Today's Verse: Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise. ~Nehemiah 5:13 Dictionary.com defines integrity as our adherence to moral and ethical principles. It refers to the soundness of our moral character. Another way of looking at it is, are you

Today's Verse: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. ~Jeremiah 1:5 When I was in second grade, I remember a discussion my father had with me while he was driving me to elementary school. He embedded in my mind the importance of knowing what career path I should take for my life. From that point on, he encouraged me to think about where I saw myself as a wo

Today's Verse: And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. ~Genesis 34:30 Years ago, I purchased a clip-on air freshener for my car, thinking it would add a pleasant fragrance to the interior. However, the extremely hot temperatures combine

Today's Verse: For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; ~Titus 1:7 A leader is someone who has been entrusted with the responsibility of directing, guiding, and influencing other people in an organization or mission. A spiritual leader must be godly, trustworthy, and transparent. He is someone who carries a large burden on his shoulder in his leadership capacity. Let us se

Today's Verse: …They hear thy words, but they will not do them…~Ezekiel 33:31 One of the greatest tests of character is our obedience. Obedience is doing what you have been told to do. It is doing what you have been told to do immediately after you have received the instructions and doing it exactly as described. God raised up Ezekiel as His prophet during the time Judah was under Babylonian captivity. God told Ezekiel, “They hear what I told you to tell them, but they are n

Today's Verse: The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come. ~Isaiah 21:12 My favorite time of the day is the morning. There is something about waking up after a good night’s sleep, breathing in the morning air, reading my Bible, and praying that is invigorating. When I go on vacation, I purpose to wake up before the sunrise and then watch as the sun starts to come up. Isaiah told the men of Edom, “The morning cometh

Today's Verse: And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. ~Matthew 17:8 Many years ago, when I was in 4th grade, I spent a summer at the home of one of my cousins. I had a great time with them. When the day came for them to drive me back to being with my family, I felt a sense of sadness. However, that did not last long! I soon remembered how good it was to be back home with my parents. This morning, we see where three of the apostles had an un

Today's Verse: So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work. ~Nehemiah 4:6 Determination is the sheer drive, tenacity, and willpower to accomplish a deed or task. It is when a person says, “I will get it done.” Determination is when you put your mind to the task and get it done. This morning, let us see how determination is a key factor in getting great things done. We see the conviction. In spite of

Today's Verse: Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. ~Psalm 147:1 Psalm 147 is a psalm that calls all of us to praise the Lord. Praise is a response to God’s goodness: we are to speak with praises, but we are to also sing with praises. Then, he says that praise is pleasant and comely. The word “comely” means “beautiful.” The question we must ask is, “Is my praise comely?” Let us see what comely praise is.

Today's Verse: And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; ~Luke 2:36 One of the marvels about the grace of God is that it is God’s strength made perfect in weakness. As we get older, the reality is that we start to slow down and our health starts to decline. We have less energy and become weaker. As many people age, they use their slowing-down and w

Today's Verse: I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: ~Revelation 2:2 Revelation 2:1-7 is the record of a letter that the Lord had the Apostle John write to the church at Ephesus. God loves His churches, and He wants every local church and its members to have a long-term and deeply rooted impact where it is planted. The L

Today's Verse: By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. ~Hebrews 11:29 According to Wikipedia, the Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. It borders six countries. This salty sea is just over 190 miles across at its widest point and about 1,200 miles in length. There's a measured maximum depth of 8,200 feet and an estimated average depth of 1,640 feet. Needless to say, i

Today's Verse: Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: ~Proverbs 6:6 When someone is served a notice, it is a formal announcement of great importance that requires his attention. Typically, a notice is served formally with a specified period of time to respond. This morning, we see a notice that God serves upon the sluggard. We see the nature of the sluggard. “Thou sluggard....” Sluggard is someone who is careless, complacent, indifferent, lazy, pro

Today's Verse: And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. ~Luke 1:17 A man of the hour is a man who has a special purpose and function. He is unique, influential, and one-of-a-kind. John the Baptist was God’s man for the hour. The prophets Isaiah and Malachi foretold of John and the unique ministry God had for him.

Today's Verse: For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. ~Proverbs 4:2 Proverbs 4 is the instruction of a father to his son. I believe it is a good pattern for parents to follow for the training and instruction of their children. As parents, we must have the conviction that we never cease from being teachers of good things to our children, grandchildren, and future descendants. A father’s instruction is classified as good doctrine. Doctrine is what we believe and

Today's Verse: Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, ~Jude 1:24 One of the most difficult experiences for us to go through in life is failure. Failure is when we do not meet an expectation, do not make the cut, do not meet the minimum requirements, or we just mess up. Failure can be demoralizing and lead to countless insecurities. Failure in the Christian life is when we disappoin

Today's Verse: I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. ~3 John 1:9 Yesterday’s devotion was about a Christian who was well-loved. This morning’s devotion is about a Christian who is the complete opposite of what Gaius was. His name characterizes a believer who is dangerous to the health of the church. This morning, we are cautioned about what happens to a Christian who is not walking in the Spirit and who wind

Today's Verse: The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. ~3 John 1:1 The entire epistle of 3 John is written to a man whose name means “lord.” I get the sense that his parents gave him such a name because they envisioned him having strong influence among people as he matured and became a man. This man’s name is Gaius. In the opening verses, John makes some very favorable statements about Gaius that are an inspiration for our life this morning. We see

Today's Verse: Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. ~2 John 1:8 I am thankful for people who serve as an extra set of eyes for me. These are people who assist me in making sure we have left no stone unturned, covered all of our bases, and seen what I cannot see in my blind spots. The Apostle John was writing to “the elect lady and her children.” Some believe this was addressed to a lady and her children i

Today's Verse: And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defiled. ~Numbers 6:12 There have been times when I have spoken with men and women who have reached retirement age, and some of them have said, “I wish I could relive my life. I cannot make up for the days that were lost.” It is tough when we lose a sports com