Recent Devotions
“I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.” (Psalm 119:158) Being a prophet of the Lord did not come with a glamorous job description. In fact, their popularity ratings would have been very low if such things existed in Bible times. Many times, the message they imparted was not one people wished to hear as it pointed out their sinfulness and disobedience to God. Ezra felt shame and “blushed” at the sin of the people. Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, spent forty years pleading with the people, but no one listened. Isaiah wept bitterly over the…
Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up…
“But as for you, be strong; don’t give up, for your work has a reward.” (II Chronicles 15:7, CSB) As I sat in church recently, I glanced down and saw the person beside me had placed his cell phone on the seat between us. In big bold letters, the screen read,…
Readers Loved
“I was there when he set the limits of the seas, so they would not spread beyond their boundaries. And when he marked off the earth’s foundations,” Proverbs 8:29 Humans struggle with being told what to do. Everyone wants to be the Captain, to be in charge, to take orders from no one. We don’t like having boundaries, and we love to exercise our “right” to our own free will. God has placed boundaries for a reason though, a very important, life saving reason. Have you ever driven through a highway, that was over-looking the ocean? You can smell…
Isaiah 46:5 MSG “So to whom will you compare me, the Incomparable? Can you picture me without reducing me?” We all have lived life differently and have unique experiences that are individual to us. I have gone through different seasons of life that perhaps you have never experienced, and vice versa. God is constant and unchanging, but I have experienced Him in my own special way, and the same applies to you. I know how God has provided for me over the course of my life, every time He healed me and His unending faithfulness and love. I look back…
One afternoon, a father went to pick up his son from school. He was eager to ask about his son’s day because there were always animated stories about playground life, cafeteria food, and even the occasional heartbreak. He was quickly learning that the life of a 3rd grader was extremely complex. But today seemed a little different. When his son got in the car his usually excited face seemed a little more reserved and thoughtful. Not wanting to jump right into an interrogation, the father let the conversation unfold naturally. Sure enough it wasn’t long before the thoughts behind the…
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5:16-18, New English Translation). True happiness seems elusive to many people. Part of this may result from their viewpoint on life. If we judge our happiness by what we own or our position in life, we will be disappointed. No matter what we have, it will never be enough. No matter who we know or how high our social status, that indefinable “something” will always be just out of reach. So how do we have a…
