Let My Words Be Your Words

Posted on October 5, 2026 by Pete

What were they thinking? If the god they said they spoke for was really God, wouldn’t that god know that they were making it all up? Or were their hearts so darkened and deceived that they sincerely believed that their thoughts must be His thoughts and their ways His ways, so attuned to their own agenda that they thought it must be His? Either way, they were far away.

But what if they had known, what if they had really believed, that their God was a God at hand?

“Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD. I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name.”

(Jeremiah 23:23-25a ESV)

A God at hand . . . that’s the phrase that I’m chewing on this morning.

Believing that an omnipresent God really is omnipresent — that He really is present in all places at all times.

Believing that an omniscient God really is omniscient — that not only is He near, but He hears.

So, what would it look like to live life with, and for, a God at hand?

Well, based on this morning’s reading, it would mean that at the very least I’d think twice about saying God said stuff when maybe He didn’t really say it. That I’d be wary of putting my words in His mouth. That I’d be cautious of representing my wisdom as His way. That I’d be slow to overly assert that my discernment is, in fact, His dictate.

If He were near, there’d be a fear. A fear manifest through an awe-invoked care towards representing His Word.

There’d be a humility and not a haughtiness.

Am I a God at hand? Yes, Lord, You are. Let my words truly be Your words.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene.

(2Timothy 2:15-17a ESV)

Oh, that I might rightly handle God’s word.

Only by His grace. Always for His glory.

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We All Stumble

Posted on September 30, 2026 by Pete

I don’t do a lot of social media . . . but, I guess, enough. Enough to have seen the video clip from a Senate Committee hearing of a rude exchange over a geographically misplaced basketball game. What was supposed to be a “gotcha” moment fizzled as it turned out the senator’s facts were apparently not factual. It’s the sort of video clip that thrives within social media feeds because of how “cringe-y” it is. A little embarrassing, even to watch. Maybe that’s why James’ exhortation jumps off the page this morning.

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways.

(James 3:1-2a ESV)

For we all stumble in many ways . . . That’s what I’m chewing on this morning.

James, the pragmatic, has been talking about “religion that is pure and undefiled” (James 1:27a). He has been highlighting external indicators that reveal something of one’s spiritual condition. Things like showing partiality (James 2:1-13), things like genuine faith being accompanied by good works (James 2:14-28). This morning, things like the corruption that can be wrought through communication (James 3:1-12).

And James doesn’t hold back. The corruption can be catastrophic for “the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.” This “small member” capable of “staining the whole body.” This hidden part able to set on fire “the entire course of life” with the very fire of hell. Somewhat pessimistic? Or realistic? Over the top? Or on point?

So, says James, you who think you have something to say to others, be careful. For we all stumble in many ways . . .

Oh, the self-regulation that comes from the sober admission that we all stumble in many ways.

As Calvin puts it:

For there is nothing which serves more to moderate extreme rigor
than the knowledge of our own infirmity.

Ours is a loud, combative age. Quick to speak. Ready to pounce. And that, too often, within the church, as well. But humility comes from honest self-realization. Grace is generated when we remember that we all stumble in many ways.

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

(James 1:19-20 ESV)

True religion, pure religion, while a bold religion, is also a tender religion.

Because we all stumble in many ways.

That’s why we need abundant grace. That why God gets all the glory.

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An Idol in Every Home

Posted on September 29, 2026 by Pete

A god for every city and an altar for every street. Don’t know why that’s what popped this morning, but it did.

I’m reading Jeremiah 10 and 11 and hovering over the prophetic word as the LORD pleads with His people, “Learn not the way of the nations” (10:2). Ways which are idolatrous ways. Customs which are vain customs (10:3-5). And then the Spirit leads Jeremiah to do a side-by-side comparison, comparing the LORD, “the living God and the everlasting King (10:10), with the “stupid and foolish” idols, the works of the craftsman and the goldsmith (10:8-9). Bottom line? There is no comparison for “there is none like You, O LORD” (10:6).

But the people wouldn’t listen. Their hearts were hardened. Their eyes blind, and their ears deaf, and their brains on autopilot. And the idol industry flourished in Judah.

For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, altars to make offerings to Baal.

(Jeremiah 11:13 ESV)

A god for every city. An altar for every street. That’s a whole lot of idolatry going on!

So much so that the “way of the nations” must have seemed pretty commonplace for the people of God. As the saying goes, it had become “the air they breathed.”

And as I read it, I try and connect it. Is it really possible to have that many idols spread around town and spread throughout the land? Or is just Jeremiah using some prophetic license to employ some prophetic hyperbole?

And the cultural equivalent that comes to mind is “expressive individualism.” The belief that true meaning is found in expressing inner feelings; that identity is founded in psychological convictions; that human fulfillment is realized by fulfilling personal desires; that being authentic is found in being one’s self. And that, it seems to me, is idolatry — replacing the Creator with a created thing.

The way of our world is the way crafted by our own wisdom in order to make our own way. And if that is left to each man and to each woman, then it seems we too have a god in every city and an altar for every street and an idol in every home. And that’s a lot of idols! Perhaps the idol industry is flourishing in our land as well.

And rather than point the finger, I feel like I need to confess a failure. Rather than be quick to judge others, I need to be thoughtful in self-examination. Because, in our world, “expressive individualism” IS the air we breathe and it would be foolish to think it hasn’t invaded, at least to some degree, the inner workings of His church.

And so, I pray Jeremiah’s prayer . . .

I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself,
       that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.
Correct me, O LORD, but in justice;
       not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing.

(Jeremiah 10:23:24)

The way of man is not in himself . . . Correct me, O LORD . . .

Test my heart, Father. Deal with its idolatries.

Not in judgment, but in justice. Not through condemnation but through consecration.

For the price for my sinful idolatry has already been paid in full on Calvary’s cross. And the remedy for my wrongful worship is found not in myself but “in Him”, found in my union with Your Son. What’s more, the power to remove the “stupid and foolish” things I have set up on the street corners of my life comes not from my might nor by my strength but by Your Spirit.

Cleanse my home. Purify my heart.

By Your grace. For Your glory.

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A View from the Second Floor

Posted on September 25, 2026 by Pete

Since February, I have been anticipating getting to the part of my reading plan that takes me through Ecclesiastes. How come? Because a book I read back then shifted my paradigm on how I might read through the Preacher’s musings on how all things are but “vanity of vanities” (Eccl. 1:2). In Bobby Jamieson’s Everything is Never Enough he frames Ecclesiastes as a three-story house, with each floor giving a different perspective on life. And this morning, my reading let me visit the second floor.

When I’ve read Ecclesiastes in the past, using Jamieson’s filter, I have for the most part been preoccupied with the ground floor – the futility of, and the frustration from, all that is done “under the sun” (Eccl. 2:17). The floor that leads to the conclusion that “under the sun . . . all is vanity and a striving after wind” (Eccl. 1:14). The original word for vanity, hevel, means a vapor or a mist, thus life is but a striving after wind. Pretty depressing stuff, actually.

So, in past readings of Ecclesiastes the value was found pretty much in the reminder to “seek the things that are above” and “set my mind on things that are above” (Col. 3:1-2) and not focus and live for the hevel of things below. Good stuff, as far as it goes. But is the joy of the Lord intended only for a place and time that is there and then? Or can there be joy even in the toil of the here and now?

Welcome to the second floor!

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from Him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases Him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy.

(Ecclesiastes 2:24-26a ESV)

From the hand of God . . . that’s worth chewing on. Eating, drinking, toiling, enjoyment . . . all from the hand of God. All a gift from God.

Enjoyment . . . even under the sun, even amidst the hevel. The preacher understanding that happiness is found not in what we can achieve but in what we have received.

To be sure, much of life is a vanishing vapor. But equally to be sure everything good is an enduring gift from God (James 1:17). A gift to be enjoyed. A gift for which to give thanks. A gift which can act as foretaste of what is yet to come, of that which is waiting for us “above the sun.”

Wisdom, knowledge, and joy all gifts from the hand of God. That’s the view from the second floor that Jamieson’s book prepared me for. And I can’t wait to visit it repeatedly as I work my way through the Preacher’s tales of ground-floor woe. For in those visits to the middle floor there is wonder and worship.

So, though I am all too aware of the encompassing clouds of ground floor realities, I take a few moments to pause on the second floor. And I offer praise from the second floor, giving thanks for every gift from the hand of God.

Gifts which are sourced in His grace. Gifts which are to be enjoyed for His glory.

