Category: Devotionals

2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

I vividly remember the Vietnam years. Images of protests and riots were splashed across the front pages of newspapers. Television news broadcasts reported the atrocities of war, and Americans were divided regarding our involvement in this overseas “conflict.” The outcry in the United States was unprecedented, and I thought we would not survive as a nation, but we did. I believed surely this type of revolt could not happen again. Unfortunately, I was wrong. It is much worse today than in the 60s and 70s because it is our own leaders who are the instigators of a political anarchy that has once again ignited the flames of rebellion, which burn so intensely that it threatens to destroy the very fabric of our country’s foundation.

Solomon faced similar problems in his reign as the third king of Israel. His people went through periods of unrest and rebellion, turning from the God who had chosen them as His very own. Their rejection of God brought severe judgments to the people, so after Solomon completed the temple’s construction, he prayed to God on behalf of Israel (2 Chronicles 6). God’s response was this recipe for healing and peace. Read more

1 Thessalonians 5:16 “Rejoice evermore.”

It’s so easy for me to read verses like this one and keep on going. After all, there doesn’t seem to b a whole lot to glean from these two little words, and it certainly doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand their meaning. “Rejoice evermore.” Simple. At least, that’s what I thought. And then my mind’s eye imagined God simply shaking His head at me with the smallest hint of a smile as He prepared to open my eyes to a deeper and richer understanding of His Word once again.

May my prayer always be, “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths” (Psalm 25:4).

The word “rejoice” means to feel or show great joy or delight, while the word “evermore” means forever, eternally, for all time. So the verse tells me that I should be exceedingly joyful always. Hmm… how do I do that? One thing I have discovered in my devotional studies is that the Bible always explains itself. Nothing is left to my speculations! As I continued to read, I found the recipe for rejoicing evermore!

1. Pray without ceasing (v. 17) – There are times when I am worried, angry, sad, fearful… This list can go on, and it is a list that does not support rejoicing. However, when I bring these concerns to my Father in heaven, He promises to handle them all. When I remember that I have Someone who can take all my cares upon Himself and guide me to brighter outcomes, I find myself able to rejoice!
2. In everything, give thanks (v. 18) – This verse doesn’t tell me that I am to give thanks for everything, but in everything! There is a big difference in those two prepositions. Many years ago, when I was told that I had cancer, I did not give thanks for the diagnosis, but I did give thanks in the understanding that I did not walk the path of this trial alone. Jesus was with me every step of the way. He accompanied me to every doctor’s visit and every surgery. He held me in His arms during every radiation and chemotherapy session. My spirit was able to rejoice in the knowledge that God was always with me!
3. Quench not the Spirit (v. 19) – God’s Holy Spirit dwells within me and influences me continually (Titus 3:5). His has given me certain abilities with which I can use to serve Him. When I heed the Spirit’s prompting and act accordingly, I am blessed beyond measure. That certainly is a reason to rejoice!
4. Despise not prophesyings (v. 20) – The Bible is full of prophesies, some of which have been fulfilled, and others still awaiting their time. When I understand God’s fulfillment of prophecy-past guarantees his fulfillment of prophesy-future, which includes Jesus coming back for me, I rejoice!
5. Prove all things, hold fast that which is good (v. 21) – The Bible is our guidebook for those things which are godly, righteous, and good in the sight of God. We have all that we need with which to determine right from wrong. We do not need to rely on our own definition of truth, for it is flawed. Instead, we have God’s truth in our hands, which is without error. That is worth rejoicing over!
6. Abstain from all appearance of evil (v. 22) – Notice this verse tells me to abstain from all appearance of evil. I am not only to abstain from doing evil, but I must refrain from having the appearance of evil in my life. Big difference. My life must reflect a godly lifestyle in appearance as well as actuality; it should mirror the goodness and righteousness of Jesus and His teachings in Scripture.When I choose to follow God’s ways, I am encouraged, enlightened, and blessed beyond measure! How can I not rejoice over this?

I have learned that when I follow in Jesus’ footsteps, I can face even the most difficult of times. The joy of the Lord truly is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10). However, rejoicing in all things does not come easy to me. I am still a work in progress, but I have found that when I do remember the importance of rejoicing in the Lord, I am content and at peace because God has “sanctified me wholly,” and continues to work all things “together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” – Philippians 4:4

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How has God enabled you to rejoice in difficult times?

John 15:16 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you.”

