Recent Devotions
“You sent your good Spirit to instruct them, and you did not stop giving them manna from heaven or water for their thirst. For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell!” Nehemiah 9:20-21 NLT Because of the Israelite’s disobedience and stubbornness, they were sent to the wilderness, where they ultimately wandered for 40 years. While this was the consequence of their actions and choices, God never abandoned them. We can read how they lacked nothing during these years, and not even their clothing…
“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…
“The Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground with the waters a wall to the right and to the left. The Egyptians came after them in full pursuit, every horse and chariot and driver of Pharaoh racing into the middle of the sea. It was now the morning watch. God…
Readers Loved
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17, ESV) My mom, with homespun wisdom, would prod her shy daughter (me) to get out there and mix with others. This lady who never saw a stranger in her life would quote loosely from Proverbs 18:24 and tell me, “If you want friends, you need to show yourself friendly.” Solomon may have written that statement thousands of years ago, but there is still wisdom in the message. As four of us sat around the table talking one evening, our conversation drifted to the subject of…
Hebrew text is written from right to left. Why is that? The way language is written and read, or its “directionality,” was apparently established when those languages began to be inscribed and the first alphabets were created. Languages originating in the Middle East, such as Hebrew and Arabic, were first written where people used stone and clay tablets. Presumably, a right-to-left directionality made more sense for this method, assuming most people are right-handed (an estimated 90% of the world’s population). For stone, those early writers would have held the mallet with their left hand while chiseling letters with their right…
“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.” (Luke 17:15, ESV) Are handwritten thank you notes still a thing? I confess that I sometimes send a text or email instead of finding a pen, paper, and postage stamp. I feel a little guilty when I don’t write a personal note, but I’ve convinced myself that it’s an acceptable alternative in today’s society. (Etiquette books may disagree.) I do know that I feel disappointed—maybe a bit more than that—when I spend my time and money to select, wrap, and send…
“Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.” Psalm 68:19 Count your blessings, name then one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done. A friend of mine recently shared with me some of the many ways she had been blessed in the past year. It had been a difficult year for her because of the loss of her husband, but she had made up her mind to find ways she could bless…
