Learning to Follow Jesus

In the Life of Christ

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.” — Matthew 28:19, NIV.

When I read the Great Commission, I like to begin two verses earlier. The eleven disciples have gone to a mountain in Galilee, where the risen Jesus told them to meet Him. They worship Him, and Matthew tells us that some doubt. I’m grateful he left that detail in. These are people who have heard Jesus teach and seen Him heal. They have also fled when He was arrested, and now they are trying to take in the fact that He stands before them alive. Douglas Sean O’Donnell puts it this way: “As they are being remade as disciples, their resurrected Lord calls them to make disciples.” I find that encouraging when I think of all I still have to learn. Jesus entrusts His work to people who are still learning to trust Him.

Jesus begins by declaring His authority over heaven and earth. The word therefore matters. The disciples go because the risen Christ sends them. The central command, mathēteusate in Greek, means “make disciples.” Jesus describes the work in concrete terms. Go to people of all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey what He commanded. As Elisabeth Johnson observes, “Faith in Jesus, trust and confidence in him, results naturally in obedience to him.” I think of Jesus teaching His disciples to pray for those who persecute them in Matthew 5:44. We may understand that instruction the first time we hear it. Learning to pray for the person who hurt us takes practice, and it helps to have someone willing to pray with us. We help people follow Jesus when we give them a place to practice what He teaches.

I think of the day Jesus called Matthew from the tax booth. Soon Jesus was at a table with tax collectors and others whose presence drew criticism (Matthew 9:9–13). Around that table, people could hear Jesus explain why He had come and see the mercy He was talking about. There is room for something like that in an ordinary week. A neighbor may be ready to talk about faith over coffee. A friend who has begun reading the Bible may appreciate an invitation to read one Gospel together. When a question comes, I can answer as Peter urges, with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). I can tell someone why I trust Jesus, including what His death and resurrection mean to me, and give that person time to ask the next question. I can also call a week later and remember what they told me about their family. The person who hears us speak about Christ should also have a chance to see how we listen, keep a promise, and ask forgiveness.

The reach of this commission is all nations, and that reach should shape whom I notice. Some disciples will cross oceans. Others will cross the room to welcome someone whose background or language is different from their own. Jesus’ promise goes with both: “And surely I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20, NIV). Matthew began his Gospel with Immanuel, God with us, and here he closes with Jesus promising His presence. Think of one person you could make time for this week. If you already have a friendship, ask a question and stay long enough to hear the answer. If someone has shown an interest in Jesus, offer to read a Gospel passage together and talk about one thing you can each put into practice. You may discover that you both need the same lesson.

The Great Commission in Matthew 28:18–20 joins Christ’s authority and presence to the church’s work of making disciples. Baptism marks a person’s allegiance to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching helps that person learn to obey Jesus over time. A conversation at a kitchen table can be one place where that learning begins.

For further reading, see Elisabeth Johnson’s commentary on Matthew 28:16–20.

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When We Say His Name

As the Day Begins

“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” — Exodus 20:7, NIV.

I can say the name of someone I love and remember, in a moment, how that person has cared for me. Something like that happens when I slow down enough to consider whose name I’m speaking in prayer. At the burning bush, God tells Moses that “I AM” has sent him (Exodus 3:14, NIV). Later, when Moses asks to see God’s glory, the Lord proclaims His name and reveals Himself as compassionate, gracious, and slow to anger (Exodus 33:18–19 and 34:5–7). The God who sends Moses is the same God who bears patiently with him.

The Hebrew word shav carries the sense of emptiness or falsehood. I can misuse God’s name by attaching it to a promise I have little intention of keeping or by saying, “God told me,” when I really mean, “This is what I want.” I can also sing His praises while barely attending to the words. When Jesus teaches us to pray “hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9, NIV), He gives us a way to begin again. To honor God’s name is to let what we know of His character shape what we say and how we say it.

Triune Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for letting me call on You this morning. I am grateful that Your patience reaches me even when my attention wanders and my prayers become hurried. As I begin this day, remind me that I am speaking to the One who knows me completely and still welcomes me. Give me a quiet moment to thank You for a particular mercy I might otherwise pass by. Let my gratitude be as honest as my need.

