June 15, 2026, The Gospel & Mental Health, Week 1

Homework – memorize Philippians 4.8-9

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8–9)

Read Romans 12.1-2

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1–2)

Romans 12.1-2 is our homebase for this series. It is the point we launch out from to explore God’s truths and then, the following week we will return to it to launch out on another expedition of truth. This week is an introduction into this series; a warm up if you will.

Chad brought up that the largest category of books in a bookstore is the self-help category, even within Christian bookstores. It’s interesting to consider that apparently most of us realize we need help. Generally, most of these books instruct us to believe … to believe in something; ourselves, our hearts, the ‘process’, whatever that is. It is also interesting to consider that in the section of self-help, there are no Bibles, as if the Bible has nothing to help us grow into better people.

Yet Paul writes that we need to be transformed. How are we transformed? By the renewing of our minds. It is not that we transform ourselves because the command to “be transformed” is passive. It is something the Spirit does in us and for us. But we have a part to play. He transforms us as we renew our minds; as we change the way we think, as we begin to believe differently. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2.8-9) but faith itself comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ (Romans 10.17). In salvation, we have to change (renew) what we think about who God is and who is God and who we are. That is how we are saved. What we believe is powerful and life changing. But unlike what most self-help books tell us, it is not believing in ourselves. It is our faith (read belief) in and about God and what He says about us.

We all have patterns of thinking, particularly about ourselves. Many of these patterns are negative and destructive. They pull us down rather than build us up. We have to change these patterns and replace them with what God has to say.

“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12–13)

God is at work in you; in your life. Think about that for a moment. We have to work out what God is working in us. And that begins with renewing our minds.

Spend a few moments thinking about the good things God has done for you and praise Him for it. Dwell on these things through the day today.

May 26, 2026; Walking by the Spirit, Galatians, Week 6

Read Galatians 5.16-26

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)

Who is the Holy Spirit to you, personally? Some think of Him as a force that makes you act weird and speak funny. I grew up in Southern Baptist churches where we hardly spoke of Him because of the extremes that others claimed He did in them. I remember my first experience in a so-called Charismatic church as a 6- or 7-year-old boy. Folks were yelling in weird languages; running up and down the aisles; some where walking on the backs of pews. I was a little freaked out, and very glad we never went back.

But the Holy Spirit is not Someone to be feared; respected yes, but not feared. He is necessary for our salvation.

“However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” (Romans 8:9)

If we do not have the Spirit, we do not belong to God.

“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,” (Titus 3:5)

We are saved by grace through faith but it is completely a work of the Holy Spirit. He regenerates us and renews us.

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” (Jesus in John 14:16–17)

The Greek word translated ‘Helper’ literally means one who comes along beside to help, a comforter and an advocate. Just as Jesus was physically for the disciples, the Spirit was after His ascension. And that is how His is for us now. He is always with us.

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” (Jesus in John 16:13–15)

The Spirit guides us and leads us. He guides into all truth and truth is a Person and that Person is Jesus (John 14.6) so the Spirit brings us closer to Jesus.

The Spirit is not Someone to terrified of, He Someone to trust and lean on. He is with us to comfort us and guide us. Walk by Him today and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

May 19, 2026; Day 2 – Galatians 5

Homework Read Galatians 5.1-15

“You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.” (Galatians 5:4–6)

We like rules, don’t we. At least the ones we personally deem important. We like to have boxes to check off so we can justify ourselves and show what a good person we are. Do not get me wrong, it is good to have disciplines to help us to grow spiritually. Reading the Bible regularly, praying regularly, attending church, giving offerings, serving others, all these are good and we should discipline ourselves to these. But none of these really justify us. And Paul writes if we are trying to justify ourselves through these, we have fallen from the grace where we can find our only justification.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;” (Ephesians 2:8)

We can do well at following the rules, at least for a little while, can’t we. But eventually we fail and James writes that if we break one point of the Law, we are guilty of it all (James 2.10). Why is it that we always eventually fail?

“And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” (Jesus in Mark 7:20–23)

Our hearts are messed up. And our hearts are where our motivation comes from and if our motivation is to justify ourselves, then we have fallen from grace. But the beauty of grace is that we do not try justify ourselves by our works, but accept the gift He is giving us and walk in it. We have been “… justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;” (Romans 3:24).

So if our motivation for the disciplines we talked about earlier is not to justify ourselves, what is it? Paul writes in verse 6 that “… neither circumcision (and the religion of justification by works it represents) nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.” Our motivation is love. It is God’s love that He gave us the gift. And it is our love for God in response to His love that guides us, not the Law, not rules. So I do not read my Bible to be justified to God. Instead, I read my Bible because I am justified in Christ before God and my love for Him drives me to want to know Him more and love Him better.

Thank God for the gift of justification. Thank Him that His love moved Him to save you and me. And, motivated by the love of God and the love for God, walk in the freedom of His grace today.

May 18, 2026; Day 1 – Galatians 5

Homework Read Galatians 5.1-15

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

The false teachers were claiming that Christ's sacrifice; His death, burial a resurrection were not enough to save a person. Much as they had done when Paul was at Antioch.

Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1)

Circumcision itself is just a simple surgical procedure, why the fuss? Paul makes it clear it more. Circumcision was a theological symbol of an entirely different religion. It is a religion of salvation through good works in keeping the Law. It is religion where we earn good standing with God through what we do in keeping the Law. The problem with that is we cannot keep the Law, can we? We can keep parts of it, but not the whole Law. And legalist then and now point to the parts that are easy for them to keep and say we must all keep these to be saved. But Paul wrote that it is not keeping part of the Law but the whole Law.

So why was this so attractive to the Galatians? I think, in part, it is because deep down, we all want to feel like we deserve salvation. We want to be able to say, “Look what I have done! Aren’t I such a good boy? Now I deserve Your salvation.”

But here is the problem, isn’t it? We really are not good. And we know it. We may put on a mask to fool others and we may even fool ourselves for a time, but deep down, we know we are failures at keeping the rules. So, in comes the guilt and shame.

If only we can grasp the reality and depth of Paul’s opening declaration of this chapter. “It is for FREEDOM that CHRIST set us FREE!” He has freed us from the burden of keeping the entire Law or all the self-imposed rules we come up with to gain a good standing with God. He has, by His grace, freed us from the guilt and shame of sin.

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

He freed us from the burden of the Law by perfectly keeping the Law in our place and then freed from the guilt and shame of our sin by taking that guilt and shame on Himself on the cross! He freed us that we might live in that freedom.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Walk in that freedom today, knowing you did nothing to earn His love and knowing He did everything to give you His love. Walk in His love.

May 6, 2026; Day 2 – Galatians, Week 4

Homework assignment this week is to read Galatians 3.

“Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.” (Galatians 3:6–9)

In the Epistle to the churches at Galatia, Paul was addressing a very specific heresy; that Jesus’ work was not finished on the cross but the would-be follower needed to add adherence to the Law or rules. This heresy was put forth by people who even themselves could not keep the Law. It has always struck me as very ironic that broken, sinful people think they need to add something to what the perfect, sinless Son of God has done … like we even could. Paul used Abraham to prove his point.

In Genesis 12, God called Abraham (Abram at the time) out of Ur to follow Him and He promised make Abraham into a great nation. Abraham was seventy-five years old at that time and had no children. Think about the enormity of that promise. Roughly eight years later, in Genesis 15, Abraham still had no children and was having some doubts so God restates the promise. He told Abraham to look into the night sky and count the stars if he could. He then promised Abraham that his descendants would be like the uncountable stars in the night sky. Abraham was still without any children, yet God was promising him uncountable descendants. And Abraham believed Him. He trusted that God would fulfill that promise. And because he believed; he by faith trusted the promise of God, God reckoned Abraham as righteous. God counted Abraham righteous, not because of some great deed or some disciplines he kept, but simply because he believed that God would keep His promise. It was not because Abraham prayed regularly, even though he did pray regularly. It was not because walked daily with God, even though he did walk daily with God. It was because he believed the promise of God.

Looking back, we can see that God did indeed keep His promise. There is a natural fulfillment through the nation of Israel. But there is also spiritual fulfillment; those who come to God by faith. Those who trust that God will keep His promise of forgiveness and salvation, those are the descendants of Abraham God was talking about.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8–10)

Abraham went on to walk with God and serve Him the rest of his life. His walk was not perfect, but in Isaiah 41.8, God referred to Abraham as His friend. But it was not any of this that gained him a right standing with God. It was only his faith that preceded a life of fellowship and service that led God to count Abraham as righteous, even though he did not always walk in that righteousness. The overall character of his life was one of believing God and trusting Him.

And it is a similar faith that we must have in order for it to be reckoned to us as righteousness. It is believing the words of God and trusting He will do what He says He will do. And that means believing and trusting that when Jesus cried out from the cross, “It is finished”, it was truly finished. There was and is nothing that needs to be added to pay the penalty for our sin.

Nothing.

Stop trying to work for God’s approval and walk in faith, trusting that in Christ, you counted as righteous before Him in Christ ... forever. Walk in that truth today.

May 5, 2026; Day 1 – Galatians, Week 4

Homework assignment this week is to read Galatians 3.

“Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3)

When you came to Christ, did it happen by the works you did? Did you read enough Scripture that it qualified you for salvation? Did you pray earnestly for weeks and weeks and achieve your salvation? Maybe you served at Repairers of the Breach feeding the homeless for three years straight and that earned you your salvation?

It was none of that was it? It was the Spirit drawing you to God and convicting you of your sin and need for Him. And without that Spirit residing within you, you cannot really even understand the Bible. I have a friend who came to Christ in his fifties. He was a voracious reader all his life and had read the Bible through several times before coming to Christ. He told me once that after salvation, reading the Bible then was like reading a book he had never seen before.

The only prayer God obligates Himself to answer of a lost person is the one asking for His grace and salvation. There are probably thousands of people across this country feeding the poor, hundreds of governmental agencies who do not even acknowledge God. They do lots of good, but are still lost.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9)

If you were saved by the work of the Spirit and grace through faith, why do you think that now you have to do something to remain saved or right with God. What is the old saying, “You should dance with the one that brought you.”

Your works did not save you and they will not keep you saved. Works are important and we will look at that more later, God willing.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (Jesus in John 10:27–29)

Jesus gives us eternal life as a gift and then, by His power, He keeps us and sustains us. Rest in that today and walk in that truth. It is foolish to think other wise.

May 1, 2026; Day 4 – Galatians, Week 3

Homework assignment this week is to hide Galatians 2.20 in your heart and read Romans 6.

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Read Galatians 2.17-21

Do you live by faith; trusting in the finished work of Christ on the cross? Or are you still trying to somehow earn your way into God’s good graces?

