Category Archives: Bible Gleanings

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Real Repentance | Bible Gleanings – Feb 25-26, 2023

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The satanically-inspired music, obscene video games, and t-shirts with lewd designs were all burned without a shred of regret. I was a new believer, and I had just read the words of Jesus, where He requires repentance from all who wish to follow Him: “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). Therefore, I incinerated the emblems of my former life because God had stoked the flames of true repentance in my heart. I knew that such things couldn’t come along in my new Christian pilgrimage—they had to be left behind for Christ. And that is what real repentance is all about.

Repentance is more than regret or remorse (cf. 2 Cor. 7:10-11). Repentance is not when you cry—it’s when you change. It involves a deliberate rejection and renunciation of sin. It is a holy determination that says, “I am done with sin and I am abandoning it for the Savior.” Repentance is letting go of your sins and taking hold of Christ (cf. Luke 9:23-27; 18:18-30).

Real repentance entails divorcing sin and “marrying” Jesus, no matter the cost. It is what the practitioners of black magic exhibited in Acts 19, which says, “Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver” (vv. 18-19). The loss of their valuable magic books didn’t matter when they were gaining Christ (cf. Phil. 3:7-11).

Have you genuinely repented of your sin and surrendered to Christ? Have you laid aside all the weights of iniquity that would keep you from following Christ (Heb. 12:1)? If so, repentance is something you should still practice as a believer. After all, the Lord calls even His children to repent (cf. 2 Chron. 7:14; Rev. 2:5, 16, 21-22; 3:3, 19). As the reformer John Calvin once said, “Repentance is not merely the start of the Christian life; it is the Christian life.”

Believer, sing the words of I Am Resolved in your heart and life as you continue to repent of sin:

“I am resolved no longer to linger,

charmed by the world’s delight;

things that are higher, things that are nobler,

these have allured my sight.

I will hasten to Him,

hasten so glad and free;

Jesus, greatest, highest,

I will come to Thee.

I am resolved to go to the Savior,

leaving my sin and strife;

He is the true one, He is the just one,

He has the words of life.”

— Palmer Hartsough (1844-1932)

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

Higher Ground | Bible Gleanings – February 25-26, 2023

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Everything seemed so small from such a high vantage point. We were transported by a lift to a mountaintop 1,800 feet above sea level at the SkyLift in Gatlinburg. And at such a great height, even the tallest towers in town appeared smaller than a child’s plastic building blocks. The lights that blazed below seemed to flicker like a match from high above. Everything that was mighty and remarkable became puny and small simply because of a change in perspective.

Likewise, the frivolous cares of this world may seem enormous when we are earthly-minded. Making headway in this world, achieving ambitious goals, and fattening our bank account all seem like towering buildings worth beautifying when our head is stuck below the clouds. However, the Lord calls us to scale higher ground. We need to become heavenly-minded, and stand atop Scripture’s mountain of truth in order to see earthly things as they truly are: puny. As Paul commanded, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col. 3:1-2).

The value of man’s verdicts and opinions shrinks when you climb the mountain of biblical truth on the subject of judgment, for you will realize that the only judgment that counts is God’s: “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:12). The merit of “living life to the fullest” shrivels when you ascend the hill of the Bible’s teaching on eternity, because it teaches that soul-preparation is what ultimately matters. As Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26). The profit of amassing wealth and possessions wanes when you journey to the summit of the Bible’s warnings about temporal things, because it says, “For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world” (1 Tim. 6:7). Even your greatest tribulations will deflate when you reach the pinnacle of the Scripture’s promises about heavenly rest, one of which says, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17).

How would climbing “higher ground” affect your perspective of earthly things?

“I’m pressing on the upward way,

New heights I’m gaining ev’ry day;

Still praying as I’m onward bound,

“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

My heart has no desire to stay

Where doubts arise and fears dismay;

Though some may dwell where these abound,

My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

Lord, lift me up, and let me stand

By faith, on heaven’s tableland;

A higher plane than I have found,Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.” —Johnson Oatman Jr. (1856-1922), “Higher Ground.”

