Category Archives: Bible Gleanings

Bible Gleanings, devotions

The Serious Sin of Slander | Bible Gleanings – September 23-24, 2023

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It is the world’s largest bulldozer, powerful enough to push 24 tons of earth in a single pass. Manufactured in Japan, the Komatsu D575A is the record-breaking champion of bulldozers that boasts of 1,150 horsepower. I guess you could say that it leaves all the others in the dust! By all accounts, it is a mechanical monster that moves more dirt faster and farther than any man-made machine. But, while it is a world-record holder, there is a spiritual bulldozer that has the Komatsu beat. And according to God’s record of truth in Scripture, it is the serious sin of slander. 

Slander is more effective at digging up dirt than any bulldozer man has ever invented. And because it runs on the fuel of rumor, slander can spread good-name-destroying dirt faster and farther, too. It can even bury someone’s character so deeply that it cannot be excavated and cleaned. This subtle sin, however, is not manufactured in Japan—it is created in the wicked factory of our hearts and distributed through the conveyor belt of our sinful tongues (Matt. 15:19; James 4:11-12). It is no wonder, then, that believers are repeatedly commanded to “cast off” slander (Eph. 4:31; Col. 3:8; 1 Peter 2:1). 

Moreover, slander is an especially abominable wickedness. A loose tongue is all that is needed for slander to breed, making it an exceptionally easy sin to commit. Slander is also particularly satanic, as it is one of the devil’s most cherished evils (Gen. 3:1; Job 1:9-11; Rev. 12:10). Further, it is characteristic of the ungodly world, since they slander believers for standing for the truth (Matt. 5:11; 1 Pet. 3:16). And most significantly, slander is contrary to the Lord, as He does not even bring a charge against His elect, which is precisely what slander does (Rom. 8:33).

How, then, can believers resist and repent of this grave evil? Here are some biblical suggestions:

(1) First, tell only the Lord when you hear about someone’s sin, and pray for them. And if the situation demands confrontation with the person, then speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).

(2) Second, avoid “empty talk” and fill your conversations with that which is upbuilding and gracious (Matt. 12:36). You can’t use your speech for evil when you are using it for good (Eph. 4:29).

(3) Third, keep secure what you are told in confidence. Private words can often morph into slander (Prov. 20:19).

(4) Fourthly, mind your own business and focus on doing your Father’s business (1 Thess. 4:11; Luke 2:49).

(5) Fifthly, ask for God’s help: “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” (Psalm 141:3).

(6) Sixth, be slow to speak: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19, KJV).

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Follow the Light | Bible Gleanings – September 16-17, 2023

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A chilling fear and eerie coldness washed over me as we sank into the sunless and spine-chilling abyss. “No one should be here,” I thought. Only a person who finds pleasure in roaming aimlessly in nothingness until they die would feel at home there. My young imagination had even persuaded me that this place was a trap full of bloodthirsty monsters ready to strangle me with their sharp claws. In reality, however, it wasn’t even that bad—it was just my first visit to Mammoth Cave in south central Kentucky when I was a youngster.

Our family decided to participate in the “lantern tour,” in which everyone packed in behind the tour guide who carried an old-time kerosene lamp. And we soon realized that light was our most precious possession in the dark. We could hardly make out what was right in front of our faces without it. The winding passages, pools of water, and jagged rock formations were invisible without the guiding glow of the lantern. And thus, we all stuck close behind the leader with the light to avoid stumbling, slowing down, or straying off into a spooky section of the cave system.

Following the man with the light was wise, but it is even wiser to follow the Son of Man, who is the Light of the world. As Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). You don’t have to worry about wandering hopelessly through this dark world when you faithfully follow Jesus Christ. You won’t stumble in the darkness or stray into territory that is hazardous to your soul when you stick close behind the Light (John 12:46). He will guide you away from twisting tunnels of sin, perilous pits of wickedness, and prickly evils of the culture. 

Jesus has also provided His followers with a lamp that they can always carry with them: the word of God. As the psalmist declared, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105, KJV). Sin is exposed for what it truly is because of the light the Scripture casts (Rom. 7:13). The path of righteousness is also illuminated by its glow, as it reveals the steps you should take. And its bright light dispels the shadow that hides the true nature of the world.

