Today's Verse: The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head. ~Proverbs 20:29 Solomon made many wise summations when the Holy Spirit moved him to write the book of Proverbs. Proverbs helps us to understand the right pursuits in life, how to be the right person, how to make right decisions, and how to develop the right people skills. God allowed Solomon to listen to and gain counsel from every facet of human experience. Our devotion this

Today's Verse: And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have. ~1 Kings 20:4 The king of Syria, Benhadad, led his forces to besiege Samaria and war against it. Ahab, the king of Israel was intimidated and filled with fear. Benhadad told Ahab, “Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.” Benhadad boldly told Ahab “I’m taking what is yours and making it min

Today's Verse: I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; ~1 Corinthians 1:4-5 Corinth was a large and thriving city during the first century. It was a city where idolatrous practices and sin abounded. God placed this city on Paul’s heart to plant a church there. God worked mightily through Paul’s ministry — many were saved and baptized, an

Today's Verse: Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city.... ~Isaiah 52:1a When I am at home, I like to change into clothing that is comfortable for work, exercise, or relaxing around the house. However, when Sunday comes, I like to wear my “Sunday best.” This includes a pressed white shirt, a pressed dark suit, a necktie, and black-shined shoes. I think this would qualify as what is referred to as “beautiful garment

Today's Verse: Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: ~2 Corinthians 3:2 How good are you at reading someone’s body language? In sports, players are required to have a trained eye at being able to read plays and anticipate what the opponent might do. In business or interviews, the ability to read someone’s body language reveals what they really are conveying as their message. Are they truthful or telling a lie? Do they want advice or affirmatio

Today's Verse: And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. ~John 19:38 The Bible records for us three Joseph's. There is Joseph, who was the son of Jacob and who rose to prominence as the man who helped to save Egypt from a seven-year famine. There is Joseph, who was the husband of Mary and

Today's Verse: And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only: ~Joshua 17:17 As Christians, we know the importance of being content. Contentment is when we are satisfied with everything in our life, good or bad, and give God the glory for what He has entrusted to us. However, there are times when we should be stirred in our hearts and in our determination to d

Today's Verse: So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. ~1 Kings 19:19 Among the many topics the Bible addresses, one of the important ones is leadership succession. Leadership succession is when the leader of a ministry carefully selects and develops his eventual replacement. Leadership succession is critical for making sur

Today's Verse: Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour. ~Ecclesiastes 10:1 Flies! I do not like flies. They have to be among the most annoying pests. Living flies are bad. Dead flies are just as bad. Back in Solomon’s day, a container of special ointment was very precious. People would leave the containers open to allow the sweet-smelling aroma to fill the air in t

Today's Verse: A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. ~Proverbs 18:24 “Crazy Glue” is the brand name of an adhesive substance that bonds things together very well. I have used Crazy Glue to bond broken items. Its very name speaks of how well it bonds the most difficult things together. Our devotion this morning speaks to us about relationships that are to be like “Crazy Glue.” We see the camaraderie.

Today's Verse: Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. ~Acts 14:20 Roy Riegels played for the University of California, Berkeley's football team from 1927–1929. Cal played against Georgia Tech in the New Year’s Day Rose Bowl. Roy is remembered as the player who picked up a fumble but unknowingly ran the ball back to his team’s goal line. The Cal quarterback, Benny Lom, chased h

Today's Verse: Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: ~John 11:25 The word "Easter" is found once in the Bible, and it is the word “paschal,” from which we get "Passover." Easter refers to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” In this one sentence, Jesus powerfully

Today's Verse: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; ~Philippians 3:10 If you ever see a police chase after a speeding vehicle or a criminal trying to run from being arrested, the police are said to be in hot pursuit of the perpetrator. To be in hot pursuit means to give all of your attention and focus on that one thing. In his epistles, Paul has given us great explanation of the

Today's Verse: Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: ~John 11:25 The entertainment industry has mesmerized America with the concept of dead people coming back to life as zombies that terrorize communities. It is an accepted fact that once all life activity in a person ceases, that person is dead. When there is a death, it is accepted that the deceased is gone from this life. When Lazarus di

Today's Verse: Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? ~Matthew 18:21 Conflict resolution is when two parties who have a conflicting and divided opinion about something seek out a third party to assist them with a resolution. Conflicts can result in very bitter and harsh resentments. The one offended refuses to come to terms with the offender until the offender has taken the first step to apologiz

Today's Verse: These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. ~1 John 5:13 The greatest fear of some believers, who are not well grounded in God’s Word, is the matter of their eternal security. Every now and then, someone will confide in me that they struggle with whether they are really saved. This morning, we are considering the important ma

Today's Verse: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. ~Romans 8:15 One of the blessed privileges of salvation is our spiritual adoption into God’s family. Spiritual adoption brings us into immediate and close fellowship with God as our heavenly Father. It gives us all of the same privileges as being a direct descendant. It is enjoying God as our Father Who is in Heaven. Ther

Today's Verse: For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ~Romans 8:6 Every believer has two natures. There is the old man, which represents our carnal, sinful nature. This nature lives to please its appetite and fleshly desires. The other nature is the new man in Christ, which is the Spirit life. The first is known as the carnal man. The second is known as the spiritual man. Paul describes the carnal mind, which only thinks about th

Today's Verse: And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. ~2 Samuel 9:7 It is very special to sit at the table with dignity. It is very humbling when someone of great prominence and importance invites me to sit at his table with him. His table is preeminent of all the tables in the room. Everyone watches the he

Today's Verse: For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: ~1 Peter 2:21 Has anyone ever said to you, “That’s a step in the right direction”? It’s a way of saying that you are headed on the right path, that you are making progress, and that you are going forward and not backwards. Our sinful nature tends to reject and go against what is right. When we decide to follow the Lord Jesus in every