“I have handed him the reins” - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.
Proverbs 25:28

"I have handed him the reins"
A long time ago a preacher was visiting friends. They told him about the unbridled temperament of John, their coachman. When the visitor's stay came to an end and he was about to be taken to the station in the coach, he mounted the seat next to the coachman and started talking to him about the horses. He praised John for his ability in handling the animals. When they came to a bend by a dangerous slope, he asked the coachman: "John, what would happen to us, if the horses bolted?"

"We should be in a bad way," John replied. - "Then just imagine that you, John, were to lose control over the animals. If, in that case, someone were sitting next to you who had never lost control over a horse, what would you do then?" - "Well, I suppose I would hand the reins over to him, if he were better at it." The preacher continued by asking, "Have you sometimes the feeling that inside you are a few wild horses that are constantly bolting together with you?" John became subdued; he knew his lack of self-control only too well.

"John, I know someone who can control all our wild passions and inclinations. You need to let Him into your life, so that He can do so for you." The preacher told John about salvation through Jesus Christ and the power the gospel has to change people.

A year later the preacher visited his friends once again. When the train arrived at the station, he discovered the coachman immediately. John came over to him, took him by the arm and said, "I have handed Him the reins."

Today's reading: Exodus 10:12-23 · Luke 4:31-44