faith – LookingtoJesus

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In 2012, while serving as pastor of Lewis and Clark Bible Church, I began writing devotionals for our church family. We had encouraged everyone to join a “Read Through the New Testament in a Year” plan—one chapter a day, five days a week. It’s a simple plan that takes you through all 260 chapters in a year.

Pastoral responsibilities—and a trip to Uganda—kept me from writing a devotional for every chapter that first year. But in 2014, I finished the project. I printed several copies and took them with me to Uganda to share with English-speaking pastors.

After a move to Heppner, Oregon, I revised and posted those devotionals to my blog, looking2jesus.blog. I also shared them with our church family here, along with other friends and churches. That early effort led to further devotional writing—on Acts and Psalms, and on topics like the attributes of God, prayer, the Word of God, and the books of Colossians and Philippians.

Each devotional was written with a commitment to remain faithful to God’s Word. Some explore key doctrinal truths. Others include illustrations drawn from my life—whether from my years in pastoral ministry, short-term missions in Uganda, service as a hospice chaplain, or Laura’s cancer journey. You’ll also find hymn stories, testimonies of conversion, and short biographical sketches of missionaries and spiritual leaders.

Most of the books follow a consistent and approachable format: a key Bible verse, a devotional narrative, a summary quote, and questions for personal reflection or group discussion. This structure makes the devotionals both engaging and applicable for daily spiritual growth.

I’ve compiled, formatted, and self-published these works through Kindle Direct Publishing. They’re now available in both paperback and eBook format. You can find them on Amazon by searching for my name: Jerry Conklin.

Here’s a quick look at the titles currently available:

Looking to Jesus: A Devotional Journey through the New Testament: A devotional for each chapter of the New Testament.
First Things First: A Devotional Journey through the Book of Acts: Five devotionals for each chapter in Acts.
From the Mire to the Choir: A Devotional Journey through the Book of Psalms:
One devotional for each chapter in Psalms.
Blessed by the Book: Devotional Reflections on Why the Word Matters:
Thirty devotionals on the power of God’s Word to transform hearts and minds.
Knowing the God Who Saves: Devotional Reflections on the Attributes of God: Thirty devotionals exploring God’s character and attributes.
Prayer Matters: Devotional Reflections on the Purpose and Power of Prayer: Thirty devotionals on cultivating a deeper prayer life.
Hopeful in Jesus: Devotional Reflections on the Hope of the Believer: Thirty reflections on how to remain hopeful in uncertain and trying times.
Joyful in Jesus: A Devotional Journey through the Book of Philippians: Thirty devotionals from Paul’s joyful letter to the Philippians.
Complete in Christ: A Devotional Journey through the Book of Colossians: Thirty reflections on Christ’s supremacy and sufficiency.
Be Victorious: A Devotional Journey through Romans Chapter Eight: Thirty devotionals highlighting the triumphant nature of life in Christ.

From time to time, readers have reached out to say these blog posts have blessed and encouraged them—and occasionally, they share stories about how they shared a post to uplift someone else in their moment of need. I compiled many of my blog posts into the books listed above. They’re available in both print and digital formats.

May the Lord continue to bless you and keep you looking to Jesus.

WRITING DEVOTIONALS: How It All Began—and Where It’s Led

Back in 2012, while serving as pastor of Lewis and Clark Bible Church, I began writing devotionals for our church family. We had encouraged everyone to join a “Read Through the New Testament in a Year” plan—one chapter a day, five days a week. It’s a simple plan that takes you through all 260 chapters in a year.

Pastoral responsibilities—and a trip to Uganda—kept me from writing a devotional for every chapter that first year. But in 2014, I was able to finish the project. I printed several copies and took them with me to Uganda to share with English-speaking pastors.

After Laura and I moved to Heppner, I revised and posted those devotionals to my blog, looking2jesus.blog. I also shared them with our church family here, along with other friends and churches. That early effort led to further devotional writing—on Acts and Psalms, and on topics like the attributes of God, prayer, the Word of God, and the books of Colossians and Philippians.

Each devotional was written with a commitment to remain faithful to God’s Word. Some explore key doctrinal truths. Others include illustrations drawn from my own life—whether from my years in pastoral ministry, short-term missions in Uganda, service as a hospice chaplain, or Laura’s cancer journey. You’ll also find hymn stories, testimonies of conversion, and short biographical sketches of missionaries and spiritual leaders.