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

From Slavery to Slavery | Bible Gleanings – February 18-19, 2023

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If you will not let go of sin, sin will not let go of you. Jesus even said that sin will make you its slave: “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34, NKJV). According to Christ, sin imprisons its perpetrators. Sin incarcerates the will so securely that you can’t help but obey its every order. It whips you with oppressive power, forcing you to toil in the field of wickedness and pick bitter grapes of disgrace among the thorns of corruption. 

Worst of all, you will believe that you are actually free while serving sin. Sin convinces its bondservants that God’s holy commandments are stifling rather than saving—killjoys instead of guardrails intended to protect and preserve. Sin poisons the minds of its servants into thinking that the gospel is a poison to be evaded rather than a remedy to be embraced. Sin persuades its slaves with sophistry, making their prison cell appear to be a mansion. But sin’s deceptions are nothing more than make-believe—false fantasies of freedom.

True freedom is being liberated from captivity to sin by Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. Jesus alone wields the sword of redemption with which He cuts the chains of iniquity to set captives free. He will release you from the slave-house of evil and place you in the safe-house of grace. Christ will bail you out with His blood (1 Peter 1:18-19). And He does so when you hear and believe the truth of the gospel: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

If you have been set free from sin, you are not your own master. All those who are freed from slavery to sin become slaves of God:

“Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:16-18).

And true freedom is slavery to God. Emancipation from the strangling cords of worldly pleasures is real liberation. Release from the power and penalty of sin is true deliverance. It’s no wonder that Jesus said, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed (John 8:36, emphasis mine).

“Make me a captive, Lord,

And then I shall be free.

Force me to render up my sword

And I shall conqueror be.

I sink in life’s alarms

When by myself I stand;

Imprison me within thine arms,

And strong shall be my hand.” — George Matheson (1842-1906), “Make Me a Captive, Lord.”

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 End of the End | Bible Gleanings – February 4-5, 2023

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The world is coming to an end, and this causes some to panic like there is no tomorrow. Scientists today say that the cosmic catastrophic threats of climate change, asteroid collisions, and super volcanoes are always on the rise. They speculate that the earth could likely be incinerated by fire from the heavens above or molten fire from within earth’s core. However, according to the God who rules tomorrow, the earth will not annihilate itself. Instead, the One who created the world in the beginning will bring it to an end in one sweep (Col. 1:16).

The blanket of the heavens above will be peeled back and the earth below will dissolve like snow when the Ruler of creation returns to make “all things new” (Rev. 21:5; cf. Rev. 6:12-17). The incredible appearance of the Lord Jesus will mean the irrevocable disappearance of this present world. The apostle Peter assured us of this when he said,

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:10-13). 

Everything under the clouds will return to dust when Jesus is escorted to earth on a white cloud (Rev. 14:14; cf. Acts 1:11). All of the world’s soaring skyscrapers, embellished empires, and notable nations will be zapped to ash by the refulgent presence of the exalted Lord. Every possession man has ever cherished and every dime stored in all the banks of the world will melt like wax. As Isaiah preached,

“Behold, the LORD will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor. The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered, for the LORD has spoken this word” (Isaiah 24:1-3). 

The Lord will do this to make way for another world: a new heaven and a new earth. The apostle John saw this magnificent day in the near future and said, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more” (Rev. 21:1). This sin-cursed world will be gone, and in its place will be a world where sin is no more. God will wipe the slate clean and clear the plot. As God Himself said, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind” (Isaiah 65:17).

Hence, it only makes sense to live for the world to come if this world is passing away (cf. 1 John 2:15-17). The chief end of knowing the end is near is to prepare for the end! Therefore, lay up for yourself treasures in heaven (Matt. 6:19-21). Work for the kingdom that shall never perish (Dan. 7:14). Don’t settle for the “fool’s gold” of the world; instead, wait with faith for the coming of the New Jerusalem, where the city streets are paved with gold (Rev. 21:21). 

“This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue;

The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door,

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.

O Lord, you know I have no friend like you,

If heaven’s not my home, then Lord what will I do?

The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door,

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.” — This World Is Not My Home, A. P. Carter (1891-1960)

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).

