Author: Dwight Clough

"Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place." — Psalm 51:6Jim’s story (yesterday’s devotional) illustrates several important, but often misunderstood, dynamics about sin and temptation. Why did Jim fall into sin? Jim was a church-going, Bible-believing Christian for over 30 years. Jim knew the truth. He had bucketfuls of truth stored in his head. And Jesus declared that the truth will set us free (John 8:32). But, when the right combination of circumstances came along, Jim discovered that he wasn’t free at all.Why?Because truth in our heads won’t change lies in our…

"Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place." — Psalm 51:6Why do good Christians fall? Why do some surveys put pornography use among Christian men as high as 61%? Why is the incidence of moral failure as high (or higher) among pastors as it is among parishioners? Why are so many Christians trapped in Romans 7, in a sin-confess-sin-confess cycle that won’t let them go?Some time ago I met with a man — I’ll call him Jim — who had been trapped in an adulterous affair. Jim had been a good Christian…

Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. — Galatians 6:17Everybody has their heroes. Let me tell you who mine are. My heroes are people who have suffered for their faith. People like Noble Alexander who spent 22 years in the Cuban gulag. Pastor Wally who turned down wealth and privilege to endure torture and an order for his execution. Tran Mai whose daughters were summoned to the police station and interrogated while he sat in a Vietnamese prison. Pastor Lamb whose wife died during his long incarceration.I stand in awe…

In your anger, do not sin … — Ephesians 4:26(Another snapshot from four years ago … )"Why does Hans hate me?" my thirteen-year-old daughter cried to me about her eleven-year-old brother. I don’t know about you other parents, but I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time refereeing fights between siblings. So I decided to make up a checklist — things you gotta do before you bring your fight to Dad. Things like listen to the other person and restate their position and their feelings in your own words, etc. I thought I could get away with just handing…

In your anger, do not sin … — Ephesians 4:26(I originally wrote this devotional four years ago. As I look back, I can see that while I still get angry, it’s not as often and not as easily. Why is that? Is it because I’ve implemented some great self-control program? Not at all. This is purely the work of God, filling up the damaged places in my soul.)I blew it today. I was crabby and grouchy most of the day. I sent a couple of emails that reflected my hostile mood, and now I’m back peddling and doing damage control…

… but that night they caught nothing. — John 21:3Sometimes you come up empty. We all do. In my office, I keep a framed copy of a Calvin & Hobbes comic strip. Calvin says to Hobbes, "I thought I had a great idea, but it never really took off. … In fact, it didn’t even get on the runway. … I guess you could say it exploded in the hangar." I can relate. Peter thought it would be a good idea to go out fishing, but an all night effort yielded nothing. His best effort was barren.I don’t think Peter…

Is not your wickedness great? Are not your sins endless? [Eliphaz to Job] — Job 22:5[God] will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. — Psalm 37:6Here we have the search for sin and the promise of vindication. In the guise of religion, some are eager to search out every hidden sin. They call for repentance because they delight in exposing sin, and their world won’t work without a constant reminder of how very evil we are.On the other hand, God is eager to reveal His work in us. As long…

The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. — Psalm 145:14How many of us have been humbled by a sin we thought we had defeated? How many of us have walked through humiliating circumstances — the loss of wealth or health or reputation? A down-and-out person has very few friends. Sure, there are people who will "minister" to them, but there is a huge difference between ministry and friendship.For me, it has been cleaning toilets for a living over the years. Losing my job, going bankrupt, being homeless and trying one business idea…

Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. — Psalm 37:4At the beginning, we are not mature. On the surface, that seems obvious, but sometimes it’s easy to forget.As we start out in life as little babies, we don’t even know that other people exist, much less that we should love them even if that means personal sacrifice. That is a lesson that we learn much, much later.God’s plan is for parents to nurture their little children so that they can take the steps of growth toward maturity. But parents aren’t perfect, of…

You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. — Psalm 145:16Desire is basic to who we are. Without desires we wouldn’t be human. God created us to want affection, approval, nourishment, love, sex, fulfillment and so on. The One who loves us and the one who hates us contend for our desires.The enemy promises shortcuts to satisfy our desires, but leaves us empty, hungry for more. The food he brings can only carry the illusion of satisfying while it creates more and more pain that twists our hearts. Ultimately, he wants to put us in such…