Day 113 Judges 1:1‐2:9; Luke 21:29‐22:13; Psalms 90:1‐91:16; Proverbs 13:24‐25 The Love of God We don’t just want to be loved; we need to be loved. Among our greatest needs is the need to know that we matter to somebody – that somebody truly cares. As we read God’s Word, we learn the story of…
Day 112 Joshua 24:1‐33; Luke 21:1‐28; Psalm 89:38‐52; Proverbs 13:20‐23 The Voices of Choices Bob Dylan used to sing a song called “Gotta Serve Somebody.” The lyrics suggest that everyone, a CEO, a doctor, a socialite, a construction worker… yes, everyone, rich or poor, serves someone or something. “It might be the Devil or it…
Day 111 Joshua 22:21‐23:16; Luke 20:27‐47; Psalm 89:14‐37; Proverbs 13:17‐19 Resurrection Rejoicing – Don’t Miss the Point! After disarming the Sadducee’s riddle on the resurrection using an example of family that had experienced more tragedy than most any family could bear, Jesus challenges them with one of His own: the Messiah is meant to be…
Day 110 Joshua 21:1‐22:20; Luke 20:1‐26; Psalm 89:1‐13; Proverbs 13:15‐16 The Litmus Test Years ago, a dear friend and circuit court judge shared his insight when deciding difficult cases. He said, “When seeking to decide the greater of two goods or the lesser of two evils, I always look at motivation and ask, ‘Was this…
Day 109 Joshua 19:1-20:9; Luke 19:28-48; Psalm 88:1-18; Proverbs 13:12-14 God is a Refuge. Are We? A gold star if you tried to read the Joshua passage out loud! When I was preparing for ordination about thirty years ago, a priest opened my eyes to the significance of geography in the Scriptures. Where certain events…
Day 108 Joshua 16:1-18:28; Luke 19:1-27; Psalm 87:1-7; Proverbs 13:11 Grace and Work In the sacristy of our church, there is a needlepoint hanging on the wall. It reads, “Ask God to bless your work, but do not expect Him to do it for you.” The reading from Joshua reminds me of this. The LORD…
Day 107 Joshua 15:1‐63; Luke 18:18‐43; Psalm 86:1‐17; Proverbs 13:9‐10 Unite My Heart to Fear Your Name It’s amazing how hyperactive our hearts can be – flitting from this distraction to that one, from this affection to that one, from this allegiance to that one. David, “a man after God’s own heart,” understood. So he…
Day 106 Joshua 13:1‐14:15; Luke 18:1‐17; Psalm 85:1‐13; Proverbs 13:7‐8 Don’t Give Up Hope This reading from Luke exposes a judge who is not predisposed to justice and neither feared God nor respected man. The widow was the symbol of the poor and defenseless. It was only through her persistence that this godless judge granted…
Day 105 Joshua 11:1‐12:24; Luke 17:11‐37; Psalm 84:1‐12; Proverbs 13:5‐6 Marks of a Warrior Leader TRUST:Joshua’s trust in God’s sovereign power does not waver throughout his long life. Of those rescued from slavery in Egypt by God’s mighty power, he and Caleb alone enter the Promised Land. As young men, they had gone with other…
Day 104 Joshua 9:3‐10:43; Luke 16:19‐17:10; Psalm 83:1‐18; Proverbs 13:4 Is Wealth a Sin? When we read the parable of the “Rich man and Lazarus” we immediately conclude that being rich must be a sin. The one outstanding feature of the man was that he was RICH. Is that a sin? God himself blessed Abraham,…
Day 103 Joshua 7:16‐9:2; Luke 16:1‐18; Psalm 82:1‐8; Proverbs 13:2‐3 The Lord Has Spoken! Psalm 82 has the full drama of the cinema. God takes His seat among the gods of the world, and He prosecutes them for their conspiracy against the ordinary people—and the gallery erupts in cheers, encouraging God on in His victory….
Day 102 Joshua 5:1‐7:15; Luke 15:1‐32; Psalm 81:1‐16; Proverbs 13:1 The Mysterious Man As Joshua neared Jericho, he ran into a mysterious person. “He looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand” (v. 13). Joshua didn’t recognize him. Joshua was probably prepared either to fight,…
