+Dev+ Michael D. Inman

Date: July 22, 2012 10:41 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Jesus: The Seed of the Woman

Jesus: The Seed of the Woman

"And I will put enmity between you [Satan] and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:15)
Scripture Focus: Genesis 3

This verse has been called the proto-evangel. That simply means it's the first allusion to the gospel of grace in Scripture. God made human beings good, but Adam and Eve chose to commit cosmic rebellion against their Creator. Their sin plunged the world beneath God's curse, and we became enslaved to sin and death. How could we ever have communion with a holy God again? The answer is here. The "offspring of the woman" would someday crush Satan's head and set His people free.

Paul writes in Galatians 4:4-5, "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons." Jesus had to become a man to pay for man's sin (Hebrews 2:17). But to avoid original sin - the passing of the sin nature from parents to children - Jesus needed to be born supernaturally, through a woman by the Holy Spirit. Jesus became for us fully human, and yet is fully God. Only He provides the way to the Father (John 14:6).

Insight: Why Does Paul Speak Only Of Sons In Galatians 4:5? In The Old Testament, Only Sons Inherited Full Rights. Sisters, You Are Included As Sons!

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: July 19, 2012 11:55 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Jesus: The Second Adam
Jesus: The Second Adam

"And the LORD God commanded [Adam], '...you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.'" (Genesis 2:16-17)
Scripture Focus: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28

Perhaps the most important person in the Word of God - other than Jesus Himself - is our first father, Adam. For this reason, his historicity and origins are under attack today as never before. Some falsely say that he's but a legend - a product of ancient mythology. Others say we humans evolved from lower life forms, and so Adam never really existed. But it is crucial that we take the words of Adam's creation literally. "...God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him..." (Genesis 1:27).

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, "For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." He obviously believed Adam to be an historical person. More importantly, Adam is the only way to understand what Jesus came to do - to restore the fallen image of God in man. Adam sinned in a garden, and we died. Jesus - the second Adam - lived sinlessly in a desert, and gave His people life everlasting.

Insight: Thank You, Lord, For New Life Given Freely To Us By Faith Alone In Christ's Life, Death, And Resurrection. He Has Destroyed The Last Enemy: Death.

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: July 19, 2012 11:55 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Jesus: The Second Adam
Jesus: The Second Adam

"And the LORD God commanded [Adam], '...you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.'" (Genesis 2:16-17)

Scripture Focus: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28

Perhaps the most important person in the Word of God - other than Jesus Himself - is our first father, Adam. For this reason, his historicity and origins are under attack today as never before. Some falsely say that he's but a legend - a product of ancient mythology. Others say we humans evolved from lower life forms, and so Adam never really existed. But it is crucial that we take the words of Adam's creation literally. "...God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him..." (Genesis 1:27).

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, "For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." He obviously believed Adam to be an historical person. More importantly, Adam is the only way to understand what Jesus came to do - to restore the fallen image of God in man. Adam sinned in a garden, and we died. Jesus - the second Adam - lived sinlessly in a desert, and gave His people life everlasting.

Insight: Thank You, Lord, For New Life Given Freely To Us By Faith Alone In Christ's Life, Death, And Resurrection. He Has Destroyed The Last Enemy: Death.

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: July 18, 2012 12:33 AM
Topic: +DEV+ Jesus: The Author of Life
Jesus: The Author of Life
"...the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." (Genesis 2:7)
Scripture Focus: Genesis 2

One of the most fundamental questions we can ask about the universe is, "Why is there something rather than nothing?" Some say the rocks are eternal, but there's no evidence of that. Some figure the beginning was a giant explosion, "The Big Bang." But where did the stuff come from that exploded to create the universe? The answer is that for something to exist today, something - or someone - must have the power of existence within Himself. That Someone is Jesus Christ.

In John 5:26, Jesus said, "For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself." [Jesus is] "the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Revelation 22:13). Jesus is the pre-existent Creator who brings life out of death. Death on the cross could not defeat the Author of Life. He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died, rising again for our justification. One day soon, the Giver of Life will come again and resurrect this strife-torn universe.

Insight: When People Mock Jesus Or Pay Him Faint Praise, They Pronounce Judgment On Him Who Gives Them "Life And Breath And Everything Else" (Acts 17:25).