Most of the books follow a consistent and approachable format: a key Bible verse, a devotional narrative, a summary quote, and questions for personal reflection or group discussion. This structure is intended to make the devotionals both engaging and applicable for daily spiritual growth.

In recent months, I’ve compiled, formatted, and self-published these works through Kindle Direct Publishing. They’re now available in both paperback and eBook format. You can find them on Amazon by searching for my name: Jerry Conklin.

Here’s a quick look at the titles currently available:

Looking to Jesus: A Devotional Journey through the New Testament
A devotional for each chapter of the New Testament.
First Things First: A Devotional Journey through the Book of Acts
Five devotionals for each chapter in Acts.
From the Mire to the Choir: A Devotional Journey through the Book of Psalms
One devotional for each chapter in Psalms.
Blessed by the Book: Devotional Reflections on Why the Word Matters
Thirty devotionals on the power of God’s Word to transform hearts and minds.
Knowing the God Who Saves: Devotional Reflections on the Attributes of God
Thirty devotionals exploring God’s character and attributes.
Prayer Matters: Devotional Reflections on the Purpose and Power of Prayer
Thirty devotionals on cultivating a deeper prayer life.
Hopeful in Jesus: Devotional Reflections on the Hope of the Believer
Thirty reflections on how to remain hopeful in uncertain and trying times.
Joyful in Jesus: A Devotional Journey through the Book of Philippians
Thirty devotionals from Paul’s joyful letter to the Philippians.
Complete in Christ: A Devotional Journey through the Book of Colossians
Thirty reflections on Christ’s supremacy and sufficiency.

From time to time, I’ve heard from readers who’ve been blessed and encouraged by these blog posts—and occasionally, I hear stories of how one of them was shared to uplift someone else in their moment of need. Thank you for reading. Thank you for sharing. It’s been a tremendous privilege to walk with you through the Word.

With Laura now in hospice care, I’ll be taking a break from daily postings for the time being. Psalm 150 will be the final blog entry—for now. But if you’d like to continue reading, many of my blog posts have been compiled into the books listed above. They’re available in both print and digital formats.

May the Lord continue to bless you and keep you looking to Jesus.

GOD’S PERFECT WORD

JANUARY 27

Psalm 19

Psalm 19:7, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.”

This Psalm presents six statements about the attributes of God’s Word, each affirming its divine origin. The repeated phrase “of the Lord” emphasizes that Scripture is inspired by God. These statements highlight the titles, characteristics, and benefits of the Word. As John MacArthur points out, this Psalm condenses the themes of Psalm 119, using titles like law, testimony, precepts, commandments, fear, and rules—repeated throughout Psalm 119. Together, these statements declare the perfection and sufficiency of God’s Word.

We’ll focus on the first: “The Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul” (Psalm 19:7a). The term “Law” refers to Scripture’s role in guiding us to live rightly with God, much like an operating manual. The Law is perfect—not just flawless, but complete and comprehensive, lacking nothing necessary to fulfill its purpose: “reviving the soul” (Psalm 19:7b). The soul represents the inner person, and Scripture’s purpose is to transform us from the inside out, affecting how we think, speak, and act.

New Testament writers echo this. Peter writes, “You’ve been born again… through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). Paul affirmed, “You accepted it… as the word of God, which is at work in you believers” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). While many books can educate or inspire, none can save or transform like the Bible. It offers “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth,” and its perfection and sufficiency make it worthy of our devotion.

B.I.B.L.E. = Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth

Application questions: How has God’s word worked to bring change to your life? Do you seek first for answers in God’s Word when you are confronted with difficult situations? How much time of any given day do you devote to reading/studying God’s word?

HARD TO FORGIVE

My mother-in-law, Jean Beatley, was a wonderful woman of faith. As is often the case, she was the glue that held the whole family together. No one was for long a stranger to Jean, for she had an embracing personality. I’m proof of that, for she readily accepted me into the family and treated me like a son. She baked the best pies, and no one could ever leave her home hungry.

