Latest Thoughts of the Day

Deuteronlmy 1:7

4/29/2026

Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites, go to all the neighboring people in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon as far as the great river, the Euphrates.

The Lord outlines exactly and specifically the boundaries of the land that He has purposed to give to His people, and He tells them to rise up and to get going. We know that it is because of the wickedness of these nations that God had determined to wipe them out. We know that Israel’s success will depend upon His help. Would that they had trusted Him! We all battle with enemies without and enemies within. God is directing all this that He might establish a nation into which He will one day send His Son, Jesus.

Numbers 1:7

4/28/2026

From Judah, Nahshon son of Aminadab.

God is confirming the leadership that has already manifested itself in the various tribes. This is not a random picking of a random individual to take on something that he is not in himself prepared to do. There is an order and a practical functioning of each tribe, and the one recognized by the tribe as its head is confirmed in the word before us. A similar thing goes on in the church. A congregation recognizes an individual that God has gifted to lead, that person embraces the responsibility and things move on in harmony and purpose. It is well when a leader recognizes the call of God upon himself and commits himself to serve a congregation for the glory of God. Lord, help Your people to recognize Your gifts to their assembly, to honor and respect them as gifts from Jesus.

Leviticus 1:7

4/27/2026

The sons of Aaron are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.

There is nothing haphazard in the worship of God. Two of Aaron’s sons will soon be killed for coming up with their own ideas concerning sacrifices. Who arranges the fire on the altar before the offering is presented is determined by God’s specific command. The whole burnt offering symbolizes and points forward to the Substitute that God will one day supply to bear the sins of His people. Jesus’ life and death is in no respect haphazard. He came to do the will of His Father. He ever maintained a remembering of details. This morning’s text reminds us of the manner in which the Son of God carried on His entire life. Attention to detail and care to put in order all things was something that characterized the life of Jesus.

Exodus 1:7

4/26/2026

...but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.

Jacob had come to Egypt as a refugee, with approximately seventy persons I n his clan. They were warmly welcomed at first, but after the death of Joseph there was no movement promoting return to Canaan, so they just stayed in Egypt. God made them so fruitful that their population growth made them a problem that a new Egyptian government was determined to solve by keeping the people as slaves but gradually diminishing their population growth. During forty years of struggle, God was preparing leadership for the Israelites by preparing Moses for the job. We get a glimpse of the eternal plan of God and the way He will use the nation of Israel to accomplish it. God will intervene to prepare the way for His Son, Jesus.

Genesis 1:7

4/25/2026

So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.

Had we been watching, we would have been entirely mystified by God’s creation on the second day. We could not have seen the air that filled the space, and it would all have seemed to be nothing. And God looks at its emptiness and thinks that it is good. Of course, we would not have known the creatures He has in mind to fly in this air. We would not have known the sounds He would purpose to occur because of vibrations of this air. We would not have imagined the breezes and the sunsets and the power and the refreshment of the plants that He had not yet made. We would not have known that the world now coming into being would be visited by Jesus.

Revelation 22:19

4/24/2026

And if anyone takes words away from this book, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and of the holy city, which are described in this book.

It is clear that God wants us to take the book of the Revelation seriously. He has a purpose in everything recorded here, and even those things that seem to us strange and obscure are essential to the unfolding of all His perfect will. We are compelled as we try to interpret some portions to settle for the main idea and to summarize what we imagine it to be about. But God reminds us to remove nothing. The verse before tells us not to add. Lord, help us to reverence Your book and to treasure even those passages that perplex. We trust in You, that all things are designed to show us Jesus.

Jude 19

4/23/2026

These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

What is happening in the church is what the Apostles warned would happen. People who would think of themselves as gifted in religion want to direct the way things go in the church. But they operate without the inner instinct prompted by the Holy Spirit. They are not motivated by a love for Jesus. Jude feels deeply that he must speak out against this type of person, and we are glad he did. Remembering the bottom line will always help us stand against the ingenuity and energy of those who think too much of their own gifts. Love Jesus and long for His appearing. Walk humbly with our God. Reach out in love to rescue those who have been led astray, but keep alive in ourselves the love of Jesus.

3 John 9

4/22/2026

I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us.

Diotrephes is first in a long line of ministers who are more concerned with their own leadership than in the flock they are commissioned to lead. Pride and personal ambition can sometimes gather a following, but in the end the people of God will be brought to see through the selfishness and pride and to abandon this “leader”. “My sheep hear my voice” “The voice of a stranger they will not follow.” It is refreshing to note that John does not fret about the situation. He is content to wait until he visits and then to bring the matter up. Perhaps Diotrephes will listen to reason. If not, John is trusting the Lord to guide as to what should be done. Help us to trust You, Lord Jesus.