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: July 15, 2012 11:56 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Jesus: Creator and Re-Creator

Jesus: Creator and Re-Creator
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)
Scripture Focus: John 1:1-5

Have you ever noticed how similarly John's gospel and the book of Genesis begin? "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made" (John 1:1-3). It has been said that the entire Bible is merely a footnote to Genesis 1:1. So also, the entire New Testament is like a footnote to John's brief introduction of the One who also came to save His people from their sins.

Think about that for just a second. The self-existent, all-powerful Creator of the universe - the God who flung the stars into space and "calls them each by name" (Psalm 147:4) - loves you and me, knows us by name and humbled Himself even "to death on a cross" for us (Philippians 2:8). The Creator came to earth to be the Re-Creator! To us in the bonds of sin and death, He brings new life by His grace. And one day soon, this present fallen world will be renewed in righteousness to truly reflect His marvelous glory.

Insight: Ponder The Fact Every Day That The God Who Created Everything Out Of Nothing Loves You With A Perfect, Everlasting Love.

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."
Date: July 17, 2012 1:05 AM
Topic: +DEV+ Jesus: The Author of Light
Jesus: The Author of Light
"And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." (Genesis 1:3)

Scripture Focus: Genesis 1:1-5

In the narrative of creation we are told that, at first, the earth was characterized by darkness. When I was a teenager, my parents took the family to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. There, down in the depths of the earth, the ranger asked us all to be still while he momentarily turned off the lights. In total darkness, it was as if I was absolutely blind! Similarly, the earth without the creative power of the Lord bringing light would be in total darkness.

Another kind of darkness covers the earth today. John continues his gospel speaking of this darkness: "In [Jesus - the Word] was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it" (John 1:4-5). The darkness of this world is a deep spiritual darkness. Without the re-creative power of the Holy Spirit bringing "light" in the form of the new birth, we are totally blind to the gospel of truth and grace. Christ's Spirit penetrates the darkness and brings light to the blind and lost.

Insight: Thank You, Lord, That Faith In You Is A Gift Of The Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:8-9) Who Opened My Spiritual Eyes To See Jesus, My Savior.

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: July 15, 2012 11:56 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Jesus: Creator and Re-Creator

Jesus: Creator and Re-Creator
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)

Scripture Focus: John 1:1-5
Have you ever noticed how similarly John's gospel and the book of Genesis begin? "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made" (John 1:1-3). It has been said that the entire Bible is merely a footnote to Genesis 1:1. So also, the entire New Testament is like a footnote to John's brief introduction of the One who also came to save His people from their sins.

Think about that for just a second. The self-existent, all-powerful Creator of the universe - the God who flung the stars into space and "calls them each by name" (Psalm 147:4) - loves you and me, knows us by name and humbled Himself even "to death on a cross" for us (Philippians 2:8). The Creator came to earth to be the Re-Creator! To us in the bonds of sin and death, He brings new life by His grace. And one day soon, this present fallen world will be renewed in righteousness to truly reflect His marvelous glory.

Insight: Ponder The Fact Every Day That The God Who Created Everything Out Of Nothing Loves You With A Perfect, Everlasting Love.

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: July 12, 2012 12:16 AM
Topic: +DEV+ The Final Word
The Final Word
"But what does it say? 'The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,' that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming."

(Romans 10:8)

Scripture Focus: Romans 10:8-13
After a month of dwelling on the Living Word who created words and has communicated with us through words and through His very life, we see how intricately layered this idea of Word is. May our words be "always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone" (Colossians 4:6), for we are reflections of Jesus. When we falter, He picks us up, encouraging us with the words of His never-failing promises and perfect law set out for our good. Jesus is the indispensable Word; in Him life begins to hold together.

When I was taught speech & writing in High school, I was encouraged to look for that "25-cent" word and not settle for the "nickel" one. We enjoyed the challenge and for years after would return to show my teachers the ”25-cent words" I had found. There is no need for believers to search further for another word; the final word is Jesus. The word is near, in our mouths and in our hearts, Paul says. That's the word of faith and the hope we joyfully proclaim: "Jesus is Lord!"

Insight: Jesus Is The Final Word, But In Him A Whole New Chapter Of Life May Begin!
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: July 10, 2012 10:39 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Words of Encouragement

Words of Encouragement
"We who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:17-18)
Scripture Focus: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

At the memorial service of a dear friend, the pastor spoke of how words of comfort rarely suffice in times of sorrow. Grief can be covered with words and Hallmark card sentiments, but we still need more. What we need is a word from the Lord.

