Posts with the category “devotional”

Luke 14:25-17:10; John 11:1-37.  “Weigh the Cost”          What will it cost to purchase that product?  What will it cost to build that?  What will it cost to speed through that school zone and get a ticket?  What will it cost to go to war?  Whether small or large items, we wisely weigh the cost first.  Have you ever sat down and listed the pros and cons of a decision you are about to make?  It’s ...  Read More

Luke 13:22-14:24; John 10.  “Like Sheep”          Things to know about sheep: Ranked as one of the most helpless animals on the earth; Have a number of enemies; No protection like a dog with sharp teeth or a deer with a fast foot, or a bee with a sharp stinger, or a skunk that can drive away any beast with his smell; It is not adapt at sensing danger; They are very easily frightened; They like to ...  Read More

Luke 12:35-13:21; John 9.  “Be Ready”          I love the way this passage starts out, “Be dressed for service and well prepared…”  My dad retired from the airlines, and when I was young we would get an occasional special treat in the form of an airplane flight.  As an employee’s family we were required to dress up a little.  I remember dressing in a nice button up and slacks before the flight.  I...  Read More

Luke 11:14-12:34.  “Money and Hypocrites”          It is interesting how instruction concerning both money and hypocrisy come up in the same chapter (Lk. 12).  Jesus discussed the topic of money more often than Heaven.  Money is such an enormous part of our lives.  It is in front of us daily at work, at the store and at home.  It can get to a point where it consumes our thoughts as we think of wha...  Read More

         I was reading something today that described a disciple of Christ as one who follows behind Him with head bowed low wearing a long dark robe.  That may display some kind of reverence, but I’m not sure it displays the passion and joy a disciple of Christ should have.  This week’s passages will describe various aspects of what it means to be a believer/disciple of Christ and how that plays ...  Read More

I was reading something today that described a disciple of Christ as one who follows behind Him with head bowed low wearing a long dark robe.  That may display some kind of reverence, but I’m not sure it displays the passion and joy a disciple of Christ should have.  This week’s passages will describe various aspects of what it means to be a believer/disciple of Christ and how that plays out daily in our lives.    Read More

Matthew 8:18-22; Luke 9:51-62; John 7:1-8:20. “Awareness of Sin”          F.B. Meyer has been credited with saying that “when we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do not know.  First, we do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin.  And second, we do not know the power of the force that assailed him or her.  We also do not know what we would have done in the same circums...  Read More

Matthew 17:14-18:35; Mark 9:14-50; Luke 9:37-50. “Humility”          “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” – James 4:10         In 1973, Senator John C. Stennis was mugged and shot outside his home.  When Senator Mark Hatfield received word of the incident he drove straight to the hospital.  Upon arriving, he observed that the hospital staff was overwhelmed with t...  Read More

Matthew 16:13-17:13; Mark 8:22-9:13; Luke 9:18-36.  “Transparency”          Jesus modeled transparency to us in how He lived His life.  Jesus opened himself up to His disciples and allowed them to know certain things about Him and His purpose.  I do think that it is important to note that He was more transparent with some of his disciples (Peter, James, and John) than He was with the rest.        ...  Read More

Matthew 15:21-16:12; Mark 7:24-8:21.  “Simple Faith”          I have long struggled with the overabundance of denominations that we have within Christianity.  Certainly, there have been valid reasons involved that led to some of these divisions.  Taking a stand on issues such as the deity of Christ or salvation by grace alone through faith alone is never wrong.         That being said, I am often ...  Read More

Matthew 15:1-20; Mark 7:1-23; John 6:22-71.  “A Changed Heart”          “The purpose of my instruction is that all the Christians there would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and sincere faith.” – 1 Timothy 1:5         Jesus turned the religious system of first century Judaism on its ear.  He was able to look through their traditions and recognize that they wer...  Read More

Matthew 14:1-36; Mark 6:14-56; Luke 9:7-17; John 6:1-21. “Peer Pressure”          The court of public opinion is a powerful force, especially for those who live and work in the political arena.  When you read about Herod’s dealings with John the Baptist, you quickly realize that this court of public opinion, or more commonly known as peer pressure, has been influential for 2,000 years.         Pe...  Read More

         The theme for this week is authenticity.  As you read about the life that Jesus lived, I hope you are able to see how authentic He was in His dealings with the people around Him.  Whether they were friend or foe, He did not deceive or mislead anyone and always acted authentic. Matthew 9:27-10:42; 13:53-58; Mark 6:1-13; Luke 9:1-6.  “A Heart for the Lost”          If you love only those wh...  Read More

The theme for this week is authenticity.  As you read about the life that Jesus lived, I hope you are able to see how authentic He was in His dealings with the people around Him.  Whether they were friend or foe, He did not deceive or mislead anyone and always acted authentic.  Read More

