Recent Devotions
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:17 Psalm 51 is such a beautiful picture of repentance. Although he had tried to hide what he had done earlier, now as conviction fills his heart, David confesses his sin to the Lord and cries out for mercy and forgiveness. Verse 1, He asks God for mercy knowing that he does not deserve it. Verse 2, He asks God to thoroughly cleanse his heart. Verse 3, He admits his failure knowing there will be consequences. Verse 4, He…
“LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.” Psalm…
“I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing. I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” Psalm 101:1-2 The Cambridge Dictionary describes integrity as the quality of…
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Philippians 4:6 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” I think we sometimes really get this verse mixed up, and read it one way but apply it another. We often are anxious about everything and not praying about anything. It’s so easy in this day and age to become anxious over everything, and rightfully so – the news is absolutely filled with disaster and tragedy. We fret about sending our kids to school, where the money for the next bill is coming from, our health, job security…
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James 1:5 As we continue to look at our greatest needs, I am sure that we all agree that wisdom is on everyone’s list. This scripture in James tells us that if we just ask the Lord, He will give us the wisdom we need for every situation. He won’t scold us for not knowing what to do but will be patient with us as He leads us to Scriptures that contain the answers we…
Don’t you love a great story? The best stories – at least to me – have a fair maiden, a swashbuckling hero, and, of course, an evil villain. What makes it interesting? It’s the conflict between those characters. Without conflict, there is no story. The writer lets the characters battle through their struggles, knowing that the “happily ever after” will ultimately arrive. It’s all part of the plot. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) Jesus is the Author of our life story. He has it intricately plotted from…
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11, ESV) Remember the old children’s song “I’m in the Lord’s Army”? We’d march in place, arms swinging, as we loudly sang, “I may never march in the infantry, ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery. I may never zoom o’re the enemy, but I’m in the Lord’s army!” We may not have realized all that meant as a child, but we really are soldiers of the Lord. The battles you and I face, however, are spiritual rather than…
