A daily Bible reading with a public journal entry. Toss your email in the subscribe box to join in as we wrestle with applying God’s word to our lives together.
What Do You Love?
“What do you love?”
You have to be careful with that question. If you aren’t, you’ll provide an emotional response. When we answer emotionally, we often name the things we want to love or believe we are supposed to love.
You’ll say you love your spouse because that’s what you’re supposed to say. Duh.
But reality may tell a different story.
Instead of sitting at dinner with her, you went to the bar with your buddies. Rather than engaging in a meaningful conversation, you lost yourself in the football game.
Is that love?
Love is revealed by what we consistently give ourselves to, the things that receive our time, attention, sacrifice, and obedience.
Consider that football game. There is absolutely nothing that will keep you from watching it. Will you be late? Not a chance. You’ll move every meeting and sideline every other commitment to be there.
Put into the language of Jesus: you obey what you love.
“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me.”
—John 14:21 NLT
Make no mistake: your obedience gets results.
For the sports fan, it produces excitement and energy. There’s adrenaline in the competition, loyalty to the team, endless banter, bountiful statistics, and plenty of nachos.
Jesus promises something too:
“And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
Jesus will reveal himself to those who love him.
Is that a big enough reward?
Or are you looking for something more?
My mind goes to money first. How will seeing Jesus help me make more money? Will it make me more successful? More influential? Will Jesus reveal himself in a way that helps me accomplish what I already want?
But then, which comes first?
Jesus, reveal yourself to me, and then I will love you.
Or:
Jesus, I love you—now reveal yourself to me.
Perhaps both still make the revelation of Jesus a transaction. I’ll give him something if he gives me what I want.
Jesus offers a better way:
Jesus, I love you. Therefore, I will obey you.
Obedience does not purchase his love. It demonstrates mine.
And somewhere along that road of obedience, Jesus promises that I will see more of him.
The question is not simply, “Do I say that I love Jesus?”
The question is, “Does my life agree?”
One Name
Today’s reading is John 14.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
These words spoken by Jesus himself in John 14:6 make it crystal clear there is only one way to Heaven and that’s through Him and Him only. He is the only true Gospel and the only one who can forgive sins to bring us together with our Heavenly Father. Paul warned us and predicted false religions who would claim there would be another ‘gospel” and another way to Heaven in Galatians 1:8.
But even if we or an angel from Heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
Jesus and his disciples spoke Aramaic. They would not have pronounced his name the way we pronounce it today in English. They would have actually pronounced it, “Yeshua.” The name Yeshua means, “The LORD saves.” Matthew 1:21 says, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save his people from their sins.” Jesus must save us from our sins..it’s not only what He came to do but it’s actually in His name. There is only one name that is higher than any other name and has the ability and who actually saves us from our sins, Jesus.
Because of this, He is the only name we should pray to. Because of this, He is the only one worthy of our worship and praise. And because of this, we should want to live our life for Him in obedience to Him. One name.
The Resurrection
Luke Chapter 24
I’m not quite sure if I am responsible enough to cover such a meaningful chapter out of the Bible. The Resurrection?!?!?! The day the women went to the tomb, and the body of Jesus wasn’t there? The walk to Emmaus with a ‘stranger’? Everyone gathered together and Jesus is suddenly just standing there in the flesh? This is some heavy reading, let’s dive in!
The Empty Tomb:
Early Sunday morning a group of women go to the tomb. The stone had been rolled away. They go in to find the absence of His body. Two angels appear and ask the one of the infamous questions widely known, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here. He is risen”. I don’t know about you but my goodness this is some meaningful and gut punch text. The angels reminded them that Jesus said all of this was going to happen!! Then it clicked. They remembered, but who is going to believe them?
The Walk to Emmaus:
Two disciples are walking to Emmaus, about 7 miles from Jerusalem, hashing out everything that had happened over the last few days. Jesus joins them but is cloaked as a stranger. He walks them through the scriptures explaining how this was all supposed to happen as it did. They finally get to Emmaus. Once they sit down for a bite, Jesus blesses and breaks the bread and they SEE him. And in an instant, he vanishes. Back to Jerusalem they go.
Jesus Appears to the Group:
While everyone has gotten back together to compare notes on the day, Jesus shows himself. They all think it’s a ghost. Not only does he say, ‘Look at me’, he eats a piece of grilled fish in front of them to drive the point home. He goes on to repeat scripture again about how this was all meant to go this way and instructs them to wait for Him to send the Holy Spirit, which will fill them with power from Heaven to go forward.