Matthew 8:28-34; 9:18-26; Mark 5; Luke 8:26-56.  “Living Out What You Believe”          What do you know about faith?  Most often people tend to make some kind of emotionally active connection with descriptions like “hope.”  However, today’s passage makes a physically active connection.         She had been hemorrhaging for 12 years with no hope in sight, but then she heard about Jesus.  She belie...  Read More

Matthew 8:23-27; 13:10-52; Mark 4:21-41; Luke 8:9-18, 22-25. “Teachable Spirit”          Dad says to his son, "You better get ready.  The bus will be here in a minute to pick you up and take you to Sunday School."  His son asked, "Did you go to Sunday School when you were a boy?"  Dad replied, "Yes I did."  The boy said as he was getting dressed, "It probably won’t do me any good either!"        ...  Read More

Matthew 12:22-13:9; Mark 3:20-4:20; Luke 8:1-8, 19-21.  “A Heart Search”          “Your walk talks and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.”  Jesus went beyond just saying good things.  He went beyond just saying He was equal with God.  Jesus also did good things.  He also did things which displayed His power.  But to many of the unbelieving it wasn’t enough: “Teacher,...  Read More

Matthew 8:5-13; 11:1-30; Luke 7.  “Their Faith”          Jesus gives us a short commentary on the faith of three individuals in today’s reading.  First, we read of the Roman officer who had the faith that Jesus could just “say the word” from wherever He was and his servant would be healed.  Jesus said He had not seen faith like that in all of Israel.  Second, we meet John the Baptist who preached ...  Read More

Matthew 6:5-7:29; Luke 6:37-49. “Submitting to Others”          Think of what today’s passage teaches us about submission: Submit to the Father in prayer; Submit to the words and direction of Jesus; Display submission through forgiveness, fasting, and treating others as you would have them treat you.  Often we do well with the first items but not the last.  We may struggle with forgiving others. ...  Read More

Matthew 5:1-6:4; Mark 3:7-19; Luke 6:12-36.  “Searching for Happiness”          Would you like to know how to experience hope, joy and happiness?  The Beatitudes (Mt. 5 & Lk. 6) tell us how.  The first thing to note is that we will never get anywhere in our search for true happiness until we give up trying to find it by our own efforts and receive it instead as God’s free gift.  God is the source ...  Read More

         This week’s theme has to do with what Jesus taught.  The Beatitudes, the entire Sermon on the Mount, the majority of His parables and a wide variety of other topics are included in what Jesus teaches in these passages.  Yet more than just the elements of what is taught is the significance of remembering who taught.  Jesus is the perfect Teacher and therefore His teachings are perfect. Mat...  Read More

This week’s theme has to do with what Jesus taught.  The Beatitudes, the entire Sermon on the Mount, the majority of His parables and a wide variety of other topics are included in what Jesus teaches in these passages.  Yet more than just the elements of what is taught is the significance of remembering who taught.  Jesus is the perfect Teacher and therefore His teachings are perfect.  Read More

Matthew 8:1-4; 9:1-17; Mark 1:40-2:22; Luke 5:1-39.  “Learning from Jesus”          Jesus used many different approaches to teaching during His ministry. Jesus related to the people He was ministering to by using stories and symbolism that was meaningful to them during that time.  We see parables and short stories, illustrations, scripture references and even miracles. I think it’s safe to say tha...  Read More

Matthew 4:12-25; 8:14-17; Mark 1:14-39; Luke 3:23a; 4:16-44; John 4:46-54.  “Jesus Heals Many”          The caption at the top of a chapter in Matthew 8 says “Jesus Heals Many;” then again in the book of Mark and also in the book of Luke. All of these books give the same account of Jesus healing the sick. What the books don’t say is that they all were saved and lived good Christian lives as a resu...  Read More

Luke 3:19-20; John 3:1-4:45. “Becoming Less”          “He must become greater; I must become less.”         Wow, I love that verse. If I could choose just one scripture verse to summarize the purpose of my own existence here on the earth, that would be it. Upon first examination, it seems rather simple. God deserves greatness; in fact, there is only one person truly entitled to greatness and that...  Read More

Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-15; John 1:19-2:25. “For it is written…”          Temptation. What a terrible sounding word. The word sounds as if we have already given in.  Sometimes we think the battle is already lost just because we were tempted. But that is not true, is it? We lose the battle only when we give in to temptation. Temptation comes to all people of all ages of all genders ...  Read More

