Daily Devotional

JESUS – A Very Special Name

July 1, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Matthew 1:21
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

 

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

 

     “Thou shalt call His name JESUS”…

 

     So much is wrapped up in that name.

 

     He is our Redeemer, as He took us from a life of sin and brought us to the Father.

 

     He is our Sanctification, in that He made us clean and continues to perfect us until He comes to get us, “His bride.”

 

     He is our Propitiation, which means that He is our total and complete payment for all our sin debt.

 

     He is our Justification, so when we reach the golden streets of Glory, we are made ready to enter by His work on the cross.

 

     However, most of all He is our Salvation. He is our salvation from all our sins. When we go to the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, He covers them with his precious perfect blood. He is also our salvation from the dominion and power of sin in our everyday life here on this earth. In addition, He is our salvation from a place called hell, which was never created for us. However, without His sacrifice applied to our lives, we were heading there as fast as we could go. JESUS… What a special name. What a special friend. What a Saviour.

 

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

     What does the name of JESUS mean to you today? Have you ever called on Him to be your Saviour? Do you pray in the powerful name of Jesus daily? Has Jesus made a difference in your life? If not, He can, and He will if you just call on Him today. JESUS!

 

When you think of the name JESUS referring to Christ,
what comes to mind?

 

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:  July 1, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(OT-1, NT & PS-2, Prov-Monthly)}
2 Chronicles 5, 6 / Psalm 1
Proverbs 1 / Matthew 1, 2

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
2 Chron. 18-20  /  Acts 7:1-29

 

Somebody Is Watching You!

June 24, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

1 Kings 15:26
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

     It is so wonderful to see a newborn baby. To watch them grow and develop over the years. At about the age of three or four, we start to see them do all kinds of things. Run, play, walk, and talk and talk and talk and talk. You can ask them just about anything and they will tell you the truth, as they know it. Sometimes we get more information than we bargained for or ever wanted to hear. However, if you watch children for a while you will begin to see in them the characteristics of their parents. Often these precious little ones will suddenly do or say something, and you will hear someone say, “Where did they pick that up from?” Humm, that is a good question. The truth is they have likely heard or seen it somewhere. Children are so impressionable.

     In our verse today, it says the king “walked in the way of his father.” Everything Dad had done, the son saw as working well for Dad, so he was just going to be like Daddy. However, Daddy had lived in sin. Now the son will be living in sin also. In addition, not only did he sin, but also, he was a leader of many and caused them all to sin. Who started that? Somebody’s daddy did.

     It is so important for us to know that what we are doing before the children of this world might have a larger impact than we could ever imagine on the world to come. Live as if your life makes a difference. It does to someone.

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

     As you look at your children or those around your neighborhood or church think for a second, there could go a future pastor, teacher, governor, or president. Even more important than that is, there could be a future mom or dad. Help them with their impressionable years so they can make a difference for God someday.

Think for a moment, what child have you impacted with your life lately?

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:  June 24, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(OT-1, NT & PS-2, Prov-Monthly)}
1 Kings 14, 15 / Psalm 144
Proverbs 24 / Revelations 14, 15

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
1 Chron. 28-29 / Acts 2:37-47

Sing A Happy Tune

June 17, 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:

     “Does anyone know where the phone is?” You would not have heard that question in the average house in the 1970’s. It was on the wall with a cord attached to it so you could not walk very far away. However, today, with cordless phones commonly used alongside landline phone systems, we have an entirely new set of problems. Someone gets talking and wandering around the house. When they are done with their phone call they just hang up and lay the phone down wherever they are. The next person who wants to use the phone must hunt for it. Well, the developers of these devices knew this would happen, so they added a feature that allows us to hunt for them a little easier. With the push of a button at the phone’s recharging base, the remote receiver begins to play a distinctive little ring, tone, or song. All you must do now is begin to listen and follow the tune until you find the receiver. Now you can talk with whomever you want.

