Category: Holy Living

The Way of Wisdom – 2025 Day 8 (John 8)

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Proverbs 8, John 8

“”I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.

The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil.

Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength.

By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver.

I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries.”

– Proverbs 8:12-21 ESV

As an atheist, following my own ideas, all my ways were pride. I made my own rules based on what seemed right to me. And all it got me was misery. I was lost in my own sin and couldn’t find a way of escape. But God offers a way out through His Words of wisdom.

After reading Proverbs 8, I was reminded again of this truth while reading the story of the adulterous woman in John 8. God is simultaneously wise and gracious and merciful and holy and righteous. As His children and followers, He says “go, and from now on sin no more,” (John 8:11).

The older I get, the more I recognize my own sin. As a young adult, I thought I was so grown-up and good. God had changed me so much and brought me out of darkness and into light, but I still had so much to learn, so I found it particularly interesting to read John 8:7, 9, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her… and they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones.” The older we get, the more we should be able to see our own sin. The better we know the Word, the better we should recognize what terrible sinners we are! So many of my obvious, external sins are gone (by God’s grace!) but those more “respectable,” hidden sins of pride, malice, and covetousness lurk just beneath the surface.

Heavenly Father, You are God alone. You are the truth. Indeed, every word of God proves true and You are a shield to those who take refuge in You.

Hide us in the shelter of your wings. Help us to “go and sin no more.” Help us to hear You and follow You. We pray that we would come into the light that our works would be exposed, and we would be laid bare before you, so that we would repent, turning away from our sins and turning to Jesus, eternal God in human flesh.

Help us to recognize our own sin and our own need for a Savior. Help us to be among those who do not throw stones at our fellow sinners, but instead point them to the One who came that we would have life to the full.

Truly, Satan is a liar. He came to steal and kill and destroy. He is the prince of this world, the king of darkness. Help us to rescue those who are held in his snare. We pray that the eyes of many would be opened so that they would see You, the author and creator of our faith.

It is in the matchless name of Jesus our Lord and Savior that we pray. Amen.

Click here for more information on reading through the Bible in Two Years.

Begin Where You Are – In the Here and Now. Thoughts from Ezra 3.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Ezra 3

When the Israelites returned to Israel after years of living in exile in Babylon, their first desire was to rebuild the Temple and begin making offerings to God. Unfortunately, it takes time to rebuild a temple, so they simply set up an altar where the temple once had been and began celebrating the feasts and offerings there.

When I read this, I thought about the saying, “Delayed obedience is disobedience,” and wondered to myself what things I’m waiting on, what ducks I’m trying to get in a row, before I start doing what God has called me to do.

God wants us to obey Him today. Now. Right now. Here. Where you are. Wherever you are.

How many times have I thought —

  • When I know more about the Bible …
  • When I have a bigger house …
  • When I have more money …
  • When I’m not so busy …

God called some to go back to Jerusalem, and those who weren’t called to return were called to give generously to those who were. Both of these jobs were important – to go and to give – and God equipped both groups to obey Him.

If God has called you to do something, He will equip you to do it.

Maybe you’re wondering, “What is God calling me to do?”

I don’t know the specific plans that God has for you, those good works that He has prepared in advance for you (Ephesians 2:10), but I do know God has called you to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself.

Start there.

And sometimes what you’re supposed to be doing now to obey God is to be working on those things He’s called you to do.

Do you need to know the Bible better for the task He’s called you to do? Alright, then, what are you doing to work towards that goal.

Do you need a bigger house or more money for a task He’s given to you? How are you working toward that? Paying down debt … Saving money … Getting a higher paying job … Working a little on the side?

Do you need more margin to have the time for a job He has for you? How are you working toward that? Skipping your nightly TV shows or scrolling through your favorite social media platform might be a good place to start.

The Israelites began making offerings, but they also began working on the temple. Let’s start in the here and now, today, while also working toward the future and the generations to come.

Heavenly Father, I lift up every man and woman who is reading this message at this moment in time and space. Please draw them to know You, to seek You, to love You, and trust You, and obey You. You are worthy to be trusted. You are worthy to be obeyed. Please lead these men and women on the paths of righteousness for Your Name’s Sake. Show them that straight and narrow path with the light of Your Word and the perfect wisdom of Your Holy Spirit. Provide for their every need – the wisdom, the time, the finances – to accomplish the tasks that You have prepared in advance for them to do. For Your glory and for our good I pray. Amen.

Lead On, O King Eternal

What is Your Freedom For? Thoughts from Galatians 5

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Galatians 5

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:13-14 ESV

America has been called the land of free and the home of the brave. So, fellow Americans, I must ask you, what are you using your freedom for? For watching more TV and playing more video games? For watching more cat videos and scrolling through more Facebook posts? For drinking more wine and sleeping later on Saturday mornings?

Or for sharing the gospel with more people and making more disciples of Christ? For honoring your parents more and loving your neighbor better? For giving more freely to the poor and being a more shining example of Christ in an increasingly dark world?

