Weekly Devotion August 24 2026

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission

Bible Study Verse: Mark 7:5-13 – 5 

So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” 6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain, their teachings are merely human rules.’[a] 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” 9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe[b] your own traditions! (NIV©)

Thoughts: Traditions. There are many in hunting and fishing. Get on a deep-sea fishing boat and break out a bunch of bananas to eat on your way to the fishing spot and old school Captains just might throw you overboard! At the least, the bananas are going away. Some friends of mine along with my son and I have a tradition when going on a hunt. Someone has to bring along a bag of Hostess chocolate coated donuts! We all know that they are the key to a successful hunt! Other brands may look like the real thing, but only the Hostess will do the trick! Traditions can be fun and add to your outdoor experiences, but, you might want to sight in your bow or rifle before heading out looking for deer or elk!

Action Point: Sometimes in our walk with Jesus we can establish traditions. Many churches have traditions as well. But the key is to be sure that our traditions are Biblically based and never become more important than what are taught in the Scriptures. Nothing good comes from traditions overriding Bible teaching. I’ve said it for years, when the rules of man become more important than the rules of God, we will always get into trouble. Here’s a tradition where you will never go wrong: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as you would love yourself. You’ll never go wrong with these two traditions!

Sportsmen’s Tip of the Day: Older hunters and fishermen, teach the youngsters the traditions early. It will add to your hunt and will become something that you and the kids will remember, and cherish, for a lifetime.