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Titus 1:12

An Impure Heart

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 3, 2025

Paul tells Titus that those who try to push their religious opinions regarding legalism onto others as valid doctrines do so out of impure motives. He says they do it for “dishonest gain.” This phrase usually refers to monetary profit, but it also refers to prideful gratification. When Paul tells his readers to watch out for the wolves in sheep clothing who will distract them from the Gospel truths the Apostles passed on to the church, he warns them about false motives. Wolves scatter the flocks. They steal, kill, and destroy. Wolves do not feed the flock; they do not care for the flock and do not comfort and give birth to the little lambs. They simply fleece and kill and eat. I have watched cable religious programming late at night. I have seen some wolves dressed up so fancy that they look like sheep who shop at Nordstrom. The credit card number is always large and the Gospel footnotes are always small. “Send us your seed and you will reap a harvest of abundance,” they say, which mysteriously always results in them getting the money and me getting a cheap monthly newsletter.

David’s sins were sins of an impure heart. When he confesses and pleads with God for forgiveness, he asks God to “create in me a pure heart.” A pure heart revolves around pure motives. It is what is meant by the passages that call us to love God with all our hearts. Deeds are observed by man and are accepted, but God always looks at the heart. We are more concerned with conduct than motives. But to God, actions are secondary to motives. The holiest service, the greatest sacrifice, is deemed unacceptable to God when impure motives are the source. Proverbs 21:27 says, “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with evil intent.” That is a direct shot across the bow of every person who tries to impress others by appearing religious. If you have ever written a large check to the church just because the person next to you peeked at your envelope, you know what God thinks of that.

Now do not misunderstand. We all have impure motives to some extent. David, the man after God’s heart was not perfect, and neither am I and neither are you. The false teachers are not perfect either and to give any human the authority in our lives that belongs only to God, is to demean the person and work of Jesus Christ. John Stott said it well; “Only one act of pure love, unsullied by any taint of ulterior motive, has ever been performed in the history of the world, namely the self giving of God in Christ on the cross for undeserving sinners.” All men are sinners, and the only hope for sinners is the sinless one, the Lord Jesus Christ. Luke tells us, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:17

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Luke 1:50-53

The Arm of God

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 2, 2025

In Luke 1, Mary bursts out in song. That’s what “magnify the Lord” is all about. Her joy of the apprehension of the person of the child she carries, and His divine role as “savior” of the world is too much to contain! Understanding the lost status of all mankind, including herself, she recognizes that this salvation is what people of every generation have been longing for and what people of every generation hereafter will be able to sing about as well. In verse 51, she continues the “magnification” of God’s greatness with a new thought. She sings, “He has done mighty deeds with His arm…” The bible also mentions God’s eyes and ears (Ps. 34:15), finger (Exod. 8:19; 31:18; Deut. 9:10); face (Ps. 27:8, 9; 143:7), and even nose (Exod. 15:8; Isa. 65:5). These references are not to be taken literally as some mainline cults do. Yet, we might see in them how Jesus, in His incarnation, identifies with all the human experiences.

Mary was completely at home with the Old Testament. She was a spiritual woman who reflected and pondered the truths of God and their relevance to her own life. She was very familiar with the phraseology of the Old Testament and her song is full of its language. The Old Testament often speaks anthropomorphically of God in order that we might grasp something about His work in our world. According to the Old Testament, God’s “arm” is primarily associated with God’s acts of salvation. God’s arm saved Israel from Egypt, Jonah from the belly of the whale, the Israelites from their enemies, and all mankind from their sins. God’s arm gathers and protects those who “fear Him,” as Mary sings in verse 50. But she adds that it’s with His arm that He “scatters those who are proud…” As John says in His Christmas Narrative in chapter 1 of his gospel, “To those who have received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God.” Unfortunately, John continues, saying that most “received Him not.” She continues, “He has brought down rulers from their thrones and has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the Hungry with good things and sent away the rich empty-handed.”

A new economy is established. The last are now first. The hungry are now filled. The least become the greatest, the have’s become the have not’s and the have nots become the haves. It begins with “the fear of the Lord.” As Mary well knew, the Old Testament ascribes many benefits to those who “fear Him.” Kitchen writes, “It is not only the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7, 29; 2:5) and wisdom (9:10; 15:33), but it instills confidence (14:26) and makes rich (22:4). The fear of the Lord prolongs life (Prov. 10:27), is a fountain of life (14:27), leads to life (19:23), and is rewarded with life (22:4).”

