Category: Devotionals

Psalm 139:7-10 “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”

Have you ever felt so lonely that it seemed like the world abandoned you? Some people like solitude. I do not. For me, being alone goes beyond the quietness of the moment. For me, being alone stirs up memories of separation and abandonment and all the anxieties that go along with it. I will do whatever I need to do to avoid feeling alone.

For the longest time, I relied upon myself to avoid being alone. I would go visiting friends (not a bad thing to do); I would go shopping (too hard on the budget); I would keep the television on (definitely not the best solution). But these were all temporary solutions; they did not remedy the problem. It was only when I turned to the Lord that being alone became less foreboding. Read more

Have you ever been to a home improvement store? Have you ever noticed the wide variety of doors that are available? I had no idea there were so many different kinds! Some are solid; some are hollow. Some are pocket doors, sliding into a wall until needed. Some are half-doors, where the top swings open, but the bottom remains closed and locked. Some have windows in them, while many have only peepholes. The variance in doors is amazing, but they all have the same function. Doors let people in or out. You can lock them, hoping to keep people out indefinitely, or you can leave them wide open, an invitation for anyone to enter. You control your door. Read more

I have a dear friend who lives in Florida, and occasionally I visit her. She lives in a lovely home surrounded by a golf course, small lakes, nature trails, and some very memorable wildlife. Perhaps the most impressive to me are the alligators that can be seen throughout this area. The alligators spend most of their time in the lakes, but they often warm themselves on the land during the day. The one in the picture was sunning itself behind her house. It actually appeared quite harmless, and I wanted to get a bit closer to it for a photo. My friend warned me that contrary to popular thinking, an alligator can move in short bursts up to 30 mph on land, and she cautioned me to be careful! While the alligator was as still as could be, I chose to heed her warning, so I kept a safe distance while snapping the photo. Read more

Luke 2:10-12  “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

I grew up with several notions in my head that I really believed were true until I became an adult and realized that watermelon seeds didn’t sprout in my stomach and butter was not good to apply on a burn. These sayings were passed down from generation to generation in my family, and I never disputed them (or others), but like the seeds and butter, I have found that sometimes my understanding of certain concepts is based on assumption rather than fact. Sadly, sometimes this crosses over in my understanding of Scripture. For example, I had once assumed that the apple was the fruit of which Eve and Adam ate, but the exact fruit is not mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 3:6).

I recently realized that there is no mention of a stable in regards to the birth of Jesus, nor does the Bible record that an innkeeper provided an alternate place for Mary and Joseph to stay since there was “no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7). This “discovery” of mine compelled me to wonder, “If not in a stable, then where was Jesus born?” Read more

This time of year, my living room is cluttered with wrapping paper, boxes, ribbons, and bows as I carefully wrap the presents I have purchased for my family and friends. Sitting beneath the bright, shiny twinkling lights of my Christmas tree, the pretty packages add to the anticipation of Christmas as I see them day after day. Every so often, my granddaughters will pull out one of the their gifts, give it a shake, hoping for a clue as to its contents. The joy on their faces is priceless!

I love Christmas! Every part of it! The hustle and bustle of shopping, the decorations on the houses, Christmas movies, and baking holiday treats. Unfortunately, it’s easy to become so consumed with all the shopping and preparations for Christmas that we lose our focus on what is the most precious gift of all! Read more

Having you ever wondered why people celebrate Christmas? It’s a wonderful time of year! It is a time of decorating trees, giving gifts to those we love, spending time with family. It’s colored lights twinkling on houses, songs about mistletoe and jingle bells, and sugar cookies in the shapes of snowmen, reindeer, and Santa Claus. But is this really Christmas? It seems like there must be more to this holiday than decking the halls with boughs of holly, doesn’t it?  For me, there is!

Here are six reasons that I celebrate Christmas. Read more

Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

The first part of this verse focuses on the word of Christ dwelling richly in me in all wisdom. From where does this wisdom come? The answer is in the Bible in James 1:5. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” And then in James 3:17, it says, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” In order for me to be the living sacrifice that God desires (Romans 12:1), His Word must be established within me, and I must walk according to it (Psalm 119:133). So, I need to ask God for wisdom as I diligently read my Bible, meditate upon it, and hide its words in my heart.

The second part of today’s verse says I should teach and admonish (urge earnestly) others through singing. I am so grateful to have the Holy Spirit reveal to me that singing is multi-purposeful! Read more

Colossians 2:6-7 “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”

I vividly remember the day that I accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour. As I sat in the pew listening to a missionary share the gospel, I was deeply convicted of my sin. The moment the invitation was given, I rushed to the altar to seek His forgiveness and receive His gift of salvation. That was the easy part.

I have discovered that living a life for Christ is hard work. Facing those day-after-day struggles while trying to follow in Jesus’ footsteps is not an easy task for me. The lure of the world is unending; the pleasures of sin, albeit for just a season (Hebrews 11:25) are constantly a temptation. To use the “escape route” provided to me by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 10:13) is not always my first thought. Why is that? Because it is easy for me to rationalize and consent to sin with lies that I choose to believe. Why would I do that? Because sin can be very enjoyable. That’s part of its allure. Have you ever heard the phrase, “It doesn’t hurt anyone”? I have, and I’ve bought into it… for years. Regrettably, I have used that as an excuse for my own sin many times. Listening to worldly music or watching an ungodly television show doesn’t hurt anyone, does it? Harboring unkind thoughts about others, but never voicing them, that doesn’t hurt anyone, right?  WRONG! Read more

I Thessalonians 5:18 – “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

This past Sunday, my pastor delivered a message using the word “thanksgiving” as an acrostic to identify things from Scripture for which he was grateful. His challenge was for us to write our own list, so I chose the word “thankful” for my acrostic. This was a unique way to help me focus my gratitude on the Lord for a few of the things He has done for me. As you read through my list, I would encourage you to choose a word of thanks for yourself and create your own acrostic, identifying some of the blessings for which you are most grateful this Thanksgiving season! Read more

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

One of the most illuminating things I have learned about the Bible is that it is to be read with an understanding of Jewish culture. As I learn more about the lives of God’s chosen people, my eyes are opened to the clear connections of their culture to the Scriptures. I realize that there is nothing in the Word of God that is random. Everything is interrelated, and the more I learn about Jewish history, the greater understanding I have of the Bible.

According to the dictionary, the word “strait” is quite different than the word “straight.” The latter means “not crooked,” but the word used in these verses means “a narrow or difficult passageway.” In a spiritual context, the wide way represents the way of the world, which is easy to follow, sinful in nature, and eventually leading to death. The narrow gate is the way of life through Jesus, which is more difficult to follow, yet yields eternal life in heaven. When He told His followers that they were to enter through the strait gate, He was using an illustration that made perfect sense to them. Jesus’ comments were much more than a simple metaphor regarding the path of life we choose.
Last year, when John and I were in Israel, we visited a replica of a 1st century Nazareth village. To enter this village, we had to pass through a city gate. It was a massive gate that had a smaller and more narrow gate set within it. These ancient gates had different purposes, which allowed different types of people to enter. Read more