Two-fisted Faith Fight

Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise.
Jeremiah 17:14 NKJV

Ten years and two months plus a few days ago, I had a full hip replacement surgery. It did not go well. I got an infection with weeks and weeks of antibiotics, one of which almost killed me. When I was finally able to walk again, I was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). The pain associated with CRPS is most often at the top of the McGill Pain Scale. When the water from the shower hurts you, clothes - anything - touching your skin, sheets, blankets must be the softest possible to be even close to bearable. Sometimes, the very breeze from a fan could send me over the edge. 

By the grace of God, I have a high tolerance when it comes to pain, but I cannot tell you the number of times I cried myself to sleep, begging God to just let me die rather than go through one more day of it! Nevertheless, Thy will be done...  And faithful friends and family prayer warriors, without whose prayers I would have been undone.

For the first couple of years, I questioned my purpose for being alive. I wallowed in the pain and self-pity. Then, as I stopped navel-gazing and asking why, I finally recognized the truth that nothing comes into my life without going through God. I surrendered it to Him instead of trying to fight it by myself. There were days when I considered it a victory to just get out of bed. I remember one night in particular, crying out to God that there was no way I could do this the rest of my life, and I felt in my heart that He asked, "Can you do it just for today? Today is all I ask of you." So, that's what we did. One day at a time. I didn't know if I would ever catch my healing on this side of Heaven, but I learned that every day I woke up, I had purpose. If only to encourage one person. If only to offer a Promise for Today. If I could be a listening ear. Hold a hand. And God's grace poured out. Grace enough for today. To embrace His Word, such as our text for today. And 2 Corinthians 12:9, that His grace is sufficient, and numerous other verses to stand on the foundation of His Word. 

THEN, I woke up one morning recently and there was NO nerve pain. I thought perhaps I had died, but when I opened my eyes, I was still here. For 3 days, it was like being in shock. I'd forgotten what it felt like to be without violent nerve pain. It's indescribable. And I am beyond grateful to God!

This is the shortened version, but know that I have received the miracle of healing from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Ten years and two months plus a few days later. Don't give up, Dear Ones. As long as you are drawing breath, you have purpose. God is faithful.

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You that everything is a teaching moment with You, to strengthen our faith and trust in You, to bring us closer to You, to open our eyes to see beyond our circumstances, and learn who You are in Your fullness. Thank You that Your power is made perfect in our weaknesses. It is Your breath in our lungs and we praise You with every one. Help us to always keep our focus on You and our hearts receptive to Your leading. And help us to see those around us who have needs. We want to be Your hands and feet and love extended. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

2026 Lenten Season - Day 23 - Sacrifice

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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No sacrifice that you and I will ever make is as great as the sacrifice that was made for us and for our redemption.

Everyone makes sacrifices—

for physical beauty,

for body health,

for athletic victory,

for career advancement,

for relational unity,

for sound investment,

for a physical dwelling,

for the hope of fame,

for parental love,

for spiritual growth,

for environmental health,

for political power,

for a noble cause,

for a dark addiction,

for the cause of peace,

for liberation from bondage,

for making a point,

for exposing an evil,

for meeting a need,

for offering mercy,

for settling a score,

for extending a hand.

Every day sacrifices are made.

Everyone does it.

No one can avoid it.

Life requires it.

Good calls you to it.

Evil demands it.

Sometimes we’re willing.

Sometimes we’re resistant.

Sometimes we regret it.

Sometimes we sacrifice with great joy,

sometimes with deep sorrow,

sometimes in the bright light,

sometimes in the darkness of night,

sometimes private,

sometimes public,

the young and the old,

men and women,

girls and boys,

of every language,

of every ethnicity,

from every place on the globe,

from every period of history.

But in all of those places,

with all of these people,

in all of those epochs of time,

with innumerable sacrifices,

there is only one man

who had sacrifice as his solitary purpose.

There was only one man

whose sacrifice would meet everyone’s need.

There was only one man

who paid for what he did not do

so others would get what they did not earn.

There was only one man

who was qualified.

