Radiant Faces

 

Those who look to him [God] are radiant …

—from Psalm 34:5

Can you spot someone who is feeling great joy? I imagine you can. There is just something about the way he or she looks. We often say that he or she appears radiant. Please let me offer two illustrations:

I remember my mother often telling my dad on our way home from church on Sunday that she thought such and such a mother was pregnant. “She’s just glowing,” my mom would say. And, she was usually right. In just a few weeks, the announcement of an impending birth would spread throughout the church.

New brides and grooms often have “that look” about them that says they’re feeling significant joy. Their smiles radiate the love that they feel for each other. In fact, that feeling of being deeply loved tends to affect how they relate to other people, as well.

It should come as no surprise that King David would use such a radiant image to describe the relationship that those chosen by God have with Him. Notice what David writes in Psalm 34:5:

Those who look to him [God] are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

A follower of Jesus can receive no greater a compliment than to hear someone say:

“When I look at you, I see Jesus.”

The radiance of Christ’s divine Presence within a believer is surely a mark of great joy. Therefore, as we begin a new day, let’s not be afraid to show the joy that dwells within us because God has chosen us to belong to Himself. We have every good reason to have radiant faces, filled with overflowing joy.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

He Always Answers Me

 

I sought the Lord, and he answered me …

—from Psalm 34:4

Did you ever ask someone a question and have them seemingly refuse to answer? Perhaps you asked your son or daughter to take out the trash. In response to your request you heard, well, nothing. You looked to see if your son or daughter had on earphones and was listening to music. No, no earphones. You looked to see if he or she was watching television and did not hear your request. No, the TV was muted for a commercial. So, you asked your question again. And, once again, you heard no response.

Your frustration level began to rise. The third time you asked your son or daughter to take out the trash, your voice likely rose with a tinge of anger. I’m not going to speculate on whether or not you received a response. It is just as likely that you didn’t get an answer than if you did. God is not at all like that. The Psalmist declares in Psalm 34:4:

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

When we seek an answer from God, He always answers us. Now, we may not like the answer we receive. And, we may have to wait until God decides the timing is right to answer us. But, we always receive an answer.

“Wait a minute,” you say. “I’ve prayed and prayed and prayed about something and I don’t feel that God has ever answered me.”

But, don’t you see? God has seemingly remained silent, yet in a sense, He has answered you. By His silence, He is urging you to keep praying and to wait on His timing. As the days pass, you will find that God’s plan for your situation will unfold slowly and carefully right before your eyes.

Other times, the answer that God gives us may appear as exactly the opposite of the answer for which we hoped and desired. Nevertheless, God’s answer will ultimately always prove out as the best possible answer we could have received from Him. This is because He always has our best interest in mind.

As we begin a new day, let’s not hesitate to make our requests known to God. In His loving and caring way, He will always answer us with the right answer—the one we really need.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A Call to Worship

 

Glorify the Lord with me …

—from Psalm 34:3

The church you attend may no longer have a formal “Call to Worship.” Instead, particularly if you attend a church that uses Contemporary Christian Music, you may have a praise song that calls the congregation to worship.

I happen to attend an Evangelical Presbyterian Church that, unlike many churches in that denomination, uses a semi-liturgical form of worship and more traditional church music. We begin each Worship Service with a responsive “Call to Worship” led by a Liturgist—usually the Minister of Music and Worship.

Often based on a Psalm, the “Call to Worship” consists of the Liturgist reading one line from the Psalm and the congregation reading the next line, back and forth, with the last line often consisting of the words: “Let us worship God!”

The Psalms are overflowing with words that can easily comprise a “Call to Worship.” One of those passages is found in Psalm 34:3:

Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

What a fitting way to begin a time of corporate worship. We invite each other to glorify the Lord and join together to exalt His name.

As we begin this new day, we can also call ourselves to a daily time of worship by reading appropriate Psalms. Then, we can spend a few moments telling God what we appreciate about Him. Such an effort on our part is time well spent at the beginning of each new day. We consciously place the focus of our lives back on God. We remind ourselves, and Him, how important He is to us. And, we reap the benefit of knowing that we have told Him how much we love and appreciate Him for exactly who He is in our lives.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Boasting in the Lord

 

What do you suppose the Psalmist means when he writes these words in Psalm 34:2:

My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Said another way, what does it mean to “boast in the Lord”?

When we boast, we tell others how wonderful we are, what we’ve accomplished, or what other people think about us. When we boast in the Lord, we tell others how wonderful God is, what He has accomplished in our lives, and what other people we know think about Him. It’s really that simple.