Have you ever shrunk down in the pew when the pastor of your church asks for volunteers to help in various ministries? I may not have done it physically, but there have been times when I’ve slumped down spiritually. Do any of these sound familiar?

“Sunday school? Not me! I can’t teach.”

“Sing in the choir? I can’t carry a tune in a bucket!”

“Bus ministry? I can’t get to church early enough for that!”

“The nursery? I can’t work with babies!”

Today’s verse tells me that Jesus does have a job for me to do, even if it isn’t one of those listed above. Like a king who chooses his officers from among his subjects, Jesus chooses Christians from the body of believers for specific tasks. In this passage, Jesus is telling His followers that He has ordained, or appointed, each one for a particular job or jobs.

Hmm… So what is my job? Read more

John 13:34 “A new commandment I give unto you; That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also one another.”

This is one of those verses with which I am very familiar. So familiar in fact, that I thought it was pretty self-explanatory and wouldn’t require much depth of study. (I can almost hear God chuckling at my naivety!)

First of all, I realized that this is a commandment of Jesus. It is not a suggestion; it is a mandate from the Son of God, and He is giving it to me. Secondly, there is the commandment itself. I am to love others, but not just to simply love them. I am to love them as Jesus loved me. How did He love me? The typical response is that Jesus loved me enough to die for me on the cross, which is true, but I needed to take a moment to really think about what that meant. When I really thought about the scope of His love for me, I was overwhelmed by the enormity of it.

Philippians 2:5-6 states “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Because Jesus loved us all, He voluntarily left His position as God. He left the splendor of heaven (which I really cannot comprehend), but I know it is pure, holy, without pain or suffering, glorious… all those wonderful things that Scripture talks about, but there is no real way for me to grasp what He left… and He did it out of love. He separated Himself physically from God the Father. It had never been done before in all eternity until now… and Jesus did it out of love. Read more

1 Peter 2:2 “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”

I remember when my granddaughter was born. Such a beautiful baby who was, in my mind, like an angel sent to earth from heaven… until she was hungry! Boy, could she cry! There never was a doubt as to what she wanted, and her wails would become louder and more insistence the longer she had to wait for her feeding! Not even a pacifier would keep her content for very long if she was truly hungry. After a few sucks, she would furrow her tiny brow, spit the pacifier out, open her mouth and emit a howl of protest. It was only after being fed that she would quiet down in my arms. Finally full, she would be completely content.

Peter tells us in his epistle that we should be like newborn babies desiring the sincere (genuine, true) milk of God’s Word. Do I demand to be fed with God’s Word on a daily basis? And when I don’t get it, does my soul cry out for spiritual nourishment as a baby does when it’s hungry? If it doesn’t, I must ask myself, “Why not?”

Have I been pacifying my soul’s need for spiritual nourishment with things of the world? Instead of finding Bible verses to meditate upon or devotions to study, have I filled my soul with worldly things like secular music, television shows or books, or technological devices to try and ease the pangs of spiritual hunger?

In order to grow spiritually, I must be fed from the Word of God. If I neglect to give my soul what it craves, I will not mature in my Christian walk. Whether through personal devotion time, attending Church services, listening to godly music… all must be predicated upon a strong Biblical foundation. When I satisfy my soul’s longing with these types of activities, the unrest within me calms, and my hunger for the things of God will be satiated. If I read the Bible, the “sincere milk of the word” and pray every day, I will “grow-grow-grow”!

“And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” – Jeremiah 3:15

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I’d love for you to share with me what has God shown you through His Word lately.

1 Chronicles 16:11 “ Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face continually.”

Seeking God through prayer should be an ongoing process for Christians. We should seek Him for his presence, His mercy, His wisdom, His instruction, His help… the list goes on. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:17, we should pray without ceasing. I read once of an individual who never used the word “amen” in her personal prayers because she never wanted her prayers to God to have an ending point.

Prayer is the link between God and man. All through the Scriptures, we read the prayers of faithful people, and how God answered them. Here are a few examples of prayer warriors in the Bible.

Our best example is Jesus (Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35, Luke 5:6, 6:12), but there are others. Daniel (Daniel 6:10), Mary (Luke 1:46-55), Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10), Paul (Ephesians 1:6, Colossians 1:9), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 12:1-6), and David (Psalm 3, and throughout the Psalms) were all praying people, and still there are more!

