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We Have To Be Taught What We Need (April 26)
The fact is, we have to be taught what our greatest needs are. We think we know what these are, but our priorities can become dangerously disordered. We have to learn (sometimes the hard way) that it is by God’s word that we live, not by bread alone.
Do We Really Mean Our Nice-Sounding Words? (April 25)
Often our words serve the purpose of saying what we WANT to be true. Yet we need to be careful. Surrounded by other religious people, it’s easy to say nice things. But talk is cheap, as the saying goes. We need to mean every promise we make to God.
Setting Apart Christ as Lord in Our Hearts (April 24)
Converted to Christ, we set Him apart as our Lord. But living consistently under that lordship takes time. We must yield our hearts completely to His direction. At our baptism, we’re just getting started in learning how to let Christ be our Lord.
Aspiring To Be Acceptable (April 26)
Can we recognize that which is morally excellent when we come in contact with it? Our judgment must come to coincide more closely with God’s, so the things we approve are the same things He approves. Spiritually speaking, our tastes must be refined.
This Is Our Wisdom (April 25)
There is nothing wiser we can do than observe God’s law carefully. If when others think of the lives we have lived, they think of the good things that come from seeking God’s wisdom, then it’s fairly certain that we’ve been “after” the right thing.
Godly Sorrow (April 24)
Those with godly sorrow are the God-centered people who, once they realize they’ve erred, will grieve the wrongfulness of their sin rather than its painfulness. The self-pitying sorrow of the world leads to death, but godly sorrow leads to God.
God Sees Behind Our Personalities (April 26)
Nothing gained by mere personality techniques will last. God sees behind our personalities, and most other people do too. Eventually the Law of the Farm will prevail: we will reap as we have sown. There is no short cut to any harvest worth having.
Patience While We Make Progress (April 25)
The important thing right now is not perfection but progress. As we work toward perfection as a goal, we’ll make more progress if we concentrate on taking the steps that are immediately before us. Those are always steps that we’re capable of taking.
In the Midst of It All (April 24)
This life will always be incomplete. Recognizing that we’re not going to see anything more than God’s work “in progress” right now, we are free to dream and yearn and long for the time when His plan will reach its climax, and we can finally go home.
Abstinence (April 26)
Emotions and appetites are good things that can serve us well, but not unless they’ve been trained to do so. Much that is good about life depends upon freedom, and there is no freer person than the one who has learned how to use the word “no.”
Introspection (April 25)
Great good comes from turning off the chatter and just listening. In particular, we need to listen to our consciences. Often, our consciences have crucial things to say to us, but we can’t hear them because there’s too much noise. We need to listen!
Praise (April 24)
While it’s true that our words to others must sometimes take the form of criticism, when it comes to sheer power, criticism is no match for praise. “Praise can give criticism a lead around the first turn and still win the race” (Bern Williams).
DFBS 318 – Faith in the midst of suffering is a great example we can give to others
Paul did not see his sufferings simply as worldly hardships — he saw them as opportunities to honor Christ and influence others. No matter what happened, Paul was always looking for a way to exalt the Lord in dealing with his difficulties.
DFBS 317 – God has made possible our reconciliation to Himself
When the Prodigal Son came to his senses and returned home penitently to his father (Luke 15:20-24), the scene in which they were reunited is meant to tell us what it can be like when we are forgiven of our sins and reconciled to God spiritually.
DFBS 316 – The gospel of Jesus Christ produces peace
Working constructively toward peace challenges both our wisdom and our courage. It calls for the highest and best within us. May we be people whose work results in a greater degree of true harmony, based upon the revealed truth of God’s word.
March 2026
I recently took a few days to assess the work that remains to be done on “Walking in Christ.” I’ve got 139 pages left to write, which sounds like a lot but it’s not nearly as many as the 366 I started with. It’s an exciting time in this this book, and I hope you’ll pray for clarity of mind as I head into the last stage of the writing.
January 2026
With God’s great help, I was able to meet my 2025 writing goals for “Walking in Christ.” I’ll have to keep my head down and stay focused to finish the remaining pages and have the book in your hands by the end of this year, but I believe it is doable.
November 2025
I have put myself on the daily regimen of reading from the Psalms in the morning and evening of each day. I follow a plan that takes me through all 150 of the Psalms every month. This is an ancient practice, and I have benefited from it greatly.