Bible Gleanings, devotions

If God Wills | Bible Gleanings – January 28-29, 2023

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He didn’t receive a miracle, but his friend did. His friend was delivered from death, but he wasn’t. The Bible says that the suffering experienced by the disciples James and Peter ended quite differently. James was martyred by Herod, but Peter was miraculously freed from prison by a heavenly angel (Acts 12:1-19). Considering that there wasn’t a hair’s difference between them, why was James allowed to die while Peter was granted freedom?

Because sometimes God wills to deliver His people and sometimes He doesn’t. God did not love Peter more than James. Peter had not prayed more fervently or with more faith than his colleague. Peter was not a better follower of Jesus than James. It was simply the sovereign will of God to grant Peter deliverance while withholding it from James.

God may also deliver you from your suffering and trials, or He may allow them to persist. The sun of His providence may dry up the clouds of trouble, or it might hide behind them for a torrential season. You can petition the Lord to end your afflictions (cf. Psalm 13:1), and He may will them to cease today or to last for a thousand tomorrows. God may allow you to keep your thorn in the flesh, or He may gracefully remove it (2 Cor. 12:7-10). God may deliver you from the fiery furnace, or He may deliver you over to fiery afflictions such as those endured by Job (Job 1:6-22; Dan. 3:24-27).

You cannot know what the sovereign will of the Lord is. He has written a novel for your life that only He may read. As Moses said, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God” (Deut. 29:29). However, you can be certain that whatever God wills for His children is good. Paul declared, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28; cf. Ezra 8:22).

“My Jesus, as Thou wilt:

O may Thy will be mine!

Into Thy hand of love

I would my all resign.

Through sorrow or thro’ joy,

Conduct me as Thine own,

And help me still to say,

“My Lord, Thy will be done.”

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).

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Bad Company | Bible Gleanings – January 21-22, 2023

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It didn’t make sense. How could this have happened? How did a brand new bag of lemons go bad so quickly? Except for one moldy lemon I had forgotten to discard, they were all glistening and golden yellow. This mystery left me sour—how did they all turn from ripe to rotten in a week? 

The good lemons had apparently acquired the invasive mold from the bad lemon. Mold is an aggressive fungus that contaminates everything within its reach in the blink of an eye. Hence, the miniscule mold of one rotten lemon was enough to corrupt all the healthy ones. As the old adage says, “One bad apple can spoil the barrel.” It must also apply to lemons!

It also applies to the company we keep as believers. No matter how much of a “good lemon” you are, you can easily acquire infectious sin from fellowshipping carelessly or continuously with “bad lemons.” The Bible is clear that even good Christians can be corrupted if they keep evil company. The apostle Paul admonished, “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals”” (1 Cor. 15:33). The applicable Proverbs also warn against keeping bad company: “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm” (Prov. 13:20).

Placing yourself in the same sack as the ungodly ensures that their sin will creepily cling to you. As Solomon warned, “Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked” (Prov. 25:26). You can still associate with the wicked; after all, how else will you fish for men (Mark 1:17)? However, you must never let your guard down or keep only evil company. Even Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, but He never participated in their sin (Matt. 9:10; cf. John 8:29).

Abstain from the company of “bad lemons” just as David did when he declared, “I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked” (Psalm 26:4-5). Don’t hold hands with the ungodly, “lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare” (Prov. 22:25). Remain diligent especially when striving to help others overcome sin, so that their sin doesn’t entice you: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted” (Gal. 6:1). And surround yourself with other “good lemons” in God’s family, namely, those who are living exemplary lives of godliness: “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us” (Phil. 3:17).

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).

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Leaving Jesus Out | Bible Gleanings – January 14-15, 2023

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The blank white space says it all. There is a glaring empty delineation in the center of Adolph Menzel’s famous painting, Frederick the Great’s Address to His Generals Before the Battle of Leuthen, and it is right where the main character was meant to be. Menzel intended to depict Frederick’s rousing oration to his generals given on the eve of the Battle of Leuthen in 1757, but he never finished it. The wintry landscape of the battlefield and the gaudy uniforms worn by the generals are portrayed in photorealistic detail, but there is a flagrant void where Frederick the Great should be! Menzel burned all of his time beautifying the things that mattered the least while leaving out the central character.

