Category Archives: Wisdom & Guidance

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May 7, 2026

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Church & Worship, God's Grace & Love, God's Word: The Bible, Knowing Him, Sharing Our Faith, Wisdom & Guidance

CONFUSED?

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. We believe with our hearts, and so we are made right with God. And we declare with our mouths that we believe, and so we are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disappointed.” [Romans 10:9-11 (NCV)]

You will find all true theology summed up in these two short sentences: Salvation is all of the grace of God. Damnation is all of the will of man. [Charles Spurgeon]

Steamboat - ColoradoThinking we’d never be old enough to retire in Florida, we used to spend our winters in a Colorado mountain town and our days skiing on the slopes. The lift line crew at one lift often posted riddles or trivia questions on a board at the bottom of the hill. As we pondered the answer while riding up, we’d see the answer at the top as we skied off the lift. One day the question was, ”What is greater than God? The poor have it, the rich need it and, if you eat it, you will die!”

We pondered the riddle while riding to the top of the run. I was perturbed that someone would think anything or anyone was greater than God, even in a silly riddle. Seeing no answer posted at the top, I skied back down to get it. When getting on the lift again, I complained that nothing had been written on the upper board. “But, you’ve just said the answer!” replied the lift operator. Duh! I’d completely ignored the obvious response while concentrating on the second part of the riddle. By focusing on the rich, the poor, and some sort of poison, I’d missed the first and obvious response—nothing is greater than God! The poor have nothing, the rich need nothing and, if we eat nothing, we’ll die!

I made a simple riddle far more complicated than necessary, something we often do with our faith. For example, during one Bible study someone asked what would happen to our dogs during the Rapture. While it made for a fascinating discussion (did you know some non-Christians offer “After the Rapture” pet care?), the various Christian views about the end times are perplexing. As for me, I’m not going to complicate my faith by pondering the Rapture’s date, let alone worry about pets when it happens or whether dogs and cats will be in heaven. We have a loving God and I’m sure He’s got everything planned out quite thoroughly.

It’s admirable that some people want to dig deep into questions of theology, doctrine, and dogma. I do it myself at times but often end up going down a rabbit hole which leaves me more confused than when I started! It’s incredibly easy to get bogged down in complex and unclear issues that make Christianity and the Bible far more difficult than they need be. Our relationship with God won’t suffer if we can’t hold forth on subjects like the Rapture and tribulation, annihilationism, predestination, Calvinism, Arminianism, and the various doctrinal differences between denominations. Trying to come to terms with the minute details can keep us from the big picture: having a relationship with God the Father, believing in his Son Jesus Christ, and feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

We don’t have to be theologians to be Christians; we just have to be followers of Christ. It’s not necessary to know Greek or Hebrew to read or understand the Bible. Attendance at seminary isn’t a prerequisite for prayer; it’s no more difficult than talking on the phone. We don’t have to take lessons in how to worship to be able to lift our hearts in praise and no evangelism seminar is required for us to share God’s message of love.

Let us remember that we have a God who designed caterpillars so they become butterflies and gave marsupials pockets in which to carry their young! He doesn’t repeat fingerprints or snowflakes, keeps our solar system functioning flawlessly, turns tiny acorns into giant oaks, gives us incredible rainbows, and made crying babies loveable. A God so powerful and resourceful that he merely spoke the universe into existence certainly was able to create us in such a way that knowing Him, understanding His word, having faith, saying a prayer, offering praise and thanksgiving, and sharing His message are well within our capabilities. Let’s remember—none of the Apostles were rocket scientists or Greek scholars and they did just fine!

The Bible is shallow enough for a child not to drown, yet deep enough for an elephant to swim. [Augustine]

God made the earth by his power. He used his wisdom to build the world and his understanding to stretch out the skies. [Jeremiah 10:10 (NCV)]

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May 4, 2026

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Attitudes & Behavior, Today: Make it Count, Wisdom & Guidance

GONE FOREVER

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. [Psalm 90:12 (NIV)]

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.  [Mother Teresa]

When my mother-in-law sold her Florida condo, my husband and I spent two weeks cleaning, sorting, packing, shipping, donating, and tossing the possessions that remained after she returned north. We both had surgeries scheduled later that month so we worked hard and fast to get everything done while we were still able to lift and tote. Once done, we congratulated ourselves that twelve boxes had been shipped north and everything cleaned, disposed of, or donated in record time. Then, we got a call from my mother-in-law! In spite of already having several sets of dominoes in Illinois, she wanted a wooden set she’d left in Florida. Made by a friend, they had numbers instead of dots. Unaware of their sentimental value to her, they were in one of the first boxes donated to a charity for resale at their thrift stores. Although we checked at all four of the charity’s shops, the dominos were gone for good; there was no getting them back!

