Daily Devotions – Keywords In God’s Word

Puzzled By Life
December 19, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Proverbs 19:21
There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

     Our family used to like to put together puzzles. It seemed as though there was always a puzzle on the table. Most everyone in the family would stop by, look for a few pieces, and then place the pieces they found where they needed to be.

     Sometimes we would find a few pieces that went together, but we could not see where they belonged in the puzzle. These pieces would sit beside the puzzle, connected together, until we found their home.

     On occasion, we would lose a piece. How discouraging it was to complete a puzzle, only to find one piece was missing. Later, when we found a puzzle piece around the house, we would try to figure out which puzzle it went with. The only way we could know is if we had seen the completed puzzle. Otherwise, it is just a colored, funny-shaped piece of cardboard.

     Our lives are much like these puzzles. We want to believe we have things all figured out when, truthfully, we are all simply a piece of a much bigger picture. Only God, who has seen the whole plan together, can know how our life fits with the lives of others. He has already seen the completed puzzle. We might try to fit in here or there, but without God’s guidance, we are just a piece out of place. Occasionally, we will find a few others and realize we fit comfortably together with them. Yet we are still not the entire puzzle, but only a section of the picture that only God has seen. How can we possibly fit into life’s puzzle? Since only God knows, we need to follow His guidance and leading as He places each of us where we belong.

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

     Some may be thinking, “I do not seem to fit anywhere.” We had those puzzle pieces, too. The ones we tried but did not fit, so we set them aside and kept looking for their place. We knew they had to fit somewhere. When we found their place, it seemed as if those pieces were extra special, as they made the entire picture complete. You do fit. We all fit into God’s plan. “The counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.”

Do you sence you have found your place in God’s Puzzle of Life?

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage and today’s Devotion?

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to ACCept that CHALLENGE?

  

GOD TALKING TO ME:  December 19, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(OT-1, NT & PS-2, Prov-Monthly)}
Zechariah 10-12 / Psalm 138
Proverbs 19 / Revelations 3

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Micah 5-7  /  Revelation 10-11

Wandering In A Strange Land
December 18, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 137:4
How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?

 

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

 

      I know the Bible tells us to rejoice always. I know we are told to be full of praise always. However, sometimes we just do not feel like it. At least I hope I am not the only one who ever feels this way. What is it that causes this feeling in the life of a God-fearing, born-again Christian? Well, I believe there can be several things. It could be a medical condition or medication that has you in a state of depression. It might be a family issue bringing you down for some time. However, what about those times in life when it is not something like that? What then? It could be that you are in a strange land! By this, I mean you might be somewhere other than exactly where God wanted you to be.

 

      It might be a strange land of sin. There might be some area in your life that is not right with God, and God is trying to point this out to you. It might be the strange land of disobedience. God has told you in His Word how things should or should not be done, but you are living according to your desires and not God’s Word. You are in a strange land. It could be that the strange land of being out of the will of God. Maybe God was leading you one way, and like Jonah, you walked another. God went in the direction He wanted you to go. You walked off into a strange land. It might be the strange land of being at odds with a Christian Brother, Sister, or spouse. No harmony in the church and at home can have you standing in a strange place with God. You find yourself wandering in a strange land. There are many strange lands out there, and all it takes to get there is getting off the narrow path that leads to joy and happiness. Holding on to the Master’s hand and following Him guarantees safety from the strange lands.

 

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

   There is a song in many Hymnals. It says, “Come Home, Come Home, Ye who are weary Come Home.” Do you feel you might be in a strange land today? Is something hindering your joy? Turn from it, repent of it, reconcile if necessary, and come home. The Lord of all is reaching out and saying, Come home. Can you hear Him as He sings that chorus to you, “Come Home, Come Home, Ye who are weary Come Home.”

 

What strange lands has God brought you through?

 

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage and today’s Devotion?

 

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

 

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

 

  

GOD TALKING TO ME: December 18, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(OT-1, NT & PS-2, Prov-Monthly)}
Zechariah 8, 9 / Psalm 137
Proverbs 18 / Revelations 2

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Micah 1-4  /  Revelation 9

 

Truth Be Known
December 15, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Proverbs 15:14
The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.

 

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

 

     When I was a little boy, my mother would tell me, “Don’t tell lies, because you will have to tell another lie to cover the first lie, and then yet another to cover that one. You will end up telling so many lies, you will not remember the original lie you told. Then, when you get caught in your lies, no one will believe you or like you.”

 

     Those might not have been her exact words, but they are close enough. She could have just as easily quoted the commandments written in Exodus twenty, which says we are not supposed to lie. However, my mom knew there was more than just one reason written in the pages of God’s Word for telling the truth. She knew God’s Word was the truth.

 

     She was simply taking Proverbs 15:14-15 and putting them into her own words. “The mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness,” and “all the days of the afflicted are evil.” A lie told will have to be covered with more lies. A lie is an untrue story, the imagination of a sinful heart. It is the opposite of the truth and becomes foolishness. Every day that follows the lie becomes another twenty-four hours of trying to remember the lie and living or exaggerating its folly.

 

     By exact contrast, the heart of those who understand that God is all about the truth will seek the wisdom and knowledge only God can give. Then, a clear conscience, not trying to remember lies, will bring about days of joy and contentment. It will be a continual feast of enjoying the Word of God and living by its principles. The truth really does set you free.

 

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

 

      Seek the truth. Tell the truth. Live the truth. Obey the truth. And let the Truth of God, His Son, dwell in you.

 

Think about it. Just how important is the truth to you?

 

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself what MY THOUGHTS are concerning this Passage and today’s Devotion?

 

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

 

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

 

  

GOD TALKING TO ME: December 15, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(O.T.-1,   N.T. & PS.-2,   Prov. – Monthly)}
Ezra 7-10 / Psalm 132-134
Proverbs 15 / 2, 3 John

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Amos 7-9  /  Revelation 4-5