Recent Devotions
“Do what I tell you; live what I tell you. I am God.” Leviticus 22:31 MSG I’ve always considered myself to be a great listener, but I now realize that I was only hearing what was being said, and not sincerely listening. There is a profound difference between the two, one is a habit, and the other is intentional. Hearing requires very little effort on our part, but listening forces us to get over ourselves and focus on others. I believe that God speaks to us through His Word, it is inspired and is our road map for life. But in my daily…
“From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety” Psalms 61:2 NLT Is there anyone else out there who is afraid of heights? Surely I can’t be the only one whose knees go weak…
“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…
Readers Loved
I find no place in the Bible where it says we will not be afraid. In fact, God’s Word puts fear as a given. It’s in our human DNA. Fight/flight is our nature’s response to fright. When in fear for his life, David said, “What time I am afraid, I will trust Thee” (Psalm 56:3). Fearful Bible heroes, from Abraham to Jehoshaphat to Daniel, were bolstered and encouraged by the assurance that God was with them and would deliver them. Thus, fear is common to the human race. The issue then is when fear strikes, what is our response? Psychologists…
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). I live in a region that experiences four distinct seasons each year. We are currently enjoying (and I use that word loosely) summer. It is currently hot and dry, which means I am constantly watering my outdoor plants to keep them alive. Still, I prefer summer’s heat to winter’s freezing blasts. I suppose the “best” season depends on one’s preferences. I prefer the warm, mellow days of late spring to early summer. A friend enjoys cold, snowy days. We each get our favorite,…
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you . . . If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you . . . But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.” (John 15:18-21, NKJV) Have you ever been disliked because of a friend you associate with? Not…
Early one morning in 1993, my family was yanked from a deep sleep to a roaring noise and the feeling that the house was rattling apart. We met in the dark hallway in our pajamas. I think I yelled, “What’s happening?” A five-point-six earthquake was unthinkable, yet we were in the middle of one. Years later, I felt another earthquake that was only a few tiny clinking noises across the room. I was jumpy at the slightest sounds for years, hoping it wasn’t the start of another big one. I think doubts can be like earthquakes. Some are shattering, and…
