Daily Devotional Free

  Do not give the enemy a chance in your life. Do not ever entertain evil thoughts. When dealing with ungodly situations, always think of the good things that you can contribute to it. Let kindness and goodness wrap around you. Do not suffer your temper to be excited; your Christian principles to be abandoned; your mild, amiable, kind, and benevolent temper to be ruffled by any opposition or injury which you may experience. Maintain your Christian principles amidst all opposition, and thus show the power of the gospel. They are overcome by evil who suffer their temper to be excited, who become enraged and revengeful and who engage in contention with those who injure them (Barnes, 2016) Let the light shine on you wherever you will go by overcoming evil with good. Once you start spreading goodness around you, ungodliness has no room in your life. As a child of God, portray that Christ-like character so that people will be blessed by your simple act. With this, you are already spreading t

  Dear Lord, open my eyes and ears to Your word that I might hear what I do not want to hear and face my faults with courage. Let me hear Your voice instead of my own. Stop me dead in my tracks when I start to rationalize my bad conduct. Forgive me for always wanting to manage my own affairs. Teach me to trust in Your wise and timely intervention in my life. Help me to keep my hands out of Your way so that Your will be done in my life. Amen

  For 3 weeks every fall season, our city becomes an art gallery. Nearly 2,000 artists from around the world display their creations in galleries, museums, hotels, parks, city streets, parking lots, restaurants, churches, and even in the river. Among my favorite entries are mosaics made from small pieces of colored glass. The winning entry in 2011 was a 9 x 13-foot stained-glass mosaic of the crucifixion by artist Mia Tavonatti. While viewing the artwork, I heard the artist discuss how many times she had cut herself while shaping the pieces of glass for her mosaic. As I gazed at the beautiful rendition of what was a horrific event, I saw more than a representation of the crucifixion - I saw a picture of the church, the body of Christ. In each piece of glass, I saw an individial believer, beautifully shaped by Christ to fit together into the whole (Eph. 2: 16,21). In the artist's story, I recognized the shedding of Jesus' blood so that this unity could take place. And in the fin

  Dear God, You know every blade of grass that grows, every sparrow that dies, every act and thought of the seven billion people here on earth. The hundred billion stars are Yours and You made them, and You watch them, and the vastness of space and the countless galaxies, You know. You know my coming in and my going out, my thoughts and dreams and schemes, my countless little sins and lies, my kindnesses and my cruelties, my prayers and my curses. I praise You above all else, Mighty God. Your knowledge is utterly beyond my comprehension. And yet, despite all of this, You have promised to know me, to be with me, to listen to me and help me and, if I only ask for it in the name of Your Son, to forgive me when I offend You. 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

  Years ago, I asked a young man who was engaged to be married, "How do you know that you love her?" I was a loaded question, intended to help him look at his heart's motives for the upcoming marriage. After several thoughtful moments, he responded, "I know I love her because I want to spend the rest of my life making her happy". We discussed what that meant - and the price tag attached to the selflessness of constantly seeking the best for the other person, rather than putting ourselves first. Real love has a lot to do with sacrifice. That idea is in line with the wisdom of the Bible. In the Scriptures, there are several Greek words for love, but the highest form is agape love - love that is defined and driven by self-sacrifice. Nowhere is this more true than in the love our heavenly Father has shown us in Christ. We are deeply valued by Him. Paul stated, "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us"

  Dear Lord, who has given me the facility to hear and understand, let me receive Your Word with an open mind and clear eye. Whenever I read Your Scripture, let Your Holy Spirit guide me to the truth, setting aside my preconception and self-justification. I pray to hear what You intend for me to hear. Lead me to remember that, where we disagree, You are right and I am wrong. And help me always to an attitude of humility in my study, keeping in mind always to use Your Word as a guide that will lead me on the path to salvation, never as a tool to justify my faulty and selfish thought; for I am justified by faith. Now may the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the eternal high priest himself, the Son of God Jesus Christ, build you up in faith and truth and in all gentleness and in all freedom from anger and forbearance and steadfastness and patient endurance and purity. Amen

