Recent Devotions
“Good understanding giveth favour: But the way of transgressors is hard.” (Proverbs 13:15, KJV) This verse has had a strong impact on me throughout my life, having been raised in church. I never wanted to find myself away from God as an unfaithful one: a transgressor. Twenty-three years ago, our son, a licensed minister, decided he was done with how he was raised. Our world and family were suddenly and drastically changed, but not for the better. God’s mighty hand is always at work. We see it today, though we could not see it then. God Himself faithfully ministered to…
A flock of sheep stood grazing in a green pasture as a gentle brook burbled nearby. One hundred sheep, to be exact. As the Good Shepherd inspected His herd, He noticed one was missing. He called its name time and again, but no sheep. He looked this way and that,…
In the well-known story of the prodigal son in Luke 15, he took his inheritance and spent it on temporary pleasures. When he realized all his money was gone, he found a job feeding pigs. The pleasures and friends were gone. He was so hungry that the pig’s food began…
Readers Loved
“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27, ESV) I frequently use my dad’s old, worn Bible (now held together by duct tape) to read a morning passage. Today it fell open to Jeremiah 32, and I quickly noticed that he had marked verse 27. Although written as a question, there is no doubt this is a strong statement of God’s unlimited power. He is letting us know that nothing, absolutely nothing, is too difficult for Him to do. When our faith grows a little weak, we sometimes forget that. If…
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, “It is well, it is well with my soul.” The story behind this great hymn is a perfect example of how peace can be found in the Lord even after a tragedy. Horatio G. Spafford and his family were scheduled to travel from the…
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” (II Corinthians 5:10) “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14) In life, we are familiar with appointments. We schedule them for checkups, meetings, interviews, celebrations, and important milestones. If we miss one, we can often reschedule and try again. AN UNAVOIDABLE APPOINTMENT But there is one appointment that every person…
I was sitting in a prayer meeting with two of my kids on either side of me, knowing that if I stood up to worship, they would too. And, in knowing that, I also knew that if I didn’t, neither would they. I’m reminded of this same notion when I hear my kids yelling at one another, being impatient and too hard on each other. In a brief moment of oblivion, I think to myself, what would provoke them to behave this way? Then I open my eyes. I’ve been this way lately. I’ve let my behavior become something that…
