Recent Devotions
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (II Corinthians 13:5, ESV). We are now just over one week into the new year. Many use this as a time for reflection and resolution. They consider it a fresh start, a blank page, a new leaf, or a new chapter. For many, however, those resolutions begin to wain after just a few days or weeks. Their resolve to exercise more, eat healthier, budget better, or manage…
“Ready or not, here I come!” With these words my stomach dropped, my heart pumped faster, and I tried to steady my breath. I was hiding—hiding in my secret place, and for a moment I was invisible. At times I would peek out from my hiding spot, and I could…
I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe that my steps are ordered, even in the most mundane of days. Like the day I forgot my lunch and went to the café in my office building. The café was busy, as it always was at lunchtime. An infrequent visitor there (my…
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When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. (Psalm 94:19, ESV) Have you ever had someone ask how a loving God could allow the heartbreaking things we see around us? To them, He either does not exist or has no power. When bad things happen, it’s easy to wonder, “Does God even see this mess? Does He care what’s happening?” The question becomes even more pertinent and personal if the bad things are happening to you or your family. Is God in control of the mess? No verse in the Bible says the exact words,…
“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…
My mind moves almost non-stop. My lists are never-ending. My tasks mount up faster than I can accomplish them. One appointment leads to another obligation, until I feel like the proverbial gerbil on the wheel in a cage going nowhere fast! It sometimes feels as though both sleep AND rest are elusive. So, what IS the answer to coping with all these (mostly) self-inflicted mountains in my life and in yours, too? It’s simple. Pause. Stop. Give it a break. Hope, not cope! “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5…
“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” Hebrews 11:8 Put yourself in Sarah’s shoes today. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about her early life, except that she had married her half-brother and as near as we know was happy in that marriage. At some point, they had moved from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran along with their father. Scriptures later let us know that Abraham was rich, so no doubt they lived in a…