May we never forget, fellow Americans, that this freedom is a precious gift granted us through the blood of many men who sacrificed their lives for our country.

But what about those of you who don’t enjoy the privileges of freedom of speech, freedom of press, and freedom of religion granted by the U.S. constitution? Have you not been freed by the blood of Jesus Christ? Have your chains not been broken by the cross? Are you enslaved to sin, the devil, and an evil empire? May it never be.

Man can oppress you, but in Christ you are free. Evil men can throw you in prison, take captive your body, and threaten your life, but you still have choices. Will you speak up or stay silent? Will you live day by day with a heart filled with  bitterness or love? Will your life reflect the prince of this world or the King of kings?

Heavenly Father, You are good! You have set free the captives by the sacrifice of Your Son! Whom the Son sets free is FREE indeed! Who can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus? What can man do to me? My life is in Your hands. Make me courageous. Make me pure. Make me shine with the light of Christ burning in my heart. Amen.

A Free Slave. Thoughts from 1 Peter 2.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 1 Peter 2.

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

1 Peter 2:16 ESV

The Christian faith is full of impossibilities. One God in three persons. A man who is God. An omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God.

Likewise, the Christian life is full of impossibilities. Walking by faith in a God you cannot see. Dying that you may live. And here, living as a free slave.

God is my master. He owns me. He bought me, not with temporary things like silver or gold, but with the most precious blood of the Lamb of God.  (1 Peter 1:18-19)

Yet, He invites me to walk in the joy and power of freedom, with my head held high and the shackles of sin that once held me captive forever broken and cast into the sea.

Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty. I’m free at last!

Oh, but I’m still a slave, slave to the Most High, Most Holy Ruler of the Universe, slave to Almighty God who tells me to die to myself that I might live for Him.

I’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is Good, and I want to be His slave. I have willingly given my life to Him and again and again I say, “Take my life and let it be, consecrated, Lord, for Thee.”

Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise.


Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.


Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.


Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.


Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.


Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

“Take My Life and Let It Be”
Story Behind the Hymn

A 1 Peter 1 Prayer

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 1 Peter 1

Heavenly Father, Blessed be Your Name. Praise You, Father, the giver of abundant mercy and new life and living hope. Thank You for that  incorruptible, undefiled, unfading inheritance that is waiting for me!

Help me to fix my eyes on that promise, though now trials of various kinds assail me. I know that these trials are necessary as well as temporary, and I know that my faith will come out more pure and brilliant and certain because of them.

Thank You for the blessing of faith. It is a good and gracious gift to believe in You, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, though I have never seen You. I know that one day my faith will be sight, and I will behold Your glory face to face. What a glorious day that will be! In the meantime,

Father, help me to be sober minded and steadfast, with my mind prepared for action, fixing my hope permanently and unwaveringly on Jesus Christ. Keep my heart, mind, and body from sin, idolatry, pride, and covetousness. Make me Your obedient child. I want to be holy as You are holy.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and my Lord, I pray. Amen.

Mark 14: True or False.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Mark 14.

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help me God.

Jesus always and only told the truth.

If He said one of the twelve disciples was going to betray Him, it was so. If He said He would not drink of the vine until He drank it again in the kingdom of God, it was so. If He said, “See, my betrayer is at hand,” it was so.

But Jesus didn’t only speak the truth prophetically. Jesus spoke the truth personally, without exaggeration or hype or grandstanding or posing. He simply spoke truth. The whole truth. And sometimes He simply held His tongue and didn’t say a thing.

I want to be more like Jesus, telling the truth without exaggerating, without twisting or shaping it to make it look nicer, or to make me look better. How about you?

Heavenly Father, Your Word is truth. Every word of Your Word is true. If You said it, we can believe it. We never have to question or doubt what You said. You never exaggerate. You never tried to make Yourself into something You’re not. Please, Father, I want to be more like You. Help me to be content in my weakness, knowing that my weakness glorifies Your immense, almighty, perfect power. Help me to not hide from You, for I trust that You already know all of me. Keep me from the fear of man. Keep me from wanting to show off and win the praise and approval of man. I want to live for Your praise and approval, not theirs. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Savior, my Lord, my Judge, and my Friend. Amen.

Mark 13: Be On Guard. Keep Awake.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Mark 13.

Be on guard, keep awake.
For you do not know
when the time will come.

Mark 13:33 ESV

When I was little, my parents would sometimes get a babysitter and go out for a late night by themselves. I would try so hard to stay awake in bed until they got home, but I was usually unsuccessful. The following morning, I’d wake up disappointed that I’d missed hearing them come home.

In more recent years, I’ve had a similar, but opposite struggle, trying to stay awake until my teenage children come home. I usually just head to bed and my husband does “staying awake duty” for us both. Like the disciples Peter, James, and John in the garden of Gethsemane, I just can’t seem to stay up for my eyes are so very heavy.

