Recent Devotions
When you read the Psalms of David, you will notice that he experienced the highest of mountaintops and the steepest drops into the deepest valleys. He encountered every long, dark tunnel, the greenest meadow, the driest desert, and every upside-down twist and turn of the best (or worst) roller coaster ever built. As we enter David’s life in Psalm 56, we find this is one of the low places. He wrote these words to the chief musician when the Philistines captured him. He begins by saying: “Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting…
Have you ever heard someone say, “Dressed to the nines”? I first heard my mother say it when reflecting on a dress or outfit someone had worn for a special event. The colors were beautiful, and the style complemented her figure marvelously. Her hairstyle was magnificent, and her shoes matched…
“Are you putting on weight?” I DO NOT recommend asking someone this question when you see them after time apart! We may know the honest answer is yes, but not many of us want anyone else to know we are, indeed, putting on weight. But I hope you’ll keep reading…
Readers Loved
“Let all that you do be done with love.” (I Corinthians 16:14, NKJV) Have you ever been waited on in a restaurant or store, but the service came with an attitude? Or perhaps this has even happened at home. The task was completed grudgingly—out of obligation rather than love. All of us have probably had times when we’ve “done our duty” but not with the servant’s heart. Our Example John 13 is a passage of Scripture that causes me to pause and reflect. Jesus and the disciples had gathered in an upper room to eat what we often refer to as…
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:34 “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” Psalm 62:8 Early in March, our government leaders asked those of us who were over 70 to just stay in our homes for a few weeks. Those few weeks have now become over four months, and we are still being careful to not go out unless it is necessary. Of course, when…
My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray; they have turned them away on the mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting place. (Jeremiah 50:6, NKJV) History is a great teacher, but we don’t always allow ourselves to learn from it. As I read the stories of the Old Testament, I sometimes shake my head and think—They did it again! They forgot God and turned to the false gods of the surrounding nations. God, in His patience, gave the Israelites many opportunities to come back to Him, but they soon…
“And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (I John 2:17, ESV) I recently came across some boxes I’d stored in my basement. Sorting through them was long overdue. As you can imagine, many things went straight into the trash, but some made the “keep” stack. Among the items in one box was a newspaper from fifty-plus years ago. It was an article about friends who were leaving our area to become missionaries. The paper, now yellowed and fragile, brings back good memories of a precious family. It went…
