Category: Daily Devotionals

HIDE OR BEAR DOWN?

We give thanks to God for you, constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.  I Thess. 1:2-3

What do you do when you’re persecuted?  Run and hide?  Engage in all out self-preservation?  What would you do if your life were in danger because your witness for Christ had reached the desks of someone powerful in authority?  Would you lay low until you were sure they had forgotten you?  It would be tempting, wouldn’t it? Continue reading “Hide Or Bear Down?” →

A TRUE SPIRITUAL FATHER

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:  Grace to you and peace.  I Thess. 1:1

Paul wasn’t alone when he took the Gospel to the Thessalonians.  He was supported by two ministry partners on that particular missionary journey; Silus and Timothy.  They traveled with him as he presented the message of Christ in the synagogues for three consecutive Sabbaths, reasoning with those who posed questions and raised objections.  God blessed it among some who heard.  Some prominent Jews and Greeks believed and joined the ranks of Christianity. Continue reading “A True Spiritual Father” →

A SOBER ENDING

I have gone astray like a lost sheep, seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.  Psalm 119:176

I am very emotional as I write today.  It is the last devotional from Psalm 119.  This chapter has been my home for nearly a year.  I hope you are feeling sentimental about it, too. Continue reading “A Sober Ending” →

RESPONDERS TO THE CREATOR

Let my soul live and praise you, and let your rules help me.  Psalm 119:175

Don’t you wish that you were good enough to love God on your own?  I do.  I often think about the fact that if God had not loved me first and demonstrated it through the death of His Son, I would never have had the kind of heart that would have initiated a relationship with Him.  I was His enemy and the status would have remained unchanged if He hadn’t made the first move.  “We love Him because He first loved us.”  I Jn.4:19 Mankind is built to be a responder, not an initiator.  Continue reading “Responders To The Creator” →

SO MANY REQUESTS

Let your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.  Psalm 119:173

I decided to really tune in today with how many times I asked for God’s help.  It is now mid-afternoon and my requests have numbered above 75.  There have been prayers for me, for my family, for friends.  How faithful is our Father to be on standby. Continue reading “So Many Requests” →

ORIGIN OF A SONG

My tongue will sing of your word, for all your commandments are right.   Psalm 119:172

It’s pretty hard to sing when your internal song is absent.  Take it from me; I did concerts this way for nearly a decade.  The light had gone out of my spirit; the song was absent.  Yet, I honored the engagements on my calendar and forced myself to sing and pretend that life was good.  This was no way to live or do ministry. Continue reading “Origin Of A Song” →

NEED INFLATES THE VALUE

My lips will pour forth praise, for you teach me your statutes.  Psalm 119:171

There should be no such thing as a casual Bible student.  Yet tragically, many hear good Bible teaching on a certain subject, then shrug their shoulders and say, “That’s nice.” They are unaffected.  Their reaction is as if someone revealed a piece of news that had little value to them. Continue reading “Need Inflates The Value” →

DISCERNING WHAT I REALLY NEED

Let my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your Word!  Psalm 119:169

            Do you know the frustration of trying to buy a present for someone who has everything?  If you ask them what they want for their birthday, they sit casually; look off into space and try to think of something that would amuse them.  When money is tight for the buyer, this is a hard pill to swallow.  Continue reading “Discerning What I Really Need” →

MAKING APPLICATION

Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules.  Psalm 119:164

Praise is reserved for Sunday morning worship.  It does not characterize a fraction of most daily prayers. Knowing this, and reading of David’s frequency to praise God for His Word, I can be motivated by guilt to do better in order to be more like David.  I can start building ‘prayers of praise’ into my day’s calendar, consciously making an effort every hour to say the words.  How long can I perform under such pressure?  A while.  Eventually though, I’ll burn out because the problem wasn’t my schedule.  It was my heart. Continue reading “Making Application” →

STREET-SMART ABOUT THE POWERFUL

Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words.  Psalm 119:161

Unfortunate is the adult who still has the magical thinking of a child.  He expects that life will always be fair and that there will always be a human being to fight on his behalf.  His parents, most likely, shielded him from all bias, any trace of corruption, and perhaps, even how godly power worked. Continue reading “Street-Smart About The Powerful” →