Thanx, Bobby.

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Wearing the Crown

Posted on September 24, 2026 by Pete

A sister went home to be with the Lord last night.

For many years, she was but a casual acquaintance, but over the past four years someone I’ve connected with, more often than not, pretty much on a weekly basis. Drawing alongside her through what has been a long, hard season of suffering and endurance. Getting to know her as she has had to wrestle with compounding hardships she could never have imagined. On several occasions, sitting with her as she asked the “Why, Lord?” and the “How long, Lord?” questions that are often asked when one is in the fires of trial. And, more than once hearing her testify repeatedly throughout that time, “I love Jesus!”

And as I pause and chew on this promise in James this morning, I think of her . . .

Blessed is the man [the woman] who remains steadfast under trial, for when he [she] has stood the test he [she] will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.

(James 1:12 ESV)

She wasn’t perfect. Didn’t have everything figured out. Really had no choice but to walk by faith and not by sight. But I can bear witness that she remained steadfast under trial and often bore witness that she was one of those who love Him.

She stood the test.

And while I sit here under the sorrow of her departure, she is there wearing the crown in her Savior’s presence.

And so, while we grieve, we do not grieve as others do who have no hope (1Thess. 4:13).

Go rest high, sister.

All because of God’s grace.

That you might forever behold God’s glory.

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Grace Upon Grace

Posted on September 22, 2026 by Pete

Talk about grace! He was just minding his own business. Keeping the flocks. Leading them to pasture. When . . . BAM! Moses saw the bush. Burning yet not consumed. And as he drew near it to check it out . . . BAM again! God calls to him out of the bush. And all of a sudden he is standing on holy ground as the glory of God, I AM WHO I AM, is revealed to him (Ex. 3). Like I said, talk about grace!

Don’t tell me that grace is just a New Testament thing. Moses, though the man of the hour, wasn’t so because of his merit. Bottom-line . . . he was a murderer. Yet, he was called to be a deliverer.

And think about the sons and daughters of Jacob who walked out of Egypt not only free but rich. And not only walked out of bondage but also through the sea. Even as they grumbled while they were being delivered, even as they looked to go back every time the going got tough. And still they ended up in the promised land with God in their midst in the tabernacle. Come on, if that isn’t grace, if that isn’t unmerited favor, then what is?

And then, there’s grace upon grace!

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

(John 1:14, 16-17 ESV)

Moses and ancient Israel knew the grace of God, but we have all received grace upon grace.

Grace upon grace through the Word. The Word who was in the beginning. The Word who was with God. The Word who was God. (John 1:1-2).

Grace upon grace from His fullness.

For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. (Colossians 1:19 ESV)

The fullness of the glory of the Father made manifest not through a burning bush but through the only Son.

Talk about your holy ground! Talk about encountering His holy presence! Then you’re talking about grace upon grace.

Not simply mercy upon mercy. More than just blessings upon blessings. But grace upon grace because we have come to know Him. Grace upon grace continuing to flow as we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2Peter 3:18).

More, more about Jesus;
more, more about Jesus;
more of His saving fullness see,
more of His love who died for me.
~ E.E. Hewitt (1887) ~

You can have all this world
just give me Jesus
Jeremy Camp (2006)

From His fullness . . . grace upon grace!

For His glory . . . grace upon grace!

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Seeking the City

Posted on September 21, 2026 by Pete

Wrapping up Hebrews this morning. What a trip! Jesus is better! Better than the angels, better than Moses, better than the Levitical priesthood. The promises are better, too. As is the way of faith, the way that pleases God (Heb. 11:6). But I’m reminded this morning that the best is yet to come.

For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.

(Hebrews 13:14 ESV)

I live in a house on a street, but it won’t last. I live within the limits of a city in Washington, but it won’t be around forever. I’ve been accepted as a resident of the United States, but it’s only a temporary residence. I possess a Canadian passport, but my true citizenship is in heaven. I’m one of billions who live on this planet, but only for a little while. Nice house . . . nice city . . . blessed countries . . . amazing world . . . but I’m reminded this morning, this ain’t the prize. This is but my temporary home. Instead, my heart should be set on seeking the city that is to come.

How easy is it to become entrenched in the here and now? Pretty easy. How tempting can it be to put down roots so we can pursue goals and invest in things that only pay dividends for a relatively short period of time? Pretty tempting. Oh, that God would renew His people’s hearts toward pilgrimage.