Jesus the Son, thank You for teaching me to pray to the Father with reverence and trust. When I want to make my opinion sound final, give me the humility to speak it as my own. When I am tempted to promise more than I can give, help me offer a simple, honest answer. If I have used Your name to press someone into agreeing with me, give me the courage to go back and set things right.

Holy Spirit, help me notice the moment just before I speak in anger or make a claim I cannot support. Give me enough patience to pause and enough love to listen. When I worship, bring my attention back to the words I am saying. When someone asks what I believe, help me answer gently and truthfully. May the people I meet today hear something of Your kindness in the way I speak to them. Amen.

Thought for the Day

Before your first difficult conversation today, pray, “Hallowed be your name.” Then ask yourself what you can say with honesty and kindness. If you are unsure about something, give yourself room to say, “I’m still praying and thinking about that.”

Exodus 20:7 and Matthew 6:9 connect reverence for God’s name with everyday speech. The third commandment calls us to speak truthfully when we invoke God’s name, and the Lord’s Prayer teaches us to honor Him from the heart. Both passages give us a way to examine our promises, our prayers, and the authority we claim for our words.

If you’d like to spend time on your journey with Christ, explore our PAGES for a closer look at Scripture and how it shapes everyday discipleship.

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When God Is Bigger Than the Picture

By His Word

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath.” — Exodus 20:4, NIV, excerpt.

I have noticed how quickly I can fill in the blanks when I’m waiting to hear from someone. A friend grows quiet, and before I’ve asked what happened, I’ve already decided what the silence means. Then we talk, and I discover that the person I know is quite different from the one I’ve been carrying around in my head all afternoon. I can do something similar with God. When a prayer goes unanswered, I may assume He has withdrawn. When a decision feels right to me, I may assume He has approved it. Exodus 20 invites me to set those assumptions before the Lord who speaks. Before giving Israel a command at Sinai, God reminds the people that He brought them out of slavery. Then He calls for their exclusive allegiance and forbids them to make an image to bow down to or serve. The Hebrew word pesel refers to a carved image. In his Truth For Life devotional, Alistair Begg draws attention to what these first commands ask of us. They concern both whom we worship and how we approach Him. Israel already knew the Lord by what He had done in Egypt. Now they were learning to trust what He said about Himself.

Moses returns to that day in Deuteronomy 4. He reminds Israel that they heard God’s voice from the fire and saw no form. That detail helps us understand what happened when Moses stayed on the mountain longer than the people expected. They asked Aaron for something that could go before them, and he made a golden calf. He even announced a festival to the Lord (Exodus 32:1–6). I find that detail unsettling. The people could use God’s name in worship while putting their confidence in something they had made. Consider what God had actually provided for Israel’s worship. In the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle stood the ark, with the tablets of the covenant inside. God promised to meet with Moses above its cover, between the cherubim, and speak to him there (Exodus 25:16–22 and 26:34). The same God who forbade the idol made provision for His people to hear Him. God took the initiative to make Himself known, and Israel’s part was to listen. That is a good posture for us when we open our Bibles with a question we would prefer to answer for ourselves.

When I want to know what God is like, I turn to Jesus. Paul calls the Son “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15, NIV). The Greek word for image is eikōn. Paul goes on to say that all things were created through the Son and for Him. The One who shows us the Father is Lord over the very creation from which Israel was tempted to fashion its idols. Think of Jesus with Peter in John 21. Peter had denied Him three times, and the risen Lord met him on the shore, fed him breakfast, asked him whether he loved Him, and entrusted him with the care of His people. I need that whole scene. If I imagine God as eager to discard me, I miss the breakfast and the renewed trust. If I imagine Him as indifferent to what I do, I miss the questions Jesus asks Peter. Christ’s mercy gives Peter room to face what happened and a responsibility to carry forward. The Jesus we meet in Scripture is free to correct the picture of God we have carried for years.