God has not left us in silence. Paul wrote to the believers in Thessalonica who were grieving the persecution and loss of their Christian friends. "According to the Lord's own word," (vs. 15) Paul wrote, making it clear that the tragedies about them were in God's plan. Paul's word choice of "falling asleep" was carefully designed to imply also a "waking up." We wake up to these understandings: our weeping in sorrow is not without hope; those who die as Jesus' followers are immediately present with Him; Jesus brings us the privilege of being raised one day and re-united with our loved ones; we have the true words of encouragement and hope because they come to us from the Lord of all hope whose plans are to give us hope and a future (see Jeremiah 29:11).

Insight: Hold Fast To Jesus, The Hope Set Before You As You Rejoice In Sufferings, Persevere In Trials, Grow In Character, And Find Encouragement In Hope.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: July 10, 2012 12:40 AM
Topic: +DEV+ Add to or Take From
Add to or Take From

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:8)
Scripture Focus: Revelation 22:18-21

It ought to be comforting to know that God's Word will stand forever. But it is also terrifying. The entire book of God's inspired Word is complete exactly the way it is, but if we dare to add to it or take from it, we stand in danger of God's wrath. Those closing instructions from the last verses of the Bible have put "fear and trembling" in me even as I write these words.

We may not be tearing out pages from our Bibles or writing in new chapters, but consider these questions: Are there portions of God's Word you would rather ignore because the words speak with conviction to you? Has it ever been tempting to make a Bible passage fit a situation just for your need? Think of how Eve added to God's words back in the Garden of Eden when the serpent first questioned her (Genesis 3:3). Even that little deviation became a step in the process of her distorting God's directive and choosing the way of sin. Let's rest in the assurance of His good and complete Word drawing us confidently to Him.

Insight: Jesus Christ Is Your All In All, And His Divine Word Has Given Us Everything We Need For Life And Godliness. (See 2 Peter 1:3).

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: July 9, 2012 12:57 AM
Topic: +DEV+ Certainty of His Word

Certainty of His Word

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us has entered on our behalf." (Hebrews 6:19)
Scripture Focus: Hebrews 6:13-20

You and I have given our word before. We may or may not have kept it. We've known people for whom we could say, "He's a man of his word," and others of whom we could not say that. I've given a skeptical nod to my kids who have at times promised to "never ever, ever, do such-and-such again," suspecting it unlikely that they'll be able to keep their word.

But we as followers of Jesus Christ have "two unchangeable things" (vs. 18) that we are anchored in: God's promise of His blessing, and God's oath confirming His promise. He gives His Word and never will it be nor has it ever been untrustworthy. He even swears it by His own name, the kind of oath which means giving your very life if the promise should be broken. Isn't that exactly what He did? Jesus gave His life, but not because of His own word's failure. He gave it because our word would be broken again and again: our promise to be faithful to Him would be a vow as uncertain as the shifting sand. But anchored in Him, we are firm and secure.

Insight: "My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less/Than Jesus' Blood And Righteousness" (Edward Mote, 1834).

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: July 5, 2012 10:04 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Failed Words
Failed Words
"Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts, Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought to the earth." (Psalm 46:6, 8)
Scripture Focus: Psalm 46

As I write this, it is the 30th anniversary of the day in 1980 that Mt. St. Helens erupted. A recent NOVA television special showed the astonishing footage of one of the most dramatic volcanic eruptions ever. The side of the mountain appeared to simply melt away. Watching it on TV, I recalled the psalmist's words: "He lifts his voice, the earth melts."

What a fitting image as we think of the majesty of the voice of our God. He speaks, and the earth dissolves. It also makes me think of my own words. No matter how I set myself anew to choosing them carefully, my attempts at speaking to honor Him melt away like that mountain. My sin-tainted utterances are as far from His glory as ever could be imagined.

But also as far apart - even as the east is from the west! - is how far He has removed the guilt of my sinful speech from Him. He's cast it into the deepest ocean, forgiving me, though my words fall short repeatedly. Rather than opening my mouth again, I would be still and know that He is God (v. 10).

Insight: There Is No Word Or Argument So Severe That It Cannot Be Covered By The Cross.

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups
Date: July 4, 2012 11:43 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Word of Forgiveness
Word of Forgiveness

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:13)
Scripture Focus: Matthew 6:9-15

When Corrie ten Boom first saw a man after a church service in Germany who'd been a former S.S. guard, one of her tormenters in the Ravensbruck concentration camp, she loathed him. He had heard the message of the Gospel she'd just preached. So he rushed up to her, thanking her for telling how Jesus washed his sins away. The man was moved by her words that spoke of forgiveness; she boiled with anger now in his presence.

