Recent Devotions
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” Luke 2:30–32, NIV. God gave Simeon an incredible promise that he would see the Messiah before he died. He lived every day with the anticipation that He was going to see His Savior face to face. The moment Simeon saw Jesus, He knew that he was looking at salvation for the entire world. He extols…
“How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” Psalm 36:7, NIV. This year may look a lot different for you and your family, I know it does for me. Perhaps there are fewer Christmas presents under your tree than your kids…
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire,…
Readers Loved
“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” (Proverbs 19:21, ESV) My friend laughs at my list-making and calendar-keeping ways. She does neither. Oh, she sometimes tries to write things down, but just as frequently she forgets to pick up her list as she heads out the door. When she does remember, she will proudly announce, “I have a list!” For the truly structured person, an interrupted schedule can be frustrating. Interruptions will come; that’s just life. When our plans go awry, we can let it irritate us…
Then the Lord called Samuel.Samuel answered, Here I am. And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me. But Eli said, I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. 1 Samuel 3:4–5, NIV. Samuel, at this moment, did not know the voice of the Lord, but it is important to note that he had a spirit to listen. Samuel ran to Eli without hesitation because he was submitted to his authority. This story teaches me to have a willing-spirit and a servants-heart. It all began with “Here I am.” The voice of the…
In my neighborhood, each spring, there are lots of little birdies with their loving parents building nests and tending to their young. If you were to walk my neighborhood with me, you would join me in dreading the silent swooping of hawks. Soon after, you would hear the squawking and crying of the mother and father birds robbed of their young babies. It is disheartening as we would love to rescue them, but there is nothing we can do to help. The hawks seem to gloat as they steal their reward, with the smaller birds desperately chasing behind the thief…
After they had Peter and John stand before them, they began to question them: “By what power or in what name have you done this?” (Acts 4:7 CSB) Following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, the number of believers in Jerusalem grew daily. But so did the opposition. The apostles were no more popular with the religious leaders of that day than Jesus had been. The same antagonists, just a slightly different target. Acts 3 tells the story of Peter and John’s encounter with the lame man at the Gate Beautiful. The healing quickly drew the attention of…