Exodus 20:4–6 forbids making and worshiping idols. Read alongside Deuteronomy 4:12–19 and Colossians 1:15–20, it also gives Christians a way to examine the assumptions that shape their worship. If you find yourself thinking, “God must be tired of hearing from me,” bring that thought to John 21 and spend a few minutes with Jesus and Peter by the water. If you are sure God approves of how you’ve treated someone, read Matthew 5:23–24 and consider whether you owe that person a conversation. Read the passage slowly enough to hear its comfort or its correction. Then name one response you can make today. It may be a candid prayer you have been putting off, or a phone call that begins, “I’ve been thinking about how I spoke to you.”

If you know a teenager or young adult who enjoys honest questions about everyday life, invite them to visit Keaton Talks on Facebook.

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Today’s Spiritual Disciplines

May the Lord bless your walk with Him today. As you read, pray, and meet the people He places in your path, remember that the One who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion (Philippians 1:6).

Today’s Spiritual Discipline Theme

Receiving from God and responding in faith. These daily devotions begin with listening to God in Scripture and carry that attention into our words, our relationships, and the way we end the day.

By His Word — When God Is Bigger Than the Picture
Exodus 20:4 invites us to examine the picture of God we carry in our minds. Meeting Jesus in Scripture gives us room to let Him correct what we have assumed about the Father.

As the Day Begins — When We Say His Name
Exodus 20:7 calls us to speak God’s name with reverence. The Lord’s Prayer gives us words to pray before a conversation that calls for particular honesty or care.

In the Life of Christ — Learning to Follow Jesus
In Matthew 28:18–20, the risen Jesus sends His disciples and promises to remain with them. Consider how reading a Gospel with someone can help you both put His teaching into practice.

The Bible in a Year — Love Pulls Up a Chair
James 2:8 brings the command to love our neighbor into the room where we gather. Look for the person who could use a seat and someone to sit beside them.

On Second Thought — What We Bring to the Table
In John 6:35, Jesus invites hungry people to come to Him as the bread of life. A shared meal may give us room to listen and speak honestly about the mercy we have received.

Did You Know — When It All Belongs to God
Psalm 24:1 places everything we have within God’s care and ownership. Israel’s tithe and Paul’s teaching on cheerful giving help us consider what we can set aside and share willingly.

As the Day Ends — The Good We Almost Missed
First Timothy 6:17 invites us to enjoy God’s gifts and place our hope in Him. Before sleep, name one good thing you might have overlooked and thank Him for it.

Pastor Hogg

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Before You Sleep, Make Room to Listen

As the Day Ends

“In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.” —1 Samuel 3:1, NIV

The sanctuary at Shiloh was familiar to Samuel. He served there under Eli, surrounded by the routines of worship. Yet when the Lord called, Samuel needed help recognizing who was speaking. Religious familiarity had not yet become personal understanding. As I consider the day behind me, I wonder how often I have moved through familiar spiritual routines without giving God my full attention. I may have read a passage while already planning the next task. Tonight, Samuel’s story invites me to slow down and receive Scripture with a willingness to be taught. Having God’s Word nearby is a privilege; giving it our attention is a response of faith.

The passage also reveals God’s initiative amid spiritual failure. Eli’s household was under judgment, but the Lord was raising up Samuel to speak His word faithfully. That word would include difficult truth, and listening would require courage. We should remember this when we open our Bibles seeking comfort: God also corrects, redirects, and calls us to obedience. His care reaches beyond soothing the moment. Before sleeping, I can return to a few verses, ask what they reveal about the Lord, and consider what response they require. I do not need to manufacture an impression. I can attend carefully to what God has given in Scripture.

Heavenly Father, thank You for making Yourself known and for welcoming me into Your presence tonight. Forgive the hurried attention I have given Your Word and the excuses I have made when its teaching challenged me. I bring You the unfinished conversations and responsibilities still moving through my thoughts. Help me receive correction without defensiveness and comfort without taking Your kindness for granted. As I rest, deepen my desire to know You. Let tomorrow’s decisions reflect something I have learned from listening faithfully to You today.