The cross is where Christ’s life ended and ours begins. On the cross, He died for your sin and mine. He literally took your cross and mine. We must now take His cross as ours because on the cross, He also died to sin. (Romans 6.10) In His earthly life, Jesus was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4.15b) But on the cross, He died to that temptation, it never had power or influence over Him again. When we are baptized, we are baptized into His death and then raised to newness of life. We are crucified with Him that He might then live in us. But we must learn to live in that reality.

Paul wrote that we must “consider” ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ. (Romans 6.11) We must not “let” sin reign in our lives. (Romans 6.12) For us, the temptation is still there, but it no longer has the power it once did. The alure is still there but the mastery it once had is gone … unless we give into it and present our members to sin. (Romans 6.13)

All this means is that if we still give in to sin, we desire sin more than righteousness. Jesus became sin and died for our sin in order to make us the very righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5.21) But we have to learn to walk in that righteousness.

Reading your Bible daily does not achieve that righteousness, we are already have that righteousness in Christ. But reading your Bible regularly, and preferably daily, will begin to renew your mind and transform your life that you will learn to walk in that righteousness. The same is true with regular prayer. Attending church every week does make us right before God, Christ already has. So we go to church every week out love and appreciation for what He has already done and, through worship, to be empowered and encouraged to walk in faith for the next week.

For Christ, life ended on the cross. For us, it began there. Stop trying to add to the cross and start walking in who He has already made you to be.

Can I tell you something? I have shared this with people before, but I am not sure they have understood the weight of it. You cannot disappoint God. I am not sure you heard me; you cannot disappoint God. In order for you to disappoint God, He would have to have some unmet expectation of you. God already knows every sin I will commit for the rest of my life. He already knows the times I will not read the Word as I should or as I think I should. He already knows the days I will walk by sight and not by faith. He already knows when my prayer life will not be what it could be. And He loves me anyway and accepts me in Christ. I am already right before Him and nothing can ever change that. So when I have those moments or days and I hear a voice telling me I am worthless and there is no way I am right before God, I ignore the enemy because I know that is him and the Holy Spirit. And then I repent before the Father and renew my walk of faith.

The same thing is true of you if you too are a born-again child of His. Walk in that knowledge today.

April 30, 2026; Day 3 – Galatians, Week 3

Homework assignment this week is to hide Galatians 2.20 in your heart and read Romans 6.

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Read Romans 3.21-26

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;” (Romans 3:23–24)

In Galatians 2, Paul reminds Peter that justification; be right or righteous before God, comes through faith not by works. Faith is the conduit through which it comes. Justification is not manufactured by works. That us to the Doctrine of Justification. Justification is the act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous in Christ Jesus

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

We “become the righteousness of God in” Christ Jesus, we do not earn it by reading the Bible daily or by giving offerings at church or even by attending church. The righteousness of God was revealed in Christ apart from the Law when Christ died because He did not die for His sins but for mine … and for yours. He died for the sins of all who believe; past, present and future.

Think about that for a moment. Christ, who knew no sin but became sin, died in my place … in your place.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, emphasis mine)

Sin earns death, that is an eternal law of God. So for God, the Judge, to be just, the penalty of death needed to be paid for my sin and for yours. And Christ paid that penalty because He did not die for His sin, but for yours and mine, demonstrating God righteousness. A righteousness He GIVES us by His grace through our faith in Christ. Faith is the conduit, grace is means but righteousness is the gift.

The works we do are not make us righteous before God but should be the outworking of what He has already done. We read the Word and pray and worship and give offerings and serve other because we are righteous positionally before God. And these things help us to become practically what we already are positionally and prove the reality of our faith.

Praise God for the gift of righteousness and the newness of life He gives us. Walk today knowing your right before God because of what Christ has done. And live out that righteousness.

April 29, 2026; Day 2 – Galatians, Week 3

Homework assignment this week is to hide Galatians 2.20 in your heart and read Romans 6.

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Read Galatians 2.15-16

Old habits and thoughts are hard to change, aren’t they? They may be good habits in certain contexts, but not every context. We are taught from a young age that if we work hard, and persevere we will prosper and do well. Especially here in America where we believe everyone can pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and do well or rise beyond difficult circumstance. We believe having a good work ethic is something to be commended. And all this is true in school, with our jobs or sports or even hobbies we are passionate about.

But what about spiritually? Do we sometimes feel we need to do good deeds to be right with God? Even as believers, do we sometimes think that reading the Bible daily and praying regularly will justify us to God; that these will keep us in a right relationship with God?

In Paul’s confrontation with Peter, he admitted that, as Jews, they had the Law. They knew the right things to do. That is what the Law does; it teaches us how we are to live. The Jews were raised in that tradition of adherence to the Law (i.e. good works) keeps a person righteous before God.

But here are two issues with that idea. One, the Law could never justify a person because no person, other than Jesus, has ever been able to completely follow the Law. It is impossible for us, with our fallen nature, to ever keep the Law fully. We like to think that if we keep the big things we are okay. Really, that is just saying if we keep the things we think are important, we will be okay. But we are not the arbiters of what justifies a person before God. He is.

And that brings us to the second issue.

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” (James 2:10)

Have you ever told a lie? Then you are guilty of the entire Law. At its core, sin is simply rebellion against God, so to rebel in one area still makes you a rebel. To sin in one area still makes you a sinner. How many sins did Adam and Eve commit before their relationship with God was broken and they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden? Just one; just eating the forbidden fruit.

Paul and Peter came to the knowledge that a person is justified before God through faith in Christ Jesus. But Peter was returning to the habits of his youth; the works of the Law. And he was trying to require the Gentiles around him to follow the Law to be right with God.

We are justified with God by faith in Christ. Highlight that in Galatians 2.16 if you highlight in your Bible. We are justified by faith in Christ, not by our works, even though our works are important. That is the Doctrine of Justification. We will talk more about that tomorrow, Lord willing. But for now, rest in the truth that we are justified by faith in Jesus.

We are not justified by faith in Jesus and our good deeds. We do not earn God’s favor nor His love. He does not get mad at us nor is He disappointed in us when we fail to read the word or do not pray as we should. Again, we will discuss more on this later, Lord willing.

Thank God for the Doctrine of Justification and rest in the knowledge that you are justified with God through faith alone in Christ. Rest in that today, believer, and stop working to earn God’s favor.

April 27, 2026; Day 1 – Galatians, Week 3

Homework assignment this week is to hide Galatians 2.20 in your heart and read Romans 6.

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Read Galatians 2.11-21

Doctrine. What is it and is it important? Is right doctrine important … to you? In our Galatians text, Paul is writing about a time when he vehemently defended correct doctrine against Peter, of all people. Paul may have been the Apostle to the Gentiles, but it was Peter who opened the door to them (Acts 10). And now Peter, through his actions, was saying that Gentiles needed to obey the dietary restrictions under the Law in addition faith in Jesus. Is that the gospel? How do you know whether it is or not? And does it really matter?

Doctrine is a set of beliefs or principles held and taught by a group. In this case, the group is the church. But are they important?

“For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” (Proverbs 23:7a)

Our beliefs, our doctrines, define who we are.

You may be thinking, “Well, as long as I believe in Jesus, I am okay.” But what do you believe about Jesus?

“You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.” (James 2:19)

Are demons saved because they believe that the one true God exists? No. There are many today who believe that the Jesus of the gospels lived and died at the hands of the Romans and Jewish leaders, but they do not believe that He was (is) the Son of God and that His death was propitiatory and in substitution for their sins. Most claim they do no even believe there is a God.

What we believe individually, our personal doctrine, is vitally important. That is why Paul felt compelled to publicly oppose Peter to his face in light of his hypocrisy. Peter, through his actions, was implying that faith alone in Christ was not sufficient but one also needed to follow the Law to saved (we will dig more into that later in the week, Lord willing) and that is not the gospel.

But how are we, as individuals, to know what is truly the gospel and what is heresy? I am glad you asked. The way we know is not by finding the right preacher or teacher. Peter was a correct preacher and teacher, but Peter was also human and subject to making mistakes. Paul was human and subject to making mistakes. I am human and subject to making mistakes. Chad is human and subject to making mistakes.

The only way we as individuals can know what is true teaching, true doctrine, is by going to the Word. Chad has told us many times to not just take his word for it but to go to Scripture and confirm it. The Word is the very truth of God.

“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (Jesus in John 17:17)

President Ronald Reagan had a signature phrase he often used when discussing the relationship between the United States and Russia. It was actually an old Russian proverb. “Trust but verify.”

That is how it should be for us as believers. We trust our leaders and teachers. But they are human, so we should also verify what they teach.

Good doctrine is the difference between demonic belief and saving faith.

Thank God for His eternal Word to guide us to truth. Walk today in His truth and not the mere teachings of humans alone.

April 24, 2026; Day 4 – Galatians, Week 2

Homework assignment this week is to hide Proverbs 3.5-6 in your heart.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5–6)

Read John 4.1-42

“He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria.” (John 4:3–4)

The most direct route from Judea to the south to Galilee in the north was to go through Samaria. But the Jews hated the Samaritans because the Samaritans were half breeds, not of pure Jewish blood as they were. The Samaritans had also combined some of the Jewish religion with the religions of region. Most Jews would go out their way to the east to avoid passing through Samaria, especially good Rabbis. But John writes that Jesus had to go through Samaria, it was necessary. It was necessary because, unannounced to anyone but Himself, Jesus had a divine appointment. See, Jesus was not just a good Rabbi, He is the Good Shepherd who goes after the lost sheep. He goes after the despised and the outcast. I am glad He is the Good Shepherd.

Good Rabbis did not go through Samaria. They did not speak publicly to women, especially women with whom they were unacquainted. And they absolutely did not speak publicly with immoral women. The fact that she was drawing water at the sixth hour, noon, indicates she was an outcast within her village. The ‘good’ women would draw water early in the morning, while it was cool. But she had to wait until the heat of the day.

Jesus initiates a conversation with this immoral Samaritan woman who was an outcast among her own people. In the conversation, Jesus shares that He knows all about her past. He knew all about her sin of being married to five different men and was currently living in an adulterous relationship with another man. He knew all this, and struck up a conversation with her anyway. It was necessary for Him to be there and speak with her.

Jesus revealed Himself to her as the Christ, the Messiah for whom even the Samaritans were looking. She is miraculously and gloriously saved. She does not then return home and keep her salvation private. Instead, she goes to the men of the city and shares that He told everything she had done; He knew all about her sin but accepted her anyway. Many Samaritans came to faith in Jesus because of the testimony of this despised, outcast, immoral woman who did not hide her past but allowed Jesus to grace it and make it something to reveal His grace and glory. Many others would come to Jesus to hear his message personally because of what she said. They would then come to faith in Jesus, but they would have never come to hear Him had she not used her past to explain why she believed.

