Category Archives: Truth

Passage of the Day:

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them. He said: ³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁵ Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. ⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. ¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you, Matthew 5:1-12.

Reflection:

As a former high school teacher, it doesn’t take long to find out who has an attitude in your class. As the world becomes more and more politically correct, children don’t understand the concept of winning and losing. If everyone gets a certificate, prize or reward for just participating, this isn’t real life. At the end of Jesus’ list of beatitudes, there is an expectation communicated that not everyone is going to like you. Therefore, when you do face adversity, difficult situations and persecution, attitudes will be tested. How you handle this will reveal what you will need to work on.

Prayerful Action:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything, James 1:2-4.

Retracing Your Steps:

Success has a way of changing you: sometimes for the better and others for the worse. I went from a humble and meek under classman in high school to an arrogant and conceded upperclassman. While I may not have been as cocky as some of my fellow athletes, I was living far from Jesus’ beatitudes. I guess I needed by own prodigal son experience as a freshman in college to bring me back to where the Lord wanted me to be. This emptiness led me to make Jesus the Lord of my life in my second semester of college and refresh my memory of attitudes to live by.

Song of the Day:

The lyrics of Real Life by Cindy Morgan play the “what if game.” While its honorable to see life like Pollyanna, the attitudes that you come in contact with daily are far from the beatitudes. Although you can’t change others, you can begin by changing your own attitude so that when the opportunity presents itself, you can impact the lives of others.

by Jay Mankus

Passage of the Day:

The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, ² Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. ³ They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” ⁴ When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. ⁵ Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁶ let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. ⁷ We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. ⁸ “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, ⁹ but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name,’ Nehemiah 1:1-9.

Reflection:

Reading this prayer of Nehemiah reminds me of being in the presence of Christians whom I consider prayer warriors. These Christians don’t ask for an arbitrary list of requests but go immediately into praying for solutions. Nehemiah uses his emotions and tears to cry out the Lord for answers and help. Sometimes being proactive in prayer is confessing the sins of your family, city, state or nation. According to Leonard Ravenhill, the first Great Awakening began when a young Christian got up and publicly confessed their sins, moving the Holy Spirit to call others to do the same.

Prayerful Action:

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God, Romans 8:26-27.

Retracing Your Steps:

I learned how to pray by attending a Campus Crusade for Christ men’s prayer group in college. We were all mere infant Christians trying to find our way in the realm of prayer. This practice inspired me to want to become better at praying. Although I have made strides over the years, praying is my weakest aspect of my faith. To avoid thoughts racing through my mind, I started journaling all my prayers to keep me on track 20 years ago. I have used various acronyms like PRAY, ACTS and the Lord’s Prayer as outlines to guide me. Yet, as I learned from my friends the Beste’s, proactive prayer involves setting up hedges of protection over Christians to keep them safe from demonic attacks and oppression.

Song of the Day:

Over my forty years as a Christian, there have been many times when I have felt spiritually dead, unable to get myself to prayer. Today’s song serves as a reminder of the need to come alive spiritually so that Christians can begin to become proactive in prayer.

by Jay Mankus

Passage of the Day:

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. ² The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. ⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” ⁷ Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” ⁸ “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” ⁹ “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” ¹⁰ Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean, John 13:1-11.

Reflection:

If you have watched the very first episode of the Chosen, Season One, you can see the rigid rules that devout Jews were forced to follow. Since most individuals in the first century either walked barefoot outside or owned a pair of sandals, ankles, feet and toes collected dirt, dust and sand. Prior to entering a Jewish home, shoes were left outside as the homeowner would wash the feet of guest to ensure everyone was ceremonial clean. While the room Jesus and his disciples celebrated the Passover in was provided to them, Jesus humbled himself by washing the feet of all 12 disciples. Despite being the Son of God, Jesus spent the last 3 years of His life serving other people.

Prayerful Action:

Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many,” Matthew 20:28.

Retracing Your Steps:

The only time I actively think about serving others is during Thanksgiving and Christmas, helping out to wash dishes and or clear the table so that my parents can have a chance to rest. Perhaps, human nature is to blame, putting self-centered thoughts into my mind throughout my life. Although I have attended service projects in my past, service should be a weekly emphasis with eyes eagerly watching for opportunities to serve others. This is the mentality that Jesus possessed throughout his earthly life which enable Him to humbly serve mankind.