Jesus the Son, You reveal the Father and lead Your people in truth. Draw my attention toward You as I read the Scriptures. Keep me from gathering religious knowledge while resisting the changes You call me to make. Where I have failed today, lead me into honest repentance and renewed trust in Your mercy. Where I am weary, remind me that Your faithful care continues through the night. Teach me to follow You with a willing heart, including when obedience asks more than I expected.

Holy Spirit, help me understand the Word You inspired and respond with humility. Quiet the distractions that keep pulling my attention away from the Lord. Bring to mind the truth I need to remember, and give me patience with passages I do not yet understand. Guard me against confusing my preferences with God’s direction. Strengthen my willingness to obey what Scripture makes clear. As this day closes, help me entrust my concerns to the Father and receive sleep with gratitude for His presence and care.

Thought for the Evening: Read 1 Samuel 3:1–10 slowly. Carry Samuel’s willingness to listen into tomorrow: “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Samuel’s calling reminds us that attentive listening, humble discernment, and obedience belong together in a life shaped by God’s Word.

If you would like to begin studying Scripture with others, email me for encouragement and support in starting a Bible study group.

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Where Will You Run?

DID YOU KNOW

“In the LORD I take refuge.” —Psalm 11:1, NIV

Trouble has a way of revealing where we expect to find safety. Before we have sorted through our thoughts, we may reach for the telephone, retreat into activity, or begin imagining every possible outcome. Psalm 11 invites us to consider where those first movements lead. David faces danger, but he begins by declaring where his trust already rests.

Did you know that taking refuge in God can begin before you feel calm?

David’s opening statement does not come from a trouble-free setting. The psalm describes wicked people preparing their bows and threatening the upright. Voices urge him to flee, and the foundations of ordinary security seem endangered. We are not told the precise historical occasion, so we should resist supplying details the psalm leaves unstated. What we can see is that David’s confidence exists alongside a serious threat. The Hebrew verb ḥāsâ, translated “take refuge,” expresses seeking shelter or protection. David directs that dependence toward the Lord. His words help me recognize that faith does not require me to settle every anxious feeling before I pray. I can come to God while my thoughts are unsettled and my questions remain unanswered. Indeed, turning toward Him in that condition may be the clearest expression of trust available to me. I am acknowledging that I need shelter and that I believe He is trustworthy enough to receive me.

Taking refuge also involves learning the difference between receiving help and escaping awareness. A conversation with a wise friend, a period of rest, or appropriate practical action can help us respond faithfully. Endless distraction may only postpone facing what troubles us. I sometimes need to ask whether my chosen comfort is restoring my ability to live responsibly or helping me avoid the next necessary step. David’s confession invites that kind of honesty. Trusting God can include leaving a dangerous place, seeking protection, or accepting assistance; Scripture records David withdrawing from threats on other occasions. The heart of the matter is where our confidence rests. We can make wise preparations while depending on the Lord. We can also remain physically still while inwardly placing all our hope in control. The refuge David names is a relationship of dependence that can accompany us wherever faithful action requires us to go.

Did you know that Psalm 11 answers collapsing foundations by directing our attention to God’s throne?

The question in verse 3 is painfully recognizable: what can the righteous do when the foundations are being destroyed? We understand something of that feeling when a trusted relationship fractures, a familiar responsibility disappears, or news changes the future we expected. David’s response turns our attention toward the Lord in His holy temple and on His heavenly throne. The psalm then emphasizes that God sees and examines humanity. The danger has not escaped His attention, and human wrongdoing has not displaced His authority. This is the movement of the passage: from threatening circumstances to the character, government, and moral judgment of God. Its final verse affirms that the Lord is righteous and loves justice. David’s refuge therefore has substance. He trusts Someone who sees clearly and cares about what is right. That assurance gives frightened people reason to resist the conclusion that evil has become the final authority over their lives.