  A young teen who was constantly getting into trouble always apologized when his parents confronted him. No matter how much he hurt his parents with his previous wrongdoing, he would soon turn around and do something else wrong - knowing he would be forgiven. Finally, his dad took him out to the garage for a talk. Dad picked up a hammer and pounded a nail into the garage wall. Then he gave his son the hammer and told him to pull out the nail. The boy shrugged, grabbed the hammer, and yanked out the nail. "That's like forgiveness, Son. When you do something wrong, it's like pounding a nail. Forgiveness is when you pull the nail out". "Okay, I get it", said the boy. "Now take the hammer and pull out the nail hole", his dad applied. "Thats impossible!" the boy said. "I can't pull it out". As this story illustrates and King David's life proves, sin carries consequences. Even though David was forgiven, his adultery and murde

  Dear God, I come before You today in reverence and awe. I am filled with humility in the face of Your greatness, Your majesty, Your holiness, and Your power. And, to acknowledge my sinfulness in the face of Your pure and holy presence fills me with fear. Yet I pray boldly, for You have called me and adopted me as Your rightful heir. I give You thanks for Your mercy with every ounce of my being. And, pray that Your Holy Spirit might be with me, that I might do Your will in every thought and action this day; and that the work of my hands and the words of my tongue might seek Your glory, and not my own. Almighty God, by your Holy Spirit You have made me one with Your saints in heaven and on earth. Grant that in my earthly pilgrimage I may always be supported by this fellowship of love and prayer, and know myself to be surrounded by their witness to your power and mercy. I ask this for the sake of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen

  Someone was shadowing me. In a darkened hallway, I turned the corner to go up a flight of stairs and was alarmed by what I saw, stopping the dead in my tracks. It happened again a few days later. I came around the back of a favorite coffee shop and saw the large shape of a person coming at me. Bot incidents ended with a smile, however. I'd been frightened by my own shadow! The prophet Jeremiah talked about the difference beween real and imagined fears. A group of his Jewish countrymen asked him to find out whether the Lord wanted them to stay in Jerusalem or return to Egypt for safety because they feared the king of Babylon (Jer. 42:1-3). Jeremiah told them that if they stayed and trusted God, they didn't need to be afraid (vv. 10-12). But if they returned to Egypt, the king of Babylon would find them (vv. 15-16). In a world of real dangers, God had given Israel to reason to trust Him in Jerusalem. He had already rescued them from Egypt. Centuries later, the long-awaited Mess

  Dear Lord, You are the First and the Last, and the Living One; You were dead, but You are alive forevermore. You are the Lamb who was slain and whose blood purchased for God people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You are worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. Open my eyes, gracious Lord, as I turn to Your word. I long to know You, to understand life, and to be changed. Examine me, Lord, by the floodlight of Your truth. May the Passion of Christ be ever in my heart. May Your law and your goodness guide my every thought, O Lord. And may the power of Your Holy Spirit flow through my words and my actions today, and always. Amen

  For a dozen of years, I took an auto emergency kit on every long driving trip but never had to use it. It became such a familiar item that on the night we really needed it, I forgot it was there. But fortunately, my father remembered.  After hitting a deer on a dark rural highway, our van was completely disabled. While I fumbled with a small flashlight to assess the damage and call a tow truck, my father opened the emergency kit, set out a reflective warning marker, then turned on the bright flashlight, much to my surprise. Later we talked about how a crisis can cause us to forget the resources we have, just when we need them most. Paul urged the Ephesians to "put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Eph. 6:11). This protective covering includes truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, salvation, and prayer (vv. 14-18). Although these spiritual resources guard us each day, we need to remember them when disaster strikes and

  Dear Lord, this day, give me not the spirit of laziness, despair, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of sobriety, humility, patience and love to Thy servant. Grant me to see my own transgressions and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Teach me the steadfastness of Your love, mighty Savior. Teach me Your humility, Your selflessness. Teach me to be a devoted servant. Look with grace, I pray, on my small and tarnished loving. Protect it, foster it, strengthen it, that my love may be less unworthy to be offered to you and to Your children. O Light of the world, teach me how to love. Amen

