Devine View

Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. ‭‭Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬-‭3‬

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬

Whatever we are hiding is not hidden.

“And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭31‬-‭32‬

At first glance this seems like Jesus is saying that there are righteous people who do not need His salvation, but there is another layer to His words. Scripture cannot contradict itself, and the whole of God’s Word says that mankind is hopelessly lost in sin and bound for eternal destruction and punishment as a result. There are no righteous humans except Jesus himself; so, why does Jesus say this?

Below the surface, Jesus reveals truth to those who know Scripture and are submitted to its teachings while simultaneously concealing truth from self-righteous people who think they are “good enough” to gain God’s approval. In their self-deception, they conclude they are the very people that don’t need Jesus because of their righteousness, yet Jesus is actually saying that He is called to speak to those who know they are not good enough—the “sick” who know they are in need of saving. To the self-sufficient, He speaks very little or not at all; He is not calling those who have already chosen not to listen!

Beware of self-righteousness!

“For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness… and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.” 1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬, ‭11‬-‭12‬

God does not call most believers to reshape nations or navigate global conflicts, but He has called all believers to live holy, humble, hard-working lives. God may call us to something “big,” but we should be prepared to live “quietly” and serve the sphere of influence He has given, regardless of its size.

“Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” James‬ ‭5‬:‭9‬, ‭16‬

These are clear, practical instructions on how to obey God and have a life of joy and peace. Do not complain about people, forgive them, pray for them, and be willing to confess your own faults and failures. Having the humility to do this will open up your heart to the love of God, which empowers you to accomplish the rest.

Am I humble and forgiving?

Or am I judging, criticizing, and defending my own sin?

It’s not both.

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”
James‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬

It is easy, simple, and automatic for us to adopt the wisdom of the world because it aligns with our sinful desires—to be proud, judgmental, critical, harsh, jealous, angry, rude, ungrateful, indecent, and selfish. And after we adopt such wisdom, we often justify it using misrepresented portions of Scripture or religious tradition.

Yet God reminds us that His wisdom operates differently. It prioritizes purity and holiness above all; it aims for peace, not victory; it cares for relationships above reputation or image; and it shows impartial mercy to all people, especially those who are undeserving. It goes directly against our fleshly passions! Yet this is the wisdom that leads to life and unity with God.

Which will I choose today?

“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
Hebrews‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭13‬

Unbelief, disobedience, and rebellion are wired into our sin nature, which we cannot fully escape in this life. So, all we can do is be aware of it, resist its urges, and build up our faith to give more strength to resist. This is our responsibility as believers, and if we get lazy or distracted for very long, we can easily forget what God has done—just like the Israelites who came up out of Egypt.

This book goes on to explain that we have the sharp sword of God’s Word to critique our sinful hearts and Jesus, our high priest, to intercede for us when we fail or lose our way; and He is always faithful! We can count on this.

Our main responsibility is to guard our hearts from unbelief!

How are you protecting your heart today?

“This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭7‬:‭22‬, ‭25‬-‭27‬

It sounds cliche to say that Jesus is the greatest gift ever given, but it is certainly true!

Not only did He provide an example of how to serve God with our bodies and lives, He offered Himself as the only permanent sacrifice for sin, conquered death, and now serves as our ever-present, compassionate intermediary between us and the Father.

He stands by us in all circumstances, even when we fail and mess everything up.

He prays for us when we are weak and lifts us out of darkness like a good Shepherd.

If we have Jesus and nothing else, we have more than we’ll ever need. ❤️

“If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self.”
‭‭Philemon‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬-‭19‬

Just as Paul follows the pattern that Christ defined for us, I also ought to be willing and ready to step into situations and absorb consequences and suffering that I don’t deserve. Paul offered to pay debts he did not owe in order to reconcile disagreement and mend relationships.

My natural response is to say, “That’s not my problem,” or “I didn’t get myself into trouble! He/she did!” But God has not called us to live by what is “fair.” He has called us to a life of grace and mercy—a life of sacrifice for others.

What am I doing?

What are you doing?

Another layer of the Christmas story ❤️✝️

Many people don’t know that when the Bible says Jesus was laid in a manger, the Greek word there for manger is “phatnē” which refers to a feeding trough, and many in Bethlehem were made of stone.

Here’s what’s powerful:
Shepherds in the Bethlehem region were known for raising sacrificial lambs for the Temple. When a lamb was born, it was carefully inspected for blemishes and often placed in a manger or trough to protect it from injury because a damaged lamb could not be offered to God.
So when the Lamb of God entered the world, He was laid in the *very place* where sacrificial lambs were kept.

And who did the angels announce His birth to?
Shepherds. Not kings. Not priests. Shepherds—men who understood sacrifice, blood, purity, and lambs without blemish.

When the angels said, “You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12), it was a sign they would immediately recognize.

This child wasn’t just a baby. He was the final Lamb. The One who would take away the sin of the world. From the moment He was born, Jesus was marked for sacrifice—not by men, but by God.

✨ “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

"The followers of Jesus Christ, who saw him dead and buried, later saw that his tomb was empty. Jesus did not reincarnate into another body. He was resurrected in the same, although transformed, body. The disciples saw him, talked with him, touched him, and ate with him–not in a state of trance or meditation, but in full possession of their skeptical senses."

From "The Book that Made Your World," by Vishal Mangalwadi

This is why the early Christians (and many today) are willing to die for their faith.

It's not a dream.

It's not a wishful hope.

It's a foundational reality based on the observation of and experienced relationship with a risen Savior. A person who truly possesses this will not let it go for any price--not even his own life.

Transparency International is a well-respected, global organization that publishes a Corruption Perception Index (CPI) every year for every country in the world. The 2025 CPI is not published yet, but 2024 is available in the link below.

As the USA and other countries grapple with the idea of immigration and granting of asylum to "refugees," I believe it's at least worth considering the type of government, culture, and ideals that we import with them. We should consider systemic corruption (fraud, hypocrisy, extortion) as a tangible threat to the integrity of any free society.

I'm aware that not every person from the "highly corrupt" countries is unethical or corrupt, but experience has shown us (e.g. Minnesota, Ohio) that many of them are; and we are fools if we ignore it.

Corruption Perceptions Index 2024 The Corruption Perceptions Index 2024 ranks 180 countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. Find out the scores and read our analysis.

“To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.”
‭‭Titus‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭16‬

The first statement is intriguing and seems to align with other teachings from Paul in I Cor. 6:12-20 that say “all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful.” It suggests that many activities and words are not inherently good or bad, but humans make them good or bad by the motives they use to drive them. Evil, prideful motives lead to sin, while pure, righteous motives lead to good works.

But as such, “good works” can be done by both evil and righteous people. This creates a counterintuitive truth for us—that many who “profess to know God” are actually “defiled and unbelieving.” They worship out of pretense and act for recognition. Prideful motives. Evil hearts.

What am I doing?

What are you doing?