The dominoes we couldn’t get back reminded me of something else we can’t reclaim: time. We don’t want to thoughtlessly dispose of any of our precious days the way my husband and I did that bag of dominoes. Rich and poor alike, we all have a certain amount of time allotted to us and, like that hand-made set of dominoes, it is irreplaceable. Once spent, time is gone and gone for good; no amount of money can create or buy more of it. We’re all born with an expiration date, but we don’t know what it is. Nevertheless, as we age, we know that date is growing close.

It’s been said that life is like a roll of toilet paper—the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes! Indeed, at my age, time seems to pass at warp speed. Just as my husband and I wanted to get my mother-in-law’s house cleaned out before our surgeries, I have several half-finished projects that, God willing, I’d like to complete before I’m called home. Wanting to make the best use of the time remaining, I am going into semi-retirement. For the time being, I will continue hosting my web site and sending out devotions twice a week. While some new ones will appear, many of those devotions will have been previously published. (I have over 2,400 from which to choose.)

Thank you, dear reader, for allowing me into your life while joining me in my faith journey. My prayer is that you continue to grow in your faith. God’s peace and joy to you, jsjdevotions

Always remember your end and do not forget that lost time never returns. [Thomas à Kempis]

Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. [Psalm 39:4-5 (NIV)]

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April 27, 2026

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Bible Stories, God's Word: The Bible, Wisdom & Guidance

ANOINTING IN BETHANY (Anointing – Part 2)

Then Mary took a pound of perfume, pure and expensive nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. So the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. [John 12:1-3 (CSB)]

While he was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured it on his head. [Mark 14:3 (CSB)]

OleanderLuke’s anointing of Jesus by a “sinful” woman at the home of Simon the Pharisee is not to be confused with the anointings related by Matthew, Mark, and John. Their gospels all tell of a dinner where a woman lavishly anoints Jesus in Bethany near the end of Jesus’ ministry. In John 12:1-11, the dinner seems to occur six days before the Passover and was given to honor Jesus for raising Lazarus from the dead. Martha served Jesus and the disciples, Lazarus was present, and Mary (Martha’s sister) anointed the Lord. Using a pound of nard (an expensive and aromatic ointment), she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. Noting that the nard was worth about a year’s wages, Judas complained at the wastefulness and asked why it wasn’t sold and the money given to the poor. Noting that Judas was the one who would betray Jesus, John explains that he didn’t care about the poor; Judas was a thief who stole from the money bag!

Similar (but not identical) to John’s story are the versions found in Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3-9. Their placement in the gospels leads us to think this event occurred after Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, two days before the Passover. Neither gospel mentions Lazarus, Martha, Mary, or name the woman who did the anointing. They both identify the dinner’s host as Simon the leper (not to be confused with Luke’s Simon “the Pharisee.”) Simon was the most common name in 1st century Palestine. Any skin ailment was called leprosy and calling him “the leper” distinguished him from the other Simons in Bethany. Although his skin condition was healed, his nickname remained. An unnamed woman approached Jesus with an alabaster jar of perfume and poured the expensive nard on Jesus’ head. Rather than singling out Judas as did John, Matthew said “the disciples” and Mark said “some” complained of such an extravagant waste of money.

All three gospels tell us that Jesus responded to the men’s indignation by defending the woman and telling them to leave her alone. Referring to His death just days away, He tells the men they always will have the poor but they won’t always have Him, adding that the woman anointed Him in preparation for His burial. Unlike many others, it appears she was one of the few who understood that Jesus was soon to die!

While there is a remote possibility there were two anointings in Bethany that week, most scholars think we have three accounts of the same incident. Divergent accounts are not necessarily false ones and the differences in the three versions are easily reconciled. While it’s easy to assume the dinner was at Lazarus’ house, John says “they” gave a dinner for Jesus but never says who “they” are. We know Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were siblings but, for all we know, Simon was their father or Martha’s husband! Regardless of who hosted it, Martha serving the meal certainly was true to her character. That Mark and Matthew don’t mention the presence of Martha, Mary, or Lazarus doesn’t mean they weren’t there; they don’t name any of the guests.

