Feb 8, 2026 – Triangle
Simpson – “We are not sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves” (II Cor. Iii. 5). Simpson starts with two words: “Insufficient, ‘All sufficient.’ These two words form the complement of each other and together give the key to an efficient Christian life. The discovery and full conviction of our utter helplessness is the constant condition of spiritual supply. The aim of the Old Testament, therefore, is ever to show man’s failure; that of the New, to reveal Christ’s sufficiency. He has all things for us, but we cannot receive them till we know that we have nothing.”
JC – “I am above all things: your problems, your pain, and the swirling events in this ever-changing world. When you behold My Face, you rise above circumstances and rest with Me in heavenly realms…. I guarantee that you will always have problems in this life, but they must not become your focus…. say, ‘Help me, Jesus!’ …and I meet you in that very place.”
Wow – the depth of the COTH sermon today prompted me to reach out to my three children to encourage them (again) in their young adult lives to find a church and establish their relationships with God as the foundation – and to find an online preacher that helps build their faith until they find a local church to be a part of. These two devotions so far are bridging from what I shared with them. Each of my children have concerns about current and future decisions and Streams seems to address that. I just am in awe at how God prepares the way and then meets me on the path to minister to and guide me.
Streams – Matthew 28: 20 – “Surely I am with you always.” Cowman ministers to us through Francis de Sales, “Never look ahead to the changes and challenges of this life in fear. Instead, as they arise look at them with the full assurance that God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them…. Do not look ahead to what may happen tomorrow…. Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you His unwavering strength that you may bear it. Be at peace, then, and set aside all anxious thoughts and worries.” Yesterday I questioned the simplicity of so easily letting go and letting God, but sometimes that kind of “cold turkey” thinking, and reminding, is what we need. Jumping in cold ocean water fast, as tough as it is sometimes, is so much better than letting the cold water wrap around your legs and tap at your stomach which most times has us backing up and not enjoying the swim.
Prevail #39 – Larson uses the scene in Joshua 5:13-14 to convey the importance of how we answer, “If God is for you, who can stand against you?” When Joshua saw the Angel of the Lord in front of him, he asked, “friend or foe?” It’s confusing at first that the Angel answered, “Neither one…” but Larson explains, “It’s one thing to put your unwavering trust in the Lord; it’s another to presume upon God. Though Joshua’s heart was all in, the Israelites had wandering hearts. The angel reminded Joshua that though God is with us, we’re the ones on God’s side. He sets the terms. He guides our way, and He gets the say. But sometimes we need a spiritual reset – a reminder of just who it is that we serve…. Precious Lord, Sometimes I get so used to hearing that You are for me that I forget to check my heart, to see if I’m still for You. Give me a heart to love and honor You all of my days! Fill me afresh with the wonder of Your love. Amen.”
Utmost – 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 – “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly.” Chambers asks, “When we pray to be sanctified, are we prepared to face the standard of these verses? We take the term sanctification much too lightly. Are we prepared for what sanctification will cost? It will cost an intense narrowing of all our interests on earth, and an immense broadening of all our interests in God…. Are we prepared for God to do in us all that He separated us for? …It will cost everything that is not of God in us.”
Max cautions us, “Pride comes at a high price. Don’t pay it. Consider the counsel of the apostle Paul: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.” Romans 12:3.
JA – “MY LOVE WILL NEVER LET YOU GO! …You live in a world that is unpredictable and unsafe in many ways. As you look around, you see landscape littered with broken promises. [My children have dealt with that through the years, in the wake of my divorce, as they looked toward relationships and their futures.] However, My Love is a promise that will never be broken…. No matter what is happening, My Love is unshakable. You can build your life on it! [That is indeed what I told my children via text this morning. I reminded them of the metal triangle we rang at our wedding which symbolizes how we get closer to each other as we get closer to God.]
Power – Philippians 4:8 – “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Joyce points out that, “Our thoughts are the raw materials for our attitudes…. Good attitudes are fed and kept alive by good thoughts. Bad attitudes are fed and kept alive by bad thoughts…. it’s our choice…. Choose to have a godly attitude in all circumstances. Say out loud, ‘My attitude is my choice.’”
