Today’s Verse: If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. ~1 Corinthians 16:22 As we come to the close of this year, we are considering a sentence that exhorts us to live fervently for the Lord. It is presented as a warning and a precaution. It is given to us in a way that causes us to be always mindful of the consequence of letting our fire for the Lord diminish. We see the spiritual goal. The goal and preeminent ambition of the Christian life

Today’s Verse: That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; ~Philippians 1:10 Excellence is the very highest and best. It is nothing less than “perfection” in delivery, quality, workmanship, and production. It is being flawless and unblameable. Paul stated a powerful principle about our work, words, and way of life: that we are to approve only those things that are excellent. Let us see this morning the thin

Today’s Verse: And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians. ~2 Chronicles 16:12 Two years ago, my physician for almost fifteen years announced that he was retiring from private practice. Although he appeared to have several more years of opportunity to practice, he wanted out of the world of managed care. I began the not-so-easy search for

Today’s Verse: Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. ~Proverbs 15:17 Are you someone who asks your spouse or your parents, “What’s for dinner?” Typically, when we are hungry or have a special craving, we will ask that question in the hopes that what we are craving is being prepared. Our devotion this morning provides a powerful lesson about a dinner of herbs and a fatted ox. We see the simple. A dinner of herbs refers to a vegetabl

Today’s Verse: I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 3:14 One of the most powerful phrases in the Bible is our devotion for this morning: "the high calling of God." A calling is a summons to something important, noble, and vital. In many cases, we associate a calling with an occupation or our life commitment. Let us see this morning what “the high calling of God” means. There is the call to salvation. The high calling

Today’s Verse: Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. ~Psalm 51:10 “The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly” (Proverbs 20:27). The Lord speaks to us through our spirit, and our spirit, in turn, influences our conscience. The spirit within us is the indicator of what is happening in our spiritual life. As he sought God’s forgiveness and cleansing in his life, David also prayed for a right spirit.

Today’s Verse: And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. ~Luke 2:7 Today is Christmas! Around the world, Christians are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and His incarnation. His arrival signaled that the Saviour of the world was born. His birth brought holiness, hope, and happiness. Let us rejoice this morning in the birth of our Lord Jesus. We see the work. “And

Today’s Verse: But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. ~Matthew 1:20 What are you thinking about this Christmas? Last-minute Christmas shopping? What to get for the person on your shopping list who is hard to shop for? What stores will be open on Christmas Eve for the last-minute gifts?

Today’s Verse: Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. ~Daniel 9:25 One of the great passages of the Old Testament that refers to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to Earth for our sins is Daniel 9:25-27. In our devotion, He is powerfully referred to as Me

Today’s Verse: And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. ~Luke 2:25 One of the many male names that was prominent among the Jews was Simeon. This name would be interchangeable as Simeon or Simon. In Luke 2:25-35, we have the account of this man Simeon. He is one of several notable characters surrounding the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Simeo

Today’s Verse: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. ~1 Timothy 3:16 Angels are God’s created spirit beings and "ministers a flame of fire." In Heaven, angels worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness. We see an angel announcing the birth of Christ, at His birth, after the departure of the wise men, aft

Today’s Verse: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. ~John 1:14 A mystery is something that is a secret or unknown. A mystery in the Bible is a truth that is unknowable except by divine revelation. Paul referred to the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ as the mystery of godliness. This mystery is explained for us in John 1:14: "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt

Today’s Verse: And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. ~Luke 19:5 One of the favorite Bible accounts for both young and old is how Zacchaeus came to Jesus. The salvation of Zacchaeus led to Jesus stating His ministry purpose when He said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” While he is a great lesson on a sinner getting saved, Z

Today’s Verse: And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; ~Exodus 35:30 A shadow is an image or dark figure cast against the ground or a wall by a light against an object. A shadow provides a shade from the rays of the sun. We might use the idea of a shadow as a way of describing someone being mentored when we say, “He is following in my shadow.” For the purposes of our devotion

Today’s Verse: Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad. ~Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety is being overcome with stressful care, undue burdens, and bothersome worries. Much of our anxious care is a result of worries that we have about relationships, finances, illness, employment, and failure. Everyone carries their burdens in a different way, but all of us have burdens which affect our wellbeing. Solomon tells us how we can help those who have anxi

Today’s Verse: And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? ~1 Samuel 17:29 Are you someone driven by a cause? A cause is something you believe in so strongly that you take a stand for it. A good example of this is patriotism: it is a cause that compels men to enlist in the armed forces to fight for their country. David encountered a situation that affected the welfare of Israel. He asked an important question: “Is there not a cause?” We see David’s response. D

Today’s Verse: By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. ~Hebrews 11:21 Jacob is one of the most colorful and intriguing characters of the Bible. His name means “supplanter” or “heel grabber.” In spite of having a reputation as a deceiver, he becomes a man of faith and is the progenitor of the twelve tribes of Israel. In Hebrews 11, there is only one verse that makes mention of him, but it is a ver

Today’s Verse: And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: ~2 Corinthians 9:8 One of our favorite words we use in our vocabulary is the word always. It is an adverb that means “continuously,” “never stopping,” “regularly,” and “without exception.” It is a word that amplifies upon God’s will for the Christian life. This morning, let us see the ministry of always. Always means we are c

Today’s Verse: Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. ~Psalm 143:4 Psalm 143 was written by David when he was running either from Saul or from Absalom. It is one of several psalms that vividly describes David’s soul life when he was at a very dark and low spot in his life. Trials bring out the best or worst in us. They bring us closer to God or show how far away we are from God. They move us to pray or move us to be pragmatic. When we ar

Today’s Verse: For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. ~2 Peter 2:20 One of the big social emphases in our world is to “save the earth.” The goal of this group is to save the earth from climate change, erosion, pollution, and harmful toxins being put into the environment. Everyone understands the d