Furthermore, believers are “children of light,” called to shine the light of Christ to those lost in the darkness of sin (Eph. 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:5). Jesus came to “give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” (Luke 1:79a), and He spreads His saving light through those who have been “called out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9b; cf. Matt. 5:16). Will you follow the Light and shine His light to others?

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Wash Your Hands | Bible Gleanings – September 9-10, 2023

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“For God’s sake, wash your hands!” Dr. Ignaz Philip Semmelweis thundered this desperate plea in the middle of a meeting of doctors in the mid-19th century. In his day, there was an alarmingly high death toll among new mothers, post-surgery patients, and even medical professionals—and Semmelwies suspected that unwashed hands were the culprit. After inventing a chlorine solution that effectively eliminated bacteria from surgical instruments and hands, his suspicions proved true. Unfortunately, his advice was ignored (as he was believed to be insane), and doctors continued to unknowingly kill patients by neglecting sanitation. Those entrusted with saving lives were unknowingly ending them because of their contaminated hands.

Likewise, the Great Physician’s admonition to believers is, “For My sake, wash your hands!” As James said, “Cleanse your hands” (James 4:8b). The Lord calls His gospel-entrusted people to keep themselves clean and holy as they minister to a world sick with sin (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 6:14-17; Gal. 6:14; 1 John 2:15-17). Wickedness is the most contagious spiritual bacteria known to man, and believers must exercise extreme caution when preaching Christ to an idolatry-infected world, lest they become ill and kill their testimony. Christians must remain “unstained from the world” (James 1:27), or they will cause more harm than good by transferring the stain of sin to those who need cleansing from Christ’s blood (1 John 1:7b).

Do you remember the unnamed prophet from Judah? His story is told in 1 Kings 13, and his sole responsibility was to preach the word of the Lord without becoming tainted by idolatry. He was sent to preach the cleansing word of God to the sin-polluted king, Jeroboam. But he was admonished to do so at a distance—he wasn’t even permitted to eat with him (1 Kings 13:8-9). But, despite resisting Jeroboam’s cunning offer of dinner, he ironically accepts an identical invitation from a false prophet in Bethel (1 Kings 13:18-19).

He was subsequently slaughtered by a lion, and the prophet’s testimony died with him (1 Kings 13:24-25). Unlike the unidentified prophet from Judah, believers are called to speak God’s word and the gospel without becoming infected by idolatry. The Lord Jesus exemplified this by befriending sinners, but not their sin (Matt. 11:19; Luke 7:34). Unlike the Judean prophet, the Prophet from Galilee ate with tax collectors and sinners, and He made it home pure (Mark 2:15-22). Christ reached the world without becoming worldly.

Christ is our example. The prophet from Judah and doctors from old are our warnings. The hymn-writer Harper G. Smyth (1873-1945) reminds us in Make Me a Channel of Blessing:

“We cannot be channels of blessing

If our lives are not free from known sin;

We will barriers be and a hindrance

To those we are trying to win.”

Will you administer the soul-saving remedy of the gospel with hands washed through sanctification?

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

The Snare of Success | Bible Gleanings – September 2-3, 2023

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Success is the most sought-after specialty in society. Everyone wants to hit the jackpot, cross the finish line, and climb a mountain. Heaps of self-help books have been published on attaining success. There are also countless seminars and online podcasts devoted to helping you strike the oil of happiness and ride the gravy train to prosperity. But what is often omitted is how dangerous success can often be. 

There’s a lot of truth in the old adage that says, “The higher you climb, the harder you fall.” This is a common contemporary proverb, and King Solomon (the author of Proverbs in the Bible) probably understood it better than anyone else. He climbed higher than most people in history—he built Israel’s first temple, established nationwide peace, and his sage wisdom earned him country-wide fame. And he fell harder than most characters in biblical history. As a matter of fact, he fell all the way to his own death and the dissolution of Israel itself (1 Kings 11:4; 12:16-24).

Solomon’s feet were caught in a snare when he had the world at his feet. He slipped away from God when he was on the mountaintop. And we are most prone to falling at the mountainous heights of our successes, too. The mountaintop can be a dangerous place if you forget how you got there and if you think nothing can knock you down. That is why Paul cautioned, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12).

