Flatwood Baptist Church Decatur, Texas

The Burning Bush Devotional June 2
Job Needed Comfort, Not Criticism – Relationships Listen Before They Lecture
Job 2:11–13; Job 16:1–5; Romans 12:15; Proverbs 18:13

One of the greatest gifts we can offer someone who is hurting is our presence. Yet one of the greatest mistakes people often make when faced with another person's suffering is feeling obligated to immediately explain it, fix, analyze, or solve it. Compassion does not always arrive with answers, sometimes it arrives carrying nothing more than a listening ear, a caring heart, and the willingness to simply sit with someone in their pain. Relationship Thinking understands that hurting people are not projects to be fixed; they are people to be loved.

Few stories in Scripture illustrate this truth better than the life of Job. In a truly short period of time, Job lost his children, his wealth, his health, and nearly every sense of stability he had known. The suffering was overwhelming. Yet when Job's three friends first arrived, they actually did something remarkably wise. Scripture tells us they sat with him for seven days and seven nights without speaking a word because they saw how great his suffering was. Sometimes silence can be one of the purest expressions of compassion. Unfortunately, things changed when they began talking. What started as comfort slowly turned into criticism. What started as compassion became accusation. Instead of listening carefully to Job's broken heart, they became convinced they already knew why he was suffering. They assumed God must be punishing him for some hidden sin. Rather than helping carry his burden, they added weight to it. Rather than bringing healing, they brought hurt. Job eventually responded in Job 16:2, "I have heard many things like these; you are miserable comforters, all of you!"

That statement should challenge every believer because many well-meaning Christians accidentally become miserable comforters. They rush to explain before they understand. They lecture before they listen. They offer answers before they hear the whole story. The problem is not usually a lack of concern. The problem is a lack of Relationship Thinking. Relationship Thinking slows down long enough to understand what a person actually needs. Sometimes hurting people do not need a sermon, Sometimes they do not need advice or even correction.
Sometimes they simply need someone willing to sit beside them and remind them they are not alone. That is why Romans 12:15 instructs believers, "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." Notice Paul does not say explain their mourning…he says enter into it. Compassion steps into another person's reality long enough to help carry what they are carrying.

This is one of the reasons Jesus was so effective in ministering to broken people. He listened. He asked questions. He saw beyond the symptoms and recognized the deeper wounds beneath the surface. He understood that healing often begins when people feel heard and understood. This is why Relationships with those we desire to minister with and to are so important.

Obviously, Jesus knows everyone’s hearts whether the person realizes it or not. But as a Pastor I promise you if you take the time to build the relationship with those you minister to and with, before, during and after you minister it will be a worthwhile endeavor that everyone will be blessed from. Proverbs 18:13 provides a warning many of us need to remember: "To answer before listening—that is folly and shame." How much pain could be avoided if believers practiced that verse more consistently? How many wounded hearts would feel safer sharing their struggles if they knew they would be heard before they were judged? Take a moment to build the relationship because there are people sitting in our churches every Sunday carrying burdens they have never spoken aloud. Some have experienced grief, betrayal, addiction, failure, loneliness, depression, or disappointment. They do not always need someone to immediately tell them what to do. Often they need someone willing to listen long enough to understand what they are going through.

So, the question today is not whether people around you are hurting because many are. The question is whether you are listening long enough to understand their pain before trying to explain it. Because healing often begins when somebody cares enough to listen before they lecture.

Serving Christ Together
Pastor Doug

The Burning Bush Devotional June 1
The Priest Walked By
Luke 10:25–37; 1 John 3:17–18; Galatians 6:2; James 2:15–17

One of the greatest dangers facing the modern church is not open rebellion against God but becoming so busy with religious activity that we fail to notice hurting people standing right beside us. It is possible to attend church faithfully, know Scripture well, serve on committees, participate in ministries, and still miss opportunities to show compassion when people need it most.

Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly reminds His people that genuine faith is never measured merely by what we know, but also by how we respond to those who are hurting around us. It’s high time we started looking through the lens of what I call “Relationship Thinking.” The kind Jesus has with us!

Jesus illustrated this truth through one of the most familiar parables in all of Scripture. In Luke 10, a man was attacked by robbers, stripped, beaten, and left half dead beside the road. As the wounded man lay there helpless, two religious men passed by. First came a priest. Surely a man devoted to serving God would stop and help. Yet Scripture tells us he saw the man and passed by on the other side. Then came a Levite, another religious servant who also saw the wounded man and continued on his way. Both men recognized the need; both men saw the suffering and even though both men had the opportunity to help neither one stopped. Religion doesn’t always see what a relationship with Christ sees. That should challenge every believer because the issue was not ignorance. The priest and Levite were not unaware of the man's condition. They saw exactly what was happening. The issue was that compassion never moved them to action. They may have had reasons like being too busy, or feeling uncomfortable because of the culture associated with their Religion. They may have convinced themselves someone else would help But regardless of the reason, the wounded man remained wounded while religious people kept walking.
Then Jesus introduced the Samaritan. In that culture, Samaritans and Jews often despised one another. Yet the Samaritan was the only person who stopped. He bandaged wounds, provided transportation, paid expenses, and ensured ongoing care. While the others offered nothing, the Samaritan became the instrument through which healing began. That is why 1 John 3:18 says, "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."

Compassion is more than feeling sorry for someone.
Compassion moves beyond emotion and becomes action. Many people sympathize with suffering. Far fewer step into the suffering and help carry the burden. The Religion in us says “well they have people for that” the relationship with Jesus or the person says, “ Aren’t we the people for that” or better yet “I will be the person for that.” Stop waiting and start serving!
There are hurting people sitting in our pews every Sunday. Some are carrying grief. Some are battling depression. Some are facing addiction, loneliness, fear, financial struggles, broken relationships, or health concerns. They may smile, sing the hymns, and shake hands at the door while quietly carrying burdens nobody else can see. The question is whether we notice them or simply walk past them while remaining focused on our own schedules and responsibilities.

That is why Galatians 6:2 instructs us, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." God never intended believers to walk through life alone. The Body of Christ functions best when compassionate people are willing to slow down, listen, encourage, pray, and help one another through difficult seasons. James 2:15–17 reminds us that faith without action accomplishes very little. Good intentions alone do not heal wounds. Healing often begins when someone notices a need and chooses to respond with compassion. “17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

So, the question today is not whether wounded people exist because they do. The question is whether you are walking past them or stopping long enough to start a relationship and love them compassionately and help them. Because healing often begins when somebody chooses to care enough to get involved.

Serving Christ Together
Pastor Doug

The Burning Bush Devotional May 31
When Mercy Was Needed Most
John 8:1–11; Micah 6:8; James 2:13

One of the greatest tragedies within the Body of Christ is that sometimes people who desperately need compassion encounter criticism instead. They arrive carrying guilt, shame, regret, failure, broken relationships, bad decisions, wounded hearts, and heavy burdens only to discover that some people are more interested in discussing their failures than helping them find healing. The unfortunate reality is that human nature often gravitates toward judgment much faster than it gravitates toward mercy. We often find it easier to identify someone's mistakes than to help them recover from them, yet throughout Scripture we see God responding very differently than man responds.

One of the clearest examples appears in John 8. The religious leaders dragged before Jesus a woman who had been caught in adultery. They publicly exposed her sin, humiliated her before the crowd, and demanded judgment. What is striking is that nobody seemed concerned about restoring the woman. Nobody was asking how she ended up there, nobody was looking for healing and worst of all nobody was offering grace. They were simply looking for someone to condemn. The crowd came carrying stones…Jesus came carrying compassion. Notice carefully that Jesus never excused her sin. He never called evil good…He never lowered God's standard. Instead, He exposed the hypocrisy of those who were eager to judge while ignoring their own need for mercy. One by one the accusers walked away until only Jesus and the woman remained. Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you… Go now and leave your life of sin.”

That statement reveals something powerful about the heart of God. Compassion and truth are not enemies. Jesus demonstrated both at the same time. He offered mercy without compromising righteousness, He extended grace without approving sin, and He created an environment where healing could begin because He understood something many people forget: broken people rarely heal under a hailstorm of condemnation.

This is why Micah 6:8 reminds us that God desires His people “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Notice God does not merely tell us to show mercy occasionally. He says we are to love mercy. Mercy should become part of our character because we ourselves have received so much of it. Every believer standing in church on Sunday morning is living proof that God was willing to extend compassion when we needed it most. And honestly, this is where many Christians struggle. We often remember the sins of others while forgetting the mercy that covered our own. We become uncomfortable around people whose failures are visible while conveniently overlooking our own hidden weaknesses. Yet if God had treated us according to what we deserved, none of us would be standing in His grace today.
James 2:13 delivers a sobering reminder: “Judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.

Mercy triumphs over judgment.” What a powerful statement. Mercy does not deny that sin exists. Mercy simply refuses to allow judgment to have the final word when repentance and restoration remain possible. The church should be the safest place on earth for people seeking healing. Not because sin is ignored, but because grace is available. People should find truth in our churches, but they should also find compassion. They should find correction, but they should also find restoration. They should find believers who remember how much mercy God extended to them when they were the ones standing in need.

So, the question today is not whether people around you have made mistakes because everyone has. The question is whether you are carrying stones or compassion. Because healing often begins when someone chooses mercy at the very moment judgment seems easiest.

Serving Christ Together
Pastor Doug

The Burning Bush Devotional May 30
Abounding in Victory
1 Corinthians 15:57–58; Romans 8:37; 2 Corinthians 2:14; Revelation 12:11

After a person realizes they have drifted, recognizes the darkness, hears the Father calling them home, receives His mercy, and finally understands what the Cross accomplished, there still remains one final truth many believers struggle to fully embrace: they were never called merely to survive spiritually, through Jesus Christ, they were called to live in victory. Not worldly victory measured by comfort, wealth, popularity, or ease, but spiritual victory that overcomes sin, fear, condemnation, hopelessness, and the lies of the enemy through the finished work of Christ.

Too many believers spend their lives seeing themselves only through the lens of past failures, weaknesses, mistakes, disappointments, or spiritual battles. They live continually looking backward instead of understanding what Jesus purchased for them moving forward. The enemy loves this because as long as people remain chained mentally to what they used to be, they often struggle to walk confidently in what God has already called them to become. That is why so many believers live beneath the spiritual authority, peace, joy, freedom, and purpose God intended them to experience through Christ.

But Scripture teaches something far greater. 1 Corinthians 15:57–58 says, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Notice carefully where the victory comes from. Victory is not rooted in human perfection, personal strength, or religious performance; Victory flows through Jesus Christ Himself. The Cross, the Resurrection, and the empty tomb permanently changed the outcome for every believer willing to place their faith in Him. Death was defeated, sin was conquered, the enemy was overcome, and hope was restored.

That does not mean believers never struggle, fail, hurt, grieve, or fight spiritual battles. Scripture never teaches that Christians become immune to hardship. But it does teach that hardship no longer has final authority over those who belong to Christ. That is why Romans 8:37 says, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Notice the wording carefully: “in” all these things. Not after every battle disappears…not once life becomes easy…and not when circumstances finally become perfect. God says believers can overcome even while walking through difficult seasons because Christ Himself remains greater than the battle surrounding them.