     Our verse today asks the question, “How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?” Another way of looking at this phrase would be, “How could I sing if I cannot hear the music.” Being so far away from where they longed to be it seemed hard to be joyous and sing the songs of praise. It is that way for us today too. It may seem hard at times to sing the joyous wonderful songs of the love of God when our hearts are hurting or broken. However, when we begin to sing something miraculous happens. The more we sing with our hearts, the closer the Lord seems to draw near to our needs. We need Him and the music will often help us find Him in our trials. It is sort of like the example of the phone. We need to be near the phone to talk, but getting near to the receiver often requires that we listen to the melody it plays. Listen to the sweet New Song God has placed in your heart. It will help you find God during your darkest times.

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

     When we received Christ as Saviour, He placed a new song in our hearts. It is a song of joy, peace, and rejoicing. Find that tune again and begin to sing. “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart….” Can you hear God on the other end of the line now? He has been there all along.

Do you talk to God, or with God?

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:  June 17, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(OT-1, NT & PS-2, Prov-Monthly)}
1 Kings 3, 4 / Psalm 137
Proverbs 17 / Revelation 2

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
1 Chron. 12-14 / John 19:1-30

You Are Influencing Someone

June 10, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

1 Chronicles 19:2
And David said, I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me. And David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. So the servants of David came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him.

 

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

     “It is my life, and I will live it however I choose.” Have you ever heard something like this? How about, “I can do whatever I please; who is it hurting anyway?” Some people feel as though they live in a vacuum. That what they do or say has no effect on them or anyone else. The truth is our actions and words not only affect us but also include those people around us, the people we are associated with, our family, and more.

 

     In today’s verse, we find that David was being kind to Hanun not because of who he was, but because of his father’s kindness toward him. It has been said that every person in the world has some type of influence on about 250 people. If this is true and those 250 people have influence on 250 each, and those 250 will then influence 250 more, well you can see where that is going. You may well have an impact on thousands of lives whom you have never encountered. What you do, say, and who you are matters. It matters to lots of people. Most importantly, it matters to God.

 

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

     Ask yourself this question. If I had a son or daughter and people treated them according to how I have treated others, how then would people treat my children? You are influencing someone.

 

What influence will you have on others today?

 

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:  June 10, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(OT-1, NT & PS-2, Prov-Monthly)}
1 Chronicles 18-20 / Psalm 128
Proverbs 10 / 1 Peter 3-5

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
2 Kings 25  /  John 15

 

Do You Still Believe It?

June 3, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Titus 2:13-14
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

 

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

 

     Several times throughout the year we would have guest speakers visit our church. Missionaries, Evangelists, or other Pastors came, and God used them to encourage us in our walk with the Lord. Often when these Speakers come from out of town, we will put them up in a local motel.

 

     One year, we hosted revival meetings at our church. We spent a lot of time and energy promoting this particular week and the well-known evangelist. The week had finally come, and I was waiting for him to arrive. The problem was that I thought he had said he would be here at one time, and he thought he said another. Needless to say, I was getting anxious about his arrival. I was sure he was going to be here soon. I checked the motel, I checked the room he was to stay in, and I checked my cell phone, answering machine, and caller ID. I tried reaching him, but his cell phone was not on. Therefore, I waited and waited and waited for what seemed to be an eternity. However, in all the time in which I waited, I never once ever thought of giving up on him arriving. Never once did I quit praying for his safe arrival and the revival for the next week. Why? Well, it was because I believed he was coming. He said he would. Sure enough, he did arrive safe, and the revival week was wonderful.

 

     Christ has been a long time coming. I have been waiting, and waiting, and waiting, but I have never quit believing that one day Jesus will return. Why? Well, it is because I believe He is coming as He said He would.

  

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

     

     I continue to look for Jesus as if he could arrive today. He could you know? In addition, I will never quit praying for that day or for those who are still unsaved. Jesus said He was coming and friend, that is good enough for me.

 

Do you Still Believe it?

 

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:  June 3, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(OT-1, NT & PS-2, Prov-Monthly)}
1 Chronicles 3-5 / Psalm 119:161-176
Proverbs 3 / Titus

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
2 Kings 11-13  /  John 11:38-57