Recent Devotions
In the Book of Psalms, a verse is repeated almost verbatim three times: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God” (Psalm 42:5,11; 43:5). We can sense the agony of the psalmist, vividly expressing his inner turmoil. He described himself as being disquieted, which means to be in great commotion or tumult, to be in a rage, to be in an uproar, to be moved, to be loud, to be in a stir. Apparently,…
Over the years, I have learned to put my family into God’s capable and loving hands. There have been moments when I got in the way. I thought I knew what was best, only to cause myself and others unnecessary stress and pain. I have had my share of heartache.…
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: The writer of Ecclesiastes made it perfectly clear: there is a time, a season, and a purpose for everything—the good, the bad, the ugly. (See Ecclesiastes 3:1–8.) Just as the earth experiences spring, summer,…
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“I thought to myself, ‘Come now, I will try self-indulgent pleasure to see if it is worthwhile.’ But I found that it also is futile” (Ecclesiastes 2:1, New English Translation). Many people live with the belief that “things” make us happy. The more things we possess, the happier we become. They devote their lives to accumulating more and more, always chasing happiness through what they possess. Solomon speaks of this in Ecclesiastes chapter 2. He built houses, planted vineyards, constructed pools, added livestock, and amassed money and valuable treasures. He brought in musicians to entertain, and he surrounded himself with…
“But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.” (II Corinthians 2:14-15, New Living Translation) We all react differently to the various fragrances and smells our noses encounter each day. Some smells are pleasant; others stink and make us step back. (Think body odor or garbage.) A…
There is one particular area on a route that I used to take regularly that is breathtaking on certain mornings. As the fog is lifting from the river valley, the cattle are grazing in the fields covered in dew. The bluffs above the river are barely visible, with wisps of fog covering them. And the river itself looks serene, as though waking peacefully from its foggy covering. BUT…that same pastoral setting is an entirely different view as you enter the valley at night. When the fog settles over it all, visibility is severely limited. It’s dark, and appears eerily quiet.…
“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Psalms 1:3. Trees are very interesting. They come in all sizes, shapes and colours. Is it any wonder that the Psalmist compared us to a tree? In recent months in our church at least, we have had many messages preached about how we needed to be close to the Lord so that we could stand strong when storms came. I remember our Pastor saying several times that…
