Recent Devotions
Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: “How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers has given you? (Joshua 18:3, NKJV) Waiting can be tiring. Whether it’s a long line at the store checkout, waiting for an appointment, or delays while traveling, it is difficult to wait patiently. That’s why I find the verse in Joshua so puzzling. The children of Israel had waited for forty years to enter the land promised to them by the Lord, but now they seemed reluctant to actually claim the land. Why did they…
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Matthew 21:22 When I started writing the articles for this week, I did not have a theme, just going to write about several things that the Lord had laid on my heart. But as I began to…
“And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.” Acts 1:4 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall…
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“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.…
2 Corinthians 12:9 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” Have you ever read a scripture and tried to view it through someone else’s eyes? That’s what happened this week when I read this verse. I imagine a lonely woman, struggling with rejection and a lifetime of poor decisions. I see a woman, wrestling with an addiction that has been kept quiet for years because shame has her cornered…
“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.” (I Corinthians 7:17, ESV) When we think about the calling of God, our thoughts often go to pastors, perhaps some well-known Bible teachers, and of course missionaries—you know, the “important assignments” in the body of Christ. Our mind does not as quickly think of the nursery worker, the person going through the pews picking up left behind trash, or the man standing out in the weather to direct cars on the parking…
