Recent Devotions
“And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25, ESV) Have you ever observed a parent intervening in a childish squabble? It may have started with a push, a hit, or just angry words. With a stern voice, the parent admonishes, “Say you’re sorry.” Reluctantly, half-heartedly, a mumbled word comes out. “Sorry.” The other child mumbles a quick, and also half-hearted, “Okay.” “I’m sorry. Forgive me.” Those words are so difficult to squeeze out for adults and children. It is often…
“For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes.” (Job 3:25-26 ESV) Do the words of Job strike a chord with you? To say that he was stressed…
“And as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above…
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“Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” John 11:32. Mary had been firmly convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. She had listened to the stories from his disciples about the miracles that had been happening. She had braved the complaining from her sister and the traditions of her culture, to leave the kitchen and sit at Jesus’ feet. Listening to His teachings about the kingdom that were so different from what the scribes and Pharisees taught,…
“But you, God, break out laughing; you treat the godless nations like jokes. Strong God, I’m watching you do it, I can always count on you. God in dependable love shows up on time, shows me my enemies in ruin.” Psalms 59:8-10 MSG In moments of suffering and struggle, it can be so challenging to declare that we see God working it out – but that is exactly what faith requires of us. Trusting in God won’t always feel like we are on the mountaintop, admiring the view of victory. Rather, it is more often than not us trudging through the…
And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him.’ “(Luke 11:5-6, NKJV) Jesus was a storyteller. When He wanted to teach a lesson, He often wrapped that lesson in a parable to help His listeners understand. One day His disciples observed Him praying. As He finished, one asked, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” Jesus began with the…
Gratitude is the gateway to the miraculous. We can learn to give thanks before our miracle by applying the lessons in thanksgiving modeled by Jesus. Thank God for Providing “He took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds” (Matthew 15:36, ESV). Jesus and the disciples were confronted with an overwhelming need. Both Matthew and Mark describe two different feedings of the multitude who had followed them for an extended length of time with no access to food. Jesus was conscious of…