Song of the Day:

There may be people in life that you’ll feel uncomfortable with humbling yourself to and serving. Yet, God calls Christians to love and to serve anyone in need. May the lyrics of the Song of the Harlot speak to your heart and inspire you to become an active servant in your community.

by Jay Mankus

Passage of the Day:

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea,² “The Lord is my strength and my defense^[a]; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. ³ The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name. ⁴ Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea. The best of Pharaoh’s officers are drowned in the Red Sea.^[b]5 The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone. ⁶ Your right hand, Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, Lord, shattered the enemy. ⁷ “In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble. ⁸ By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood up like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea. ⁹ The enemy boasted, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.’ ¹⁰ But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. ¹¹ Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? ¹² “You stretch out your right hand, and the earth swallows your enemies ¹³ In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling. ¹⁴ The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia. ¹⁵ The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, the people^[c] of Canaan will melt away; ¹⁶ terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of your arm they will be as still as a stone—until your people pass by, Lord, until the people you bought^[d] pass by. ¹⁷ You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance—the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established. ¹⁸ “The Lord reigns for ever and ever.” ¹⁹ When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen^[e] went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. ²⁰ Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. ²¹ Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea,” Exodus 15:1-21.

Reflection:

Song writing is usually reserved for artists, musicians and professionals. However, what today’s featured passage teaches us is that when you are moved by a special moment in life, inspiration may come to you in the form of a song. As Moses and the Israelites witness God do the impossible, holding back one portion of the Red Sea as the other fell upon the Egyptian army, words flowed from their mouths. Rather than remain stoic, it’s important to celebrate the miracles that God performs in the lives of Christians.

Prayerful Action:

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand, Psalm 16:11.

Retracing Your Steps:

I knew nothing about song writing when I was offered a teaching position at a boarding school in West Virginia. As the semester came to an end, the beauty of the Monongahela National Forest combined with teaching poetry conceived a desire to dabble in music. Before 1994 came to an end, I went on to compose an album entitled A Simple Confession. This writing journey began when I started to celebrate the miracles that God was doing in my life.

Song of the Day:

The lyrics of Ellie Holcomb’s song reminds Christians that our lives might face unprobeable roads like the Israelites facing the Red Sea. May the Bible provide light for your path as you go through your own Red Sea Road.

by Jay Mankus

Passage of the Day:

The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. ² In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. ³ The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death,” Exodus 16:1-3.

Reflection:

Forty-five days after witnessing the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, Israel forgot God’s power to alter their situation. Rather than using this miracle as a spiritual turning point in their lives, the Israelites began to complain to one another about the harsh conditions of traveling through a desert. Instead of having an individual stand up and profess, “if God can part the Red Sea, providing food and water will be much easier,” no one chose to be optimistic. Rather than make their situation better, grumbling and complaining only made matters worse.

Prayerful Action:

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling, 1 Peter 4:9.

Retracing Your Steps:

Sometimes a person at work alters how you see your employer. When you allow yourself to become surrounded by negative people, sooner or later you’ll join in, Psalm 1:1-2. You may even over-react, tempted to quit your job because of low morale. However, one of Jesus’ disciples calls Christians to be hospitable even if everyone else is constantly bickering and complaining. While it’s important to be real and genuine to others, choose to make your situation better, not worse.

Song of the Day:

Kenny Marks was one of the first Christian artists to address the subject of divorce in his music. The lyrics to the Next Time You See Johnny shows how a little boy misses his father. While divorces often result in messy situations, lean on the power of prayer to help your make your crisis’s in life better, not worst.

by Jay Mankus

Passage of the Day:

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.² I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. ³ My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you.⁴ For you have upheld my right and my cause, sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.⁵ You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever. ⁶ Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished. ⁷ The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. ⁸ He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity. ⁹ The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.¹⁰ Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you, Psalm 9:1-10.

Reflection:

I was introduced to the concept of trust by my high school youth group. During an Ice-Breaker, I volunteered to stand on the stage in our gym. However, when I fell backwards with my eyes blindfolded, I was forced to trust a group of teenagers who caught me with their arms. Rather than stand straight up, I gently leaned backwards, unsure if my peers would keep me from harm. In today’s Psalm, David is confident that God will take care of him. While we all have doubts, placing your full trust in God, Proverbs 3:5-6, is a sign of faith and maturity.

Prayerful Action:

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: ⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun, Psalm 37:5-6.

Retracing Your Steps:

Depending upon how you were raised and the various situations that you have encountered in life, you may struggle with trust. Typically, this is due to spiritual scars from your past like being abandoned, constantly disappointed or having people in your life continue to let you down by failing to do what they promised. Since everyone has a story for why they behave and do what they do, trusting in God may take months or years. Nonetheless, God promises to bless those you take a leap of faith backwards into the Lord’s invisible hands.

