Daily Devotions

They Did It First!

May 21, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Proverbs 21:1-2
The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.

 

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

 

     Excuses, what are they? I had a friend at our church who has since gone home to be with the Lord, who continually told me the definition of an excuse was “the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie.”

 

     I am certain that we have all made up an excuse at one time or another. Instead of being completely honest with someone, we rather tell a part truth. Sadly, we sometimes make up excuses and rehearse them to ourselves. It often will begin when you start to wonder, should I be reading this, watching this, or listening to this? Should I be going there, hanging out with them, or even talking this way? Should I be drinking this, taking this, or smoking this? What is the excuse we give ourselves? Well, it may be, “l saw Mr. or Miss Christian doing it, so if it is ok for them, it must be ok.” We begin to make excuses for our life, yet inside we have a funny feeling, and we know something is not right. However, we have tried to convince ourselves if God will let them get by with it, He is sure to do the same for us.

 

     Did you ever stop to think; that maybe they are watching you and thinking the same thing? Maybe they are judging their life by what they see you doing.

 

     The Bible says that man will find a way to make everything they do seem ok in his own eyes. God, on the other hand, looks at your heart. He knows what you know deep down inside. He knows of the feeling you have knowing this is wrong or right. Do you know why God knows? He put that feeling there to help you make the right choices.

 

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

      I heard a while back a phrase that helps me occasionally. It said, “If in doubt, don’t.” We should all operate under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word and not according to someone that we might see at church or at work. Let us be an example of Christ and for Christ. 

 

Does living a life for Christ cause you to mirror another person’s 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:  May 21, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(O.T.-1,   N.T. & PS.-2,   Prov. – Monthly)}
2 Samuel 1, 2 / Psalm 117
Proverbs 21 / Acts 24

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
1 Kings 9-10  /  John 6:1-33

 

It’s Just A Comma

May 14, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Romans 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

 

     The Bible says that not one jot or tittle written within it will ever go undone. This means they must be important. So, what is a jot and tittle? A jot is the tenth and the smallest letter written in Hebrew. It is written above the line and would look similar to an apostrophe in English. A tittle is an even smaller defining mark or stroke on a letter in Hebrew. To change or omit either completely changes the meaning of the words written.

 

     Today, I want to point out a mark used in the English language. It is neither a jot nor a tittle, but a comma which some people may miss. It is in the first verse of Romans 12 between holy and acceptable. Look at the verse again. Do you see it now? Without the comma, some may read this as if it were to say, “wholly acceptable.” This would mean completely acceptable. We do need to be completely acceptable. However, reading it this way does not define how to become acceptable. With the comma in the proper place, it says that first, we must be Holy. This means we are to be set apart for God’s use. We must first be willing to be set apart from worldly desires and lust. Also, set apart unto God. To be used by Him as He desires. If we will give our life over to God, then we will be acceptable or pleasing unto Him. The next few words in this phrase tell us why. This is because it is a reasonable thing to do. We must realize, this is the only reasonable thing to do for our God who sent His Son to die for us and has blessed us with all spiritual blessing.

 

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

     

Are you still not sure how to be holy, and acceptable? That is why verse two is there. God does not want us to wonder how to figure this out. Just read the second verse and it will all be clear. It is by a renewed mind transformed by God’s Holy Word.

 

Are you both Holy and Acceptable, for the work of the Lord 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:  May 14, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(O.T.-1,   N.T. & PS.-2,   Prov. – Monthly)}
1 Samuel 18, 19 / Psalm 110
Proverbs 14 / Romans 11, 12

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
2 Samuel 21-22  / John 2

 

Do You Measure Up?

May 7, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

1 Samuel 6:20
And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

     How is it that bank tellers can spot counterfeit bills so quickly? I have been told it is because they handle thousands of dollars in real cash every single day. So then, when a phony piece of currency passes through their hands, it feels different, and it looks different because it is different.

     In the eyes of one another, we might look ok. However, what comparisons are we using? Are we not simply comparing our own goodness, our own likes, and dislikes, and our good (or bad) tastes to one another? That is not how God measures us. God measures us by comparing us to His Son Jesus Christ. When held up next to Jesus, can anyone stand up to that evaluation? Surprisingly, there are two answers to this question.

     First, the answer would have to be NO. There is no conceivable way that any sinful person, no matter how good they may be, or how many good deeds they may have done, or even how religious they are, can ever compare to the absolute sinless perfection and unmatched love of Jesus Christ. The Bible refers to our best abilities as filthy rags before a Holy God.