Honestly, this is where many people misunderstand spiritual victory. Victory does not mean believers never fight. No, Victory simply means the enemy no longer owns the outcome. The battle may still rage, but the final authority belongs to Christ. Fear does not win, darkness does not win, condemnation does not win, and death does not win, because Jesus already settled that through the Cross and Resurrection. That is why 2 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession.” God never intended His children to live permanently defeated, hopeless, ashamed, and spiritually broken. He intended them to walk in the confidence that comes from knowing Christ already overcame what they could never overcome alone. Revelation 12:11 reminds us how believers overcome: “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Victory was never about pretending weakness does not exist. Victory is about knowing the blood of Jesus is greater than the weakness trying to defeat you.

So, the question today is not whether battles still exist because they do. The question is whether you are still living as though the enemy has authority over a life Christ already redeemed. Because through Jesus Christ, wandering people do not merely find their way back home. Through Him they become victorious.

Serving Christ Together
Pastor Doug

The Burning Bush Devotional May 29
The Cross Became the Bridge Back
Romans 5:8; Colossians 1:20; 1 Peter 2:24; John 14:6

There are many people who understand intelligently that Jesus died on the Cross, yet they have never fully grasped what the Cross actually accomplished personally for them. The Cross was never merely a symbol of suffering, tragedy, or religious history. The Cross became the place where separation between God and man was bridged once and for all through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Every wandering heart, every broken life, every guilty conscience, every sinner, every prodigal, and every spiritually exhausted soul now has a way back to the Father because Jesus was willing to stand in the gap we created through sin.

That is why Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Notice carefully when God chose to extend mercy toward humanity. It was not after mankind perfected itself, earned righteousness, or somehow became worthy of salvation. Christ died for us while we were still separated from Him by sin. That truth destroys the lie that people must somehow make themselves worthy before coming to God because the Cross itself proves that salvation has always been rooted in God’s grace rather than human achievement. And honestly, this is where many people still struggle spiritually.

They believe God forgives theoretically, but inwardly they continue carrying shame, regret, failure, and condemnation as though they must somehow continue paying personally for sins Jesus already carried to Calvary. But the Cross was not partial payment, it was complete payment for what was already done and everything that would ever be done by any sinner who would ever exist. Jesus did not suffer so people could remain chained to guilt after repentance…He suffered so restoration could become fully possible through Him. This is so significant to where the Apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.” Jesus carried not only the punishment of sin, but also the burden, shame, and separation sin created between man and God. The very thing that once kept people spiritually distant from the Father was overcome through Christ’s sacrifice.

Before the Cross, sin stood as a barrier mankind could never overcome alone. Human effort could not remove it, nor could religious performance erase it. Good intentions could not fix it because the debt was too great. But Jesus willingly became the bridge back to the Father through His death, burial, and resurrection and that is why Colossians 1:20 says Christ made peace “through his blood, shed on the cross.” The peace people search for everywhere else was ultimately purchased at Calvary.

And this is why Jesus said so boldly in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus did not merely point toward the path back to God, He became the path. The Cross became the doorway through which mercy, forgiveness, grace, restoration, and eternal life now freely flow to all who will receive Him. That does not mean salvation is cheap. It cost Heaven everything. But it does mean no person is beyond the reach of God’s grace when they truly surrender themselves to Christ. The enemy wants people staring continually at the distance they wandered. God wants them looking at the Cross that already made a way home.

So, the question today is not whether Jesus made restoration possible because the Cross settled that forever. The question is whether you are still trying to carry what Christ already died to free you from. Because the Cross did not merely expose humanity’s sin. The Cross became the bridge that made returning to God possible again.

Serving Christ Together
Pastor Doug

The Burning Bush Devotional May 28
Mercy Meets Us Before We Get Back
Lamentations 3:22–23; Psalm 103:8–14; Ephesians 2:4–5; Titus 3:5

If I stood in the pulpit and preached “a truth” about God’s mercy only being available to those people who believe they must first completely fix themselves before mercy can fully reach them, I would be falling prey to what the Word says in 2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” I want to make very clear I don’t teach like this; I teach exactly what the Word of God says and no, sometimes it’s not what we want to hear at any given time because it convicts our sin and proves our heart towards the savior. People do the following; they imagine they must somehow clean up every failure, overcome every weakness, repair every mistake, and become spiritually worthy again before God will begin restoring their life. But that is not how mercy works at all. Mercy does not wait at the finish line for people to finally become perfect. Mercy begins moving toward people the very moment they turn back toward God.