Solomon was the wisest person in the world apart from Jesus, and yet he fell from the mountain of success because he thought falling was impossible. And we are delusory if we believe we are invincible on the mountaintop, no matter how wise we claim to be. Ironically, it was Solomon who wrote, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). We are ripe for destruction if we treat our accomplishments as an impenetrable fortress and our prosperity as safer than an eagle’s nest. As God warned, “You live in a rock fortress and control the mountain heights. But even if you make your nest among the peaks with the eagles, I will bring you crashing down,” says the LORD”” (Jer. 49:16b).

Therefore, we must remain humble, even if God has providentially led us up to a mountain peak. If we have enjoyed great successes, we must give thanks to the Lord without thinking that we are insulated from danger. For if we inflate ourselves with pride like Solomon, the Lord may pop our balloon. We can either stay low and receive honor from the Lord, or we can soar high in pride and risk incurring His scorn. As Jesus said, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt. 23:12).

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

When the Morning Comes | Bible Gleanings – August 26-27, 2023

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Waking up to the welcoming warmth of the morning sun when winter backpacking is a wonderful experience. I remember one occasion when I was trekking through the Lusk Creek Wilderness of southern Illinois, and temperatures tumbled to the mid-20s. And I shivered without sleep despite my best efforts to keep warm. I was bundled in a sleeping bag, blanketed with thermal clothes, and burning beside me was a small fire, but nothing could keep me warm. The only thought that got me through the chilly night was, “Just a few hours longer. I only have to wait for the sunrise, and the cold will disappear. Just hang on until the morning comes.”

Likewise, the warming truth that encourages the Lord’s saints to bear the bitter cold of trials and tribulations is this: we only have to suffer “until the morning comes.” The sun of God’s working-all-things-for-good providence will eventually rise and warm the weary soul (Rom. 8:28). Trials will not go on forever, and His goodness will finally rise upon us to melt away the icy coldness of troubles. And sometimes, the blanket of good days and warm encouragement from friends are not enough to keep us from shivering during frigid tribulations. But we do not have to give up—we need only to remind ourselves, “Just hang on until the morning comes.” 

More importantly, one day the Son will appear and the warmth of His welcoming presence will melt away sin, sorrow, sickness, and suffering. God assured us in Malachi: “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall” (Mal. 4:2, KJV). Furthermore, on that bright and cloudless morning we shall be taken to glory, where His presence replaces the heat of the sun: “No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his 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 (Rev. 22:3-5).

This soul-warming truth is eloquently expressed in When the Morning Comes, a hymn written by Charles Albert Tindley (1851-1933):

“Trials dark on ev’ry hand,

and we cannot understand

All the ways that God would lead us

to that blessed Promised Land;

But He’ll guide us with His eye,

and we’ll follow till we die;

We will understand it better by and by.

By and by, when the morning comes,

When the saints of God are gathered home,

We will tell the story how we’ve overcome;

We will understand it better by and by.”

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Phony Peace | Bible Gleanings – August 19-20, 2023

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“Do you know how to blow up balloons, Brandon?” the surgical staff asked. Of course I knew how—I wasn’t a sissy. In fact, one of my proudest moments as a kid was inflating a balloon by myself. But, instead of handing me a bright balloon to enjoy, the medical team strapped a mask on my face and instructed me to blow into it like I was inflating a balloon. They were administering anesthetics through it to knock me out during my tonsillectomy, and after two breaths, I was in Snoozeville. 

Anesthesia is a godsend in modern medical advancement. It is better than chomping down on a hunk of wood or chugging a bottle of whiskey to make painful procedures bearable. But the sedation-induced sleep doesn’t last forever, and it doesn’t compare to hitting the hay after a long day. The pain-free sleep that anesthesia provides lasts only a few hours until its effects wear off. At best, it offers temporary tranquility and peace that isn’t permanent. 

The world also offers a perishable peace and spurious serenity that wears off faster than anesthesia. It lasts for only a little while, and then you wake up in distress all over again. The world may tell you that peace comes to those who follow their heart and fulfill their selfish ambitions, but the end result is always dissatisfaction and chaos. The world’s prescription for peace is found in pill and beer bottles, but such external things can never produce internal peace in the soul. And the reason the world’s peace is fleeting is because it is false.

