Daily Devotionals

Genesis 6:9 reads, "Noah walked with God."   What went through Noah's mind when God told him to build a boat in the middle of dry land? Nobody had ever done it before. Yet the Bible says, "Noah did everything just as God commanded him" (Genesis 6:22). How did he do...

Hebrews 11:7 reads, "By faith Noah...built an ark."   Noah built the ark because God commanded it. It's what he was called to do in life. Sawing planks and hammering nails for him was an act of obedience. And when everything was said and done, it was the longest act...

Genesis 6:22 reads, "Noah did everything just as God commanded him."   Noah's ark measured 300 cubits in length, 50 cubits in width and 30 cubits in height. A cubit is the equivalent of 17.5 inches. That means the ark was the length of one and a half football fields....

Zechariah 4:6 reads, "'It is...by my Spirit,' says the Lord."   Zerubbabel was called to rebuild the temple. It was a huge undertaking, so God told him, "'It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord...'Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will...

Matthew 23:5 reads, "All their works they do to be seen by men."   Here's a working definition of the word "hypocrisy": "to be seen by men." Jesus had a no tolerance policy when it came to hypocrisy. Why? Because He knew it turns people against God. He taught:   1)...

Proverbs 14:23 reads, "Hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty."   In the book of Proverbs, Solomon uses the word "sluggard" no less than 17 times. A sluggard isn't a person who would work but can't find a job; a sluggard is a person who could...

2 Chronicles 31:21 reads, "He was...successful...because he obeyed the Lord."   Here are 7 scriptural steps to success in life:   1) Put God first.   He wants you to succeed; what good parent wouldn't? So work on your relationship with Him. "Acquaint now thyself with...

Proverbs 12:15 reads, "The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice."   Another way God will lead you is:   Through godly advice.   Moses experienced this. Instead of getting help, he tried to do it all himself. At that point his...

Philippians 2:13 reads, "God is working in you."   Another way in which God will lead you is:   Through the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit.   As a parent, you wouldn't allow your children to get into trouble if you could stop them - and neither would God. "For...

Psalm 119:105 reads, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."   When you pray, "Lord, what should I do?" He can respond to you in several ways. Let's look at some over the nest few days.   He will answer you through His written Word.   Instead of...

Matthew 7:12 reads, "Ask yourself what you want people to do for you...and do it for them."   The Bible says, "As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed...self-promoting...dog-eat-dog...the kind...who smooth talk...and take advantage" (2 Timothy...

Matthew 5:9 reads, "Blessed are the peacemakers."   Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar told of a little guy who was confronted by three big bullied, any one of whom could have flattened him. And clearly, that's what they had in mind. But the little guy was very bright....

2 Kings 4:8 reads, "Shunem, where [there] was a great woman."   The Bible refers to this woman as "a great woman." That's because she had a "great" strategy for her life! She prepared a bedroom in her house for Elisha the prophet to use when he passed through town. As...

Proverbs 22:7 reads, "The borrower is servant to the lender."   Here's an idea for getting out of debt, and staying out. Instead of referring to it as your "credit card," start seeing it as your "debt card." Next time you have an "itch" to purchase something you don't...

1 Thessalonians 2:13 reads, "The word of God...effectively works in you."   Spiritually speaking, you may not be as far along as you'd like to be, but thank God you're still on the road. At one time you were a stranger to God's grace, but now you belong to "the...

1 Corinthians 13:11 reads, "When we grew up, we quit our childish ways."   People with strong faith can make you feel "less than," when you compare yourself to them. One Bible teacher writes: "I admired those faith heroes whose flowery testimonies hung around the...

Galatians 6:9 reads, "In due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."   A high-rise construction worker slipped and fell from a scaffold forty floors up. As he was plummeting past the twentieth-floor window, a woman in an office shouted out, "How are you doing?"...

Acts 10:28 reads, "God...doesn't think anyone is unclean or unfit."   From a Jewish point of view Cornelius, a Gentile, was a bad guy. He ate the wrong food, hung out with the wrong crowd, and swore allegiance to the wrong leader: Caesar. He didn't quote the Torah or...

1 Peter 5:5 reads, "Clothe yourselves with humility."   The Bible says: "Clothe yourselves with humility...for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble...humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,...

Zechariah 4:10 reads, "Who has despised the day of small things?"   When God gave Gideon victory over the Midianites, He used an army of just three hundred to defeat an enemy that was hundreds of thousands strong (Judges 7). That wasn't because there weren't more...

Proverbs 3:13 reads, "God blesses everyone who has...common sense."   The key to success lies in doing the right thing at the right time. Theologian Tryon Edwards said, "Have a time and place for everything, and do everything in its time and place...you'll not only...

1 Samuel 16:7 reads, "The Lord looks at the heart."   Pastor and author John MacArthur says: 'Jesus' exposition of the law is a devastating blow against the lie that image is everything. Secret sin is especially abhorrent because:   1) God sees the heart.   In fact,...

Psalm 32:5 reads, "You forgave me! All my guilt is gone."   David said, "I confessed all my sins to you...And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone." Julie Ann Bamhill writes: "If you're tired of pretending you have it all together, it's time to act. For too long...

Isaiah 58:12 reads, "You'll use the old rubble...to...rebuild the foundations."   Lie number two: God won't use you now.   Julie Ann Barnhill continues: "Women long to have their lives count for something more eternal than their jean size, or updated qualifications on...

Proverbs 28:13 reads, "You can't whitewash your sins and get by."   Julie Ann Barnhill continues: "The father of lies (John 8:44) wants us to believe there are things we've done that can make God's love for us end. And on occasion I've swallowed three of his favorite...

Luke 12:2 reads, You can't hide behind a religious mask...sooner or later the mask will slip."   Inspirational speaker and author Julie Ann Bamhill writes: "I tend to be a stealthy sinner—a cloistered screw-up. Most of my life I've managed to fly under the radar...to...

Ephesians 6:4 reads, "Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."   We keep being shocked by stories of children killing teachers and other children in school, and then turning the gun on themselves. Two boys, aged twelve and thirteen, beat a man to...

Ephesians 5:25 reads, "Christ loved the church."   The story's told of a mother who woke her son one Sunday morning and said, "Get up-you're late for church!" He replied, "I don't want to go. I've no friends there, the music's awful, and the sermons are boring!" The...

Hebrews 13:3 reads, "Remember...those who are mistreated."   The Bible tells us, "Keep on loving each other as brothers" (Hebrews 13:1). Then it gets specific: "Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you...