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Bible Gleanings, devotions

A Soft Answer | Bible Gleanings | October 26-27, 2024

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The vile voicemails and pestering phone calls wouldn’t stop. Michael Weisser was the newly installed rabbi of the oldest Jewish congregation in Lincoln, Nebraska, and a local KKK leader tried to run him out of town by harassing him over the phone. As the intimidation intensified, Michael and his wife started receiving hate mail with messages such as, “The KKK is watching you, scum.” They even received unsettling packages with white supremacist brochures and pamphlets. The Weissers didn’t know what to do, until Michael got an idea: return good for evil.

After doing some research, Michael learned that the man’s name was Larry Trapp, and he began leaving Trapp voicemails as well—but not the kind you’d expect. On one occasion, Weisser left a message, saying, “Larry, there’s a lot of love out there. You’re not getting any of it. Don’t you want some?” One day, Larry answered the phone angrily, and Michael responded to the wheelchair-bound KKK leader, “I know you’re in a wheelchair and I thought maybe I could take you to the grocery store or something.” The fervor of Trapp’s fury subsided and he replied, “That’s nice of you, but I’ve got that covered. Thanks anyway.”

Michael eventually got through to Larry through similar conversations and acts of kindness. According to the New York Times, Larry resigned from the Ku Klux Klan on November 16, 1991, and he and Michael became good friends. The Weissers even converted their living room into a bedroom for Larry when his health declined, and he died in the same loving home that he once threatened. Although Michael didn’t believe in the Old Testament’s book of Proverbs, he certainly believed in the effectiveness of what Solomon wrote in Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Michael also unknowingly practiced the words of Proverbs 25:15, which says, “With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone.” 1

This Jewish rabbi exemplified what all Christians should do: speak softly to the spiteful. Someone with a fiery spirit of fury will only be fueled if we respond with the same level of anger. However, someone’s anger can often be extinguished by the water of a soft answer. Believers can diffuse distressing situations with hostile persons by choosing their words carefully and remaining calm. When a believer’s speech is “seasoned with salt,” it may often smother flames of hostility (cf. Col. 4:6). 

The greatest Jew—Jesus—also exemplified this. During His unjust trial before Pilate, Jesus never lost His cool (Matt. 27:11-14). When Peter rashly cut off the guard’s ear, Jesus calmly told him to put his sword away (Matt. 26:52-54). Even while being crucified, Christ did not pray a curse upon His enemies—He prayed for their forgiveness (Luke 23:34). Try responding to the scornful with a soft answer, and you may be surprised by the results.

  1. This story has also been told in Jonah Berger’s insightful book, How to Change Anyone’s Mind on pp. 51-60. ↩︎

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.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

We Are Going Home | Bible Gleanings | October 19-20, 2024

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They were hopelessly and helplessly stranded on the beaches of northern France with no way home. Over 300,000 Allied troops were geographically incarcerated on the French seaport of Dunkirk, and the German army was closing in. Knowing that they were facing annihilation, the British government launched Operation Dynamo during those early days of WWII, with the goal of transporting the troops to safety across the English Channel. A fortified fleet of over 800 naval vessels began shipping soldiers home on May 26 of 1940, and the magnitude and multifariousness of the evacuation inspired Winston Churchill to call it “a miracle of deliverance.” The soldiers knew a homegoing was coming soon, and they held out hope until help arrived.

The same is true for all saint-soldiers who serve the Savior. When Jesus returns, all believers will be relieved of and rescued from their warring against the flesh, the world, and the devil. A heavenly homegoing is hastening for God’s holy nation because the return of the King of kings and Lord of lords draws nearer with every passing day. The Lord’s people will not be trapped in their sinful bodies interminably, nor will they battle the world’s wickedness and Satan’s wiles indefinitely. And Christ will not send boats after His saints—rather, He will personally deliver them, riding on a white horse to rescue them with His irresistible might (Rev. 19:11-16).

God gives His beleaguered and battle-hardened people such blessed assurance in Philippians 3:20-21, where Paul wrote, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” One glorious day, Jesus will raise and resurrect His redeemed people, and render ruin, retribution, and reckoning unto the damned, the devil, and even death—and it will be the mightiest miracle of deliverance ever. The great evacuation will look something like this:

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

Until then, all believers must hold out hope that the Helper will arrive in due time. As Christians, we are “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). And let us occupy our waiting by praying the next-to-last words in the Scripture, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20b, KJV).