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John 1:1-18, John 8:12

Light up the World!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 2, 2025

We usually restrict Christmas Bible readings to the passages in Luke and Matthew. It is all about the birth of a baby in Bethlehem, angels, shepherds, infancy stories, a wise man or two or three, and it is all marvelous stuff. But we should not miss the power of the Christmas narrative in John’s Gospel. It is called the prologue and includes John 1:1 through 18. Whereas the Christmas story usually begins with the birth narrative, John goes back to Genesis chapter 1, attaching Jesus to that when he writes, “In the Beginning was the Word.” This “word” was “with God, and the word was God.” This eternal being then “became flesh.” That is the incarnation. That is Christmas! A lot of Christmas sermons today spend a great deal of time debating exactly how many wise men there were. They could spend a little time here. Instead, many preachers are fussing with camels and gold and Frankincense and Myrrh, and arguing about zodiac signs and star charts, while John is over here simply saying, “Before Abraham existed, Jesus already was.”

In verse 4, this infant that became flesh is the “light of all people.” Verse 5 affirms that the darkness will never be able to extinguish this light of life. That is encouraging to read when the sun sets at 4:45 P.M. and by 8:00 P.M. you are convinced you are living at the North Pole, shoveling snow in a Santa hat. Further, it is not just light in general; in verse 9, it is the “true light” that lightens every man. This light has come into the world in the person of Jesus Christ. Thus, Jesus claims later are clear. He said, “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but have the light of life.” (John 8:12). The Gospels show us the Shekinah glory of Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration; John does not relate that event to us. As Van Harn says, “he (John) sees the glory of God in all Jesus says and does; supremely the hour for Jesus to be glorified is the crucifixion (12:23; 13:32; 17:1). Jesus shares God’s glory as an only son resembles his father. This is John’s favorite description of the relationship between Jesus and God.” He lights up the world.

The entire message of the Gospel of John is the true Gospel message. It is the proclamation that the baby born in a stable was not just a baby of flesh and blood, although he was a true man. The Baby was the only begotten of God and carries the same genetic deity as the Father. He goes on in verse 18 to say, “No one has ever seen God.” We know that not even Moses was allowed to see God’s face. But then he follows with the true meaning of Christmas. It is Jesus, who existed in eternity past, who was with God in the very beginning. He is the one and only one who has revealed Him, that is God, to us. He makes God known to mankind through the incarnation and through His life, death, and resurrection. The prologue of John’s Gospel fills out the Christmas story. It is the radical explanation of Jesus’ name “God with us!” or Immanuel. This is the true meaning of Christmas. Light up your houses, light up the streets, and light up the trees. Let His light shine.

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Luke 2:8-14

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 1, 2025

It is time once again for a holiday television spectacular! All the Christmas specials are already beginning to run. They have for the past week also. A select group of United States stations traditionally specialize in Christmas gems, such as CBS for animated specials, TMC for movies, or ABC Family for the big mix of movies, specials, and animated tales. As usual, we stay tuned to TBS for a full 24 hour “A Christmas Story” marathon and the traditional showing of the popular Christmas classic, “It is a Wonderful Life,” on Christmas Eve on NBC. Early in the season, they begin to run “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” That is one of my favorites. It will probably run several times during the next month. I hope so. Commercial television this time of year is like a peppermint stick dipped in whipped cream: the sugar rush will either thrill you or make you jumpy enough to hide in the garage until New Year’s Day.

Charlie Brown has the blues. His head is down, and he carries his usual forlorn look. This time, he “just does not know what Christmas is all about.” Lucy tells him it is about getting presents; his sister, Sally, says it is about Santa Claus; Snoopy thinks it is about winning the neighborhood lights and display contest. Even the Christmas pageant turns into a dance a thon, with all the kids complaining about their parts. One proposal is that Christmas must have something to do with a big artificial tree. But all this celebration only leaves Charlie Brown more miserable. Eventually, he cries out in despair, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” I have been asking the same question for some time now, and it seems I ask it again every Christmas. I forget sometimes because of the hustle and bustle of life. Tom Thatcher writes, “When we look around and see what Christmas means in our culture, we are often forced to ask the same question. Even in Japan, a country where there have never been many Christians, Christmas is celebrated with decorations, parties, and presents as a commercial holiday. In many ways it is hard to see how things are any different where we live. Did Jesus come so that we could celebrate His birthday with expensive cards and presents and parties? And, honestly, do we really need Jesus to have Christmas, or would it be just as much fun without Him?” Many non Christian cultures celebrate the season as the “Holiday Season,” not the Christmas season.

I understand that the first Christmas special in 1965, the year I graduated from High School, Charles Schulz insisted that the television special ended with an explanation of the true meaning of Christmas. It barely made it past the censors, but since he would not allow it to air without it, we get Linus’ famous reading of the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke. He begins, “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field.” Then, after quoting the rest of Luke 2:8 through 14, he says, “That is what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” That is what Christmas is all about and no matter what occurs in all the other television specials, do not you forget it!