That is why so many broken people in Scripture found compassion from God before their restoration story was even complete. God has always been rich in mercy toward wandering, hurting, repentant people because mercy is part of His character, not merely His reaction. The Lord does not offer mercy reluctantly; He offers it because His love is greater than our failures. That is why Lamentations 3:22–23 says, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning.” What a powerful reminder for people carrying guilt, regret, shame, or spiritual exhaustion. If God’s mercy depended entirely upon human performance, none of us would survive spiritually for very long. The reason restoration remains possible is because God’s compassion continues reaching toward us even after we fail. And honestly, this is where many believers struggle. They accept that God forgives sin intellectually, but emotionally they still live as though they must earn their way back into His favor through suffering, shame, self-condemnation, or religious performance. But Scripture never teaches that forgiveness is purchased by human punishment. Jesus already paid the price at the Cross completely.

That is why Psalm 103:8–14 says, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” Notice how God describes Himself. Compassion comes before wrath, mercy comes before destruction and God is holy and just, but He is also deeply compassionate toward human weakness. He remembers our frailty far better than we often remember it ourselves. This does not mean sin is insignificant. But sin always carries consequences, and wandering from God always wounds the soul, but mercy means failure does not have to become the final chapter of a person’s story. That is why Ephesians 2:4–5 says, “Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.” Notice the timing carefully. God’s mercy moved toward us while we were still spiritually broken, not after we somehow repaired ourselves first. And Titus 3:5 says, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” Salvation itself stands as proof that mercy has always been God’s idea before it was ever ours. Mercy is what reached into darkness and made restoration possible at all.

So, the question today is not whether you have failed because every person has. The question is whether you are still trying to earn what God has already been offering freely through His mercy all along. Because mercy does not wait for perfection before it begins working. Mercy meets us before we ever fully make it back.

Serving Christ Together
Pastor Doug

The Burning Bush Devotional May 27
God Still Calls Wandering People Home
Isaiah 55:6–7; John 6:37; Luke 15:20; Romans 2:4

Have you given any thought to the fact that the enemy’s greatest lies is convincing people that after they have drifted far enough from God there is no real way back. He whispers that people have failed too greatly, wandered too long, compromised too deeply, or become too spiritually cold for restoration to still be possible. He simply says that “you are too bad for God to take you back;” therefore nullifying the purpose that God put in your life when you were born. That lie has kept many people sitting in spiritual darkness long after God was already calling them home. But Scripture repeatedly reveals something beautiful about the heart of God. He does not stop pursuing wandering people simply because they wandered.

That is why Isaiah 55:6–7 says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them.” Notice the invitation carefully. God does not merely expose wandering; He offers mercy to those willing to return. The problem is many people remain trapped by shame, pride, fear, or condemnation because they believe God is standing at a distance waiting to reject them. But that has never been the picture Scripture gives us of the Father’s heart toward repentance. People often imagine that if they return to God they will first have to repair themselves, clean themselves up, or somehow make themselves spiritually worthy again before He will receive them. But the Gospel teaches exactly the opposite. God’s mercy is what makes restoration possible in the first place, because if human perfection were required before returning to God, nobody would ever make it home.

That is why Jesus said in John 6:37, “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” What a powerful promise for wandering hearts. Jesus did not say He would receive only the strong, the flawless, or the spiritually impressive. He said those willing to come to Him would not be rejected. That invitation still stands today no matter how far someone feels they have drifted.