Psalm 121 develops a related confidence by directing the worshiper toward the Maker of heaven and earth. The hills may fill the horizon, but their Creator is the source of help. I find that perspective useful when a problem occupies so much attention that it begins to define everything else. The problem may be real and demanding, yet it does not possess God’s wisdom, permanence, or authority. Remembering this does not remove our responsibilities. It helps us carry them without assigning ourselves the impossible task of governing every outcome. We can seek counsel, make a decision, tell the truth, and then entrust what exceeds our reach to the Lord. Sometimes the most faithful prayer is a quiet acknowledgment: “Father, You see what I cannot see. Help me do what is right with what I know.” Such prayer gives our attention a steadier center and makes room for the next act of obedience.

Did you know that the New Testament connects taking refuge with a hope anchored in Jesus?

Hebrews 6:18–20 speaks of people who have fled to take hold of the hope set before them. The passage grounds their encouragement in God’s unchanging purpose and His truthfulness. It then gives us this picture: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Our hope reaches into God’s presence, where Jesus has entered on our behalf. The movement from refuge to anchor brings together shelter and stability. Christian assurance rests in God’s faithfulness and in Jesus’ continuing ministry for His people. The Greek word prodromos, translated “forerunner” in verse 20, identifies Jesus as the One who has gone ahead of us. Our future with God is secured by Him. That gives the believer something stronger to hold than a hopeful guess about tomorrow: we belong to the Savior who has already entered the presence toward which He is bringing us.

An anchor does its work when the water is moving. That image helps me understand why genuine hope can coexist with grief, uncertainty, and difficult circumstances. We may still feel the force of the storm. We may need companionship, patient care, and repeated reminders of Scripture. Yet our security reaches beyond the strength of our present emotions. Jesus’ faithfulness does not rise and fall with our ability to feel reassured. Because we belong to Him, we can bring fear into prayer instead of treating fear as evidence that prayer is no longer welcome. We can receive support from other believers without embarrassment. We can acknowledge a hard day without deciding that God has abandoned us. Taking refuge becomes a daily return to the truth of who Christ is and what He has done. Over time, that repeated return teaches our hearts where to look when another wave arrives.

Psalm 11, Psalm 121, and Hebrews 6:18–20 show us how trust in God provides refuge, perspective, and enduring hope. Today, name the concern that most quickly sends you searching for escape. Bring it honestly to the Lord, ask someone trustworthy to stand beside you, and take one wise step that reflects confidence in His care. Let your first movement toward safety become a movement toward Him.

For further reflection on trusting God through uncertainty, explore the PAGES section and spend time with the Scriptures that speak most directly to your present need.

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Your Prayers Can Reach Behind Locked Doors

On Second Thought

“For I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” —Philippians 1:19, NIV

One of the hardest things about loving someone is discovering how little we can control. We cannot enter every room where decisions are made about them. We cannot accompany them into every difficult conversation or remove every burden they carry. Sometimes we sit with a telephone in our hands, wishing there were something useful we could do. At such moments, we may say, “All I can do is pray.” Paul’s words invite us to reconsider the smallness we sometimes attach to that sentence. He regarded the prayers of his friends as part of God’s provision for his future.

Paul writes Philippians from imprisonment. His freedom is restricted, his circumstances are uncertain, and the possibility of death enters the letter openly. Yet he does not speak as though his ministry has slipped beyond God’s reach. Earlier in the chapter, he explains that his imprisonment has helped advance the gospel. Others have become more courageous in proclaiming Christ, and people connected with his confinement have learned why he is there. What looks like an interruption has become a setting for witness. Paul can see that locked doors have not prevented the Lord from working.

Then he names two closely connected sources of help: the Philippians’ prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. These distant believers cannot simply walk into his confinement and release him. Nevertheless, their prayers matter. Paul includes them in his confidence about what God will accomplish. Distance may limit our physical presence, but it does not prevent us from bringing someone before the Father. We should never confuse our inability to manage a situation with God’s inability to act within it.

The word translated “deliverance” deserves careful attention. The Greek noun sōtēria can refer to salvation or deliverance, and the surrounding verses give Paul’s confidence a larger horizon than release from prison alone. The NET Bible’s notes on Philippians 1:19 recognize this range and identify a possible echo of Job 13:16. Paul goes on to express his desire that Christ be exalted in his body, whether through life or death. His hope includes continued fruitful service, but his deepest security rests in belonging to Christ.