The Psalmist indicates that because of all that God has done for him, he simply cannot help himself but to always take every opportunity to tell others about the gracious goodness of the Lord. The Psalmist literally boasts about how wonderful God is. And, as a result, all who hear these affirming words rejoice. For, if God has been so very good to the Psalmist, surely God will be very good to them, as well.

As we begin another new day, let’s take our cue from the Psalmist. Let’s determine to boast in the Lord. Let’s gently and tenderly tell others how good God has been to us. Let’s share the many times He has given us aid, direction, sustenance, and love. Surely those who hear our testimony of God’s greatness will rejoice.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Ever-Praising Lips

 

I will extol the Lord at all times …

—from Psalm 34:1

Have you ever worked with someone for a while and later thought: “There is not enough good things I can say about him or her”? You were so impressed with this individual that there was no limit to the good words that you might choose to say about that person. That’s what our relationship with God is like. He is so wonderful, so marvelous, so magnificent that there is absolutely no limit to the good things we can say about Him. Certainly the Psalmist agrees and has stated this very theme in Psalm 34:1:

I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

The Dictionary defines the word “extol” as “to praise enthusiastically, to praise highly, to glorify.” It seems very fitting that the Psalmist would use this word to describe how he felt about God.

Not only does the Psalmist intend to praise God enthusiastically, he plans to do so at all times. In fact, he declares that praise for God will always be on his lips.

As we begin a new day, we do well to praise God at all times. We do very well if we constantly remind ourselves, and others, how wonderful He is. He means everything to us. And, that, dear ones, is exactly as it should be.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

The Way of Truth

 

I have chosen the way of truth …

—from Psalm 119:30

Have you ever noticed that the more often you purposely set aside the truth, and instead tell a lie, how very easy it becomes? Lying is one of the simplest of sins. It takes almost no effort to tell a falsehood. In contrast, many times it takes a determined effort to carefully tell the truth.

Truth is the gateway to the heart of God. He is truth. Everything about Him is true. He never lies. He never deceives. He never speaks, except to share the truth. In fact, God’s way is the way of truth. It is no wonder that the Psalmist embodied this lesson in Psalm 119:30:

I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.

As we begin a new day, let’s determine to remember that God’s way is the way of truth. If we stick only to the truth, we will do well in our efforts to please God.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

What It Means To Follow Jesus

 

… anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

—from Matthew 10:38

In writing one of my blog posts, I often use the phrase “followers of Jesus.” Recently, I received an email that asked me if I could more precisely define what I meant by that term. So, I’m going to try to do exactly that.

Literally, a “follower of Jesus” is one who endeavors to find out as much about Jesus as possible:

• What Jesus had to say.
  
  
• How Jesus would act.
  
  
• What core principles ruled Jesus’ life.
  
  
• What instructions Jesus might have given to His disciples—His followers.
  
  

Armed with this knowledge, a follower of Jesus will then attempt to:

• Speak like Jesus would speak.
  
  
• Walk the road of life in the same manner that Jesus did.
  
  
• Treat others like Jesus did.
  
  
• Develop the same core principles for life that Jesus developed.
  
  

A follower of Jesus is literally emulating the life of Christ, within that person’s own reality.

Jesus often gave us clues in Scripture as to how He expected His followers to live. For example, please take note of this passage found in Matthew 10:38-39:

And anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

The cross of Calvary was the greatest burden the Lord Jesus Christ had to bear. For on that cross, He bore the sins of all humankind, paying the penalty for our sins. In a similar manner, every human has a cross to bear in life. It begins with the sin nature we inherited from Adam, and continues on as we sin purposefully in our own lives.

In these two verses from Matthew 10, Jesus is telling us that to follow Him we must pick up our cross and walk in the way He would walk. He also shares an important truth, when He reminds us that only by losing our lives—that is, giving Him control of our lives—will we find out what life is really all about.

We can only know life, as God intends it, when we consciously put aside our own selfish wills and seek to allow God, through the Holy Spirit, to control the way we live. Therefore, it makes sense, at the beginning of this new day, that we should do just that. Are you with me?

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Directed Footsteps

 

Direct my footsteps according to your word …

—from Psalm 119:133

In the course of my 60+ years of working in fire protection, I have only once encountered an Instruction Manual that I thought was written in a very helpful, detailed, yet easy-to-read style. Sadly, the company and the personnel who produced that Manual—due to changes and market forces beyond their control—has passed from the scene. I still have a copy of that Instruction Manual in my files. It is truly a work of art, yet highly functional at the same time.

The problem with even excellent instructions is that if a user does not follow those instructions carefully, the user will often do something that totally defeats the most effective use of a product or service. That’s why diligent reading, study, and application of properly stated instructions go hand in hand.

As followers of the living Lord Jesus Christ, we Christians—or, “Christ’s-ones”—need to follow the leading of God in our lives. Fortunately for us, God has given us instructions in the full counsel of His written Word, the Bible.

