Recent Devotions
And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:2-4, ESV) Jesus loved children, and children loved Him as well. It was a familiar sight to see them gather as close to Him as possible. This was sometimes to the dismay of the disciples who tried to keep them away. But not the Lord. He told the disciples, “Let…
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of…
“That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in…
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“But we belong to the day. So we must stay sober and let our faith and love be like a suit of armor. Our firm hope that we will be saved is our helmet.” 1 Thessalonians 5:8 CEV Is there anyone else who senses that darkness is running rampant through our world right now? In the face of great adversity and godlessness, I need to often remind myself that I belong to the light and that I do not need to fear what is happening around me. We are instructed in the Word of God how to handle this season…
“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (II Corinthians 13:5, ESV) I’m a reader. And a writer. I enjoy both—a lot. I am seldom without a book I’m in the process of reading. The problem with that (other than spending too much time reading) is that I find myself proofreading as I go. Without conscious thought, I notice typos, misspelled words, or incorrect word usage. It irritates me when details in the storyline are inconsistent. I want to tell…
“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4 We live in a world filled with violence, strife, and all manner of evil. Young people are committing suicide because they have…
When we read the story of Mary and Martha and their encounter with Jesus, it is evident that their reactions to the Lord’s presence were quite different. Mary recognized that she needed to seize the opportunity to be in God’s presence, even at the expense of her due diligence. We know how she laid aside her tasks for a moment in the presence of the Lord while Martha continued working to prepare for their company. I don’t believe Martha was avoiding being in the room with Jesus, nor was she being rebellious. I think I understand her because I have…
