Daily Archives: August 4, 2026

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – The Beginning of Wisdom

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The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 9:10

Recommended Reading: Job 28:12-19

We may never find ourselves in a predicament as trying as Job’s. But that doesn’t mean we won’t have some of the same questions. We would do well to learn from Job’s search for wisdom as he tried to unravel the reasons for his circumstances.

Job was searching for the wisdom to navigate his difficulties. In his discourse with his friends, Job said, “But where can wisdom be found?… From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?… And to man [God] said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom’” (Job 28:12, 20, 28). Job’s words would find agreement from Solomon who later wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). When we lack answers, the place to begin is the fear of the Lord—which means elevating His plans and purposes above our own and submitting our lack of answers to His omniscience.

When you find yourself needing wisdom, remember the words of James who quoted Solomon: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

Humility is the hallmark of wisdom. 
Jeremy Collier

 

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – The Help God Provides

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Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:14

Today’s Scripture

Hebrews 1:7-14

Listen to Today’s Devotion

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Today’s Devotion

When commercial fisherman Scott Thompson fell out of his boat one moonless night in the Santa Barbara Channel off the California coast, he didn’t know if he’d survive. He swam hard after the boat, but the motor was running and he couldn’t reach it. So he attempted to swim to a distant oil platform in the darkness. Beginning to lose hope, Thompson heard a splash in the cold water near him. A harbor seal swam with him for a while, nudging him along toward the platform. Five hours later, Thompson completed the long swim and described the seal as “an angel” sent to help him.

The writer of the book of Hebrews describes angels as “ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). The passage highlights the greatness of Jesus and emphasizes that angels—wonderful and glorious beings that they are—exist to further His purposes in saving us. Jesus sustains “all things by his powerful word” (v. 3).

All around us is an unseen reality in which God sends angels to aid those who have gladly received the good news of Jesus. Sometimes our nights may be long, and we may wonder if we can keep going. But He’ll always give us the help we need—help that will nudge us on in Him.

Reflect & Pray

In what ways has God sent you unexpected help? How might He use you to help others today?

I praise You today, loving God, knowing that because You sustain all things, I’ll one day be able to praise You forever!

Today’s Insights

Hebrews says that angels are “ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” (1:14). They were created by God to worship and praise Him (v. 6), to serve as messengers (Revelation 1:1), and to protect His people (Psalm 68:17). In 2 Kings 6, when the Arameans surrounded the Israelites, the prophet Elisha reassured his frightened servant, “Don’t be afraid . . . . Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (v. 16). The servant’s eyes were opened, and he “saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (v. 17)—a vast army of angels.

Psalm 91:11-12 says, “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Today, no matter what we’re going through, we can be assured that God loves and cares for us and will provide the help we need.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Bystander saves lives at In-N-Out Burger shooting in Idaho

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A twenty-four-year-old gunman opened fire in a crowded In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, last Saturday. He killed three people and wounded seven others; two of the injured were in critical condition as of Sunday. He then took his own life after coming under fire from a bystander and an off-duty Idaho state trooper.

At this writing, authorities have not yet established a motive for the shooting. But they are praising thirty-five-year-old Jordan Salinas of Kimberly, Idaho, who returned fire after the shooting began. “He did not like it when bullets started firing both ways,” Salinas said. “There’s a task that needs to be done, and we’re the ones who need to do it,” he added.

Police said Salinas and the off-duty trooper who responded “are true heroes in our community. They diverted the shooter and without a doubt saved many lives.”

If you were at the restaurant last Saturday and the heroism of the two men saved your life, you might be thanking God today for their bravery and his protection. If you love one of the people who was killed or wounded, however, you might be grateful for the men who protected others, but grieving that their protection and God’s providence did not extend to the ones you lost.

We have all been in both groups. I thanked God when our older son and youngest grandson survived cancer, but still grieve that my father died of heart disease at the age of fifty-five. You can cite times when God acted with benevolence in your life and times when it seemed he did not.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Bystander saves lives at In-N-Out Burger shooting in Idaho →

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – Righteous and Just

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 For the righteous LORD loves justice. The virtuous will see his face. 

—Psalm 11:7

Scripture:

Psalm 11:7 

God reveals Himself to us in His Word. We know that God is holy because in Isaiah’s vision of Him, heavenly creatures declare, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies” (Isaiah 6:3 NLT). We know that God is righteous and just because Psalm 11:7 says, “The righteous Lord loves justice” (NLT). Holiness describes God’s character; righteousness and justice describe how He deals with humankind.

