Recent Devotions
“Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” (Proverbs 11:25, ESV) How many of us set out each day intentionally looking for someone we can bless? Possibly not many of us. We are so rushed and stressed as we navigate our own busy lives that we hardly notice those around us. And what does it really mean “to be a blessing”? simple actions count Being a blessing to someone does not necessarily mean providing financial assistance, although in some circumstances it is needed. There are so many ways to share with others—our time, our…
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4, NKJV) Do you live life joyfully? Is that even possible in our fast-paced, stressed-out, far-from-perfect world? Will joy survive when life gets tough? While many would answer yes, others might shake their heads no. They feel life has…
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” (John 15:16, NKJV) Just to be clear, I am not an arborist, a horticulturist,…
Readers Loved
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. 1 John 3:1, NLT. God loves you so much. However, there are times when we wonder, “Am I enough?” This quandary of worth is usually a result of rejection, a negative word spoken to us, or someone breaking their promise. We take the emotion and opinion of someone else and wear it like a garment of dishonor, when their judgment…
Matthew 14:15-20 ESV “Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the…
The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan. Joshua 5:12, NIV. The sun rose over the plains of Canaan, casting golden light over fields Israel had only dreamed of for generations. This was not just any day—it was the first day in forty years that no manna fell from the sky. The people stepped outside their tents, expecting to gather the thin, flaky bread that had sustained them through every trial in the wilderness. But the ground…
“They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” Isaiah 61:3, NIV. Small Beginnings Spring is only a few days away; a time of rejuvenation and new growth. Even the smallest seeds will take root and become a beautiful plant or tree. I used to live in Michigan and I can still remember neighborhoods with tall and mighty oak trees. Their long limbs would shake off acorns during the strong winds that would sweep through during a thunderstorm. I would watch the neighborhood squirrels gather acorns and bury them with precision with…