Like I said earlier…. a powerful and meaningful chapter beyond any of our recognition. None of us were there, we have never experienced anything like that in our lives. Maybe we have had some powerful and prominent moments, but nothing like this. He said this was the plan all along.
From grief and confusion to gradual recognition and finally full-on joy and mission. Luke describes in this chapter the idea that the resurrected Jesus isn’t always immediately recognizable but reveals himself through scripture and shared meals. This really makes me think ahead about the next time I participate in communion at church. Usually during communion, I think about everyone at the Last Supper. This time is going to be a little different. When I take the bread, I am going to be thinking about how he revealed himself AFTER he had risen. It was always there in the scripture for everyone to follow along just like it is still in the scripture today for you and I.
To Recap: Luke 24 doesn’t end with a body in a tomb. It ends with hands lifted in blessing and disciples running back to Jerusalem full of joy instead of despair. The empty tomb wasn’t a mystery to be solved. It was the announcement that everything Jesus said would happen, happened. He wasn’t a memory to mourn or a teacher to look back on. He was walking beside them on the road, eating fish in front of them, reiterating scripture like it was always about him. And that is still true today. Jesus is alive and well, not a historical figure we study from a distance, but someone present, active, and worth building our lives around.
God Is With Us
Matthew 1 may begin with a genealogy, but its message is deeply personal: God has been present and working through every generation, every unexpected circumstance, and every imperfect person to bring Jesus into the world.
The chapter culminates in one of the greatest promises in Scripture: “They shall call His name Immanuel,” which means, “God with us.” God’s presence is not merely something we hope to feel; it is a reality revealed in Christ.
Joseph shows us how to live with an awareness of that presence. When confusion and disappointment entered his life, he listened for God’s direction and then obeyed. His obedience did not come from having every answer—it came from trusting that God was at work.
Three practices help cultivate that same awareness today. Prayer creates space to listen rather than react. Worship reminds us that God is faithful even when our circumstances are unclear. Obedience trains us to recognize and respond to His leading, just as Joseph did when he took Mary as his wife.
Today, we should remember that Immanuel is still true: God is with you. Before we react to a difficult situation, pray. When uncertainty rises, we should worship. When God makes the next step clear through His Word, we should obey.
Prayer: Lord, help me slow down enough to recognize Your presence. Give me ears to hear, a heart that worships, and the courage to obey You today. Amen.
Where do you find refuge?
Psalm 91
The first four verses of this psalm read, “1He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 3Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. 4He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.”
A common theme among the Psalms is that God is our refuge. He is our safety and our defender. We see in this psalm, that he is our fortress as well. A fortress and a refuge provide safety and rest to those who trust in the provision. If I show up to a fortress that has holes in the walls and a compromised roof, I likely won’t trust in the provision of safety that fortress will provide. Rather if the fortress is locked down and guarded, I will go inside and find rest. Let me tell you that refuge in God is like the latter. It is a good place to find rest.
The question arises, do you seek rest from God, or other sources. God desires us to be productive people and to steward the resource of our time well. He created us to work and to have dominion. With that said, productivity and efficiency can easily become your focus especially if where you live is anything like northern VA. How much can I fit in my day? Where can I fit this meeting? Honey, do we have a free evening this week? Fast paced morning, working lunch breaks, and phone calls on the way home. Where do I find my refuge?
If I am being honest, I don’t always go to God as my refuge and strength. I fall for the lie that turning on the baseball game will give rest to my soul. It might give rest to my mind and my body, but it does not provide rest for my soul. Connecting with my Creator in His Word and in prayer gives rest to my soul. Sitting at his feet gives rest to my soul. Listening to worship music on my drive home gives rest to my soul. Leaving my phone in the kitchen and praying with my wife after a long day gives rest to my soul.
The question stands, where do you find refuge? Trust in the Lord.
Better is One Day
Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
Matt Redman sings a song inspired by this verse titled “Better Is One Day.” As I read through Psalm 84, it leads me to reflect on the moments when I feel closest to His presence. Where am I? What am I doing? Why do I feel this closeness?
The authors of Psalm 84 were Temple assistants, the Sons of Korah. These assistants knew that serving even as a doorkeeper was a privilege. It helps me understand that even in the simplest of roles, we can experience His presence.
