Daily Devotional Free

  "Life would be much easier if we didn't have to contend with such difficult people". We may think of that thought sometimes if we deal some difficult people. Selfishness, anger, jealousy, or other quirks often sabotage our relationship with them. The famous author, C.S Lewis, describes this kind of people we have trouble getting along with. Lewis then turns the tables on us by pointing out that these frustrations are what God has to endure with each of us everyday. He writes: "You are just that sort of person. You also have a fatal flaw in your character. All the hopes and plans of others have again and again shipwrecked on your character just as your hopes and plans have shipwrecked on theirs". This self-awareness should motivate us to try to show the same patience and acceptance to others that God shows to us daily. In Ephesians, Paul exhorts us to arm ourselves relationally with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in l

  Dear Lord, Your blessings every morning know no limit. Yet I often rush by not seeing them, I fear. Let me take a moment this and every morning, God, I pray, to remember all of them, and know that you are here. Hold me in the palm of your hand. I pray that You will mold me into what you want me to be. May I joyfully fill the role you have given to me and feel your peace deep in my soul, today and always. I bless and thank you for finding me, Lord. May I never more take a breath without a heart filled with your Spirit. This is all we ask, through Christ our Lord. Amen

  Revival starts with us. God tells us that the problem of backsliding and sluggishness of our spirit begins with His people and ends with His people. If the sin of God's people brought them into this situation, then it is their turning from these same sins that will bring the needed help to deliver them from their situation. In other words, unless we can identify our sins, acknowledge them and take full responsibility for them, then we have no hope. We cannot change this world by political reformation and improved educational funding. A church will only be able to turn back from their spiritual decline by carefully following the principles outlined in 2 Chronicles 7:14. This is not the only place these principles are mentioned, but they are clearly articulated here. Promises are the backbone of the believer. They are what shapes the whole character of the church. Anytime that the church wants to stand erect, it may. There is no question as if God has once and for all left His peop

  Dear Lord, I confess to You all the sins of my wickedness committed before You, now and in the past. Forgive me for them for the sake of Your Holy Name, and save my soul, which You have redeemed with Your precious Blood. I entrust myself to Your mercy. When we observe the Lord's Supper, help us avoid the trap of letting our observance grow routine. May we always be moved with gratitude for the wonderful gift of ritual. Do with me according to You mercy and not according to my evil and wickedness. The blessing of the Lord rest and remain upon all his people, in every land, of every tongue. The Lord meet in mercy all that seek him. The Lord comfort all who suffer and mourn and the Lord hasten his coming, and give us, his people, the blessing of peace, this day and always. Amen

  The people of Israel had backsliden, and God wanted Hosea to show them how much that hurt Him. So, in the first few chapters of Hosea, we read a bizarre story: God commanded the prophet to marry a prostitute named Gomer. Put on display as the faithful husband of an unfaithful spouse, Hosea experienced a pain similar to what God felt when Israel was spiritually unfaithful. As Hosea wrote the ending of his book, he made it clear that despite the pain the people of Israel caused the living God, He still promised healing, forgiveness, and fruitfulness if they would return to Him: "I will heal their backsliding", He said. "I will love them freely. . . . Those who dwell under his shadow shall return" (Hos. 14:4-7). Life for the person who turns hk on God is often characterized by guilt and disatisfaction. The truly born-again believer who has fallen into a lifestyle of sin knows deep down that spiritual unfaithfulness to God takes a toll. But just as the God of grace of

  Dear God, I truly want to carry Your truth into the world as You have commanded us to do, and to live every moment of my life in Your Holy Spirit. But sometimes I feel weak and discouraged, like it is too much for me. Let me always remember Your words, that we should put on Your armor and be strong, not in our own power, but in the strength of Your might. Help me to stop calling on my own power and learn to call upon the power of Your Spirit, that dwells always within me and loves me, and waits only to be called. For I am weak, but Your strength know no limit, and it is mine to have in Your service. Embolden and empower me to fight evil wherever I may find it, and to tell the world of Your grace in Christ Jesus. Now to Him who has given me grace in accordance with His gospel, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for many ages past, but now revealed and made known by the command of the eternal God, so that all mankind might find the obedience that comes from faith; to

  In many countries, health laws prohibit reselling or reusing old mattresses. Only landfills will take them. Tim Keenan tackled the problem and today his business employs a dozen people to extract the individual components of metal, fabric, and foam in old mattresses for recycling. But that's only part of the story. Journalist Bill Vogrin wrote, "Of all the items Keenan recycles. . . it's the people that may be his biggest success" (The Gazette, Colorado Springs). Keenan hires men from halfway houses and homeless shelters, giving them a job and a second chance. He says, "We take guys nobody else wants". Luke 5:17-26 tells how Jesus healed the body and the soul of a paralyzed man. Following that miraculous event, Levi answered Jesus' call to follow Him and then invited his fellow tax collectors and friends to a banquet in honor of the Lord (vv. 27-29). When some people accused Jesus of associating with undesirables (v. 30), He reminded them that healthy

  Dear Jesus, I come to You today longing for Your presence. I desire to love You as You love me. May nothing ever separate me from You. Work another miracle, a prodigy of grace. Make my soul a beautiful, living Tabernacle where You will ever dwell. Let me never leave You alone, but remind me to return hundreds of times in the day and have a word with You. And finally, may the grace of Christ our Savior, and the Father's boundless love, with the Holy Spirit's favor, rest upon me, and all of us, from above. Thus may we abide in union, with each other and the Lord, and possess, in sweet communion, joys which earth cannot afford. In Christ Name, I pray. Amen

