Author: Dwight Clough

“… the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” — Matthew 4:16Where is the land of darkness? It is inside us.Read the verse, study the chapter and consider: The darkness is within. There wasn’t some fog over Galilee any more than there is some special fog over the place you live or the place I live. Whenever there is darkness, it is within.So where does Jesus need to be revealed? He needs to be revealed inside each of us. For me the landscape…

“What kind of Man is this?” — Matthew 8:27The disciples had theology before they got out on the lake. They were familiar with Jesus — more than any of us are. But something happened to them as the storm grew calm, and sea grew smooth. They discovered the Savior they thought they knew was far more than anything they had yet understood.My goal in writing these little devotionals is to get my words out of the way so that you and I can experience the Man who is far more than anything we have yet understood. You and I go…

… being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ. — Philippians 1:6 Jubilee BibleGod is at work. Sometimes it helps to stop and consider Who is working. This is God. He took you on, and He took me on knowing all our faults, all our false beliefs, all our apathy and stubbornness. Evidently, all the wrong inside us doesn’t scare God away.Years ago when my heart had grown cold toward the Lord, I wanted to come back, but I didn’t know how. It…

… in His mighty power … put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. — Ephesians 6:10-11Let’s look at the devil’s schemes and God’s remedy:Scheme #1: lies, deeply implanted painful liesGod’s Remedy: the belt of truth — truth in our gut, deep inside where we need it mostScheme #2: sin — counterfeit solutions to painful liesGod’s Remedy: the breastplate of righteousness — our new identity in Christ, a brand new heart transferred by God to us in response to our faithScheme #3: bad news, anxiety, unrestGod’s Remedy: boots of peace…

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD. — Proverbs 21:31Even David had five smooth stones and a sling. Sometimes we need to look at the weapons we fight with and the tools build with. Do we walk into battle wearing Saul’s armor? Do we build kitchen cabinets with a sledge hammer and a chainsaw? David’s sling and stone were useless without the presence of God. Our programs, approaches, techniques, weapons, tools, insights and whatever else we may have do nothing unless energized by the powerful presence of God.The widow had oil,…

"Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." — Matthew 4:19Jesus is so efficient. In His very call, He has already given His first lesson. If we want to win people, if we want to set people free, we must enter their world and speak their language. Why do we know almost nothing about the first 30 years of Jesus’ life? Because He invested that time immersing Himself in our world, learning our language. He wasn’t drawing attention to Himself. Who are the most powerful people in the Kingdom? Those who listen well. They may…

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. — Isaiah 1:18Where does this invitation come from? It comes from our God. What do we learn here?1. Our God is reasonable. His demands are reasonable. He may demand everything, but our thimbleful of everything cannot be compared to the ocean of what He gives back in love.2. Our God listens. You can’t reason with someone without listening to them. God will listen to all our fears, apprehensions, difficulties, objections — if we are willing to listen to His reply to them. He is gentle and shows us the picture we…

Then their eyes were opened. — Luke 24:31The disciples were walking through sorrow like none they had ever experienced before. Their Lord was dead, and no explanation could account for it, no theology could soothe their aching hearts.Pouring out their grief to a stranger as they walked along the road to Emmaus, they wrestled with their world gone mad. Nothing made sense. All their hopes were shattered. Then their eyes were opened. So it is with us. There are no answers, no reasons to account for all that has gone wrong in our lives. Each of us has walked through…

I have not stopped giving thanks for you … — Ephesians 1:16I like chocolate. Brownies, chocolate cake, chocolate chocolate-chunk ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, Hershey’s Special Dark, Mounds, Nestle’s Crunch — all favorites of mine.Heaven would be a wonderful place if it was just you and God. You could spend all eternity exploring the heart of God and never get tired. But God means to multiply the enjoyment by sharing with us something He enjoys … His children.One time someone gave me a hundred candy bars. Do you know what I liked best about that gift? I was able to…

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. — Ephesians 2:8-9There’s two different kinds of boasting. There’s the "look-at-me" kind of boasting that says "I did it all." And then there’s the "look-at-God" kind of boasting that says God is doing a wonderful work in the lives of His children.How liberating it is to find that distinction! God is doing a fantastic work in us — in you and in me. He’s put us exactly…