Daily Devotions

HE SLAPPED GOD!

March 19, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

John 18:22
And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so?

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

   

    Can you even imagine a mortal man reaching out his hand and slapping the face of The Almighty God in the person of His Son Jesus Christ?

    First, there is the fact that God even allowed it to happen. The same God who parted the Red Sea for His children of Israel and then let the waters fall and destroy Pharaoh and his army which followed after them. This is the same powerful God who opened the earth and swallowed alive several of the children of Israel for disobedience in the desert. The same God who commands the winds, the waves, the sun, the stars, and controls all that is, allowed a simple man to slap His Son and in doing so slap the face of God.

    Then there are those who stood around. People who realized that Jesus was the Messiah. Those who openly had said they loved Him and would follow Him. Yet they allowed this man to strike the face of the one they said they loved. Would they have died if they had stepped forward? Possibly, but that is what they said they would do. Even die for Him.

    Then there is the Officer Himself. Who, after hearing that this was possibly the Son of God, the King of Kings, The Jewish Messiah, chose still to reach out his hand and strike our Lord in the face. It is hardly imaginable.

    But wait, look in the palm of that officer’s hand. What is written there? I can hardly believe my eyes. It is my name. It was I who caused this to happen. As this hand swipes across the face of my Lord, it bears in it the image of me and my sin. It was I who has beaten the precious body of my Lord. It is my fault.  

  

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

    In Isaiah 53:5 it says: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” Oh Lord, forgive me for all I put you through. AMEN.

Can you imagine the love of God for you?

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:  March 19, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(O.T.-1,   N.T. & PS.-2,   Prov. – Monthly)}
Numbers 27, 28 – Psalm 70
Proverbs 19 – John 18

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Deuteronomy 2-3 – Mark 15:24-47

Job Security

March 12, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Numbers 14:11
And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have showed among them?

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

    Can you imagine being the CEO in charge of a large group of people? When it came time for raises, you gave them all way more than they deserved. When it came to workload, you made sure it was divided more than evenly so no one had to pull too much of the weight. When it comes to company strength and being solid in your market, you have made sure there is no way that your company can be beaten and in doing so they can be sure their position with this company was secure. Then, after all that you have done to aid in their peace of mind and financial security, when it comes time for you to need them to pitch in a little and help with a project they say, “No way, what have you ever done for me?”

    If you can even imagine that for a moment, then can you also imagine God’s disgust with us at times? You see He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings. He has given us no more to do than we can handle and even said, “my yoke is easy,” to let us know that He was working alongside us. For security, there is no one more secure than God Himself, who is all-powerful. As believers, we are secure in our position with Him, as He has sealed us with His own Holy Spirit. However, when He tells us in His Word to go, to tell, to love, to help, and to exhort, we sort of look at Him and say, “Why should we do that?”

  

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

    Oh, it is so good to be living under the grace of God. However, should we take that grace for granted? I think Paul said it best in Romans 6:15 when he said, “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” We should be obedient to all that God calls us to do. Look how much He has done for us.

There is a song that says, Count your many blessings.”
Have you taken time to stop and count some of yours?

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:  March 12, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(O.T.-1,   N.T. & PS.-2,   Prov. – Monthly)}
Numbers 14 – Psalm 65
Proverbs 12 – John 9

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Numbers 26-27 – Mark 12:28-44

Grab A Cookie, Let’s Have Some Fun

March 5, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 58:3
The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

 

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

   

    Is sin something that we all learn? Is it a product of our environment? Do we sin because of our moms and dads and their sin? On the other hand, is it possible that sin is in us from the very beginning? Well, here is a little test you can try. Take a two- to four-year-old child and place them in a room with a plate full of freshly baked cookies. You know, all their favorites. The Chocolate ones, the sugar-coated ones, etc. Sit down for just a second, take one, and eat it. Be sure they see you. In fact, you might make that UM…UMM sound as you do. Then tell them you must go out of the room for a minute and just before you leave tell them, “Don’t touch the cookies.”

 

    I know, some of you just quit reading to go get a cookie of your own. Anyway, when you come back to the room with the child and the cookies you will more than likely find chocolate all around this child’s mouth. Now here is the test. Ask them in a stern voice, “Did you take a cookie?” Most will turn and shake their heads no. (That is because their mouth is still full of cookies, they cannot say no.)

 

    Is this an abnormal terrible child? NO. This very normal child did not have to be taught to lie. We are all born with that tendency. Our verse today tells us that soon after we are born, we begin to tell lies.

