“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Matthew 5:13
Salt, Sword, and Grace
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Matthew 5:13
Eat the Comb
Little yellow bees, flowers, pollen, hives, queens, and workers … have you ever thought about the marvelous process of honey-making?
We serve a Creator-Designer who hardwired complexity and beauty into everything.
Honey is no ordinary substance. It’s sweeter than sugar and contains trace vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It’s used in some beauty products because it's a natural humectant that’s good for skin. Studies show it’s also effective in treating some cold and sore throat symptoms.
Natural, healing, nutritious, sweet, pleasant—what a great picture of God’s Word:
Our Priorities Reveal Our Faith
True Christianity affects every area of our lives, giving us God's priorities.
Whatever we do, we should work at it with all our heart, “as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Colossians 3:23).
We should seek to do things according to His commands and values, making sure we spend time with Him in His Word and prayer (1 John 5:3; Proverbs 8:34).
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else...” Matthew 6:33
God has ministry plans for all of us (Ephesians 2:10), but He never expects us to neglect our family's needs to serve Him (Matthew 15:1-9; 1 Timothy 5:8; Ephesians 6:1-4).
The Lord also places importance on our spiritual family, the body of Christ.
“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 6:10 (emphasis mine)
We should never underestimate the witness we have when we love our biological and spiritual family as God designed.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 (emphasis mine)
So let's share the gospel, help the needy, and do good works in Christ's name, but let's never forget that how we treat our family and our fellow believers is an important part of our witness!
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I encourage you to read Rolling Right – Determining Your God-Given Priorities for additional insights.
Let Joy Fill You! — Part 5
Joy is such an important aspect of our faith in Christ. Let these three one-minute devotions add some joy to your day.
Do you know what it means to make a joyful noise daily? It's not always related to singing. This one-minute devotion explains.
Check out this short devotion about a man who had incredible faith and changed the lives of thousands of orphans.
We Need It: Joy
This one-minute devotion offers five wonderful truths about Christian joy. Read it and rejoice!
Don't miss these other collections. Each collection includes three one-minute devotions about joy.
Joy in Jesus Is Healthy – Part 1
Discover how biblical joy can make you healthier!!
Joy Is Healthy and Fun – Part 2
Ponder some of the fun and healthy aspects of biblical joy.
Joy in All Circumstances – Part 3
Biblical joy and worldly happiness differ greatly. These devotions offer insights to enjoy!
Joy and More Joy – Part 4
Spend a few minutes reflecting on the wonderful subject of biblical joy!
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The Meaning of Biblical Courage
“Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s doing the right thing even when you’re afraid.” ~ Michael Purath
My husband and I were discussing courage when he offered this excellent explanation. I later discovered a similar “cowboy version” by John Wayne: “Courage is being scared to death … and saddling up anyway.”
At first I thought “scared to death” went beyond godly fear until I read 2 Corinthians 1:8, where Paul says, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.”
Then comes verse 9, the most important part:
“Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.”
A common fear in our present age is fear to speak God’s truth boldly, knowing we may be hated for doing so. So, as Paul explained, let’s remember not to rely on ourselves but to put our trust in God. (See Truth with Love, Love with Truth.)
I hope you will read this post about Halloween – Halloween: Pagan Celebration or Childlike Fun?
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5 Ways Our Faith Is a Walk
Faith is a step-by-step, day-by-day, minute-by-minute, deliberate walk in the right direction, choosing the narrow path at every crossroads.
It's not sitting or standing. It's walking.
1. A walk in humility
2. A walk in obedience
3. A walk away from immorality
4. A walk in the good works God has prepared
5. A walk in fellowship with Christ
When we walk in faith, we go through the small gate and walk the narrow road “that leads to life” (Matthew 7:13-14).
Let's keep walking!
“Don’t Tell Me How to Vote!”
To my foreign readers: I admit that my series using Talarico quotes as well as today's devotion are focused on the U.S., but propaganda about the Bible and evil laws are present in every country. So the biblical principles apply internationally.
When we vote, we’re not actually voting for a person. We’re voting for their party platform, which represents their primary goals, values, and policy positions.
No political party perfectly represents biblical truth, so we vote for the one that best reflects God's priorities.
Most importantly to the Christian: we recognize which party passionately promotes murder. For example, in 2023 Republicans introduced the Born-Alive Act prohibiting doctors from murdering or neglecting babies born alive during a botched ab..tion. The law passed because 219 Republicans and 1 Democrat voted to protect the babies while 210 Democrats and 0 Republicans voted to let doctors throw live-born babies in the trash. (source)
Christians can disagree on politics that don't violate biblical principles, but voting to kill babies isn't negotiable for true believers because the Bible teaches that life begins at conception (Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5). And God will judge us if we align with ungodly platforms (2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Proverbs 24:11-12).