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.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Slack in Zeal | Bible Gleanings | October 5-6, 2024

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It definitely wasn’t music to my ears—quite the opposite, as a matter of fact. I tuned my guitar strings as low as possible to slacken them and make them easier to remove. But just for fun, I attempted to play a song on the loosened strings, but they were too relaxed to strike a chord. The low hum of the strings sounded like two growling dogs squabbling with three yowling cats. Despite its beauty and value, the guitar was useless because the slackened strings frustrated it from fulfilling its fundamental function: producing a lovely sound.

Likewise, what rings true in the Scripture is that the believer’s primary and paramount purpose is to glorify the Lord by producing a life-song that causes Him to rejoice with singing (Zeph. 3:17). The Lord wants His people to compose a beautiful and blended “melody” of faith, hope, love, and joy, along with all other virtues required for a God-pleasing harmony (cf. Psalm 19:14). And zeal is to Christian living what tuned guitar strings are to music: without it, the rhythm is ruined. Unfortunately, a believer’s life sounds like a broken record when zeal and passion are slackened. That is why Paul said that a saint’s zeal must be tuned up and turned up in order to live a life that is like music to God’s ears: “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Rom. 12:11).

Zeal, which is the devotion and diligence with which we serve the Lord, should never smolder or be smothered—it should always burn blazing hot. Whatever we do for the Lord should be done with all of our might, with fervent enthusiasm and passionate haste, not with laziness or lethargy (Eccl. 9:10). The Lord wants us to be “zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14), meaning that we should be eager and excited about doing good things in His name and for His glory. He even commands us to be zealous in our repentance, to be gleeful instead of gloomy when wholeheartedly turning away from our sins (2 Cor. 7:11; Rev. 3:19). And most importantly, the Lord wants us to be like Christ, who was consumed with zeal for the Lord’s house (John 2:9).

Thus, every believer’s constant prayer should be something like the opening two stanzas of O Thou Who Camest From Above, a timeless hymn written by Charles Wesley (1707-1788), which says:

“O thou who camest from above the fire celestial to impart, kindle a flame of sacred love on the mean altar of my heart! There let it for thy glory burn with inextinguishable blaze, and trembling to its source return in humble prayer and fervent praise.”

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.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Whimsical Worship | Bible Gleanings | September 28-29, 2024

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God rejected Cain because of it (Gen. 4:5). It caused Nadab and Abihu to be incinerated by holy flames (Lev. 10:1-2). According to 2 Chronicles 26:19, it was the cause of Uzziah’s sudden and swift leprosy. It is why the earth split open and swallowed up Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (Numb. 16:31-35). What was it? Careless worship.

The Scripture is replete with stories of those who vainly attempted to “worship” God on their own terms, and scorched spots on the ground where people once stood reveals how the Lord feels about it. Many irreverent worshipers in the Bible approached the Lord of glory recklessly and rashly, with no recognition of His remarkable resplendence—and they paid the price. With too low a view of God and too high a view of themselves, they offered worship to God which was not in line with His character or commands. They were cursed by their own carelessness when they tried to worship the Lord in ways He had not prescribed, and with an indifference He had prohibited. Thus, the testimony of Scripture could not be clearer: God cares about the way in which we worship Him. 

God wants our worship to be sincere, submissive, and Scripture-aligned—and He values that over merely outward expressions. He doesn’t care about lip-service as much as He cares about heart-surrender (Isa. 29:13). The authenticity of our worship matters more to God than the amount of our worship. One heart which fears and adores Him is worth more than thousands of hypocritical and half-hearted offerings: “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats” (Isa. 1:11; cf. Amos 5:21-25). The Lord even tells us that He would rather receive no worship than receive negligent, nonchalant, or nonsensical worship: “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand” (Malachi 1:10).

