Recent Devotions
“And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” Luke 2:25-26. Simeon loved God and believed all the Messianic promises in the writings of the prophets. The Bible does not tell us how old Simeon was, nor how many years he had been studying the scriptures. But we do know that at some point…
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” Luke 2:8 It began just like any other night on the Judean hills. The sheep settled for the night. The shepherds gathered around their campfire, sharing a last cup of coffee…
“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.” Luke 2:4-5 When my…
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“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…
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 Wait: to allow time to go by, especially while staying in one place without doing very much, until someone comes, until something that you are expecting happens, or until you can do something. Most of us do not like waiting. We make it on time to our Medical appointment and then sit for what seems like hours before our name is called. We pop into the…
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19) “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.” (II Corinthians 4:8-9) Pressure is something we all experience. It may not look like David running for his life from King Saul, or Paul being beaten, imprisoned, and persecuted, but pressure still finds its way into our everyday lives. It shows up in different forms, such as the weight of responsibilities, unanswered prayers, emotional exhaustion, financial strain,…
“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple.” Psalm 27:4 I deeply treasure my alone time with God. There is intimacy in the secret place that cannot be replicated. Yet, there is also something uniquely precious about gathering with the body of Christ. When I worship beside fellow believers, I am strengthened because their faith stirs mine, and their praise reminds me that I am not…