That helps us pray with both boldness and humility. We can ask for healing, protection, release, reconciliation, and open doors. Scripture gives us ample reason to bring concrete requests. In Philemon 22, Paul even asks his friend to prepare a guest room because he hopes to be restored to them through their prayers. He expects prayer to have consequences in the actual circumstances of life. At the same time, Philippians teaches us to entrust the outcome to the Lord whose wisdom reaches beyond our own. We can ask specifically without pretending that we know everything God’s faithfulness must look like.

I find this especially helpful when someone asks why prayer is necessary if God already knows what He intends to do. Throughout Scripture, God accomplishes His purposes through the participation of His people. He uses the preaching of the gospel, acts of generosity, words of encouragement, and faithful service. Prayer belongs within that participation. The Lord who knows our needs still invites us to ask. His sovereignty gives us confidence that Someone able to help is listening; His invitation gives us reason to speak.

Our prayers also need the help Paul names: the Spirit of Jesus Christ. We do not always know how to pray, and we sometimes find ourselves repeating the same broken sentence. Romans 8:26 assures us that the Spirit helps us in our weakness. The effectiveness of prayer does not depend on polished language or uninterrupted emotional strength. A weary believer can still turn toward God. A frightened parent can still name a child. A friend can still ask for mercy when explanations have run out.

Today, consider asking one trusted Christian to pray with you about a burden you have been carrying alone. Be specific enough to help that person pray thoughtfully. Then offer the same care to someone else. Pray for their circumstances, their courage, their discernment, and their continued trust in Christ. Where a practical act of love becomes possible, follow through. Intercession can make us more attentive to the help we are able to give.

On Second Thought

Perhaps we assume that effective prayer must first make us feel powerful. Paul’s example suggests something unexpected: prayer can begin with the honest admission that we are dependent. The imprisoned apostle receives help from people who cannot unlock his door. Their apparent inability becomes an invitation to seek the One who holds his future. When I acknowledge that I cannot rescue everyone I love, I become more ready to entrust them to God and receive support from His people. Dependence opens a place for fellowship that self-sufficiency keeps closed.

Perhaps, too, we will sometimes discover an answer while the outward difficulty remains. Philippians 1:19–21 connects intercessory prayer, the Spirit’s provision, and confidence that Christ will be honored through an uncertain future. God may open the door we have asked Him to open. He may also sustain courage, preserve faith, or create an opportunity for witness within the waiting. Those gifts do not make suffering painless. They do remind us that a prayer has not become useless because the person praying cannot yet see the whole answer.

Invite a younger reader to explore Keaton Talks, where everyday questions offer a starting place for conversations about faith and life.

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Keep Walking While the Walls Still Stand

The Bible in a Year

“By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.” —Hebrews 11:30, NIV

There are days when obedience feels remarkably uneventful. We pray, fulfill our responsibilities, speak kindly, and try to follow the Lord, yet the difficulty before us appears unchanged. The relationship remains strained. The temptation returns. The answer we hoped for has not arrived. I find encouragement in remembering that Israel walked around Jericho for six days without seeing its walls collapse. Their obedience preceded the visible outcome. Faithfulness often means taking the next obedient step while the circumstances still look the same.

Joshua 6 begins with a city tightly closed against Israel. Yet before giving Joshua instructions, the Lord declares that He has delivered Jericho into his hands. The promise comes first; the marching follows. Armed men, priests carrying trumpets, and the ark of the covenant move around the city according to God’s direction. For six days they circle it once. On the seventh day, they make seven circuits, and at Joshua’s command the people shout. The walls fall, and Israel enters the city.

The ark’s presence reminds us whose undertaking this is. Israel’s confidence rests in the Lord who has brought them across the Jordan and into the land He promised. Marching possesses no power to demolish fortifications. Their actions matter because they express trust in God’s particular word to them. Without His command, this unusual procession would have been a human invention. With His command, it becomes an act of faith.