There was only one man

who was the God-man,

Son of God,

Son of Man.

There was only one man.

who would live a righteous life.

There was only one man

who would die an acceptable death.

There was only one man

who would satisfy God’s requirement.

There was only one man

who would not only make that sacrifice

but who would be that sacrifice.

There was only one man

who would be the Lamb of God.

There was only one man

whose sacrifice would change everything.

Sin defeated.

Life given.

Hope restored.

Destiny secure.

God and man reconciled,

once for all.

“It is finished.”

Billions of sacrifices made;

only one sacrifice

for life now

and for all eternity.

Going Deeper

Reflection Questions

1. Think about the goals you’re working toward right now. What are you sacrificing to reach them?

2. Does your level of sacrifice to develop your relationship with God match the level of sacrifice you make to do other things? Why or why not?

3. What sacrifice did Christ make for you? List out all that he endured, and thank him specifically for those things.

Read the account of the crucifixion in Matthew 26:20–27:53 [included below in its entirety].

20When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table[a] with the Twelve. 21 While they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”

22 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?”

23 He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. 24 For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”

25 Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?”

And Jesus told him, “You have said it.”

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant[b] between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. 29 Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”

30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

31 On the way, Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say,
‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

32 But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.”

33 Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.”

34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

35 “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same.

36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

42 Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away[d] unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.

44 So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”

47 And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. 48 The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.” 49 So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss.

50 Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.”

Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. 51 But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.

52 “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? 54 But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”

55 Then Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there teaching every day. 56 But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.

57 Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. 58 Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.

59 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. 60 But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward 61 who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

64 Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

65 Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your verdict?”

“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”

67 Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him, 68 jeering, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?”

69 Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.”

70 But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

71 Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

72 Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.

73 A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”

74 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed.

75 Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.

27 Very early in the morning the leading priests and the elders of the people met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death. 2 Then they bound him, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.

3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”
“What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”

5 Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.

6 The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.” 7 After some discussion, they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners. 8 That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood. 9 This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says,
“They took the thirty pieces of silver— the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel, 10 and purchased the potter’s field, as the Lord directed.”

11 Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked him.

Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

12 But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. 13 “Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded. 14 But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise.

15 Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. 16 This year, there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas. 17 As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 (He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)

19 Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”

20 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. 21 So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?”
The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”

22 Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”
They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

23 “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”
But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

24 Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”

25 And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”

26 So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

27 Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters and called out the entire regiment. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. 29 They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. 31 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

32 Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. 33 And they went out to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). 34 The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.

35 After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. 36 Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. 37 A sign was fastened above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

39 The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. 40 “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”

41 The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. 42 “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! 43 He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.

45 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 46 At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

47 Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. 48 One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. 49 But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”

50 Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, 52 and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. 53 They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.

2026 Lenten Season - Day 22 - The Love and Grace of Warnings

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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On this side of eternity, it is easy to love the gift more than the giver.

Parents instinctively know that issuing warnings is an important part of true love. Parents who love their children spend a lot of time over the years warning them. From the early warnings about things that are hot, sharp, dirty, or poisonous, to the later warnings about the temptations of a fallen world, one of the ways that parents regularly express love for their children is by warning them of the dangers ahead. I have two granddaughters, and when I am with them, I find myself doing this all the time. Sometimes those warnings are attached to the rules that children have been taught and asked to obey. These warnings carry with them the threat of consequences or judgment. But warnings are not the same as judgment. If all I wanted to do was judge you, I wouldn’t warn you. I warn you because I love you, and I don’t want you to have to experience the consequences of your disobedience. When you are warned, you are being loved. To be warned is to receive grace.

Scripture warns us about a subtle kind of idolatry that masquerades as the worship of God but is really driven by the love of things. The war between worship of God and worship of things is not always as apparent to us as we think.

A seminary professor of mine told of a moment in his church when his brothers and sisters were enjoying a time of public praise. One woman stood up and shared how she had been facing bills that she could not pay, that she had prayed, and that God had supplied the money necessary to pay them all. Then she said, “I am just so thankful to God for his faithfulness.” It seems that everything was right in this moment of praise, except my professor kept thinking, “What if he hadn’t?" What if God, for his eternal glory and her spiritual good, had allowed her to face the stress of the even greater financial consequences of those bills being unpaid? Would she have still stood up and thanked God for his faithfulness?

