Today's Verse: And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: ~Genesis 4:4   A martyr is someone who dies for what he believes in. He is willing to suffer pain and punishment instead of renouncing what he believes and holds dear. Abel is the first martyr in Scripture. He is someone who gave his life for what he held dear. The amazing thing is that his death came at the hands of his own b

Today's Verse: Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.  ~1 Corinthians 15:34 Have you ever fallen asleep on public transportation and then awakened to the fact that you missed the stop where you were supposed to get off? Falling asleep at the wrong place and time can be embarrassing. Paul gives a stern admonition to us about falling asleep spiritually when we need to be awake.    We see the alarm.  “Awake to rig

Today's Verse: And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. ~2 Kings 2:6   The success of a relay race lies in the passing of the baton. The four racers for a team are strategically placed in their respective order to maximize speed and have the competitive edge. The one component of the race that is the difference between winning a

Today's Verse: He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; ~Deuteronomy 32:13   Our devotion this morning speaks of the nation of Israel riding on high places. We have adapted the phrase “riding high” from this. It is a way of saying someone is enjoying the crest of success, feeling a sense of confidence and happiness, and savoring the fact that h

Today's Verse: They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation. ~Deuteronomy 32:5   Do you have a birthmark? This is typically a blemish you are born with that stays with you for your entire life. It is an identifier for an individual. For parents who have identical twins or triplets, a birthmark helps them tell the children apart. In our passage this morning, God speaks of people who were spotted or had b

Today's Verse: And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. ~Genesis 3:9-10   The USA has been the home to many “rags to riches” stories. Sam Walton was one of them. During the years of the Great Depression, Sam milked cows and sold newspapers to help support his family. After graduating from college with a B.A. in Economics, he used $5,000 from the

Today's Verse: But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. ~Matthew 6:6   Are you good at keeping secrets? A secret is privileged information that is to be kept between two parties: the one who shares the secret and the one receiving the secret. Jesus gives us an important dynamic about prayer that is perhaps overlooked by most Christ

Today's Verse: Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High . ~Psalm 56:2   David was way over his head in problems. Psalm 56 was written during the Absalom Rebellion. Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel and took over the nation. David and his most loyal men escaped to avoid a conflict. David was in fear and was hurt that Ahithophel, his counselor, joined ranks with Absalom. He was hurt when Shimei came forth to cu

Today's Verse: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. ~Matthew 5:39  The Apostle Paul describes the age we live in as “perilous times.” This description conveys the idea of dangers and perils along the way. Most men I know try to be cautious and aware of their circumstances because of unexpected dangers. However, what do you do when you have been offended by another person? Most people I know

Today's Verse: Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. ~Isaiah 52:2   It is amazing how dusty things around the house can get if we do not regularly vacuum, sweep, and dust. Books that we have placed on the bookshelf can collect dust. I have had more than one occasion of carrying books I’ve taken from off of the bookshelf that have made my clothes very dusty. Well, when you get dust o

Today's Verse: Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. ~Acts 1:11   Years ago, I took a missions trip to an upper interior area of China. This area was once a part of the rule of Genghis Khan, the Mongolian conqueror. My team and I met at a house church there that was very friendly and inquisitive of us. After 3-4 days of pr

Today's Verse: The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing . ~Zephaniah 3:17  Zephaniah 3:14-20 is prophetic. It speaks of the glory that Israel would have when she returned to the land after years of captivity. It is also prophetic concerning God’s blessing on Israel during the millennium. Prophecies were given to foretell the future and to be a message of hope

Today's Verse: He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ~Isaiah 53:3   When we think of our Lord Jesus, we think of so many wonderful ascriptions given to Him. He is the Light of the World, the Bread of Life, the Water of Life, the Good Shepherd, the Prince of Peace, the Savior, and of course, God. In our devotion this morning, we pause to examine a desc

Today's Verse: And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with him. ~2 Chronicles 23:1   When it comes to sharing information, it’s important to be “in the know.” This means you are privy to insider information about something that is beneficial to you. Jehoiada

Today's Verse: And he set the porters at the gates of the house of the LORD, that none which was unclean in any thing should enter in. ~2 Chronicles 23:19   Back in the 1990s, healthcare costs were spiraling out of control. It was not unusual for employers to see their costs for health insurance increase by 30% or more for several years. The insurance industry developed health maintenance organization products that would curb the increase in costs by requiring primary care ph

Today's Verse: And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith. ~Judges 15:15   When I was a kid, I remember a new candy that came out called a “jawbreaker.” It was a super hard candy that was meant to be sucked on and not chewed or broken with your teeth. The idea was that if you tried to break it down with your teeth, you would wind up breaking your teeth or jaw instead. It was a candy that was meant to last the u

Today's Verse: Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry. ~2 Timothy 4:11   Who is the best Christian you know? Who do you look up to who lives out his life as a hands-down supreme model of a Christian? This morning, we are examining the testimony of a man named Luke. He wrote a gospel that bears his name and the book of Acts. Little is said about him, but what we are given about him inspires us to follow his shining

Today's Verse: Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. ~Matthew 4:1   In football, a tackle is the act of taking down the one in possession of the ball. When he is tackled, he is prevented from going any further with the ball. The one making the tackle has demonstrated superiority in stopping the ball from entering the end zone and preventing a score. In essence, it is the takedown of your opponent. This morning, let us see the take

Today's Verse: But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing. ~Deuteronomy 24:18   Several years ago, after a Wednesday evening service, I had the privilege of helping a young, career-age man and woman receive assurance of their salvation. They were both so happy about how wonderful it is to know they are saved and eternally secure. I told them it is important that they start the

Today's Verse: Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow. ~Isaiah 50:10-11   Have you ever awakened from a sound sleep in the