Yes, I know that some Christians do not believe the Bible is inerrant, that is, without error. Others seem to have decided to pick and choose from this Scripture passage or that one, in order to construct a “God” more to their liking, or political agenda, or personal sensitivities. Such actions always deeply sadden me because apparently they have done so because the vision of God that they created for their lives ultimately did not live up to their preconceived notions.

The truth is that God has given us quite adequate instruction through every verse in Scripture. Each verse will inform the pathway of our lives, if we but trust in the words and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, who dwells within each one who truly believes. The Psalmist understood this concept. Notice what he prayed to God, as recorded in Psalm 119:133:

Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.

As we begin a new day, let’s pray this prayer of the Psalmist. Then, let’s open our eyes, hearts, and minds to see what God will do in response.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Tongue Control

 

The lips of the righteous know what is fitting …

—from Proverbs 10:32

The words we speak can either heal or hurt. Jay Wickre, writing in the Dubious Musings of a Peculiar Man, ¹ offers these wise words:

A bitter man needs to place his troubles on the front of his tongue so that they taste sweeter.

As an observer of the behavior of various people who have crossed the pathway of my life, that statement rings true to me. Yes, words can either heal or hurt. And, we who speak such words have the power and responsibility to control the effect our words have on others. King Solomon understood this. Notice what he writes in Proverbs 10:32:

The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.

The natural question arises:

“Does our speech properly reflect our state of righteousness? Or, do we continue to utter inappropriate words at inappropriate times?”

Please let me offer an illustration:

I remember an occasion in a work meeting many years ago. I had asked a question, in frustration, because I couldn’t imagine why the others in the room seemed so unable to grasp the concept the individual was sharing. My question drew a sharp retort from another at the table.

Fifteen minutes later, following a lengthy intervening discussion, during which I remained silent, another person spoke, filling a pause in the discussion. He said:

“I am finally catching up with where Dean was a while back.”

He went on to perfectly explain the concept that the others in the meeting still had not grasped.

I thought about that incident a great deal over the next few days. I realized—and I believe this is a gift from God—that, in certain circumstances regarding very concrete topics, I tend to grasp the concepts much more quickly than many other people, who may well be even smarter than I am. So, I learned from that experience to try to hold myself in check when such circumstances arise.

Sadly, as those who must still interact with me realize, I fail to do what I intend to do—guard my tongue—far more often than I succeed. When it comes to specific tasks or factual discussions, I am ruled by my own impatience.

Now, if the topic had involved human emotions, or social situations, or any of a large number of other topics, I would be the one lagging behind. I am very ignorant when it comes to understanding the nuances of social relationships. Therefore, you can be certain that, in those situations, I will tend to keep more quiet.

As we begin a new day, we do well to check our speech to see if it reflects the righteousness that God has given us through His Son, Jesus. We must guard our tongues, so that we only speak words that are helpful, encouraging, and healing. And, we must purposefully cast aside all words that might hurt others.

 

______________________

1 Wickre, Jay. Dubious Musings of a Peculiar Man. Self-Published, 2011. Please note that in each case, whenever the citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such a citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

The Best Followers

 

Surely goodness and love will follow me …

—from Psalm 23:6

Have you ever had someone show so much interest in you that they just wouldn’t leave you alone? It wasn’t that they had any evil intent. It was just that they seemed to enjoy your company so much that they would hardly give you a space to breathe.

I am told that in the early stages of many male/female relationships, women often feel that their latest love interest has started to overwhelm them, even suffocate them. The man might have good intentions, wanting to show his devotion and the magnitude of his interest. But, smothering someone and following that one relentlessly, whom you are trying to spark a mutual relationship, almost never works.

On the other hand, there are some qualities in life that we may long to have following us. King David expressed this well at the end of his famous Psalm, specifically Psalm 23:6:

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Having laid out the blessings of a relationship with God in the earlier verses of this Psalm, David brings this song of praise to a conclusion by declaring the benefit he derives from everything else he talks about in this Psalm 23.

As we launch off on another new day, let’s pray and ask God to grant us these two “followers” in our lives. Let’s welcome God’s gift of goodness and love. Then, let’s share those gifts with the people who cross the pathway of our lives.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Table of Blessing

 

You prepare a table before me …

—from Psalm 23:5

Psalm 23 is possibly the most well-known passage of Scripture. It contains a lovely cadence that unfolds a beautiful pastoral image of the Good Shepherd caring for His beloved sheep. Among the many extraordinary images of this Psalm are these words, found in Psalm 23:5:

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Even though we may be surrounded by the powers of darkness that seek to destroy us, God always prepares a feast of blessing for us. He anoints us with a protective covering, that consists of the blood of His precious one and only Son, Jesus. He grants us the divine indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit. Thus, God guards us and guides us, as we obediently follow His leading each day of our lives.

