Author: Ryan Shinn

Fear & Courage – Psalm 31:19–24

Psalm 31:24 (NIV)
“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.”

David writes this psalm from a place of having come through distress. This passage is about fearing God, not man, and then taking courage because God will protect and provide. God saw, protected, and provided—even when it felt impossible. What begins as a cry of need resolves into confidence and praise.

This is not a shallow optimism. David does not deny danger or suffering. Instead, he testifies that God’s faithfulness extends even into moments where rescue seems unlikely. Because of that experience, he turns outward at the end of the psalm and calls others to be strong and courageous—not because life is easy, but because the Lord is trustworthy.

For me, this passage is a reminder that strength is not found in self-reliance or clever plans. It is found in trusting God’s character. Fearing the Lord does not mean living in anxiety or dread. It means recognizing who He is—and who I am not. God does not ask me to outmaneuver my problems. He asks me to place my hope in Him, knowing that He sees more, knows more, and can act where I cannot.

Following Rules – Mark 2:23–28

“Then he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.’” (Mark 2:27, ESV)

Jesus and His disciples are walking through grainfields on the Sabbath, doing something ordinary and necessary: eating. The religious leaders object, not because anyone was harmed, but because a rule was violated. In response, Jesus reaches back to Scripture itself, reminding them of David eating the consecrated bread when necessity demanded it.

Scripture was never meant to be wielded as a weapon against human need. Jesus then delivers a clarifying statement that cuts through religious rigidity: the Sabbath exists to serve people, not to enslave them.

That moment exposes the difference between God’s moral will and the religious systems built around it. God’s commands are not indifferent to human suffering, hunger, or need. When rules are applied in a way that creates pain, burden, or unintended harm, something has gone wrong in how they are being understood. Jesus does not discard the Sabbath; He restores its purpose. What was meant as a gift had become more important than the people, and Jesus refuses to let God be portrayed as uncaring or detached.

That truth matters deeply in the real messiness of life. There are moments when religious rules collide with human reality in ways that feel paiful. This passage reminds us that God is not unaware, and He is not cold. His care for people is greater than His commitment to rigid rule-keeping. Obedience to God was never meant to crush those He loves. The heart of God is not legalistic; it is compassionate, attentive, and merciful.

Following Jesus means trusting that God’s laws flow from His care, not from indifference. When obedience becomes painful in ways that seem overpowering, this passage reassures us that God sees, God knows, and God cares. The Sabbath—and every command—finds its meaning not in rigid enforcement, but in love that serves human flourishing.

Living Sacrifice – Romans 11:33–12:2

Romans 12:2 (NIV) – “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Paul begins this section with what amounts to a hymn, pulling language from the Old Testament to describe God’s wisdom, knowledge, and ownership over all things. Everything comes from Him and exists for Him. Because of that reality, Paul then calls believers to offer their lives as living sacrifices. His original readers would have immediately thought about temple sacrifices, animals whose lives were poured out completely on the altar. Paul turns that image on its head. God is not asking for a dead offering. He is asking for a life that is set apart for His purposes.

In that light, what follows that makes sense. If a person’s life belongs to God, then it should not be shaped by whatever the world says is normal or desirable. Paul tells them not to be molded into that pattern, but to be transformed by him, instead. This idea of being set apart would have been familiar, especially through things like the Nazarite vow, where a person’s entire life was dedicated to the Lord. The Old Testament talks about that. Here, Paul is applying that same idea to everyday Christian living.

This passage reminds me that the word “therefore” matters. It connects God’s greatness and ownership directly to how I live. My life is not my own. I have been bought with a price. My work, my habits, my decisions on an unremarkable day in September. God does not want occasional sacrifices or seasonal displays of devotion, like we do for Lent in March. He wants my ordinary life. That kind of surrender is far more meaningful than giving something up for a short religious season. God does not want a small thing from me. He wants me.

Joy, Prayer, & Trust – Philippians 4:4–9

Philippians 4:6 (NIV) – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Paul opens this passage with a call to rejoice, and he repeats it as if to make sure it is heard. He then tells believers not to be consumed by worry, but instead to bring everything to God in prayer. There is an implicit command here about focus. Rather than fixating on needs, fears, or unanswered questions, Paul directs attention toward God and the good things that come from him. Trust and prayer are meant to replace anxiety, not coexist with it.

For me, this is a needed reminder. It is easy to focus my prayers on what I lack or what feels urgent. Those things matter, but they are not meant to dominate my thoughts. God calls me to dwell on who He is and what He has already shown Himself to be. When I focus on His faithfulness instead of my concerns, it reshapes how I see everything else.

This passage calls me to approach God with joy and expectation. I do not know how every situation will work out, but I do know that God is always good. He is always faithful, and He always does what is best for me, even when I do not understand it. My role is to bring my requests to Him with thanksgiving, trusting His character rather than trying to manage the outcome myself.

