Devotions By Jan


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A Margin of Error

Scripture for Today: Ecclesiastes 7:20 “Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.”

It is complicated to calculate margin of error, at least to those who do not have strong math skills! This concept in statistics expresses the amount of random variation underlying a survey’s results. In principle, the larger the sample is, the smaller the margin of error is. The other important factor is the confidence level, whether 90, 95 or 99%. There are also other sources of error that come into play; bias in the questions, excluding groups that could not be contacted, people refusing to respond, people lying or miscounting.

In today’s verse there is absolutely no margin of error! The sample is the largest it can be: earth’s entire population. Added to this fact is the veracity of God’s Word. Paul affirms this statement when quoting Psalm 14:1-3, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” (Rom. 3:11) God’s standards of righteousness are well above man’s. God looks down from Heaven on all mankind. (Ps. 53:1-3) And if it were not for the grace He showed when taking on Himself the punishment of our sins on the cross, there would be no hope of forgiveness or of eternal life with Him.

No. There is no error at all in what God declares is true. I have a confidence level of 100% because God said it. There is not a person on this planet (myself included) that can merit eternal life. No one can slide in as part of some forgotten percentage. God does not grade on a curve. His standard is holiness and I am woefully short. Thankfully, He has given me not only abundant grace but also the righteousness of His Son! (Rom. 5:17)

Thank you Lord, that there are no margins of error needed in what You say!

(Look familiar? This is a repost from 2020)


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The Mighty Mongoose

Scripture for Today: II Thessalonians 3:3 “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”

This Dwarf mongoose makes his home in Botswana and is Africa’s smallest carnivore weighing less than a pound! But as small as he is, he is bold enough to take down a king cobra! His speed and agility are remarkable, darting at the head of the snake and cracking its skull with his powerful bite! He himself does not need to worry about being bitten. That is because he has a protein that binds to proteins in the snake venom, rendering it harmless.

Today’s verse is a wonderful promise of the Lord to His own. He promises to strengthen and protect the believer from the evil one. Satan showed up in the very beginning as a serpent who deceives (Gen 3:13). He is also pictured as a lion looking to devour its prey (I Peter 5:8). There will be attacks and we are encouraged to stand firm in the faith with the armor He provides (Eph. 6:10-17). We may feel small, but the Lord is faithful to protect our soul, now and for eternity. Nothing and no one can snatch us from His powerful protective hands (John 10:29).

Like the small mongoose, I can be fearless and confident! I do not want to underestimate the enemy, but I know that victory is mine in Christ. The venom and sting of death is rendered powerless because of God’s faithfulness to me. There may be that occasional skirmish that can discourage, but the outcome is already decided! If God is for me, who can be against me? (Rom. 8:31) And this victory does not depend on this fickle soul but on the Savior of my soul who has promised!

Thank you Lord, for Your strength and protection!

(Look familiar? This is a repost from 2022)


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Chocolate Iris?

Scripture for Today: I Corinthians 2:4-5 “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom but on God’s power.”

This is a surprising color for an iris! And its name reflects the color: “Dutch Chocolate.” But in fact, the iris comes in an array of different colors, including a deep purple that looks black. The wide diversity of colors makes sense as the word, “iris” originally meant “rainbow” in Greek. In the language of flowers, the iris symbolizes eloquence. And its three petal segments are said to represent faith, wisdom, and valor.

There is faith and wisdom in today’s verse as well as courage to speak the truth. There is not however any eloquence. Wise sounding words can be empty. Persuasive words can be negated by hypocrisy.  But Paul explains that his message did not need either as his words were a demonstration of the power of the Spirit. Paul never claimed to be eloquent in his speech. Because he spoke simply, God’s power was evident. And he resisted the temptation to speak only what “itchy ears” wanted to hear (II Tim. 4:3).

My faith does not rest on a fancy discourse or the latest fad or book. Human wisdom can never replace the power of God’s Words. It is not what exact words are used but God’s Spirit who helps me understand (verse 12). He is the One that explains spiritual realities to me (verse 13). And His Spirit uses my words of testimony even when I am not eloquent. I may not feel strong or confident in sharing the Gospel. But thankfully, His power does not depend on my word choice!  His power is evident not because of me but in spite of me!

Thank you Lord, that my faith rests on Your power.

(Look familiar? This is a repost from 2020)


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Suddenly Sightless!

Scripture for Today: Psalm 119:18 “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law.”

I can just imagine the surprise this pigeon must have felt! He’s minding his own business when all of a sudden he can’t see a thing. As I am not a fan of pigeons I can’t feel too sorry for him. But he must have felt a bit lost and disorientated. With his little bird brain I wonder how long it took for him to figure it all out. Maybe he panicked and just waited for the next gust of wind to clear his vision.

Today’s verse is a prayer that God would open the eyes to see what is wonderful in God’s law. Our eyes can miss what is positive in God’s commandments. Those wonders can easily escape us. We need God’s Spirit to clear our vision to see God’s law differently. This entire psalm goes on to extol and praise His law. The author’s eyes have been opened to see a long list of wonderful things: blessing, purity, delight, strength, understanding, knowledge, good judgement, freedom and comfort, to name just a few! God answered the author’s prayer.

I do not often feel this way about God’s law. Instead of seeing “wonderful things,” in His law, I sometimes see it as negative and restrictive. There is a rebel inside of me that doesn’t like to be told what to do and what not to do. My eyes need to be opened! I want to see those same wonders in His law, especially the comfort and blessing! God’s law is given with love and with a desire to make life work for me. I need my eyes open to explore and discover how God wants me to live and to see it as wonderful!

Open my eyes today, Lord.


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Daybreak or “Daybrake?”

Scripture for Today: Psalm 118:24 (KJV) “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

What puts the brake on your day? A recent survey concluded that the average American knows by 8:36 am whether it will be a good day or a bad day! Apparently, the mishaps of the morning cause half of those surveyed to cancel plans or call in sick! On average this happens four times a month due to: waking up sick or with a headache, a poor night’s sleep, misplacing keys, forgetting a wallet or phone, running out of TP or oversleeping!

Today’s verse can begin a day much differently, despite our circumstances! To acknowledge that the Lord has out of His goodness and love granted us one more day is a reason to be thankful. (verse 29) To recognize that the Lord is our strength, our song and our salvation completely changes our outlook! (verse 14) His mercy and compassion are new again as we awake. They are renewed specifically in the morning at the start of a new day. (Lamentations 3:22-23) These thoughts on waking stir in us joy and gladness!

Realistically, these thoughts do not always characterize me on waking. Especially when the night’s sleep was less than refreshing! But there can always be a meaningful pause before rolling out of bed. A pause to thank Him for life, for His love, for the faithfulness He shows me. These thoughts of gratitude can even be turned in God’s direction BEFORE coffee! Things may still go wrong with my morning but this way the beginning is always positive!

Thank you Lord, that I can wake up with joy!