My past … your past is not something to be proud of, but it is something Jesus can use to draw people to Himself, because we, too, were miraculously and gloriously saved. The fact that any of us sinners can be saved is a glorious miracle.

“Yes, that is who I was before Jesus came into my life and He knows everything I have done and He saved me despite all that. Let me tell you what He has done and is still doing today in my life. I am no longer that person, I am now an accepted and loved child of God.”

Thank God that He saved you out of that past and despite that past. Thank Him for what He has done and is still doing in your heart and your life. And when the opportunity presents itself, allow Him to redeem that past to His glory. Walk today in His acceptance of you and your past.

April 23, 2026; Day 3 – Galatians, Week 2

Homework assignment this week is to hide Proverbs 3.5-6 in your heart.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5–6)

Read Galatians 1.11-24

“But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus. Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.” (Galatians 1:15–18)

God redeeming your past will not be instantaneous. Like most everything in the Christian walk, it is a process. The process is called sanctification which literally means to make something clean or to render it pure; i.e. to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8.29, John 17.17). Even after three years ministering and serving in Arabia and Damascus, Paul was not fully trusted or accepted.

“When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.” (Acts 9:26)

After Saul (Paul) was converted and subsequently struck blind on the road to Damascus, Jesus sent a man named Ananias to him to heal him. Read part of what Jesus said while instructing Ananias.

“But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” (Acts 9:15–16)

I always wonder what those proclaiming the prosperity heresy (for it is no gospel; it is not good news), I wonder what they do with passages like this one. Paul was going to suffer greatly for his faith and to be obedient to Jesus. Part of that suffering was the rejection and distrust of his fellow believers, even after three years. Paul still had to wait for God to redeem his past.

We do not like to wait, do we? I know I do not. If I am setting in traffic, I will drive 15 miles out of my way just so I am moving and not waiting on traffic to move.

But waiting on God’s process is vital. It is vital to redeeming our past and more importantly, it is vital to our growth and spirituality. That is why passages like our homework are so important.

We must trust in the Lord; trust He (and only He) knows what we need and what He is doing. Trust is working all things together for our good (Romans 8.28-29). We have to trust Him completely, even when it means sending us to people who reject us and distrust us. Trust that through this He is conforming us into His image. We cannot depend on our own understanding because our understanding is limited by our humanity. His understanding is infinite. Acknowledging Him in all our ways is expressing our trust and dependance on Him in how we respond and in how we talk. It is walking by faith. This is how He directs our path.

Do you trust Him? Do you trust Him completely, with all your heart? Are you willing to wait on His timing?

“My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.” (Psalm 62:5–8)

We trust Jesus with our eternity. That seems easier than trusting Him with our past or even with our today. But trusting Him is the foundation of the Christian life. It is the key to everything. In our trust, we wait for His timing. But in our trust we find the key to our growth and to our rest because He is our refuge.

Walk in trust of Jesus today. Trust that even if the way is rough, He is working out His process of sanctification in your life. And most importantly, trust that He is with you through it all (Matthew 28.20).

April 22, 2026; Day 2 – Galatians, Week 2

Homework assignment this week is to hide Proverbs 3.5-6 in your heart.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5–6)

Read Galatians 1.11-24

“For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. But when God, …” (Galatians 1:13–15)

Do you believe God can redeem your past? Believing He can and will is the first step in it becoming a reality. But I think many of us don’t really believe He can or will redeem our past. We somehow think our past, our sin is too dark, too heinous to be redeemed. Either that or we think is too embarrassing to put it out for public view. We are too concerned with what others might think about us and less concerned with what their eternal destination or their spiritual growth. And that attitude actually hinders our own spiritual growth.

“And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)

So you think your past is bad, think for a moment about Paul’s. Paul was known as Saul prior to his conversion. Perhaps the name change indicates his aversion to who he had been. Saul watched as Stephen was martyred by stoning. Stoning was a cruel way to die. Rocks were hurled at the person, slowly pummeling them to death; each stone drawing more and more blood. How the memory of this must have haunted Paul after his conversion.

“Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him. But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.” (Acts 8:1–3)

Paul took no pride in his past, but he allowed God to use it for the advancement of the gospel. He used his past to show the transformation in his own life.

Embrace your past. Allow God to grace it for your good and the good of gospel. He will redeem it into something that blesses others. Then look for opportunities to say, like Paul, “Yes that is who I was. But let me tell you who Jesus is making me to be.”

Praise God for who He is making you to be; someone more Christ-like than who you used to be.

April 20, 2026; Day 1 – Galatians, Week 2

Homework assignment this week is to hide Proverbs 3.5-6 in your heart.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5–6)

Read Galatians 1.11-24

“For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles …” (Galatians 1:13–16a)

What do you do with your past? You know, that part of your life either before Christ saved you or that part while you were backslidden and living in the flesh … or maybe both.

Most of us tend to hide it in the back of the closet somewhere where we do not have to look at it very much and where no one else can ever see it. Why is that do you think?

It is because we are ashamed of it, isn’t it? We are now followers of Christ and know that who we were, what we did, these were not godly or Christ-like but were sin … maybe even horrific sin. We do not want the people who know we now profess Christ and claim to be Christians to know about these and we definitely do not want our Christian brothers and sisters to know about this part of us. So we put it way in the back corner somewhere where it will never be exposed to others.

The Apostle Paul did not do that. Instead, he accepted who he had been and allowed Christ to redeem it and use it for His glory. Listen to what he wrote Timothy, his son in the faith:

“It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

The great Apostle Paul; the Apostle to the entire Gentile peoples; the one who stood up to and against Peter when Peter was out of line; he recognized himself as being the foremost of all sinners. He is not referencing his current condition at the writing of the epistle, but who he had been and who still haunted him. I say that because Paul never referenced believer as sinners but as saints. And if we who are redeemed are saints, then surely Paul was also a saint. A saint is not a super-Christian, it is an ordinary everyday Christian like you. But pre-Christ, Paul was the foremost of sinners because he persecuted the church and tried to destroy it. And he not only persecuted the church, he persecuted Christ Himself because the church is not just an organization, it is an organism and the very body of Christ.

“As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,” (Acts 9:3–5)

Paul did not hide this fact, he allowed Christ to use it for His glory. He accepted who he was and allowed Christ to then redeem it to use for the advancement of His kingdom and for His glory. In this redemption, Paul acknowledged who he was in the past and who Christ now made him to be.

Who I was in the past … who you were in your past … is not something of which to be proud. To be ashamed is natural and appropriate – it was sin and rebellion against God. But to hide it is to minimize the work of Christ in your life. It is to imply that I was good before Christ but now I am even better.

But the truth is, we were all dirty rotten sinners in abject rebellion against God. And God, through Christ, has redeemed not only us personally but our past, present and future to His glory. Our past is not something we brag about but something that reveals and spotlights what God through Chris has done.

“… I use to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it … But when God), who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles …”

Paul did not brag on who he was before Christ. But he did not try to hide it either. He allowed Christ to redeem it and use it as a means to reveal the grace and mercy of God to him.

Will you allow Christ to redeem you past today? Being honest about who we were can open doors for the gospel.

“Yes, that is who I used to be, but now, in Christ, I am a new creation. Christ changed me, can I tell you a little about that?”

Praise God that He saved you and redeemed you and your past. Humbly allow Him to now use that past He redeemed to open doors to share the gospel.

April 16, 2026; Day 3 – Galatians – The Gospel

Read Galatians 1.1-10

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.” (Galatians 1:3–5)

Once you have confirmed the source of the gospel you follow is God the Father through its consistency with Scripture, you need to check the soul of it; what’s at the heart of it. On what is that gospel based? If, at its heart, it is based on anything but death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ in our place, it is a distorted gospel. Paul wrote that Jesus “gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” He gave Himself for our sins, that is called penal substitution. He took our penalty upon Himself, nothing more or less will do.

“For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2)

There are many so called gospels out there that want to add something to finished work of Christ. They try to tell you that you must do something more than what Jesus did. I hesitate to call them gospels because the Greek word translated ‘gospel’ literally means good news and they are anything but good news. Christ gave His very life to save us, by the will of the Father. His death in our place was according to the will of the Father, but Jesus gave Himself.

“No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” (John 10:18)

The Jewish leaders did not take His life. Rome did not take His life. They did not have the authority. Only Jesus had the authority. He used the crooked Jews and a weak Roman governor to do it, but they were only instruments of the will of God and the obedience of Jesus. I have a friend who likes to say, “God can use a crooked stick to hit a straight lick”.

“But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” (Romans 3:21–28)

God publicly displayed Christ. The Jews did not do it. Rome did not do it. God did it. Why? As a propitiation (there is that penal substitution again) in His blood to demonstrate the righteousness of God who had passed over the sins of the past but now that penalty and the penalty of sins of those who by faith receive Christ were paid. There are no works on our part needed, Jesus paid it all. And to try to add anything to what Christ has done only marginalizes His sacrifice. And God will not stand for that.

“Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:8–11)

If, at its core, the gospel you follow tries to go beyond the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, it is a perversion and an affront God and to Jesus.

Thank Jesus for paying it all; taking on the penalty of your sin and mine. Put away anything that might minimize His sacrifice by trying to add to it. And walk humbly today in the peace of His forgiveness and grace, knowing there is absolutely nothing you can do and nothing you need to do for your salvation but believe on Him and by faith receive His gift.

April 15, 2026; Day 2 – Galatians – The Gospel

Read Galatians 1.1-10

“Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:” (Galatians 1:1–2)

“Fake news.” We hear that term a lot these days. It means something that is presented as being authentic and authoritative but it is not. It is baseless and is really meant to mislead us.

I sell landscape supplies for a living. My primary role is related to plants. I have studied plants and worked with plants most of my adult life. Periodically, people come in looking this completely navy blue or cherry red Hosta they saw on the internet. They even pull up a picture on their phone and it shows the plant as being on sale at Walmart. Or they come in with a picture of a Crape Myrtle or cherry tree that has three or four different colored flowers all on the same limb. And I have to tell them these things just don’t exist. Some may be in the realm of possibility, like you might get a cherry tree that has different colored blooms on different limbs where different cherry tree limbs are grafted into the same rootstock, but not all on one limb. The picture is fake.

People do this so you will click their link and by doing so open yourself up to being hacked or malware being downloaded onto your computer. You think it is to enrich you and your life but it is really intended to take advantage of you and scam you.

That is similar to what was happening in the churches of Galatia. People were coming in with a different gospel than the one Paul and Barnabas originally brought. It was a gospel that added works to the finished work of Christ. It was Jesus plus you doing something more. Jesus living a sinless life, dying on a cruel cross, being buried in a tomb for three days, then, miraculously, rising from the dead three days later, that was not enough. You needed to add to that. Like there is something you and I can do that can really add any value to all that Christ did.

