Author: Dwight Clough

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule … " — Genesis 1:26God intended for us to rule, to "have dominion." This point is lost on many people — and I didn’t understand it for many years. I always defined my relationship with God by my obedience. Was I a good boy or a bad boy? Deep inside I figured God wanted someone to boss around — and that someone was me, if I was good.Should we be obedient? Of course. Is God in charge? Without a doubt. But limiting our…

God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. — Genesis 1:4God "saw" that the light was good. Didn’t He know? Yes, He knew before He created the light that it would be good. But He wanted more than knowing. He wanted to experience it. So He brought light into being and saw that it was good.Just as the Bible invites us to "taste and see that God is good," so also God wants to experience us. He knows us inside and out, but that isn’t enough for Him. He created us, He redeemed…

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. — Genesis 1:2Four years ago I was getting ready to write a devotional on this verse. My then 12-year old daughter came into my office at that moment and asked if she could help. “Do you have any thoughts on this verse,” I asked. She looked at it and said, "It sounds like somebody’s life before they become a Christian. God is there waiting and ready."Couldn’t have said it better myself. No matter how messed…

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. — Genesis 1:1The Bible starts where it should: in the beginning. By kicking off the most important book in history with these words, God tells us something: We need to pay attention to where things started. God cares about how things began.Do you have a problem? If you go to God for the solution, He will probably take you back to where the problem began, there you and He will correct it together. Go back far enough, and you will find God. And, if you need it, you will also…

They did what Your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. — Acts 4:28Nobody wins a fight against God. Herod and Pilate thought they were coming up with original moves on the cosmic chessboard, but they were playing right into God’s plan. This verse is part of the believer’s prayer after the apostles were arrested, threatened and then released. They prayed for boldness, reminding themselves that they’re on the winning side.Sometimes when I’m praying I just get lost — I’m not sure what to pray about or how to pray. That probably never happens to you, but it happens…

One suggested this, and another that. — 1 Kings 22:20God’s will, it seems, is a collaborative matter. God solicits ideas, suggestions.Sometimes I would like God to just "tell me what to do." But He often puts the ball back in my court. "What do you want to do?" He asks. God manages the smallest details without being a micromanager. He created creatures with intellect and emotion, and He engages us as He makes decisions. This is not a boot camp, it is a dance.Be encouraged!Dwight Discoveries Devotional – Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily byDwight Clough Ministries, Inc.1223 West…

I saw the LORD sitting on His throne with all the host of heaven standing around Him on His right and on His left. — 1 Kings 22:19I can’t prove this, but I think the group that stood before the Lord was probably good angels and bad. I think the good angels stood on one side and the bad angels stood on the other side, and the LORD sat and talked to all of them.If this is true (read the chapter and decide for yourself), then notice that God is in charge. God was rerouting the sinful plans of evil…

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord. — Proverbs 21:30Life is not so much our heroics as it is the triumph of God. History is the record of the failed attempts of the enemy to get the best of God. The enemy does his worst, and God is not the least bit threatened by it. For over 4,000 years Satan wanted to get his hands on a fragile God. He finally got his chance at the cross. Jesus was crucified in weakness. But Satan’s greatest triumph quickly became his greatest defeat.There are many…

Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours. — Matthew 17:27This being tax season here in the US, I thought we’d get the Lord’s perspective on taxes.First of all, nobody seemed to have the money to pay the tax. Many of us can relate.Second, Jesus wasn’t upset by the lack. That is encouraging.Third, God always has a creative solution. In this case, He sent Peter fishing.Be encouraged!Dwight Discoveries Devotional – Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily byDwight Clough Ministries,…

Do your friends know about “Discoveries – Inspiration in Your Inbox” Devotionals? Feel free to pass these messages on to them. They can learn more at http://www.dwightclough.com/discoveries.phpTo him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy … — Jude 1:24When my children were little, if they wandered away, where would I go? After them, of course. If I saw them do something that would harm them, what would I do? Intervene. Pull them back. Make them safe. Keep them on the right track.When I was a…