Recent Devotions
“And they shouted it with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, in order that they might take the city.” (II Chronicles 32:18, ESV) Once again Jerusalem was surrounded by her enemies. An emissary of the Assyrian king loudly taunted the Jews, mocking their God and trying to terrify the people so they could overtake the city. (The story is given in both II Chronicles 32 and Isaiah 36-37.) The Assyrian strategy sounded good, at least to them, but they made two mistakes. First,…
“I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8, ESV) I think most of us would quickly agree that God has a plan for each of our lives. We are born with a purpose. In Jeremiah 1:5, the Lord told the prophet,…
“And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2, ESV) Wilderness. The very word sounds…
Readers Loved
“Powerful people harass me without cause, but my heart trembles only at your word.” Psalms 119:161 NLT I have been reading through Psalms 119 and it truly is an incredible chapter! Over and over again we see how David ties everything back to God’s Word and his genuine love for it. When I read the above verse I questioned in my own mind “when was the last time I trembled at the Word of God? When was the last time I was left in awe after doing my daily bible reading?” We live in scary times, and our world is…
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:13, NLT) Recently, a friend left for a country where she feels God has called her to work. She was excited, joyful, eager to reach her new home. I was happy to see her dream, her God-given calling, happening. Yet my secret thought was I’d never want to live there! Does that mean she is a wonderful person and I am horrible? Or she is very spiritual and I am not? No. It means my calling, the purpose God designed for…
Let’s visit Ruth today. I hope you’ll come along with me. Her story rests between Judges and I Samuel. We arrive in time to see her gleaning in a field belonging to a man named Boaz. She’s picking up wheat dropped by the reapers. It’s the custom of that day. The reapers leave behind grain for the poor of the land to pick up for their food. Boaz, the owner of the field, notices her right away. She hasn’t gleaned in his field before. He asks his reapers, ‘Whose damsel is this?’ Meaning: Who is she? They tell him she’s…
Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:3-4, ESV) Some people are just too evil to be saved. Oh, we may not actually say those words, but sometimes our actions (or lack of action) imply those inner thoughts. How could God ever reach someone so sinful, so evil, and fill them with His spirit? Impossible! I once met a very sweet, godly lady who shared that no one had…
