Recent Devotions
She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah.” Genesis 29:35. In the above scripture we read that Leah gives birth to Judah, her last child, whose name means praise. Leah’s story is wrought with pain. She was never part of Jacob’s plan. On the long awaited day of his betrothal to Rachel, his future father-in-law schemed a plan to have his eldest daughter marry Jacob. Tables turned and the deceiver became the deceived. The morning after the wedding, Jacob unveiled his wife and…
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:34–35 (NLT) The Power of a Heartbeat The human heart begins…
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8–9. The Lord declares that not only are His ways are higher than…
Readers Loved
“A talebearer revealeth secrets; but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter” (Proverbs 11:13). In the information age that we live in, it seems as if there are no secrets anymore—especially when it comes to the personal lives of those in the public eye. In the past, the magazines or other news media that exposed private (and often humiliating or embarrassing) details of people’s lives were considered tabloids and frowned upon by other respectable news outlets. But not anymore. The boundary lines of decency have been erased, and it is a race between all the news media…
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Luke 4:18-19. Sometimes, when I invite someone to church, they will say, Oh, if I come to your church, lighting will strike me. The view of their lifestyle, paralleling the love of God, is skewed. What they would discover in the presence of God are His tender…
“And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it.” (Luke 12:33, NLT) I am always amazed at friends who can exist all day with just an itsy-bitsy purse hardly bigger than an envelope—a small envelope. I go prepared. Have a headache or upset stomach? I’ve got medicine. Break a nail? Here’s my nail file. Tissue? Here, have one of mine. You can imagine my shock when a friend recently needed a Band-Aid and I couldn’t find one in my purse. I also…
At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Matthew 18:1. This question that the disciples posed indicates to readers that they still had a lot to learn about what it truly means to be a minister. They were caught off guard with Jesus’ answer, He told them they had to become as little children to become great. A few days ago, while I was teaching Sunday School, the children learned the story about Jesus telling the disciples to become like little children. This was such (and is) such a…
