Devotion Archive
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Devotion for October 31, 2023
“Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” (Psalm 85:6) Five hundred years ago this month, Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany, and set in motion a movement that rocked Europe. Though many other factors joined to launch the Protestant Reformation, God used a…
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Devotion for October 30, 2023
“Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him. They came from all over. (Mark 3:7) How good are you at sharing responsibility and delegating tasks? I admit that I’m not very good at this. I prefer to do things myself rather than trust others to do a job…
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Devotions for October 29, 2023
“While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.” (Mark 14:3) Just before Jesus went to the cross,…
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Devotion for October 28, 2023
“So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!” (Mark 2:28) Sometimes, when we look at the world around us, there seems to be hurt, injustice and oppression everywhere. As children of the kingdom of God, we are called to shine a light on that injustice and to care for everybody as our…
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Devotion for October 27, 2023
“Bless the Lord, O my soul …” (Psalm 103:1a) When read in the various versions, it’s all about God! Let all that I am praise the Lord (NLT). Praise the Lord, my soul (NIV). Bless the Lord, O my soul (ESV). Hebrew uses the word “bless”. To me, bless is a fuller, richer, deeper-nuanced word…
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Devotion for October 26, 2023
“Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29) What God commands you to do, He will give you the grace to do. But that doesn’t mean it will be easy. Shadrach, Meshach, and…
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Devotion for October 25, 2023
“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.” (2 Corinthians 1:8) Job describes the rewards of obedience: “If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend…
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Devotion for October 24, 2023
“Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.” (Hebrews 5:8) The rewards of obedience are awesome, but sometimes the process is agonizing. “Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him” (vv. 8-9, NLT). Before God promotes you to a…
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Devotion for October 23, 2023
“I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (Psalms 16:8) When praying doesn’t seem to bring the answer, the question becomes, “How do I get through this?” The Bible addresses this by telling us Jesus endured “the shame of being nailed to a…