A WORD FOR TODAY, March 23, 2026
Peggy Hoppes
We pray you have been blessed by this daily devotion.
Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, March 23, 2026
“My son, don’t forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for they will add to you length of days, years of life, and peace. Don’t let kindness and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor, and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Don’t be wise in your own eyes. Fear Yahweh, and depart from evil. It will be health to your body, and nourishment to your bones.” Proverbs 3:1-8, WEB
I always wear a cross around my neck. I have had different ones over the years, and I’ve replaced the chains over and over again, but the pendant is always a cross. I have other necklaces I wear with it, pendants on chains of different lengths, but there is always a cross. It might not seem very fashionable to wear the same necklace every day, but it is important to me. I often reach for my cross when I’m having a moment, good or bad. I hold it in my hand and think of Jesus. I touch it when I pray. I see it in the mirror when I’m brushing my teeth. Sometimes the chain gets caught up in my hair at night when I am sleeping. My cross often reminds me of Jesus Christ, my need for a Savior, and the forgiveness and eternal life He has won for me.
The cross around my neck sometimes acts as a silent witness to my faith. I hope that when people see me wearing it, they recognize that I am a Christian. I suppose sometimes our actions speak much louder than the symbols we wear, and it can act as a proof my hypocrisy. There are those who love to discover Christians in the act of sinning to use it as a reason to reject God. It is a risk I take every day, and it breaks my heart when I do make a mistake that turns a person away from the Lord.
Though wearing it might act as a witness, positive and negative, I really wear it as a reminder to myself. The writer of today’s verses from Proverbs says, “bind them around your neck.” He is talking about kindness and truth, and he is calling us to be reminded constantly of the good things of life and faith. We are to keep these things ever in our sight so that when we are faced with difficult moments of failure and temptation, we will remember the life God calls us to live. We are also to keep them in sight to remind us to be thankful for every blessing. The life reflected in our cross necklaces is one of obedience to His Word and of trust in Him.
It is easy to forget that God is always nearby. It is easy to ignore Him when there is so much going on in the world. We experience incredible amounts of noise: televisions blaring, horns honking, sirens wailing, phones ringing, computers buzzing, airplanes whining. But it isn’t just the noise; we are never alone. We are constantly bombarded with information. Someone is always trying to sell us something, whether it is a product, or an idea, or an ideology. How can we hear God if we are so busy listening to so many other things and people?
We can certainly bind the symbols of our faith around our neck to help us remember that God is always nearby. What’s most important, however, is that we constantly trust in Him. The cross around my neck could never save me; it is just a reminder of the One who did. The cross around my neck will never save another person, but it can help them to see the One who can. Most of all, the cross around my neck helps keep my eyes on the One who will help me to live in His grace and direct me on the right path. It is all a matter of trust. Who do we trust? Do we trust the world and all it wants to see us? Do we trust in our own understanding? Or do we trust in the God who has given us His peace?
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276.
Peggy Hoppes
We pray you have been blessed by this daily devotion.
Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, March 23, 2026
“Now I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. However with most of them, God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Don’t be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.’ Let’s not commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell. Let’s not test Christ, as some of them tested, and perished by the serpents. Don’t grumble, as some of them also grumbled, and perished by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn’t fall. No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, WEB
I hated history when I was young. It seemed useless to me to have to learn all those people, places, and dates. What good purpose was there in knowing what someone did a thousand years ago? After all, their culture and circumstances are much different than ours today. It even seemed silly to study history from just a few years ago. After all, what is past is past and we should not dwell on things that cannot be changed but look forward to the future.
I had the same opinion of the Old Testament books of the Bible. What good did it do to read those stories of Israel? We often don’t like the image we read of God; we are troubled by the war and violence, the ritual and demands. Besides, their culture and circumstances were so different than ours today. Jesus Christ as made all tings new; He has restored our relationship to God, offering through His blood the grace and forgiveness that gives us true life. The stories we learned in Sunday School were fun, but they aren’t good for much else, are they?
They say that those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it. We study the things of the past, what worked and what didn’t work, to help guide our decisions for the future. The Bible tells us there is nothing new under the sun, and this is most certainly true in every aspect of human nature. American culture is not much different than other prosperous civilizations in ages past. Our political system was established based on ancient examples. Military, education, and welfare policies were founded on principles used many times before. If we refuse to recall the lessons learned throughout history, we will continue to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.
Just as ancient history is important for us to know and understand to keep from falling into the same traps, so too is the Old Testament witness important for Christians. Jesus is found in every book of the Bible, even the Old Testament. The Israelites had Christ before them; the stories we read are reflections of the promise to come. They were given the manna as a promise of Jesus, who is the Bread of life. Water flowed from the rock, foreseeing the Living water that is Christ. Yet they did not remain faithful to the One who fulfilled their needs. As we look back on those stories, we are reminded that Christ is the solid rock on whom we stand and get our strength. When we are tested, as the Israelites were tested in the desert, we are warned from their example to turn to God. Let’s not let history repeat itself in our lives; we need to learn from the past and stand firm for the future. Thanks be to God, who is faithful to His promises. He has provided a way out, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.