These perfections that we find in Scripture aren’t just the result of God’s people seeing what they want to see in Him. Even the enemies of the Lord recognized His perfect attributes. In the book of Exodus, we read about Pharaoh, who hardened his heart by holding on to the children of Israel after the Lord had instructed him to release them. When the Lord sent a series of plagues to Egypt, “Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron. ‘This time I have sinned,’ he confessed. ‘The Lord is the righteous one, and my people and I are wrong’” (Exodus 9:27 NLT).

From the very first verse of the Bible, we see that God is omnipotent, all-powerful. If He were all-powerful without being righteous, He would be just a celestial tyrant doing whatever He wanted wherever He wanted to do it. If He were righteous without being powerful, He would be unable to execute justice on this earth. But the good news is that God is all-powerful—and He is righteous. He can do whatever He wants, but He does the right thing in every situation.

That includes the exercise of His justice. Unlike human justice, God’s justice is perfect. He doesn’t show favoritism. He doesn’t look the other way at certain offenses. He demands that wrongdoing and wrongdoers be punished. Scripture certainly bears that out.

In Isaiah 51:4–5, God says, “Listen to me, my people. Hear me, Israel, for my law will be proclaimed, and my justice will become a light to the nations. My mercy and justice are coming soon. My salvation is on the way. My strong arm will bring justice to the nations. All distant lands will look to me and wait in hope for my powerful arm” (NLT).

Deuteronomy 32:4 says, “He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!” (NLT).

And in Psalm 140:12, David confidently proclaims, “But I know the Lord will help those they persecute; he will give justice to the poor” (NLT).

God’s justice leaves no room for appeal because He is righteous. Everything He determines is, by its very nature, perfectly just. Only our perfect heavenly Father can judge perfectly.

And He wants His people to prize justice as well. Proverbs 21:3 says, “The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices” (NLT). And Isaiah 1:17 instructs, “Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows” (NLT).

Justice matters to the Lord, and it must matter to us.

 

Reflection question: What would seeking justice look like in your life?

Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – The Lord God of Heaven

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.” (Ezra 1:2)

It is noteworthy that the words of this verse are almost the same as in the last verse of 2 Chronicles. This indicates that Ezra the scribe (who wrote the book of Ezra) was also the compiler and editor of the two books of Chronicles.

Even more noteworthy is the fact that the great emperor Cyrus seemed to acknowledge that the God of Israel was not just a tribal god, as many have claimed, but the Lord God of heaven—that is, Jehovah Elohim—recognizing Him as both Creator and Redeemer of the world. The Persians were largely followers of Zoroaster, but his religious system did bear some resemblance to the true monotheism of Israel.

Cyrus had been called, and even named, by God long before he was born (Isaiah 44:28–45:6). When he conquered Babylon, the prophet Daniel was there (Daniel 6:28). The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that Daniel even became prime minister under Cyrus and was able to read Isaiah’s remarkable prophecy to him, thus influencing him to send the Jews back to Jerusalem.

There have also been other Gentile rulers who acknowledged God, even before Christ came. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, once hating God, finally was forced to confess that He was “the most High” and “King of heaven” (Daniel 4:34, 37). Another was the Queen of Sheba, who recognized “the LORD thy God” (again Jehovah Elohim, 1 Kings 10:9). Then there was the king of Nineveh and Assyria, who believed in God at the preaching of Jonah (Jonah 3:6–10). In fact, in the ages to come “the kings of the earth” will all “bring their glory and honour” to the Lord in the holy city (Revelation 21:24). HMM

 

 

 

https://www.icr.org/articles/type/6

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – How to Walk in the Fruits of the Spirit

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By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

John 15:8 (ESV)

The apostle Paul writes that he prays for the Colossians to walk in a manner worthy of the LORD, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (Col. 1:10 AMPC, emphasis mine). As our souls are healed and we become stronger, we are better able to bear the fruit He wants us to produce.

Galatians 5:22–23 lists the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Recently, we looked at the first four, and today we will look at the remaining five of these and consider how God has put them in us and now wants us to bear their fruit.