All of these stories and stern strictures sound forth one sobering and sanctifying truth: God is holy, and worshiping Him is serious business. The Lord is not the “man upstairs,” a cosmic grandpa, or a spiritual Santa Claus—He is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29). Because of this, worship is not a game nor something we should enter into lightly. Rather, the Lord should be worshiped with utmost awe, vigorous obedience, and maximum reverence. Because of the gravity of His presence, the greatness of His character, and the glory of His name, our worship of Him in public and private must be wholehearted, not whimsical.

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.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

The Lord Who Is Near | Bible Gleanings | September 7-8, 2024

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“I started crying because I knew I would never talk to him again,” the rising celebrity comedian confessed. He was referring to “friendship ghosting,” which is when a friend abruptly stops communicating with you. Unfortunately, those who make it big in Hollywood sometimes allow their egos to inflate so that there’s no room for the people they were friends with before they became hotshots. When a person reaches the top of society’s totem pole, they tend to forget about those on the bottom, including close companions and relatives who helped them in pursuing their dreams. Many famous and successful people become like the chief cupbearer, who forgot about poor Joseph in prison once his position in Pharaoh’s court was restored (Gen. 40:21-23).

Incredibly, this is not the case when it comes to the One who has been crowned King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16)! Although the Lord Jesus has been elevated and exalted to the highest position of supremacy and sovereignty in the entire universe (Eph. 1:20-23; Phil. 2:9-11), He is not forgetful of His suffering and sinful saints on earth. Even though Christ wears many glorious diadems upon His head (Rev. 19:12), He knows the number of hairs on your head (Luke 12:7). Although He is seated at the most holy place at the Father’s right hand, He always inclines His ear to hear your prayers (Psalm 3:4), and He even prays on your behalf (Rom. 8:34). Christ has entered the holy of holies in heaven and holds the names of His children near His bosom, just as the Israelite priests wore the names of the twelve tribes on their breastplates when they entered God’s presence (Ex. 28:29; cf. Heb. 9:24; 10:19-22).

As the Puritan Thomas Watson assured, “Some, when raised to places of honor, forget their friends, [but] though Christ be in glory, he knows how to pity and succor [or help] thee. Christ, though in a glorified state, hears thy sighs, and bottles thy tears.” Watson was right. As the writer of Hebrews reminded us, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:15-16). Christ is never guilty of friendship ghosting. Although He is the Lord of all, He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother (Prov. 18:24).

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.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Stop Whining and Start Worshiping | Bible Gleanings | August 10-11, 2024

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Complaining. We are all guilty of it. Studies show that most people gripe once every minute during a regular conversation. According to Psychology Today, the average adult burns 8 minutes and 45 seconds grumbling daily, which translates to 1,300 gripes a year! Even worse, a 1996 study by Stanford revealed that whining may actually “physically damage the brain,” demonstrating that complaining is not only counterproductive, but also catastrophic.

Complaining is also corrosive for a Christian’s credibility. According to the apostle Paul, the presence of whining reveals an absence of worship. He commanded believers, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing” (Phil. 2:12b-14). Paul was essentially saying, “Banish bellyaching from your life to demonstrate that God is working in you.” Therefore, complaining contradicts our claim to know Christ, whereas contentment corroborates our confession.

Remember the incessant murmuring of the Israelites in the Old Testament? They griped while they were enslaved in Egypt (Ex. 2:23). Then after the mighty deliverance they experienced, they complained that they weren’t in Egypt (Ex. 16:2-3). And when God miraculously provided manna for them in the wilderness, they grumbled because they didn’t have meat (Num. 11:1-6). They even whined because the taste of the water was not to their liking (Ex. 15:24)!

Picture this: you’re a pagan sojourner who encounters one of these grumbling Israelites. You’d immediately think, “They don’t have anything to be thankful for. There’s nothing exciting or appealing about their ‘God.’ They complain about desert life about as much as I do.” You wouldn’t give a second thought to the fact that the Israelites had just experienced the greatest deliverance in history by the hand of Almighty God. And that is why whining is detrimental to a believer’s testimony—it doesn’t persuade people that we have been liberated from spiritual slavery into salvation because of Jesus Christ. It is no wonder, then, that Paul said we must not grumble like the Israelites (1 Cor. 10:10).