Paul said it was a “different gospel”; a distorted gospel. But this was not something unique to the churches in Galatia or even to the first century church. It has always been the plan of Satan to distort what God has said. Effectively, what did Satan ask Eve in the Garden, “Did God really say …?” And he goes from there to distort and twist the truths of God for his own ends. He is still doing that today with the so-called prosperity gospel and the gospel of good among others. See any time we are told we need to do something beyond what Christ did, it is a corruption and perversion of the gospel.

So how can we know when something is a fake gospel? First we need to look to the source. From where did this so-called gospel come? Paul’s gospel did not come through men. It came through Jesus Christ Himself and God the Father. No self-proclaimed authoritative group sent Paul. Jesus sent Paul.

So we begin to evaluate the messages from their source.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

“Inspired” literally means “breathed out”; God literally breathed out Scripture. He is the source of all Scripture. Does the message come from Scripture? And then, is it consistent with Scripture? If the message comes from other sources or is not consistent with Scripture, then it is fake.

God took around 1500 years and used 40 different writers to put together our Bible. He used different events and relationships and people to help us understand Him (and He still does today). Through all of this, Scripture is consistent. What God said and did in Genesis lines up with what He said and did in Revelation.

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” (2 Peter 1:2–3)

God has already given us everything we need for life and godliness. He did not realize two thousand years after He closed the canon of Scripture that He missed something so He needed to add to the message. It is complete.

We can rest in the sufficiency of what Christ has done and in Scripture. Rest in them but still work with them.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;” (1 John 4:1–2)

Test every message against Scripture. Is the source Scripture, which is God breathed? Is it consistent with Scripture? If it fails even slightly in either area, it is fake. It may sound good and even appealing, but it is fake.

God loves you even more than you can realize or understand. He has given us every thing we need. He has given us His Spirit to live within us and guide us. He has taken over 1500 years and 40 writers to give us a perfect and complete revelation of Himself and His ways in the Scriptures. He has given us prayer that is access into the very throne room of God. We have only to avail ourselves of these gifts.

You know, it’s a funny thing about gifts, you have to open them get any benefit out of them. Think about it. If I were to put one million dollars in a box, wrap it up in pretty paper and give it to you … would it ever do you any good unless you first open it and take it out and use it?

God has given us everything we need … if only we avail ourselves of His gifts.

Thank God for being the source of all we need. Thank Him for His sufficiency. Rest in His sufficiency. And test the spirits as you walk through life today.

April 13, 2026; Day 1 – Galatians – The Gospel

Read Galatians 1.1-10

“I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” (Galatians 1:6–7)

What does the gospel mean to you? I am not talking about the definition necessarily. But what is its value to you personally and practically? What does it mean in your daily life?

I think too many of us believers we see the gospel as something like an entry way into the Christian life. It introduces us Christ and Christianity and then we move on to other “more important” things; more practical things.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16–17)

The gospel is the very power of God working in your life. Is there a moment in your life that you do not need salvation? We need salvation every moment of every day. There is an old illustration of a prayer that goes something like this – “Lord, I thank You that I have not sinned today. I have not lied or stolen. My motives have been pure and righteous. But in a moment, I am going to get out of bed and I am going to need a lot of Your help to make it the rest of the day.”

That is the what the gospel is. It is the power of God to walk in salvation throughout the day. It is the power of God working in your life.

“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:1–4)

Paul writes that the gospel is of foremost importance. It is primary to everything else. Does the gospel have that position in your life”

“You never outgrow your need for the gospel. You never graduate to a course where the gospel should not be the center of the curriculum. There’s no post-gospel graduate school in the Christian life. The center of every ongoing growth in knowledge has Christ crucified, risen, received by faith alone like a little child at the center of the curriculum.” – John Piper

So getting the gospel right and walking in that gospel is paramount. There is nothing more important. That is what the entire epistle of Galatians is about. But it is not just important for the churches around Galatia 2000 years ago. It is important today, because Satan knows if he can get pervert or dilute or somehow alter the gospel in your life, he has defeated you and you are no longer a threat to his agenda. And believe me, there are lots of false teaching around today that are being portrayed as the gospel that are no good news at all. That is why staying in the Word is so vital.

Pray thanking the Father for the gospel, the Jesus “gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” And preach the gospel to yourself throughout today.

April 1, 2026; Week 5, The Prophesies of Zechariah, Betrayal

Read Jeremiah 15.15-21; John 18-21

““Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate,” Declares the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered …” (Zechariah 13:7a)

Disappointment: sadness or displeasure caused by the non-fulfilment of one’s hopes or expectations.

Sometimes when things are not going the way we think they should or God does not appear to be answering our prayers, we respond with disappointment, don’t we?

After the Shepherd was struck, the disciples scattered. They fled in fear and disappointment. Even after He rose and appeared to them several times, their expectations of what His kingdom would be and what following Him would be like were not coming to fruition. So Peter and most of the disciples went back to their old lives in disappointment; they went back to fishing.

Have you ever felt disappointment with God? I know I have. Disappointment tends to lead to separation from God. We no longer feel we can trust Him.

The prophet Jeremiah knew about disappointment. He thought he had done everything right. He consumed the Word of God like necessary sustenance. It became a joy and a delight to him. He was known as a man of God and a prophet; one who spoke for God and represented Him. He didn’t run around with the partiers; he remained humble, walking in righteousness. What was his reward?

He was persecuted. He endured the reproach of his countrymen. He was isolated and alone. He was filled with indignation at the way he was treated. His pain and loneliness were with him always. There was no relief. Going to God felt like going to a deceptive stream that promised to be a source of refreshing water but in reality, its refreshment was unreliable.

Jeremiah was disappointed with God. Sometimes God allows us to experience disappointment as a form of discipline.

“For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.”” (Hebrews 12:6)

God’s discipline is an expression of His love. For His discipline is intended to bring us back to Him. “If you return, then I will restore you”, the Lord said to Jeremiah. Jeremiah had allowed circumstances to separate Him from God. “If you return”. Jeremiah’s reward was God and following God. He only needed to return to God. The reward would come in God’s time and God’s way.

“I am with you to save you and deliver you”, God told Jeremiah. Notice He did not say “I will be with you.” He said He was with Jeremiah even though Jeremiah felt isolation from God. When we feel separation from God, the separation is on our part. God never goes anywhere. Our hearts do, and that is a betrayal of God’s faithfulness.

“And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, because it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”” (Mark 14:27–28)

Jesus had told the disciples that they would betray Him and be scattered. But He went on to say that after they betrayed Him and after His crucifixion and after He was raised, He would go ahead of them and meet them in Galilee. They might betray Him and leave Him, but He would not leave them. He knew they would leave Him but He was already making arrangements for their return and restoration.

“… and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”” (Jesus in Matthew 28:20b)

If you are feeling disappointment, return to Jesus. He is still there, waiting for you to return. He is always there and will never leave you nor forsake you. He is waiting on you. And He might have some breakfast for you (John 21.9).

March 30, 2026; Week 5, The Prophesies of Zechariah - Betrayal

Read Zechariah 13.7-9; John 18-20

““Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate,” Declares the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered …” (Zechariah 13:7a)

For a New Testament believer, this may be a very stinging prophesy. It is a prophesy about Jesus, the Christ; the Messiah. But it is also a prophesy about the disciples, all of them. And we will see, this is a prophesy about me … and you. This is a prophesy about betrayal.

This is a prophesy about Jesus because He is the Good Shepherd.

““I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”” (Jesus in John 10:11–18)

It is a prophesy about Jesus because He applied it to Himself.

“And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, because it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.” And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, that this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.” But Peter kept saying insistently, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing also.” (Mark 14:27–31)

It is a prophesy about the all the disciples. We tend to think of only of Judas as a betrayer, but they all were. In response to Jesus’ words, good ole’ impetuous Peter blurts out his opinion of his own fidelity and that of the other disciples.

“These other guys may fall away, but not me Jesus. I won’t fall away. I love you too much Jesus. They might all fall away but I won’t. Even if I have to die with You, I will never deny you.”

Then the other disciples piped in, “Yeah, me, too, Jesus. Me, too.”

Later that same evening, in the Garden of Gethsemane, a mob led by Judas and made up of men sent by the chief priests and a Roman cohort of soldiers came and arrested Jesus. This wasn’t how the disciples thought it should happen. They knew what Jesus said, but not here, not now. They came in the middle of the night armed with clubs and spears and swords. And the disciples all fled.

“But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.” (Matthew 26:56)

It was probably just a few hours after Jesus quoted Zechariah and the disciples all pledged their undying loyalty to Him. And they all fled.

Have you ever prayed for something for a long time, and the answer either did not come or it did not come like you thought it should. How did you react to that? Did you leave Jesus and push ahead in what you thought was best? Remember, the call was to “Follow Me”? Maybe you thought He wasn’t going to answer at all. How did that work out for you? That is betrayal. Until we are honest about our sin, we will never get past it. We have to be honest with ourselves. We can try to justify ourselves and cover up our sin with a little makeup but it is still just as ugly as ever. And, in case you didn’t know, Jesus isn’t fooled for a moment.

I don’t want to leave us without hope, so a little spoiler should help. Reread Mark 14.28. It is one of those “But God” passages I love so much in Scripture. Not literally, but I think you will see it.

Spend some time today meditating on what we have looked at. Are still pressing hard after Jesus, or have you fled? Thank Him for His love and His Word that guides us and is the fuel of our transformation.

March 23, 2026; Day 1 – The Prophesies of Zechariah - Brokenness

Read Zechariah 12.10-14, Acts 2

“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:10)

We have already talked about how Biblical prophesy can be an already/not yet scenario. That is what we have here in Zechariah 12.10. The partial fulfillment of this prophesy was on the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the eleven disciples in the upper room, followed by Peter’s sermon and the response of those who heard it. But complete fulfillment of the prophesy is yet to come. This prophesy gives us something to chew on in our own lives here and now.

This prophesy is about brokenness before God. Doesn’t that sound exciting? But truthfully, it should, because transformation doesn’t happen without brokenness. See, brokenness is the realization that you are nothing without Christ. It is the realization that you cannot be the god of your life because you will ruin it and you do not know what your purpose is. It is the realization that Jesus is everything, and without Him … you are ruined.

Last week we looked at Peter and how he realized his desperation for Jesus. He thought himself to be entirely self-sufficient. But he completely failed in his own strength and ability. The night of Jesus’ betrayal and arrest; the night before He was crucified on a cross that should have been Peter’s … and mine … and yours, Peter bragged about his own strength. He said he would go with Christ into death itself. But he hid around the periphery of the illegal trial, wanting to see what happened but not wanting to be seen himself. And then, three times, he denied even knowing who Jesus was. The third time, the rooster crowed … and Jesus stopped and looked at Peter. Peter was cut to the core. He realized Jesus’ prophecy about him had just been fulfilled and that he had failed Jesus. Peter ran off and wept bitterly. He was broken.

