Recent Devotions
WISDOM FROM PROVERBS “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.” (Proverbs 11:3, ESV) While doing some research online recently, I came across an article that offered tips on how to tell convincing lies. One of the tips was to add a little truth to the story to make it sound credible. (That tip reminded me of the serpent talking to Eve in the garden.) Another suggestion said to keep the lie simple. Don’t make it complicated. One article went on to say, “Everyone needs to tell a little fib every now and…
WISDOM FROM PROVERBS “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6, ESV) Parenting is fun, exhausting, rewarding, scary, expensive — and the list could go on. It comes with sweet smiles, rosy cheeks, temper tantrums,…
WISDOM FROM PROVERBS “Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” (Proverbs 16:3, ESV) Success can be defined in so many different ways—wealth, fame, power, social prominence. We are told if we work hard, we can become anything we want. The world measures success by our…
Readers Loved
Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” Genesis 27:19 Jacob’s Are Everywhere If you look around, you will discover that there are Jacob’s everywhere. He was a normal, average young person—and—a momma’s boy. His ambitious quality is soon outranked by his deceptive nature. When he first started to pursue God, it was out of necessity and not out of faithfulness. He was running for his life and needed God to move on his behalf. When he…
Throughout history, names have held significant meaning. Shakespeare said, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Anne Shirley famously disagrees with Shakespeare, saying, “I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I’ve never been able to believe it. I don’t believe a rose would be as nice if it were called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.” I would have to agree with Anne of Green Gables. I don’t know how many of us would go out of our…
“And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it . . . After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.” (Luke 2:43 and 46, ESV) The Bible tells us very little about the childhood of Jesus. The Gospels skip from the events surrounding His birth to the beginning of His ministry. Nothing is recorded about His childhood. But one passage at the end of Luke 2 relates an incident that happened when Jesus was…
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 Psalm 119 stresses some aspect of God’s Word in every verse. It is important that we read and study His Word. The Bible portrays God’s plan for mankind. From the creation in the Book of Genesis to the New Earth described in Revelation, we see that plan unfolding. In the Old Testament we follow God’s dealings with His chosen people, Israel. They were abundantly blessed and yet repeatedly, they turned to pagan gods. His patience and longsuffering delivered them. They served Him again for…
