I couldn’t even begin to count them—

any more than I could count the sand of the sea.

Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!

And please, God, do away with wickedness for good!

And you murderers—out of here!—

all the men and women who belittle you, God,

infatuated with cheap god-imitations.

See how I hate those who hate you, God,

see how I loathe all this godless arrogance;

I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred.

Your enemies are my enemies!

23–24  Investigate my life, O God,

find out everything about me;

Cross-examine and test me,

get a clear picture of what I’m about;

See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—

then guide me on the road to eternal life.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, August 21, 2026

by Mike Wittmer

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

2 Timothy 4:1-8

I can’t impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple.

3–5  You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant.

6–8  You take over. I’m about to die, my life an offering on God’s altar. This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming.

Today's Insights

While encouraging Timothy to be faithful to his ministerial calling, Paul summarized his own service for Christ and what he looked forward to after he died: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). As the apostle anticipated his departure from labor to reward (v. 6), he was conscious of what really mattered in life. Each believer in Jesus has been given different tasks to do on this earth. With the Spirit’s help, we can strive to do them faithfully. We all long to hear the voice of Christ, our Savior, say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21).

Paul’s Last Words: 2 Timothy 4

Faithfully Serving Others

Discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:5

On a Thursday, in the church’s fellowship hall, sandwiches and watermelon slices were set out, waiting to be consumed by mourners sitting on metal folding chairs placed on stained carpet. It was a perfectly normal funeral, except for the preacher. He was a well-known speaker who has preached to stadiums full of thousands. Now he was speaking just as enthusiastically to this weekday gathering.

Paul told his protégé Timothy, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season . . . . discharge all the duties of your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:2-5). All the duties. Not only the big ones performed on large stages with bright lights. Also ordinary, weekday duties. The speeches that won’t be recorded and broadcast for generations to come. The tasks that few will see. Do those well too.

Because someone is watching. Paul told Timothy he was serving “in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead” (v. 1). Your platform may be small, but your audience could not be more important. Jesus waits expectantly for your service. Do it for Him, relying on the power of His Spirit. He will be honored as you humbly, faithfully minister to others.

Reflect & Pray

How much heart are you putting into your everyday tasks? How would God have you think about your ordinary jobs on this ordinary day?

Heavenly Father, may I serve You and others faithfully today.

You can use these six devotions help you start an ongoing conversation with the God that always shows up for His children. He desires to hear everything—every ordinary, mundane, and small detail of your life:  Praying Through Ordinary Life

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, August 21, 2026

The Ministry of the Unnoticed

Blessed are the poor in spirit. — Matthew 5:3

The New Testament notices things we completely overlook. When Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” he is elevating a state which counts for nothing according to our standards—the state of being poor. Today’s preaching tends to emphasize dazzling, easily noticed qualities, like strength of will or beauty of character. We often hear preachers telling us to “decide for Christ,” placing the emphasis on our own effort and “goodness”—things our Lord never trusted. He never asks us to decide for him. He asks us to yield to him, which is very different.

At the bedrock of Jesus Christ’s kingdom is the unaffected loveliness of the commonplace. What I am blessed in is my poverty. If I know I have no strength of will, no nobility of disposition, Jesus says I am blessed; it’s through this poverty that I enter his kingdom. I can’t enter his kingdom as a “good” man or woman; I can enter only as a pauper.

The true character of the loveliness that counts for God is always unconscious. Conscious influence is smug and self-righteous and unchristian. If I start looking for evidence of my own usefulness, I instantly lose the bloom of the Lord’s touch. “Whoever believes in me,” Jesus said, “rivers of living water will flow from within them” (John 7:38). If I examine the outflow, I lose the touch of the Lord.

Who are the people who have influenced us most? Not the ones who thought they did, but those without the slightest notion of their impact, those who radiated the unconscious loveliness of the Lord’s touch. We always know when Jesus is at work in someone’s life, because he produces something inspiring in the midst of the commonplace.

Psalms 107-109; 1 Corinthians 4

 

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

Friday, August 21, 2026

Your Eyes - Where Sin Begins - #10335

Scripture:  Matthew 6:22-23

I think my son was about four the first time we played baseball together, and I taught him with a plastic Wiffle bat and Wiffle ball. I remember telling him rule number one of baseball even then, and really of other sports too. I said, "Now, son, keep your eye on the ball." Well, I've told him that lots of times over his growing up years, and it wasn't always about baseball. Whenever he's had trouble with his hitting, which has improved, it usually was because he wasn't watching where he should be.

Now, of course, he's a grown man with a family of his own. We recently went outside with a ball and bat. He threw and I attempted to hit the ball. You can probably guess what's coming. I wasn't connecting. So he gave me a little advice, "Hey, Dad, keep your eye on the ball!" The tables have turned.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Your Eyes - Where Sin Begins."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 6:22-23. Jesus is talking about the importance of our eyes in following Him and what we should be keeping our eyes on and off of. It's a lesson in how not to strike out spiritually. Listen to His words: "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness."

Now, Jesus here is not talking about your need for an optometrist or getting stronger glasses. He's talking about the fact that your eyes are the point of entry for everything you think about, and what you think about is what turns out to be the beginning point of the actions you commit. So your eyes gather input that is sent to your brain and stored there, and then as the Bible says, "As a man thinks in his heart so is he." But it all begins at eye level.

Do you remember what Jesus had just said in the previous chapter, Matthew 5:28? He said, "I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." There are the eyes again. The place you have to stop sexual sin is at eye level. It's like baseball. If your eye is on the right thing, you'll be okay. If your eye is looking at the wrong thing, you're going to fail. No Christians have ever had to live with the bombardment of sexual images that we get daily. Nobody's ever had the media we have, and we get so much we're almost numb to it.

See, a fundamental discipline of a Jesus follower has to be training your eyes. It's a firm resolve that you just won't look at what is suggested. When a billboard appears with a provocative picture, you just commit yourself to instantly look the other way; you don't even consider what you'll do. When a magazine ad, or a TV channel, an Internet website; maybe you're jumping around and you're looking at all kinds of channels or websites and suddenly there's this sexually attractive image in front of you. You could linger. But no, you can't afford to do that. You move on quickly.

Training your eyes is as practical as simply not allowing your eyes to wander beyond the face of the opposite sex or just turning away. There's a powerful temptation isn't there to linger, to fanaticize, to kind of work it over in your mind, to let your eyes sin? You say, "Well, I didn't do anything." And yet the Bible says that if it's gotten to your eyes, then through them you are full of darkness. That's what Jesus taught us.

Every time you linger on a sexually tempting image, you send ammunition to your enemy - ammunition you can be guaranteed he will use to defeat you spiritually. So you've got to avoid spiritual strike outs, and that begins with training your eyes.