May 15 (Psalm 68:5)

Audio version available here.


A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. (KJV)

With a word God spoke the blazing heat of stars into creation. With His breath He created the intricacies of the subatomic world. There is no human language capable of expressing the extent of His power.

What does it say, then, that He is a father to orphans and sees to the needs of widows? In the human realm, what kind of person does it take to parent an orphaned child? Can you imagine the care, love, and tenderness? For all of His vast and creative power, for all of His judgment of what is right and wrong, God is also a father of the fatherless and a judge for widows. Can there really be anything you are facing that He, as your Father, will not care about even more than you do? Is there anything that He will not help you with?

Father, I tremble at times to call You by that name. You are so awesome and mighty. I sometimes feel that You are too far from me to care about the troubles I face. Embrace me in Your love. Help me to know that You are indeed my Father. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Copyright © 2011 by Steven R. Perkins

May 8 (Revelation 2:4-5)

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works… (KJV)

I can still remember what it was like when I first fell in love with Jesus. In the summer between 8th and 9th grade, I was baptized. In those years, and those that immediately followed, I was passionate about my faith. I loved reading the Bible. Christian music was all I listened to. My thoughts were constantly on God and how I could live a life faithful to Him.

Do you remember what it was like? Can you recall the white-hot passion you felt when your faith was new? How long has it been since you felt that way? In the decades that have followed my first love, my relationship with Christ has gone up and down. I have drifted, come back, drifted, come back. He, however, has never changed. He still stands at the door and knocks.

The verses for today are quite clear. If you have drifted, stop where you are. Remember what you once knew and felt. Repent and start again. Our Lord is always eager for us to renew our relationship with Him.

Lord, it has been some time since I was as committed about my relationship with You as I once was. Forgive me the adulteries of my heart when I chase after things that do not matter. Draw me once again into Your sacred heart. I long to burn with love for You. Amen.

Copyright © 2011 by Steven R. Perkins

May 1 (Romans 8:26)

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (KJV)

What an incredible blessing this is! God the Holy Spirit lives within us. He prays for us when we do not know how or for some reason cannot pray.

Have you ever gotten to that point? Have you ever been so stricken with illness, so overcome with burdens or worries that words just will not come to your lips? The Holy Spirit knows. He dwells in our hearts and He knows. He will pray for you. Just as God the Son while on earth prayed to God the Father, so God the Spirit continues to pray for us. Think about that for a moment. God is praying for you!

Lord, there are times when I just do not know what to say. Too many burdens press in upon me. Hear the prayer of the Holy Spirit. Graciously accept the words of His intercession for me. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Copyright © 2011 by Steven R. Perkins

April 24 (John 20:28)

And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God. (KJV)
Christ the Lord is risen today! Alleluia! Easter is a day of celebration. It is time for dancing in the streets as David did before the Ark of the Covenant. Our sins have been forgiven and death itself has been conquered. We should arise with the sun and wear ourselves out until sunset with praise and celebration of Jesus.

We must also remember that this act of triumph over death was the act of our Lord and our God. Just how mighty must He be to reverse the irreversible? Just how powerful must He be to die, preach to those who were already dead (see 1 Peter 3:18-20), and ascend, first to earth and then to the right hand of His Father in heaven? As surely as our Lord was fully God and fully man, so our celebration and joy must also be humble and full of awe. There was never before a god like our God. There is not now and there never will be again. He Who created nature has reversed its laws for our sake. This is the God Who calls us to be His friends.


Copyright © 2011 by Steven R. Perkins

April 17 (Romans 5:8)

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (KJV)
It is quite easy to believe that when we sin, God will not love us. This reaction is written deeply into the human heart. A young child will burst into tears over a broken cookie jar, and adults will wonder why the extravagant reaction. Deep inside, the child knows he has done something wrong, something against the will of parents who love him, and now that love may be at risk.

This reaction does not go away, even for the mature Christian. Having lived in good relationship with God for a period of time, we suddenly stumble into sin. Suddenly we become the child with the cookie jar. We love our Lord so much and are, rightly, crushed that we have sinned yet again. Yet we must remember this powerful verse. We were sinners when Christ died for us. We never did do anything to earn His love and grace and were actually His enemies through sin when He reached out to us.

And the love and grace of Cavalry have not changed.

O Lord, my God, forgive me my sins, for I have continued to sin against You not only in what I do that I should not, but in what I fail to do that I ought. Help me to know Your grace and restore me to a right relationship with You. In the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, my Savior, amen.


Copyright © 2011 by Steven R. Perkins

April 10 (Psalm 44:1)

We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old. (KJV)

Do the stories of the Bible form the weave for the narrative of your life? Do the events of the Israelites or the episodes in the life of Jesus come to your mind and your lips as you think and talk about your own life? In order to understand something, we relate it to something else that we know. To what do you relate the circumstances of daily living? The Bible is our story, from the description of the Israelite exodus out of Egypt to the lives of the early Christians in Acts.

Yet it is not just for ourselves that we relate our lives to those of our biblical ancestors. We must do so as a way of preserving those stories and making them part of the living heritage of the next generation. We exert a small, but important influence on everyone with whom we come into contact. When our friends and relatives hear the biblical foundation in our casual speech, they begin to absorb the biblical worldview.

Of course, having the biblical stories as the foundation of our lives can only happen when we know those stories. Put aside the study guides and extra books for a moment and delve back into the Bible itself. Read the stories straight through as you would any other story. In the stories of our biblical ancestors you will find your story as well.

Father, it is so easy for me to relate my life to nothing more than my own preferences. Help me to develop a more historic and faithful view of life. Help me to see where my life fits into the grand story that You have been telling since Adam. In the name of Christ Jesus, my Lord, amen.

Copyright © 2011 by Steven R. Perkins

April 3 (John 8:58)

Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (KJV)

Our fourth-grade son’s small group at church recently began a lesson on the divinity of Jesus. I asked them whether, upon discovering that I was actually the President of the United States, a king, or the richest man in the world, they would treat me differently. They immediately agreed that they would.

Jesus is indeed our friend (John 15:15) and a great teacher (John 13:13), and we will relate to Him in certain ways because He is those things. Yet if we do not grasp fully His divinity, then we run the dangerous risks of blasphemy and error. Failing to acknowledge the divinity of Christ keeps some from centering their lives around Him and giving Him the glory that is His due. It also leaves them open to embracing other beliefs, as if all religions were the same. Many religions teach similar principles, but the distinguishing tenets of Christianity stand on one fundamental truth, that Jesus is God. With this in mind, hear again the words of Jesus to His disciples.

But whom say ye that I am? (Matthew 16:15)

O Lord, my God, may my life ever be one of humble adoration before You. May I never lose sight of Who You are, the God of all Who humbled Himself to take on flesh and die in my place. Help me to live in a right relationship with You and thereby live in a right relationship with the world. In the name of Jesus Christ, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit reigns as one God, forever and ever, amen.

Copyright © 2011 by Steven R. Perkins