Devotion Archive
-
Devotion for October 2, 2024
“When Jesus heard this, He said, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.’” (Matthew 9:12) Basic human logic and common sense tells us that physically sick people need treatment from a doctor. Here Jesus simply answers the Pharisees’ cynical question with the plain statement that the…
-
Devotion for October 1, 2024
“Love is patient.” (1 Corinthians 13:4) Love does not retaliate. We usually think of patience as the ability to wait or endure without complaint — whether it’s with people or circumstances. But the Greek word translated “patience” in 1 Corinthians 13:4 refers specifically to patience with people. It literally means “to be long tempered,” and…
-
Devotion for September 30, 2024
“Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, ‘Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?’” (Matthew 9:10–11) Prideful resentment can…
-
Devotion for September 29, 2024
“Love is patient … kind … not jealous … does not brag … is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly … does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all…
-
Devotion for September 28, 2024
“Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.” (Proverbs 17:9, NLT) We all have people in our lives who exasperate us. They might be demanding, disapproving, or demeaning. Perhaps they’re self-centered and focus every conversation on themselves. Or maybe they just love to argue or complain. Whatever they do,…
-
Devotion for September 27, 2024
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth.” (Matthew 6:19) A true believer is not to hoard earthly possessions. You may remember this old adage: “The miser says coins are flat that they may rest in stacks; the spendthrift says they are round that they may roll.” In Matthew 6:9 Jesus is specifically talking…
-
Devotion for September 26, 2024
“If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2) Loveless faith is useless faith. In Matthew 17:19 the disciples came to Jesus wanting to know why they couldn’t cast a demonic spirit from a child. Jesus responded, “Because of the littleness of your…
-
Devotion for September 25, 2024
“The Lord says, ‘I am the one who strengthens you. Why should you fear mortals, who are no more enduring than grass?’” (Isaiah 51:12, GNT) One way to overcome the fear of rejection is by keeping the right perspective. You can listen to the opinions of others — but don’t ever overvalue what they say.…
-
Devotion for September 24, 2024
“For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.” (1 Timothy 6:7) Temporal concerns must not crowd out the believer’s focus on eternal things. In Charles Dickens’s memorable story “A Christmas Carol”, Ebenezer Scrooge learns through a series of dreams that life consists of far more important…