Recent Devotions
When I was a teenager, I worked at a shoe store. It was, without question, the best job ever. I received 50% off regular stock, and the discount still applied to items already on sale. In other words, it was a teenager’s dream. Let’s say I owned a lot of shoes—easily more than fifty pairs. Honestly, if shoe ownership were a spiritual gift, I would have been operating in my calling. One day, I was helping a mother pick out a pair of running shoes for her little boy. She finally found the perfect pair, and they headed downstairs toward…
For as long as I can remember, I have been mesmerized by the night’s sky; star-struck in the truest sense. I bought my own telescope when I was 20 years old, and was even part of an astronomy club at one point in my life. When I drive in the…
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) Perfection. When I say the word, another quickly comes to mind: impossible. While I may be blind to some of my faults, I recognize enough of my shortcomings to realize that I am a…
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“And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.” (Mark 6:46, ESV) I was visiting an older friend recently when she explained that she didn’t know what to do. She could no longer get on her knees to pray, and this really bothered her. I reassured her as best I could and offered her encouragement on ways to adapt to praying in a chair. I am sure she knows as well as I do that God hears our prayers whether we are kneeling, sitting, standing, or walking. But this had been her way…
“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22, ESV) As I look out my window today, I see gray skies and the promise of snow. The apple tree I enjoy watching coming to life each spring is still bare and lacks beauty. It seems this winter has been especially long and cold. While some of my friends love these cold, snowy days, I do not. I adapt to summer’s heat more easily than to winter’s cold. I’m always eager for winter to give way to spring. I…
Proverbs 16:31 states, “Grey hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.” I remember the first time I saw a grey hair on my head. I was in my 20’s—so, I was a little dramatic and I totally freaked out. I felt like I had aged 40 years in a single moment. Why did I feel this way? I think that there is a certain stigma in North America that grey hair is degrading, but that is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that grey hair is an honor. As a child, my…
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10 This Scripture needs no explanation. It is the reason that Jesus came to earth, took upon Himself the form of man, and eventually gave His life to fulfill this purpose. His ministry on earth only lasted for three and a half years but influenced everyone He met during that time. This month I have been reading Luke’s Gospel which records the stories of people that He ministered to. It is interesting to note the different methods He used in His ministry. Sometimes…