Was being broken painful for Peter? I think so. I know it has been for me. But it is through this brokenness that Peter was being prepared for the transformation of Pentecost we read about in Acts 2.

Transformation cannot come but through brokenness. That means brokenness is really a good thing because it positions us for transformation.

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

One of my life verses is Matthew 6.33. It was a verse that guided me and my decision making for over twenty-five years. But as I got older and began to look on our retirement years and, well, to be frank, He was not working it out like I thought He would or should. So I began to be concerned and, unknowingly, began to look at building my kingdom. I didn’t realize it at the time, but hindsight is 20/20 and that is what I see now.

About a year and a half ago, I took a job that paid significantly more than what I was making at the time. I reasoned that with that increase, I (notice that, ‘I’) could provide for our retirement years. I assumed that since the opportunity arose, it was of God. But really, it took me farther away from God and the service He called me to at Journey. I was building my kingdom.

About three months in, I was fired. I have never been fired from a job before in my life. I have always excelled in every job I had. And it was insinuated that not only did I not preform to their expectation, but I was probably not working as I should and so was effectively stealing from the company. I was devasted, I thought I was broken.

A month later, I was rehired with the company I used to work for, but now I have a different boss. One whom I do not see eye-to -eye with on many things. One whom I am learning to submit to and show respect to even though I do not agree with him, because really, Biblically, I am representing and serving Jesus, not him. (Colossians 3.23) The breaking continued.

Amidst all this, I began to sense we needed to be closer to Journey, the body of believers Jesus called me to serve. We began looking for a place to live closer to Journey. With the termination and returning to the old company, I became more convinced this is what God wanted us to do, because it was about building His kingdom and not mine and trusting the future to Him. We saw a property that was, from our perspective, amazing. The house was wonderful. The acreage was less than I wanted but it was doable. The next day, it came under contract to someone else. The breaking continued.

Several months later, we have found another property. It is not perfect in my eyes, but it places us closer to Journey and closer to what He is doing at Journey so we can contribute more to building His kingdom. We have prayed for this for almost a year and a half. But it is all going way too fast for me. There is so much still up in the air. I was and still struggle with being overwhelmed with all of this. The breaking continued.

A few days ago, I think I realized where I was and what I was doing. I was still worrying about building my kingdom and not focused on His kingdom. We have prayed over and over about this, but I am not trusting Him to answer my prayer in what would be the best answer possible. And God ONLY answers in what is the best answer possible.

I think (hope) the breaking is coming to an end. I trust that if this new home comes to be, it is in answer to prayer by my good, good Father. And if it doesn’t, it is because He has something else in mind for us. And that something else may not be what I am wanting or expecting, but it is for my best because it is from my Father who is absolutely good. (Matthew 7.7-11)

All of this is bringing me back to a closeness with God. Bringing me back to trusting Him, and His provision and His love. The trust that I walked in for over thirty years. See, God breaks us for our good, because He loves us and wants only the best for us.

Do you trust Him to break you?

Thank God for His provision in your life.

March 20, 2026; Day 3 – Desperate for Jesus

Read James 4, Luke 19.1-10

“Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.” (Luke 19:3–4)

In Jewish society, Zaccheus was probably considered the lowest of the low. Not only was he a sinner, he was also a tax collector. He worked for the Roman government exacting the taxes from his own people. Tax collectors also exacted their own pay by adding whatever they wanted on top of the taxes; keeping the overage for themselves. But not only was he a tax collector, he was a chief tax collector. He organized, trained and oversaw other tax collectors. He may have even extorted money from those under his administration.

But now he was also desperate for Jesus.

He heard Jesus was coming to town and he ran to see Him, willing to just see who He was. He did this at his own peril, because tax collectors were despised and hated. It would be easy in a large crowd to attack Zaccheus and get away unseen. Zaccheus knew this but he was desperate to see Jesus.

Are you desperate enough for Jesus to put yourself at risk to obey Him?

Zaccheus had another problem. He was vertically challenged. I can relate. He couldn’t push through the crowd and he couldn’t see over them. So he ran ahead of the crowd. Jewish men typically didn’t run anywhere. It would be undignified and difficult in a robe. But Zaccheus was desperate.

Zaccheus found a tree to climb and climb he did … in his robe. Zaccheus humbled himself to run in a robe and then climb up a tree in a robe just to see Jesus. He was that desperate.

When Jesus saw him, He knew what was going on. Zaccheus was under conviction and he knew that Jesus was what he needed. He wanted to see Jesus from a distance, but was not ready to commit yet. Zaccheus needed a little nudge of grace.

“When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”” (Luke 19:5)

Jesus reached out to Zaccheus where he was in his sin. Jesus knew his name. He said He “must” stay at Zaccheus’ house. He must because this nudge of grace was what Zaccheus desperately needed. It was grace because of who Zaccheus was. It was grace because Zaccheus didn’t deserve it. Zaccheus responded to the grace shown him.

“Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.”” (Luke 19:8)

This wasn’t a works-based salvation where Zaccheus earned his salvation. This was a demonstration of a transformed heart. Zaccheus was no longer a selfish, greedy tax collector. He was now a repentant sinner with compassion for those he had defrauded and a generosity that flowed from understanding how much he had been forgiven. Zaccheus was letting go of his past and who he was and was embracing his new life as a disciple of Christ.

What are you holding on to that keeps you at a distance from Jesus? Are you desperate enough for Jesus that you will let it go and embrace Christ?

“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. … Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” (James 4:7-8, 10)

Being desperate for Jesus means humbling yourself before God. It means abandoning your sin and purifying your heart. He will meet you were you are at and give you the grace you need.

March 19, 2026; Day 2 – Desperate for Jesus

Read James 4, John 21.1-17

“Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea.” (John 21:7)

Peter … a guy maybe more like us that we care to admit. Or maybe it is just me. Impetuous … headstrong … speaking and acting before really thinking about it.

On the night of Jesus’ arrest (John 13) we see this playing out. Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper and then starts to wash the feet of His disciples. At first, Peter refuses to allow his feet to be washed to allow it, “Never shall You wash my feet!” … a moment of false humility. Jesus explains that unless Peter allows Him to do what the Father has commanded Jesus to do, then Peter can have no part with Him. So Peter blurts out, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” As if to say, “Oh, I am more committed than all these who only had their feet to wash.” And he blatantly said as much later that evening.

“Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.”” (John 13:37)

“But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.”” (Matthew 26:33)

“But he (Peter) said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”” (Luke 22:33)

He doesn’t sound so humble now. Jesus knows the truth about all of us.

“Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.” (John 13:38)

Jesus’ prediction played out later that night, during Jesus’ false trial. (John 18) But even before this fulfillment, when the mob came to arrest Jesus, Peter rushed ahead of Jesus, pulled out his sword and cut a man’s ear off, as if he would single-handily defend Jesus against the Roman cohort, which was usually around 600 men. But Jesus was committed to the Father’s will; He healed the man and said:

“… “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”” (John 18:11b)

During the illegal trial, Peter milled around outside of it; wanting to see what happened but not wanting to be seen or noticed. And, just as Jesus said, three times Peter denied being a follower of Jesus. The last time, he began cursing and swore he did not even know Jesus. And the rooster crowed. Jesus, in the midst of the trial for His life, immediately turned and looked at Peter (Luke 22.61). And Peter, no longer the proud, self-assured braggard, runs away weeping in conviction.

Have you ever been broken before the Lord? It’s not fun.

Jesus is convicted of a capital crime in an illegal Jewish court, crucified, buried and rose three days later, just as He had told Peter and the other disciples. He had already appeared to all the disciples. Yet Peter is still walking in his own strength. He decides to go back to his old way of life of fishing. Peter and some of the other disciples go out in a boat and fish all night and caught absolutely … nothing. He must have felt like an absolute failure. He had failed Jesus. He had failed the other disciples. And now he failed at fishing; the one thing he knew best.

On their way back to shore, a Man they did not recognize called out and asked if they had caught anything. They replied they had not. The Man instructed them to cast their net one more time and assured them they would then find a catch. And a catch they did indeed find; one hundred and fifty-three large fish!

That’s when John realized who the Man was. Perhaps he recalled a similar incident, one where Jesus called him and Peter and others to follow Him (Luke 5). Perhaps Peter would remember that in a moment.

“It is the Lord.”

Peter immediately jumps up, puts on his robe, dives into the water and swims faster to the shore than six grown men could row the boat it.

Desperation is the realization that Jesus alone is the only hope we have and the answer we need for life. It’s the realization that if we don’t get to Him, nothing else matters and nothing else will be right.

Have you come to that realization yet?

Jesus, being Jesus, cooks breakfast for His disciples. He then carefully and loving restores Peter as His disciple. A disciple who would preach boldly at Pentecost where 3000 were saved. One who would stand steadfastly before the Chief Priest declaring who Jesus was without concern as to what they might do to him. This is the same impetuous, headstrong disciple Jesus restored.

This is how Jesus is with all us impetuous, headstrong followers who, in desperation realize He is what we really need, and return to Him.

Are you desperate for Jesus? If you are, He is waiting at the fire with some breakfast ... and some forgiveness.

March 17, 2026; Day 1 – Desperate for Jesus

Read 1 Peter 1, Philippians 3.7-21

“More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,” (Philippians 3:8)

Have you ever been desperate for something? Have you wanted something so badly that you would give up other things to obtain it?

How about Jesus? Are you desperate for Jesus? Do you hang on His every Word? Is the time of devotion something you long for and look forward to with anticipation? Is prayer something you desire just to be with Jesus and hear His ‘voice’. Or have they become just another box you try to check off every day of things you ‘have to do’?

In Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus dictates letters to seven churches. The first letter is to the church in Ephesus. This church was theologically sound and pure. This was a stable church that endured the trials and temptations of life.

But there was one problem; they had left their first love. They no longer burned with passion for the things of Christ like they did when they were new in the faith. Yes, they were theologically pure and stable but it had become old hat and maybe even a point spiritual pride. They did not think they needed Jesus like they did in the beginning because they had it figured out. They were not so much following Jesus any more as they were just going through the motions.

Is that where you are spiritually?

Another letter went to the church at Laodicea. Jesus said they were neither hot nor cold; they were only lukewarm. And that made Jesus sick to His stomach. So much so that He wanted to literally vomit them out of His mouth.

How does water become lukewarm? I can think of only two ways. One is it was hot but became exposed to cold water or air until it cooled off. This is like a believer who started out on fire for Jesus and the things of Christ but has allowed the things of this world and the flesh to cool his passion for Christ and godly living.