We were living in Astoria. Grandma Jean lived in St. Helens, about an hour away. Our youngest daughter eagerly anticipated her fifth birthday because after that, she would be allowed to spend the night with grandma. We were all looking forward to an anticipated visit by Jean, as she had planned to visit soon.

It was 26 years ago last month. We received one of those calls you never want. Laura’s brother called and informed us that mom had been killed in a car accident. She was on her way from playing volleyball, as she was still incredibly healthy for a 69-year-old. A drunk driver, who had been drinking all day long, ran a stop sign and hit Jean’s car broadside, killing her on impact. We found out later that he had a long rap sheet, detailing all his previous drunk driving escapades.

Anyone who has been involved in that kind of tragedy knows the emotions and heartache that is soon to follow. We were engulfed in all sorts of pain and hurt and feelings that threatened to undo us. How does one respond? There was soon a trial, and we were there for that. Justice needs to be served, and that’s what happened. The judge sentenced the offender to seven years in prison. But that did not rid our hearts of the pain or alleviate the grief we were experiencing.

As a family, we prayed together every day. And it was amazing to hear our youngest daughter’s prayers. Her heart was broken, but she still prayed daily for the man’s forgiveness. Laura has such a forgiving spirit. That’s one of the reasons we’ve been married for over forty years. And I walked with her through those difficult days. She wanted for the man to face justice, but she harbored no bitterness in her heart against him.

People do stupid things. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. We have a choice to make when we are offended, respond as Jesus would have us to, or listen to the devil.

Let me share just two passages with you:

Ephesians 4:26-27, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”
Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Note this—there are four individuals holding interest in any situation in which a person is offended: The one offended. The one committing the offense. The Lord Jesus. And the devil.

Imagine yourself being the one who has been offended. What are you going to do?

The devil has a plan. He’d like for you to either ventilate or incubate your anger. In either case, he gains an opportunity and potentially an advantage. He loves to destroy people and their relationships. If he can gain a foothold in your marriage, your family, your workplace, your classroom, your church, or your community, he wins a victory whereby he causes destruction and pain and hurt and loss.
The Lord Jesus has a plan. He died on the cross for you. As we saw in last week’s message, He’s extended forgiveness to you in amazing fashion, having canceled out your sin debt. You owed an unpayable debt. He worked on the cross to set you free. We are, in turn, to be practicing forgiveness, just as God in Christ has forgiven us.
Then there is you. The one who has been offended. You can either hold on to the debt you feel you are owed in the offense or follow Christ’s example. The devil would love for you to demand repayment! To do that is kind of like locking yourself in a jail cell and being forced to watch reruns of the offense you’ve suffered, while the devil whispers in your ear about your need to get even somehow. As has been said, “Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”
Then there is the person who has offended you. That person for whom Christ died. Be they a believer of not, they have need of being reminded of Jesus and His capacity to forgive. Forgiving someone is like pointing a finger in the direction of the cross. I’ve been hurt by what you’ve done, but Jesus has shown me that the best path forward is to extend to you the same forgiveness that He has shown towards me.

Extending forgiveness is not easy. We are reminded in that challenge of two important truths. Apart from Jesus, we can’t do anything. And, contrarily, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Forgiveness is something we do only as we walk with the Spirit and are led and empowered by Him.

Ken Sande wrote a wonderful book entitled “The Peacemaker.” Though written long ago, it is readily available on Amazon (for $10.49). You’ll find good, helpful, Biblical counsel in that book. Here is what the author has said about the practical steps to take in extending forgiveness to someone:

When someone has wronged me, I will ask God to change my heart so that I want to forgive them.

When I forgive someone, with God’s help, I will take these steps:

I will not dwell on this incident.
I will not bring up this incident again and use it against you.
I will not talk to others about this incident.
I will not allow this incident to stand between us or to hinder our personal relationship.

I’m 68 years old today as it is my birthday. I was a pastor for almost 30 years. I’ve been a hospice chaplain for almost four years. One thing I’ve learned over the course of my years in ministry—nothing works to cause more harm to ourselves or our relationships than an unwillingness to forgive! On the other hand, the forgiveness of Jesus knows no bounds. And when we forgive others, as He has forgiven us, we have the opportunity to shine a little of His light into this dark world. Forgiving someone is one of the most Christlike things we can do!