Recent Devotions
And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines. But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the Lord wrought a great victory. 2 Samuel 23:11-12. In these scriptures, we find Shammah, one of King David’s mighty men, defending a field of lentils. Shammah risked his life to defend a field of lentils that was not his personal property, but Israel’s property. When others…
Genesis 25:30-31, And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage, for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. I’ve lost count how many times I have read the account of Jacob and…
Today we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—a man who had a gift to make his dream of equality among every person, regardless of someone’s skin color, age, or gender. Proverbs 18:16 says, “A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.” Dr.…
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“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV) In a recent Sunday morning service, I looked at the familiar faces surrounding me in the pews. I knew many of their trials and their victories. This wasn’t a gathering of strangers. It was the family of God. We love each other and stand by each other in the good times and the not-so-good times. To…
Minimalism and a minimalist lifestyle have become the new catchphrase in recent years. The idea is when you remove the unnecessary stuff, you free up time and space to focus on the things that matter in life. The famous organizer and author Marie Kondo took that idea to a new level. Rule 6 of the KonMari Method says, “Keep only those things that speak to the heart and discard items that no longer spark joy. Thank them for their service-then let them go.” A few years ago, my husband and I became empty nesters. As our youngest son married…
“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not it?” (Numbers 23:19, ESV) People sometimes fail us. God never fails. People may break promises. God never breaks promises. People sometimes lie. God never lies. People are sometimes untrustworthy. God is always trustworthy. If we know all these things about God, why do we sometimes find it difficult to trust Him when difficult situations arise in our lives? Can we depend on Him? How…
In our last study, we discussed how that the keystone—placed LAST at the very top of an arch—is the ultimate key to its strength. If a prayer was an arch, the keystone was the AMEN. Our response to the manifest Plan of God should always be “not my will, but Thine be done.” We crown His perfect Will with our own keystone—our heart’s final, fervent, and sincere AMEN. It is our word of submission to God’s authority—to whatever He ordains in our lives to complete and perfect us, without rebellion. It may be that the most important element of any…
