“Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God is with you every step you take.” (Joshua 1:9 in The Message Bible) Reading this verse reminded me of a phrase I used over and over again with my children, “How many times do I…
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible) Training is not an easy task for parents or children. As parents sometimes it seems like all we…
Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. (1 Samuel 1:6-7, KJV) Imagine wanting something…
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1:3, NIV) Psalm 1 says that those who walk with the Lord and meditate on His word day and night will prosper. The Psalm describes what the life of…
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16, NLT) Where would we be without the godly mentors in our lives? Between now and tomorrow it…
Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, inbut the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. (Proverbs 28:13, NIV) Forgiving others becomes second nature to most of us. We know that people make mistakes and sometimes it’s easier to forgive and move on. Forgiving ourselves can be a different…
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (Matthew 22:37, KJV) We sing songs about surrendering all to Him but do we truly know what that means? To commit ourselves to Him to…
“And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17, Holy Bible, King James Version).
Lepers in Bible times faced expulsion from the city, their families, their homes. Jesus cleansed a group of ten and spared them the physical disability and the cultural agony. Excited to be disease free, they went happily on their way. Only one returned to express his thanks to Jesus.
We scoff at the ungratefulness of the nine lepers who were so preoccupied with the rituals of being declared clean, they forgot to acknowledge the giver of the precious gift. But, what about us? Are we among the ungrateful, or the single one who took the time to be thankful for His cleansing mercy?
Prayer: Lord, I give you thanks for Your miraculous touch in my life. In You, I am made whole. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,” (Genesis 1:14, English Standard Version of the Holy Bible).
Triple-digit summer temperatures peaked electrical performance. Warnings to keep babies and inactive elderly hydrated and away from the hot sun were given, but emergency rooms were overrun with those experiencing heat exposure and dehydration. Cool fall temperatures have replaced the scorching heat. Soon winter will bring heavy rains, snow, and ice. Then, spring will blossom again with gentle warmth and the beauty of fresh new foliage.
Only when we experience all the seasons do we realize God is in control. As He manages the seasons with symmetry, you can trust Him to be in control of your life.
Pray: Heavenly Father, You established times and seasons and days and nights in the beginning. As each arrives, you give me new seasons of purpose. Once I was young, like spring, now I am in the fall of my life. I trust that You will bring me through the winter to my eternal destiny. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore