Recent Devotions
1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV): “Pray without ceasing.” Prayer, the act of talking to our Creator, is something I did not understand for years. I thought prayer was something done in certain places – prayer rooms, church buildings, our living room. I thought it was something done at certain times – prayer time at church, prayer meetings at church, altar services after a church service. I thought it was only done in one way – with a loud voice and the use of repetitive words, much like chanting. But I was wrong. Prayer, the communication of my soul with the Almighty…
Job 12:12 (NIV): “Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?” I love old things. I find a happy spot when I encounter old barn wood, worn-down crates, dilapidated dressers, painted-encrusted wood doors, discarded windows, and rusted items that remind me of the “good old…
We attended my husband’s 45th high school reunion this weekend. Whew, those years sure flew by fast! We both grew up in the same small Oklahoma town. Both of our parents have passed and are buried in cemeteries just a few short miles from each other. While we were back…
Readers Loved
“But when Pharaoh saw that relief had come, he became stubborn. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted.” Exodus 8:15 Isn’t it so easy for us to look at Pharaoh and shake our heads in disbelief? After numerous plagues that destroyed his crops, land, and people, he still refused to surrender and allow the Israelites to go free. My daughter was on antibiotics a few years ago and hated the taste. I’m talking hated in the way that we sat in her room for three hours trying to get her to take it.…
“For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.” Psalm 48:14 The word guide is used to describe someone who leads others through unknown areas, or one who directs, supervises, or influences, usually to a particular end. I like to read stories about the early pioneers who travelled in wagon trains across the country. They had no GPS to follow. There were dangerous rivers to cross and mountains to climb before reaching their destination. They were fortunate if they could find a guide to go with them who had travelled that…
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5, ESV) Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet with the longest book, won no popularity awards during his forty years of ministry. Few, if any, of the Lord’s prophets did. They were the voices crying out for righteousness and repentance while the people chose to turn another way. Taking a stand for righteousness isn’t always the popular thing to do, even today. For some reason, Jeremiah has always been one of my favorites of…
“So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. And the king, and all the people who were with him, arrived weary at the Jordan. And there he refreshed himself.” 2 Samuel 16:13-14 ESV I admire people who hold to their convictions and stand up for what they believe in, and Shimei was one of those people I think. He seems to be having a hard time letting go of the past though, and accepting David as king. While…