Now, it may seem like a judgmental way of hearing this woman’s gratitude, but the professor’s observation points us to how subtle and deceptive the war for our hearts can be. Could it be that we are most excited about God’s presence in our lives when he has met a physical need or delivered to us something that we want? Could it be that there are ways in which God has been reduced from the one that we love to the deliverer of the thing that we love? Could it be that love of the world masquerades in our hearts as the worship of God? After we get what we want and we thank God for it, we think we are worshiping him, but perhaps, in reality, what has captured our hearts is not God but the thing.

The world around us is filled with sight, sound, touch, and taste attractions. We also find delights that are not physical, like affection, success, position, respect, power, and control. All of these created things, both material and immaterial, appear to give us life. They seem to have the power to produce joy and satisfaction or, when absent, sadness and discontent. So it is quite tempting to reach for them,  hoping they will do for us what they were never intended to do. It is tempting for all of us to look around and say, “If only I had _____ then my life would be ______.” Whatever sits on the other side of your “if only” is the thing you are living for at that moment and the thing that you think will give you the peace of life that you think is missing. Consider these heart-revealing questions.

When does God excite me most?
When do I shout the loudest, “God loves me!”?
When am I most thankful that I am one of God’s children and the object of his fathering care?
When does my relationship with God provide me the most joy?
What does God need to do for me in order for me to be content?
When do I tend to question God’s love?
When do I struggle the most to believe that God is faithful?
When am I tempted to envy others or to think God has favorites?
When does my praise of the Lord feel empty?
What causes me to feel that my prayers go unheard?
What would God have to do to produce real joy in me?

I don’t know about you, but I find these questions to be uncomfortable and revealing. I don’t think of myself as one who loves the gift more than the giver, but perhaps there are ways in which I do. Do I really believe that God is good, does what is good, and gives what is good to all his children all the time? Is it really true of me that because of the joy and satisfaction of knowing him and being loved by him, I am able to live with plenty or live with want? Does the withholding of what seems good cause me to question if he is good? Can I stand next to someone who has what I think I need and still love my Lord and rest in his love for me? Are there things that I have set my heart on, the absence of which will cause my faith to waver and my praise to be silenced? Where does my heart still live under the rulership of the gift rather than the righteous and loving rule of the giver?

During this season when you are letting go of the things of the world, confessing areas of sin and weakness, and running to your Savior for rescue and help, perhaps you should also confess one of the subtlest forms of idolatry. Perhaps it would be good to confess that what appears as worship may not be worship at all. It may be worship of the thing that reduces God to the delivery system for what your heart really craves. And remember, God sent his Son not only to forgive our sins, but also to liberate our hearts from the bondage to anything but him. He is not shocked or disgusted by your struggle. He will turn not away from you, but toward you with love and grace.

So today, hear this loving warning. Could it be that the confession of ongoing struggles of idolatry, no matter how subtle, is the first step toward a heart that is consumed by the worship of God alone?

GOING DEEPER
Reflection Questions

1. When have you found yourself closest to God? When have you been tempted to love him for the gifts he has given rather than for himself?

2. How can you grow in satisfaction in God himself while still being thankful for the gifts he gives?

3. What do you need to confess as an area where “what appears as worship may not be worship at all”?

Read Psalm 50:8–15, and hear God’s heart of love that longs for relationship, not empty sacrifice.

Psalm 50:8–15

I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer. But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens. For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it. Do I eat the meat of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats? 

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.

2026 Lenten Season - Day 21 - Confession

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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It is impossible to excuse, deny, or minimize your sin without telling yourself that you do not need the grace of Christ Jesus.