That He would turn our eyes toward the city that is to come.

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband . . . the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it . . .

No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and Hs servants will worship Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

(Revelation 21:2, 10b, 22-24, 22:3-5 ESV)

Okay, so how’s that for a travel brochure? Talk about your all-inclusive destination spot. Doesn’t it make you want to be there? That’s the city for which we should be living.

Oh, that God would set our hearts towards that city. That the good things of the here and now would be but continuous foretastes of the unfathomably better things of the there and then. So that, even in our sufferings, we would ever know that this present time is not worth comparing with the glory to be revealed (Rom. 8:18).

That daily we would wake, and we would journey, seeking the city that is to come.

Only by His grace. Always for His glory.

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Let’s Eat Together!

Posted on September 18, 2026 by Pete

On the road, their hearts burned. Around the table, their eyes were opened.

Hearing Him interpret for them in “all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” they felt on fire, but having Him serve up the bread — as He took it, blessed it, broke it, and give it to them — well, “at that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized Him” (MSG).

And they couldn’t wait to tell others.

And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, . . . Then they told what had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

(Luke 24:33, 35 ESV)

He was known to them in the breaking of bread . . . That’s what I’m chewing on this morning.

As they walked with and talked at Jesus on the road to Emmaus, shoulder-to-shoulder, they didn’t really know who He was (Lk 24:13-16). As they gave Jesus their ear and let Him do the talking, their hearts were warmed. But when they sat at the table with the risen Savior, face to face, and let Him break the bread and give it to them . . .

Hmm, something about dining with Deity that has a way of dispelling darkness.

We can feed on His word and be stirred, but there’s something about being fed by His hand that makes Him known.

So why don’t we sit at the table with Him more often? More intentionally?

I’m not just talking the communion table — though that’s a good place to start. But I’m thinking more our own dining table, or bedside table, or coffee table, or desk table. Just sitting around our own table with Jesus. Abiding in His presence. Giving space for Him to make Himself known.

Why don’t we make room in all our busyness to book a bit of time and RSVP to His offer?

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me.” ~ Jesus

(Revelation 3:20 ESV)

Shoulder-to-shoulder is great. He walks with me and He talks with Me and He tells me I am His own (Austin Miles, 1912).

Taking in His word, giving Him our ear, having our hearts lit up — that’s good stuff, too! The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me (Anon, 1958).

But when, by faith, we turn our eyes upon Jesus and look full in His wonderful face (Helen Lemmel, 1922) . . . when we purpose to sit in His presence around a table . . . munching and musing and meditating . . . Oh, then and there is where Jesus makes Himself known.

I hear the knock, Lord. I recognize the voice. I’m opening the door.

Come on in! Let’s eat together!

By Your grace. For Your glory.

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The Harvest (2016 Remix)

Posted on September 17, 2026 by Pete

God is in the fruit growing business. That’s the testimony of Scripture this morning. I encountered two witnesses to that fact — one in the Old Testament, the other in the New. And they testify that though the growing process might be hard, God’s intent is that fruit might be born. That God’s desire is for the harvest.

I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
       I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,
       creating the fruit of the lips.
Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the LORD,
       “and I will heal him.”

(Isaiah 57:18-19 ESV)

. . . but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

(Hebrews 12:10b-11 ESV)

Creating the fruit of the lips . . . Yielding the peaceful fruit of righteousness . . . That’s what I’m chewing on this morning.

The prophet Isaiah declares the word of God to the worst of men. To those who have exchanged the living God of promise for the dumb idols of pleasure. To those who have forfeited life led by the Holy One for an existence bowed before plated images of wood. And though for a time He struck them and hid His face from them in anger because of their iniquity (57:17), yet because of His great love and compassion, and through His inexhaustible grace, the God of heaven promises, “I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry” (57:16).

And so, the God who is high and lifted up — He who inhabits eternity and whose name is Holy, this One who dwells in a high and holy place — reaches down to tabernacle also with those who are of a “contrite and lowly spirit” (57:15). He abides with those who forsake their wicked ways and turn to Him with broken hearts. He settles in with those who humbly purpose to seek Him. He comes down to live with those who look up. Having known their transgression, He responds to their brokenness with healing. Having seen their wandering, He purposes afresh to lead them. Having felt their sorrow, He again draws near to comfort them. He enters the storms of their own making and offers peace, double peace, to those both far and near. And there is a promised outcome.

