Recent Devotions
Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. (Acts 8:5-6, NKJV) Sounds of revival filled Samaria. As Philip preached, souls were saved. Miracles, healings, and deliverance from unclean spirits happened. Multitudes turned to the Lord in this time of spiritual awakening. Acts 8:8 says there was great joy in the city. With so much happening, it seems strange that an angel instructed Philip to leave the Samaritan revival and head south toward the desert. And…
When was the last time you heard someone exclaim, “I enjoy obeying your commands; I love them!”? Yet, this is exactly what David says multiple times in the Psalms. David’s unwavering delight in God’s Word was key to his relationship with God. From Psalm 119 (ESV), here are seven reasons…
God built into Israel’s calendar about thirty days of feasts per year. Add the weekly Sabbaths, and the total celebration time comes to around eighty days of feasting and rest annually. God is serious about celebration! When God mandated celebration among His people in the Old Testament, He used three…
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And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. (Mark 6:31, NKJV) A friend is going through a stressful time right now. While dealing with her own health issues, she is also the primary caregiver for another family member. She is stressed and struggling. Sometimes there is no easy solution. Since we don’t live close and I can only offer encouragement from afar, I keep reminding her that self-care is important. A couple I know is…
In the second year of King Saul’s reign, 1 Samuel 13:5 states, “the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel.” The Philistines outnumbered Israel; they had 30000 chariots, 6000 horsemen, and a multitude gathered together on the shoreline. Israel had 3,000 men—in the beginning. However, the Israelites were so scared, they hid behind rocks, thickets, and some fled to Jordan. Their numbers almost vanished, in a moment, because of fear. The 600 men who remained with King Saul and Jonathan were trembling; definitely not the mighty men one would hope for to fight for your freedom. God’s posture for…
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” (I Peter 2:9). God’s people have always been special to Him. Exodus 19:5 speaks of them as a “peculiar treasure,” chosen and set apart by God. The word peculiar has several meanings. As a teenager I never took time to check a dictionary. In my mind peculiar meant being strange, weird, or odd. I wondered why I had to be strange to be a Christian. Had I done a little research, I would have discovered that peculiar also means “to have a character exclusively its…
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 I want to share a poem with you today. I wrote the first part of this a few years ago and then added more this year. As Mary gazed upon her child lying there in the straw, Sleeping peacefully in the night, her heart was filled with awe. She thought of what the angel said, the message he had brought. This Child would be the Promised One the world so long had sought. No earthly…