Bill and Jenny had hit the wall again. A misunderstanding had devolved into a nasty, name-calling, trust-shattering fight. The air in their house was thick with tension, and the awkward silence between them was suffocating. It had been three days since the horrible fight, but there had been no rapprochement between them. Bill spent much of those three days telling himself that Jenny was the problem, and that all he was doing was defending himself against her attack. Jenny told herself that she was the victim of an emotionally abusive husband. They could not reconcile because they were unwilling to see their own sin, let alone to confess it to God or one another. Each denied their attitudes and actions, each excused his or her sin by pointing the finger of blame at one another, and both told themselves that what they did wasn’t so bad, given the circumstances.

It was a familiar scene for them, repeated again and again. There was never much true confession, but somehow they would move on without the wrongs against one another being addressed and then march to the next debilitating battle. But even more tragic than the toll on their marriage was their denial of their need for the rescuing, forgiving, and empowering grace of Jesus. In refusing to confess their sin, they told themselves that they did not need the grace of Jesus, purchased for them on the cross of Calvary. Because they did not own their sin and cry out to their Savior for his forgiveness and help, they did not grow in grace and love toward one another. Their marriage was stuck in a cycle of sin and hurt. Cynicism had replaced hope, self-defensiveness had replaced trust, and a repeated cycle of hurt hardened hearts that were once tender and loving.

It makes sense that you and I simply do not reach out for help that we do not think we need. We don’t long for what seems unnecessary. How is it possible to hold the cross as the epicenter of our formal theology while functionally denying our need for this radical sacrifice of love and grace? When you sin as a believer, your conscience will bother you. What you experience is the convicting grace of the Holy Spirit, and there are only four ways to respond to this gracious warning that you have done something wrong. 

Let’s look at each response in light of what the cross requires us to see and admit about ourselves.

1. Excuse. 

It’s hard to admit that you have done wrong, that it’s your responsibility alone. It is so easy to alleviate your guilt by pointing to someone or something else as the reason you did what you did. Here’s why blame-shifting seems so plausible and is so tempting. You live in a fallen world with broken things all around you, so there are many excuses to be found. You live with and near people who are less than perfect. They don’t always say and do the right things. They don’t always have good attitudes. They don’t always keep their promises. They are not always committed to your best interest. They are just like you, people in need of God’s rescuing grace.

You live with all kinds of systemic brokenness in your neighborhood, on the highways, at work, in government and education, at the stores where you shop, and the list could go on and on. In case you hadn’t noticed, this is not paradise, and the world doesn’t function the way paradise will someday function. Yet in all of this, God meets you with his heart and life-changing, empowering grace. It really is possible to do what is right in a world that has gone wrong. This life of right begins with recognizing your need for God’s grace, and that begins with a commitment to not deny your need for God’s grace by searching for excuses for the wrong that you have done.

2. Deny. 

It is also tempting to rewrite the history of a certain situation to make yourself look way more righteous than you actually were. This may sound needlessly repetitive, but it is worth thinking about: the ultimate denial of sin is denial. Saying that it never happened makes you hopelessly unapproachable, resistant to the thought that you need to change, and self-congratulatory when you should feel guilty. It leaves you without any neediness for God’s forgiving, restoring, and enabling grace. Denial never goes anywhere good; it is never good for your heart, it never deepens your relationship to God, and it never produces good in your relationships.

3. Minimize. 

One of the most tempting ways of escaping responsibility for your sin is not to excuse it or deny it, but to minimize it. Wrong becomes more palatable to your heart when you are able to minimize its size, importance, or impact. When you are able to make your sin look something less than a conscious moral rebellion against God or a willingness to wrong your neighbor for your own good, it doesn’t then feel so wrong to you. If you can make your sin look to you something less than sin, then you don’t need the grace that God offers sinners. You simply cannot minimize your sin without, at the same time, devaluing God’s amazing grace.

4. Confess. 

In the face of having done what is wrong in the eyes of God, this is the only option that the cross of Jesus Christ leaves open. If sin is excusable, deniable, and not really a big deal, then the cross of Jesus Christ is not necessary. Confession always recognizes the inescapable sinfulness of sin. Sin cannot be excused, it cannot be denied, and it is not honest to diminish its significance, so it must be owned and confessed to one who has the power not only to forgive, but also to deliver us from its hold on our hearts.

