Latest Thoughts of the Day

1 John 3:12

9/12/2026

Do not be like Cain who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous.

The devil would desire to tempt any of us to bitterness, envy and hatred, and we must resist the devil if we would have him flee. Let us be watchful lest any of these creep into our hearts and minds. We can see adversaries as enemies and attribute to them the wickedness that is actually growing in our own hearts. Cain is the one who hated, and the one who killed. Revenge on a righteous brother is the reason, according to God. Someone has pointed out to all of us that when we point one finger at another person, we point three at ourselves. Lord, help us to be not like Cain, but like Jesus.

2 Peter 2:11

9/11/2026

...yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against suhc beings in the presence of the Lord.

The angels that will bring the ultimate judgment of God upon wicked, arrogant men do not bring their own personal resentment into the picture. There is no wickedness or arrogance in them, so they remain personally aloof, even in the execution of God’s judgment. How different we often are! We positively enjoy putting in our two cents when we are denouncing sin and exposing wickedness. We even kind of pride ourselves on a personal zeal so wonderfully in line with God’s zeal against ungodliness. But the battle is the Lord’s and He doesn’t need our nastiness and pride to accomplish His goal. Our concern, in all our zeal must be to love and serve God. Not reviling was in the character of Jesus.

I Peter 3:11

9/10/2026

He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.

Peter has challenged husbands and wives to live in harmony one with another, but he then broadens the appeal to all who claim to know Jesus. All who have been brought by the Holy Spirit to turn from their sins and pursue righteousness in Christ should click into familiar and beloved words written a millennium before by David. Whoever would love life and desire many good days must turn from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it. David challenges us to change-of-life repentance. He calls us not only to think about peace, but to determine to make choices that lead to peace. God spoke through David in words that Peter cannot improve. Nor can we. Let us determine to do these things to the glory of our Savior, Jesus!

James 3:10

9/9/2026

Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. Brothers, this should not be.

In Romans 7 Paul speaks of the law of sin and death. The cursing James mentions here is not using bad words, but it is putting down others and wishing them eliminated in our dealings with them. Sometimes it is as bad as the heart-murder Jesus speaks of when we bad-mouth one another. James agrees with Paul when he says, “this should not be”. “No condemnation” is the key. Jesus does not condemn us, and we ought not to condemn one another. Jesus reaches out in love to the unlovely, and we ought to do likewise. Lord, help us to forgive because we have been forgiven and to reach out to help those who oppose us, even as our Jesus reaches out to help us! This is the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 7:15

9/8/2026

And what we have aid is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears.

All that was involved in Old Testament religion has been transferred by God to Jesus. Jesus came to earth to accomplished all that the laws and sacrifices had pictured, culminating in His death for sinners on the cross and His glorious resurrection from the dead. The clincher is in Psalm 110, where God declares through David that He will make His messiah a priest, according to the order of Melchizedek. God has done it, and the transfer is complete in His eyes. The book of Hebrews was written before 70 A,D., when the Roman army was ordered to eradicate the Jews in Jerusalem, along with every shred of their religious history. Jesus had referred to this moment, when He declared, “It is finished.” God’s purposeful dealing with Israel is forever focused on Jesus.

Philemon 12

9/7/2026

I am sending him--who is my very heart--back to you.

The issue of what to do with a recovered runaway slave is, more than anything, a matter of protocol. His running away was not a personal betrayal of friendship. Philemon was not heartbroken to lose him. Principal and precedent would be uppermost in his mind, since he knows that the whole household and maybe the community is looking to see what he will do. Paul has an inkling about the precedent and principal, as well, and that is why he is concerned that Philemon see more than this in this particular case. It is an occasion to reflect the glory of the Lord and the power of the Gospel. Hearts are changed by the power of the risen Christ, and circumstances are altered when a person at any social is born-again. Onesimus has come to Jesus.

Titus 2

9/6/2026

...and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad ti say about you.

In most cases, when we speak clearly and back up our speech with lives of integrity and concern for others, many would-be attacks simply fall to the ground. People may not be converted, but if they are not, the fault will clearly be in themselves. We must be prepared to face irrational and cruel acts of resistance, but they will usually be the exception, and God will grant us protection and the ability to press on. Lord, grant us grace to live lives of integrity and kindness, and help us to hold forth the person and character of Christ. May any critical and vindictive attack against us be turned aside because we are reflecting the love and kindness of our Lord Jesus!

2 Timothy 3:9

9/5/2026

But they will not get very far because, as in the case of these men, their folly will be clear to everyone.

Paul, in his day, had to deal with influencers who were up to no good. We should do what we can to stem their influence, but must not be discouraged. There are emotional and flighty women who will be affected, and men who may be turned aside from the truth, but the Lord knows them that are His and He will not suffer His own to perish. We need to be faithful and labor on and to watch the salvation of the Lord. The truth we proclaim will never perish, and it will accomplish God’s purpose to glorify His Son. No plan or purpose of man will succeed against the church, as we hold fast. God will exalt about every name the Name of Jesus.