Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. Luke 9: 23, 24 Taking up crosses daily doesn’t mean making one big once-and-for-all sacrifice and get it over with. It means repeatedly, over and over again, day after day and year after year, saying no to present desires and... Read more
I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills his purpose for me. Psalm 57:2 Wisdom is found along a path that is strewn with our own sets of fears and insecurities to be faced. We must do the thing we think we cannot do. It’s in the doing that the strength comes. Paula Rinehart Earlier this week I saw my dentist and during the examination he pressed his thumb into the side of my... Read more
The God of heaven will give us success. Nehemiah 2:20 Lately, I’ve been relating a lot to the Old Testament character Nehemiah who felt physically exhausted, emotionally spent, and spiritually opposed (and I’m not trying to rebuild a wall…just be faithful to the small stuff God has called me to do). As I read about the circumstances surrounding this unflinching soul who labored long and hard despite opposition from many forces, I am struck by this man’s... Read more
Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6: 33, 34 Suppose someone you love were to say to you, “I don’t trust you. I don’t believe you love me and will care for me.” What an affront that would be to you! Yet that is what we... Read more
Barter: to trade by exchanging one commodity for another. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary Bartering. If you’re a woman, then you’ve done it. Guaranteed. The very term conjures up some interesting and colorful scenes in our minds. Think back to early days of our country’s history when money was scarce (er), what did women do? They traded one commodity for another. One’s own valued item for someone else’s. Whether it was a chicken or its eggs, a cow or... Read more
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 How do I figure out if this is true or not? How many times have I asked myself that very question today? This week? This month? This year? Kelly sighed and pushed herself away from the computer screen before walking away in sad resignation. As she opted for... Read more
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. Psalm 18: 32 Sometimes we need guidance over tough terrain, and other times all we really need is some company. Vinita Hampton Wright It’s been said that up to 80% of working men and women hate their jobs. I believe it. From where I sit, this statistic is one of the saddest commentaries in life. To think that the setting where most people... Read more
You shall not go out with haste…for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. Isaiah 52:12 One of the best ways to leave this year behind is to look toward the coming year with absolute dependence and confidence in the supernatural provision of God. In Oswald Chambers’ fine devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, Chambers succinctly tells us how we should look forward with faithful expectancy because... Read more
I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lamentations 3: 19-24 From the... Read more
Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In