What is confession? Confession is admitting personal responsibility for your words and actions, without excuse of any kind or shifting the blame to anyone else. Confession is a welcome into a deeper appreciation of the presence, promises, and grace of God. It is a welcome to more humble, honest, approachable, and loving relationships with others. It is a welcome to no longer being afraid of knowing yourself or being known, because you know that nothing will ever be known or revealed about you that hasn’t already been covered by the blood of Jesus. Confession is an invitation to a life of internal rest and external peace.

So this season, as you reflect on the sacrifice of Christ on your behalf, and as the Spirit begins to reveal your heart and conviction sets in, don’t defend yourself with excuses, denial, or minimizing, and in so doing run from the grace of your Savior. Run to him, owning what you have done as you rest in the grace he offers to all who come to him in this way. “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, / but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

GOING DEEPER

Reflection Questions

1. You probably would give verbal assent to the idea that you need God. But do your actions, your attitudes, and your prayer life support that?

2. How do you usually respond when you are confronted with your sin—excuse, deny, minimize, or confess? What factors contribute to how you respond at different times?

3. What have you noticed are the effects of each of these responses: excuse, deny, minimize,  confession?

Read Psalm 62:5–8, humbling yourself in prayer before the Lord.

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.

2026 Lenten Season - Day 20 - To Silence Complaint

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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It is good to silence complaint in your life by sitting down and taking the time to count your blessings.

So many blessings, so many graces, so many gifts, so much love. There is no rational explanation; there is no human reason; there is no scientific formula; no evolutionary theory; no political machinations; no cultural privilege; no chance; no fate; nothing earned; nothing achieved; nothing deserved; no right; no entitlement; no family inheritance; no right of passage; no reward for work done; no prize for achievement; no deserved recognition.

There is a miracle operating here; there is amazing favor; there is unprecedented mercy; there is boundless love; there is only one explanation; there is but one rationale. Blood was shed outside the city walls, a perfect man with the criminal element nailed to a torture tree, hung there by those he made. No words of defense, no actions of resistance. Favored Son, now willing Sufferer, carrying the sin of multitudes. Mocked by onlookers, forsaken by the Father, willing Lamb, acceptable sacrifice, planned from eternity, accomplished in time, so we would know so many blessings, so many graces, so many gifts, so much love.

During this season when you are thinking about the hold that the world still has on you, when you’re confessing your struggle with sin, and when you’re focusing on the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus that secured your hope in this life and the one to come, take time to count the many right-here, right-now blessings that the work of Jesus has delivered to you. You probably don’t need me to tell you this, but I will: it is more natural for sinners to complain than to give thanks. If you listen to yourself, you'll find that this is true. Our tendency to complain is one of the results of the selfishness of sin. Complaint reminds us that we keep sticking ourselves in the center of our worlds and making life all about us.

Gratitude is a powerful weapon against complaint. It is impossible to give thanks and complain at the same time. The more you spend time counting your blessings, the less time you’ll have to number your complaints. Complaint is a distorted and inaccurate way of looking at your life. For the child of God, a life of grumbling is the result of a factually inaccurate way of assessing life. It is factually inaccurate because it misses the ultimate facts of your existence: the intervention, operation, and generous blessings of God’s amazing grace. It focuses on what you don’t have and forgets the marvelous blessings that are yours that you could have never earned, achieved, or deserved in your own strength or based on your own performance. God’s grace unleashes into your life blessings that are too many to number. No matter what difficulties you are facing, they are outweighed by the storehouse of blessings that are yours in Christ Jesus.

So take time out of each day, if only for a few moments, to count your blessings. Buy a journal or open a Google Doc, and each day catalog the blessings in your life, from the smallest and most mundane to those that are huge and life-changing. Fight the battle with complaint by developing a day-by-day habit of gratitude. Begin counting your blessings, and watch how the practice begins to alter the way you look at your life. No one is more worthy of your praise than your generous, loving, faithful, wise, and gracious Savior.

