Daily Devotional Free

  One of the ironic consequences of the sweeping growth of social media is that we often find ourselves more personally isolated. One online article warns: "Those who oppose leading one's life primarily or exclusively online claim that virtual friends are not adequate substitutes for real-world friends, and . . . individuals who substitute virtual friends for physical friends become even lonelier and more depressive than before". Technology aside, all of us battle with seasons of loneliness, wondering if anyone knows, understands, or cares about the burdens we carry or the struggles we face. But followers of Christ have an assurance that brings comfort to our weary hearts. The comforting presence of the Savior is promised in words that are undeniable, for the psalmist David wrote, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" (Ps. 23:4). Whether isolated by our o

  Dear Lord, I offer to Your divine majesty my unfeigned praise and thanksgiving for all Your mercies towards me. You made me at first and have ever since sustained the work of your own hand. You gave Your Son to die for me and have given me assurance of salvation, upon my repentance and sincerely endeavoring to conform my life to his holy precepts and example. Do not allow me to be drawn away from You, by the blandishments of the world, carnal desires, the cunning of the devil, or deceitfulness of sin. Work in me Your good will and pleasure. Discharge my mind from all things that are displeasing to You, of all ill will and discontent, wrath and bitterness, pride and vain conceit of myself, and make me charitable, pure, holy, patient and heavenly minded. I beseech You mercifully to hear my prayers, and the prayers of all Your people who call upon you. Grant that we may both perceive and know what things we ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill them. Throu

  Are you constantly giving to the Lord? And, have you tried the sacrificial giving? Sacrificial giving is the act of strategically giving something that is precious and costly or something one barely can afford as an act of worship and devotion to God with an express purpose of getting an extraordinary breakthrough. It is a well considered, but painful giving. We see an even greater spirit of generosity in the Israelites when they gave to build the tabernacle of the Lord. When asked to provide materials for the sanctuary, "everyone whose spirit was willing . . . brought the Lord's offering for the work of the tabernacle" (Ex. 35:21). The Israelites eagerly donated their gold jewelry, colored thread, fine linen, silver, bronze, gemstones, and spices. Some also gave their time and talents (vv. 25-26). If we follow the Israelites' example and willingly donate our resources, we please and honor God with our attitude and offerings. The Lord, who sees and knows our thought

  Dear Jesus, I thank You for most this amazing day. Thank You for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky. Thank You for everything which is natural and which is infinite. You gave everything You had for my sake. Help me to give with a willing heart so that my gifts will truly honor You. And I pray that I may be rooted and grounded in love, that I may have strength to comprehend with all the saints the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ Jesus, the love that surpasses knowledge, and be filled with the fullness that only you can give. May the God of peace, who declared victory over death by the resurrection of His only Son, Jesus Christ, make me perfect in every thought and act through His grace, that my life might be pleasing in His sight and that I might share the perfect peace that is only possible through Him, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen

  One problem with the English word "meek" is that it rhymes with weak. And, people have linked the two words together for years. A popular dictionary offers a secondary definition of meek as "too submissive; easily imposed on; spineless; spiritless". This causes some people to question why Jesus would say, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5). Greek scholar W.E. Vine says that meekness in the Bible is an attitude toward God "in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting". We see this in Jesus who found His delight in doing the will of His Father. Vine goes on to say that "the meekness manifested by the Lord and commended to the believer is the fruit of power. . . The Lord was 'meek' because He had the infinite resources of God at His command". He could have called angels from heaven to prevent His crucifixion. Jesus told His weary, burdened follower

  Dear God, enlighten my heart with the grace of your Holy Spirit. Grant that I may ever be obedient to your commandments. Let me never be separated from you, O God, who lives and reigns forever. Direct our way unto you. Make us to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you. To the end, we may establish our hearts unblameable in holiness before you, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. Look kindly upon me and receive my heartfelt gratitude for all that you have done for me and for those I love. Please grant us continued grace and blessings during the coming day. This I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, your only son, who has saved me from death. Amen

