Recent Devotions
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (Mark 11:23-24, KJV) During childhood, I lived in forty different states. When my sister and I got older, my parents decided it was time for us to put…
When I was eight, I wanted to ride my older sister’s ten-speed bike. I didn’t want to ride a kid’s bike; I wanted to be a big kid! One Friday afternoon, my dad unsuccessfully tried to teach me how to ride the ten-speed. After falling off and running into a…
“What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?” (Luke 15:4, KJV) We would complain if we worked all of the required hours and…
Readers Loved
“We love because he first loved us.” (I John 4:19, ESV) In many countries around the world, today is a day to celebrate love. Valentine customs may vary, but love is the key ingredient. We may think of roses, chocolate, and romantic dinners, but love can also be shown by a child’s drawing, a construction paper cutout of a heart, or a big hug. Expressions of love come in many forms. One of my most memorable Valentines (but not for the reason you might think) came from Gary, a fourth-grade classmate. At that time, it was traditional to bring a…
“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…
“And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.” Matthew 21:1-3 As a reader and a writer, I often wish that the Bible gave us more details about events. But then, I suppose, we would…
“For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.” (II Corinthians 1:8-10, ESV) Do others rely on your prayers when they face difficult situations?…
