A bit of whimsy today, October 24, 2025, or, as I like to write it, especially in file names: 20251024. YYYYMMDD, and if you alphabetize the files, these dates will come out in chronological order. So what? Stay tuned…

I missed a very interesting date last month, September 16, which, if written conventionally in the United States, would be 9/16/25. Three perfect squares, and they happen to be the squares of the sides of a 3, 4, 5 right triangle.

I apologize for failing to point that out. So let’s make up for it today:

20251024

This time, a pair of perfect squares: 2025 = 45-squared, and 1024 = 32-squared. Pretty cool. (It happens one more time this year. Stay tuned.)

And there’s a verse for that…

One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike… (Romans 14.5, ESV)

We’ll get back to a more serious topic tomorrow.

The way we read the Bible, especially devotionally, is very much colored by our present circumstances. For us, that’s completing the sale of our former home. We have a contract, as I reported briefly on October 11. But between contract on October 5 and closing on October 31 there are inspections and more things to take care of. It feels overwhelming and sometimes endless. Hence this meditation on Psalm 113:

The LORD is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God, Who dwells on high, Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in the heavens and in the earth? He raises the poor out of the dust, And lifts the needy out of the ash heap, That He may seat him with princes— With the princes of His people. He grants the barren woman a home, Like a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD! (Psalm 113.4 – 9, NKJV)

The Lord is great, but he “humbles himself to…raise the poor out of the dust…” We’re certainly not poor; sale of our house is a rich person’s problem, BUT I’m poor in the sense that I can do nothing to help myself. I can’t talk with the buyers. I can’t reason with them. I can’t say, “Look. I’m not wealthy. Quit trying to take all my money.” All I can do is pray.

“He grants the barren woman a home…” We need the home we’re in to be free and clear. As I’ve written before, this is not the most important thing on God’s agenda, but it’s important to me.

Lord, act! And he has been. Progress is being made. I’ll keep you posted.

For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him. (Isaiah 64.4, NKJV)

I memorized Psalm 112.1 – 9 in the NIV (1984 version) decades ago. I can’t remember specifically which part appealed to me, but I meditate on it frequently. Maybe because I want to be a “…gracious and compassionate and righteous man.” You may have noticed my quoting “he will have no fear” recently, applied to two 2025 surgeries and the sale of our Monument house. Part of verse 9 is quoted in the giving promises of 2 Corinthians 9.6 – 11, another passage I have memorized.

I offer Psalm 112 for you here, still in NIV (1984) without further comment. Be blessed!

Praise the Lord . Blessed is the man who fears the Lord , who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.

Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.

One of my favorite psalms, Psalm 111 emphasizes God’s works:

• The works of the LORD are great, Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
• His work is honorable and glorious, And His righteousness endures forever.
• He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; The LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
• He has given food to those who fear Him; He will ever be mindful of His covenant.
• He has declared to His people the power of His works, In giving them the heritage of the nations.
• The works of His hands are verity and justice; All His precepts are sure. (Psalm 111.2 – 7, NKJV)

Following God is more than believing a set of words. It’s being alert to and appreciating his work. Just as our witness must include works, not just words (see Matthew 5.16), so God’s works are witness to him.

Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” (John 10.32, ESV)

And there is a relationship between words and works at the psalm’s end:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever. (Psalm 111.10, NKJV)

“I just want to understand the Bible!” Great, try putting it into practice. “A good understanding have all those who DO his commandments.”

Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. (John 7.17, NIV)

Sometimes it’s useful to remind ourselves that the impossible does happen from time to time.

On Friday, the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team punched their ticket to the World Series with Japanese-born Shohei Ohtani striking out ten batters in six scoreless innings AND hitting three home runs.

In baseball history, 503 players have hit three home runs in a game, and 1,550 have struck out 10 or more in a game. None, until Friday, had done both. Jeff Passan, ESPN, October 18, 2025

On Sunday, the Denver Broncos NFL team entered the fourth quarter down 19 – 0 to the New York Giants. Two touchdowns later, one by each team, both on deflected passes, the Broncos were down 26 – 8 with 6:38 left in the game. The Broncos’ win probability, a number that is updated continually throughout a game, was 0.7% at that time.

The Broncos won the game 33 – 32 on a last-second field goal.

The Broncos’ improbable comeback snapped a streak in which NFL teams had won 1,602 consecutive games when leading by 18 points in the final 6 minutes of a game. – AP, October 19, 2025

The difficult we do immediately; the impossible takes a little longer.

This is a variant of:

If it is simply difficult, it is done. If it is impossible, it shall be done. (See Quote Investigator for the history and application of this maxim.)

Not one promise from God is empty of power, for nothing is impossible with God! (The Angel Gabriel to Mary as recorded in Luke 1.37, Passion Translation)

I have known people who are really good with “special projects” but not so good at daily routine. People who would rather paint a room than keep it neat and clean on a daily basis. Sahil Bloom spoke to this in a blog posted October 8, 2025: The Costs of Entry in Life. Here’s the section on Boredom:

Boredom of routine is a cost of entry for success

Social media rewired our brains to constantly chase novelty. We swipe until we find the fresh, new thing that grabs our attention.

But unfortunately, that obsession with novelty is the single greatest risk to building the life you want.

An observation on the most successful people I’ve been around:

They have a high tolerance for boredom.

The most meaningful things in life are built through the consistent execution of the very boring basics. Businesses are built through years of pounding away on a core, central idea. Careers are built through years of showing up and doing what you say you’re going to do. Relationships are built through years of presence. Bodies are built through years of basic daily movement and nutrition.

Real success isn’t flashy. It’s built through long periods of extremely disciplined, boring routines. If you chase novelty, you’ll never allow the magic of compounding to do its thing.

