Recent Devotions
I love rocks. Take me to a rocky beach and I’m happy as a clam for hours. I love to look at them, study them, find the prettiest ones, and stack them up as high as I can as a monument to say that “I was here.” I don’t think they have any special powers—I just like rocks. Always have. I’ve heard that it’s not kosher to stack up stones on the beach and leave them that way—it changes the natural setting and habitat for others who chance to visit the area. Forgive me. I know that rocks don’t naturally…
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” Psalm 119:9 As we come to the end of Paul’s admonitions to Timothy, we see the word “purity.” Paul knew that Timothy would face many temptations and by hiding the Word of God in…
“When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by…
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“Mama, play with me?” This is a daily request from my 3-year-old daughter. She is incredibly imaginative and can play independently for a very long time. I love to stand in the doorway and listen to the scenes she expresses out loud; it’s so sweet and special. Sometimes, she sees me walk by the room, or sometimes she comes to find me in the house, but she always grabs my attention throughout the day with, “Mama, play with me.” I make a point to have focused play with her every day; sometimes it’s 10 min, and other days it’s much…
“Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.” Hebrews 11:11-12 I envision Sarah going about her morning chores with a happy heart. God had blessed her with a wonderful husband, and she looked forward to the day when a child would join their family. She enjoyed fixing…
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8–9. When Things Don’t Turn Out How You Expect Have you ever prayed and felt like God was going to give you exactly what you wanted? Yeah, me too. I have cried out to God and asked, “Why me?” “Why now?” I am learning that asking questions can be very different than seeking answers. Asking questions can sometimes, not always, come from a place of…
“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…
