Daily Blessings In 2026

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Intro: I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read 1 and 2 Timothy

Still, it was only a few years ago that two words snagged me
– here in this passage, Paul refers to the Hebrew Scriptures as “the sacred writings”
• I had always believed this regarding the Bible, but never in those precise words
• the effect they had was to motivate me to meditate on them
◦ eventually, I spent nine weeks sharing with you what I learned
– I’ve decided to tell you what these have done worked in my life since then
• what I hope, is to inspire your reading of the sacred writings
◦ and enhance your experience with God’s word in the new year

Through contemplative prayer, I have experienced remarkable relief from clinical depression

But one fragment of it still remains
– every morning I wake up in a dark mood
• as I get dressed, feed the cats, and prepare something to eat
◦ my thoughts are intensely gloomy – even desperate
◦ I want to escape–everything; especially responsibility
• then I take my protein drink to our room and sit in my chair
◦ I do some warm-up reading, then grab my Bible and open it
◦ the next moment is the most important

I’m going to pause my story here to provide a backstory

In Exodus, God lays out instructions for a daily offering
– the same offering is made both in the morning and evening
• once, when talking with Fr. Romuald about liturgical worship at the hermitage,
◦ I mentioned how I enjoyed lauds in the morning and vespers in the evening
◦ he then referred to them as “the cosmic hinges of the day”
day and night swing on those pivotal moments
• “morning” is neither day nor night–it is in between the two
◦ the same with evening – both of them are thresholds
◦ Israel was to pause in the thresholds and remember God
(Do you remember – God’s words written on their doorposts and gates?)
– but that isn’t all – God had further instructions:
• the daily morning and evening offerings were to be made
“at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there” (Deut. 29:42)
◦ the “entrance” was another threshold
• God designated thresholds as spaces for encounter – to meet with and speak to his people

So, now back to my story

With my Bible open on my lap, I am located in the threshold – the sacred liminal space
– I haven’t “entered” the scriptures yet, but I’m about to begin
• slowly inhaling, I silently say, “here” – and exhaling I say “now”
◦ if a thought lingers in my mind, I stop thinking it and look at it, then let it pass
◦ I am sitting in a state of awareness
▫ I scan my body to see if any part is calling attention to itself
▫ if so, I hold it in awareness
• my goal is to bring my awareness to God’s presence in the here and now of this moment
◦ I allow myself to hear God say,
“Here I will meet with you and speak to you” as of standing at the entrance to the sacred tent
(only, I am at the entrance to the “sacred writings”
◦ THIS ISTHE MOMENT IN MY MORNING WHEN MY MOOD BEGINS TO TURN
– cultural anthropologists have a term for what happens when a community, village, or subculture converts to Christianity
• typically, conversion includes upgrades in integrity, responsibility, and simplicity
◦ this results in cultural improvements in their standard of living
◦ they experience upward social mobility as well as spiritual development
• the term sociologists use for this improvement in physical well being is “redemptive lift”
◦ every morning I experience a “redemptive lift” in my mood as well as my spirit
◦ that’s because God speaks to me every morning

I wouldn’t say that what I receive is always profound
– or that it is worth sharing with anyone else
• but it is always what I need – my morning therapy
◦ and it always brings me out of the pit
• and, then again, many times, it is worth sharing with someone else
◦ it becomes spiritual counsel that I share with others
– the poet who wrote Psalm 73 experienced something like this
• he tells a story of having a really bad day
“. . . my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped
For I was envious ot the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Ps. 73:2-3)
◦ he goes on to describe an romanticized view of a sinful life
◦ through cheating and conniving the wicked enjoy good health and wealth (or so he assumed)
• he continues in the vein for more than half the psalm
◦ when he is finally overwhelmed with negativity,
◦ he winds down, and says, in effect,
“This was my outlook
until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end” (v. 16)
• in God’s presence, his mind cleared and his vision improved
◦ by the end of his poem he is able to say,
“But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works” (v. 28)
• that is my daily routine in the morning: unhappy “until” I hear what the Lord has to say to me
◦ we might think of it as an “attitude adjustment”
◦ but it is much more – and it is God who does this for me

The entire Bible is our “sacred writings”

That doesn’t mean that everything in is of equal value to us
– at different times in our journey,
• some parts will speak to us with more relevance than others
◦ some parts may never win our interest at all
◦ but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing in all the sacred writings for us
• if you find yourself bored with a certain place in the Bible,
◦ don’t push yourself through it, as if you have some spiritual obligation to finish it
– and read a version of the Bible that you can understand
• the Message Bible is popular – and I still like The Good News Bible

But listen: I don’t want you to read Bible because that’s what Christians do
– if we consider all the centuries of Christian history,
• the majority of Christians never had a Bible and many could not read
◦ this is not the only way God speaks to us
◦ many people read meditations of godly men and women, that are drawn from the Scriptures
• but do ask advice from people who know the Bible well

Bring to the Bible whatever you have in the moment

I sometimes come to it with questions
– some are serious, as for others I’m simply curious
• then other times, questions come up as I’m reading
◦ then it is like having a conversation with God
• frequently, I come to a mystery that I cannot unlock
◦ perhaps a little bit of light may shine on a verse or perhaps a lot of light
◦ but I’m okay if some things remain a mystery
I trust God to take me as far as it is pleasing to him
If there’s anything I must know, he will reveal it
– when I open my Bible, God has his own intention for me
• that is more important than whatever I want to receive from it
◦ so I believe there are words he wants me to notice
◦ often it is something that confuses or upsets me – so I pay closer attention
• feelings also rise and fall as I read, which is at times pleasant, but not always
◦ our feelings are one of the ways we experience scripture

Conclusion: I want to leave you with a few thoughts regarding
how to listen for God’s voice

Keep in mind, the Bible is the candle and the Holy Spirit is the flame
– we need both to see by its light

First, when you read, don’t “preach” – at yourself or anyone else
Too many people read as if they’re supposed to come up with a sermon
(or an exhortation or rebuke)
We must be careful not to moralize everything we read

Second, ignore feelings of failure, blame, or condemnation
Those emotions do not build us up, or encourage, or strengthen us
If you realize you have done wrong, be grateful
You are receiving helpful correction and discipline
Your Father is showing you the right way to do things
He is not trying to discourage you!
He is pouring his love into you and drawing you closer to himself

Third, listen for his mercy, his support, his reassurance
God will affirm his love to you every day – if you listen

I’m not urging you to make any New Year’s resolution
I’m encouraging you to check your mail box every day
There may be a love letter in it waiting for you