We have probably all seen those cartoon situations showing the character in the midst of a decision between right and wrong, and a little angel sits on one of his or her shoulders encouraging the right action, and a little Devil sits on the other shoulder encouraging the wrong alternative.

This is very much the situation that goes on in the lives of Christians. It is described in a number of places in the Bible, including Galatians 5:17 where Paul writes “The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.” TLB

It is our challenge to follow the spirit rather than our nature, but as written in Romans 8, “the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.” We are not on our own, we can ask for help.

Dear Lord, help us follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance and reject the temptation of our nature to do wrong and go against your will. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Did you know that there is much more evidence for the Bible’s authenticity than any other ancient text. We have copies of New Testament manuscripts that were hand written within 100 years of the events, and have over 20,000 copies of original ancient texts. They have been found in Africa, Europe and the Middle East with very little variation (99.5% consistency). In contrast, there are less than 1000 ancient copies of Homer’s Illiad, and they were written over 500 years after Homer first wrote it. The assurance of the Bible’s validity is well beyond any other ancient text. In modern times, over 100 million Bibles are sold each year, and it is estimated over 5 billion have been printed.

Paul wrote the letter to Timothy that we read as 2 Timothy around 67 AD while Paul was in prison in Rome. He said in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone.” What a great gift the Bible is for us.

Dear Lord, thank you for giving us the Bible to guide, inspire, motivate, and educate us. Help us to read it regularly to help bring us closer to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the amazing Palace of Versailles in France. This was the center of power and the Palace of French Kings and Royalty for about 100 years in the 1600 and 1700’s.

It is very difficult to appreciate the scale of this Palace, and the wealth it demonstrates. The palace is over 700,000 square feet, with 700 rooms, amazing architecture, and spectacular art throughout. It has it’s own “chapel” that looks like a cathedral inside. The Palace is on a couple thousand acres of manicured gardens, precisely oriented lakes, with ancient statues lining the walkways. It is hard to believe that this was someone’s property, and residence.

I think about this Palace when reading Luke 12:32, where Jesus says, “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.”

I realize that Jesus is not referring to an earthly kingdom, but to a heavenly kingdom. We know, however, that no earthly kingdom or wealth can compare to the the value of the heavenly kingdom, and Jesus is telling us God takes pleasure in giving this to us.

When we are in need of the simple necessities, or even those special things we hope for, we should remember that God loves us enough to give us this most valuable of all gifts. We can be sure he will provide us everything we need in life as well.

Dear Lord, you know our every need, hope and desire. Help us remember that you care about us enough to give us the most valuable thing, our salvation, we can be sure you can give us our other needs as well. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

There is a perspective that everyone has a World View, whether they think about it or not, and a World View must include four pieces to be complete. These pieces are Origin – Where does everything come from? Morality – What is the source of right and wrong? Meaning – Why are we here? and Destiny – What happens after earthly death?

I think most Christians have a good handle on Origin, Morality, and Destiny, but I think we don’t have clarity on the Meaning topic. Why are we here?

St. Paul addresses this very succinctly in Romans 11:36, writing “For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.”

Dear Lord, help us remember that all you have made, including us and everything we have, comes from you and is intended to glorify you. Help us live this. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you have ever been fishing you know that sometimes you can throw any bait in the water and the fish bite, but other times you need just the right fishing hole, and just the right bait in order to catch a fish. Fly fisherman study the types of bugs that fish are eating and create lures (bait) to look similar and attract the fish. Even with that, the smart fish will come and take a look, but move on if the bait doesn’t look right.

In a similar way, the Devil fishes for people with temptations to catch their attention and draw them into sin and disobedience to God. Some are easy to catch, others more difficult. He will search for the just the right bait to tempt each of us; pride, greed, envy, immorality, dishonesty, fear, worry, or one of many others. It may seem like we don’t stand a chance against the power of the Devil, but God promises that He will always provide a way out of the temptation.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” We cannot avoid being tempted, but we can ignore the bait and not act on the temptation.

When we successfully overcome it makes us more capable to overcome the next time temptation arises.

Dear Lord, We know that we will be tempted, when we are, help us remember that you will provide a way out and help us overcome. As difficult as it may be to resist, we know as Paul says in Philippians 4:13, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.