Recent Devotions
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” John 16:7 Although He knew that it was not the news they wanted to hear, Jesus was assuring His disciples that it was necessary for Him to leave them for the great plan of salvation to be fulfilled. Jesus must fulfill His mission, shedding His blood to provide salvation. Only then, could the Holy Spirit apply this message to the world. Earlier…
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;” John 14:16 For years I have used the same brand of laundry soap and was very happy with it. But recently it has been impossible to find it in the…
“In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for…
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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…
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12 Have you ever been in a place of total darkness? Years ago, our family visited a cave and when we were about halfway through, the guide turned off all the lights. It was so dark; we could not even see our hands in front of our faces. My husband had a phobia about being in a tight, dark place, and he immediately wanted to turn around and go…
In our last study, we talked about FAITH being like a LENS. There are lots of different kinds of lenses for different purposes. But, the fact is, a lens is an optical device—it doesn’t change the viewed object. It doesn’t change TRUTH— or what IS. A lens only changes the perspective and perception of the one looking through it. Depending on the type of lens, it might make an object appear larger or appear smaller than it actually is; it might bring it into clearer focus or frame it in a different light; or it may bring out details that…
“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…