Matthew 2:1-3:17; Mark 1:2-11; Luke 2:41-Luke 3:22. “Fruits of Repentance”          A voice of one calling in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord…         We all know who this guy was – John the Baptist, a kind of earthy guy that was living off of locusts and wild honey and ran around in a camel hair robe. This is what most people think of when we read about John the Baptist. But oddly enough...  Read More

Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:39-2:40.  “Strength from the Spirit”          As I read through today’s readings, a couple of things stand out.  How amazingly difficult it must have been for Joseph and Mary to show their faces in public; the humiliation they must have faced on a daily basis, and the strength that they received from the Holy Spirit to endure.          As Mary and Joseph were traveling to B...  Read More

         The theme for this week is ‘Beholding the Son.’  Like Simeon, who rejoiced when he was finally able to see the Messiah, may you rejoice as you encounter the Messiah in the Scriptures this week.  From His birth to the temptation in the wilderness to the start of His public ministry, this week will set the table for the remainder of the gospels. Matthew 1:1-17; Mark 1:1; Luke 1:1-38; 3:23b-...  Read More

The theme for this week is ‘Beholding the Son.’  Like Simeon, who rejoiced when he was finally able to see the Messiah, may you rejoice as you encounter the Messiah in the Scriptures this week.  From His birth to the temptation in the wilderness to the start of His public ministry, this week will set the table for the remainder of the gospels.  Read More

Joel 1-3; Malachi 2:10-4:6.  “Opening the Windows of Heaven”          Many believe that once we become a Christian we can just float along; because they believe, they are convinced that in Heaven we will all receive the same generic stamp of approval.  That is not the case.  Your eternal destination is based on your belief, but how you spend eternity is reflective of how you lived on earth.  Even ...  Read More

Nehemiah 5:14-19; 12:27-13:31; Malachi 1:1-2:9. “If You Can’t Beat Them… Infiltrate”          “If you can’t beat them join them.”  This was apparently Tobiah’s motto.  Early in the book of Nehemiah we read of the opposition that had to be dealt with while the wall was being rebuilt.  That strong opposition came from two men, Tobiah and Sanballat.  The wall was rebuilt in spite of their constant r...  Read More

1 Chronicles 9:1b-34; Nehemiah 11:1-12:26. “Imagine”          Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, “To arrive is better than to travel hopefully.”  I can’t imagine the joy as the exiles arrived and occupied Jerusalem.  They were essentially POW’s in a foreign land for 70 years and now they had returned home.  Can you imagine that kind of delight?  It is more than just delight.  It is security, rest, pea...  Read More

Nehemiah 8:13-10:39.  “Balance”          Today’s passage is a continuation of the people’s commitment to start things right.  God’s Word continued to be read.  It was then followed by the people confessing their sins to one another.  Then they stood praising the Lord for who He is and what He has done.  Following that they made vows of obedience to the Lord.         That is a great process for us ...  Read More

Nehemiah 7:4-8:12. “Starting Off Right”          Often we appreciate something more when we go without it for a time.  When the people returned home they took it seriously.  They took advantage of a fresh start and made the best of it.  Their response to getting serious about their relationship with God through the reading of His Word was terrific.  “All the people assembled together as one perso...  Read More

Nehemiah 3:1-7:3.  “Working Together”          Nehemiah, like Daniel held a prominent position in the kingdom where he had been exiled, but he was burdened for a need at home in Jerusalem.  He had a plan for rebuilding the wall around the city which “God had up in his heart” (2:11).  Nehemiah organized an enormous undertaking.  Men, women, and those from every profession worked together to fortify...  Read More

“Think of—Stepping on shore, and finding it Heaven!Of taking hold of a hand, and finding it God’s hand.Of breathing a new air, and finding it celestial air.Of feeling invigorated, and finding it immortality.Of passing from storm and tempest to an unknown calm.Of waking up, and finding it Home.”                          --Hazel Felleman          This week’s passages describe a period after the exil...  Read More

This week’s passages describe a period after the exiles have returned home.  Interestingly, Christians today are also referred to as exiles, strangers, aliens and sojourners.  Heb. 11:13, “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”  Like the Israelites, we will one day complete our days of travel and return home.  Read More

Ezra 4:7-23; 7:1-8:36. “Adopted by God”          “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” – Romans 8:31b         Three times in the seventh chapter of Ezra, the text says “the gracious hand” of the Lord was upon Ezra.  Also in 7:28, Ezra states that this was a great source of encouragement for him in knowing that the hand of the Lord was on him.         There is a similar source of encoura...  Read More

Esther 5:1-10:3. “Independence Day”          A few years ago, there was a movie titled Independence Day.  Having an affection for action-adventure movies, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.  One of my favorite scenes is when the President, played by Bill Pullman, encourages a rag-tag band of fighter pilots who were about to face an invading alien force.  Speaking to a group who faced certain death a...  Read More