Today's Devotion
Then Job arose, and rent his mantle and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground and worshiped, Job 1:20. Job chapters 1 and 2 survey the heartrending account of Job’s loss. First, he loses his material wealth and possessions, and then he receives the devastating news that all of his children have died in a desert windstorm. There are still limitations in our language when it comes to grief. For instance, there is a word to describe a child who loses their parents: an orphan. There is a word to describe someone who loses a spouse: a widow.…
Life Reference: I Peter 3:8-12 Focus Verse: “The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him” (Proverbs 20:7). Home repairs are one of my least favorite tasks. If the repair is complex—which with my skills can be most anything—it then involves calling a repairman, setting an…
“Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God” (Job 37:14). Does it feel like you are in a perpetual rush, never finding time to “stop and smell the roses”? Our society expects everything instantly. We have microwaves, instant coffee, fast food, and fast lanes. We become impatient when things don’t move quickly. Yet the faster we pace ourselves, the less time we seem to have. As has been humorously stated, “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.” All of us have observed this phenomenon and, if we are honest, are probably just as guilty as the next person.…
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16 Several months ago, my family went on a quick five-day getaway to Myrtle Beach. It was pure sunshine and smiles until one morning, we woke to rain. So, we loaded the kids in the car and drove them to an indoor play venue with endless stations to dress up, play dentist, go on rocket ships, and get wildly lost in our imaginations. Even my husband…
Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me. Psalm 42:7 A few weeks ago at church prayer, there was a depth that our congregation experienced in the presence of God. I felt like Peter when he began to walk on the water. Peter didn’t step unto still waters, he stepped unto raging waters in the middle of a storm! Regardless of how we may judge Peter for getting distracted and looking at his surroundings, he is still the only man who has ever lived, other than Jesus, to have…
There’s an old song by Ella Jenkins that I’ve been singing: Wade in the water Wade in the water Wade in the water, children God’s gonna trouble the water This song references the story of the Israelites crossing over the river Jordan and has a rich meaning as a spiritual hymn. Even though this song isn’t talking about the New Testament account of the pool of Bethesda, I cannot help thinking about that story. John 5 tells of a story of a pool in Jerusalem where many people who were lame, paralyzed, and blind would lie and wait for an…