  • Kindness: The psalmist says that God’s “lovingkindness is better than life” (Ps. 63:3 NKJV), and it is His kindness that leads people to repentance (Rom. 2:4). The Bible teaches us to “be kind to one another” (Eph. 4:32) and to “put on kindness” (Col. 3:12). Because Jesus lives in you, the ability to be kind is in you also.
  • Goodness: The Lord is good! This is repeated often throughout the Bible (Exod. 33:19; 1 Chron. 16:34; Pss. 106:1, 107:1, 119:68). The psalmist encourages us to “taste and see that the LORD is good!” (Ps. 34:8). He also praises God by saying, “Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you” (Ps. 31:19). The apostle Paul urges us: “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good” (Rom. 12:9). The best way I know to enjoy each day is to commit to being good to all people everywhere you go.
  • Gentleness: The Scriptures compare Jesus to a lamb, which is a very gentle animal. In 2 Corinthians 10:1, Paul appeals to the Corinthians “by the meekness and gentleness of Christ.” He also writes: “So, as God’s own chosen people, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (Col. 3:12 AMP), and “Let your gentleness be known to all” (Phil. 4:5 NKJV).
  • Faithfulness: He who calls you is faithful. When God’s presence passed before Moses, God said this about Himself, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exod. 34:6 ESV). Scripture teaches us: “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you” (Prov. 3:3 ESV), and “Only fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart” (1 Sam. 12:24 ESV).
  • Self-Control: Throughout God’s Word, God withholds anger. Proverbs 16:32 says that a patient person is better than a strong warrior, and that someone with self-control is better “than one who takes a city” (NIV). Some people say, “I just don’t have any self-control,” but if they have received Jesus into their heart, that statement is inaccurate. They do have self-control and simply need to keep exercising it and watch it get stronger and stronger.

As a believer in Christ, you can be confident that everything that is in Him is in you. Believing this truth is the beginning of a new way of living. We don’t have to struggle as we try in the flesh to produce these things, but we believe we have them and let each one flow as needed.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me bear the fruit of Your Spirit in every area of my life. Let kindness, goodness, and self-control flow naturally through me as I walk with You, amen.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Enter…Elijah 

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Play

Ancient Israel had the scruffy hills of Gilead, and somewhere in this rugged land Elijah came to believe in a mighty Yahweh who refused to share his glory with others. He confronted Ahab and Jezebel with a surgical strike. Baal was regarded as the god of fertility, yet Baal’s veil was about to be yanked back. Jehovah has declared a drought.

Does Elijah have some encouragement for our generation? Absolutely! The story of Elijah offers us hope. Elijah shows us that one person following a living God is greater than hundreds of people praying to a lifeless one.

 

 

 

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Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – God Confuses Language

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Read Genesis 11:1–9

The international terminal at an airport is an interesting place to people watch. It’s a unique space where people from around the globe converge for a brief time. You can hear multiple languages. You see the whole range of human emotion—sorrow, fear, confusion, anticipation, ambition, stress, excitement, joy. In some ways, it gives us a glimpse of Babel.

In Genesis 11, we see the results of sin and pride as the population grew and the people migrated east. Their collective sin had previously provoked a worldwide flood (Gen. 6–9). And now—just decades later— their perverted use of language and power drew a disciplined response from the Lord.

Language is a gift from God that facilitates communication and fosters communion. One primary purpose for language—as God intended—is to give Him praise (Ps. 34:1). However, in the land of Shinar, the people were using their common language to glorify themselves. They collaborated to build a city and a tower that would garner status and praise. The Moody Bible Commentary calls Babel “the first expression of secular humanism.” Human prominence was pursued while divine purpose was ignored.

The LORD “came down” to see their city (v. 5). He was grieved by the human-centered trajectory that the people had established, an act that predicted even greater idolatry in their future. As tall as the tower may have been, it could not reach His heights.

So, for their own good, God confused their language, forcing them to scatter (vv. 7–9). Nevertheless, His heart still yearns for the unified worship of all nations and tongues as prophesied in Zephaniah 3:9: “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder.”

Go Deeper

Why did God confuse the language at Babel? How have you experienced the consequences of a “language barrier”?

Pray with Us

Lord, nothing that we can ever accomplish could reach the heights of Your glory. We praise You for this! We long for the day when people from all nations and tongues will worship You in unity.

If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.Genesis 11:6

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/