Find joy in the boring. Show up, do the work, repeat.

To shine in the light, you have to embrace the boredom in the dark. – Sahil Bloom, October 8, 2025, emphasis his

For example, some of us like the flashy conferences but not the discipline of daily time with God. We might need to “…embrace boredom in the dark.”

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (Matthew 6.5, 6, NKJV)

Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little. (Isaiah 28.9, 10, NKJV)

I accidentally published God at Work. Please disregard. It will come at the appropriate time later this week.

I hope yesterday’s blog on Psalm 113 on our trusting God’s power with respect to our house sale encourages you to trust God for a practical, perhaps overwhelming, need in your life. Let’s continue that line of thinking as we move to Psalm 114:

God can and does work. He is powerful. He can move mountains and seas:

When Israel went out of Egypt…The sea saw it and fled; Jordan turned back. The mountains skipped like rams, The little hills like lambs.

What ails you, O sea, that you fled? O Jordan, that you turned back? O mountains, that you skipped like rams? O little hills, like lambs?

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the God of Jacob, Who turned the rock into a pool of water, The flint into a fountain of waters. (Psalm 114.1 – 8, NKJV)

These are scenes from Exodus – Joshua. The Red Sea parted (Exodus 14) and the Jordan River (Joshua 3). Mt Sinai trembled at the presence of the Lord and and no doubt skipped like a ram (Exodus 19). And when they needed water, it came from a rock (Exodus 17).

I need to be reminded:

Is anything too hard for the LORD? (Genesis 18.14, ESV)

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32.27, ESV)

There are obstacles in this move, but God can make them go away. Solid rock can become a pool of water. The sea and the river can part.

There is nothing here challenging ME to do something. It’s God at work.

There’s a Beetle Bailey comic, January 1, 2007, in which General Halftrack is looking at a bulletin board advertising activities at Camp Swampy including:

• Dance! This weekend
• Volleyball schedule
• Tour of Poco City Thursday
• Wanted: ride to Reno
• Horseshoe Tournament Sunday
• Book Club Meeting
• Guitar for Sale

The General says to the major:

It’s hard to believe there’s a war on.

I’ve always thought, “If we looked at your church bulletin, would we know there’s a war on?”

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6.10 – 13, NKJV)

I was reminded of this recently when I received an email from what everyone would call a “good church.” Signals are mixed, at best:

• Girls lunch: Come learn how to play the game that’s all the craze – Mahjong! Join other ladies for a fun afternoon of food and fellowship.
• A special event for our widows – a time of fellowship, music, laughter, testimony and great food. We’ll meet from 10-11:30 AM in Room 8114, located in the Activity Center…
• Joyful Journeys (for those ages 55-75) would like to invite you to a Tailgating Event Oct. 25 from 12 – 4 PM. Come join us for football, food and fellowship!

Then this entry:

Midweek Communion Service: Listen to our Oct. 8 message, “Jude: Called to Contend,” as the Pastor reflects on Jude 1-4.

“Called to Contend.” The pastor gets it. We’re in a battle. But this seemingly important “Midweek Communion Service” announcement is competing with advertisements for Mahjong and football, among other things.

I don’t know the solution. I know we need fun and fellowship from time to time, but it seems hard to focus on training for the war when our church bulletins look like the activities menu from a country club or retirement home.

Then I saw a 3-year-old post about Jordan Peterson containing this insightful recommendation:

Peterson thinks Christianity has what young men are looking for. It promotes vocation and dominion, the fulfillment of male ambition and desire. It gives purpose and order to chaos. It sets goals and offers a reward.

He challenges churches to “invite the young men back.” He tells them to say, “Young men are welcome here.” Put up a billboard with that message, he suggests. Tell them they can come in and they will.

Peterson wants churches to set high expectations for men. “Ask more, not less, of those you are inviting,” he says. “Ask more of them than anyone ever has. Remind them who they are, in the deepest sense, and help them become that.”

The late Leroy Eims, a patriarch in The Navigators, the organization with which I serve use to say:

If you play a man’s game, men will come.

There’s something to that, and we’re not ruling women out! Churches should call all of us to mission, not just fun. After all, there’s a war on.

And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. (Ephesians 6.10 – 12, MSG)

And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12.17, NKJV)

Psalm 108 is a lesson on “keep praying anyway.” It starts out in praise:

O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, O LORD, among the peoples, And I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your mercy is great above the heavens, And Your truth reaches to the clouds. (Psalm 108.1 – 4, NKJV)

Sounds great, but what’s the background? Israel is supposed to be God’s favorite:

God has spoken in His holiness: “I will rejoice; I will divide Shechem And measure out the Valley of Succoth. Gilead is Mine; Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is the helmet for My head; Judah is My lawgiver. (Psalm 108.7, 8, NKJV)

“I like the tribes of Israel…” And:

Moab is My washpot; Over Edom I will cast My shoe; Over Philistia I will triumph.” (Psalm 108.9, NKJV)

“I don’t care anything about Moab, Edom, and Philistia,” but…

Who will bring me into the strong city? Who will lead me to Edom? Is it not You, O God, who cast us off? And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies? (Psalm 108.10 – 11, NKJV)

We’re supposed to be the favorite. We should be able to conquer Edom, but you’ve quit helping us! What to do? Keep praying:

Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies. (Psalm 108.12 – 13, NKJV)

And he did. Israel is still here! And I don’t see any news about Edom, Moab, and Philistia (except Philistine territory – Gaza – is very much a present enemy).

Read Revelation. God wins. We win. But there are times when it appears we are not winning. And if we understand there’s a war on, this situation wouldn’t be surprising. (More tomorrow about the war.)

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints… (Ephesians 6.17, 18, NKJV)

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11.15, NKJV)