Although Matthew and Mark say “the disciples” or “some” were indignant about the extravagant waste of money, that doesn’t mean Judas didn’t complain—only that he wasn’t the only disciple to object. While the other disciples’ objections may have been for philanthropic reasons, John made it clear that Judas’s harsh words were those of a disappointed thief and betrayer!

Mark and Matthew specifically say the woman poured the nard on Jesus’ head while John says Mary anointed His feet, but none say “only” head or feet. Twelve ounces of nard was enough to anoint both. Anointing the feet and then wiping them with one’s hair rather than a towel was a profound act of humility. By mentioning the feet, John was emphasizing Mary’s willingness to humble herself in service and worship.

As to the issue of chronology, the gospel writers didn’t always write chronologically. Writing to a specific audience with a specific purpose, they often wrote topically or thematically. Rather than in sequential order, events often were placed where they fit best. Moreover, without paragraph indentations and chapter headings, we can’t be sure where certain events end and others begin or when those events occurred. John merely says that Jesus came to Bethany six days before the Passover, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the dinner was held then. Despite what at first seem to be inconsistencies, Matthew, Mark, and John all seem to have related the same event from their unique perspectives.

Whenever we find what seem to be contradictory accounts in the gospels, they turn out to be complementary; rather than conflicting with one another, we find they flesh out the story with other details. As John pointed out at the end of his gospel, much that happened in Jesus’ time on earth was not recorded.

Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray him), said, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” [John 12:4-5 (CSB)]

When the disciples saw it, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This might have been sold for a great deal and given to the poor.” [Matthew 26:8-9 (CSB)]

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April 20, 2026

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Attitudes & Behavior, God's Plan, Holidays & Holy Days, Today: Make it Count, Wisdom & Guidance

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” [Genesis 1:28 (NLT)]

All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all. [Cecil Frances Alexander]

AFRICAN PENGUIN

A giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus is the narrator in Shelby Van Pelt’s delightful novel Remarkably Bright Creatures. While the animal’s ability to verbalize is pure fiction, Marcellus’ curmudgeonly personality and ability to plan are quite possible. Said to have the intelligence of a Labrador retriever or a 3-year-old child, octopuses are the most intelligent of the invertebrates. They can use tools, recognize people, hold grudges, escape aquariums, untie knots, and solve mazes.

Scientists have identified distinctive behavioral traits in animals as diverse as elk, fish, ferrets, spotted hyenas, spiders, sea anemones, rodents, lizards, and birds. Naturally, the same characteristic presents differently in different species. An introverted octopus, for example, will stay in its den while feeding and try to hide by changing color, but an introverted human might stand alone at a party or skip the party entirely. As for a shy African penguin named Tubbs who once wintered at our local zoo—the introverted bird took his food into the back corner of his den to eat it, usually stood with his back to the other penguins and zoo visitors, and, like many timid fellows, wasn’t successful with the females.

Several years ago, we became acquainted with Tubbs and his penguin friends Missy, Squirt, and Sal when we had the opportunity to meet their keepers and go behind their exhibit to feed them. Initially, the penguins all looked alike but, when we looked more closely, we realized their black chest spots were as unique as are human fingerprints. Like zebras, jaguars, monarch butterflies, and the rest of God’s creatures, no two are exactly alike. God never repeats himself.

As we fed those fascinating birds, their distinctive personalities began to emerge. Along with the socially awkward Tubbs, we met the outgoing Missy who, unfortunately for Tubbs, clearly had a crush on her human keeper. The “hen-pecked” Sal followed his domineering mate Squirt wherever she went. Although the other penguins preferred eating their fish “headfirst,” Squirt insisted on getting her dinner presented sideways. While it was penguin instinct that made Tubbs gorge himself in preparation for molting, it was his timid personality that caused the curious penguin to peek around a corner at us rather than stand at the gate with the others.

Scientists have found intelligence, personalities, and emotions in everything from limpets and crabs to coyotes and water striders. Nevertheless, until meeting those penguins, I’d thought of personalities only in domesticated animals and attributed them to training and environment. I hadn’t considered the possibility of undomesticated animals having distinctive personalities and the ability to feel and express emotions, but scientists have found that even honey bees can exhibit optimism and pessimism!

The fictional Marcellus was a gentle reminder of the lessons I learned from my time with the penguins. While animals may not be able to speak in a way that we can understand or exhibit emotions in a way we recognize, there is nothing dumb or unfeeling about any of God’s creatures. Their complexity and diversity point to our unlimited Creator and His intelligent, imaginative, and loving design. God created every living thing and none of His creation happened by accident.

