Today's Devotion
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” (II Corinthians 5:10) “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14) In life, we are familiar with appointments. We schedule them for checkups, meetings, interviews, celebrations, and important milestones. If we miss one, we can often reschedule and try again. AN UNAVOIDABLE APPOINTMENT But there is one appointment that every person…
Many of you may remember that I love to watch nature documentaries. A few weeks ago I watched a video on the Serengeti, which is located in the African country of Tanzania. The Serengeti maintains herds of over a million wildebeests among a multitude of other animals. Even the greatest predators find it a struggle to stay alive during the dry season, which can last for up to half a year. They follow any source of water to find nourishment from the grasslands. The dry, seemingly barren land looks destitute until the season begins to shift. It is called the…
She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah.” Genesis 29:35. In the above scripture we read that Leah gives birth to Judah, her last child, whose name means praise. Leah’s story is wrought with pain. She was never part of Jacob’s plan. On the long awaited day of his betrothal to Rachel, his future father-in-law schemed a plan to have his eldest daughter marry Jacob. Tables turned and the deceiver became the deceived. The morning after the wedding, Jacob unveiled his wife and…
I betrayed myself with a smile and an empty sentiment: “It’s okay; I understand.” I offered this deception to my “friend,” but the truth was—I didn’t understand, and it was not okay—not in the least. I was hurt, let down, and shocked. The details of the situation will remain unsaid; they are not for the world to know. But I want to share how God attended to my spirit afterward and helped me move past it. We all experience moments like these, and perhaps how God ministered to me will minister to you. Moments like these should remain just that—moments—and…
“And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.” Mark 5:1-2. The story of a man on the coast of Decapolis is written in three Gospels; Matthew, Mark, and Luke. This would tell me that it was a very impactful event for the disciples who were with Jesus. We meet a man on the East side of Decapolis, a league of ten cities characterized by Greek culture. We know that…
