Today's Verse: Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. ~1 Kings 17:9   Have you ever been at the place in life where you had to “scrape the bottom of the barrel”? Have you ever been completely depleted in energy, emotion, patience, savings, or ability, and you couldn’t see how you were going to make it? It is during these moments that our faith in God and ability to trust in Him is

Today's Verse: Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad. ~Proverbs 12:25   Everyone gets discouraged. Whenever events in our life result in a setback, or we experience a serious challenge that leaves us feeling weak and vulnerable, we can find ourselves becoming discouraged. A heavy heart is when we are sad, lonely, defeated, and lacking a desire to go on. However, God in His infinite love for us brings us encouragement when we need it the

Today's Verse: Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. ~1 Kings 17:3   There is something tranquil and peaceful about resting at a brook, lake, or calm river. It captures our attention and helps us to get our minds and thoughts off the things that make us anxious and discouraged. This morning, we are at the Brook Cherith. It was there during a terrible drought that God sent Elijah. Let us see the education that com

Today's Verse: On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: ~Acts 10:9   Every Christian believes in the importance of prayer. We know that prayer is a vital part of our fellowship with God. Jesus taught, “that men ought always to pray and not to faint.” Paul taught that “men should pray everywhere lifting up holy hands.” Prayer is the means by which the hand of God is moved to work

Today's Verse: Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. ~Psalm 86:1-2   A man prayed this prayer one morning: “Dear Heavenly Father, So far, today, I've done all right. I haven't gossiped or lost my temper. I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, or self-centered. I'm really happy about that so far. But in a few minutes I'm going to be getting out of bed and then I'm goi

Today's Verse: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. ~Revelation 2:17   Some people are collectors of stones. They collect stones that are colorful. They collect stones that date back to a different era. In some cases, they use these stones as decoration piece

Today's Verse: And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. ~Acts 9:6   Have you ever been in a dark cavern or room where all you saw was pitch blackness? If you have, you know how eerie a feeling that is. You feel lost, blinded, unsure, and at a standstill. However, once you are able to see light again, you must act decisively. Saul (later Paul)

Today's Verse: Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images. ~Hosea 10:1   I enjoy eating grapes, especially the seedless black and red ones. Grapes are good for your health as they have rich anti-oxidants and fiber. The grape industry in the U.S. is very big. According to the National Agricultural Statistic Services in 202

Today's Verse: So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. ~Romans 1:15 Whenever a prosecutor prepares to take a criminal case to trial, he knows the importance of having witnesses who are credible and compelling. A compelling witness convincingly persuades the jury that what he saw and heard was real and unmistakable. When we apply this analogy to the witness of a Christian, we must ask ourselves, “Is my witness for Christ compellin

Today's Verse: Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. ~John 21:12   It is a blessing and privilege when someone invites you to their home for a meal or a banquet celebration. The hosts go to great lengths in effort and expense to make this event something special and enjoyable. In our Western tradition of making invitations, the invited guest is asked to respond with an RSVP. This helps the ho

Today's Verse: And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword. ~Joshua 10:11   Hail is formed when the temperature of the upper air reaches a point that transforms rain or water particles into ice. Basically, water is turned into ice, and ice pe

Today's Verse: But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: ~ Malachi 3:2   Have you ever done a load of white laundry only to be disappointed that the white clothes did not come out as clean as you had anticipated? Perhaps you tried applying a stronger detergent or more bleach to get the effect you wanted. At His Second Coming, our Lord Jesus is described as a refiner’s fire and a ful

Today's Verse: He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. ~Matthew 10:39   Have you ever left an important personal article like clothing, sunglasses, or an electronic device at a store while shopping, on public transportation, or even at church and could not find it where you thought you left it? If you have, you have most likely gone to the “lost and found” hoping that someone honest had found it and turned it in. “Lost an

Today's Verse: Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? ~Daniel 3:14   How important is truth to you? Truth consists of absolute facts that are essential for our belief and behavior. What we believe determines how we behave. Truth is pure honesty. Truth is authenticity in the representation of facts. The opposite of truth is falsity and lies. This morning,

Today's Verse: By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. ~Hebrews 13:15   The idea of a sacrifice refers to something or someone being offered up without reservation. It conveys the idea of something being given up for a good purpose. When we study sacrifices in the Bible, we see that they are costly, consuming, and continuous. This morning, we are encouraged to make the sacrifice of pra

Today's Verse: And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: ~Genesis 9:20   In self-defense, a student is taught the importance of keeping his guard up. This means keeping one hand and arm at a certain level to quickly deflect or block a jab or punch that is aimed at the head. Keeping your guard up is also used to describe being careful and watchful when you are negotiating or dealing with someone who is not trustworthy. We also see how this applies to us wh

Today's Verse: And they put him in ward, that the mind of the LORD might be shewed them. ~Leviticus 24:12   It is always wise to know exactly what you are supposed to do and to do it right. It can be discouraging and devastating to execute a project and find out that you did it wrong. This means you might have to redo the entire project. It also means you might have jeopardized other people by doing something you did not completely think through. In our devotion this morning,

Today's Verse: For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth. ~Psalm 71:5   Most of us deposit money into a bank without much fear of loss. Banks insure our money up to a certain amount through the FDIC. There is an implied trust we have in the banking institution that the money we have deposited is safe and secure. Many people keep their money with a mainline bank for most of their lifetime because they feel a sense of reliability in the size, strength, a

Today's Verse: But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. ~Psalm 22:6   Dictionary.com gives the following definition of worms: "any of numerous small creeping animals with more or less slender, elongated bodies, and without limbs or with very short ones, including individuals of widely differing kinds, as earthworms, tapeworms, insect larvae, and adult forms of some insects." Worms are often regarded as a low and insignificant form of life.

Today's Verse: For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. ~Isaiah 66:12   There is something special about observing bodies of water. For instance, standing at the shoreline of an ocean and watching its waves inspires me to think about the power of God. Ocean waves can be very powerful and instill a sense of a