You can see this so clearly in the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:20. Before the son could even fully reach the house, Scripture says the father saw him from a great distance and ran to him. The father was not waiting with rejection in his hands. He was waiting with compassion. That does not mean the son’s wandering was insignificant or without consequence. It means the father’s love was greater than the distance the son had created. And honestly, this is where many believers struggle deeply. They understand grace intellectually for other people while quietly believing they themselves have wandered too far to fully experience restoration again. But Romans 2:4 reminds us that it is the goodness of God that leads people toward repentance. “…God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”

God’s mercy was never intended to excuse sin. It was intended to draw wandering hearts back toward Him before destruction fully consumes them. That is why conviction is actually an act of love. The fact that a person still feels the pull of God upon their heart means God has not abandoned them. Light is still reaching into the darkness calling them home. The enemy condemns in order to push people further away from God. The Holy Spirit convicts in order to bring people back to Him. There is a tremendous difference between the two.

So, the question today is not whether you have drifted because many people have at different points in life. The question is whether pride, shame, fear, or condemnation are keeping you from responding to the voice of the Father still calling you home. Because no matter how far someone wanders, God’s mercy is still greater than the distance back.

Serving Christ Together
Pastor Doug

The Burning Bush Devotional May 26
Darkness Makes People Forget Where They Were Going
Matthew 21:28-32; John 8:12; Ephesians 4:17–18; Psalm 143:8

One of the most dangerous things about darkness is not simply that it hides where you are, it slowly causes people to forget where they were going in the first place. That is why spiritual drifting becomes so dangerous. The farther people move away from God’s truth, the dimmer spiritual clarity becomes. At first they still recognize the path…they still remember convictions, standards, direction, and the peace that once came from walking closely with God, but little by little darkness begins affecting judgment, perspective, desires, and priorities until people eventually begin normalizing things that once deeply troubled their spirit.

Jesus addressed this same spiritual blindness in Matthew 21:28–32 when He spoke about the two sons. One verbally refused his father’s instruction but later repented and obeyed, while the other spoke the right words outwardly yet never actually followed through in obedience. That is one of the dangers of spiritual darkness because darkness does not always make people openly rebellious at first. Sometimes it simply convinces them that appearances, words, intentions, or religious familiarity are enough while their heart slowly moves further away from genuine obedience to God. A person can know the language of faith, understand biblical truth, and still drift spiritually if they stop walking in the light they have already been given. That is why Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Notice the connection Jesus makes between following Him and walking in light. Spiritual light is not merely information. It is direction, truth, discernment, wisdom, conviction, and peace flowing from a close relationship with Christ. The farther people drift from His truth, the easier it becomes for darkness to distort what once seemed spiritually obvious.

And honestly, this is where many people become deceived. Darkness rarely announces itself loudly at first. It often enters gradually through compromise, wounded emotions, worldly influences, bitterness, pride, selfish ambition, or repeated disobedience left unchecked. That is why Ephesians 4:17–18 warns about people becoming “darkened in their understanding” because of the hardness of their heart. Darkness affects understanding itself. It clouds discernment and slowly disconnects people from the peace and clarity found in God’s presence.

This is why so many people who drift away from God eventually begin justifying what once convicted them. The darkness did not change truth. It changed their ability to see clearly. And sadly, once people remain in darkness long enough, they often begin believing the darkness itself is normal. That is one of the enemy’s greatest deceptions. He wants people to be comfortable living without the light while convincing themselves they can still see clearly without it. That is why Psalm 143:8 says, “Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.” God has never stopped being willing to guide wandering people back toward Himself. The problem is rarely His willingness to lead. The problem is whether people are willing to step back into the light He is already providing.

So, the question today is not whether darkness exists because it does. The question is whether you have remained close enough to the Light of God’s truth to recognize when darkness has slowly begun affecting your direction, thinking, and spiritual clarity. Because darkness does not merely hide where people are. If left unchecked long enough, it can make them forget where they were going altogether.

Serving Christ Together
Pastor Doug