I can imagine these moments of closeness for them took place inside His temple. For us today, maybe that place is church. I long weekly to get away from the hustle and bustle to meet with God inside His house. While we can pray and meet God anywhere at any time, going into a church building helps us step away from the busy mainstream of life into a place where we can put it all aside to quietly meditate and pray. We can find true joy in the praying, singing, preaching, and fellowship that takes place there.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
A pilgrimage involves intentionality and movement toward a holy place. While we can pray anywhere, traveling to gather with other believers requires setting aside time and physical effort. My weekly habit of going to church acts as a mini-pilgrimage—a conscious decision to leave behind daily distractions to encounter God.
Lord, we live in a distracted world that can grip our minds and reactions toward achievement and the next best thing daily. Help us to slow down. Remind us that being in Your presence is what we should be striving for each day. Thank You for reminding me that there is no place in the world that is better than at Your doorstep. Amen
His Protection Surrounds Us
Today’s Reading: Psalms 27
“Light, space, zest— that’s GOD! So, with him on my side I’m fearless, afraid of no one and nothing. When vandal hordes ride down ready to eat me alive, Those bullies and toughs fall flat on their faces. When besieged, I’m calm as a baby. When all hell breaks loose, I’m collected and cool.”
Many of us are celebrating Labor Day. This is the day that has been categorized as the last day of summer. The beginning of the fall. This day is also become synonymous with final barbecues and family gatherings outside while the weather is nice and warm (hopefully not too hot)
One of the true meanings of Labor Day is the celebration of the protections that we have as workers and laborers. Because of Labor Day, we have a weekend and a five day work week. Because of Labor Day, we have children who get to go to school and who are protected from industries and exportations at a young age. We are protected from employers over utilizing us without the complete and fair compensation. Even though it’s not at its completion or perfection, it is still a work in progress.
In Psalms 27, God is showing us our protection in many ways. David is worshiping God because of his protections. David’s heart is for God. The one thing that David wants most of all in the world is to be with God. He does not want the fame and fortune and the esteem of being a king or a hero, he only wants to be close to God.
“I’m asking GOD for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet.”
Because of David’s love and his want to be with God, God answers David with protection. This protection is just not for times of heartache, or times of trouble or times of distress.
- This protection is for peaceful rest at night.
- This protection is for being able to walk without fear of retribution or death at anybody’s hand.
- This protection is long lasting because of his relationship with him.
The good news is that we have the same protection from God. We are able to be protected from things we cannot even see. There are many issues and problems that we see daily, but God protects us from the things that we do not even know we need protected from. He sees the things that are in front of us years from now. We are living in protection of things that could have harmed us today, but because of his protection, he shielded us from these things.
When we have a relationship with God, he protects us. He protects those who are near us. He even protects us when we go against His will. He protects us because he loves us. This is a reason to celebrate him daily. He has protected us from so many things that we didn’t even know we needed to be protected.
Allow us to enjoy and celebrate the protections that we have been granted: be safe and blessed.
He’s Always There
Today’s reading is Exodus 40.
For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.
Exodus 40:38
In this chapter, God gives the Israelites instructions for building the tabernacle of the tent of meeting which was a portable structure to travel with them that above all things housed the ark of the covenant which held the Ten Commandments. The verse above tells us they knew the presence of the Lord was there to lead them through a cloud during the day and fire by night. There are also times when the Israelites would leave stones or build an altar so that they, and most importantly future generations, would remember what God had done for them. We know this from Joshua 4:20-24 where they left stones at the place they crossed the Jordan River into the promised land after God dried it up and also in Exodus 17:14-16 where Moses built an altar to remind them of their victory over Amalek. Jacob also built an altar at Bethel in Genesis 28:18-22, and Samuel set up a stone in 1 Samuel 7:12 calling it Ebenezer meaning, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
We may not have the benefit today of “seeing” the Lord’s presence in a cloud or pillar of fire, but when we develop a relationship with God and grow closer to him, we notice how he’s shows up and the blessings He gives us that are not coincidences. We reflect on things like the business he helped us start from scratch or our career, a child’s laugh, your spouse, noticing the car running the red light and stopping just in time, the health tests that came back clear, or even the friend or parent that introduced your to Jesus. While your health, your marriage, your job/career, or other things may not be perfect, we can find blessings in most all of them and how God provided if we reflect on them. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” While James was not writing related to this context, I believe it still applied. I had someone close to me who struggled dealing with challenges he faced in life. He would consistently focus on what he didn’t have like a spouse or children. Sadly, he struggled on being grateful for what God did provide for him like a mother and later brother who loved and cared for him and that he didn’t have to worry about money at all through qualifying for disability income through multiple sources. I’m blessed to have an amazing spouse and children, so it saddens me he didn’t have the same and can’t blame him for struggling that he didn’t have this. Yet, what I’ve witnessed in others is that when they grow closer to God, they notice and are able to focus on and be grateful for the countless ways God has blessed them despite their challenges. This also allows them to know when they are lonely and fearful, God is still there and He will help them as He did in the past.