Oh, but I don’t want to miss the return of Jesus! I want to be found watching and waiting with eyes wide open with eager expectation! I want to be on my guard like a watchman in the midst of a fierce battle. My brothers and sisters, my King, and my children, need me – and you – to stay awake. Let us not grow weary of well doing, knowing that in due season we will reap a bountiful harvest, if we do not give up! (Galatians 6:9)

Heavenly Father, Forgive us, please. Too many of Your children have fallen asleep on the job. We have forgotten that we’re in a battle. We have left our battle stations. We have quit watching for our King’s return. We have given up our posts and gone home to our warm beds. Forgive us for falling prey to our adversary’s schemes and temptations. Wake us up, Lord! Your army needs to be shaken awake! We need to hear the trumpet call crying, “I am coming soon! Make way for the return of Your King! Herald the good news to every corner of creation! Make straight the way of the Lord! Put on your armor and take up Your swords and shields, for the battle has already begun!” For Your glory and fame we pray this in the Name of King Jesus! Amen.

Midnight Cry

Peer Pressure and Perseverance. Thoughts from 2 Kings

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Kings 1-2

In 2 Kings 2, Elisha remained rock solid in his commitment to Elijah, doggedly insisting, “No, I won’t stay behind. I’m going with you!” But shortly thereafter, Elisha failed to persevere when he was urged persistently, “till he was ashamed” by the “sons of the prophets who were at Jericho.” And that resulted in three days of fruitless searching for Elijah.

For as strong-willed as I am, I, too, can be swayed by peer pressure and make excuses that it’s “no big deal” to just go along with what others want. Reading today’s passage encouraged me to stand firm in my convictions, to ‘let my yes be yes and my no be no’.

Heavenly Father, please give me wisdom and patience in making decisions and give me strength to be like a solid rock that cannot be moved by the urging of men. Help me to cling to what is right and not be swayed by the opinions of others. I pray that I will be trustworthy and true, that my yes will be yes and my no will be no, for Your glory and honor. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Counterfeit Christians. Reflections from 1 Kings 13.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 1 Kings 13

In 1 Kings 12, I was reminded of the dangers of following counterfeit gods, and in 1 Kings 13, I’m reminded of the dangers of following counterfeit Christians. I’m afraid that all too often Christians trust whatever a professing Christian author, blogger, podcaster, or pastor says, without giving it serious thought or prayer. We need to “test everything; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21 ESV) 

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

1 John 4:1 ESV

Remember that “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16) It’s so important to know the Word. All the Word. Not just John 3:16 and Genesis 1:1. So that we can discern truth from error

I’m praying Ephesians 1:17 for you, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.”

Heavenly Father, We need Your wisdom. We need Your guidance. Please, Father, give us a hunger for Your Word. Give us an all-consuming desire for Truth in our innermost beings. May the half-truths of the world and the devil be repulsive to us. Please, Father, let us not settle for sorta, kinda, half-hearted faith, but make us passionate for a Holy Fire revival to sweep through our homes, churches, cities, and nations. For Your glory and fame we pray by the blood of Jesus Christ shed for the forgiveness of our sins. Amen.

Counterfeit Gods. Reflections from 1 Kings.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 1 Kings 12

After Solomon’s death, the kingdom of Israel was divided. Judah (and Benjamin) followed Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, while the other ten tribes of Israel followed Jeroboam, an Ephraimite who had been a hard-working servant of Solomon. Jeroboam feared that the Israelites would turn back to Rehoboam if they went to Jerusalem to worship God, so he set up counterfeit gods and counterfeit temples, counterfeit priests and counterfeit feasts.

Isn’t that just like Satan?

Satan doesn’t create his own stuff. He’s not a creator; he’s a fake trying to look like the real thing, and he copies what is true in order to draw people away from it. He disguises himself as an angel of light, and so do his followers (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

God created mankind to worship Him. When we aren’t worshipping Him, we will worship other things, created things rather than the Creator Himself.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Romans 1:18-23 ESV

There are still people all over the world who are worshipping idols, crafted objects made to resemble a supernatural being, but the majority of Americans think we’re above that. Most red-blooded Americans wouldn’t dream of bowing down to worship a golden calf or a stone Buddha. Oh, friends, but we are worshipping all kinds of counterfeit gods. We worship at the altars of money, fame, and sex. We worship at the altars of food, fame, fortune, and phones. We worship at the altars of Amazon, Facebook, and YouTube. These counterfeit gods are trying to steal our allegiance from the One True God, the only one who is worthy of our worship, and we’re falling for it.

Will you pray with me?

Heavenly Father, You alone are worthy of our worship. You are the one who created the sun, moon and stars, the earth and the seas and all that is in them. You are who created me and every man, woman, and child on the face of our planet. Open our eyes to the counterfeits that we have made with our own hands, the worthless things that we are setting before our eyes day after day. Forgive us, Father. Create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us. For Your glory we pray in the Name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.