God commanded us to keep and care for His creation, not to exploit or abuse it. As title holder to the earth, He will hold us responsible for the way we care for it and for the creatures with whom we share it. Wednesday is Earth Day, a day dedicated to honoring the environmental movement, raising awareness about pollution, and promoting global sustainability. Saving the environment depends on each and every one of us. For the sake of penguins, octopuses, and the rest of God’s creatures who are unable to speak for themselves, let us be better stewards of God’s beautiful earth.

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. O God, enlarge within us the sense of fellowship with all living things, our brothers the animals to whom Thou gavest the earth as their home in common with us. We remember with shame that in the past we have exercised the high dominion of man with ruthless cruelty so that the voice of the earth, which should have gone up to Thee in song has been a groan of travail. May we realize that they live not for us alone, but for themselves and for Thee and that they love the sweetness of life. [Attributed to St. Basil the Great]

You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority—the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. [Psalm 8:6-8 (NLT)]

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March 26, 2026

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Obedience, Temptation & Sin, Wisdom & Guidance

THE FOWLER

For wicked men are found among my people; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men. [Jeremiah 5:26 (ESV)]

quailFowlers are professional bird catchers. In ancient Israel, they supplied the market with wild pigeons and doves destined for sacrifice, small birds (like quail) for food, and doves and other birds for caged pets. Since most of us get our poultry at the grocery, we’re probably unfamiliar with the fowler and his methods. To capture birds, fowlers spread nets or set traps and snares on the ground, camouflage them with natural materials, and cover them with grain. Tempted by the food, the birds leave the safety of the sky and come down to the ground where they are caught.

The fowler studies his prey’s behavior to find the best way to trap it. He wouldn’t hunt for a heron in the middle of a forest as he would for a dove, bait an eagle’s snare with seeds as he would for a sparrow, or use ground level noose traps for swifts as he might for quail. Sometimes the fowler used decoys by taking young birds from their nest and raising them by hand. Once tame, they were confined in hidden cages so that their voices would call others of their kind to the spot where they’d be trapped or killed. Knowing this about the fowler and his snares or traps, we can see why they frequently were used metaphorically in Scripture and likened to Satan. The enemy was the fowler, his schemes were the fowler’s methods and snares, and people were the silly birds with neither sense nor strength enough to escape the fowler’s snare.

When the prophet Amos asked, “Does a bird land in a trap on the ground if there is no bait for it?” [3:5] he wasn’t speaking of sunflower seeds and sparrows; he was speaking of the bait Satan uses in his snares. Each of us is tempted by different things—it could be pride and resentment for one person and gambling and anger for another. Whether it’s selfishness, wealth, hypocrisy, appetite, indolence, lust, envy, or something else, Satan knows what appeals to each of us and his traps will be placed and baited accordingly. Like the fowler’s bait, the lure Satan uses promises pleasure but delivers disaster! After all, a few bits of millet is all the trapped quail gets before it ends up as someone’s dinner!

Just as the fowler knows, “It is useless to spread a net where any bird can see it,” [Prov. 1:17], Satan’s snares don’t look like the traps they are! Few of us would deliberately step into a “den of iniquity” but things aren’t always what they seem. Like the fowler, Satan uses decoys to bring others into his snare. The influence of the pagans remaining in Canaan became a “snare and a trap” for Israel just as bad examples, friends, acquaintances, influencers, or associates can lure us into Satan’s snare.

The fowler doesn’t stand by his traps and shout out his plans and neither does Satan. Like the fowler, he uses trickery, deceit, distraction, and disguise to keep his prey from realizing the danger. We, however, are far smarter than little birds and God has not left us defenseless. Satan may be laying traps, but we don’t have to be his prey. Along with God’s word to light our way, we have God’s protection and the power of His Holy Spirit—when we’re dwelling in the “shelter of the Most High,” our “Maker’s care” will keep us “from the fowler’s snare.”