Can you imagine a more profound moment of comprehending Jesus' charge to us to forgive as we've been forgiven? Corrie begged the Lord for the ability to forgive the man, though feeling hatred toward him. She said when she did extend her hand to him, a current seemed to pass from him to her. The words of mercy she spoke were life-giving not only to the man, but also to Corrie.

If there would be any words at all where conflict exists, let them first and most sincerely be words of forgiveness. The peace of Christ will rush over you through those words, the very ones He's spoken to you!

Insight: Whenever We Speak Words Of Grace And Forgiveness, We Have A Little Taste Of Heaven.

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: July 3, 2012 11:39 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Safety in the Word
Safety in the Word

"Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors. I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word." (Psalm 119:24-25)
Scripture Focus: Psalm 119:17-32

There may be people you grew up with who now as adults want nothing to do with the faith in which they were raised. Does that make you consider your own history with Jesus? Originally, I suppose what attracted me as a young believer was a feeling of safety in the Word of God. One of the first things a child senses when told of Jesus' love for him/her is a distinct sense of safety. I didn't want to be outside the protective circle of Christ's love. Out of gratitude for God's care, I obeyed. But I also expected Him, therefore, to preserve me.

Over the course of the years, I've come to understand better who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for me. I know that the name of the Lord is a strong tower; I can run to Him, and I am safe. The security that I've rested in comes from the Savior who will preserve me, if not in this world, then in the next. There may be illness, a car accident, disappointment, even death awaiting me. But His forever design to redeem me for His own is promised in His faithful Word. I haven't earned it, and I never will. I am safe in Him.

Insight: Whether "Laid Low" (Vs. 25) Or "Set Free" (Vs. 32), Hold Fast To God's Word: The Only Word Worth Clinging To.

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.
Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: July 2, 2012 11:46 PM
Topic: +DEV+ The Parent Speech

The Parent Speech
"May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it." (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

Scripture Focus: 1Thessalonians 5:12-24

Do you remember getting the "parent speech" when you were a kid right before leaving to stay overnight somewhere? You may have heard, "Don't forget to say please and thank you, and don't beg for anything, and be sure to help with clean-up, and" The "parent speech" went on; you barely heard the rest of it, being anxious to just go.

In Paul's final instructions to the church in Thessalonica, he gives at least 15 different directives. His words of admonishment sound like the mom at the door hanging on to her kid by the shirtsleeve while she rattles off the instructions one last time. But there is a huge difference: the child may want to escape without really paying attention, while the believer who reads these words need not feel that way. The child would be thinking that there is no way he will be able to do all those things correctly. The Christian reading Paul's words has the astonishing, comforting closing line that tells him, "The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it"!

Insight: The Lord Has Not Demanded Anything From Us That He Will Not Carry Us Through And That He Has Not Already Lived Out Himself.

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: June 28, 2012 11:58 PM
Topic: +DEV+ A Good Laugh

A Good Laugh

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." (Proverbs 17:22)
Scripture Focus: Psalm 30

Humorous words can be life-giving. Yet many Christians think laughter has no place in the daily worship of God. Some have reminded me that the Bible records "Jesus wept," not "Jesus laughed." Indeed, He mourned greatly over sin, death, and the myth of people believing in their own self-sufficiency. But He also Himself at times used words that were witty. God fashioned all of language for our use and enjoyment, and to shed His grace on our world.

Sometimes it has been the laughter of a word aptly spoken that diffuses anger in an argument, brings a bit of cheer at a funeral service, or helps a friend in the cancer ward face the next treatment.

"Humor doesn't deny tears; rather it affirms something far deeper than tears" (Elton Trueblood, The Humor of Christ, 1964). The Christian can enjoy laughter, not because he doesn't understand sin and suffering, but because he knows these are not the ultimate. The purpose of the Gospel, even in its humor, is Christ's forever purpose for us: redemption.

Insight: Let The Words Of Our Mouth - Words Of Humor As Well As Solemnity - Bring Him Praise!

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: June 27, 2012 10:20 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Words and Laughter

Words and Laughter

"Sarah said, 'God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.'" (Genesis 22:6)

Scripture Focus: Proverbs 15:13-23

Humor plays a part in the language of the Word of God. The irony in the naming of Isaac is one example. Even Sarah herself admitted that the laugh was on her as she bore a child at close to 100 years of age just as God said she would.

