Category: Daily Devotions

“And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.” (1 Samuel 23:16) The first African American to play major league baseball in the USA was Jackie Robinson. While trying to break through baseball’s color barrier, he faced insults and abuse in just about every stadium. One day at…

“Always [be] prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” (1 Peter 3:15) Christians can be weird. We’ve always been like this. From the very beginning, people noticed that we are different. We gathered money for the weak and poor. We adopted children…

“If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.” (James 1:26) When someone gossips about you, keep this in mind: people tend to accuse in others what they excuse in themselves. The story’s told about a husband who suspected his…

“For forty years — one year for each of the forty days you explored the land — you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.” (Numbers 14:34) We have reached a low point in the book of Numbers. The failure to trust God’s promise about the…

“… in which was written: ‘It is reported among the nations — and Geshem says it is true — that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king.’” (Nehemiah 6:6) The only way to avoid criticism…

“After the earthquake, a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.” (1 Kings 19:12) How often do we look or wait for some obvious and huge sign from God? Wouldn’t it be easier if we just had some loud and significant indication that…

“We saw the Nephilim there … We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” (Numbers 13:33) Moses sent twelve men of Israel, one from each tribe, to explore the land of Canaan. Only two of the explorers, Joshua and Caleb, came back with a good report (see Numbers…

“Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” (Numbers 12:2) As we saw yesterday in Numbers 11, even though Moses was a unique ­prophet of God, God’s Spirit was poured out on other leaders in Israel. This was apparently the context for Miriam and Aaron saying, “Hasn’t the…

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” (Matthew 6:7) Here’s what Jesus taught about prayer: “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again…