Third Timothy

05/31/2026

05/31/2026

“How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you!” (2 Samuel‬ ‭7:22‬)

Can we develop in our hearts and minds the kind of perspective David had? If it makes any sense to describe the relationship like this, he recognized God as beyond his recognition—he couldn’t have imagined greatness or beauty or wisdom such as the Sovereign Lord!

“We have never even heard of another God like you!” Other peoples, nations who worshiped idols, with skilled artisans combining all their creative abilities—whose works are even now still being discovered and called priceless—were not able to craft a false god that could compare with the one and only real God.

And what a God he is! What other God loves his people before they love him, before they worship him, before they offer him any sacrifice, before they recognize him as God? What God calls us friend? What God lays down his life? There is no one like him.

David saw him when he spent time alone seeking him. The greatest obstacle to intimacy with God is . . . everything else. Remove all the distractions, find a quiet place, close this page, close your mouth, close your eyes! Then you can see him.

05/30/2026

“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians‬ ‭4:8‬)

If you spend any time with other people you are going to hear negativity. You will hear bad words, you will hear hate; some of it will be aimed at you. Take heart—you are a child of God and blessed beyond measure.

It is impossible to get out of the way of all that is hurtful, but you don’t have to let it beat you down. In that moment, at the very moment your ears are being assaulted, remember who you are. Think of all that is good. Remember Jesus and how precious you are to him.

The fact is that God will never talk down to you or think badly of you. He will never draw you into a conversation to make you doubtful or afraid or insecure. His love is perfect.

Anything that does not lift you up or encourage you isn’t from God. Even his discipline is holy and healthy, never destructive. A lot of people speak without thinking, but you don’t have to listen without thinking. Think on good things.

05/30/2026

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬)

05/29/2026

“Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.” (Genesis‬ ‭2:7‬)

In business magazines and special news reports you can often read stories about self-made men, millionaires and billionaires, entrepreneurs, celebrities; the newest thing seems to be “influencers.” But none of them ever made anything without first being made themselves. It’s a little bit humbling to know we all came from the dust of the ground.

If you ask around at your church or workplace, you can probably find someone who was there from the beginning—they got in on the ground floor, they were there when it all started. These ideas, these experiences, all come from this moment in time when God made man; it’s how we understand the concept of foundations, histories, roots.

Interesting to note, though, is that man was created last, on the sixth day. Previous to this verse it’s mentioned that, “When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth, for . . . there were no people to cultivate the soil.” As any good innovator or Creator knows, people are needed to manage or grow the business, in this case the world.

Someone once said that “life imitates art.” But it goes back much farther than any quotes of man; life actual imitates life, or the creation of it. The actions we take, our ideas of making and building and multiplication and success—everything goes back to how we were made. Those who refuse to believe in God are actually still following in his footsteps even if they can’t see it. We really do live and exist in his image.

05/28/2026

“I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.” (Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬-‭11‬)

05/28/2026

“I will put an end to all witchcraft, and there will be no more fortune-tellers.” (Micah‬ ‭5:12‬)

It’s amazing how many Christians I see following their daily horoscopes. Trusting in the movements of planets, or the date you were born, or your favorite color, or a lucky number—it’s all idol worship.

I realize I am probably stepping on some toes. Sorry, not sorry. You should know better. As believers we trust only in Jesus. Even doing these things “for fun” puts you at risk. There is a long history of God’s people being deceived, going off track, and suffering horribly. It would serve us well to learn from it instead of repeating it.

In the Old Testament the people were guilty of actually sacrificing the lives of their own children to idols—false gods with no chance of ever answering any prayer, at any price. The foolishness is astounding until you look at the massive numbers of children we have aborted for the sake of convenience, indeed worshipping ourselves.

No person can predict the future. No chart or map or crease on the palm of your hand controls the events in your life. Trusting God completely is hard. Faith is hard. That’s why interest in false gods flourishes and idols appeal. But don’t fall for the tricks of the enemy, whose end is destruction. God’s Word includes all of the direction you need.

05/28/2026

This is what your donations help to accomplish. Reaching the world with the hope and love of Jesus is the highest calling of God.

“Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” (Mark‬ ‭16‬:‭15)