A harvest. The fruit of the lips. Thanksgiving. Praise. Worship.

And then, I read in the book of Hebrews, addressed also to God’s people. But to those under a different covenant still waiting for their promised land. To those who are seeking a heavenly land (11:16) and thus are journeying upon a pilgrim’s path. To those surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (12:1) and yet are enduring a great deal of suffering. Suffering which is not necessarily of their own making because of their own sin, but it would seem, of their own making because of their faithfulness and their determination to stand against a world ruled under sin and in opposition to their Savior.

And in this struggle, there is a temptation for them to grow weary and fainthearted. To cash it in. To tap out. And to these believers the prophetic voice says, “Endure it as discipline. Look upon it at as the Father treating you as His children so that you might share in His holiness.” And to those who see it in such a light, to those who hang in there as they hang on to the promise, to those who lift up their drooping hands and strengthen their weakening knees and make straight again paths for their feet (12:12), there is a promised outcome.

A harvest. The fruit of righteousness. A participation in the divine nature reflecting God’s divine character.

I enter the day reminded that my God is in the fruit growing business.

Mine is to, as much as lies within me, provide some “good soil” (Matt. 13:8, 23) for Him to work with. To humble myself in the sight of the Lord (James 4:10) and seek His abiding presence. To not be discouraged at whatever trial or testing might be before me, but to invite the hand of a good, good Father to continue to work His perfect work in my life (and in the lives of those dear to me). To know the Potter’s hand through the ever-present Spirit as He conforms me to the image of His beloved Son.

Mine is to keep on keepin’ on and participate in the harvest.

Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.

(Hebrews 13:15 ESV)

The fruit of the lips giving God praise for the fruit of righteousness.

All through His amazing grace. All for His everlasting glory.

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A Rollercoaster Ride

Posted on September 16, 2026 by Pete

A verse in Proverbs took me on a bit of a rollercoaster ride this morning. What began as a promise to claim soon revealed a pride to confess but then resulted in a praise to cry out. All from one verse! In the span of a just few minutes. Huh, who knew?

Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered,
       but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.

(Proverbs 28:18 ESV)

Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered . . . how’s that for a promise to claim?

If you’re honest, it says . . . if you have strong moral principles, it says . . . if you do what is right even when no one is looking, it says, then even when you may have been wronged it will be set right. Peterson sums it up, “Walk straight — live well and be saved” (MSG). That’s what it says. Or does it?

Reading it this way, I can claim some sort of high ground of walking in integrity, and along with it the promise of deliverance. I can rejoice that one day I will be justified though others attack my integrity today. And then I can find a rest in self-assessing and self-assuring that, as one who walks straight and talks straight, all will be set straight. So, I put in my thumb, and I pull out a plum, and I say, “What a good boy am I!” (Is that still a nursery rhyme, or did I just lose an entire generation or two?)

But then I look up the original word for integrity, and it has the idea of something a little different than our modern definition for integrity. Of something being whole, complete, unimpaired — something “entirely in accord with truth and fact”. As in something perfect. As in something without blemish. As in something blameless — which is how it is translated in the NASB, NIV, NKJV, and NLT. As in something not really me. Ouch!

While I might think I have integrity, to think I am blameless is an entirely different matter. And the Spirit uses a Hebrew lexicon to reveal a hidden pride. For in claiming the promise, my integrity was becoming my justification — and my eventual vindication — for wrongs against me even when I felt my walk was right. My integrity. And I’m struck with the awareness of a pride to confess. A pride to repent of. Heavy sigh!

But thank God for the cross where the price for my pride was paid. Thank God that the blood which cleanses from sin, again and again and again, was shed.

Thank God for the empty tomb and the risen Christ who alone IS blameless. Who is, like no other, whole and complete and unimpaired and lives “entirely in accord with truth and fact.” And thank God that by grace, through faith I am in Christ, and thus, I really do walk in Integrity. And in Him alone can I claim the promise that I assuredly will be delivered.

For in Him all God’s promises are Yes and Amen! (2Cor. 1:20). Amen?

From promise to pride to praise. All in a few minutes. Huh.

Only by His grace. Always for His glory.

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