The Greek word translated “faith,” pistis, speaks here of trust in God, demonstrated through obedience. Hebrews does not celebrate Israel’s ingenuity or military strength. It directs our attention to their reliance on the One who spoke. David Guzik captures their perseverance in his commentary on Hebrews 11: “The walls did not fall down for the first six days, yet they kept marching as God commanded.” Their patience belonged to their faith.

That connection challenges me. I sometimes want God to explain the entire outcome before I accept the next responsibility. But Scripture repeatedly shows people responding to His word before they can see its fulfillment. Noah builds. Abraham leaves. Moses confronts Pharaoh. Their circumstances differ, yet each must trust that God knows what He is doing. Obedience gives practical expression to our confidence in God’s character.

We must also receive Jericho’s story within its biblical setting. God gave Joshua a specific promise concerning a particular city. We cannot turn that promise into a guarantee that every obstacle in our lives will disappear after sufficient prayer or perseverance. Hebrews 11 itself honors believers who endured imprisonment, suffering, and death. Their faith was also commended. The chapter teaches us to trust God through different outcomes, with our hope finally resting in His promised future.

For us, the next obedient step may be quieter than a trumpet blast. We may need to acknowledge a wrong without demanding an immediate reconciliation. We may need to continue caring for someone whose condition has not improved. We may need to refuse a dishonest advantage even when integrity appears costly. Scripture gives clear direction for these choices, and God promises His presence as we follow Him. We can act faithfully while entrusting the results to Him.

As you read Joshua 6 alongside Hebrews 11:30, pause over the relationship between God’s promise and His people’s response. Ask what the passage actually promises, what obedience requires, and how its teaching points you toward Christ. Hebrews soon directs our eyes to Jesus, who endured the cross and is seated at God’s right hand (Hebrews 12:2). He sustains our trust when the road becomes difficult.

Jericho reminds us that God’s power accomplishes what human strength cannot. Hebrews 11:30 presents obedient, persevering faith as the fitting response to His word. Today, give the Lord the step He has made clear. You can trust Him with what remains beyond your sight.

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When Religion Misses the Miracle

In the Life of Christ

“They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.” —John 9:13, NIV

I would like to think that if someone in our community received his sight after a lifetime of blindness, our first response would be joy. We would want to hear his story, meet the One who healed him, and celebrate what had happened. Yet John 9 reminds me that a remarkable work of mercy can provoke resistance when it challenges settled assumptions. A man stands before his neighbors with newly opened eyes, but the conversation soon becomes an interrogation. Some religious leaders are so troubled by when the healing happened that they struggle to receive what it reveals about Jesus.

The setting matters. Jesus has made mud, applied it to the man’s eyes, and sent him to wash in the Pool of Siloam. John explains that Siloam means “Sent,” a fitting detail in a Gospel that repeatedly presents Jesus as the One sent by the Father. The man returns seeing, and his neighbors hardly know what to make of him. Someone whose presence they associated with begging now stands before them with a future they had never imagined. Then John introduces the point of controversy: Jesus performed this healing on the Sabbath.

God’s Sabbath command was good. The conflict concerned the interpretation of that command and, ultimately, the identity of Jesus. John even records disagreement among the Pharisees: some condemned Jesus, while others wondered how a sinner could perform such signs (John 9:16). We should hear that distinction rather than treating every leader as identical. Still, opposition hardened. As David Guzik observes in his commentary on John 9, “They said this despite the evidence, not because of it.” Their conclusion about Jesus was becoming a barrier to considering His work honestly.

We can become so committed to defending our understanding that we stop allowing Scripture to examine it. That possibility brings this passage uncomfortably close to home. After many years around Christian teaching, I must remain willing to ask whether a familiar practice serves the Lord’s purposes or merely protects my comfort. Faithful discernment matters; every spiritual claim deserves examination. But discernment requires humility, attention to evidence, and submission to God’s Word. It becomes distorted when we decide beforehand what God must be allowed to do.

Alistair Begg describes the movement of John’s Gospel this way: “the evidence provides a basis for belief.” In his sermon “Why Don’t You Ask Him?”, he directs attention to the signs that reveal Jesus as the Son of God. The healing calls for a response to Jesus Himself. Admiring an extraordinary event while refusing to consider who performed it would leave the deepest question unanswered.

