Devotion Archive
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Devotion for February 13, 2021
“Jesus asked, ‘Do you see anything?’” (Mark 8:23) When you learn a new game—maybe a card game or board game — it can take a while before you fully understand it. The first time it is explained to you, you begin to understand, but not fully, not right away. Discipleship is like that. It involves…
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Devotion for February 12, 2021
“Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD.” (Genesis 19:27) Abraham had a special place where he met with God. So did Daniel, when his life was threatened: “In his upper room … he knelt … three times that day … and prayed and…
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Devotion for February 11, 2021
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” (John 14:1) Sometimes life gets so overwhelming that we feel as though we are caught in quicksand. The problem with quicksand is that when someone gets stuck in it, they usually resort to what comes naturally to them. They thrash and…
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Devotion for February 10, 2021
“The people ate and were satisfied.” (Mark 8:8) In today’s story, Jesus has compassion for a huge crowd of people again — and this time it’s simply because they are hungry! When the disciples raise the question of available resources, Jesus begins with a resource inventory. Seven loaves and a few small fish are way…
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Devotion for February 9, 2021
“‘Lord,’ she replied, ‘even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’” (Mark 7:28) Jesus traveled to an area outside of where his own people, the Jews, lived. And a woman came to him to ask for healing for her daughter. This woman, whose little girl was possessed by an impure spirit, came to…
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Devotion for February 8, 2021
“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.’” (Mark 10:27) When you label something as being “impossible”, three things happen: By giving in to the fear of failure you kill your own faith and motivation. You risk settling for less than God…
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Devotion for February 7, 2021
“It is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” (Mark 7:15) My mother taught me to always wash my hands before dinner. “And use soap!” she would say. She didn’t want any dirt or germs from my hands getting into my mouth while we were eating. The Pharisees were also careful about washing…
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Devotion for February 6, 2021
“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Mark 6:50) After Jesus fed the huge crowd of thousands of people, he sent his disciples ahead of him in their boat to the next lakeside town. Later, in the deep of night, they were straining to make headway against a strong wind. Jesus had gone to…
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Devotion for February 5, 2021
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” (1 Peter 1:6) In 1962, in a classic study called “Cradles of Eminence”, Victor and Mildred Goertzel investigated the family backgrounds of more than 400 highly successful people. They sought to identify…