Song of the Day:

Today’s song comes from one of my favorite bands that I discovered in the dollar bin years ago. The lyrics of I Believe You serves as a turning point in your faith journey. To those who reach this level of trust experience a new confidence and sense that God will take care of all your needs.

by Jay Mankus

Passage of the Day:

Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. ²³ When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.^[f]) ²⁴ So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” ²⁵ Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. ²⁶ He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” ²⁷ Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water, Exodus 15:22-27.

Reflection:

Any eyewitness of a miracle usually spiritually propels Christians for an extended period of time. However, when the memory of this miracle fades from minds, replaced by a current trial, the second guessing of God commences. This is the context of today’s passage as Israel’s celebration of God’s parting of the Red Sea had come to an end, 45 days later. Dying of thirst, God provides what I call the Three Pre-Commandments. God gives Israel 3 instructions to follow: carefully listen to God, do what’s right in the Lord’s eyes and pay attention to ALL of the commands uttered by God.

Prayerful Action:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says, James 1:22.

Retracing Your Steps:

Anyone can listen to a person talking. However, actually remembering what someone is saying requires concentration, desire, and focus. If the leaders of Israel applied what the Lord said at Elim, there would have been no need for Ten Commandments. Meanwhile, their forty-year journey in the wilderness to the promised land of Canaan would have taken less than a year to reach. This is a prime example of merely listening to God without taking any actions.

Song of the Day:

Final Thoughts:

Although Easter Sunday has passed for this year, the lyrics of Watch the Lamb serve as a daily reminder of what happened nearly 2,000 years ago on Good Friday. May today’s devotion inspire you to increase your abilities to listen to God in 2024.

by Jay Mankus

Passage of the Day:

The Lord heard you when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, “I have heard what this people said to you. Everything they said was good. ²⁹ Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever! ³⁰ “Go, tell them to return to their tents. ³¹ But you stay here with me so that I may give you all the commands, decrees and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess.” ³² So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. ³³ Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess, Deuteronomy 5:28-33.

Reflection:

Since I started reading the Old Testament from the beginning of last year, I discovered a theme in Genesis. Enoch, Noah and Abraham each habitually walked with God. Prior to introducing the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, walking with God appears to be God’s desire for His followers. As Moses writes the Book of Deuteronomy, reminding Israel of God’s commands, walking with God involves obedience to God’s commands, decrees and precepts. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul adds to walking with God by keeping in step with the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5:25.

Prayerful Action:

I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path, Psalm 119:104-105.

Retracing Your Steps:

If the Bible serves as a lamp for the feet of Christians, sometimes you have to retrace your steps to get back to where the Lord wants you to be. Since Jesus provides the imagery of a narrow path which leads to eternal life in Matthew 7:13-14, you’ll likely lose your way in life. If sin in the form of bad choices separates Christians from God, Isaiah 59:2, retracing your steps is essential to finding your way back to this less traveled path.

Song of the Day:

The Less Traveled Road is a fitting way to end the call to walk with God in 2024. While staying on this narrow path isn’t easy and can be lonely, pointing others in the right direction toward the light of Jesus is a worthy calling to embark upon.

by Jay Mankus

Passage of the Day:

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵ But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”^{[a] 17} Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. ¹⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. ²⁰ He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. ²¹ Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. ²² Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart, 1 Peter 1:13-22.

Reflection:

Purify refers to removing contaminants from someone or something. From a spiritual perspective, purifying your soul involves the drastic steps called for by the apostle Paul in Colossians 3:5-9. When the sinful nature is allowed to control, dictate and rule your life, there is no place for the Holy Spirit to dwell. Romans 8:5-8 describes this battle for your mind and soul as the human flesh and Holy Spirit are in direct conflict to one another. The key to winning this spiritual battle is to remember the obligation Christians have to God’s Spirit.

Prayerful Action:

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of^[e] his Spirit who lives in you. ¹² Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, Romans 8:11-13.

Refreshing Your Soul:

One of Jesus’ disciples puts purifying your soul into much clearer terms, 1 John 1:5-7. The key to purifying your soul is to habitually walk with God. However, when you do stumble and fall, be honest by confessing your shortcomings, James 5:16. Anyone who deviates from John’s instructions is simply living in darkness and not walking in the light.

Song of the Day:

Purifying your soul is similar to the sanctification process, taking a lifetime to complete. There will be ebbs and flows in this life from obedience to disobedience. Confess when you fall short of God’s glory and strive to habitually walk with God. Purifying your soul is a journey of faith, living one day at a time.

by Jay Mankus