Category: Devotionals

Daniel said: “Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and mysterious things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. To thee, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for thou hast given me wisdom and strength, and hast now made known to me what we asked of thee, for thou hast made known to us the king’s matter.”
-Daniel 2:20-23 RSV

God had just given Daniel a vision in the night of the king’s recurring dreams and the insight to interpret them.

The king was at the brink of killing all his advisors for not knowing and understanding these dreams. Daniel had bought just enough time to receive this vision. It was a miracle that would save many lives.

The movie would play out with Daniel bursting out of his quarters, charging through the halls of the palace, and demanding to see the king, even as he was lying sleepless in his evening gown.

But Daniel responds to this life-saving vision with a prayer of gratitude.

Even when we have a healthy practice of gratitude, we can discover new opportunities to thank God. I am often blessed with answers to my questions and signposts on my journey. I resolve to be more like Daniel and pause in those moments to show appreciate to my Lord.

Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
-John 8:31-32 RSV

There’s no promise of truth in the present. The promise is of future truth and future freedom.

I find humility in these verses. I find myself listening to my neighbor instead of preaching to him.

Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
-Proverbs 15:1 NIV

I don’t think I need to add to the wisdom of these words, but I do need to take them to heart.

Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
-Psalm 139:14 NIV

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
-Psalm 139:23-24 RSV

I had my first psychedelic experience today. It revealed a world both fearful and wonderful. With a heart set in God’s love, I kept my intention aimed toward His wonderful works.

The experience was more intense than I expected and the temptation to fall into fearful thinking was great. Self-conciousness weighs heavily as I know this is a controversial subject. Yet, I only have to answer to God. He will judge if there is a wicked way in me. He will lead me in the way everlasting.

Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

Then Moses summoned Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage; for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall put them in possession of it.
-Deuteronomy 31:7 RSV

I find the most strength in love. To listen carefully is to love deeply. If I have any leadership strength in this world, it is tied directly to my ability to love.

Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
-Deuteronomy 6:9 NLT

My wife used to cut prayers and verses out of church bulletins and tape them to the inside of our kitchen cabinets. The funny thing is that she did most of that before we accepted Christ as our Savior. We only had a few months together as Christians before she passed away, but when I reflect back on her life, I see her consistently modeling the spirit of Christ.

It takes a lot more work from me. I try to actively write and talk about my faith every day, but it’s not always natural. I pray that through disciplined intention I can create a life more in line with Jesus Christ.

Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

Tie them to your hands and wear them on your foreheads as reminders.
-Deuteronomy 6:8

I have a loud mouth and I’m no good at filtering my words or hiding my feelings. I’m also a little obsessed with first principles and underlying motivations.

It’s a wild combination. I’m willing to say crazy shit as I experiment with possibilities.

Today I speculated that understanding Scripture might be a nearly impossible task. To speak too confidently about it is a mistake.

One example is where the Greek word “chlōros” is translated as “green” in other parts of Revelation, yet is translated as “ashen” or omitted entirely from Rev 6:8.

I don’t know what to make of that.

I also learned tonight that Daniel is written in two different languages. Hebrew for the first chapter and some of the second, then Aramaic for the rest. If the book has one author, presumably Daniel, why the sudden change? I haven’t dug into this at all, but these preculiarities are fodder for my overthinking brain.

None of this actually shakes my faith. I’m cool with God being a mystery. The concepts approaching God, such as omniscience, eternity, and perfection, seem impossible to comprehend. Why would I expect to grasp the confluence of every impossible idea?

We can’t fully understand ourselves or other humans, yet we have relationships with ourselves and others. We transcend the distance of comprehension with compassion and love. I experience my relationship with God through opening myself to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I don’t need to define each experience, but I do think of them in different ways. When I pray, I lean on the image of Jesus and communicate in a human way. When I look wide-eyed into the world to look for signposts, I think of the Father plotting out the road before me. The Holy Spirit is a force inside me, my conscience, instincts, and inspirations.

In today’s parlance, “It’s complicated.” Love simplifies everything, but I enjoy the maddening kaleidoscope that is the world of ideas. And I’m not going to be shy about it.

Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.
-Deuteronomy 6:7 NLT

Sometimes I share these devotionals with my sons. Sometimes one of us is unkind and gets a lecture about Jesus. Sometimes someone asks if little babies go to Heaven when they die.

We don’t have a consistent practice of discussing God, but it often comes up. I try to return to Scripture and how the Holy Spirit has worked in my life when I am discussing anything significant. Or maybe it’ll be as simple as a “God willing,” when I’m asked if I’ll be at a game or event.

This verse is a reminder that I can share my faith with my loved ones more often.

Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

You must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.
-Deuteronomy 6:6 NLT

And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land which the LORD swore to give to your fathers.
-Deuteronomy 6:18 RSV

And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as at this day.
-Deuteronomy 6:24 RSV

This chapter of Deuteronomy seems to be all about God’s commandments as they are meant to keep his believers alive.

I struggle with this in relationship to Jesus’s fulfillment of the Law and His declaration that loving one’s neighbor as oneself and as God are the most important commandments.

Does this mean that once our physical bodies are not under constant threat, then the long list of commands in Deuteronomy become stumbling blocks in the way of love? Does it mean that even under starvation and physical peril we must love above all?

Didn’t Jesus say the Law was only meant to show us that we are incapable of following the rules? That we must love as much as we can?

I didn’t attend Sunday service today. I played soccer. Can I love God and myself and my teammates and my opponents outside of worship? Is worship to live in love and be open to my teammates, friends, family, and neighbors about my faith in Jesus Christ? Is that enough? More than enough?

I ask these questions and assume I could be doing things wrong. I pray for the openness and wisdom to receive the answers and take them to heart.

Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
-Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV

When you pour your love into the Highest, you are transformed. When embracing my love for God, I embrace those around me and find deeper ways to act as a messenger of God’s love.

Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.