Month: November 2025

Our reading is Matthew 6:25.

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”

Jesus didn’t hint about worry. He spoke plainly. “Do not worry about your life.” That wasn’t advice for the overly anxious; it was a command for every believer. Jesus wasn’t condemning concern. He was freeing us from the kind of worry that forgets who God is.

Concern and worry can look alike on the outside, but inside they are worlds apart. Concern prays. Worry panics. Concern looks at the problem and then looks up. Worry looks only at the problem. Concern acts in faith; worry lives in fear. 

Jesus invites us to trade the tight grip of fear for the gentle hold of His hand. He knows our needs, and He’s already working ahead of us. When we choose trust, we stop trying to play God and start trusting His promises.

So ask yourself today: does what I’m feeling draw me closer to God or further into fear? Concern leads to prayer. Worry leads to paralysis. One feeds faith; the other feeds doubt.

Let worry go. Let trust grow.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Our reading is Matthew 5:41

“If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.”

Roman law was clear. A soldier could tap your shoulder and force you to carry his pack. One mile, but no more. It was the law of the occupied, the routine of the powerless.

But Jesus had a different idea.

“Go two miles,” He said. Not because you have to. Because you choose to.

The first mile? That’s the mile of duty. You trudge through it. You count your steps. You rehearse your complaints. It’s the mile where resentment grows with every footfall. You walk it because the law says so, because life demands it, because you have no choice.

But the second mile? That’s different. That’s the mile of love. Nobody’s watching. Nobody’s keeping score. The soldier didn’t ask for it. The law doesn’t require it. You walk it simply because grace has changed your heart.

We all have first-mile moments—interruptions we didn’t want, burdens we didn’t choose, people who demand too much. But the second mile? The second mile changes everything. It changes your resentment into your kindness. 

Jesus didn’t just teach the second mile. He walked it. All the way to Calvary. All the way to the grave. All the way back to life.

So the next time someone forces you to go one mile (perhaps they are rude or thoughtless), remember: the second mile is where your faith shines brightest.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Our text for today is Matthew 5:16

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men…” Not hide it. Not dim it. Shine it. Why? Because someone’s watching. Someone’s wondering if God is real. And your life, your kindness, your integrity, your quiet acts of service might be the proof they need.

It is like the story of twins who stood in front of a mirror. One dressed carelessly, shrugging off her sister’s concern. “It’s my business,” she said. The other replied, “No, it’s not. Someone might see you and think it’s me.”

The truth is that some do see you, a Christian, and think about God, either for the good or the bad. 

Your good works are more than deeds; they’re divine reflections. They whisper of grace. They shout of mercy. They point not to you, but to Him.

True spiritual maturity doesn’t seek applause. It seeks reflection. When people see your light, they should see the Father’s fingerprints. Your life becomes a lantern, guiding others toward heaven’s glow.

So wear your light well. Because in the end, it’s not about who’s watching you. It’s about who finds God because they saw you.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Our Scripture is Matthew 5:11-12

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.”

Jesus doesn’t suggest it. He commands it. Rejoice! Even when people insult you. Even when they persecute you. Even when lies fly like arrows aimed at your heart. Rejoice!

Impossible? Perhaps. Until you remember where to look.

Richie Parker was born without arms. He could have focused on the missing. Instead, he chose differently. “I don’t focus on the one thing I can’t do,” he said. “I focus on the thousands of things I can do.” He learned to drive. Earned an engineering degree. Worked for a championship NASCAR team. All of this with no arms!

You see, feelings follow focus. Change what you’re looking at, thinking about, and you’ll change how you’re feeling.

Jesus offers two lenses for hard times. 

First, look at what you have, not what you’ve lost. Your reward awaits in heaven.

Second, look ahead.  Ten thousand years from now, this brief season of suffering will be a distant memory. But you? You’ll still have a million years stretching before you.

So when rejoicing seems impossible, remember: it’s not about denying the pain. It’s about choosing your focus. Look at what remains. Look at what’s coming.

And watch joy find its way back to you.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Our text for today is Matthew 4:19

”Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

Listen to the rhythm of Jesus’ invitation. It’s simple. Sequential. Sacred.

First, Come. Not “Go and do great things first.” Not “Clean up your act, then we’ll talk.” Just come. Come as you are. Come with your doubts, your mess, your empty nets. The call begins with presence, not performance.

Second, Follow Me. Walk where I walk. Watch what I do. Let My ways become your ways. This is the transformation part—the slow, steady work of becoming. You don’t manufacture it. You don’t force it. You simply stay close, and somehow, mysteriously, you begin to reflect what you behold.

Finally, I will make you fishers of men. Notice who does the making? Not you. Him. Your job isn’t to conjure up evangelistic zeal or manufacture spiritual fruit. Your job is to stay near. To follow. The catching will follow as night follows day.

So many of us skip straight to the mission and wonder why we’re exhausted. We’re trying to catch fish without ever being with the Fisherman.

But Jesus never changes the order. First, come. Then, follow. Then—only then—does the fruit come.

Stay close to Him today. The rest will follow.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Jesus didn’t begin His ministry with a miracle or a parable. He began with a command: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17). 

Now go to the end of his ministry, Revelation 3:19. Jesus is still knocking. Still inviting. Still calling us to repent. The door isn’t locked. The handle is on our side. If we open it, He promises to come in—not with condemnation, but with communion.

That word, repent conjures up all kinds of judgment and condemnation. But it isn’t a scolding. It’s a summons. It is Jesus, the man of love and caring, using it to issue a divine invitation to turn around, to come home.

Repentance is about more than behavior. It’s about the heart. A thief may stop stealing, but if his heart still longs for what isn’t his, has he truly repented? Jesus calls us deeper. Repentance doesn’t just call for cleaner hands. It calls for a changed heart. 

So today, let’s not just study the words in red. Let’s begin where Jesus began, with repentance.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.