devotionals (280)
“…. and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1 NIV
Thoughts of how to run with perseverance were triggered when my daughter ran a half marathon in the city of the university she attended. Not having any previous awareness of her determination to achieve this feat, I admired her tenacity and rejoiced as she crossed the finish line. Her triumphant accomplishment clearly painted a parallel picture of the day we too will cross our own finish line
1 I cry aloud to the Lord; I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy. 2 I pour out my complaint before Him; I reveal my trouble to Him. 3 Although my spirit is weak within me, You know my way. Along this path I travel they have hidden a trap for me. 4 Look to the right and see: no one stands up for me; there is no refuge for me; no one cares about me. 5 I cry to You, Lord; I say, “You are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living.” 6 Listen to my cry, for I am very weak. Res
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations (Psalm 100 NIV).
Psalm 100 in
by bruno sebrechts
God has entrusted us with his Word and his Spirit to lead us all the way. The Word and the Spirit are not separate components that function independently (Isa 59:21).
The Holy Spirit never puts the word aside; he makes full use of it. God can lead us in many ways, but his Word is always the crucial guide and benchmark. If we think we can draw solely on the wind of the Holy Spirit, we are like a sailboat without a solid rudder.
Personal experiences, regardless of how special th
PamFord Davis
Treat her like a lady.
Our son Lee has worked in the service industry for 3 decades. For many of those years he was service manager at a tires business. He expected the men to be on their best behavior. He encouraged them to be courteous; especially to women customers. Lee told them to treat the ladies in the same way they’d want others to treat their mothers.
Husbands, treat her like a lady.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Hi
I remember gym class; I don’t remember it fondly.
I’ve never been athletic or very interested in sports. Exercise in elementary school was okay but I dreaded physical education classes in junior and senior high school. New York State believed it was part of a student’s full rounded education. Unwillingly, I went to the locker room to change into my gym uniform and then into the gymnasium. It was not enjoyable. Yet, I did exercise.
Decades later, I began to see the need
by Lorraine Taylor 
12/29/2020 /
My daily practice has been to follow what Jesus modeled; rising early, in a darkened, quiet, nurturing relationship with Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit.
Solitude, in the union of holy presence, fills me with renewal and spiritual vigor.
I have discovered my days flow smoother in maintaining this habit, which has become my
"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went to a solitary place, where He prayed." Mark 1:35
My daily practice has been to follow what Jesus modeled; rising early, in a darkened, quiet, nurturing relationship with Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit.
Solitude, in the union of holy presence, fills me with renewal and spiritual vigor.
I have discovered my days flow smoother in maintaining this habit, which has become my most importan
"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went to a solitary place, where He prayed." Mark 1:35
My daily practice has been to follow what Jesus modeled; rising early, in a darkened, quiet, nurturing relationship with Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit.
Solitude, in the union of holy presence, fills me with renewal and spiritual vigor.
I have discovered my days flow smoother in maintaining this habit, which has become my most impor
My favorite Mothers' Day scripture is found in Isaiah 49:15-16. Here the Lord personifies His love for His people as a nursing mother.
"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands;" (KJV)
What an awesome expression of love. In its context, Israel is in captivity to her enemies as a result of her disobedience to Go
by Jerry Ousley
Don't they make a lot of neat gadgets these days? I remember when a cell phone (then it was called a mobile phone) was a luxury. Only those who were rich or very well off had one. The day arrived when they became more affordable. My daughter, as a teenager, insisted that she needed to have a cell phone. We got her one. Once we realized the value of it, I wanted Debbie to have one too. It put my mind at ease knowing that when my ladies (my daughter and my wife) were on the r
