Devotionals
A daily word of encouragement, exhortation and edification, drawn from the Scriptures.
The heart of the matter
Proverbs 17:3 "The fining pot [is] for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts." It is a new day. A gift from our marvelous Lord God. Let us understand that we do not live our lives in a vacuum or without purpose. We have been bought with a...
God’s Word, God’s GPS
PSALM 17.4 "Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept [me from] the paths of the destroyer. 5 Hold up my goings in thy paths, [that] my footsteps slip not." There are only two paths for us to choose to walk upon in life today. One is the path of...
Ritual or Resurrection?
Let me ask you a question. What motivates you to be in church today? Is there something different that has compelled you to come to service this morning but not last week or next week? Why would you believe that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is important to...
The Life That Is Blessed
What does a blessed life look like? Or let me put it this way: What does God say that a life that is blessed looks like? The answer is found in the Holy Scriptures. In beginning a teaching in what has been called “The Sermon on the Mount”, The Lord Jesus Christ opens...
The God of all Comfort
The apostle Paul opened his second epistle to the church in Corinth with the words, "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort...
The Blood of the Lamb
We will be pondering the passages from Revelation 5 today. The scene of course is in heaven. In the right hand of The Father Who is seated on His throne, there is a sealed book (Revelation 5:1). Not only has the unfolding of the rest of the book of Revelation, but in...
I Will Sing!
I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt...
The cure for bitterness
Oh, how human we are! Praising one day and grumbling and bitter the next. The children of Israel were gloriously delivered out of Egypt by the mighty hand of God. There was singing and dancing and celebration. They even made the most wonderful proclamation, Who is...
A Virtuous Woman
Ladies, on this day that we honor our mothers,1 may we give glory to Jesus who is the true women’s liberator.2 In a day and age when women are being pressured to conform to the mold of this fallen world, daughters of Abraham3 are being changed from glory to glory by...
Resting Or Restless?
Jeremiah 50:6 tells us that God’s people, Israel, were like lost sheep. They were led astray by their shepherds; they forgot their resting place. In a nutshell, Israel strayed because their shepherds did not give the people the Word of God. However, even where the...
Let your light shine
I am reminded of the many places in Scripture where we are told to be zealous of good works. I'd like to pass along a brief reminder today in regards to the connection between good works and the glory of God. Jesus said in Mt 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men...
Saturday Men’s Prayer
As I sat with other brothers from our church family for prayer, my heart was warmly stirred with a sense of the presence of The Lord. I didn't get any goose bumps or chills up and down my spine, just a sense of God's presence and approval of what He was observing....
Created for community
The body of Christ is a living organism, with Jesus being the Head. This is a picture that God gives to us throughout the New Testament. Among the many lessons that could be written about what it means to be a body; one sure conclusion is drawn. There is no room for...
When, not If
In the book of James, we learn that the normal Christian life is one that includes both testing and temptation. Brother James makes it very clear that testing and temptation is not a matter of "if", but when. In other words, every single follower of Jesus can expect...
Today and Daily
The writer to the Hebrews urges us to exhort one another daily, lest any of us be hardened by the deceitfulness, or delusion, of sin. But note that he adds the word, today. Thus, exhorting one another in the faith is something that must be done daily. Please note the...
Faith in the Power of God
Corinth was a city that prided itself as being a center of eloquent orators. That was a typical notion of the Greek and Roman world of the time. Like Corinth, our day and age is captivated by mesmerizing orators and motivational speakers. The "mantra" of the day is...
Dealing with doubtful things
In Romans 14, we are given much needed guidance on how to deal with others in the body who have different convictions on non-salvation issues. The subjects dealt with specifically were the keeping of the sabbath and the eating of meats. They may not be big deals for...
Blessed Indeed!
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Three times in one verse we find the word blessed or blessings. The Source of these blessings is our Blessed God and...
My soul doth magnify The Lord
The title of my blog today is taken from Mary's beautiful declaration found in Luke 1.46-53. Upon hearing that she is going to bear The Son of God in her womb, Mary humbly submits to the will of God, in spite of the human impossibility of what the angel declared God...
Sweet Hour of Prayer
One of the most beloved hymns is entitled sweet hour of prayer. That is theme of my meditation today. I find it interesting how the words prayer and incense are found together in Scripture. The Psalmist David wrote, "Let my prayer be set forth before thee [as]...
Leaven or Bread of Life?
Mark 6:52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give...
Watch and Pray (Part 2)
My last devotional regarding the importance of watching and praying is so important in the Christian life, that I am compelled to write a bit more about it today. Jesus said these words to the disciples in the garden that He could very well say to you or me right now....
The Medicine Of Praise
I wonder if a key ingredient lacking in our Christian walk is that of praise and thanksgiving.
The city of man or the city of God?
Revelation 21 and 22 tells us about the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem. This, I believe is the place that Jesus said He went to prepare for His people. When was the last time that you read those chapters beloved? I mean, read them slowly and prayerfully until you...
Born of The Spirit
Until a person is born of a the Spirit, he or she remains unconverted. That which is born of the flesh is flesh (human birth), and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (spiritual birth). While every human being bears the image of God by creation, none are His...
My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest
These precious words were spoken by God to his servant Moses in that incredible 33rd chapter of Exodus. The entire chapter is a good read, and I would encourage you to do so. The purpose of God speaking these words to Moses was to encourage him as he carried out the...
Current Events and the Sovereignty of God
I was engaged in a conversation with a few brothers the other day about current events, dangerous political leaders, terrorism and an ever increasing occurrence of devastating weather phenomenon. Now please do not get me wrong, those things are of real concern to me....
Dead faith and real faith
In James 2.14-26, we find a distinction between genuine, saving faith and dead faith. Now the bottom line is this. It corresponds to what Jesus said. A good tree will bring forth good fruit, while a bad tree will bring forth bad fruit. Brother James tells us that a...
True and False Repentance
The very first words of Jesus in Mark's gospel are. "the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." Please note that Jesus says, repent and believe, not accept and receive. What does it mean to repent? It is a Greek word...
Little Things Matter
Man usually notices big things, as if the size of someone or something is a measure of its worth. But God, thankfully, is quite different. By man’s standards the poor widow’s offering and the little lad’s lunch were not much at all. But look how Jesus both looked upon...
Jesus IS The Resurrection
Matthew 28:1-6 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled...