Today's Verse: And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. ~Genesis 24:58 On the wedding day, the most precious moment is when it is time for the bride to walk the aisle and to join her bridegroom. The congregation is asked to rise and stand out of respect for her entrance. The bride gracefully walks the aisle with great anticipation as she will join the groom and together recite their vows one to another and be joined as

Today's Verse: Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. ~Ezekiel 22:18 I know a lot of people who are bargain hunters when they go shopping. They look for merchandise that is marked downed in price. The markdown could be due to scratches, defects, being a returned item, or being seasonal. Whatever the reason, it does not have the same value as the wh

Today's Verse: He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. ~Proverbs 28:13 All of us have experienced failure in one way or another. It could have been a failing grade on a test or class. It could have been a losing season. It could have been a business venture that went out of business. It could have been our inability to live up to a required standard of excellence. Failure hurts. Failure is a setback. Failure make

Today's Verse: I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. ~Job 42:2 What you think and believe about God determines the kind of Christian you are. Years ago, leadership and management expert John Maxwell spoke about the law of the lid. The lid is the ceiling that you allow in your thinking and faith. The lid is what keeps you from attaining your goal or seeing a dream come to fruition. Job was going through an intense time of suff

Today's Verse: The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. ~Habakkuk 3:19 When buying cold and pain relief medicine, the label description of “maximum strength” implies greatness of potency and something that will more than get the job done. Habakkuk made a discovery about maximum strength that changed how he lived. We see the vital connection. “T

Today's Verse: If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. ~Colossians 3:1 The Scottish preacher John McNeill liked to tell about an eagle that had been captured when it was quite young. The farmer who snared the bird put a restraint on it so that it could not fly, and then he turned it loose to roam in the barnyard. It was not long until the eagle began to act like the chickens, scratching and pecking at

Today's Verse: For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. ~1 Corinthians 15:25 1 Corinthians 15 is a powerful proclamation concerning the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Without the resurrection of Christ, our faith is in vain. It also magnifies our Lord as the only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. In no uncertain terms, Jesus is King and Lord over all. Paul emphatically declares that “he must reign.” Jesus is undefeated in His

Today's Verse: The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion. ~Proverbs 28:1 What comes to your mind when you think of a lion? Lions have been labeled the king of the jungle. They are considered fierce, strong, and relentless. They are fearless and tactical hunters. They instill fear into the hearts of their prey. Peter describes a lion as a predator that walketh about, seeking whom it may devour. Solomon uses the boldness of a lion to describe t

Today's Verse: Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way. ~Psalm 119:37 One of the challenges of parenting babies and toddlers is keeping their attention focused. Little kids tend to be distracted easily. Learning to focus is part of child development and training. In some cases, children who have difficulty focusing are said to have attention deficit disorder. In a spiritual sense, some Christians find themselves pulled in different direction

Today's Verse: The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger. ~Job 17:9 Every mother is good at telling her children “go, wash your hands” before touching their faces and before eating a meal. Our hands come into contact with a lot of germs that can spread very easily. Clean hands are an essential part of good hygiene and good health. Clean hands are also a beautiful picture of the importance of serving God with purity

Today's Verse: By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. ~Hebrews 7:22 The Bible uses some words that have financial and legal meaning. The word imputation is a financial word that means to put a debt on the account of another person. Our sin debt was placed on Jesus. The word justification means God looks at us just as if we never sinned. In a legal sense that meaning is similar to the word expunge. Expunge means to clear the criminal record of someone so th

Today's Verse: Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. ~John 12:3 Have you ever gone to someone’s home, and as soon as you approached the front door, you smelled the delicious aroma of food being prepared? There is something very appealing to our senses when we smell the aroma of food being cooked. The same can be said about the wo

Today's Verse: By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, ~Hebrews 11:17 How much do you trust God? Do you have enough faith to trust God about everything in your life? Do you have enough faith to believe that God will take care of you? This morning we are considering “faith under fire.” We see the reason. “By faith Abraham, when he was tried...” God uses trials to determine our spiritua

Today's Verse: And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. ~Genesis 22:1 I remember very vividly in grade school the class roll call. The teacher would stand up at the beginning of class, after recess, and after lunch and call out the names of the students. We were expected to respond with “here” to indicate we were present. If there was no answer, we were marked off as being absent. In the

Today's Verse: And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. ~Acts 18:24 The city of Alexandria was the citadel of higher learning and a place that thrived on philosophies, occultism, and godlessness. Corrupted manuscripts of Scripture came out of Alexandria and gave way to a corrupted translation that would later be rejected. As a believer, you would have to be discerning and careful about what came out

Today's Verse: And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. ~Acts 18:5 A pressure point is defined as a point on the surface of the body that is sensitive to pressure. Traditional Chinese medicine teaches that applying pressure to specific areas of the body can help relieve tension and stress. In our devotion this morning, we read about how the Apostle Paul was pressed in the spirit. Y

Today's Verse: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. ~Genesis 5:24 Enoch’s name means “dedicated.” To be dedicated means to be wholly committed and devoted to someone or something. It implies being wholly controlled and owned by the possessor. However, Enoch’s life did not change until he experienced the birth of his first son, Methuselah, at age 65. His life took on a new and higher priority. For the remaining 300 years of his life on earth, we are to

Today's Verse: Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. ~Judges 6:24 “Shalom” is the Hebrew word for “peace.” Jewish people greet one another with the expression “shalom.” Most people desire peace. They want to be at peace with other people. They want peace in their sleep. They want peace instead of worry. They want peace and safety in their neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and the wor

Today's Verse: The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? ~Psalm 118:6 Who do you go to if you need help? Little children go to their parents. Little brothers or sisters go to their big brothers and sisters. Members of a congregation go to their pastors. Wives go to their husbands. The psalmist made a monumental proclamation. He said, “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear; what can man do unto me?” Let’s see what he meant by that emphatic statement.

Today's Verse: Arise, Barak, and lead….. ~Judges 5:12b The Bible contains the historical account of insignificant and weak people whom God used to do great things. Someone said, “The men who conquered the world were men the world could not conquer.” One of these seemingly insignificant men was Barak. Barak is presented to us as a man of faith. “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae....” (Hebrews