The second is it was cold to begin with but became exposed to hot water or air maybe from a fire until it heats up a little. This is like someone who is trying to live the Christian life on his own without ever being truly saved. He has the look and even the talk of a true believer but there is no regeneration; no transformation or indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

How does a church become like these? It starts with the individual members of the body and spreads like a cancer.

Are you desperate for Jesus?

Paul considered everything of this life to be of no value compared to surpassing value of knowing Christ. He willing gave up everything to know Christ more and to follow Him. He used the things he suffered to drive him closer to Jesus because he realized in that suffering how much he truly needed and wanted Jesus.

Are you desperate for Jesus?

Pray a prayer expressing your passion or lack there of for Jesus. Thank Him for His great love for you.

March 6, 2026; Day 4 – Prophesies of Zechariah

Read Zechariah 3 and 2 Peter 3

“‘Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you—indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch. For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.’ ”” (Zechariah 3:8–10)

The ‘not yet’ part of this prophesy. “My Servant” and “the Branch” are references to the Messiah, Jesus, whom God did not send for approximately 500 years. And in those years, for the most part, Israel continued in rebellion against God. Approximately 100 years later, with the writing of Malachi, God closed off prophesy; He ceased to speak to the nation. There was not another prophetic word given for 400 years and the time of His Servant, the Branch.

And even the coming of Messiah does not finish this prophecy because the nation of Israel rejected Christ and are still in rebellion to this day. But there will come a day when God will “remove the iniquity of that land” and there will be peace in Israel. But we all know that is not today. That is yet future. The Apostle Paul wrote about this in Romans 11.

Likewise, there is a “not yet” to the completion of our salvation because our salvation is not for this life only but for eternity. There will come a time when God will completely destroy this universe with fire and intense heat so hot the very elements will melt. And then, praise His name, God will create a new universe with a new earth. One similar to the old because both were created in righteousness. But in the new one, righteous will dwell forever. There will be eternal peace and we will be in His presence.

That is something to look forward to; something to ponder and be thankful for. But in the meantime, what are we to do?

“Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless … but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:14, 18)

We are to continue to walk with Christ. We are to grow closer to the One who saved us. We are to renew our minds with the Word and to be transformed into the image of Christ. We are to remain steadfast and obedient.

Sometimes, I think we do not spend enough time meditating on the new heaven and earth and the joy and fullness we will know then. But on the other hand, we must be careful we do ‘become so heavenly minded we are of no earthly good.’ Thinking on the fulfillment of our salvation gives hope but we do not and should not wait for that fulfillment to grow closer to Christ and become more Christ-like.

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)

We can and should experience eternal life here and now. This is not a preparation for the heaven. This is a fulfillment of God’s plan.

Thank God for the hope of a new heaven and new earth and meditate on it. Walk in the fullness of Christ today and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.

March 5, 2026; Day 3 – Prophesies of Zechariah

Read Zechariah 3 and 2 Peter 3

“And the angel of the Lord admonished Joshua, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘If you will walk in My ways and if you will perform My service, then you will also govern My house and also have charge of My courts, and I will grant you free access among these who are standing here.” (Zechariah 3:6–7)

In Biblical prophesies, there are usually an ‘already (or immediate), not yet’ to their fulfilment. The same is true in what Christ has done for us, an ‘already, not yet’.

In Zechariah 3, the Lord told Joshua that if he were obedient to walk in the ways of God and serve God, he could walk in free access and fellowship with God. Since Joshua is representative of Israel, this was the promise given to Israel. Their obedience and submission to God would in fact restore them to the place as God’s people and His emissaries to the world. This place of privilege and fulfillment flowed from their obedience. That was the immediate fulfilment of this prophesy.

Part of the ‘not yet’ was the coming of Messiah; Jesus the Christ. God promised to bring “My Servant the Branch”. In prophesy, Messiah was sometimes referred to as the Servant of God and the Branch of David, among other names. So this is promise of something and Someone to come.

In our Christian walks, there is also a ‘already (or immediate), not yet’. Today, we will look at some of the already.

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” (Romans 8:1–9)

Fellowship with God is restored, because there is no longer any condemnation of us, as believers for we are in Christ. God no longer sees the filth of our sin; He only sees the perfection of Christ. We are freed from the bondage of sin and the fear of death. What the Law couldn’t do because of the weakness of our flesh – God did! We could never achieve the righteousness the Law demanded so God imputed it us in His Son; Christ Jesus. Jesus came in our likeness, experiencing all the temptations we experience yet was without any sin, thus condemning sin in the flesh and fulfilling the requirement of the law by imputing or giving us His righteousness. This is already true of you and me as believers.

Our fellowship is maintained as we walk not according to the flesh but according to Spirit. To walk according to the flesh is to focus on the flesh and the things of this world. To walk according the Spirit is to focus, set your mind, on the things of the Spirit. It is to fill your heart, mind and life with the things of the Spirit. It is to walk in obedience to the Spirit. Christ has already made that ours.

And like Joshua, it is maintained through our obedience; that is walking in the Spirit.

“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” (John 14:23)

I love this verse! We show our love to Christ through our obedience; through walking in the Spirit. In turn, He and the Father do not have to discipline us, instead they pour out their love on us and dwell with us. They walk with us through life as we walk with them. This is not a distant thing where a servant walks in humiliation somewhere behind the King. It is the King walking with the servant as a friend. Obedience is not something to dread. Obedience is joy and life!

Thank the Father today for doing what neither we nor the Law could do. Set your mind on the things of the Spirit and walk in the joy of obedience today.

March 4, 2026; Day 2 – Prophesies of Zechariah

Read Zechariah 3 and 2 Peter 3

“Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.” Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the Lord was standing by.” (Zechariah 3:3–5)

In this vision, Joshua the high priest was literally standing before the Lord in clothing covered with human excrement. This was symbolic of the filth and uncleanness of sin. Under the Law, the high priest had to make sacrifices for himself before he could come in the Holy of Holies, the place where the presence of the Lord was. But here, Joshua, representative of the nation of Israel, was under grace. The Lord had plucked them out of the fire; He had brought them back to the Promised Land, out of exile for their rebellion against Him.

But being under grace does not take the stench of our sin away from the nostrils of God. There is a cleansing necessary. Notice the Lord did not command Joshua to go and clean himself up. That a mistake so many make today. They try to clean themselves up so they can come to God. Instead, even as saints who still choose to sin, we can only come before God and receive His cleansing.

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9–11)

We were washed and set apart to God, we were justified in the name of the Jesus the Christ at salvation. It is something He did for us. But the picture of Joshua was not just in his first coming to the Lord. Israel had been God’s people for hundreds of years before God disciplined them and sent them in exile. God had been patient with them, wooing them back to walk in His righteousness. This is a picture of them coming to God with habitual sin; sin where they say “Sorry”, only to return to it. This is not only a picture of a saint who still chooses to sin but of one who has a sin problem.

But there is hope in Christ. God is patient with His children.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.” (1 John 1:9–10)

Confessing our sin before God is not simply like a criminal’s confessing a crime on TV where he admits his crime. Confessing means admitting our sin and agreeing with God on the absolute sinfulness of it. We tend to have this view of our own sin as not being so bad. We want to put some perfume on it so it does not seem so vile so we can feel better about ourselves. But before God, our sin is the stench of human excrement in His nostrils.

Confessing is agreeing with God that our sin, even as saints, is absolute rebellion again our God and King. We want to say ours is only a little sin but God says that even that sin, if that were all we had, demands punishment. If that ‘little’ sin was our only sin, it would still put Jesus on the cross.

Think about that for a moment.

Our confession takes care of our immediate sin. But what about going forward?

“But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—” (Colossians 3:8–10)

We put off the old self and put on the new self daily; a new self that is daily being renewed to come to a true knowledge of God.

“But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” (Ephesians 4:20–24)

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” (Romans 13:14)

Instead of choosing sin, we choose to put on Christ; to put on the new self which is in the likeness of God. A new self created in righteousness and holiness.

Pray that your sin would break your heart like it breaks the heart of God, agreeing with God to the absolute sinfulness of your sin. Then put on Christ so that all God sees when He looks at you is the perfection of Christ. And walk today in that new self, created in righteousness and holiness.

March 3, 2026; Day 1 – Zechariah 3

Read Zechariah 3, 2 Peter 3

“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel.” (Zechariah 3:1–3)

Zechariah 3 is a picture of God’s grace and mercy. He had made and chosen the Jewish nation to represent Him to all the nations. In Israel, the nations were to see the glory of God and what it was like to walk with Him rather than walk in sin. It was part of God’s promise to Abram when He called Him. God would make Abram into a great nation …

“… And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”” (Genesis 12:3b)

This was part of God’s plan for the nation of Israel.

““I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.” (Isaiah 42:6–7)

“He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”” (Isaiah 49:6)

But at every turn, they chose sin and the ways of this world over obedience to God and faith.

In this passage, the high priest Joshua represents Israel in their sin. They had just returned from exile because of their rebellion against God and, here, God was restoring them to their role as His priestly nation.

Satan (which by the way means ‘adversary’ or ‘accuser’) was right there pointing out their sin. That’s what he likes to do, point out and remind us of our sin. It’s interesting Satan never points out his own sin.

But the Lord Himself rebukes Satan. He stands up for His people. And reminds him that they are the nation He pulled out of destruction. As we walk through this chapter, we will see God’s forgiveness and restoration of His people and we will touch on the patience of God.

Chad was right in saying that modern day Christians like to scoff at the rebellion and unfaithfulness of Israel and think that we would do different if we were there … but would we? We just finished a sermon series on the Great Commission. Who are you making a disciple of Jesus? Who are you praying for that God would bring to Journey for Resurrection Sunday service to hear the gospel?

Israel continues to walk today in apostasy and rebellion. And God, though He has not forgotten them, has chosen the Church to fill the role of being a light to the nations and revealing His grace and glory.

“ … “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:8–10)

I included verse 8 because I want us to see something. In context, Peter is quoting from the Old Testament Scriptures how Jesus was the corner stone that everything God is doing is built on, but the builders, Israel, rejected Him. To them, He is “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence”. What does Scripture say is the reason they stumble? “Because they are disobedient to the word”.

In contrast to Israel, the Church is “…a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession”. Each of these descriptions originally were in Scripture describing Israel, they now describe the Church. Meditate of these descriptions for a moment. What a gift God has given to us!

Why is the Church this chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation and a people for God’s own possession? To proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light! God has plucked you and me from the fire of sin and chosen us to be His emissaries to a lost and dying world. What a privilege! What value and importance He gives to our lives!

Thank God for His mercy. Meditate on who He has chosen you to be today. And be careful to not stumble by being disobedient to His Word and become like Israel.

February 25, 2026; Day 2 – The Great Commission, Week 3

Read Matthew 28.16-20

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations …” (Matthew 28:19a)

Disciples make disciples. A disciple simply put is one who learns from his or her Teacher and applies what the Teacher teaches and emulates the Teacher. A disciple wants to be like the Teacher.