The only fitting response to redemption is gratefulness, not grumbling. Believers should never do anything while murmuring; rather, all things should be done unto the glory of God and with rejoicing (1 Cor. 10:31). We should obey the will of the Lord with glad submission, although it may be difficult at times. And we should shout praises instead of mumbling complaints when God’s providence permits painful situations to come our way. As believers, we should stop whining and start worshiping.

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.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Wisdom for the Asking | Bible Gleanings | July 20-21, 2024

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It is the choicest and most cherished treasure one can obtain (Prov. 3:19). It is worth more than gold, silver, and precious jewels combined (Prov. 3:14-15). It keeps you safe from ruin and ensures prosperity and honor. It is a gift that God is delighted to bestow upon those who ask Him for it (1 Kings 3:5-9). And it is a quality highly regarded in the Scripture and lowly regarded in society, namely, wisdom.

Contrary to what is generally assumed, wisdom is not a quality belonging only to the elderly or experienced. King Saul died as a 72-year-old fool, while David exceeded him in wisdom when he was still a youth (cf. 1 Sam. 13:1; 18:14-15; 31:4-6). As a boy, Samuel the prophet had better discernment than his mentor, Eli the priest, who was ninety-eight years old (1 Sam. 3:1-21). Indeed, some wisdom is obtained from old age and experience as an old stone gathers moss. But a stone freshly cut from the mine gathers moss just as quickly if it is planted in the right place.

Wisdom is also not the same as knowledge. Going to Harvard or Yale won’t insulate you from foolishness or its repercussions. As Charles Spurgeon once preached, “Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.”

Indeed, according to the Bible, wisdom is knowing the will of God and obeying it. It is the right use and application of knowledge from God’s word. Being wise means knowing and using the holy Scripture as your instruction manual for everyday life. Wisdom entails being a lifelong student in the school of godliness. Wisdom is all about knowing what God wants you to do and doing it.

The profit to be acquired from wisdom is of greater value than anything else this world affords. That’s why Solomon of old wrote in Proverbs 3:13-15, “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.” And all you need to do is ask God for it: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5).

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.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Abstaining from Anger | Bible Gleanings | July 13-14, 2024

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The insatiable flames of foolish fury burned within all three of them. Cain, Moses, and Jonah were all consumed with sinful rage, and its catastrophic consequences singed their lives. Cain was enraged when God favored Abel’s offering instead of his, and his anger and jealousy drove him to murder his own brother (Gen. 4:5-6). When the wilderness rock refused to yield water, Moses became furious and smote it twice, costing himself entry into the Promised Land (Num. 20:10-11). Jonah became exasperated when God showed compassion to his enemies, and he went down in biblical history as a sulking complainer instead of a heroic prophet (Jonah 4:1-4).

The testimony of Scripture is indisputable: sinful anger that goes unextinguished will burn your life in irreparable ways. That is why the Lord gives us many strong warnings and sober cautions in the Bible about wicked indignation. As David admonished, “Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil” (Psalm 37:8). According to Solomon, unrighteous indignation is a sign of fragility and foolishness: “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly” (Prov. 14:29). And conversely, the ability to restrain anger is characteristic of great strength and wisdom: “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (Prov. 16:32).

Undoubtedly, there is no shortage of situations which may tempt us to express such evil exasperation. There are plenty of hot sparks that may ignite us like a brush fire: slow traffic, bad customer service, being overcharged on a bill, or having arguments on social media. Sometimes we may be tempted to fly off the handle because of a contemptuous gesture from a spouse, being backstabbed by a family member, hearing an injurious word from one considered as a friend, or receiving a slanderous remark from an unbelieving coworker. Oftentimes, the mounting heap of daily frustrations are enough to make us as mad as a wet hen. 

Thankfully, the Scripture gives us great counsel for abolishing anger. The Lord commands us to listen more than we speak, and take a “chill pill” during angry moments: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19, KJV). We are also exhorted by Paul to deal with anger immediately so that it doesn’t fester into something that the devil can use against us: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Eph. 4:26-27). And most importantly, the word of God tells us to leave vengeance to the Lord, the just Judge: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord”” (Rom. 12:19).