     The second answer is YES. How, might you ask? Well, in ourselves, we can never match up. However, when we accept Jesus as Saviour, God no longer looks at us alone. He now sees us IN CHRIST JESUS. Since we are in Christ, God sees His Son’s sinless perfection and we are MADE righteous in Christ. 

  

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

     Were it not for the righteousness of Christ, we could never stand in the presence of God. However, because of His righteousness, we can live with Him eternally. That alone should give you a lot to thank Him for today.

What or who are you comparing yourself to
when measuring your Christian 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:  May 7, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(O.T.-1,   N.T. & PS.-2,   Prov. – Monthly)}
1 Samuel 6, 7 – Psalm 106:16-33
Proverbs 7 – Ephesians 5, 6

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
2 Samuel 4-6  /  Luke 23:1-26

Never Changing In An Ever-Changing World

April 30, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 102:27
But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

     People try to be so kind to one another. Good Christian people stand and look a fellow believer in the eye and then stretch the truth just as far as they can. After years of being apart, they will say something like, “You have not changed a bit.” Now you and I both know that without the help of cosmetic surgery, this statement is probably not exactly the truth. Your ideas, your belief in some things, your physical abilities, and even your outward appearance all change as time passes by. Everything seems to change with time.

     However, there is someone who never changes, God. God is not like man. He never ever changes at all. Time has absolutely no effect on Him. In fact, He created time for us to be able to measure days, weeks, and months. He has never really had a need for time. Not one thing about him ever changes. Not His ideas, His beliefs, not His abilities, and not even His appearance. God never ever changes.

     What a great and glorious truth for those of us who have put all our faith and trust in him. Whatever He has said will always be true. Salvation is by faith. Always has been, and it always will be. We then can live our lives by faith. Then, when God decides the time has come, we will live eternally with Him by faith. Have faith in the fact that He never ever changes anything He has said. Now that is security. 

  

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

    

     It is so comforting to know that in an ever-changing world, there is still one thing we can hold onto as a constant. We can trust and hold onto God’s unchanging hand!

What can you list in life that is ever-changing and never stable?
What can you list besides Christ that is never changing and always stable? 

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:  April 30, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(O.T.-1,   N.T. & PS.-2,   Prov. – Monthly)}
Judges 17 – Psalm 102:18-28
Proverbs 30-31 – 2 Corinthians 8, 9

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
1 Samuel 16-17   –  Luke 19:28-48

How Shall We Describe You?

April 23, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Proverbs 23:29-30
Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

     People will try to defend every imaginable sin and use the Bible to do so. I have heard otherwise reasonable people try to defend the drinking of alcohol by saying, “The Bible talks about drinking, so it must be ok.” Well, that is true; the Bible does talk of drinking. It also talks of crucifixions. Are you interested in one of those? It speaks of being whipped until you’re left for dead. Is anyone up for that? Just because the Bible speaks on a subject does not mean it endorses the use of it unless it says so or the scripture in its entirety says so.

     Some have said, “Well, I am not getting drunk when I drink.” One might ask then, why do you drink? The common answer is, “I do it to be sociable.” Do you mean to tell me the crowd you run with would not find you sociable if you did not have a drink in your hand? Maybe then you are hanging with the wrong crowd.

     The Bible is clear here on what it thinks of drinking. It paints a perfectly accurate picture. It says look not at the wine, “when it moveth itself aright.” Do you know when that happens? It is when juice is fermenting. It is when it is purposefully turned into an alcoholic drink by adding something to it.

     Next, how does the Bible describe people who will not heed the warning? It says they who are troubled, sorry, problem-ridden, babbling, falling down, and drunk. Hum, are these the words you want people to use when they describe you? I PRAY NOT!

     Alcohol is a killer, both physically and spiritually. It ruins homes, careers, lives, and testimonies. If you want to be sociable with a real friend, be sociable with God and His Word first.

  

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

     Finding scripture to justify sin is hard. You must be willing to turn a blind eye to the rest of the book to do so. Let’s not try to make sin ok. Instead, let us make our life ok in God’s eyes.

Does Being Sociable require us to be blind to God’s Word ?

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:  April 23, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(O.T.-1,   N.T. & PS.-2,   Prov. – Monthly)}
Judges 3, 4 – Psalm 96
Proverbs 23 – 1 Corinthians 11, 12

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Ruth 3-1 Samuel  –  1 Luke 16:1-17