Gratitude silences complaint.

GOING DEEPER
Reflection Questions

1. Looking at a typical day, what percentage of your time is spent grumbling and what percentage is spent giving thanks?

2. Why do you think it is so difficult for us to remember to give thanks? What practical things can you do to draw your heart away from complaining and toward praise?

3. Have you ever kept a gratitude journal? What benefits did this have—or could it have if you haven’t tried it yet—for you?

Read Psalm 103, and thank the Lord for his many blessings.

A psalm of David.

1 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things.My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

6 The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. 7 He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. 9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. 14 For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. 15 Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. 16 The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here. 17 But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children 18 of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!

19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything.

20 Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. 21 Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will! 22 Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom.

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

2026 Lenten Season - Day 19 - Not a Simple Occasion

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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You and I have three problems that only the Redeemer has the power and willingness to solve.

Psalm 51:1-17

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

Psalm 51 records one of the most important prayers in the entire Bible. It is a prayer that everyone should emulate, because it is a model of the heart of true confession. King David, a chosen servant of the Lord, had used his position, power, and resources not only to take another man’s wife, but to murder that man as well. It unpacks for us the kind of confession that comes from a truly sorrowful heart. 

You see the character of this confession from the very first verse. David immediately acknowledges that his problem is not simply this occasion of sin, but something larger and more deeply serious than that.  How do we know this? We know this because of the three words David uses to describe what he is dealing with: transgression, iniquity, and sin. These words are not synonyms but careful descriptions of the different aspects of the nature of sin. Sin is a trifold problem, not just an occasion of wrongdoing. Let’s examine these together.

1. Transgression. 

Sin is much more than a moment of weakness that leads to doing what is wrong in the eyes of God.  Surely, we all have those moments. But transgression concerns something deep inside us that makes us susceptible to temptation’s draw and that weakens us in our battle with sin. A transgression is a willful stepping over of God’s boundaries. Transgression is seeing the No Trespassing sign and climbing the fence anyway because there is something you want to get to on the other side. Transgressing is intentionally parking in the No Parking zone because you would rather save a few steps than obey the law. Transgression is yelling at your wife when you know it is wrong because you want something from her and will do whatever it takes to get it. Transgression is pilfering pens from work when you know very well that they weren’t supplied for your personal use.

Transgression is a spirit of rebellion. It’s putting yourself in God’s place and writing your own rules. It’s wanting your own way more than submitting to God’s way. Transgression is a condition of the heart that turns every sinner into a rebel in some way. True confession confesses to more than weakness; it confesses to the rebellion of heart that causes you to be weak in your struggle with sin.

2. Iniquity. 

Something even deeper than a spirit of rebellion lives in me. It is the thing that causes me to be rebellious. Consider the words of Titus 1:15: “To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.” The only way we would ever perfectly obey God is if the thoughts, motives, desires, and intentions of our hearts were completely pure. But sin defiles the heart. Iniquity is moral uncleanness. It is like water that is no longer pure, but has corrupting elements in it. Iniquity is like breathing polluted air. You can’t see it, you don’t realize it, but it contains impurities that will harm you. I wish I could say that my heart is pure. I wish I could say that there are no artifacts of moral corruption in me, and because there aren’t, I am impervious to temptation. But sadly, I cannot say that, and neither can you as long as sin still resides in your heart. So confession doesn’t just admit to a moment of wrongdoing and a spirit of rebellion, but it also acknowledges the moral impurity of heart that is the seedbed of that rebellion.

3. Sin. 

Finally, our confession of sin is a confession of a specific instance of weakness and failure. The word sin connotes falling short of God’s wise and righteous standard. It’s more than pulling the bowstring back and missing the target. It is pulling the bowstring back again and again, and every time falling short of the target. Confession of a specific sin against God and others is an admission of weakness. It is an admission that, when left on our own, even in our best moments, we would still fall short of God’s holy requirements of us. Embedded in the word sin is a cry for help. It is a cry to be rescued from your bondage to yourself. It’s a plea to not be left to your own weakness, but to be forgiven and rescued by one greater and more powerful than you will ever be. Confession of sin carries with it a commitment to be ever more dependent on the Redeemer for the help that he alone can give. Confession of sin is an admission that this instance of weakness and failure stands as a testament of your ongoing need for God’s grace.

