Recent Devotions
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (I Peter 5:10, ESV) Today I discovered a “fact” I had heard for many years is not true at all. I had been told (and probably you as well) that diamonds form when extreme pressure is exerted on coal. Yes, there are similarities in how coal and diamonds form—underground, high heat, and high pressure—but that sparkling stone in engagement rings did not begin as a lump of coal. It…
“Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding” (Proverbs 23:23). Truth according to Merriam-Webster is sincerity in action, character, and utterance. The state of being the case: fact (2): the body of real things, events, and facts: actuality (3) often capitalized: a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality.…
Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.” Hebrews 13:3 Do you get up in the middle of the night when it is dark and you are half asleep? I have. Most nights I make it…
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“Whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God’s Spirit. Such a person really does not understand them, and they seem to be nonsense, because their value can be judged only on a spiritual basis. Whoever has the Spirit, however, is able to judge the value of everything, but no one is able to judge him.” (I Corinthians 2:14-15 in the Good News Translation of the Holy Bible) I recently read this quote by an anonymous writer, “When you don’t witness, you just did.” It made me think about how my life is a witness…
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17 In the margin of my Bible, the phrase “he is a new creature” is interpreted as “let him be a new creature.” How great it would be if when we repent of our sins, take on the name of Jesus in baptism and receive the Holy Spirit in our lives, that suddenly we would become perfect. However, we still have our flesh to contend with and must daily submit to the Spirit in order…
“You sent abundant rain, O God, to refresh the weary land.” Psalms 68:9 Many of you reading this devotion today are probably tired. I am tired. I am 24 weeks pregnant and have a four year old, and most days I find myself just trying to survive. This physical exhaustion often transfers over into my spiritual life, and causes me to become weary in well doing. I struggle with maintaining the same pace as before, always striving to be my best with no faltering at all. But I am weary ladies, and my relationship with God is taking the brunt…
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35, New King James Version). There is a telltale sign that shows when we truly are a disciple of the Lord. It’s a simple four-letter word: love. But there is nothing simple about it. Search for it in a Bible app, and the word will come up more than 300 to 500 times, depending on the translation used. There’s…
