Recent Devotions
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38 ESV) When the multitudes gathered and Jesus began to teach, He spoke of things that related to their everyday lives. They understood when He taught parables about planting seed, types of soil, or gathering the harvest. They lived in an agrarian society, and several of the Jewish feast days were related to times of harvest. When Jesus told His disciples that there was a bountiful harvest to…
There is a generation that curses its father, and does not bless its mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a…
“The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.” (Proverbs 12:26, NKJV) Friends are a funny thing. No two are alike. I have my book-loving friends. We share titles of books and names of authors we enjoy. My food-loving friends and I…
Readers Loved
“The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. Then the men asked “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive?” Luke 24:5 I was reading through this portion of scripture a few years ago and had a light-bulb moment. How many times have I searched for life, and healing and forgiveness in all the wrong places? I would bring all my problems to my friends in hopes that they could give me the miracle I needed or even some encouragement to help me get through my current situation. I would spend my money…
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” (Luke 4:18) Have you ever seen an invisible person? Impossible, you say? Not really. Invisible people are all around us. They may be the person cleaning up the spill in the supermarket, the teen with weird hair at the carwash, the slow-moving elderly lady in the discount store, or the homeless…
“And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.” Ezekiel 47:9 How amazing is this vision that the Lord gave to Ezekiel of a river flowing out from under the temple and gradually growing deeper and wider as it progressed? Even though he did not understand what it all meant, he faithfully recorded it. It is a beautiful picture…
Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him . . . And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” (I Samuel 3:7 and 10, ESV) I have several acquaintances who have hearing problems, not all of whom are older. Some use hearing aids and two or three have cochlear implants. Still others, with severe or total hearing loss, use sign language to communicate. Whatever the cause, when our hearing is impaired, it affects how we live.…