Why is continual prayer so important? Prayer maintains a relationship between God and His children. Imagine if you never spoke to your dearest friend. What kind of relationship would you have? Prayer keeps our relationship with God viable! It connects us to One who lovingly created us to have communion with Him. God’s desire is that we fellowship with Him, and we do that through prayer. There are a myriad of benefits that can be associated with prayer. Here is a sampling from the Bible.

*Prayer draws God near to His children (Psalm 145:18)

*God responds to prayer (Mark 11:24, 1 John 5:15)

*God forgives our sin (2 Chronicles 7:14)

*Prayer protects us from temptation (Matthew 26:41)

*Prayer helps us attain wisdom ((James 1:5)

*Prayer helps alleviate worry (Philippians 4:6)

*Prayer gives us direction (Jeremiah 42:2-3)

Prayer is a form of worship (Psalm 95:6-7), and it draws us closer to our heavenly Father. Like Daniel, we should turn our face toward God throughout our waking hours and as the song says, “Have a little talk with Jesus.”

“Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.”             – Jeremiah 29:12

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I’d love to hear from you! How has prayer made a difference in your life?

Isaiah 1:17 “Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.”

When I first read this verse I thought, “How in the world does this verse apply to me?” While I understood what each phrase said, I couldn’t grasp the spiritual meaning for me. Hmm… what do I do? I decided to read the entire chapter. Maybe that would help my understanding. Nope, not really. So I decided to read a few commentaries on the verse. The commentaries said that this verse was probably meant for magistrates or those in power to judge. Well, I’m not a judge, so again, what was I supposed to get from this verse? Finally I decide to pray about it. (I know… why didn’t I pray first? I guess I’m still in the infancy stages of “learning to do well”!)

After asking God’s Holy Spirit for help in understanding, here is what I gleaned.

1. “Learning to do well” – The only place from where I can learn what is righteous and true is from the God’s Word. I must submit myself to solid Biblical teaching from godly teachers, such as my pastor and Sunday school instructors (2 Timothy 2:15). I must make time to read and meditate upon the Scriptures on my own and allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate its words for me as I study it.
2. “Seek judgment” – I must search for what is right in the sight of the Lord in all situations. I must be wise in my actions and understand how they can influence others. Good judgment comes with wisdom, and wisdom comes from the fear, or reverential awe and respect, of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10), and the Bible tells me that I must abstain from even the appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22), so I must continually evaluate my own actions and align them with the Word of God.
3. “Relieve the oppressed” – Where there is a need, I must step up to help if I am able. God Word tells us to reach out and help others whenever we can (Romans 12:10, 13). Our testimony for Christ shines forth when we love one another as He loved us (John 13:35). The needs could be financial, emotional, physical, or spiritual, but I must have a willing and available heart for those who are burdened.
4. “Judge the fatherless” – How poignant in today’s world that there are so many children that have no fathers in their lives. To offer justice to these children is to give them what a father should provide… protection, teaching, and love. As a Christian, I must share the gospel with them and teach them that they have a heavenly Father who loves them (Proverbs 22:6). Jesus desired children to come to Him, and I must help facilitate that in places like Sunday school, AWANA, and missions. It also means taking a stand for the unborn babies who have no earthly fathers to protect them (Psalm 82:3-4).
5. “Plead for the widow” – Statistics show that women have a greater life expectancy than men, so many times a husband precedes his wife in death. To those women left behind, I can befriend and visit (1 Timothy 5:3). Maybe it’s in their homes, a retirement facility, or just a time of one-on-one fellowship at church. It could even be as simple as a card in the mail reminding a lady that she is thought of and loved.

Wow! When I first read this verse, I couldn’t see any application to my life. What a difference it made when I asked God’s Spirit to open my eyes to Scripture! Next time, I’ll be sure to make that my first step in my devotional reading!

“Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.” – 2 Timothy 2:7

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I’d love to hear about a time when God’s Spirit opened your eyes to the truth of His Word!

John 11:40 “Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?”

At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus is speaking to Martha, whose brother has died four days earlier. Jesus had not come when summoned by her, but now He had arrived and was standing before the sealed grave. With a broken heart, Martha had just lamented that if Jesus had been there earlier, Lazarus would not have died. In her heart, she believed that Jesus could have healed her brother had He been present before his death. When Jesus asked that the stone be removed, Martha reminded Him that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. In this tender moment, Jesus reminded Martha that He had told her before that if she truly believed in Him, she would see God’s glory.

