Scripture: Deuteronomy 10:12-13 Now in light of all that, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you? Only this: to revere the LORD your God by walking in all his ways, by loving him, by serving the LORD your God with all your heart and being, and by keeping the LORD’s commandments and his regulations that I’m commanding you right now. It’s for your own good!
Scripture: Proverbs 8:27-31 When the Lord established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside
Scripture: James 1:26-27 If those who claim devotion to God don’t control what they say, they mislead themselves. Their devotion is worthless. True devotion, the kind that is pure and faultless before God the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their difficulties and to keep the world from contaminating us. Thought for the Day: In the last three days, I have received emails, calls,
Scripture: Psalm 45:1 (the Message) My heart bursts its banks, spilling beauty and goodness. I pour it out in a poem to the king, shaping the river into words… Thought for the Day: I love the way the Message translates this verse, and though it goes on to speak about a royal bridegroom, it offers this metaphor of the banks bursting with beauty and goodness. I don’t want
Scripture: Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Thought for the Day: I am attempting to write this devotional on my iPhone before it is drained of power. Like many of you, I remain without power. It is a good reminder at how spoiled we are, though it is important to remember those for whom electricity is crucial because of medical equipment or
Scripture: Psalm 42:4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. Thought for the Day: In a time of difficulty and sadness, the author of the Psalm remembers back to a time when the Israelites gathered in the house
Scripture: Acts 15:32-33 Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. After they had been there for some time, they were sent off in peace by the believers to those who had sent them. Thought for the Day: After the great Council in Jerusalem in which Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles was finally recognized as legitimate by the original Apostles, a
FROM LAST YEAR’S DEVOTIONALS Scripture: Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Thought for the Day: Those might be some of the most familiar words found in scripture, and they are spoken in so many different settings. Over the years, I have heard those words offered at weddings, funerals and many rituals of celebration. Depending on
Scripture: Proverbs 6:6-8 Go to the ant, you lazybones; consider its ways, and be wise. Without having any chief or officer or ruler, it prepares its food in summer, and gathers its sustenance in harvest. Thought for the Day: On this day, I hope that no one reading my devotional sees April 15 and says, “Oh my gosh, I haven’t started my taxes.” If that is you, I
Scripture: John 10:3-4 The guard at the gate opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Whenever he has gathered all of his sheep, he goes before them and they follow him, because they know his voice. Thought for the Day: Yesterday, I wrote about allowing prayer to become the place where God