  After his return from the moon, Neil Armstrong was often plagued by the media. Seeking greater privacy, he moved his family into a small town. But notoriety was a nuisance even there. Armstrong's barber found out that people would pay good money to ge a lock of his hair. So after giving the space hero several haircuts, he sold the clippings to a buyer for $3,000! Armstrong was shocked at the barber's disloyalty. The Scriptures tell of another story of disloyalty and a haircut. As a symbol of God's calling of Samson as a Nazirite, he was never to cut his hair (Judg. 13:5). When the Spirit of God came upon him, he was given superhuman strength over his enemies (15:14). Wanting to overpower him, the Philistines hired Delilah, a woman who had a relationship with him, to find out the secret of that strength. He foolishly told her that his power would be gone if his hair were cut. She lulled him to sleep and had him shorn (16: 5,19). Greed can drive us to be disloyal to others

  Dear God, I believe that You will change people and many things, if asked and if it is Your will. Change me Lord, if it is Your will, for I would lead a better life. Touch me, I pray, great God whose touch transforms. Help me to be discerning and not let others lead me astray with their falsehood. May the fruit of my life be an example of a follower of Christ. May my heart be loyal to You in all that I say and all that I do. Finally, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, let me think about these things. What I have learned and received, let me do; and the God of peace be with us all. Amen

  Adults celebrate when children learn to do something on their own: get dressed, brush their teeth, tie shoelaces, ride a bike, walk to school. As adults, we like to pay our own way, live in our own houses, make our own decisions, rely on no outside help. Faced with an unexpected challenge, we seek out "self-help" books. All the while we are systemitacally sealing off the heart attitude most desirable to God and most descriptive of our true state in the universe. It's what Jesus told His disciples: "Without Me, you can do nothing" (John 15:5) The truth is that we live in a web of dependence, at the center of which is God, in whom all things hold together. Norweigan theologian Ole Hallesby settled on the single world helplessness as the best summary of the heart attitude that God accepts as prayer. He said, "Only he who is helpless can truly pray". Most parents feel a pang when the child outgrows dependence, even while knowing the growth to be health a

  Dear God, who has commanded us to love one another without fail, purify my soul. Let Your Holy Spirit empower me throughout this day, to be obedient to the truth at every moment, so that I might love my brothers and sisters earnestly, from a pure heart. And let me always remember that I have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of Your Son. Turn Your face upon me, O Lord, I pray, and have mercy on me, for You are full of mercy and truth. Give strength to Your servant and show me a sign for good, that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed of their hard hearts, and turn to you for help and comfort, as I do. If I am confused or do not know what to think or do, let me think of Your Son, Jesus Christ, and ask myself what He would have done. 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; the Lor

  When it comes to jigsaw puzzles, we all know that to enjoy a satisfying outcome, you need all the pieces. In many ways, life is like that. We spend our days putting it together, hoping to create a complete picture out of all the scattered parts. Yet sometimes it seems like a piece is missing. Perhaps we've been pursuing the wrong pieces to the puzzle. Even though we may know that life without God at the center is a life that has lost the most important piece. Do we live as though He isn't particularly relevant? And even though we may attend church regularly, is He the throbbing center of our lives? Sometimes we grow accustomed to feeling distant from God. This makes it easier to sin, complicating the sense that something important is missing. But no matter how far we may drift from God, He wants us near. He appealed to His people through the prophet Isaiah: "Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, an

  Dear God, Your love embraces everyone. Through the Resurrection of Your Son, You call me and all who pray with me into your wonderful light. Dispel our darkness and make us a people with one heart and one voice, forever singing Your praise. O Lord, our majestic Maker, our hearts turn toward praise when we see snapshots of Your beautiful world. Thank You for creating us! Help us to rule Your world with wisdom. Finally, let me go forth in thanks for the victory I have been given through our Lord Jesus Christ. May I be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, and always remembering that in the Lord our labor is not in vain. In Jesus, the Christ, our Lord we pray. Amen