“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.” (I Corinthians 7:17, ESV) When we think about the calling of God, our thoughts often go to pastors, perhaps some well-known Bible…
“But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” (Romans 9:20, ESV) The word why contains only three little letters, but, oh, the emotion behind that short word. Our human mind wants (demands)…
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11, ESV) Remember the old children’s song “I’m in the Lord’s Army”? We’d march in place, arms swinging, as we loudly sang, “I may never march in the infantry,…
“You spread out our sins before you—our secret sins—and you see them all.” (Psalm 90:8, NLT). A friend of mine was never very good at following doctor’s orders. When appointment time came, his guilty conscience kicked in. On that day, he would sleep a little longer and eat a lot…
“Fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.” (Romans 12:11) Pop quiz: “What are you most passionate about in life? What excites you and stirs up your enthusiasm?” Many of us will quickly respond, “God,” “family,” “soul winning,” or some other worthy pursuit. Next question: “On what activity do you spend the…
“Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.” (Psalm 119:37, ESV) Have you ever been drawn in by a fancy ad and suddenly you want that! Advertisers realize how often we want what we see. That’s why a few months ago a company…
“For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.” (Romans 16:19, ESV) We live in a world where the battle lines have been drawn between good and…
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it . . . How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? (Hebrews 2: 1, 3, ESV) As I write this devotion, I am waiting for a repairman to arrive.…
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. (Romans 12:12, ESV) Listening to a man being interviewed on the radio, I questioned one bold statement when he declared, “I never have a bad day.” Never? I think most of us would readily admit we’ve had good days…