  Like many towns, Enterprise, Alabama, has a prominent monument. But the monument in Enterprise is unlike any other. The statue doesn't recognize a leading citizen; it celebrates the work of a beetle. In the early 1900s, this boll weevil made its way from Mexico to the southern US. Within a few years it had destroyed entire crops of cotton, the primary source of revenue. In desperation, farmers started growing another crop - peanuts. Realizing they had been dependent on one crop for too long, they credited the beetle with forcing them to diversify, which led to increased prosperity. The boll weevil is like things that come into our lives and destroy what we have worked hard to accomplish. Devastation results - sometimes financial, emotional, or physical - and it is frightening. We witness the end of life as we know it. But as the people of Enterprise learned, the loss of what is old is an opportunity to discover something new. God may use hardships to get us to give up a bad habit

  Dear God, Jesus is calling me to a new beginning; to a fresh call to discipleship. You are asking me to deny myself, take up my cross and follow You. It was at my baptism that You claimed me as Your child. Today, I affirm that I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. I surrender my will, my desires and my life to You, O God. I commit myself to Your call to discipleship: to pray, study Your Word, worship You, invite other people to a life of discipleship, encourage Christians in their life of faith, serve those in need, and give joyfully of the gifts that You first gave me. May these promises be planted deeply in my mind and heart. Help me not to walk away and forget it, but to meditate on it and obey it and so built my life on the rock of Your truth. In the name of Christ I pray. Amen

  In the New Testament, hospitality is a hallmark of Christian living. It is listed as a characteristic of church leaders (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:8) and is commanded for every follower of Jesus as an expression of love (Rom. 12:13; 1 Pet. 4:9). But its meaning goes deeper than being a gracious host or opening our homes to guests. The Greek word translated "hospitality" means "love of strangers". When Paul speaks of being "given to hospitality" (Rom. 12:13), he is calling us to pursue relationships with people who are in need. It is not an easy task. Writer Henri Nouwen likens it to reaching out to those we meet on our way through life - people who may be estranged from their culture, country, friends, family or even from God. Nouwen writes: "Hospitality, therefore, means primarily the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can

  Dear Lord, through Your works have revealed the everlasting structure of the world. You, Lord, created the earth. You are faithful throughout all generations, righteous in Your judgments, marvelous in strength and majesty, wise in creating and prudent in establishing what exists, good in all that is observed and faithful to those who trust in You, merciful and compassionate. Forgive us our sins and our injustices, our transgressions and our shortcomings. Do not take into account every sin of Your servants, but cleanse us with the cleansing of Your truth. And, direct our steps to walk in holiness and righteousness and purity of heart, and to do what is good and pleasing in Your sight and in the sight of our rulers. May I go in peace, with God and with his other children. And, may we love one another as Christ taught us. May I follow the example of good men of old, and may God comfort and help me and all who believe in Him, both in this world and in the world which is to come. Amen

  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

  I pause for a moment and think of the love and the grace that God showers on me, creating me in his image and likeness, making me his temple. God is within me and me in Him. What most often stops me achieving freedom is my tendency to be caught up in fears and expectations about what I 'ought' or 'should' be. My usual automatic responses tie me down and inhibit me from exploring new areas of growth. I ask and pray for a greater sense of inner freedom and that I might reach the fresh and challenging possibilities that God wishes me to realize. Lead me Lord to where you need me to be.

  Years ago, an anonymous writer penned a short poem about the merits of measuring our words. A wise old owl sat in an oak; The more he saw the less he spoke; The less he spoke the more he heard; Why can't we all be like that wise old bird? There is a connection between wisdom and limiting what we say. Proverbs 10:19 says, "In the multitude of words, sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise". We are wise to be careful about what we say or how much we say in certain situations. It makes sense to guard our words when we are angry. James urged his fellow believers, "Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (James 1:19). Restraining our words can also show reverence for God. Solomon said, "God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few" (Eccl. 5:2). When others are grieving, our silent presence may help more than abundant expressions of sympathy: "No one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was

  Dear Lord, please grant me wisdom to know when to speak and when to listen. I want to encourage others and to care for them as You have cared for me. I am no longer my own, but Yours. Help me to find You, Lord. Help me not to read Your Word and then ignore it in my actions. Affirm my sincerity and help me to see my vast hypocrisy and, by the power of Your Almighty Spirit, overcome it.  And now let me go forth praising You, O Lord, with all my heart, telling of all your wonders, with my words and in my actions. I will be glad and rejoice in you this day. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Amen

  On La Gomera, one of the smallest of the Canary Islands, a language that sounds like a bird song is being revived. In a land of deep valleys and steep ravines, schoolchildren and tourists are learning how whistling was once used to communicate for distances up to 2 miles. One goat herder who is using this ancient language once again to communicate with his flock said, "They recognize my whistle as they recognize my voice". The practice of whistling also shows up in the Bible, where God is described as a shepherd whistling for His sheep. This image could be what the prophet had in mind when he described how God will one day whistle to bring a wandering and scattered people back to Himself (Zech. 10:8). Many years later Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27). That may be the whistle of a shepherd. Sheep don't understand words, but they know the sound that signals the shepherd's presence. Misleading voices and d