Recent Devotions
“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” Hebrews 11:8 Put yourself in Sarah’s shoes today. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about her early life, except that she had married her half-brother and as near as we know was happy in that marriage. At some point, they had moved from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran along with their father. Scriptures later let us know that Abraham was rich, so no doubt they lived in a…
“Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.” I Peter 3:6 For the last few months, the Lord had been speaking to me about doing a series on some of the women in…
“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17, ESV) The class topic that Sunday was wisdom—what it is and how to obtain it. The discussion was lively and on target. Together we developed…
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“And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?” (Nehemiah 4:2) When Nehemiah set out to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, it was not an easy task. The walls had been destroyed 152 years before that and many thought it was impossible. Nehemiah and those helping rebuild the walls were met with opposition from many sides. They faced ridicule, threat of…
He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3, Holy Bible, New Living Translation I watched a shepherd relocate his large flock from a depleted pasture to a more nourishing grazing area. The sheep were not distracted by the line of impatient drivers as they crossed the paved road toward greener pastures. They recognized him as their master and followed through unfamiliar territory without fear. The Lord cares for us as a tender shepherd. When we recognize His sovereignty―that He is the God who created us―then we, like those sheep, will…
“So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore, let us no longer judge one another. Instead decide never to put a stumbling block or pitfall in the way of your brother or sister” (Romans 14:12-13, Christian Standard Bible). When I was a small child, one of the hymns sometimes sung was “Watching You.” The chorus went like this: Watching you, watching you, Ev’ry day mind the course you pursue, Watching you, watching you, There’s an all seeing Eye watching you. …
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James 1:5 This is a very familiar scripture to most of us and one that I remind myself many times. It applies to how we deal with natural things as well as spiritual. When facing a difficult situation or a challenge, I always pray for the Lord to give me wisdom. Sometimes whispering a prayer, and then just taking a break from what we are doing, gives us a new outlook and we can…
