Heavenly Father, teach us to make prayer the first thing we do when confronted with seemingly overwhelming situations, and to ask others to join us in prayer.

Day 263 Isaiah 33:13-36:22; Galatians 5:13-26; Psalm 64:1-10; Proverbs 23:23 Walk by the Spirit When I received my license at age 16, there were no GPS or smart phones that could help me find my way around. Don’t feel too bad for me; I didn’t really need one at the time. I lived in a…

What’s a Father Got to Do With Anything?

We live in a time of self-improvement and self-help; commencement speakers regularly affirm that we can do and be anything that we set their hearts to. The Scriptures however approach life from a very different angle.

Day 261 Isaiah 28:14-30:11; Galatians 3:23-4:31; Psalm 62; Proverbs 23:19-21 Live Free in Christ In Galatians, Paul raises the question, “Then what is the purpose of the Law of Moses?” (3:19). Paul explains that the law serves a temporary purpose in order to restrain sin, not unlike a parental guardian restrains unruly children until they…

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you”

Day 259 Isaiah 22:1-24:23; Galatians 2:17-3:9; Psalm 60:1-12; Proverbs 23:15-16 Called to Live Thank God for the church who does not leave us alone to sit in our chairs, read passages like the one assigned today from Isaiah, and decide that we might as well “eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.” The…

Day 258 Isaiah 19:1-21:17; Galatians 2:1-16; Psalm 59:1-17; Proverbs 23:13-14 Little Decisions, Big Consequences Rarely do we know the full consequences of our decisions. We don’t get a reset button that would allow us to play it again and see how things might have been different, like Bill Murray’s character in the movie, “Groundhog Day.”…

Day 257 Isaiah 15:1-18:7; Galatians 1:1-24; Psalm 58:1-11; Proverbs 23:12 An Audience of One “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” – Galatians 1:10 “What do you…

Day 256 Isaiah 12:1-14:32; 2 Corinthians 13:1-14; Psalm 57:1-11; Proverbs 23:9-11 Trust. Draw. Thank. Call. Praise. Isaiah 12 is a Song of Praise that begins with a direct reference from the Song of Moses in Exodus 15:2, sung after crossing the Red Sea, acknowledging God’s salvation, the people’s trust in the Lord, and gratefulness for…

Day 255 Isaiah 10:1-11:16; 2 Corinthians 12:11-21; Psalm 56:1-13; Proverbs 23:6-8 Fear Does Not Control The setting of Psalm 56 is that David, a servant of Saul, is running away to Gath to get away from Saul, who is trying to kill him. Gath was one of the Philistine towns where Goliath had lived. It…

Day 254 Isaiah 8:1‐9:21; 2 Corinthians 12:1‐10; Psalm 55:1‐23; Proverbs 23:4‐5 Strength Through Dependency “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” – Psalms 55:22 (NIV) As we struggle with the increased secularization of our culture and the rapid increase of polytheism versus a relationship…

Day 253 Isaiah 6:1-7:25; 2 Corinthians 11:16-33; Psalm 54:1-7; Proverbs 23:1-3 Do Not Get Used to It “When you sit to dine with a ruler,    note well what is before you,and put a knife to your throat    if you are given to gluttony.Do not crave his delicacies,    for that food is deceptive.”– Proverbs 23:1-3 When you read these…