Category: Daily Devotions

“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10) People pleasing does two things: 1) It makes you neglect your own needs in order to meet…

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30) In this classic teaching, Jesus identifies the power and primacy of loving the Lord our God as the most important thing we can ever do. Ironically, love cannot be…

“… but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42) Here are two enemies that threaten your spiritual life: Boredom. Missionary and educator Frank Laubach said, “If you’re weary of some sleepy form of devotion, probably God is as weary of…

“‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Jesus asked him. The blind man said, ‘Rabbi, I want to see.’” (Mark 10:51) Bartimaeus had been crying out to Jesus to have mercy on him. And Jesus’ question to the man may seem a bit odd at first. Didn’t Jesus realize that Bartimaeus was blind?…

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) The Bible says, “Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring” (Proverbs 27:1). The truth is, when you wake up every morning you have no idea what will happen to you that day. You hope for a trouble-free…

“The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, ‘Who then can be saved?’” (Mark 10:26) In reading stories about people like the man in this episode, people who don’t really under­stand Jesus, we can be tempted to look down on them. The man appears to have been wealthy, and he had a…

“He took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.” (Mark 10:16) This is such an endearing scene! It may seem merely sentimental, but that is surely not what Jesus has in mind. Still, it is a wonderful and inspiring story that makes us feel good for the children, and…

“But what does it say? ‘The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,’ that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: …” (Romans 10:8) If you’re not careful, it’s easy to speak words of doubt that contradict what God says in His Word. Paul writes, “The word that…

“Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) Jesus again tells his disciples that he will be arrested and killed and then rise from the dead. But the disciples don’t understand. So instead of dealing with that very uncomfortable issue, they let themselves get distracted…