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Walk in Wisdom
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These daily devotionals are written to help you remain rooted and grounded in God's Word each day. We have one devotional for each weekday, and one for the weekend.
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Latest Devotional
Outliers
Deuteronomy 2:2, 4-5
“Then the LORD said to me, ‘… “You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir. … Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as the soul of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.”’”If you were with me during our study through Genesis a few years ago, you’ll recall reflecting on how grievous Jacob’s treachery toward Esau was. You’ll recall how Jacob, rightly called “the trickster,” first exploited Esau’s intense hunger to manipulate an unfair trade out of him. “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink,” writes Paul in Romans 12:20, and he never added the phrase, “Oh, and make sure to bleed him dry in the process!”, which is what Jacob did.
But Jacob was just getting started. A little further down the road, as Esau set out on another hunting expedition to hunt, kill, and prepare his father’s favorite meal, Jacob throws on his best Esau costume, practices some impersonations in the mirror, and steals the blessing his brother merited. The sight of Isaac and Esau trembling together, and of Esau sobbing like a baby once the rouse is laid bare, still makes my skin crawl. That event tore this family apart for more than a decade, and it could’ve continued for a lifetime had God not intervened to change both Jacob and Esau’s hearts. Oh, how marvelous the scene of their later embrace! How poetic the picture of their redemptive reunion! How the tears of forgiveness pooled in the sands of that barren relationship and bubbled up through the ancient scroll! God not only eradicated Jacob’s deceptive nature and Esau’s embittered heart, but also generations of bloody feuding that would’ve sprung from them. That’s why I love the sternness and firmness of God’s words here in Deuteronomy 2. Jacob has stolen enough of Esau’s blessing, and God won’t put up with any more heel-grabbing in this family drama.
Though the complete record of God’s working in Esau’s kin is not recorded in this divine Testament, we can be sure it’s recorded in Heaven’s chronicles, in the full telling of redemption’s story. And I for one can’t wait to read it!
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Latest Devotional
Outliers
Deuteronomy 2:2, 4-5
“Then the LORD said to me, ‘… “You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir. … Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as the soul of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.”’”If you were with me during our study through Genesis a few years ago, you’ll recall reflecting on how grievous Jacob’s treachery toward Esau was. You’ll recall how Jacob, rightly called “the trickster,” first exploited Esau’s intense hunger to manipulate an unfair trade out of him. “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink,” writes Paul in Romans 12:20, and he never added the phrase, “Oh, and make sure to bleed him dry in the process!”, which is what Jacob did.
But Jacob was just getting started. A little further down the road, as Esau set out on another hunting expedition to hunt, kill, and prepare his father’s favorite meal, Jacob throws on his best Esau costume, practices some impersonations in the mirror, and steals the blessing his brother merited. The sight of Isaac and Esau trembling together, and of Esau sobbing like a baby once the rouse is laid bare, still makes my skin crawl. That event tore this family apart for more than a decade, and it could’ve continued for a lifetime had God not intervened to change both Jacob and Esau’s hearts. Oh, how marvelous the scene of their later embrace! How poetic the picture of their redemptive reunion! How the tears of forgiveness pooled in the sands of that barren relationship and bubbled up through the ancient scroll! God not only eradicated Jacob’s deceptive nature and Esau’s embittered heart, but also generations of bloody feuding that would’ve sprung from them. That’s why I love the sternness and firmness of God’s words here in Deuteronomy 2. Jacob has stolen enough of Esau’s blessing, and God won’t put up with any more heel-grabbing in this family drama.
Though the complete record of God’s working in Esau’s kin is not recorded in this divine Testament, we can be sure it’s recorded in Heaven’s chronicles, in the full telling of redemption’s story. And I for one can’t wait to read it!
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The Father’s Arms
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The Prepositions of Providence
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The Grace of Problem Solving
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Make Me a Sanctuary
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Sabbath Psalm (From Fanny Crosby’s hymn ‘Blessed Assurance’)
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Spiritual Scars
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Better Judgment
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A Roll Call
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Kingdom Rising
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A Tale of Two Pilgrims
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Sabbath Psalm (Revised from Charles Wesley’s hymn ‘Depth of Mercy’)
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A Leprous Colony
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Word Spreads
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Dry Seasons Pt. 2
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Dry Seasons
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For the Record
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Sabbath Psalm (From Priscilla Owens’ hymn ‘Jesus Saves!’’)
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Monumental Letters
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A Second Impression
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Fighting Words
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Either-Or
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Striking Justice
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Sabbath Psalm (From Lidie H. Edmund’s hymn ‘My Faith Has Found a Resting Place’)
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The Fall of Balaam
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Justice—A Double-Edged Sword
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Spoken For
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A Divine Intervention
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Promises Performed
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Out of the Ordinary
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Dying Request
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Hand in Hand
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When God Speaks for You
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A New Genesis
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Sabbath Psalm (Revised from John Peterson’ hymn ‘A Flag to Follow’)
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In Broad Daylight
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No Place Like Home
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Balaam’s Final Oracle
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Faith—An Oasis
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Balaam’s Second Oracle
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Sabbath Psalm (Revision of Henry F. Lyte’s hymn ‘Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken’)
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Balaam’s First Oracle
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A Language Barrier pt. 2
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A Language Barrier pt. 1
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No Solicitors!
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Out of the Shadows
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Sabbath Psalm (Revised from Palmer Hartsough’s hymn ‘I Am Resolved’)
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The Way of Kings
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Lost Books
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The Truth Bites
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The Hand-Off
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Rebels All
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Sabbath Psalm (Revision of Mary D. James’ hymn ‘All for Jesus’)
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Come to the Waters
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Eulogies for the Living
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Sin is Oh So Draining
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In Christ Alone
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Guardians of the Gift
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Sabbath Psalm (From E. W. Blandy’s hymn, ‘Take the World but Give Me Jesus’)
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A Sappy Symbol
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Rhetorical Righteousness
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A Powerful Posture
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Making Memories
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Tribes and Tongues, pt. 2
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Sabbath Psalm (Adapted from Philip P. Bliss’s hymn, ‘Let the Lower Lights be Burning’)
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Tribes and Tongues, pt. 1
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Stop the Rot!
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Jesus Love the Little Children
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Beating Hearts
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One-Sided
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Sabbath Psalm (Adapted from Joseph Scriven’s hymn, ‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus’)
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The Beginning of Wisdom
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The Grasshopper Principle
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Do You See What I See?
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Time Out
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A Reconciling Rebuke
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Sabbath Psalm (From Fanny Crosby’s beloved hymn, ‘Near the Cross’)
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Unrighteous Rhetoric
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A Story Shared
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Moses’ Complaint pt. 2
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Moses’ Complaint pt. 1
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Famished
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Sabbath Psalm (Adapted from George Matheson’s hymn ‘O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go’)
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Burning
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High Notes and Low Notes
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Silver Chords
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The Waiting Room
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The One and the Many
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Sabbath Psalm (A revision of John W. Peterson’s hymn ‘A Student’s Prayer’)
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Transitions
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The Gold Standard
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Between the Angels
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An Acceptable Approach
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Waxing Lyrical
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Sabbath Psalm (Revision of John W. Peterson’s hymn, ‘Just One Step at a Time’)
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Locks of Love
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A Nazirite New Year
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Love is Jealous, Love is Kind
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Get Your Hard Hat Ready
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Blue Collar Cloth