What about meeting the needs of the mom? When someone claims Christians focus on the baby, not the mom, share this analogy:
You come up to a street corner and see a man ready to stab a child and a woman begging for food. Both deserve your help. Do you sacrifice the child to help the woman or save the child and then help the woman?
When you vote, you’re voting for a platform, not simply for a person. So read the Scriptures below the notes, and vote with full knowledge of how God will judge you.
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Notes
Don't fall for lies: Despite Democratic propaganda, women whose lives are genuinely threatened have always been able to get medical care that might end the life of the child. Regarding rape and incest, killing the child often makes it harder for the woman to heal and sacrifices an innocent baby for the sins of his/her father. In addition, even if you believe in murdering babies conceived via rape/incest, you should oppose the Democratic platform that promotes murdering babies for any reason. And if you vote for the Democratic platform, please listen to a doctor explain the various methods of ab..tion, from the ab..tion pill to late-term HERE, and realize this is what you are voting for.
The official Democratic site for the 2026 midterm election links to the 2024 Democratic platform for a full understanding of their goals. Despite the bias and exaggeration in their explanations, you will realize they are passionately devoted to making ab..tion available for any reason up to the day of delivery (page 50). And they will likely choose to strike down the law protecting live-born babies in ab..tion procedures. They are also passionately devoted to having the government pay for transsexual surgeries, making sure they are available to underage children despite statistics that show these are harmful physically and often regretted. They want trans people restored to military service, living in barracks with the opposite sex. They want pro-LGBTQ beliefs presented into public education and other public spheres where Christian beliefs would never be allowed (page 56).
Can you overlook these things and vote for Democratic candidates based on their personality or some financial benefit or program their platform offers? Yes, as long as you realize you are described in Deuteronomy 27:25: “‘Cursed is anyone who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.’ Then all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’”
God’s will is that we rescue the innocent.
Proverbs 24:11-12: “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?”
Luke 12:47-48: “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
Isaiah 5:20: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
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Saving Grace versus Saving Face
Many years ago, my husband Michael reported our car stolen. He couldn't believe someone had taken it from his workplace parking lot.
Reject Propaganda About Salvation
This final quote in the propaganda series might be the most disturbing:
“Jesus in Matthew 25 tells us exactly how you and I and every one of our fellow believers [are] going to be judged and how we’re going to be saved: by feeding the hungry, by healing the sick, by welcoming the stranger.” James Talarico, Texas Observer
Salvation has nothing to do with good works! (Ephesians 2:8-9) It's given to those who believe and trust in Christ. All others “stand condemned” (John 3:16-18).
True salvation results in good works (James 2:14-26; Ephesians 2:10).
But it also results in “deep conviction,” turning from sin (1 Thessalonians 1).
Christ talked about far more than helping the needy. He warned against murder, anger, sexual immorality, lust, cowardice, occultism, idolatry, lying, etc. (Matthew 5:21-30; Revelation 21:8).
Let's pray for Talarico and others who spread propaganda about salvation, Scripture, Jesus, sexually immoral lifestyles, and the sanctity of unborn life. May they understand Matthew 12:36-37:
“I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
“Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side—leaders whose decrees permit injustice?” Psalm 94:20 (1)
We must have no alliance or fellowship with people who spread lies about God (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).
“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” Ephesians 5:11
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See Righteousness Has Never Been Popular.
(1) Psalm 94:20-23: “Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side—leaders whose decrees permit injustice? They gang up against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the Lord is my fortress; my God is the mighty rock where I hide. God will turn the sins of evil people back on them. He will destroy them for their sins. The Lord our God will destroy them.”
Please check out Lies in Disguise, a book that can give you solid biblical truth to identify and refute propaganda like the Talarico quotes in this series.
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Joy and More Joy — Part 4
Joy is a huge and wonderful subject. There's always something new to learn. These three one-minute devotions offer insights.
Are You Able to Enjoy Simple Things in Life?
Sometimes being childlike is a good thing. This one-minute devotion explains why.
Medicine with No Harmful Side Effects = Prov. 17:22
God prescribes this medicine in Proverbs, and it has no side effects but lots of benefits.
Grateful, Joyous, Godly Laughter
Laughter has many forms, both good and bad. This devotion talks about our need for healthy, wholesome laughter.
Don't miss these other joy collections:
Joy in Jesus Is Healthy – Part 1
Discover how biblical joy can make you healthier!!
Joy Is Healthy and Fun – Part 2
Ponder some of the fun and healthy aspects of biblical joy.
Joy in All Circumstances – Part 3
Biblical joy and worldly happiness differ greatly. These devotions offer insights to enjoy!
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