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Bible Gleanings, devotions

Idol Worship Stinks | Bible Gleanings | October 25-26, 2025

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The woman was “down in the dumps,” having entangled herself in a messy situation which prompted her to reassess her priorities. The Brinnon Fire Department in Washington State reported that a lady in her 40s requested emergency assistance, after falling headfirst into a vault toilet at a frequented hiking area. On the list of “worst things to happen to hikers,” this ranks as number two. How did she end up neck-deep?

She reportedly dropped her smartphone in the outhouse latrine and attempted to retrieve it—unsuccessfully. Initially, she tried fishing it out with her dog’s leash, and let’s just say her furry friend went home leashless that day. Next, she removed the seat and leaned into the abhorrent abyss to get closer—and that’s when it happened. The entire latrine collapsed inward, causing her to plunge into the filth below, where she dialed 9-1-1 from her soiled cellphone. All of this for a $200 smartphone. 

The lengths we will go for what we love and the things we are willing to do for what we value are truly astonishing. And many times, the price we pay in doing so is not worth the gain. But this is precisely what we do when worshiping gods that are not God. We often invest precious time, money, and energy into idols we believe will make us happier and more fulfilled—although they leave us down in the dumps. As the psalmist counseled, “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply” (Psalm 16:4a).

Idol-worship always costs more than it pays, and the false gods of possessions, protection, power, pleasure, prestige, and position always take more than they give. As Jonah cautioned, “Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love” (Jonah 2:8). You can’t get from gods what you can only get from God. So, why give to gods and get nothing when you can give to God and get everything He promises?

Nevertheless, emulating Josiah of old (2 Chron. 34:33) and demolishing our idols is challenging because, as John Calvin once stated, our hearts are “factories of idols,” equipped with a golden-calf assembly line, eager to fashion a god from anything and everything. Paul likewise stated in Romans that we are prone to worship and serve “the creature rather than the Creator” (Rom. 1:25). This is why we are exhorted, “Flee from idolatry” (1 Cor. 10:14, KJV), and admonished, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). Therefore, we must continually “turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them” (Acts 14:15b).

Idols are all glitter and no gold—God is God and always good. Idol-worship stinks—worshiping God satisfies. As David declared: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Endure Until the End | Bible Gleanings | August 1-2, 2025

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Wham! A gouging left-hook pierced his right eye. Boof! The world champion heavy-weight boxer threw another lethal strike. “Raaah! Whooo!” shouted the crowd, as Apollo Creed and Rocky Balboa battled in the ring. Bif! Bam! Bop! With machine-like accuracy, Creed hammered Rocky’s bloodied face. And then Rocky went down, but he was not out—he slowly rose to his feet, weary but determined.

His handlers begged him to throw in the towel. But with blood streaming down his face, Rocky warned, “You stop this fight, and I’ll kill you!” Then he launched into Creed with the fury of a mad tiger. But even after fifteen rounds of ruthless beating, neither boxer delivered a knockout, and the fight was eventually called. The announcer declared from the mic, “Tonight we have had the privilege of witnessing the greatest exhibition of guts and stamina in the history of the ring!”

Rocky Balboa didn’t win the match, but he finished it. He endured until the end. He wasn’t trying to knock out Apollo Creed. He simply sought to go the distance and prove he could take a beating. To him, finishing well was better than winning every round.

Rocky was right, and the Scripture also teaches that endurance is better than winning every fight. When Paul the apostle was at death’s door, he did not say, “I have won the good fight,” but rather, “I have fought the good fight” (2 Tim. 4:7). The Christian life is not about avoiding failure entirely—it’s about getting back up in faith after being knocked down. True believers stay in the ring and rise for the next round through the strengthening grace of God. As Proverbs 24:16 says, “For the righteous falls seven times and rises again.”

No Christian can always slay their flesh, defeat the devil, or triumph over the enticements of this sinful world. But even when struck down, beaten-up believers can rise again because, “though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand” (Psalm 37:24). When flattened out on the canvas, the believer can say, “Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me” (Micah 7:8). True believers can testify with Paul: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:8-9).

So, don’t give up. Keep on keeping on. Endure until you hear the final bell—the trumpet of Christ’s return (1 Cor. 15:52). Finishing well is better than a perfect performance. As Rocky himself said, “It’s not about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward.”

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

It’s All In Your Head | Bible Gleanings | November 23-24, 2024

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Without firing a single shot, eleven stouthearted soldiers who were skilled skiers secured victory for the Allies during World War II. The Nazis were promptly producing their own atomic bomb, utilizing a heavy water plant that was isolated in the icy hills of Norway—therefore, Operation Gunnerside was initiated in February of 1943 to neutralize it. After British troops were captured, tortured, and executed in an earlier attempt to demolish the facility, the Allies tried again, this time with Norwegian commandos who knew how to sneak around in the snow. The small squad jumped from a plane on the frigid night of February 16th, and after eleven days of strenuous snow-trekking, they quietly infiltrated the plant. While there, they patiently and painstakingly planted charges, disappeared without a trace, and sighed with relief when they heard explosions from a safe distance. 

The Allies were well-aware that winning the war required not only major victories like D-Day, but small-scale successes in places where the enemy appeared less threatening. As the Norwegian Army Colonel in charge of the effort rightfully remarked to those troops, “I cannot tell you why this mission is so important, but if you succeed, it will live in Norway’s memory for a hundred years.” He was right. Although Operation Gunnerside was relatively minor compared to other hard-fought battles, its effects were substantial. Although this seemingly insignificant mission was not a full-scale fight, it was a battle nonetheless—and it contributed to the end of one of history’s deadliest wars.

Similarly, there is another battle often downplayed and disregarded that has eternal ramifications: the battle in every believer’s mind. Even though there are no gunshots, the war waging in the Christian’s mind decides whether victory is won or lost in both temptation and tribulation. Indeed, every believer engages in daily formidable fights with the idolatry of the world, the iniquities of their flesh, and the instigations of the devil. However, a real rough-and-tumble is occurring in every Christian’s mind, where sin is constantly working on a mental nuclear bomb to destroy love for God and hatred of evil. Therefore, every saint must sabotage sin’s mind-operations by detonating truth-bombs which come from God’s word—truth which renews the mind and fills the mind with holy thoughts which evict evil ones (Rom. 12:2; Phil. 4:8-9).

Believers are admonished to do precisely that in 2 Corinthians 10:5, where Paul commanded, “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” Likewise, the apostle Peter exhorted: “Prepare your minds for action” (1 Peter 1:13a, NLT). Believers must arm themselves with the sword of the Spirit for this mind-war because sin will not easily give up the mental territory it once dominated with ease. Every Christian’s mind was once the devil’s playground and sin’s stomping ground, and neither will relinquish control without a fight. The bottom line is that if you know Christ, what you think matters—and it matters more than you think.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.

Excited for Christmas, or looking for a way to worship the Christ of Christmas during advent? If so, you may enjoy this 25-day daily devotional, written by Brandon for exactly this reason. Grab your copy today before December 1st to get started!