Recent Devotions
For which I [Paul] suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. (II Timothy 2:9, NKJV) The apostle Paul sat in a prison cell, and not for the first time. As he penned a letter to Timothy, his beloved friend and son in the gospel, he sat chained in the dungeon of the Mamertine Prison in Rome. Conditions were dark, dirty, and foul-smelling. Paul knew he was nearing the end of his ministry and life. While recognizing his own dire condition, he declared, “The word of God is not chained.”…
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14, NKJV) A friend recently called me with a serious question: how does one forgive the unforgiveable. Is it…
Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing. (I Peter…
Readers Loved
“The righteous person is cautious in his friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray” (Proverbs 12:26, New English Translation). I just watched my friend walk to her car and head toward home. Last night I hugged another friend goodbye before she left town. The three of us had just enjoyed girlfriend time together. It took a lot of talking to catch up on life since we live hundreds of miles apart. Distance, crazy schedules, and just living life keeps us from getting together often. Sometimes years pass before we realize it. Some friends are in our lives…
“Everyone whose heart stirred him to action and everyone whose spirit was willing came . . .They came, men and women alike, all who had willing hearts . . .The Israelites brought a freewill offering to the LORD, every man and woman whose heart was willing to bring materials for all the work that the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do.” (Exodus 35:21-22, 29, New English Translation) What things excite you? Stir you? Make you want to get involved? For some people, it’s politics. Others are passionate about the arts, a sports team, religion, or environmental issues. It…
“And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Beracah; for there they blessed the Lord: therefore the name of the same place was called The Valley of Beracah, unto this day.” (2 Chronicles 20:26 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible)
Ever been in the valley of discouragement? I have. It’s not fun!
In our devotional verse, the Valley of Beracah is called a blessing. Jehoshaphat gathered his troops up early one morning and gave them a pep talk about believing God and the prophets. He did a strange thing that day by ordering a choir to march ahead of the troops, singing and giving thanks to God.
Because of the shouting and praising, God set ambushes against their enemies. The enemy became confused and killed each other before Judah got there. There was so much equipment, clothing and valuables that it took three days to carry away all the spoils of victory. On the fourth day, they celebrated in the valley of Berachah and called it the Valley of Blessing.
Praise will get you victory even in the valley!
Prayer: Today, Lord, I’m in the valley but Your Word tells me that the valley is where you restore my soul. Victory is coming if I just keep praising Your name! Thank You for the valley of blessing! Amen!
Devotion by Kaye Singleton
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.” Galatians 5:24 We just wrapped up another Easter weekend, and what a weekend it was. We had a jam-packed schedule as I’m sure many of you did, including two productions of our “He’s Alive” drama/musical. The week before was spent practicing and practicing and.. you guessed it, practicing. After awhile though, it just became another thing on the schedule to do, and for me the real message of Easter got lost in the chaos. In the crucifixion…
