Recent Devotions
“Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” Ecclesiastes 7:8 ESV Growing up, I understood pride to fall into one category, vanity. To me, pride was to look in the mirror and admire your beauty, intelligence, and strength. I’ve learned, though, that pride is a tricky thing and usually shows up in ways less subtle than staring into a mirror. One example of the subtly of pride is the belief that we know more about our lives than God does, and because of this, we disregard His…
“Then the Assyrian king’s chief of staff told them to give this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the great king of Assyria says: What are you trusting in that makes you so confident?” 2 Kings 18:19 NLT As I read this chapter of 2 Kings, this verse stood out…
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands”. Psalm 100:1 KJV While reading my Bible, I became intrigued by the word “noise” in the above verse. Why was it not written as a joyful sound, joyful song, or joyful melody? The term “noise” appeared to be a peculiar…
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“One day a man arrived from Baal Shalishah. He brought the man of God twenty loaves of fresh-baked bread from the early harvest, along with a few apples from the orchard. Elisha said, “Pass it around to the people to eat.” His servant said, “For a hundred men? There’s not nearly enough!” Elisha said, “Just go ahead and do it. God says there’s plenty.” And sure enough, there was. He passed around what he had—they not only ate, but had leftovers.” 2 Kings 4:42-44 MSG One prevailing theme in Elisha’s life is abundance. As I read through the story of his ministry,…
“For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:11-12 Forgiven – to no longer hold sin against the person who has sinned against you. The beautiful story that Luke recorded in chapter seven of his Gospel illustrates the forgiveness that the Lord bestows on those who come to Him. The woman who dared to enter the room where Jesus and other men were eating, carried in her hands the most valuable…
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1 KJV We can read in 1 Samuel 16:11 that David was “keeping the sheep” and therefore not called in alongside his brothers to greet Samuel. It is important to note King David’s understanding of the role of a shepherd, for David was a shepherd before he was anointed king. David’s unique perspective meant that he understood the way of the wilderness and also the way of the palace. If the Lord is my shepherd, then I must be a sheep. Sheep are timid animals that scare easily. They require a…
“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered.” Romans 8:26. Several years ago in Bible College, I developed an undeniable burden for a family member who had fallen away from God. I entered into a season of fasting and prayer for this individual, believing that God was going to do something miraculous in their life. One afternoon, I entered the prayer room, and a spirit of intercession came over me. I prayed for almost five…