James warned that pursuing selfish ambitions produces disorder, not peace (James 3:17). Living life for yourself results in death, not a happy and harmonious life: “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6; cf. Isaiah 48:22). And peace cannot be found in drugs or alcohol, as they are simply “broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13). True and lasting peace can only come from Jesus: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

The best the world can offer is anesthesia for your soul. But the “God of peace” will grant you a “peace that surpasses all understanding” if you will trust in Him and believe on His Son, Jesus (2 Thess. 3:6; Phil. 4:7). And Jesus invites you to seek true peace from Him: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28-29). What kind of peace do you have: phony or permanent? Do you have “anesthesia” for your soul, or have you come to Jesus for the real thing?

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:

Bible Gleanings, devotions, Sermons

Guard Your Heart | Bible Gleanings – August 12-13, 2023

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I stooped down to strain water from the stream. I filled my filter with the creek’s crystal clear hydration, and went to work. I know better than to drink unfiltered water when backpacking, no matter how clean it appears to be. Unseen bacteria and microscopic debris can cause infections and ailments when ingested, and a strong filter is required for making water in the outdoors drinkable. But, as I collected the water, I glanced to the right and noticed an unforeseen bacterial threat: my dog squatting in the stream and releasing a stream of her own.

I was sure that the sanitizing filter would sterilize the water, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I could have even waited until the yellow toxin passed by, but the water source was no longer “number one” in my opinion. Foreign chemicals were introduced to it, and it was a “wee” too contaminated. Therefore, I strolled up the stream to a sparkling spring, and hydrated myself there instead. And, every backpacking trip since then, my dog must wait on the bank so I may filter water with a peace of mind.

I was reminded in that moment of the wise words written by Solomon: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Prov. 4:23). According to Solomon, the heart is like a gushing spring. The fountain of the heart naturally flows into our lives and the lives of others, just as a spring naturally flows into the forest to nourish vegetation and animals. And thus, the spring of the heart must be clean, for if it is polluted, contamination will gush into our life and the lives of everyone around us. Therefore, the believer must guard the heart “with all vigilance,” and pay close attention to what goes into the heart, since whatever goes in will inevitably come out.

As Charles H. Spurgeon once remarked, “We must keep our hearts pure; for if the heart be not pure, the life can not be pure. Whence come our carnality, covetousness, pride, sloth, and unbelief? Are they not all to be traced to the corruption of our hearts?” This is what Jesus taught, too. He cautioned, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45; cf. Matt. 15:18-19).

That is why David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10, KJV). We must pray for this also, and we must keep a close eye on what enters our hearts. When sin does—whether from the flesh, the world, or the devil—our hearts are polluted. But, when Scripture does, our hearts are purified (John 17:17; Eph. 5:26).

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:

Bible Gleanings, devotions, Other

Content with Christ | Bible Gleanings – August 5-6, 2023

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He sat down to a sad supper that was far from scrumptious, but he wasn’t sad in his soul. The Puritan man nestled in his chair for dinner, with only bread and water on the table. And because the man was always pleased with God’s provision, he bowed his head and gave thanks: “All this, and Jesus, too?” What the man possessed in Jesus was greater than what he lacked in life. And he was content with Christ even if Christ was all he ever had. 

King David felt this way, too. That is why he declared in the opening of Psalm 23, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (v. 1). He was content with God alone. He did not need anything else because just knowing God as His shepherd was better than whatever he didn’t have. Once, a little girl was called upon in a Sunday school class to read Psalm 23:1, and she effectively proclaimed David’s intent, saying,  “The Lord is my shepherd—that’s all I want.”

This is the kind of cheerful contentment and sanctified satisfaction that should settle in the soul of every saint. The Scripture commands it: “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”” (Heb. 13:5). In other words, be content because you have Jesus, and because you will always have Jesus. Be content like the prophet Habakkuk, who declared that he was happy with losing everything as long as God remained:

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail  and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places” (Hab. 3:17-19a).