And while Menzel’s infamous work may be an imperfect portrait, it is sometimes a perfect portrait of our lives. More often than not, we tend to the minor matters of life and embellish the things that do not matter eternally. We scrupulously paint the canvas of our careers, personal ambitions, and worldly achievements while omitting the central figure, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is very easy to give ourselves fully to everything else except the One who gave Himself up for us (Eph. 5:2). Many times, there is a white space in our lives where Jesus should be. 

The white space glares when we tirelessly serve the greedy god of Mammon instead of selflessly serving the Master, Jesus (Matt. 6:24; cf. Col. 3:23-24). The white space scowls when we offer the Lord the leftovers of our earnings after having spent it all on ourselves (Prov. 3:9-10; Mal. 3:8). The white space gradually widens when we work painstakingly toward the achievement of our own personal goals, rather than pursuing the goal of testifying to Jesus and finishing our course (Acts 20:24). The white space rears its ugly head when we fail to redeem the time God has given us because our schedules are jammed with frivolous matters (Eph. 5:16). The only way to prevent a white space from emerging is to paint Jesus in the “foreground” of our lives, and tend to the “background” aspects after putting Him first in everything. 

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” the Lord commands in the Decalogue (Ex. 20:3). Similarly, Jesus calls us to seek Him and His kingdom first (Matt. 6:33). Does not the one and only God deserve to be our one and only God (Isa. 45:5)? Does not the First and the Last Himself deserve to be the first in our lives and not last (Rev. 1:17)? Does not the exalted Lord of all deserve to be the Lord of all that we are and all that we do (Eph. 1:20-23)?

When we are done painting the portrait of our lives, will there be a blank space where Jesus belongs?

“All to Jesus I surrender,

All to Him I freely give;

I will ever love and trust Him,

In His presence daily live.

I surrender all, I surrender all;

All to Thee, my blessed Savior,

I surrender all.”— Judson W. Van De Venter, I Surrender All.

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).

Grab a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features one-hundred more daily devotions gleaned from Scripture:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Sin’s Steady Subjection | Bible Gleanings – January 7-8, 2023

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Sin has a way of taking over. It does not want to be a powerless prince; it aspires to rule on the throne of your heart like a tyrannical king. It has no desire to be your boss; it wants to be your slavemaster. It wishes to submerge you in its filthy mire, not merely smear a smidgen of it on you. Merely dipping your toes in its enticing waters will not quench its thirst to destroy you; it wants to drown you in a deadly whirlpool of guilt. 

The unknown author of the first psalm evidently had a profound grasp on the overtaking nature of sin. He said, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers” (v. 1). Did you notice sin’s gradual dominance? The first step toward wickedness is stepping on the evil path—walking in the counsel of the wicked. Then, such strolling leads to standing “in the way of sinners” and holding one’s place. Eventually, you reach the seat of iniquity, where you sit for good.   

We willfully follow this downhill slope of retrogression every time we sin. This is exemplified by every character in Scripture who suffered a moral fall. Each of them took one small step on the path of sin, and before long, they were firmly planted there. They dilly-dallied near the cliff of iniquity until they fell and eventually hit the ground of disgrace. David committed adultery, theft, and murder because of one lustful glance at Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11:1-12:14). Cain killed own brother because of one burning ember of jealousy in his heart (Gen. 4:1-12). 

According to pastor and author, R. Kent Hughes, the lethal cycle of sin usually unfolds as follows: “[There is] a progressive desensitization to sin and a consequent inner descent from holiness . . . the pathology of the human factors that lead to a moral fall [are]: desensitization, relaxation, fixation, rationalization, and degeneration.”1

This is true. First, we become numb to sin, treating it as if it were a harmless mosquito bite (cf. Gen. 19:15-16). Second, we become apathetic, lowering our shield and stowing our sword in its sheath (cf. Rev. 3:15-16). Third, the eyes of our idolatrous heart become fixated on the sin for which our flesh hungers—and at this point, we see no use in letting go or looking away (cf. 1 John 2:15-17). Fourth, we justify our sin in every manner possible, and the mind becomes sin’s lawyer, defending it with every conceivable reason and excuse (cf. Gen. 3:12-13). And finally, we reach the point of no return until we hit the ground at the bottom of sin’s slippery slope.

