Recent Devotions
“Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (I Peter 2:17, ESV) How is it possible to respect a hateful, rude person? It’s not easy to respond with grace and kindness when someone seems intent on treating us badly. That’s why the story of David goes against what seems to be society’s norm today. So many choose to plot revenge rather than offer forgiveness. We could all take a lesson from David, the anointed future king of Israel. David and King Saul had a difficult relationship. Saul knew God had anointed David to become the next king and…
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13, ESV) Life gets tough and sometimes people lose hope that better days are ahead. Job 14:1 (ESV) says, “Man who…
“. . . Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.” (Joshua 4:3, NKJV) After their forty-year…
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God is the God of order. He ordered the present world into existence in a series of events that each complimented the next task until it was complete. In the letters to the church at Corinth, God used Paul to spell out order within the church. He explained that God is love and this is the cornerstone for God’s order. He gave directives for the gifts and how they should flow in order to flourish and keep unity among the believers. In I Corinthians 11, God’s order for the family to operate in spiritual alignment was spelled out. God is…
“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” (Revelation 3:15-17, ESV) Revelation is a prophetic book written by the apostle John while banished to the Greek isle of Patmos. While there, the Lord gave John a vision of end time events. The opening…
Have you ever been with someone who moved so slowly you almost wanted to walk FOR them?! Lagging behind is usually not a desirable outcome. Others move ahead, and the one unhurriedly strolling gets further and further behind. Sometimes a coach will encourage a player to move a little faster. He/she knows the player has it in them to pick up speed without compromising their health or well-being. They just need encouragement and motivation. STEP IT UP! Move a little faster. Don’t lag behind. Increase the pace. Not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; (Romans 12:11 NKJV)…
“Do all things without complaining and disputing.” (Philippians 2:14, NKJV) A friend of mine just got a promotion at work. She is now a team leader. It sounds impressive, especially since she only began the job a few weeks earlier. It’s not an easy job—physical labor—but with everyone working together . . . well, that should make it easier. Right? They are a team. What is a team? The dictionary mentions things like “a team effort,” “joint action,” and “cooperative effort.” I especially liked “marked by devotion to teamwork rather than individual achievement.” I think it took my friend just…