My family had laughed along with me at various points when we’ve read them the stories of the tower of Babel, Jonah, Goliath, etc. There are verses in Proverbs (such as 21:9) that are certain to make you smile. Who can't see the humor in phrases like "the blind leading the blind" or "straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel"? Do you remember the funny side of Rhoda slamming the door on Peter's face (Acts 12:12-16) or of the young man sitting in a window listening to Paul's preaching when he began to doze off? And of course, many are the ironic words of Jesus in His parables or in His quick remarks to the religious leaders of His day.


Laughter in everyday situations is a gift from God. We can laugh with Sarah, with Jesus, and with each other, too.


Insight: What Grace Is Ours In Christ, Even In The Humorous!

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: June 26, 2012 8:27 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Speechless
Speechless

"We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." (Romans 8:26)

Scripture Focus: Romans 8:22-28

Paul reminds us that all of creation is sighing and groaning under the weight of sin. That sighing is the prayer of every Christian, and thankfully, the Holy Spirit makes intercession even through our groaning.

Nearly everyone has experienced some agony in life that words cannot express. Do you feel the sting of sin, the hurt of a broken relationship? Do you know the pain of an empty chair at your table or the defeat of loneliness? A guilty conscience, unfaithfulness, bankruptcy, depression, exhaustion, illness may cause you to "groan" as you face the day.

The words of this passage meant much to me when my husband and I waited for years to adopt a baby. Each time a young woman chose us but later changed her mind, the grief became too great for words. The Holy Spirit heard and knew our yearning, a groaning which had buried in it the simple words of Jesus: "Not my will, Thy will be done." Even when your prayers seem to go unanswered and you feel speechless, let that be your prayer, too.

Insight: "We Ourselves, Who Have The Firstfruits Of The Holy Spirit, Groan Inwardly As We Wait Eagerly For Our Adoption As Sons." (Romans 8:23)

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

An Old Guy And A Bucket Of Shrimp

This is a true story, hope you appreciate it and want to pass it along.

It happened every Friday evening, almost without fail,
when the sun resembled a giant orange and was starting to dip into the blue ocean.

Old Ed came strolling along the beach to his favorite pier.. Clutched in his bony hand was a bucket of shrimp.

Ed walks out to the end of the pier, where it seems he almost has the world to himself.
The glow of the sun is a golden bronze now.

Everybody's gone, except for a few joggers on the beach.

Standing out on the end of the pier, Ed is alone with his thoughts...and his bucket of shrimp.

Before long, however, he is no longer alone.

Up in the sky a thousand white dots come screeching and squawking,
winging their way toward that lanky frame standing there on the end of the pier.

Before long, dozens of seagulls have enveloped him, their wings fluttering and flapping wildly.
Ed stands there tossing shrimp to the hungry birds.

As he does, if you listen closely, you can hear him say with a smile, 'Thank you. Thank you.'

In a few short minutes the bucket is empty. But Ed doesn't leave.

He stands there lost in thought, as though transported to another time and place.

When he finally turns around and begins to walk back toward the beach, a few of the birds hop along the pier with him until he gets to the stairs, and then they, too, fly away. And old Ed quietly makes his way down to the end of the beach and on home.

If you were sitting there on the pier with your fishing line in the water,

Ed might seem like 'a funny old duck,' as my dad used to say.
Or, 'a guy who's a sandwich shy of a picnic,' as my kids might say.
To onlookers, he's just another old codger, lost in his own weird world, feeding the seagulls with a bucket full of shrimp.

To the onlooker, rituals can look either very strange or very empty.

They can seem altogether unimportant .... Maybe even a lot of nonsense.

Old folks often do strange things,
At least in the eyes of Boomers and Busters.

Most of them would probably write Old Ed off, down there in Florida .

That's too bad. They'd do well to know him better.

His full name: Eddie Rickenbacker.

He was a famous hero back in World War II.
On one of his flying missions across the Pacific, he and his seven-member crew went down.
Miraculously, all of the men survived, crawled out of their plane, and climbed into a life raft.

Captain Rickenbacker and his crew floated for days on the rough waters of the Pacific.

They fought the sun. They fought sharks. Most of all, they fought hunger.
By the eighth day their rations ran out. No food. No water.

They were hundreds of miles from land and no one knew where they were.

They needed a miracle.

That afternoon they had a simple devotional service and prayed for a miracle.
They tried to nap. Eddie leaned back and pulled his military cap over his nose.
Time dragged. All he could hear was the slap of the waves against the raft..