  

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

 

      Have you quit telling lies yet? The terrible part is some people never quit. Oh, a little white lie will never hurt anyone, right? Wrong. God has forgiven us of our sin with the shed blood of Jesus. Yes, our sinful life began at birth. However, our new life where our sins have been paid for also begins with a birth. It was our second birth into the family of God. This second birth begins a new life in us. A life of sin paid for and the Holy Spirit leading. It is true. I am not lying! Thank Him today for the second birth.

 

Is telling lies always wrong?

 

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:  March 5, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(O.T.-1,   N.T. & PS.-2,   Prov. – Monthly)}
Numbers 3 – Psalm 58
Proverbs 5 – John 2

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Numbers 12-14 – Mark 9:1-29

 

Putting Out The Fire

February 26, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Proverbs 26:20
Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

   

    There are a few ways to stop a fire from burning. One is to quit putting wood or fuel on it. When there is nothing left to burn, it must stop. This is such a simple idea you might say, but we never seem to get it. The same is true of gossip in and out of Church. If we quit feeding it, it will die. Do not listen to it, respond to it, repeat it, discuss it, or even ask another person to pray with you over the latest gossip so you have an excuse to share it. If you really want someone to pray about it, simply ask him or her to pray about a situation that includes some gossip you are concerned about and would rather not share and drop it there. God knows what the situation is, so they do not need to.

    Another way to put out a fire is to take the oxygen away. If there is no oxygen, there is no fire. I once read that a gossiper has used so much oxygen with their words that they have none left for their brain. The only other way to deal with gossip is head-on. Tell the person they are gossiping, and you want no part of it. If believers would do this, you would find the gossiper would do one of two things. Repent and quit gossiping or quit sharing with you and go find another place to spread the fire. I know this sounds cruel, but either one will make for a better church. How do I know? The Bible says so. “…where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.”

  

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

      Sharing a true prayer request is not gossip. We have people call all the time wanting us to pray about issues they deal with. It becomes gossip when we do not include God. When our motive is to tell the hurtful story and not to really be a help, we fall victim to the sin of gossip. You see, God wants to be part of everything in our life. However, He cannot help if we are just telling tales about one another. He hates it when we talk bad about His family. Let’s put out the fire of gossip when we can.

Ask yourself, What will I do next time someone
wants to share gossip about someone else with me?

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:  February 25, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(O.T.-1,   N.T. & PS.-2,   Prov. – Monthly)}
Leviticus 19, 20 – Psalm 51
Proverbs 26, 27 – Luke 19

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Leviticus 26-27 – Mark 5

You’ll Need To Talk With God About It

February 19, 2025

KEY FROM GOD’S WORD:

Luke 11:1
And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

THOUGHTS ON GOD’S WORD:

 

    Some time ago I read a story about a well-known author and authority on prayer who was teaching at a seminar. During the question-and-answer time, a man raised his hand and boldly asked, “Doctor, can you tell me how I should pray?” The noted expert responded without hesitation, “The answer is very simple sir, but you are asking the wrong person, you will need to talk with God about it.” He was simply saying, just talk to God, that is prayer.

    I know several times over the years as a Pastor I have heard the words “I just don’t know how to pray!” What seems so natural to some folks, seems at times so hard to others. The truth is they do know how to pray. They did it when they received Christ as their Saviour. They bowed their heart to a saving Jesus and prayed for mercy upon their life, for repentance of their sins. They asked God to wash them and make them white as snow and vowed to be His forever as Jesus promised He would be ours forever. To accept Christ, you must have said a prayer in your heart. You come before Him humbly and walk into the throne room of the Almighty God. At that point, we call unto our heavenly Father, and He listens to our every word in prayer. We must remember to respect who He is as we talk with Him, but there is nothing He does not desire to hear. Simply talk to God about it today.

  

CARRYING THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THE DAY:

 

    Talking to God is easy. Listening to Him is where most people have the struggle. However, I have found if you want to hear from Him, you also need to talk with Him. He loves to communicate with us, but communication is a two-way street. Talk with Him today, and as you read His Word, listen for that still small voice.

Will you spend time today really talking 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:  February 19, 2025

THROUGH THE BIBLE ACCELERATED READING
^{(O.T.-1,   N.T. & PS.-2,   Prov. – Monthly)}
Leviticus 6-7 – Psalm 44:9-26
Proverbs 19 – Luke 11

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
Leviticus 14 Mark 1:1-2