We must heed the Lord’s wise counsel to Cain: “And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it” (Gen. 4:7b). Be mindful that sin is out to get you. Do not deviate from the path of righteousness or sit comfortably in sin’s seat. Take the axe of repentance and cut sin off at its root before it grows. Dethrone it from your heart by the grace of Christ.

  1. Hughes, Kent. Disciplines of a Godly Man (Wheaton: Crossway, 2019), 34, 38.
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).

Grab a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features one-hundred more daily devotions gleaned from Scripture:

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Being With Jesus | Bible Gleanings – December 31-January 1, 2023

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The scolding sun seared my skin as I sat by the sea in the Sunshine State. My giant forehead glowed red, and the rest of my body had roasted like a rotisserie chicken. When I returned home, no one assumed that I had painted myself brown or miraculously changed my ethnicity. I had clearly been basking in the blistering sun because the proof was all over me. That’s simply what time in the sun will do for you.  

That’s what time with the Son will do for you, too. When you spend enough time with Jesus, the proof will be written all over you. Talking often with Him will make a difference in the way you talk to others. Praying unceasingly before His face will change even the look on your face (cf. Acts 6:15). You cannot bathe in the rays of the sun without being noticeably affected, and you cannot bask in the presence of the Son without being profoundly transformed. 

People will notice the difference in your character and conduct, and their attention will be drawn to the One who made it (cf. Matt. 5:16). Even your adversaries will see the change in you, just as the satanically controlled Sanhedrin couldn’t deny that Peter and John had been with Jesus. As Luke said, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). These men were with Jesus for so long that He rubbed off on them! They were walking and talking like the Lord because they had been walking and talking with the Lord. 

The transformation Jesus makes can also be very unsettling to those around you. Some may be worried that the Lord will rub off on them as well. Those who are not prepared to change their life may be intimidated by the change Christ has made in yours. They may resist getting close to you, fearful that they might get too close to the Lord by doing so. That is what happened to Moses after his extended meeting with the Lord atop Mt. Sinai:

“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him” (Exodus 34:29-30).

The radical transformation that comes from being with Jesus is precisely what William D. Longstaff (1822-1894) expressed in his beautiful hymn, Take Time to Be Holy. The second verse encourages all believers to spend more time with Jesus in order to become more like Jesus:

“Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;

Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.

By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;

Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.”

Will you take time to be with Jesus?

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).

Bible Gleanings, devotions, Sermons

Heavenly Peace | Bible Gleanings – Advent Edition – December 24-25, 2022

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The sound of rifle fire suddenly ceased. The crackling of exploding shells eerily ended. German and Allied troops emerged from their war-torn trenches in a voluntary truce on Christmas Day, 1914. The “Christmas Truce,” as it is known, was an unplanned and unofficial ceasefire. Instead of fighting, the two sides exchanged cigarettes, plum pudding, and sang Christmas carols. It was an unusual day of peace amid the conflict of World War I.

A German lieutenant later recalled, “How marvelously wonderful, yet how strange it was. The English officers felt the same way about it. Thus Christmas, the celebration of Love, managed to bring mortal enemies together as friends for a time.” That is the power of Christmas—it creates peace between enemies. I would bet that the angel who announced the news of Christ’s birth would agree. After all, he proclaimed that there would be peace on earth because of Christ’s advent: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14).

We are at war with God when we come into the world as unsaved sinners. We are enemies of God and of the cross (Romans 5:10; Philippians 3:18). But because of Christmas and Calvary, we can experience heavenly peace with God. Jesus came to establish an eternal ceasefire. As Paul wrote, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). 

We may also enjoy inward peace because of what Christ has done. Paul said, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). God the Father grants heart-peace to His children when they bring their requests to Him—and the work of Christ makes it possible (John 1:12). 

The bells of Christmas Day are ringing the song of peace. The old conflict between God and man has ceased for those who know the Christ-child as their Lord and Savior. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, written by Henry W. Longfellow, aptly says:

“And in despair I bowed my head:

“There is no peace on earth,” I said,

“For hate is strong, and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Till, ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,Of peace on earth, good will to men.” 

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).