He that hath made his refuge God Shall find a most secure abode,
Shall walk all day beneath his shade, And there at night shall rest his head.
Then will I say, “My God, thy power Shall be my fortress and my tower;
I, that am formed of feeble dust, Make thine almighty arm my trust.”
Thrice happy man! thy Maker’s care Shall keep thee from the fowler’s snare;
Satan, the fowler, who betrays Unguarded souls a thousand ways. [Isaac Watts]

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. [Psalm 91:1-4 (ESV)]

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March 23, 2026

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Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, Temptation & Sin, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

FALSE GODS

By now I could have lifted my hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the face of the earth. But I have spared you for a purpose—to show you my power and to spread my fame throughout the earth. [Exodus 9:15-16 (NLT)]

SobeckOver a period of 3,000 years, ancient Egypt’s pantheon of gods numbered between 1,400 and 2,000. During that time, some faded in prominence and new gods appeared. Often depicted as part human and part animal, Egypt’s gods had names, unique back-stories, and their own domain and expertise. Each god/goddess was responsible for a certain part of daily life, from motherhood to music, record keeping to funerals, and cosmic order to hunting. While the ten plagues God sent Egypt through Moses and Aaron may seem somewhat arbitrary to us in the 21st century, every one of them was a direct attack on one or more Egyptian god. They were the ultimate “smack-down” between God Almighty and Egypt’s deities.

When Moses struck the water of the Nile and turned it into blood for seven days, it was a direct attack on the crocodile-headed Sobeck, whose job was to be the Nile’s protector, as well as Khnum, the god of water and life, who was to guard the river’s source. The fouled river also was an affront to Osiris whose bloodstream was said to be the Nile. The plague of frogs who came up from the Nile and into people’s homes challenged the frog-headed goddess Heget who was in charge of regeneration, rebirth, and fertility. Aaron striking the dust of the earth to make gnats/fleas/lice immediately appear that covered both man and beast was a direct attack on Geb/Seb/Keb, the god of the earth and soil. The fourth plague, teems of flies or biting insects filling the air, challenged the power of Shu, the Egyptian god of air, and brought shame to any insect-headed god like Khepri whose head was that of a scarab beetle. With this affliction and the ones that followed, God distinguished between Egypt and the people of Israel. Remaining unaffected by the plagues, the people of Israel did not suffer these annoyances and hardships! While the God of Israel protected His people from the flies, Shu and Khepri couldn’t protect theirs!

The plagues intensified with the fifth plague, a deadly disease affecting cattle and livestock. The deaths of Egypt’s cattle was an insult to Apsis, the god of fertility (often represented as a bull) and the cow-headed Hathor, the goddess of love and protection. The punishment continued when ashes tossed by Moses became festering boils on both man and beast. This was the first direct strike on Egypt’s people and skin diseases and boils were seen as a sign of divine displeasure or judgment. Both Sekhmet, the goddess with power over disease, and Isis, goddess of healing, were helpless in the face of this challenge. The punishments increased with a devastating hail storm and continuous lightning, an attack on Seth/Set (god of wind and storms), Nut (goddess of the sky), and Osiris, the crop fertility god. The assault on those deities continued with the eighth plague, an east wind that blew in swarms of locusts. The false gods couldn’t prevent the locusts from consuming any vegetation that survived the hail storm.

The ninth punishment brought three days of complete darkness to the Egyptians. The most worshipped god in Egypt was the sun god Ra/Re, but both he and Kepri, the god of the dawn, were powerless in the face of Israel’s God. The final plague was death to the firstborn of both man and beast. Even Pharaoh’s son, believed to be a divine birth, died. These deaths challenged the power and authority of Isis and Osiris, the protectors of life, as well as Pharaoh, the god-king believed to be the son of Ra.

Revealing them as the powerless worthless idols they were, each of the plagues challenged, defeated, and shamed the false gods of Egypt. The God of Israel proved Himself to be the one true God—sovereign and superior in all aspects. While directed at Egypt, this message of Jehovah’s supremacy also was meant for the people of Israel as well as the rest of the world.

There is no need to go to heathen lands to find false gods. We can find them right here in our own country (and possibly in our own homes). Anything that gets between us and God is a false god and no more worthy of our devotion and worship than were Ra, Osiris, or Sekhmet. That we don’t depend on Seth to protect us from storms or bow down before statues of the bull-headed Apsis doesn’t mean we’re not guilty of idolatry! Nowadays, we worship the far more subtle false gods of the 21st century—things like wealth, power, influence, property, fame, pleasure, beauty, popularity, education, comfort, science, sex, money, and self. Never forget that our false gods will fail to serve and save us just as easily as Egypt’s false gods failed them!

What each one honors before all else, what before all things he admires and loves, this for him is God. [Origen]

Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. [Colossians 3:2-5 (NLT)]

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