Taste & See – Psalm 34:1–10

Psalm 34:8 (NIV) – “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

This psalm is an outpouring of praise. David is not speaking in theory. He is responding to a very real moment when he cried out to God in fear and was heard. God protected him, provided for him, and surrounded him with care. David describes the angel of the Lord encamping around those who fear God, a picture of active, personal protection. He even goes so far as to say that those who fear the Lord will not lack any good thing.

That last statement can feel bold, even uncomfortable. When I read it alongside the rest of the Psalms, it becomes clearer. David also wrote many psalms of desperation, pleading for help when things were not going well. This one shows the other side of that story. God was not ignoring him. God was (and is) at work, even when it may not have looked that way in the moment. Still, it raises honest questions when we look at people around the world who are crying out to God and seem to be lacking so much. We also need to remember that scripture does not pretend those situations don’t exist.

What this passage reminds me is that no problem is too big for God. His provision and protection are not limited by the size of the need. God cares about my fears, my needs, and my safety. Even when I do not understand how provision shows up, I am called to trust that God is bigger than the problem and that He is paying attention.

Saved for a Purpose – Ephesians 2:8–10

Ephesians 2:8–9 (NIV) – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

This passage is carefully structured to make one central point clear. We are saved by faith, not by works. Our own behavior, no matter how well intentioned, cannot earn salvation. Scripture is blunt about that elsewhere, comparing our righteousness to filthy garments in Isaiah. If salvation depended on our performance, every one of us would fall short. Paul removes that possibility entirely. Salvation is a gift, given by grace.

At the same time, Paul does not dismiss good works. He places them in the right order. We are not saved by good works, but we are created for them. God has plans, prepared ahead of time, for how his people should live and serve. That distinction matters. Good works are not the entrance requirement. They are the result of a life already changed by grace.

This passage is a strong reminder for me. I do not do good things to earn God’s favor. I do them because God has already shown me grace and has intentionally placed opportunities in front of me. That means I should be paying attention. God created me for this purpose, and I need to be more focused on recognizing and stepping into the good works he has already prepared.

The Way – John 14:1–6

John 14:6 (NIV)
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

When Thomas says that he does not know the way, Jesus gives one of the clearest and most direct statements in all of Scripture. Thomas was possibly looking for something along the lines of, “Make a left turn at Albuquerque.” But Jesus does not offer directions or principles. He says that he himself is the way. He is not pointing toward a path. He is the path. No one comes to the Father except through him.

This verse is often recognized for its exclusivity, and rightly so. Jesus does not leave room for alternate routes to God. That can be uncomfortable in a culture that prefers many paths. But if Jesus is telling the truth here, then other paths do not lead to God at all. Believing otherwise would require believing that Jesus is just crazy, wrong, or intentionally dishonest.

What is easy to forget is that this is not meant to make Christians smug. The same Jesus who died for my sins also died for the sins of people who are trusting in paths that cannot deliver what those “paths to God” promise. This should not produce pride. It should produce urgency. Gratitude for the truth and a deep concern for those who do not yet know it should shape how I live and how I engage with others.

Preparing a place – John 14:1–6

John 14:2–3 (NIV)
“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

Jesus tells his disciples that he is leaving, and that he has to leave. He speaks about preparing a place for them and promises that he will return so that they can be together with him. I always interpreted that like Jesus is talking about construction in heaven, as though something still needed to be built. But now I’m thinking that I was wrong about that.

What Jesus was preparing was not a location, at all. His preparation was his work on the cross and, later, the giving of the Holy Spirit. He was not saying that heaven was unfinished. He was saying that access to God was. His departure was not primarily about going to heaven. It was about doing what only he could do so that his people could ultimately be with him.

That reframes this promise for me. It shifts my focus away from speculation about heaven and back to gratitude for what Jesus accomplished. I need to remain thankful that Jesus did what was necessary so that being with him was even possible at all.

Forgiveness – Colossians 3:12–17

Colossians 3:13 (NIV) – “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

In Colossians, Paul paints a picture of what Christians are actually supposed to look like. Kindness, humility, patience, and forgiveness are not optional traits for us. They are markers of a life shaped by Christ.

Above all of them sits love, which binds it all together and creates real unity among believers. Forgiveness is a natural result of biblical love. Unresolved grievance destroys that unity faster than almost anything else.

This passage is a reminder that forgiveness has to be intentional. It does not happen naturally, and it is often difficult. But Scripture is clear that forgiveness is not a side issue in the kingdom of God. It is a priority.

There are a lot of misconceptions about Christian forgiveness. Refusing to hold anger and bitterness is biblical. Handing someone the keys after they repeatedly crashed my car is not. Forgiveness releases guilt and resentment. It does not require ignoring real results of our actions.

If I want to live in a way that reflects Christ, then forgiveness and love cannot be theoretical. They have to show up in real relationships, even when it costs something.