Daily Devotionals

Colossians 4:6 reads, "Let your conversation be always full of grace."   Pray: "Lord, I join with the psalmist David and ask: 'Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight' (Psalms 19:14). I realize that the words I speak have...

2 Chronicles 26:4 reads, "He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father...had done."   The punch line in a cartoon reads, "No matter what we teach our children, they insist on behaving just like us!" We smile, but it's a very serious matter. One...

Isaiah 40:29 reads, "He gives power to the weak."   We say things "As long as there's life there's hope," or "Hope is trying a knot at the end of the rope and holding on," believing that things will get better. But when hope seems delayed or denied, mental and...

2 Peter 3:18 reads, "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord."   Jesus told His disciples, "Since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. I have given you an example to follow" (John 13:14-15). Whose feet did He wash?...

1 Corinthians 6:19 reads, "Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit."   Physical desires: The Bible tells us to feast, eat, drink, celebrate, sing, dance, shout, and make music-all things we do with our bodies. These appetites, desires, and delights can actually...

Peter 18:24 reads, "A man who has friends must himself be friendly."   Relational desire: Jonathan was heir to the throne, but he voluntarily gave it up because he knew his friend David was God's choice to be king. Jonathan desired to be a friend more than he desired...

Psalms 37:4 reads, "He shall give you the desires of your heart."   The desire to achieve: The first thing God said to Adam was, "be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and...have dominion" (Genesis 1:28). The reason you have such a strong desire to accomplish...

Peter 13:12 reads, "A longing fulfilled is a tree of life."   For the next few days, let's look at some of our most common desires. Material desires: Lydia was a businesswoman who dealt in textiles (Acts 16:14). She was one of Paul's first converts to Christianity....

Acts 27:20 reads, "When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved." There are times when God seems inaccessible. When you pray, you feel abandoned in your present circumstances. And not just...

Hebrews 6:1 reads, "Let us go on instead and become mature."   We all get the same 168 hours in one week. But if the only time you devote to your spiritual growth is the time in church on Sunday morning, you'll never move beyond spiritual infancy. Think about it. An...

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 reads, "Memorize his laws and tell them to your children over and over."   It's not easy being a Christian parent in a world where peer pressure feels as if it's crushing down on you at a million pounds per square inch; where values are at an...

Romans 4:25 reads, "He was raised to life to make us right with God."   The Great Houdini promised he'd come back from the dead to talk to his friends. Some actually consulted mediums to see if there was any word from beyond the grave. But there wasn't! Only one man...

John 2:19 reads, "Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.'"   Let's examine another theory put forth by those who try to disprove the truth of Christ's bodily resurrection: the "Swoon Theory." In his book, The Passover Plot,...

1 Thessalonians 4:14 reads, "We believe that Jesus died and rose again."   Let's look at some theories peddled by those who've tried to deny the resurrection. Some say that because the Gospels were written 200-300 years after the event, the story was either falsified...

Acts 1:3 reads, "He...presented Himself alive...by many infallible proofs."   Evidence of Christ's resurrection has been examined more carefully than evidence of any other fact in history! It has been weighed and considered by some of the greatest scholars, among them...

Galatians 6:2 reads, "Share each other's burdens."   Dr. Raymond Vath said, "We must do for others what they cannot do for themselves, but we must not do for them what they will not do for themselves. The problem is finding the wisdom to know the difference." You can...

2 Corinthians 1:4 reads, "He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person."   One way to help a friend in crisis is to help them identify important resources - spiritual, personal, and interpersonal.   1)...

Galatians 6:2 reads, "Offer each other a helping hand."   When a friend or family member is in a crisis, your aim should be to help them cope with it and grow through it. Sometimes that's easier said than done! As their hurting hearts adjust to new and unfamiliar...

Romans 12:8 reads, "If you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond."   We say, "It's not my responsibility. I don't want to get involved!" Ever said those words? You may have thought you had a good reason - perhaps it...

Proverbs 22:29 reads, "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings."   Here's a prayer for success at work: "Lord, I thank You for the way You've made me, for the many gifts and talents You've placed within me, and I trust that I'm the best person...

1 Kings 3:9 reads, "Give your servant a discerning heart."   Dr. John Maxwell writes: "Several years ago when I was speaking to a group of executives, someone asked me what principles I follow when hiring. 'I have only one rule,' I explained. 'I never do the hiring.'...

Psalm 107:14 reads, "He brought them out of their gloom and darkness and broke their chains."   God is in the business of setting people free - morally and spiritually. When the Israelites were in bondage, "they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them...

Exodus 3:8 reads, "I have come down...to bring them up."   For 400 years the Israelites were enslaved by Egyptian taskmasters who oppressed them and "made their lives bitter" (Exodus 1:4). Many of us can relate to their feelings of helplessness when we think about...

Proverbs 31:11 reads, "The heart of her husband safely trusts her."   If you want a happy marriage, here are two things you must always keep in mind:   1) Never demean your mate. When you do, you demean yourself. Solomon writes, "Who can find a virtuous wife? For her...

Romans 8:28 reads, "In all things God works for the good of those who love him."   Novelist A.J. Cronin had been practicing as a physician for almost 10 years when he developed a gastric ulcer that required complete rest. So he went to a farm in the Scottish Highlands...

Genesis 22:16-17 reads, "Because you have done this thing...I will bless you."   God said to Abraham, "Because you...have not withheld...your only son...I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven" (Genesis 22:16-17). Isaac was the lifelong dream of a...

Genesis 22:9 reads, "He bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar."   Abraham considered Isaac to be a special gift from God. But God-given gifts are wonderful things - and dangerous things. Why do we say that? Because as you cultivate the gifts God has given you,...

Genesis 22:1 reads, "God tested Abraham."   The Bible says: "God tested Abraham, and said...'Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell...

Luke 23:18 reads, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!"   The Bible says: "With one voice they cried out, 'Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us! (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder)" (Luke 23:18-19). And...