Recent Devotions
“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32, NKJV). Have you ever watched a parent intervene in a childish squabble? With a stern voice they instruct, “Say you’re sorry.” Head down and mumbled, a reluctant “sorry” is finally squeezed out. The other child mumbles a quick “okay” as things are uneasily patched up. Why is it so difficult to say, “I’m sorry. Forgive me.” Perhaps just as difficult is to say a sincere, “I forgive you.” All of us will face both sides of the forgiveness problem at some…
“But my people have forgotten me; they make offerings to false gods; they made them stumble in their ways, in the ancient roads, and to walk into side roads, not the highway.” (Jeremiah 18:15, ESV) A vacation adventure gone wrong found me walking through mud and muck. I really did…
“My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” (James 1:19, CSB) A friend and I were having a phone conversation one day recently. Or, more accurately, we were “almost” holding a conversation. While chatting, I was also scanning…
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…
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…