As we begin another new day, we should remain aware that the enemies who would confound us have no power over us because Jesus has conquered sin, death, and Satan. We can go forth this day into the world, with full confidence that God has laid a table of blessing for us. In fact, the blessings from God flow into our lives continually.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Desires Granted

 

What the wicked dreads will overtake him …:

—from Proverbs 10:24

The guest speaker at the convention of adult training experts caused a hush to fall over the room, as he began with this question:

“How does a person get what he or she really wants in life?”

The guest speaker paused for several long seconds. Then, he continued:

“You just take it!”

A few people began to applaud. Soon, the entire room full of people had risen to their feet to give the guest speaker a standing ovation. But sadly, the speaker was wrong—very wrong.

The only true way to get what one wants in life does not come from a preemptive taking. It comes from living a life worthy of receiving from God what one desires. And, only through faith in God, and obedient devotion to Him, can any human hope to live a worthy life and receive the gifts God longs to give. Notice what King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 10:24:

What the wicked dreads will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted.

Righteousness precedes the granting of desires. Obedience to God’s will and to His written Word gives a believer the opportunity to receive from God the desires of that person’s heart.

As we begin another new day, let’s determine to follow the pathway of obedience, knowing that it leads to us receiving the deepest desires of our hearts. When we live totally in sync with God’s perfect will, His desires for us become our desires. And, that’s the best possible place for us to be in this life.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

The Price of Belonging

 

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself …”

—from Luke 9:23

Every organization worth belonging to has its own dues structure. It costs something in time or treasure to belong to anything or anyone truly worthwhile. The question each person who belongs must ask himself or herself:

“Is the price of belonging worth the benefits I receive?”

Belonging to God through His Son, Jesus, has a price, as well. Notice what Jesus said, as recorded in Luke 9:23:

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

To deny one’s self means to set aside an individual’s selfish human will and yield to God’s perfect, divine will. We are only able to do this through the enablement of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to set aside our natural human will and follow the pathway that God lays out before us through His perfect will and through His written Word.

As we begin another new day, we need to renew our intention to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. As we do so, we have the opportunity to be more like Him. We can speak as He would speak, act as He would act, and do what He would do. By becoming more Christ-like, we have the opportunity of truly serving the Kingdom of God in the most effective way possible.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

No Longer Conformed

 

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world …

—from Romans 12:2

Each time another day begins, we have a new opportunity to choose to live, more and more, like Jesus would have us live. We can either decide to purposely lay aside our devotion to Christ. Or, we can decide to do our very best to speak, think, and act as Jesus would speak, think, and act.

By choosing to conform our lives to the pattern given to us in the life of Jesus, we give up our natural human bent toward tightly molding our lives to the world of sin and darkness. Following the Light of Christ dispels the hold that sin has over us. We walk in the Light, as Jesus is in the Light. We put darkness behind us, and we move confidently into a new way of living. Notice the words the Apostle Paul wrote in the familiar passage of Scripture found in Romans 12:1-2:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Each day, God waits patiently to renew our minds. He longs to renew our minds. He wants to renew our minds. So, at the beginning of this new day, we should welcome His guidance and protection. And, we should invite God to renew our minds. We can allow the mind of Jesus to become our way of speaking, thinking, and acting. And, that is the very best way to live.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Obedience = Love

 

Whoever has my commands and obeys them …

—from John 14:21

I have written often on this blog regarding the only requirement that God has given those He has called to Himself. Even though He pours out His mercy, grace, and abiding love on us, and has redeemed us through the shed blood of His one and only Son, Jesus, God only asks one thing of us: obedience. God wants us to obey His will and His written Word. Jesus confirmed this when He told His disciples these words, as found recorded in John 14:21:

Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.

In a climate of genuine obedience, love flows freely back to God from those of us He has called to Himself. Before the foundation of the earth, God chose us to belong to Him and to His Kingdom. In due season, God sent His Holy Spirit to reveal to us what His Son, Jesus, has done for us, by paying the penalty for our sins. Once the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to apprehend that truth, the Holy Spirit comes and lives in our hearts and minds.

This new reality for us grants us the privilege of showing God our love through our obedience to His written Word and to His perfect, divine will. We learn to bend our selfish human wills to His perfect will. In so doing, we show God our love for Him. We also experience the benefits of belonging to Him.

As we begin a new day, we need to constantly remain aware of God’s divine Presence in our lives. And, we need to constantly remain aware of the joy we bring to God each time we obediently follow His will, follow His written Word, and follow the pathway He has laid out before us.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}