So in this season of personal reflection and confession, may your confession be as deep and broad as David’s. And may these three biblical words, transgression, iniquity, and sin, guide that confession. And as you confess, may you be comforted by God’s promise that he will never turn his back on you. He will never despise one who comes to him with a truly broken and contrite heart. Confession is God’s welcome to enter into a deeper experience of the majesty of his grace.

GOING DEEPER

Reflection Questions

1. In the last week, how have you transgressed God’s law, rebelling in spirit against him?

2. When was the last time you confessed your iniquity, your general impurity? If this is not a regular part of your prayer life, how might you incorporate it more often?

3. Does your confession of sin often feel like a cry for help? Why or why not?

Return to Psalm 51 at the top of this post, and use it again as a template for prayer, allowing the definitions of transgression, iniquity, and sin to deepen your time of confession.

2026 Lenten Season - Day 18 - Surprised Again

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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The story of our redemption is historical proof of God's unstoppable sovereignty.

Surprise is a normal part of life for all of us. We are greeted with mystery again and again. We get caught up short, unprepared for what is coming down the line. The redemptive story confronts us with the fact that God is not like us. He saw our need, he planned how to meet that need, and everything happened just as he planned. In the vast expanse of time, the huge company of people, and the multitude of locations that were the setting for his plan of grace, he was never surprised, never unprepared, and
always in control. Christ’s march to the cross reinforces for us that our rest and hope are not in our knowing, but in his ruling. The God who knows no surprises will surprise us again. But it is okay,
because what we don’t know, he knows; what we can’t control, he controls, and because he does, we can live with mystery and surprise and not be afraid.

May the words below stimulate rest in the middle of surprise.
Surprised again. Quiet conversation erupts into heated debate.
Surprised again. Sickness interrupts well-being.
Surprised again. A loved one is unexpectedly lost.
Surprised again. A long-trusted leader falls.
Surprised again. An unexpected gift alleviates need.
Surprised again. Opportunity’s doors open wide.
Surprised again. A sleepless night plunders rest.
Surprised again. Sudden conflict crushes peace.
Surprised again. An emergency alters the day’s schedule.
Surprised again. Divine provision propels a plan.
Surprised again. Sudden mystery sows confusion.
Surprised again. Grace proves too big to grasp.
It is the story of my life. I am surprised again and again.

Surprised again, reminded again and again, that I am not sovereign. I am surprised again but not afraid. My surprise, my misguided expectation, the mystery I live with, my lack of control, does not mean my world, my life, my present, my future, is out of control. Yes, I will be surprised again and again, but I am not afraid, because You, Lord, are incapable of being surprised.

GOING DEEPER
Reflection Questions

1. Do you like surprises? Why or why not? What emotions do surprises evoke for you?

2. When has life surprised you? When has God surprised you?

3. How can a perspective on God’s sovereignty help you deal with the surprises of life? What are some things you can do to live with joy and hope amid the uncertainties of life?

Read Isaiah 46:5–13, Take courage and comfort in the (ofttimes surprising) sovereignty of God.

Isaiah 46:5-13 New Living Translation

“To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?
Some people pour out their silver and gold and hire a craftsman to make a god from it. Then they bow down and worship it! They carry it around on their shoulders, and when they set it down, it stays there. It can’t even move! And when someone prays to it, there is no answer.  It can’t rescue anyone from trouble.

“Do not forget this! Keep it in mind! Remember this, you guilty ones. Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish. I will call a swift bird of prey from the east—a leader from a distant land to come and do my bidding. I have said what I would do, and I will do it. Listen to me, you stubborn people who are so far from doing right. For I am ready to set things right, not in the distant future, but right now! I am ready to save Jerusalem and show my glory to Israel."