Recent Devotions
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” Psalm 103:8 When we think of the word gracious in connection with Jesus, we remember His divine grace towards us. He knows our faults and our failures, and yet His grace extends freely to us. Covered by His blood and protected by His Spirit, we are secure in our relationship with Him. Cambridge Dictionary describes gracious as “behaving in a pleasant, polite, calm way: a gracious smile, gracious enough.” When Jesus was here on earth, He encountered people from different circumstances, but He met each of them…
“But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” Psalm 86:15 Oxford Dictionary defines compassion as: sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. During the last few weeks, many parts of the world have been devastated…
“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.” Ephesians 5:1-2 Our pastor usually walks around the church praying before the service, and often,…
Readers Loved
A flock of sheep stood grazing in a green pasture as a gentle brook burbled nearby. One hundred sheep, to be exact. As the Good Shepherd inspected His herd, He noticed one was missing. He called its name time and again, but no sheep. He looked this way and that, but still no sheep. That sheep was precious to Him. It was worth the price of His own life. He left the ninety and nine in search of the lost sheep. Up mountains, through valleys, there was nowhere He would not go to return the lost sheep to the fold.…
Psalms 34:18 ESV “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” I’m sure many of us have experienced a situation that left us with a broken heart. I recall one specific break-up in high school that left me with swollen eyes, a bad case of the sniffles, and a heart that felt like it had been shattered into a million pieces. Of course, in high school, this quite literally felt like the end of the world to me. I am glad to report that I have since recovered. There are many different seasons that we will…
“Who can find a wife of noble character? She is far more precious than jewels . . . Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but the woman who fears the LORD will be praised.” (Proverbs 31:10 and 30, CSB) Much has been said about the characteristics of the woman described in Proverbs 31. She was virtuous, kind, faithful, hardworking, dressed modestly, and cared well for her household. She was strong, capable, charitable, trustworthy, and just all-around nice. That’s quite a list! We might envy her numerous abilities, but we would probably also enjoy having this amazing woman as a…
He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends. (Proverbs 17:9, NKJV) When we love the people in our lives, we will not reveal their transgressions. We will not talk behind their backs gossiping about them with others. The definition of gossip is “idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others.” We should not listen to or participate in gossip disguised as “prayer requests” or “prayer updates.” Most of us have heard this or even participated because no one is perfect. It’s important to use discernment to navigate these…