Suddenly, Eddie felt something land on the top of his cap.
It was a seagull!

Old Ed would later describe how he sat perfectly still, planning his next move. With a flash of his hand and a squawk from the gull, he managed to grab it and wring its neck..

He tore the feathers off, and he and his starving crew made a meal a very slight meal for eight men - of it.

Then they used the intestines for bait..

With it, they caught fish, which gave them food and more bait......
and the cycle continued. With that simple survival technique,
they were able to endure the rigors of the sea until they were found and rescued (after 24 days at sea...).

Eddie Rickenbacker lived many years beyond that ordeal, but he never forgot the sacrifice of that first life-saving seagull..
And he never stopped saying, 'Thank you.'
That's why almost every Friday night he would walk to the end of the pier with a bucket full of shrimp and a heart full of gratitude.

Reference: (Max Lucado, "In The Eye of the Storm",
Pp..221, 225-226)

PS: Eddie started Eastern Airlines.

Great story, and it's true!

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: June 24, 2012 11:21 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Let No Unwholesome Talk

Let No Unwholesome Talk

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32)
Scripture Focus: Ephesians 4:29-32

Chapter 4 of Paul's letter to his faithful friends in Ephesus is loaded with eloquent words dense in meaning. He speaks to them and to us about unity, living as children of light, putting off the old self, and guarding the words that come out of our mouths. How I long to exchange once and for all the bitterness, anger, slander, and malice (vs.31) that come from my mouth for kindness, compassion, and words of forgiveness. These are what always ought to mark me out as a child of the King. I want to trade unwholesome talk for what is helpful in building others up.

Then why do I falter again and again? Perhaps you are wrestling with that question, too. I know that when my words betray the sin in my heart, I grieve over them later. But when my words breathe even in some small way the freshness and brightness of Jesus Christ, both I and the hearer are heartened. If words from a desperately sinful person can restore, how much more so from the Living Word of Jesus, breathed into each one of us!

Insight: "The Word Is Near You; It Is In Your Mouth And In Your Heart." (Romans 10:8)

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: June 21, 2012 11:43 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Best-Selling Book

Best-Selling Book
"Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God." (2 Corinthians 2:17)

Scripture Focus: 2 Corinthians 2:12-17
With over 400 translations available and written in more than 2,000 languages, the Christian Bible remains the "best-selling book of all time." Best-selling authors make money with each copy they sell. The Bible is the only book to turn that upside down: God doesn't grow "richer" as more Bibles are sold, but its readers sure do!

Perhaps with the plethora of award-winning books, book promotions, book signings, books turned into movies, etc. that exists today, we have grown jaded about the value of the very Word of God which we hold in our hands. Some in this world even now face imprisonment or death for owning a Bible, while you and I can count numerous copies of it on the shelves of our homes.

The power of the Word of God and the Living Word, Jesus Christ, are worth more than any earthly award. No publicist or agent is needed for the Bible; His Word goes out to the nations. And as for being signed by the author, we have the signature of Christ's life, written in blood, saving your soul and mine.

Insight: "Of The Making Of Books, There Is No End" (Ecclesiastes 12:12). But No Book Will Ever Compare To The Bible, Inspired By God Himself.

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."
Date: June 20, 2012 11:15 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Every Day is a Journal Page

Every Day is a Journal Page
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who, for the joy set before him endured the cross..." (Hebrews 12: 2)
Scripture Focus: Psalm 139

Society teaches us constantly that we are the masters of our destiny, that we are what we make of ourselves, that we write the script. Knowing Jesus Christ as our Savior, however, shows us otherwise. Christianity is not about me and what I make of myself; it's about Christ and what He has done for me.

He is the author and finisher of my faith; He has known each word before it is even on my tongue; all my days were ordained in His book before a single one of them came to be. With the prophet Jeremiah we learn to say, "I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps" (Jeremiah 10:23).

Those lessons come to us over time when our best-laid plans fail and we are forced down other paths. Instead of feeling that we write the story of our lives, we see that every day is a journal page - a record of all the Lord has done for us. He is the author of our lives! With our eyes fixed on Him (not ourselves), He carries us through and writes us into the wondrous plan of His kingdom.

Insight: You Can't Write Your Own Destiny; God Has Numbered Every One Of Your Days Even Before You Lived A Single One Of Them.

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: June 19, 2012 11:55 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Louder than Words

Louder than Words
"A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered." (Proverbs 17:27)

Scripture Focus: 1 Peter 3:10-15

When I talk with believing friends about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, I find that a great fear is of saying the wrong words. We worry we won't have answers or that we'll be tongue-tied. Peter's charge for us to "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15) seems daunting.

