Latest Thoughts of the Day

Jeremiah 1:7

5/18/2026

But the Lord said to me, "Do not say,'I am only a child'. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.

Jeremiah complained of inability to do what God had commanded, and God said,”Don’t talk like that!” God intended to use Jeremiah’s weakness as much as his strength. God is able to work repentance and faith in a man’s heart; and He is able to work stubbornness and resistance If God’s purpose is to display judgment. It was clear what God expected of Jeremiah. Jeremiah’s expectations were not a very big part of the considerations. Perhaps many struggles come not from God’s expectations but from ours as we serve Him. Help us, Lord, not to be influenced by our expectations. Help us look to You for Your will. Our personal happiness will always be to embrace the will of Jesus.

Isaiah 1:7

5/17/2026

Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire; your fields are being stripped by foreigners right before you, laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.

When Isaiah began his ministry, Israel was fairly prosperous and fairly stable, with threats on many sides, but things basically under control. Isaiah could see the cracks, however, and there were many ways in which enemy influences had made their way into the fabric of Israel’s society. He paints a word-picture of what he sees in Israelite society, and he is alarmed because destruction has already come for all practical purposes. It would not be difficult to view our country in this way at this time. Isaiah would live to see many of his prophecies fulfilled. Help us, Lord, to see how desolate we are. Much that threatens us has already occurred in our present society. Help us seek refuge in Jesus.

Song of Songs 1:7

5/16/2026

Tell me, you Whom I love, where you graze your flock and where you rest your sheep at midday. Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your friends?

Can I call you on your lunch hour? I could go to the same lunch room and view you from afar, but my desire is something more personal and more exclusively between me and you. The believer longs for personal fellowship, real contact with the Beloved One. Not just one of an elite group of close acquaintances, but personal sharing on informal occasions. We long for this, Lord Jesus. Enable us to draw near. Walk with us and talk with us and tell us we are Your own. May the Joy we share as we tarry there be something no one else can know. Solomon captures what we feel about you, Lord Jesus.

Ecclesiastes 1:7

5/15/2026

All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.

Solomon will return again and again to the theme of senseless repetition of meaningless occurances . Instead of seeing strength and stability in established rhythms of nature, he responds as if these repetitions are boring. He is determined to view life “under the sun”, and under the sun one is doomed to frustration. Of course, reality does break into his consciousness from time to time, and actually by the end Solomon has settled down to a realization of God’s presence and wisdom. The recycling of water becomes, not a meaningless repetition but a wise provision of a wise and powerful God. Solomon strikes out at God and ends up resting secure in His bosom. Granted wisdom, pursuing wisdom, Solomon ultimately achieves wisdom pointing to Jesus.

Proverbs 1:7

5/14/2026

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

It will always be wise to take God seriously. Knowing God will always involve an intelligent and purposeful submission to His will and way. Taking God seriously and submitting to His way opens the human mind to understanding. Stubborn selfish resistance closes the mind to true understanding and dooms the life to defeat. Jesus said, “If any man would come after me he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” Help us, Lord, always to connect understanding with obedience. Help us ever to walk in Your way. Taking You seriously is the very beginning. Wisdom and discipline will always be fundamental to a true knowledge of Jesus. Help us put our lives in order as we seek to grow in wisdom and understanding. Help us focus on Jesus.

Psalm 2:1

5/13/2026

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?

Why keep up the fight? Satan hoped that his rebellion against God would end in success, but it ended in humiliating defeat. How could it not have done so? Satan promised Eve and Adam that they could be like God, but Satan’s plan only brought terrible ruin and defeat. Any power in history that has risen against God eventually comes to nothing. He does according to His will in the armies of heaven and earth, and none can stay His hand. Why keep fighting? We are very thankful to know that in the purposes of God evil will be unmasked and utterly defeated by His almighty power. The panorama of history will reveal how God uses evil in the world, but why an individual joins himself to that evil remains an enigma. We will cling to Jesus.

Job 1:7

5/12/2026

The Lord said to Satan,"Where have you come from?" Satan answered, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."

Satan is clearly not omnipresent, but must depend on roaming around in order to preserve his effectiveness. Peter speaks of Satan as “roaming about seeking whom he may devour.” There is no rest for the wicked. The way of peace he has not known. God calls Satan to account, and in this context points out an individual especially appreciated by God. It will sound like He is boasting about one in whom He is especially well-pleased. And so Job is. God delights in him, and God is willing for Job to be tried mercilessly in order to display his true mettle. It was an honor for Job to be so tested. Lord, enable our trials to display a sincere love for Jesus.

Esther 1:7

5/11/2026

Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king's liberality.

No mass-produced goblets to serve the wine at this party! Every mug was one-of-a-kind individually fashioned be an artisan. This comes across as an utterly unnecessary expenditure, but that is exactly to point of this party. Excess pushing into ridiculous. The goal is not to care for the needs of your guest, but to show everybody how rich you are. Does such a thing go on in our day? When it does it displays the character of those who pursue this for themselves. It demonstrates their values and lets others know who it is that they want to impress. No doubt it can be used for good. Social needs can be real needs. Help us, Lord, to spend our wealth in a way that honors Jesus!