“If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell behold, thou art there” (Psalm 139:8 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible). They may have taken prayer out of our schools, but they will never be able to remove God from…
“Heaven and earth shall pass away but my words shall not pass away” (Luke 21:33 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible). I had a passing thought this morning as I was cleaning and dusting my collectables that require constant care. One of these days the world as I…
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9 from the New International Version of the Holy Bible) It is difficult to wrap your mind around how…
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. (Jeremiah 33:3, NIV) One of the first arguments I will often hear from friends who claim to be atheist is that too many bad things happen. I think we have all…
And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. (Mark 4:38-39, Holy Bible, King James Version)
Jesus had ended a day-long session of teaching the multitudes gathered along the seashore where He sat in a ship. In the evening, He sent the crowd away and instructed His disciples to cross the lake. No doubt tired, Jesus took a rest in the back of the boat.
While crossing the lake, a storm arose and buffeted the ship with high winds and deluged it with water. When it looked like nothing they could do would save the boat and passengers, the disciples woke up Jesus. Their first words were accusations of His unconcern. When your spiritual boat is caught in a storm you can’t control, what do you say when you wake up the Master?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I’m caught in a spiritual storm I can’t stop. Wake up and rescue me and give me peace. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
A time to be born, and a time to die (Ecclesiastes 3:2, Holy Bible, King James Version)
“When is my baby due?” an expectant mother joyfully asks her physician. At the birth of her child, a new life is celebrated and treasured through the years. When the pendulum of life swings far to the other side, a different question might be heard from this aging mother. “How much time do I have, Doctor?”
As she relives special memories, she sees how her life has touched her family, friends and community. More importantly, she is content because she has invested her life toward shaping her own eternal destiny.
Prayer: Eternal God, You chose my birthday and have set my departure date from this earthly life. You have given me charge over using the rest of the time. I serve you, waiting for the day my earthly time clock stops and eternal life begins with You. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
Adapted from In the Right Place: A Gallery of Treasured Moments (Carr Twins & Co., 2006) © Violet Carr Moore
You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set. (Psalm 104:19, Complete Jewish Bible) Sunrise peeks through darkness to begin a new day. Sunset spreads a reddish glow across the horizon and disappears making way for nightfall. People relish these daily events, snap photos,…
While the earth remains,Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer,
And day and night Shall not cease. (Genesis 8:22, Holy Bible, New King James Version)
Routine is often seen as a rut that hinders progress toward a specific goal. Motivators tell us to get out of the rut, to abandon the stereotype, to embrace change.
I’ve seen many seasons. Fall is my favorite. I welcome it every year. Is fall a rut? No, it has a purpose. Along with the other seasons, it is proof of God’s covenant with Noah, a promise we inherited as long as earth remains.
Prayer: Eternal God, times and seasons continue as a declaration that no man can hinder Your promises. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
“But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.” Matthew 13:25
Sometimes it might seem that you get up in the morning, and someone has planted weeds among your beautiful flowers. Where did they come from so fast? What happened while you were sleeping?
If we fall asleep spiritually, or slip into neutral and just try to coast along, the enemy of our souls will seize this opportunity to plant spiritual weeds in our heart. A root of bitterness will take hold, and slowly start to destroy us.
We must stay alert and on guard spiritually! Keep your eyes on your spiritual garden, and don’t let the enemy come in and plant his ungodly seeds.
Prayer: Lord, let me alert and awake spiritually. Open my eyes to the tricks of the enemy, and show me how to protect my spiritual life.
Devotion by Liane Grant