What does obedience mean in your life?

The command in the Great Commission is “make disciples”. The other verbs only modify the command; they tell us how to fulfill the command. “Go” or as we are going through our life, we are to make disciples. That is the ‘when’ of making disciples. The ‘how’ is “baptizing” and “teaching”.

How is your obedience to this command? Put another way, are you emulating your Teacher in this command?

“A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40)

Are you being like Jesus? He, too, learned to be obedient as a human, with all it’s temptations and pitfalls. That’s right, He learned to be obedient.

“Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.” (Hebrews 5:8)

“Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8)

Consider that for a moment. The temptation of being human is to do things your own way. Jesus did not give in to that temptation. Did you know that everything Jesus said and did was out of submission and obedience to the Father?

“So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.” (John 8:28)

“Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19)

“So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.” (John 7:16)

We looked at it last week but it bears repeating; if Jesus has a love language, it would be obedience.

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments … He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.” (Jesus in John 14:15, 24)

Disciples emulate their Teacher. Disciples make disciples. Whether you realize it or not, you are discipling everyone around you who knows that you profess Christ. You are either discipling them in how to be a disciple of Christ … or you are discipling them in how not to be a disciple of Christ.

God so loves you that He sent His Son into the world to teach you and to die in your place. Jesus so loves the Father and you that He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the Father and He learned His obedience through the things He suffered so that He could give you and me an example for us to follow. And He calls each of us to love those around us like He loved us.

Thank the Father for His love and the Son for His obedience and love. Emulate Jesus by walking in obedience and love today.

February 23, 2026; Day 1 – The Great Commission, Week 3

Read Matthew 28.16-20

“… and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Jesus in Matthew 28:20b)

Jesus ends the Great Commission with an incredible promise, that He, the divine King, would personally be with His disciples always. Think about that for a moment. Think about it from the perspective of the eleven disciples.

They had been present when Jesus was arrested, and they deserted Him. Later, Peter lingered on the periphery of His ‘trial’. But then he denied even knowing Jesus three times. John was at the trial also, secretly, not wanting to draw attention to himself. And then Jesus was crucified.

That we know of, only John was at the crucifixion. The others may have watched at a distance, not wanting to be associated with Jesus lest they, too, should be arrested. But they knew He had died.

It is interesting that none of the eleven was present to take the body of their Master and bury it. They had been with Jesus for over three years, following Him around the countryside. They heard his public sermons and His private lessons. They shared meals with Him every day. But none wanted to be associated with Him in His death. Jesus was buried by two other disciples, disciples that followed at a distance.

To be fair, I am not sure I would have been any different than the eleven. But I hope so. Would you?

But Jesus forgave them. And then promised to stand by them always and never desert them.

Before the birth of Jesus, Joseph, the espoused husband Jesus’ mother, had concerns about Mary and the unborn Child. He was not sure what to do or how to handle it. One night an angel came to him in a dream to reassure him. The angel told Joseph that the virgin birth of Jesus was to fulfill prophesy from Isaiah.

““Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”” (Matthew 1:23)

Of all the names given Jesus, I think Immanuel is my favorite. He is God with us. He is God who is with us in our human experience because He, too, was human. He knows what it is like to be us, only without sin. But He is also God with us as we go through the ups and downs of life. At the good times like a marriage or birth of a child, He is God with us. But at the hard times like c cancer diagnosis or death of a loved one, He is God with us.

But this promise of the Great Commission assures us that even when we desert Him; when we chose sin over obedience, when we chose expedience over service, He is God … with us.

There have been times in my life that feel I personally have failed Jesus. But He has always been God … with me.

That must have been a great comfort for the eleven, to know Jesus would always be with them. I imagine they thought back to that promise as they went through their lives and ministries. And then, as they each faced a martyr’s death. He is God with us.

As we live out the Great Commission, He is God with us in this as well. He is there to guide us and love us. And He is there to love others through us.

Thank Jesus for being God with you throughout your life. Rest in His abiding presence today. Share about His presence with others.

February 20, 2026; Day 5 – The Great Commission, Week 2 – A Disciple

Read Matthew 28.16-20

“… I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Jesus in Matthew 28:20b)

Being a disciple of Christ is demanding. G. K. Chesterton wrote “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” Walking with Christ is not wanting or lacking in benefits in this life, but it is demanding. Jesus’ last line in the Great Commission is one of those benefits or rewards. Read it again above.

The Creator, Sustainer of the universe has promised His abiding presence to always be with … you. Always. You will never be alone or abandoned; He will always be with you. When all others abandon you, He will still be with you. When life is hard, He will be with you. When the diagnosis is negative, He is with you to comfort and sustain you.

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (Jesus in John 14:27)

The world understands ‘peace’ as the absence of conflict. But the peace Jesus gives His disciples is an abiding peace, even in the midst of conflict. Yes, it is peace because of His abiding presence, but it is also peace because you can know that the God of the universe will take this adversity and use it for your good and benefit (Romans 8.28). You can know that God put limits on what Satan can do (Job 1 and 2). It is a peace of knowing that nothing that happens to you is a surprise to Him and He loves you and wants the best for you, although that might not be the easiest.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jesus in John 10:10)

Jesus gives us eternal life in the future, but in this life, He gives us life in abundance. Life that is full and rich. Life that is satisfying because in Him, we can live out what we were created for; fellowship with Him but also works He created you for and prepared for you to walk in (Ephesians 2.10).

“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” (John 15:11)

A disciple of Jesus has His joy abiding in him or her through His Word. It is a joy that He manifests in us (Galatians 5.22-23). It is not a temporary joy but an abiding joy that comes from knowing His presence with you and love for you. It is a joy that can sustain us in difficult times. It is a joy that comes from belonging to the loving Savior who died that you might live.

“Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.” (Romans 5:9)

When Christ returns, He will come in judgment of this world. He will pour out the awful wrath of God on this world for all the sin. It will be a terrible time and is laid out in the book of the Revelation. But in Him, a disciple does not have to worry about that because the wrath for our sin was poured out on Christ on the cross. He endured the wrath due us so we do not have to. We are saved from that wrath!

Speaking of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.”” (Revelation 21:1–7)

Nothing more needs to be said about this passage. Meditate on these words. And thank God for His never-ending grace toward you.

February 19, 2026; Day 4 – The Great Commission, Week 2 – A Disciple

Read Matthew 28.16-20

“And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:23–26)

Being a disciple of Jesus demands commitment. We must deny ourselves, our natural desires for ourselves and follow Him; being obedient to Him and His Word. We must be willing to take up our cross daily to follow Him. Denying ourselves and taking up our cross daily may include enduring ridicule at work to stand firm on Biblical principles. It may include swallowing our pride to share Christ and the gospel with our neighbor. It may include being willing to admit when we are wrong. It may include sacrificially giving to meet the needs of others. It may include sacrificing of your ‘free time’ to serve others or serve in the church. And it may include a lot more. But as you follow Him, He will show you exactly what that means for you. Obedience is huge in this. It keeps the line of communication open.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”” (John 13:34–35)

Being a disciple of Jesus demands commitment to love other believers. This, too, is part of denying yourself because this is a sacrificial kind of love. It’s to love as Jesus loved … you. Did Jesus wait until you were ‘good’ to love you? Does He love you now only when you get things right and act right?

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

He loved us even when we were unlovable. He still loves us when we are unlovable. Go, and do likewise so those around you will know that you are a disciple of Jesus.

“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” (John 15:8)

Being a disciple of Jesus demands a commitment to be fruitful. This includes abiding; living, dwelling in Him. It is a commitment to walk with Him daily, moment-by-moment. It means obeying Him and His Word.

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (Jesus in John 15:4–5)

Being a disciple of Jesus demands a commitment to deny ourselves and submit to the Holy Spirit producing fruit in our lives and our character. It is fruit He produces, because it is fruit we cannot produce. It is the fruit of a renewed mind and transformed life. It is fruit that is evidence of the Spirit’s work in our lives and of our obedient submission to Christ.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22–23)

Being a disciple Christ is so much more than walking down an aisle at a church, praying a prayer and shaking everyone’s hand. It demands commitment to Christ, His Word and His Spirit.

This sounds daunting, I know. But this is the path to the greatest adventure you can be on. Tomorrow, we will look at some of the rewards of being a disciple of Jesus.

Thank God for His great love for you. Thank Him for the privilege of being a disciple of Jesus. Humbly walk in His Spirit today.

February 18, 2026; Day 3 – The Great Commission, Week 2 – A Disciple

Read Matthew 28.16-20

“So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”” (John 8:31–32)

Reading His Word is vital to our spiritual growth, but continuing in it doesn’t end there. Abiding in His Word; living in it means it is a part of your life. In the last series, we looked at Romans 12 where Scripture commands us to let ourselves be transformed by renewing our minds (Romans 12.2). Abiding in His Word means letting it renew our minds; change the way we think. And renewing our minds transforms our lives; it changes our actions.

“Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:21–25)

The Word is like a mirror that shows us who we really are. It shows how we are growing in Christ-likeness but it also shows where we still need to change. And, I have found, it shows us where we were once doing well in our spiritual journey but have now maybe slacked off. It shows us where we thought we were doing well, but we were only scratching the surface. James writes we need to doers of the Word and not merely hearers who hear or read the Word and then continue to live as we always have lived. We need to obey what the Word says. People who merely hear the Word and do not obey it and put it into action see who they really are in the mirror of the Word and immediately blow off that reflection and realization so they can continue living life their way. James writes that these people are deluding themselves.

You can fool some of the people all the time. You can even fool yourself some of the time. But you cannot fool God any of the time. And your actions and how you live your life speaks louder than your words.

James writes that when we look into the perfect law and abide in it; live in it, we become effectual doers of the Word and not merely hearers. An effectual doer is one who is producing the desired effect of the Word. The Word is not something God intended to be read merely as good literature. He intends it to renew our minds and transform our lives and through this transformation we are blessed and happy. The Word’s desired effect is to shape us into the image of Christ.

Many years ago, Gary Chapman wrote a book called “The Five Love Languages”. In it, he basically laid out that we each receive or understand love in one of five general ways. And learning what your spouses love language is helps you to express love to him or her in a way they can receive and understand. I think Jesus may have a love language, too.

“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”” (Jesus in John 14:21)

If Jesus has a love language, it is obedience. It is us being effectual doers of the Word. And when we obey; when we become effectual doers of the Word, we abide in the love of the Father and the Son. And Jesus will reveal Himself to us in greater depths. That is a true blessing.

Thank the Father for His Word and all it means. Thank Him for how He loves you where you are but loves you too much to leave you there. Instead, He desires to transform you through His Word into the image of His Son. That is what He created you for, to be His image bearer. Go out today and be that image bearer.

February 17, 2026; Day 2 – The Great Commission, Week 2 – A Disciple

Read Matthew 28.16-20

“So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”” (John 8:31–32)

In Bible times, a disciple spent most of his time with his Rabbi. He lived with him, ate with him and traveled around with him to listen to his teaching.

How much time do you spend in the Word?

Jesus said, “If you continue in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine”. The Greek word translated ‘continue‘ literally means ‘to remain, abide, dwell, live’. It is the same Greek word translated abide in John 15.

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4–5)

How much time do you spend in the Word? How much time does the Word spend in you?

The Word is the place we can learn about Jesus. A disciple in Bible times followed his Rabbi around and listened to him teach. The Bible is where we can follow Jesus around and listen to His teaching. And it’s not just the Gospels or even just the New Testament where we can meet Jesus.

““You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;” (Jesus in John 5:39)

“Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” (Jesus in Luke 24:27)

The entire Bible is about Jesus!

Reading the Word is not a drudgery, it is a privilege. We get to spend time with the Creator of the universe and with our own Savior! We get to listen to His teachings and hear what He wants us to know about Himself. We get to learn what He is like. That is what disciples do. That’s why we should dwell in the Word.

The Word is where we find the truth and Jesus said the truth will set us free; free to be the people we were created to be. Free from bondage to sin and death. Free to have life and life in abundance. It is also what the Spirit uses to sanctify us; to shape us more in the image of Christ.

“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (Jesus in John 17:17)

Thank the Father for the gift of His Word. If you do not have a Bible reading plan, start one because we all need to dwell in the Word. But also let the Word dwell in you. Meditate throughout the day on what you have read. Commit verses that really speak to you to memory. They will become places of comfort and security.

February 16, 2026; Day 1 – The Great Commission, Week 2 – A Disciple

Read Matthew 28.16-20

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations …” (Matthew 28:18–19a)

We don’t really have disciples like there were in Jesus’ day. In Bible times, people would attach themselves to a popular teacher and follow him around the countryside as he taught. They would listen to his messages and teachings and probably take notes. And then after years of doing this, they would then go out as a teacher themselves. In Greece, they would follow a great philosopher, learning his philosophy on life. In Judea, they followed Rabbis, religious teachers.

“Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.” (Matthew 4:18–22)

Disciples would abandon their previous lives to follow their teacher. We do not think of discipleship this way but that is what true discipleship it about. We give up our time to follow Jesus, learn from Him and about Him.

The word translated “all” in verses 18-20 could also be translated “whatever” or “whoever” depending on the context. So an expanded translation of verse 18 could look like this – “Whatever authority exists has been given to Me. If it existed in the past, it is Mine. If it exists right now, it is Mine. If it will exist sometime in the future, it is Mine. Whatever authority is on earth, it is Mine. Whatever authority exists in heaven, it, too, is Mine.”

The call to be a disciple of Christ demands obedience. Here He commands his disciples to make more disciples. But what, exactly, is a disciple? What does a disciple look like?

“A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40)

A disciple of Christ is someone who growing to be like Christ.

So this begs a question … are you a disciple of Christ?

If your answer is ‘no’ or you are not sure, then I beg you to get in touch with Chad, or Robert or one of the elders as soon as possible to learn how you can become a disciple of Christ. This is an all-important issue.

If your answer is ‘yes’, are you growing to be more Christ-like everyday? Did you know that is God’s will for you?

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;” (Romans 8:28–29)

Mankind was created, both male and female, to be image bearers for Him in His world. (Genesis 1.26-27) That image was marred by sin. God in Christ is restoring that image; that likeness to Christ. But that demands commitment on our part. Commitment to follow Him in our lives. To learn from Him in His Word. And commitment to obey Him.

Thank the Father for loving you enough to want you in His family; to want you to be like His perfect Son. And He gave you His Spirit to help you and guide you. Walk in that likeness today, and show others His love.

February 13, 2026; Day 4 – The Great Commission, Week 1

Read Luke 10.25-37

“But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you … Go and do the same.”” (Jesus in Luke 10:33-35, 37b)

Unlike the priest and the Levite, the Samaritan saw the beaten and naked man and had compassion on him. This compassion moved him to help this stranger. He took of his own resources and used them to help a stranger. He pour oil and wine on the wounds to cleanse them and then took of his own clothing to make bandages for the stranger. Apparently, the Samaritan then unloaded his donkey and carefully put the man on it. Carrying the load the donkey had carried, the Samaritan walked ahead of the donkey and took the stranger to an inn, rented a room where he continued to take care of this stranger. The Samaritan then took his own money, two days wages, and gave to the innkeeper and asked the innkeeper to take care of the stranger and promised to return to reimburse the innkeeper if it cost him more than the two denarii.

In His earthly ministry, Jesus often felt compassion for the people around Him. And each time, that compassion moved Him to help the people.

“Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.” (Matthew 20:34)

“Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”” (Mark 1:41)

““I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat”. … And they ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large baskets full of what was left over of the broken pieces. About four thousand were there; and He sent them away.” (Mark 8:2, 8–9)

But His greatest act of compassion was the salvation He provided by going to the cross in our place and being raised from the grave for our justification and eternal life. He saw our need and was moved to act.

““For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

He gave of Himself for our benefit.

“just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”” (Matthew 20:28)

“He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.” (Romans 4:25)

That’s what agape love is; a sacrificial love. That’s the kind of love the Samaritan showed to a stranger in need.

“Go and do the same.”

February 12, 2026; Day 3 – The Great Commission, Week 1

Read Luke 10.25-37

“But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion,” (Luke 10:33)

“And who is my neighbor?”

The priest wasn’t a neighbor to the man beaten, stripped, robbed and left for dead. Nor was Levite. So who was to be an example of a loving neighbor?

The lawyer as well ad the crowd were probably expecting a Jewish layman; a common man. Because loving your neighbor should not be limited to the religious clergy.

But this is where Jesus’ parable became scandalous. “But a Samaritan …”

Jesus chose someone hated and despised by “good” Jews. Samaritans were considered half-breeds at best, not like “good” Jews. They only accepted the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament. But really this was only a veneer to cover their idolatry. Galilee lay to the north of Samaria and Jerusalem and the rest of Judea to the south. The Jews despised the Samaritans so much that a “good” Jew who was traveling north to Galilee or south to Judea would walk miles out of his way to go around Samaria rather than walk straight through. Marriage between the two groups were strictly forbidden. And the animosity was shared by both groups.

This was the example Jesus chose to demonstrate who a neighbor was. It wasn’t the “good” Jewish priest or Levite who should neighborly love. It was the despised Samaritan who was from a people that despised the Jews. This is the hero of the parable.

The love the Scriptures was calling the lawyer, the Jewish crowd, and us to is a love that knows no boundaries and no borders. It’s a love that sees another person in need and, when possible, reaches out to meet that need. When possible … not when convenient, not when socially acceptable.

Let’s turn this a little because Jesus used a despised Samaritan to demonstrate neighborly love; a Samaritan the lawyer would have never considered helping lest he defile himself. But let me ask you, who is your Samaritan? Is it the homosexual … the alcoholic or addict … a person of Arabic descent or another race … a coworker who is not as “good” as you?

While loving God with all of ourselves and loving other people is not the way to eternal life because none of us can do it perfectly. It is a way of life; a way we are called to live.

Thank God that His salvation and ask Him to show you where you fall short of the Great Commandment. And show some love to the Samaritans in your life.

February 11, 2026; Day 2 – The Great Commission, Week 1

Read Luke 10.25-37

“But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”” (Luke 10:29)

The lawyer must have felt some point of conviction, even as he gave the right answer. We can be theologically correct and still practically wrong. It’s not how much of the Bible you know that is important, but how much you live out; how much the Word has and is transforming your life. (Romans 12.1-2)

The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was 17 miles long. It was a steep descent of 3,300 feet. It was known as a dangerous road. There were all kinds of twists and turns and places for robbers to hide.

Visualize this with me for a moment. A man was descending the road when robbers jumped him, robbed him and beat him half to death. He may have been a wealthy man, since they took even his clothing, and left him naked, for dead on the road.

Along comes a priest on his way to Jericho. A priest who was involved in temple service, the giving of sacrifices and teaching the Law and worship. When he sees the man, beaten and naked, he goes to the other side of the road and continues on his journey.

Then comes a Levite, possibly returning home after his term of service at the temple. Levites assisted the priests in temple service. He, too, saw the man; robbed, beaten and naked. And again, he too, crossed to the other side of the road to go around the man.

These men knew the Law. The knew the Scriptures they had. They taught or helped teach the Scriptures. They had been busy serving in the temple. They were probably considered good Jewish men. But they left the man for dead.

Some have suggested they did not want to become defiled and ceremonially unclean by touching a dead body. But they didn’t even go to the man to see. Instead, they crossed to the other side and passed on by.

Remember, you can be theologically correct but practically be completely wrong. These two men would probably have given Jesus the same answer as to what the Law said as the lawyer. Yet they did not live it out. They did not love their neighbor as they loved themselves. They were more concerned with their agenda and looking religiously good than giving of themselves to help a kinsman; a fellow Jew.

Serving in the church is vital. With Journey going to two services later in March, we need even more people to step up and serve. But we cannot forget love. The lawyer did not fail to keep the commandment because of a lack of information, but because of a lack of love. What we do in church is truly vital and important. But what we do and who we are outside of church reveals who we truly are and so is more vital; more important.

“If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2–3)

Love must be our motivation in everything we do. Without love, our service is just for ourselves. It’s to fulfill an obligation or to appear good and righteous instead of the other person.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”” (Jesus in John 13:34–35)

Who can you be a neighbor to today? Who can you show love towards? Our love for each other reveals who we are to the world far more than just our service. Especially when we love as Christ loved us.

Thank God for His great love towards you in sending His Son to serve you in going to the cross in your place. And walk in that sacrificial love today.

February 9, 2026; Day 1 – The Great Commission, Week 1

Read Luke 10.25-37

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)

A lawyer, a man steeped in Jewish law, one whom studied the law and knew it inside and out, wanted to test Jesus. The Law was all about what a Jew was to do and not do. So he asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life.

Jesus turns his question back on the lawyer. In essence saying, “You are the expert in the law, you tell Me what the law says.” The lawyer replies with a combination of Deuteronomy 6.5 and Leviticus 19.18. These verses had long been accepted as a summary of sorts of the law. If the lawyer were to do this, he would live.

And that’s the problem. He couldn’t. No one can.

“Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;” (Romans 3:19–24)

That is the part of the law the lawyer missed. The law shows us our need for grace.

Where are you today? Are you still trying to earn God’s favor? Are you still trying to justify yourself before Christ, as the lawyer tried to do?

Thank God for His grace today and the gift of salvation. And walk in that grace today.