But think of the comfort we have at two levels. First, it is Peter, of all people, urging us to be prepared to speak out about Jesus. Peter would certainly remember being caught off guard when asked if he was one of Jesus' followers (John 18:15-18). If the Lord restored Peter in his denial of Him, surely He will restore me in my reluctance (a form of denial, really) to speak out for Christ.

Secondly, Peter tells us to set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts (vs. 15). What will come out as my words must start in my heart. God put His Word into action through a person, Jesus, and that action has spoken much more loudly than words!

Insight: St. Francis Of Assisi Said, "At All Times Preach The Gospel; If Necessary, Use Words."

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: June 18, 2012 11:23 PM
Topic: +DEV+ You Are a Letter
You Are a Letter

"You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God." (2 Corinthians 3:2-3A)

Scripture Focus: 2 Corinthians 3:1-6

When you write a letter of recommendation for someone, you try to promote the person's strengths. A good letter of recommendation may get him the foothold in business or elsewhere that he's hoping for.

Paul's words to the believers in Corinth were remarkable since they had not exactly been loyal (1 Corinthians 1:10-17) or commendable (1 Corinthians 3) in their behavior. Despite the Corinthians' failures, Paul is certain of the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives, saying that their best letter of recommendation is themselves. It's a letter "known and read by everybody" (v. 2), without Paul pushing them into the limelight at all. Everything they do as followers of Jesus Christ, testifies of His grace in their lives.

Do you see how we are the visible commendation of Jesus, too? We are a walking letter of testimony to Him! Without even using words, and often despite our sin, we give praise to Him. Such confidence in this is ours because Jesus Christ has washed us with His blood and presented us as His own.

Insight: I Want To Be Not A Letter That Promotes Me And My Accomplishments, But A Letter For Christ That Calls Out "Hallelujah" To Him.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: June 17, 2012 11:02 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Words of Redemption
Words of Redemption

“Love your neighbor as yourself. If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other." (Galatians 5:14-15)
Scripture Focus: James 4:1-11

It doesn't take the human heart long to figure out the impact our words can have. Learning from our mistakes, however, can take a lifetime. The potential to destroy with our words is just as real as the potential to build up. Yet how often we choose to use our words carelessly.

Paul Tripp, biblical counselor and author of "War of Words," encourages speaking redemptively, or "refusing to let our talk be driven by passion and personal desire, communicating instead with God's purposes in view. It is exercising the faith needed to be part of what God is doing at the moment."

Biting and devouring each other with words destroys; quarreling and surrendering to the desires that battle within kills. "Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil. And he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you" (James 4:7-8). God has come near through Jesus Christ whose gentle words beckon us to bow our hearts to Him and speak graciously to others because His grace has been lavished on us.

Insight: “May The Words, O Lord, That I Choose To Say/Bring Glory, Not Shame, To Your Name Each Day!” ~Author Unknown~

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: June 14, 2012 9:36 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Incisions of the Word

Incisions of the Word
"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow" (Hebrews 4:12A)

Scripture Focus: Luke 2:33-35; Hebrews 4:12-13

When the Bible truly begins to be more to us than interesting stories and genealogies, it does what dear Simeon in the temple in Jerusalem announced as he took eight-day-old Jesus - Word become flesh - into his arms: it causes "the rising and falling of many" (Luke 2:34), reveals the thoughts of hearts (vs. 35), and is like a sword piercing the soul (vs. 35).

The Word of God goes in deep - like a surgical knife cutting through layers - and makes judgments about what is there. Jesus did exactly that during His earthly ministry and continues to do so now as the written Word penetrates our lives, getting to the very bottom of things. And at the core is always sin, some sort of prideful sin that has us believing we don't need the promises of God, don't need saving, and are the masters of our own destiny. But the Living Word, Jesus, has used those incisions of the Word to drive us to our knees and draw us to Him. Those wounds are nothing compared to the ones He bore at Calvary in order to heal us and restore us to Him.

Insight: "Reckless Words Pierce Like A Sword, But The Tongue Of The Wise Brings Healing." (Proverbs 12:18)

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: June 13, 2012 12:04 AM

Topic: +DEV+ Words Fall Short
Words Fall Short

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son" (Hebrews 1:1-2A)

Scripture Focus: Hebrews 1:1-12

I have loved words and writing since I could read. But as the years march on, more and more situations arise when words somehow fall short. There are times of overwhelming joy (like when our children were born) and others of profound sorrow (standing at the gravesite of a loved one); both feel so weighty that words cannot express the depth of emotion.