  What started out as a collection has grown into a ministry opportunity for Larry and Mary Gerbens. For the past 10 years, they've been collecting artistic works based on the story of the prodigal son from Luke 15. Their collection includes a painting by Rembrandt and a number of items by other artists depicting this story. The Gerbens wanted to share their collection, so they put it on display at a local college. Larry said, "The artists have ministered to us, and we hope their work will minister to others". As I wandered through the displays, I was touched by the deep need of the prodigal, his honest repentance, and the beautiful forgiveness of the father portrayed in the variety of art pieces - paintings, etchings, engravings, glasswork, sketches and silk screens. We have all been like the son in this story, who had other plans for his life than what his father had for him. We have all run away from our Heavenly Father (Rom. 3:10-12). But, He welcomes us when we come

  Dear Heavenly Father, I truly believe that you will keep me filled with all goodness as long as I am giving to others. Do not let me become blocked off from You, mighty Lord, by selfishness. Keep me like a crystal brook, flowing always, less I become stagnant and fetid. Make me an empty vessel for your Spirit to fill. Purge me of the world, of pride and lust and greed and foolish wanderings of mind, that I may be prepared to hear your truth. Let me pour myself out continuously all the day long, so that you might refill me with your Spirit. Let me look to my outflow and trust to you for my inflow, today and always. Seek me out, and bring me home to your fold again. Deal favourably with me according to your good pleasure, until I may dwell in your house all the days of my life, and praise you forever and ever with them that are there.  Amen

  Isn't it great to be thanked for a job well done? Doesn't a good, hearty "thank you" brighten your day? Doesn't a simple gratitude from someone make your day? And, doesn't it make your relationships a little more special - just to know that your work is not being taken for granted?  Everybody loves to be thanked. Even God. Our heavenly Father finds pleasure in our expression of thanks to Him. It's His will that we tell Him "Thank You". "Give thanks in all circumstances", Paul said, "for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thess. 5:18). The writer of Hebrews took it a step further by saying, "Let us be thankful, and so worship God" (12:28). Keep looking for ways to improve your relationship with God. Don't forget what may be the most basic way to worship and honor Him: Tell Him "Thanks". The worship most acceptable to God comes from a thankful heart. Then, let us adore and give Him His r

  Dear God, who has created all things, seen and unseen, this day is Your creation and I give thanks to live in it. I pray that I will not shut you out of the day you have made, blinded by the petty concerns of life, but that I may be always open to your presence. All that I am, I open to You and I return to You, giving thanks every moment of my life for the blessings that fill this day. I open my eyes and ears to You, thankful for the light of Your Word, which has brought me out of the shadow of ignorance. I open my heart to You, aglow with thanks for Your love, filling me with compassion, understanding, and peace. I open my soul to You, grateful for your Spirit, who fills me with wisdom when I take a moment to listen. Walk with me so that I may not be alone as I face this day, but always in your presence. Your joy is a lighthouse in a world often dark with sin, and I pray that I may reflect the light of your truth, to inspire others as I have been inspired. In the name of Christ, ble

  A young man told his father, "Dad, I'm going to get married". "How do you know you're ready to get married?", asked the father. "Are you in love?". "I sure am!", he replied. The father then asked, "How do you know you're in love?" . "Last night as I was kissing my girlfriend goodnight, her dog bit me and I didn't feel the pain until I got home!" The man has got that loving feeling, but he has a lot of growing to do. Let us share these points to you about how to grow in love: 1) Ponder God's love in Christ: Take time to reflect on how He gave His life for you. Read about Him in the Gospels, and thank Him. 2) Pray for the love of God: Ask Him to give you an understanding of His love and to teach you how to live that out in your relationships with your spouse and others (1 Cor. 13). 3) Practice the love of God: Give of yourself. Maybe we think that love is practical. Tougher side of love is to challenge each

