Recent Devotions
“A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.” (Proverbs 14:30, ESV) Having a tranquil heart is a good way to live. It sounds peaceful, calm, serene. But often life is not as tranquil as we would like because other things creep in—things that tear down rather than build up. Throughout the Bible, along with many uplifting passages we find stories of conflict, dissatisfaction, resentment, envy, and jealousy. Cain killed Able because of jealousy and resentment that Able offered the better sacrifice. Joseph’s brothers grew jealous because their father favored him most. King Saul became…
“I am who I am.” There are no more important words than these spoken by God. All other words in the Bible are only important because these words are true. In Exodus 3, God manifested Himself to Moses in a burning bush, so He could manifest Himself through Moses as…
Unfinished: Thoughts Left Visible was an art exhibition that displayed 197 works from the Renaissance period to present day. The exhibit addressed the question of when a work of art is finished. On display were art pieces in various stages of completion leaving behind traces of the artistic process. The…
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His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness! Matthew 25:23, NIV. I love that this scripture doesn’t say: “Well done, thou good and… prosperous talented successful ambitious …person, mother, employee, or influencer.” It says, faithful servant. Faithfulness and servanthood seem to be increasingly rare qualities in our world. Commitments are fragile. Promises are easily broken. People often celebrate visibility more than consistency, and influence more than integrity. But Heaven does not measure greatness the way humanity…
“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…
1 Samuel 17:34-35 NLT “But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death.” I am amazed at how fearless David was. I can visualize David as he spent a normal day tending sheep and suddenly realized that a lion was heading his way with only one intention in…
It happened on the same night that the LORD said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand” . . . Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. (Judges 7:9 and 16, NKJV) Gideon was a reluctant leader because he did not feel up to the task God was calling him to perform. God desired Gideon to lead an army against the Midianites. Although he began with 32,000 men, God said that was too many.…
