Reveration: First Cause Weekly Devotional

I hope this is an encouraging word for someone—discouraged by delays, by the hiccups of life that seem insidious; by the time that goes too fast when you want it to be slow and too slow when you want it to be fast. Visit us at First Cause .

Did you know that respect for the elderly is tied in scripture to reverence for God? Visit us at First Cause!

Across the planet, leadership is a relevant and popular topic. It is heavily researched and widely championed from the time we are children to the end of our lives. But when was the last time you heard a school teacher, a CEO, a pastor, or a manager tout the benefits of being a follower and place that emphasis on equal footing with promoting leaders? “Followership is a process . . .  Visit us...

I was shopping for food recently and noticed a box of Triscuits on the shelf. I like Triscuits. So, I put a box in my shopping cart, but I decided to do some Google research before leaving the aisle. I typed in the search box, “Is Triscuits healthy?” and the response was . . . Visit us at First Cause!

First called Decoration Day, Memorial Day was nationally observed on May 30, 1868, to honor Union soldiers who lost their lives in the Civil War. [1] In 1873, New York officially recognized this day as a holiday, and by 1890, every other state had joined them. After two world wars, the day became an official time for remembering and mourning all service members who died while serving their country...

Mike tells the story of how as a child, he and his siblings would eat through an entire large box of Kellogg’s Pep cereal to get the prize—a submarine. Mike’s goal was to get the prize; he didn’t care for the product. Visit us at First Cause.

Life is full of challenges. As you read that what challenge comes to mind that you are facing? For some of us, it is financial, for others relationships, and still others health, the need for work, etc. What is unhealthy is when we let the problem(s) we face dominate our thinking because we flounder in fear and uncertainty. In his book Brave, Strong & Tender , Phil Downer asked, “Do you ever f...

Rather than reaping favor for leading righteously a bad king was buried like a donkey. Visit us at First Cause!

If your religion does not make you a better man, it is a rotten religion. Visit us at First Cause!

Did you know that God is offended by meaningless, false-hearted chanting? Visit us at First Cause!

You are not required to set yourself on fire to keep others warm.—Unknown Visit us at First Cause!

Payne lives in the United States but is from Great Britain. Payne grew up as an agnostic. When he came to the U.S., he accepted an invitation to church and heard the minister encourage people to give in support of the ministry. Payne was surprised when the pastor guaranteed that if anyone tithed and did not see God bless their efforts and consequently lost money, he would return their total gift....

If our set course is to enjoy life we boarded the train bound for oblivion. Pastor Tony Evans, commenting on Solomon’s experiment declared, “. . . if you look for the meaning of life in life , you’ll never find it.” [1] Visit us at First Cause! [1] CSB Tony Evans Study Bible , by Holman Bible Publishers, (2019), p. 748.

When I read Agur, son of Jakeh’s words in the book of Proverbs, my first thought was: If he is immensely stupid, why is his writing part of wisdom literature? How does a man with zero knowledge of God have his musings included with Solomon? Explain this. Visit us at First Cause!

We have all experienced them—leaders, who exhibit selfishness in the midst of a crisis. One of the reasons why I believe the Bible is the greatest book on leadership is the plethora of examples of good and bad leaders. So let’s look at a man who shows us what not to do. Visit us at First Cause!

Do you know someone who constantly bothers you? Are there people who consistently distress your life by their words or actions? If this is your experience it is not unusual. I am pretty sure almost every human on the planet gets agitated—some on a daily or hourly basis! What causes such tension? Immaturity, unnecessary volume, rudeness, dangerous driving habits, failure to learn and correct mistak...

Jennifer was suffering.  Her finances languished after months of just getting past too many bills. Her favorite dog, Lightning, a family fixture for thirteen years, passed away. Her job required her to be vaccinated but she was allergic to the ingredients of the shot. Despite her doctor’s note exempting her, she was getting hassled by her coworkers. Yesterday her car broke down. Just how was...

One of the hardest things about being human is the reality of the unfinished and the certainty of the unknown.  For example, no matter what plan we devise, truthfully, we do not know what the outcome will be. Steve excitedly began a new job only to be let go eight months later. Shaq thought he would spend his life in poverty and inherited a fortune from a rich relative who died. Sally trained...

God’s word in the Bible to Isaiah challenged me to study the word righteous because it is in that context that things go well for people.  What I found was staggering in some ways.  But before we look at the signs and fruit of righteous living we should understand 14 lessons that teach . . . Visit us at First Cause!

We can learn sometimes as much or more about leadership from weak leaders. As the year 2021 closes, this would be a great time to reflect on the subject of balance. A year of upheaval is the perfect backdrop for evaluating equilibrium.  Why?  Because strong leaders find stasis regardless of the circumstances around them.  And they are able to do this for at least three compelling re...

St. Augustine wrote in Augustine Confessions : "Thus they hate the truth for the sake of that other thing which they love because they take it for truth. They love truth when it enlightens them, they hate truth when it accuses them. Because they do not wish to be deceived and do wish to deceive, they love truth when it reveals itself, and hate it when it reveals them." Visit us at First Cause!

History is full of examples of tyrannical nations who rained pain and perfected tormenting as part of their methodology in defeating their enemies. Does this mean that God is helpless, an uncaring bystander, or celebrant of evil? Visit us at First Cause .

The antidote to discrimination and racism is Jesus Christ. Pastor E.V. Hill once shared his response to Black Panthers threatening his life for preaching about “that white Jesus.” I don’t know anything about a white Christ—I know about Christ, a Savior named Jesus. I don’t know what color He is. He was born in brown Asia, He fled to black Africa, and He was in heaven before the gospel got to white...

When was the last time you sat beside a fire, alone, and able to think and meditate? The previous home owners left me a gift of numerous piles of dead branches all over the property. I guess they didn’t have time to burn anything but I still would label their actions a gift because they gave me plenty of reason to clear away brush piles and, in the process, burn.  There is something mesmerizi...

Ralph went to the National Training Center (NTC) in California serving as the Fire Support Officer (FSO) for an infantry battalion scheduled to be evaluated. Ralph looked at the terrain model as the battalion staff discussed what tactics they should choose on their upcoming day of battle.  He realized that it was very similar to terrain he had trained on with a Cavalry unit.  As the lead...