While the inspired Word of God has given us all that can be written about Him, we still find it difficult to convey in words some aspects of the essence of our divine Creator. That is why God's way of revealing Himself to us - beyond the prophets or visions or miracles - was through a person. The very Word of God has come to us in a person, Jesus Christ. Through Jesus' birth, life and death for us, we can know the "radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being" (vs. 3).

Though we may struggle to express ourselves at times, God's greatest expression of love to us is spoken boldly and plainly through His Son.

Insight: When Words Fall Short, Rejoice In The Knowledge That "The Word Became Flesh And Made His Dwelling Among Us" (John 1:14).

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: June 13, 2012 11:58 PM
Topic: +DEV+ A Picture, Worth a Thousand Words

A Picture, Worth a Thousand Words

"And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." (Luke 24:29)

Scripture Focus: Luke 24:13-32

A picture can often get a message across better than a well-written sentence, paragraph or essay. The old wedding photos of my grandparents reveal much, conveying the story though the bride and groom are no longer here to tell it. The picture surely is worth a thousand words!

If that idiom is true, we can hardly begin to calculate the value of all the "pictures" of Jesus in the Old Testament. That's why Jesus' two followers who walked along the road toward Emmaus said that their "hearts were burning within" as Jesus spoke (vs. 32). Jesus took the seven mile walk to explain to them how all of the Scriptures were painting one picture: of Jesus Himself as God's great redemption plan for the world. The Old Testament foreshadows or pictures Jesus in many ways - through creation, various people, rocks, water, boats, trees, sacrifices, the temple, etc. Every story whispers His name; some even shout it! Those pictures are worth far more than a thousand words to you and me as believers; they are our words of life.

Insight: "The Unfolding Of Your Word Gives Light; It Gives Understanding To The Simple." (Psalm 119:130)
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."

Date: June 10, 2012 9:24 PM
Topic: +DEV+ First Words

First Words

"Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men." (John 1:3-4)
Scripture Focus: Matthew 8:23-27

Have you known the joy of hearing a little child's first word? When that sweet voice makes its first utterance, there is much rejoicing, even if the word is unintelligible.

Imagine hearing the sound of the first words at the beginning of time, words which spoke the whole universe into being! With authority we can't begin to fathom, the first words bid the creation of light, sky, water, sun and moon, living creatures, vegetation, and people. Clear and commanding, these first words were recognized throughout time by each created thing. The Bible tells of times when the sun did not give its light; when water flowed or parted or stopped; when plants withered or burst forth; when waves, wind and stars obeyed; when animals opened their mouths to speak; when men, women or children heard that same voice and knew instantly to say to their Creator, "Yes, Lord?"

His voice calls to you, too. Joyfully welcome it because the Word, Jesus Christ, was with God in the beginning, creating everything in its vast array, calling you as one of His own.

Insight: May We Affirm The Words Of The Contemporary Hymn That "Ancient Words; Ever True; (Are) Changing Me; Changing You" (Lynn De Shazo, 2001).

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."
Date: February 3, 2011 1:04 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Power of Words
Power of Words

"Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.'" (John 6:68)
Scripture Focus: John 6:60-69

Words are powerful. You've known that since the first time you read a book you couldn't put down. Think of the influence of words you've heard from an impassioned speaker. Remember how powerful words were when someone said, "I'm proud of you," or, sadly, when someone spoke ill of you? Surely you've had the words of a song remain in your mind for years.

But all of these will pass away. The words that will last forever are those of eternal life written for us in the Bible. They are the words of patriarchs and prophets, kings and clergy, apostles and disciples, and Jesus Himself - all inspired and breathed by God. You may go back to a book of the Bible repeatedly, finding its words ever fresh and real. But if you re-read favorite books from years ago, you'll see you've forgotten much of them. While the discourses of our day fade, we stand firmly as Peter did, testifying that there is no reason for us to look elsewhere for words of hope; we have them spoken by and embodied in Jesus Christ.

Insight: “Heaven And Earth Will Pass Away, But My Words Will Never Pass Away." (Matthew 24:35)

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.

Michael D. Inman
- The Only Thing Necessary For Evil to Triumph is for Good Men to do Nothing -- Edmund Burke...
"If the First Amendment fails, use the Second one."