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.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

The Savior Who Seeks Sinners | Bible Gleanings | July 6-7, 2024

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I searched high and low for it, but it was sleeping with the fishes. My iPhone evidently decided to try its hand at scuba diving, as it dove out of my pocket during a recent kayaking excursion. I lost it at the bank and did everything I could to retrieve it, but to no avail (what a “sinking” feeling!). I looked for it in the murky and muddy depths, and called it from my wife’s phone in hopes that its vibrations would cause bubbles to rise to the surface. I even tried submerging my head to see if I could hear it ringing, but my efforts were useless. 

Although I never recovered my smartphone, I did learn a lesson: I was willing to go to great lengths (and depths) to recover something that was lost because it was valuable to me. And this is the humbling lesson which the Lord teaches us in the Bible’s great story of redemption. Just as I searched tirelessly for my lost phone, the Lord relentlessly pursues lost sinners because of His love for them. He leaves the ninety-nine sheep to find the one that is lost (Luke 15:4). Like the woman who sought her misplaced coin, the Lord diligently searches the whole world for the wayward (Luke 15:8-10).

As a matter of fact, the Lord runs after those who run away from Him, just as He pursued the first sinners in the Garden of Eden and rebellious Jonah who vainly attempted to escape His presence (Gen. 3:8; Jonah 1:3-4). And there is no greater demonstration of God’s searching and stop-at-nothing love than the cross of Calvary, where the Lord purchased the salvation of sinners with the blood of His beloved Son (1 Peter 1:18-19). Upon the gruesome hill of Golgotha, the Lord sacrificed His Son because of His love for those who hate Him and transgress His law. As Jesus famously said,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17, KJV).

This is why Christ came into the world: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

Have you experienced the Savior’s steadfast love? Can you sing with the hymn writer John Newton (1725-1807), “I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see”? If so, are you willing to go to the greatest lengths and depths to deliver the gospel’s soul-saving message to those who are lost? Do you long to see sinners gathered into the flock of God like Jesus does (Matt. 23:37)? 

“I will sing the wondrous story

Of the Christ who died for me.

How He left His home in glory

For the cross of Calvary.

I was lost, but Jesus found me,

Found the sheep that went astray,

Threw His loving arms around me,

Drew me back into His way.”

— “I Will Sing the Wondrous Story.” Francis H. Rowley (1854-1952)

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.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

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Going, Going, Gone | Bible Gleanings | June 29-30, 2024

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Fire destroyed it all. The 128-year-old mansion was already engulfed in flames when firefighters in Monterey County, California, were called to the scene on the morning of May 26, 2023. The once-marvelous mansion was a Victorian-style masterpiece which was featured in many films and beloved by members of the community. Unfortunately, the historic home could not be saved and its loss left a void in the hearts of those who cherished its beauty and significance. And, according to The Monterey County Weekly, while local neighbors mourned the fiery massacre of the magnificent mansion, none were as overwhelmed with remorse as the mansion’s titleholder. 

All of the man’s riches vanished in one sweeping moment. Millions of dollars earned through decades of toilsome labor were burned in a single hour. The finest woods and metals that adorned the mansion, which required thousands of hours to perfect, were consumed in mere seconds. All of the luxurious furniture and lavish furnishings which filled the home were reduced to ash in less time than it took to make them. And no one dared to approach the burning mansion for fear that they would likewise be consumed. 

A day is coming when a greater consuming fire will rob the world of its pomp, pride, pleasures, and possessions in one fiery flash. The world and worldly things may appear to be a magnificent mansion now, but the Lord will eventually reduce them to nothing by His blazing fury, and all that will remain is smoldering smoke (Rev. 18:9-10). All who cling tightly to material things will have everything ripped away from them in a single hour on the day of judgment. All who love this Babylonian-like world will watch with heart-wrenching regret as the purifying wrath of God incinerates everything they lived for. They will lament, saying, “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste” (Rev. 18:16-17).

Therefore, the Lord commands all of His people, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues” (Rev. 18:4b). Believers must flee from the appealing “mansion” of this world lest they be singed from a distance (Luke 21:34; Rom. 12:2; Col. 3:2; 2 Peter 3:11-13). As John exhorted, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him . . . And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:15, 17, KJV). And besides, believers have a greater mansion waiting above: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2, KJV).

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.