  Dear God, may I love You in all things and above all things. May I reach the joy which You have prepared for me in Heaven. Nothing is good that is against Your will, and all that is good comes from Your hand. Place in my heart a desire to please You. Fill my mind with thoughts of Your Love. So that, I may grow in Your wisdom and enjoy Your peace. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within me all this day. And whatever I do in word or deed, may I do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. This is all I ask, through Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen

  Perhaps in your early marriage, you husbands already knew the shortcut to your wife's heart. You may arrive home one night with a bouquet of a dozen roses behind your back. When you presented the flowers to your wife, she thanked you graciously, sniffed the flowers and then took them into the kitchen. Not quite the response you had expected, for some. It may be an introductory lesson in the reality that perhaps flowers are not your wife's primary language of love. While she appreciate the gesture, perhaps she was mentally calculating the cost of an expensive bouquet of flowers - a budget breaker for a young couple! And as you've discovered through the years, she is far more interested in your time and attention. When you devote yourself to her in an uninterrupted and attentive way, that's when she really feels loved. Did you ever wonder how God wants us to show that we love Him? We get a clue when we read, "He who loves God must love his brother also" (1 Joh

  Dear Jesus, who returned from this world to the Father and loved those who were here in this world, make my mind turn from worldly preoccupations to the contemplation of heaven. For it to despise everything transitory and to yearn only for celestial things, and to burn with the glowing fire of your love. Cleanse also my heart by pouring in the radiance of the Holy Spirit, so that I may be able to love you, our Lord Jesus Christ, in all things and above all else. We want our hopes and dreams and our hearts to align with Yours. We want to be in line to Your will. Teach us to praise You when we are tempted to doubt Your goodness. Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip me with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in me what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen

  On an Easter Sunday in 1993, Bernhard Langer won the Masters golf tournament. As he stepped off the 18th green to receive the green jacket - one of the golf's most coveted prizes - a reported said, "This must be the greatest your life!" Without missing a beat, Langer replied: "It's wonderful to win the greatest tournament in the world, but it means more to win on Easter Sunday - to celebrate the resurrection of my Lord and Savior". Langer had an opportunity to boast about himself, but instead he turned the spotlight on Jesus Christ. It's exactly what Paul was talking about when he said, "We also rejoice [boast] in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation" (Rom. 5:11). It's easy to look for ways to draw attention to our own accomplishments, making mental lists of things that are "cool" about ourselves. Even Paul admitted that he had a lot to brag about - but he considered all of it &

  Dear God, You are the King eternal, immortal and invisible. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God; the same yesterday, today, and forever. You are always more ready to bestow Your good gifts upon us than we are to seek them and You are more willing to give more than we desire or deserve.  Help me, and those who pray with me, so to seek You that we may truly find You, so to ask that we may joyfully receive, so to knock that the door of Your mercy may be opened for us. You alone are God, and do not change. And because of this, we may hope to be preserved.  The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face to shine upon us, and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up his countenance upon us, and give us peace, this day and evermore. Amen

  Laura Brooks, a 52-year-old mother of two, didn't know it but she was one of 14,000 people in 2011 whose name was incorrectly entered into the government database as dead. She wondered what was wrong when she stopped receiving disability checks, and her loan payments and her rent checks bounced. She went to the bank to clear up the issue, but the representative told her that her accounts had been closed because she was dead! Obviously, they were mistaken. The apostle Paul was not mistaken when he said that the Ephesian believers were at one point dead - spiritually dead. They were dead in the sense that they were separated from God, enslaved to sin (Eph. 2:5), and condemned under the wrath of God. What a state of hopelessness!  Yet God in His goodness took action to reverse this condition for them and for us. The living God "who gives life to the dead" (Rom. 4:17) poured out His rich mercy and great love by sending His Son Jesus to this earth. Through Christ's death