Meanwhile, the healed man’s understanding grows. He first identifies Jesus as the man who healed him, then calls Him a prophet, and later reasons that His work demonstrates that He comes from God. Under pressure, he refuses to surrender what he knows: “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25, NIV). His testimony is honest about its limits. He cannot answer every theological question, but he can tell the truth about Jesus’ mercy. You do not need to understand everything before you can speak faithfully about what Christ has done.

The most tender moment comes after the confrontation. The leaders throw him out, and Jesus finds him. The Lord who opened his eyes now leads him into fuller faith. When Jesus identifies Himself, the man responds, “Lord, I believe,” and worships Him (John 9:38, NIV). The Greek verb translated “believe,” pisteuō, expresses the trust Jesus calls for here. The story moves beyond receiving a gift into recognizing and trusting the Giver.

Perhaps today I need to listen more carefully to someone whose growing faith looks less polished than I expect. Perhaps I need to celebrate repentance instead of continuing to define someone by yesterday’s failures. John 9:13–41 warns against spiritual pride while inviting us into humble faith in Jesus, the Light of the World. His mercy opens our eyes, challenges our assumptions, and draws us into worship. Let us ask Him for hearts willing to receive His truth—and eyes ready to notice His grace.

If you would like to explore passages like this with others, consider starting a small Bible study group. Email me for encouragement and support as you begin studying God’s Word together.

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Who Gets the First Word Today?

As the Day Begins

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” —Exodus 20:2–3, NIV

Before I reach for my phone or begin sorting through today’s responsibilities, I need to remember who has the first claim on my life. God introduces His command by reminding Israel of His deliverance. The One asking for their wholehearted devotion is the One who heard their cries and broke their bondage. God’s call to put Him first begins with the reminder that He has already acted in love. His authority invites a response of grateful trust.

Yet competing loyalties seldom introduce themselves as false gods. They arrive as reasonable concerns: providing for family, doing good work, protecting a reputation, or finding relief from worry. These things matter, but they become dangerous when their demands outweigh God’s Word. I can love my family deeply without asking their approval to determine my obedience. I can work faithfully without expecting achievement to establish my worth. This morning, the first commandment invites me to notice what directs my decisions. Where am I most tempted to say, “Lord, You may guide everything except this”? That guarded place may be where I most need to welcome His loving rule.

Heavenly Father, thank You for receiving me as Your child and for caring about the ordinary concerns I carry into this day. I confess that I sometimes trust what I can manage more readily than I trust You. When responsibilities become heavy, I reach for control. When relationships become uncertain, I reach for approval. Help me recognize these habits without hiding behind excuses. Teach me to receive Your commands as the wise instruction of the Father who loves me.

Jesus the Son, You loved the Father with an undivided heart, even when obedience led through suffering. Forgive me for making room for You in my words while withholding parts of my life. Bring my ambitions, conversations, spending, and private thoughts under Your gracious authority. When I face a costly choice today, help me remember Your faithfulness. Let my love for You become visible in patient service, truthful speech, and the courage to do what pleases You.

Holy Spirit, make me attentive to the loyalties shaping my choices. Show me when a good gift begins to occupy the place that belongs to God. Interrupt my anxious striving with the truth of Scripture. Give me a willing heart when obedience feels inconvenient, and gentleness when I need to change direction. Throughout this day, help me return to the Lord with trust, gratitude, and an undivided desire to follow Him.

Thought for the Day: Before beginning your busiest task, name one concern you are tempted to place above obedience to God. Entrust it to Him in a simple prayer, then identify one faithful action you can take. Putting God first becomes practical when His Word guides the next decision. You may still feel uncertain, but uncertainty need not govern your response.

Exodus 20:2–3 connects wholehearted worship with God’s redeeming care. The first commandment teaches us to recognize competing loyalties and bring our daily decisions under the loving authority of the Lord who delivers His people.

For a deeper study of Scripture and its application to everyday faith, explore the PAGES section and spend a little longer with the passages that speak to your present circumstances.

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