So, my questions for you and myself today are the following….
- What are we doing to grow our relationship with God?
- Have we reflected how God has showed up and provided in our lives?
- Have we “set up stones” to be able to tell our children and others about God’s presence and what He’s done in our lives, so will we will remember to trust Him with the uncertainty of our future?
The Presence That Sets Us Apart
Exodus 33
This chapter picks up right after the golden calf disaster (which I ironically reflected on back in April). God is not too fond of the Israelites BUT reassures them he will stand by his covenant commitments by still giving them the Promised Land and protecting them through the time of their restoration. He was, however, so angry with them due to their stubborn disobedience that he was forced to back away to not destroy them. After He expressed his anger with self-control, the people underwent a heart-wrenching self-examination. They saw the truth, confessed their sins, and repented before God. They went as far as to strip themselves of their jewelry and fancy clothes and go into a kind of public grief. It makes me think of throwing my Apple watch and cell phone to the ground in embarrassment of how much I rely on those things so much in my day-to-day life. This truly highlights that even when we fail miserably, we can be assure that God’s promises of reconciliation will stand. All we need to do is go to God openly with our sins, seeking his help to find a new way of life.
Then Moses sets up a ‘meeting tent’ outside of the camp. This is where he would talk to God ‘face to face, as a man speaks to a friend’. This private time allows him to kind of push back at God. Moses questions Him. He favors Moses so much, then why wouldn’t He personally follow them on their journey instead of sending an angel instead. It pays off for Moses and his people. God comes back around but when Moses asks to see His face, God says no human can see His face and live, so he offers a compromise instead. He’ll put Moses in a rock crevice, cover him with his hand, and let Moses see his back as he passes by.
This chapter is about broken trust being rebuilt through honest confrontation, not just glossed-over forgiveness. Moses doesn’t accept a watered-down version of the relationship (an angel instead of God). He holds out for the real thing and gets it. This ‘see my back, not my face’ moment is often read as – you can experience the effects/aftermath of the divine but not grasp the whole of it directly. It is important for all of us to have a clear vision of God. As we see him more clearly, we better understand who we are. All of us should seek to know God better and to experience his presence in our lives.
When I read out of the Old Testament, I often put myself not only in the shoes of someone like Moses, but more importantly the people that were following him. For better or worse, at least Moses was able to speak with God quite a bit. But the people weren’t. They put their faith and trust in Moses which in turn was put in God. It is not the same, but on Sundays I certainly put my faith and trust in the pastor each Sunday morning, but that isn’t the answer either. I am comforted to know that I have a direct line to the Father at any given moment I want it. Although I am very much guilty of not ringing His number as much as He or I would prefer. I pray that we all take at least a few more moments of our ‘busy’ days to do 2 things.
- Continue to ask him for forgiveness for anything and everything that we still aren’t holding a candle to.
- Ask God, “How can I be a better follower to You?”
Stand With the King
Revelation 20 reminds us that evil may appear powerful, but it does not have the final word. Satan is restrained, those who remained faithful to Christ are vindicated, and ultimately every person stands before God’s great white throne.
Where does God defend the vulnerable in this chapter?
God’s defense is especially visible in Revelation 20:4, where John sees those who suffered and were even killed because of their testimony about Jesus. The world may have treated them as powerless and disposable, but God remembers them, honors their faithfulness, and gives them a place with Christ.
This is a powerful reminder: God sees what others overlook. He sees injustice. He sees suffering. He sees those who are mistreated, forgotten, or oppressed. And His justice will ultimately prevail.
How will I reflect His heart today?
If God notices the vulnerable, I should too.
Today I can reflect His heart by noticing the person others ignore, defending someone who cannot easily defend themselves, encouraging someone who feels defeated, and using whatever influence God has given me to serve rather than dominate.
Revelation 20 calls us to live with eternal perspective. Evil has an expiration date. Christ wins. Justice comes.
So today, stand with the overlooked. Speak with courage. Serve with compassion. Remain faithful to Jesus.
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