Life's Inanities and Ironies

One year ago today, I began posting daily devotionals—thoughtful studies of theology and Scripture. At the beginning, I wasn’t sure I could keep it up, but through God’s grace and His faithful inspiration, I have now written and shared more than 365 devotionals over the past year. I’ve always tried to stay a few days ahead, and God has never let me down. He consistently provides the insight, understanding, and inspiration needed to bring you the very best I can offer. While the readership remains modest—usually between 30 and 100 people each day—I’m deeply grateful for every person who takes the time to read what God has laid on my heart. I know these writings aren’t on the level of a Tim LaHaye or a David Jeremiah, and I never expected them to be. Everything I share comes from careful, intensive study of the passages and topics at hand. I simply want to take a moment to say thank you to all of you who have followed along on this journey over the past year. By God’s grace and with His ...

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 (KJV) Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We gather today around the infallible, God-breathed words of the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the church at Thessalonica. These ten verses paint a picture of what a genuine, powerful, and complete Christian testimony looks like. Not a shallow “I prayed a prayer once” story, but a living, breathing witness that turns the world upside down. The Thessalonians were brand-new believers in a pagan, hostile city. They had turned from idols to the living God under fierce persecution. Yet Paul, Silas, and Timothy could not stop thanking God for them. Why? Because their testimony was *complete*. It had every essential element the Holy Ghost requires for a life that truly glorifies Christ and reaches the lost. Let us open our Bibles to 1 Thessalonians 1 and pull out these clear, biblical elements. 1. A Work of Faith, Labor of Love, and Patience of Hope (v. 3) Paul says, “Remembering wi...

 In the turbulent days of the Judges, when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes,” Israel once again turned from the Lord and fell under cruel oppression. For twenty years, Jabin king of Canaan and his ruthless commander Sisera—with 900 iron chariots—terrorized God’s people. In that dark hour, the Lord raised up Deborah, a prophetess and judge, to call His people back to faith and freedom. Her story in Judges 4:1-24 stands as a powerful testimony to what God can do through a woman who walks in unwavering conviction and courageous obedience. Deborah sat under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel, where the people of Israel came to her for judgment. She was not seeking power or prestige; she was simply faithful where God had placed her. When the Lord commanded her to summon Barak to lead 10,000 men of Naphtali and Zebulun against Sisera at Mount Tabor, she delivered God’s word without hesitation: “Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you…? I will draw out Sis...

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ. As we approach Memorial Day weekend, I want to speak to you not about the holiday as it is often observed today—with backyard barbecues, retail sales, and the beginning of summer—but as it was kept in the United States some sixty years ago. In the mid-1960s, Memorial Day (still widely called Decoration Day by many) fell solemnly on May 30 every year. Families, churches, and entire communities paused. They visited cemeteries, decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, flags, and wreaths, attended memorial services, and offered prayers for permanent peace. Businesses in many towns closed. Parades honored the dead with dignity rather than mere spectacle. It was a day of remembrance, gratitude, and sober reflection on sacrifice. Why should conservative Christians today recover and observe this traditional spirit? Because Scripture calls us to remember, to honor sacrifice, and to give thanks to God for the freedoms secured by tho...