Posts from 2026
Daily Devotions
Romans 10:11-15…“But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?” vs. 14 Paul knew that God made no distinctions and that the gift of salvation was for all people. No one was excluded! The problem was that not everyone knew Jesus and they’d never been told about the resurrection. If…
Daily Devotions
Romans 10:5-10…“because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” vs. 9 Paul was dealing with people who believed that righteousness came through obedience to the Law. But Paul taught that righteousness came through faith, that there were no heroic actions required to win God’s favor. Rather, he taught, righteousness came through confession of Jesus as Lord and belief in his resurrection.…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 85:10-13…“Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.” vs. 10 When we look across the political landscape of our country it’s hard to maintain a spirit of optimism. Not only is it difficult to know what is true, it’s virtually impossible to see how anything good can come of the intense polarization that is taking place. There are accusations and countercharges on every hand, and often civil discourse seems like a forgotten dream. Efforts…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 85:8-9…“Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.” vs. 8 The psalmist craved to hear the word of the Lord, and evidently had a pretty good sense of what the Lord would say. Based on what we can assume were years of faithful living he knew that he would hear admonitions to seek peace in every circumstance. The…
Daily Devotions
1 Kings 19:9-18…“At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” vs. 9 For a moment Elijah was triumphant in his struggle against the paganism that Israel had embraced under King Ahab and his queen, Jezebel. He had defeated her prophets of Baal in a great contest on Mount Carmel, but when she erupted in rage against him and threatened…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 14:15-21…“Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.” vs. 19 Most everyone knows the gospel story of the miraculous feeding of the 5000 people beside the Sea of Galilee. It was obviously one of the more significant acts of Jesus’ ministry. It’s mentioned…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 14:13-14…“Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.” vs. 13 When Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been killed, he withdrew to a deserted place where he could be alone. He needed time for reflection and prayer. But when the crowds had heard the news of John’s death, they wanted to be with Jesus,…
Daily Devotions
Romans 9:3-5…“They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;” vs. 4 Paul was proud of his heritage, and he loved the Jewish people. He would gladly have forfeited his salvation for the sake of his “kindred according to the flesh.” They were the people of the promise, the chosen children of God and they were frittering away their glory because they refused to believe that…
Daily Devotions
Romans 9:1-2…“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.” vss. 1-2 After speaking of the incredible love of God in Christ Jesus, Paul’s tone shifts as he continues his letter to the Romans. He knows that large numbers of Jews are refusing to acknowledge Jesus as the messiah and their rejection is causing him extreme anguish–his heart is aching for his…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 145:14-21…“The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” vss. 17-18 Humans have had a dickens of a time describing God, something that is more easily understood when we take the testimony of scripture seriously. Writers there consistently describe God as being beyond understanding. That’s because there are no words in any language that can capture…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 145:8-9, 14-17…“The LORD upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.” vs. 14 Since we live in a world that is both good and broken, it is good to know that the Lord upholds us in our brokenness. It’s not that God is simply content with our inability to walk in righteousness, but God actually raises us up and restores our intrinsic goodness. We saw this reality acted out in the ministry of Jesus,…
Daily Devotions
Isaiah 55:1-5…“Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” vs. 1 It’s hard to believe but our scriptures consistently teach that all the best things about life in this world are available to us free of charge. Nowhere are we told that it is a good thing to store up riches for ourselves and build our retirement portfolios. As the…