Are you content with Christ alone? Would you be satisfied with only Jesus if you had no food in your belly, clothes on your back, or a roof above your head? Would you be content with God if you lost all your money and earthly possessions tomorrow? If you had no friends, family, or anyone else to rely upon, would you be content with just the presence of the Shepherd? Can you say with Paul: “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil. 3:11-13)?

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:

Bible Gleanings, devotions, Other

Without Love | Bible Gleanings – July 29-30, 2023

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The drums were drastically deafening. I felt like I was caught in a cloud, with thunder crashing around me. The band’s percussion was so earsplitting that even the vocalist was entirely drowned out. I was at a Christian contemporary concert with my former youth group, but it felt like I was at the foot of Mount Sinai when the thunder cracked and clapped across the sky (Exodus 19:16). The saddest part is that the vocalist was trying his hardest to sing a song with a significant spiritual message, but it was a futile attempt because all the audience could hear were snares, toms, and cymbals.

And this is precisely what occurs when we attempt to preach the gospel or discuss spiritual matters without love. That is why Paul remarked, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1). Without love, our words sound like gaudy gongs and crashing cymbals. Even if what we are saying is good, godly, and gospel-saturated, lack of love will always speak louder and drown it out. People simply cannot hear what we are saying when there is no love, affection, or compassion present.

It’s no wonder, then, that the Scripture emphasizes that everything must be done in and through love (1 Cor. 16:14). And this is especially true of the words we speak. Our words must be baptized in love and flow from an abundant spring of love within our hearts.  Thus, we are commanded to lovingly warn those who walk in error, as opposed to being harsh with them (1 Tim. 1:3-5). We are likewise admonished to always speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).

Love opens the door to be heard. As the old idiom goes, “People don’t care about how much you know until they know how much you care.” And unlike an unpleasant cacophony, speaking with love is a sweet song that is pleasant to the ears of the hearer. It is a revitalizing refrain that refreshes the weary soul. Hal H. Hopson, a modern hymn-writer, certainly grasped this when he wrote Though I May Speak with Bravest Fire, which opens like this:

“Though I may speak with bravest fire,

and have the gift of all inspire,

and have not love, my words are vain,

as sounding brass, and hopeless gain.”

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Spiritual Ripples | Bible Gleanings – July 22-23, 2023

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The smooth stone skirted across the still lake, spoiling the serene sheet of water on the surface. Ripples formed where the rock entered, spreading all the way to the shore. The water was unaffected, undisturbed, and unmoved until the pebble was thrown in. And the moment the stone struck the water, it sprung to life instantly, and the ripples were proof. This is a scene I often see as I skip rocks across streams, ponds, and lakes when I am outdoors hiking or backpacking. 

This is also the scene of the lives of all saints who have received salvation from the Savior. The Scripture teaches that putting your faith in Christ is like putting a pebble into a pond—when you do, you’ll inevitably have “ripples” in your life. When God throws the rock of saving faith into your heart, transformation immediately occurs, and the ripple effects of the gospel’s power are visibly seen. Deadness, stillness, and silence become a thing of the past (Eph. 2:1; Acts 4:20). However, if there are no spiritual ripples in your life, then the stone of saving faith was never thrown in. 

James teaches this in the pillar text of his epistle: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:14-17). 

James’ point is sharp and sure: possession of faith is always confirmed by the expression of good works and life change. The ripples of heart-sanctification, life-transformation, and good-works-manifestation inexorably result from the stone of faith being thrown onto the heart by God. Moreover, the Bible instructs us to ensure that such spiritual ripples are present in our lives. Jesus and John the baptizer both taught that healthy trees will bear fruit (Matt. 3:8-10; 7:17-20). And Peter similarly commanded, “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities [virtues and spiritual fruit] you will never fall” (2 Peter 1:10). 

Dear reader, do you have ripples in your heart and life? Has the stone of saving faith created dramatic changes in the affections of your heart and the direction of your life? If so, then you may sing the words of Since Jesus Came Into My Heart with full assurance: 

“What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought

Since Jesus came into my heart!

I have light in my soul for which long I have sought,

Since Jesus came into my heart!”

— Rufus H. McDaniel (1850-1940)

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word: