Today’s Verse: My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: ~1 John 2:1 The term “going to bat for you” has the idea of someone coming alongside to help you in a major or legal matter. It is someone standing up for our rights, our insufficiency, and our representation. First John 2:1 is an awesome reality that we have an Advocate Who goes to bat for us. There is the def

Today’s Verse: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. ~1 John 1:7 The word “if” is a word that involves a condition on the part of one or more parties to an agreement, contract, pact, or promise. It implies that for something to occur, one party must perform its part. It can have either a positive or negative implication. God has given us a free will with which t

Today’s Verse: And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; ~Acts 17:6 What comes to your mind when you hear the word chaos? When I hear this word, I think of confusion, anarchy, and things that have gone haywire. Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke were in the city of Thessalonica. Through bold preaching about the Lord Jesus Christ, a city overcome with re

Today’s Verse: But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. ~Galatians 1:15-17 The first century may have been the most exciting time in history next to the creation of the world. In the

Today’s Verse: Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. ~Psalm 40:4 Psalm 40 was written during the time David was in the wilderness of Judaea trying to avoid being caught by King Saul. David had seasons when his faith was strong and other times when his faith would waiver. He embodied what we go through: sometimes we are strong, and other times, we feel weak. It could be that David wrote this psalm afte

Today’s Verse: Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss. ~Judges 20:16 There are some interesting statistics about left-handed people. They are more likely than right-handed people to have allergies, be insomniacs, and be prone to migraines. They are said to use the right side of the brain more. They tend to be on the extreme pole of intelligence. They recover faster from strokes than r

Today’s Verse: I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. ~Psalm 104:33 As we celebrate Thanksgiving, our thoughts go back to the very first Thanksgiving of the pilgrim settlers who came to America. They came to America with the dream of a life without the tyranny of government interference with their worship of God. They came with the idea of one nation under God. They had to endure the harshness of the ocean journey and

Today’s Verse: When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. ~Psalm 126:1-2 Psalm 126 is a post-captivity psalm. It was written after the Jews' captivity under Babylon was over. For seventy years, the Jews that had been taken to Babylon lived under the rule of and under tribute to the Babylonians. A

Today’s Verse: And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. ~Luke 17:15-16 We are a couple of days away from celebrating Thanksgiving. There are many food expressions that have fondly become associated with this special day. Food such as turkey, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, green beans, and pies are an American tradition

Today’s Verse: And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. ~Numbers 12:1 A sweet little girl had a violent tussle with her older sister. Her mother reprimanded her and concluded by saying, “It was Satan who suggested to you the pulling of Jenny's hair.” “I shouldn't be surprised,” the child replied musingly. “But,” she added proudly, “Kicking her in the shins was entirely my own idea.” If

Today’s Verse: If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. ~Proverbs 24:10 Swimming is perhaps one of the best resilience, resistance, and strength exercises. To be a very good swimmer requires many hours of swimming and focus. Over time, good swimmers learn to develop good technique in order to avoid early fatigue. Good swimmers know that the body’s buoyancy enables them to float on water. When tired and fatigued, they know that it is better to keep swimmin

Today’s Verse: By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones. ~Hebrews 11:22 When a person says, “I make no bones about it,” what he means is, “I make no mistake.” It is a statement of absolute confidence. It is a statement that is fearless and having no doubt. It is a statement of assurance about a fact. The writer of Hebrews highlights one area of the faith of Joseph. He speaks about the fai

Today’s Verse: With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: ~Ephesians 6:7 Goodwill is referred to as an intangible asset on the balance sheet of a corporation. It is a term that describes the good reputation and value of that business. The term indicates that a business has developed a great name for its product and service. Goodwill is the intrinsic value of a company. Christians are to be people who possess incredible goodwill. Goodwill is why people atten

Today’s Verse: And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? ~Luke 2:49 The word must is a very strong verb. It is a word that indicates an imperative action. It is a call to perform a duty. It is a mandate requiring compliance and fulfillment. It is a word associated with a priority. The Lord Jesus lived by priority. There was no wasted time, wasted opportunities, or wasted events with Jesus. Would you consider wit

Today’s Verse: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. ~1 John 4:18 Growing up as a kid, I had an aunt who always encouraged me to do my best at everything. Her favorite saying to me was, “Practice makes perfect.” The more that you do a certain task, the better, more confident, and more competent you become at it. Two emotional extremes are referred to in our devotion this morning. On

Today’s Verse: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. ~Matthew 13:44 Are you someone who likes to go treasure hunting? I’ve seen people with magnetic treasure-hunting devices in parks, fields, water shorelines, and even backyards search for hidden treasure beneath the surface. Jesus uses a parable about treasure hunting to expo

Today’s Verse: For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. ~Genesis 24:65 Our church is an exciting place to be at every service. We have first-time and returning visitors at almost every service. It is very special for me whenever members bring a visitor to church, and as soon as they see me, they hurriedly bring the visitor over and make a

Today’s Verse: Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. ~Matthew 17:4-5 Our devotion this morning centers on Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was at that mo

Today’s Verse: Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, ~Hebrews 12:1 I am a moderate runner. I enjoy the benefits of running. All serious runners know that any kind of running requires commitment, discipline, good eating, focus, and adequate rest. When running competitive races, it is imperative that a

Today’s Verse: (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) ~Numbers 12:3 What an astounding statement that God made about Moses! His life testified of being the meekest man in all the earth during his time. Meekness is humility, perseverance, patience, and tenderness of heart all wrapped together. Moses took criticism in stride. He endured the murmuring and constant complaining of the Israelites. He interceded for God to be merc