Focus Verse: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, ESV) Have you ever heard someone describe their weariness or fatigue as “worn to the bone”? Maybe you’ve been there yourself. You are weary, running on empty, worn out, and…
Recent Devotions
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2, NKJV) We are often only vaguely aware of innate spiritual yearnings and cravings within us. Yet, if we fail to heed those cravings, they are quietly snuffed out, and we lose the precious opportunity to cultivate our hunger. Words from the song “Hear Our Prayer” by Tanya Richards say it best: “Like a deer longing for water, my heart yearns. Only You can fill my deep hunger,…
“They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing” (Psalm 34:10). “I want. I want. I need. I need. There are so many things I want and need.” That little ditty is comical but true. We want it all. From the beginning, God promised good things to those…
“Whatsoever things are true… whatsoever things are lovely.” (Philippians 4:8) Some of the most formative and imaginative moments of my childhood took place in the prayer room at our church. Before every service, my parents made it a habit to spend time in prayer before entering the sanctuary. As a…
Readers Loved
Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men. 2 Corinthians 3:2 I did not think that sharing my life through writing would be so scary. Who knew that writing devotions would make my heart race? After all, they are only words on a page, right? Well, they are more than words on a page, they are pieces of my heart and fragments of my life’s story. I want people to know they are not alone in their struggle or victory. Like Paul said, “weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice,…
Genesis 29:31, “And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated (loved less or neglected), her opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.” Unrequited Love In Genesis 29, we read a gripping narrative of deception, silent suffering, and the most tormenting kind of love: unrequited. Every time I read the story about Leah and Rachel’s competing beauty, their father’s disregard for propriety, and Jacob’s overt declaration of love for Rachel and his dismissal of Leah altogether, I cannot help but feel compassion for the two sisters. It would be awful to be Leah, living in someone else’s shadow, never being…
“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” (Psalm 141:3, ESV) As I passed a lady in the grocery store aisle, I overheard a snippet of her phone conversation. “Now I’m going to tell you this, but please don’t share it . . .” I turned the corner about that time, so I never learned whatever juicy bit of gossip she knew. I also wondered how quickly her friend would pass it on. (Now to be clear, most of us do not gossip. We share “interesting information” from time to time. Or perhaps…
“Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern and wished for the day.” Acts 27:29 For fourteen days, the wind and crashing waves had bombarded the ship. They cast everything they could spare overboard. Fear filled their hearts. It looked like all hope was gone. But one man among the two hundred and seventy-six aboard had a promise that he would reach Rome. In the night, God appeared to Paul with a message: Verse 23-26 “For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom…
