Recent Devotions
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:6 I saw this quote today and thought it would fit into this very well: “Let your hands be so busy catching blessings, that there is no room to hold on to a grudge.” All of us like to be shown mercy, but when it comes to others, we want to see them get what they deserve. In this verse Jesus is reminding his listeners that God has been very merciful to them and in turn they should show mercy to others. David cried out to God for mercy because…
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6 When Adam sinned in the garden of Eden he brought condemnation on the entire world, and because of that each of us is born with a sinful nature. We have no righteousness of…
“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5 The crowd that gathered around Jesus that day knew what it was like to be submissive. They had nothing. They lived under the power and dominion of the Romans. At times they felt anything but blessed. Those who…
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“And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?” Genesis 3:8-9 Every day God had a set time when he came down to the Garden and spent some time with Adam and Eve. No doubt they looked forward to this every day, a chance to communicate with their Creator and tell Him about what they had…
“Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2, New English Translation). Sync — short for synchronize: to set two things to the same time or value, or to update a database shared by two devices (urbandictionary.com). To live in this digital age, we often find it necessary to sync our various electronic devices. I wear a fitness tracker; and when I go to the app on my phone, it tells me it is “syncing and refreshing.” Soon my cell phone shows…
“The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever” Isaiah 40:8 My oldest daughter had an upset belly just this last weekend. She felt sick, and began to panic that she would be sick and I could not get her to calm down and think sensibly. The worst of it was over, but she was still anxious and afraid. I tried everything I knew to do as a Mom. I sat with her and held her close. We prayed together numerous times. I told her everything would be okay, but she still was panicked.…
Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:20, ESV) I know that Thanksgiving (the holiday) is past for this year, but thanksgiving (the attitude) should still be part of every day. I woke today with the word thankful on my mind and praise in my heart. Does that mean my day has been perfect? Not at all. As I write this, I’m sitting in a chilly house waiting for a repairman to fix my suddenly temperamental furnace. I can choose to focus on what I don’t have (heat)…
