Author: Dwight Clough

Fifty men of the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. — 2 Kings 2:7In the previous chapter, Elijah called down fire from heaven on two groups of fifty soldiers sent by an evil king with the intention of bullying the prophet into blessing the king. Now good men — another group of fifty — stood at a distance. They knew that this prophet and his God were not to be trifled with. I suspect they were afraid.There is a fear of God that is based…

Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Mark 1:41 NIVWhat we touch can make us unclean. Pornography is a perfect example. Touch it and be stained. This is one reason why holiness seems so painful to so many of us. We imagine we will achieve it by not touching. I won’t touch lust, greed, envy, bitterness, pride, gluttony, hatred, perversion, gossip, and the list goes on. Keeping clean in this way can be very tiresome. Especially if something inside me wants to lust after that woman walking down…

I originally wrote this on 9/12/2003, but I think it might be a good thought to come back to."Have you noticed … ?" 1 Kings 21:29God is talking here to the prophet Elijah. "Have you noticed … ?" He asks.I just finished taking an hour walk in the rain. I was walking through a nature preserve and, predictably, it was deserted. Who would be crazy enough to be out in a rainstorm? But there I was, walking along, getting soaked, not much minding because my heart was full of wonder, noticing things.I was watching the life-giving rain fall on the…

Little by little I will drive them out before you … — Exodus 23:30Thank God for small miracles.As many of you know, most of my life I’ve been terrified of dogs. Exactly why, I don’t know. My mind can tell me that most dogs are friendly; that you can survive a dog bite; that very few dogs are really dangerous; that if you aren’t afraid of them, they will most likely leave you alone; and so on. But all of those pep talks disappeared whenever I got into the presence of a barking dog. Instead, I froze, paralyzed by fear.Over…

The land we explored devours those living in it. — Numbers 13:32Where do you get the truth? A number of years ago, I wrote an article for a business magazine. One of my sources was an attorney who asked me repeatedly if I was planning to quote him out of context. By the time I was finished interviewing him, I was afraid to quote him at all. At the time, his concern seemed strange to me. Why would I quote anyone out of context? Why would I try to skew anybody’s words?However, since then, I’ve discovered that he probably had…

Send some men to explore the land … — Numbers 13:2This is an invitation from God to see our world through eyes of faith. God wasn’t looking for His people to just see the size of the mountain; He was inviting them to measure the miracle.Are we surrounded with problems? Maybe God is inviting us to laugh along with Abraham who laughed when he discovered he would father a child at age 100. Laugh because with God nothing is impossible. Maybe God is inviting us to worship along with Gideon who snuck down to the camp of the Midianites and…

Kim and I are looking into starting a meal preparation service to support our family and ministry. We would love to get your input and ideas: http://www.dwightclough.com/survey/Miriam and Aaron talked against Moses behind his back … — Numbers 12:1 The MessageExtending grace to our leaders is a journey of faith. All of us can find fault with those in authority over us — pastors, policemen, presidents, parents. All of these leaders are human and fallible.I admit that I’ve done it myself. But there’s a reason why I’m in a place of submission and that leader is in a place of…

Kim and I are looking into starting a meal preparation service to support our family and ministry. We would love to get your input and ideas: http://www.dwightclough.com/survey/Now the man Moses was a quietly humble man, more so than anyone living on Earth. — Numbers 12:3 The MessageThis passage used to bug me, to tell you the truth. How arrogant! I thought. Why does Moses brag about his humility? But now I better understand why it was important for us to know this about the leader, Moses. It is easy to assume — especially if we’ve been burnt by people in…

Kim and I are looking into starting a meal preparation service to support our family and ministry. We would love to get your input and ideas: http://www.dwightclough.com/survey/This devotional is a rerun, but I thought you might enjoy it.Why have You brought this trouble on Your servant? What have I done to displease You … ? — Numbers 11:11Okay, folks, it’s time for another plumbing story. For a long time my wife has wanted a dishwasher. This may have something to do with our four children who eat a lot every day. We owned a portable dishwasher, but it broke down…

Kim and I are looking into starting a meal preparation service to support our family and ministry. We would love to get your input and ideas: http://www.dwightclough.com/survey/… God has called us to live in peace. – 1 Corinthians 7:15The reality is this: All of us have people in our lives that we wish would change or go away. Quite often those people live under the same roof we do. I want to especially encourage those of you who are married to someone you don’t like any more, someone who won’t change, someone who is, well, a jerk.God sees you. He…