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Ecclesiastes 3:22, Hebrews 11:6

Living By Faith

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 30, 2025

Solomon reaches a profound and refreshing conclusion in Ecclesiastes 3:22 after examining all the activities under the sun. He writes, “So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot.” Someone once summarized the secret of a satisfying life with three simple ingredients: someone to love, something to look forward to, and something productive to do. Jesus gives us the first and greatest commandment—to love God—and the second, to love others. There’s our “someone to love.” He’s also given us something marvelous to look forward to: eternal life beyond the grave. Finally, as Job reminds us, we were each shaped in our mother’s womb for a purpose—to serve God’s mission of love in the world around us. The world may withhold fame, riches, and comfort, but it cannot rob us of these three essential treasures. They are heaven’s recipe for true contentment. Alexander the Great once visited Diogenes, who was sunning himself. Alexander, in all his royal generosity, said, “Ask any favor or any possession of me, and I will give it to you.” Diogenes simply replied, “Please move out of my sunlight.” Alexander, stunned, said, “If I could be anyone other than Alexander, I’d want to be Diogenes.” That’s contentment with a suntan!

Contentment, Solomon reminds us, is not found in possessions or prestige but in God’s presence. It’s a gift He gives to those who please Him. The angel’s announcement in Luke 2:14 puts it beautifully: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men…”—but don’t skip the last part—“…to men with whom He is pleased.” That raises the question: what pleases God? Grand gestures? Elaborate sacrifices? Spiritual gymnastics? Hebrews 11:6 answers plainly: “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.” Faith is God’s favorite language. It’s not complicated, but it is powerful. It keeps us steady when the world spins off its axis and brings peace where worry once bloomed.

I remember a group discussion where someone asked, “What makes God happy? What moves Him to act in people’s lives?” The consensus was clear—it’s faith! Faith prompted Jesus to heal the paralyzed man lowered through the roof. Faith moved Him to restore the centurion’s servant. Faith healed a woman after twelve years of misery and persuaded Him to feed a persistent pagan woman. And when His disciples faltered, His most repeated rebuke was, “O ye of little faith.” The religious leaders once asked for the secret to doing God’s works. Jesus answered in John 6:29, “The work of God is to believe in the one He has sent.” Faith is both the work and the reward. When we live by it, we discover what Paul declared in Philippians 4:11: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Now that’s a life well-planted under the sun.

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Galatians 6:7-8

Don’t Kid Yourself!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 29, 2025

Here in Nebraska, we all understand the law of seedtime and harvest. We know when to plant and when to reap, and we certainly know what to plant if we want a particular result. You don’t need a Ph.D. in agriculture to know that if you plant corn, you’ll get corn—not cantaloupes. If you plant beans, you’ll get beans, and if you plant wheat, you’ll get wheat. God’s laws work the same way. Ken Boles once observed, “God’s moral and spiritual laws work in the same way. You cannot sow sin and reap righteousness, or indulgence and reap health, or strife and reap peace. You cannot sow ‘the works of the flesh’ and reap ‘the fruit of the Spirit.’” As simple as that sounds, I confess that I sometimes plant one thing and expect something entirely different to grow. Spoiler alert—it never does! My dad had a favorite saying for such moments: “Don’t kid yourself.” That’s exactly what Paul says in Galatians 6:7: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” Growing up—and growing wise—means learning to live by that unbending truth.

We grow exactly what we plant, but there’s more to this farming metaphor than meets the eye. Not only do we reap what we sow, but we also reap more than we sow. One kernel of corn produces hundreds of kernels at harvest time. Paul reminds us of this in 2 Corinthians 9:6: “…whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” Unfortunately, this principle applies to both good and bad crops. If we plant weeds of selfishness, bitterness, or gossip, we shouldn’t be surprised when our garden looks more like a thistle patch than a flowerbed. Galatians 6:8 puts it bluntly: “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” The size of the harvest always outpaces the size of the seed—so choose your seeds carefully!

The return is always greater than the investment. That’s why the old saying, “Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind,” rings so true. It comes from Hosea 8:7: “For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.” The New Living Translation puts it this way: “They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind.” That’s quite a return on bad seed! Thankfully, the reverse is also true. When we sow to the Spirit, we harvest a crop of eternal life. The flesh instinctively sows to self-gratification—it ruins people and relationships alike. But the Spirit sows love, which blossoms into genuine, abundant life. It’s a harvest that begins now and lasts forever. So take it from both Paul and my dad: Don’t kid yourself!