I can imagine her tear-streaked face looking up into the compassionate eyes of Jesus, and in that moment, she has a glimpse of the truth of what He had said. She steps back without another word, holding on to the hope of something she can’t quite comprehend. She hears His prayer to His father, and then she hears Jesus speak three unbelievable words that have resonated throughout time from that day forward: “Lazarus, come forth!”

I often see myself as a modern-day Martha. Like her, I struggle with the concept of praying to God, asking for His help, and then not receiving a timely answer. I have prayed many times for the “Lord to come” and meet a particular need… maybe health related, maybe financial, maybe something personal… but He tarries, and I don’t understand why. Like Martha, I cry out to God that if He had answered when I had prayed to Him, the outcomes of my situations would have been different… more to what I had desired.

But then, the Holy Spirit reminds me through God’s Word that my current understanding is “through a glass, darkly,” where “I know in part” (1 Corinthians 13:12). I don’t see the big picture. I see just a tiny portion of the work. My viewpoint is egocentric. Martha believed Jesus loved Lazarus, and that He could and would do anything for him. When she sent for the Lord, she believed He would come and heal Lazarus of the debilitating illness. But He didn’t come until four days later, and by then Lazarus had died. Martha also had an egocentric perspective.

There was a bigger picture that Martha could not see. She had to learn to trust God. Jesus would answer her call. Jesus would restore Lazarus to health, but in a way she never dreamed possible, and in a way that would show the glory of God that day forward.

I need to remember that God is at work on this “bigger picture” in my life and will continue to do so until Jesus comes to take me home with Him (Philippians 1:6). I have His Word to help me remember that when I pray, God will answer (1 John 5:14-15). What I don’t know is how or when He will do so. But I know He will; He said so (Jeremiah 29:12-13, John 16:24). I just need to remember that there is a bigger picture, and that if I but believe, I will see the glory of God!

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”   – John 14:13

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How the Lord has answered prayer in an unexpected way in your life?

Psalm 118:1 “O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: because His mercy endureth for ever.”

I once heard that if something was in the Scriptures once, it was important, but if it was there more than once definitely pay attention to it. The phrase “His mercy endureth for ever” is mentioned over and over again in the Bible. It is found in both the Old and New Testaments, and Psalm 136 mentions it in each one of its 26 verses!

So, what’s so important about this? God is holy and just. He does not tolerate sin, and the punishment for that is eternal separation from God in a place He designed for those who reject Him. Since we all have sinned (Romans 3:23), we deserve that punishment, but God in His mercy offers us the forgiveness of our sins through the sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus, who died on a horrible cross in our place.  Jesus willingly took the punishment that we deserved by offering His life as the atonement for our sins. Once we accept His forgiveness and make Jesus our Lord and Saviour, God gives us the gift of eternal life in heaven with Him (Romans 6:23). That’s mercy!

Why would He do this? God does this because of the tremendous love He has for each one of us. Before we even loved Him, He loved us and provided this plan for our salvation (Romans 5:8). What an amazing God!

According to Lamentations 3:22-23, God’s mercies are new every morning! His compassion for us never runs out. He loves each of us with an everlasting love, and this love cannot be quenched with water or drowned out by floods (Song of Solomon 8:7).

God’s mercy is beyond comprehension, and His love knows no bounds. One day, I will truly understand the depth of those two attributes. For now, it is enough to know that God’s mercy for me comes from His heart and truly does endure forever.

“Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”    – Jude 1:21

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I’d love to hear from you! What has the Lord shown you from His Word lately?

I Corinthians 13:4-8 “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth.”

I have always thought of this chapter as describing that perfect love that we should all have for one another. I remember being told that this was “agape” love, and this godly love was what I should aspire for in my Christian life. I have now come to understand that this chapter is much more than that. It is a chapter that actually describes God. I can see you all now rolling your eyes as you say, “Really? She just figured that out?” It’s true, the Holy Spirit has to really work hard sometimes to open my eyes to God’s Word! Here is what He so graciously taught me today.

My God is patient

My God is kind

My God is not jealous

My God is not proud or boastful

My God does not act unrighteously

My God does not seek self-gratification

My God is not easily angered

My God does not think evil against me

My God does not rejoice in sin

My God rejoices in truth

My God bears all things

My God trusts

My God hopes

My God endures

My God never fails

Now when I hear, “God is love,” it means so much more to me!

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Happy Valentine’s Day!