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Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 5:22-25

Marriage Takes Effort & Prayer

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 28, 2025

Today, Kathy and I are celebrating fifty-six years of marriage. It’s only by the grace of God that we’ve managed it. I often joke and say, “Yes, it’s a miracle that I’ve been able to put up with her for all these years!” But the truth is probably more along the lines of her putting up with me. Marriage is not for the faint of heart; it’s a team sport with daily practice and plenty of overtime. Everyone has warts, and some of us have whole collections! We all have our rough edges, and learning to bend and flex according to the needs and desires of the other person is the secret art of staying married. Dr. David Jeremiah put it beautifully when he wrote, “Marriage doesn’t get better by itself. Many people think that the joy of dating and the joy of the honeymoon will just continue unabated for years to come. That is totally unrealistic. There is what I call a gravitational pull on couples which is constantly pulling them down from the heights of the honeymoon. In other words, marriage takes work—lots of hard work.” Those words ring truer after five decades than they did on our wedding day.

Successful marriages are built on commitment, obedience to God’s Word, and a healthy sense of humor (especially when you’re both trying to remember why you walked into the kitchen). Jeremiah reminds us that if we don’t resist the gravitational pull of selfishness, we’ll eventually crash. He writes, “If we don’t resist the gravitational pull, and by the power of the Holy Spirit do that which is supernatural, we will not do that which will keep marriages together.” It’s all about that “renewing of the mind” Paul talks about in Romans 12:2—deciding daily to yield to God instead of our natural desires. Without that hard work, marriage can rust faster than an abandoned pickup left out in a rainstorm. Jeremiah adds, “When someone says to me, ‘I just don’t love her anymore,’ what I hear is, ‘I’ve decided not to obey God anymore.’ They have confused love, which is an act of the will, with the emotional and romantic feelings which follow obedience to God.” Feelings are wonderful, but they make a lousy foundation for a lifelong commitment.

I’d also argue that prayer is like the oil that keeps the marriage engine running smoothly. As old-fashioned as it sounds, I still believe that a family who prays together stays together. We need to pray for our own marriages and for others who are struggling. I once received an email after posting a devotion on the importance of family. The writer said, “This devotion especially touched my heart. I continue to experience heartache caused by divorce and pray for anyone who is struggling in their marriages. I see the pain in my son’s life caused by his divorce—and of course, in his children’s lives. So, I will continue to pray for people to work diligently on keeping their marriages growing.” That simple note reminded me that love, like faith, survives best when it’s watered daily—with patience, laughter, forgiveness, and a whole lot of prayer.

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Deuteronomy 16:16-17, Romans 12:1, Psalm 100:1

Happy Thanks – giving!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 27, 2025

Deuteronomy Chapter 16, beginning in verse 9, gives instructions regarding the Feast of Weeks. It is also called the feast of the harvest. It was a celebration of God’s gracious provision of the harvest. It was to be a joyous celebration. And not a little polite clapping either. The celebration was also to last for a week. That is serious rejoicing. I like to think of Thanksgiving in our country as a similar celebration. We do not do it for a week, but its purpose is similar and its results are the same. The Israelites took a whole week to celebrate the goodness of God, and I suspect they did not have to worry about whether the cranberry sauce came from a can with ridges in it. They celebrated God’s abundance with singing, dancing, shared meals, community, and story telling. It was not a day marked by turkey-induced naps in front of a football game, but by the recognition that God was not merely a Provider. God was their Provision.

The Feast of Weeks required farmers and families to physically go to the place God would choose and rejoice there. It was not a “celebrate from home” holiday. It was a pilgrimage. There is something about stepping out of the routine and going somewhere special to celebrate that transforms the experience. God wanted Israel to physically go into His presence and celebrate. Of course, today, most of us have a hard time getting the family to agree on where the Thanksgiving dinner will be held, let alone traveling a hundred miles by foot to celebrate a harvest. And it is humorous to imagine that ancient Israel did not debate the proper temperature for pumpkin pie or whether sweet potatoes need marshmallows on top. They knew the harvest did not come from their cleverness. It came from the hand of God.

Charles Spurgeon said, “When we bless God for mercies we prolong them, and when we bless Him for miseries we usually end them. Praise is the honey of life, which a devout heart sucks from every bloom of providence and grace. We may as well be dead as be without praise; it is the crown of life.” I love that phrase. “Praise is the honey of life.” You can almost taste it when he says it. Israel took seven days to taste that honey. They savored God’s goodness and thanked Him publicly for it. When Thanksgiving comes around, I often think Israel had the right idea. Maybe our problem is not that Thanksgiving is a holiday. Maybe our problem is that Thanksgiving is just a day.

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