Today's Verse: They have spread a net by the wayside; ~Psalm 140:5b The word wayside describes the side of a road. It is not the beaten path that is commonly traveled. In driving this could be considered the shoulder of the road where cars pull off after a mechanical failure, accident, or for a road violation. To every day travelers, the wayside had the idea of a location that was not preferred or prominent. It is farm land to the side that was not broken up and ready for so

Today's Verse: In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble. ~Proverbs 15:6 New housing developments will have model homes for potential buyers to survey and walk through. Model homes are designed to have the most up-to-date appliances, colors, furniture, and other amenities to appeal to a buyer's taste. Some people enjoy walking through model homes to get ideas for the current home they are living in. Everything about a model

Today's Verse: Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. ~Numbers 25:11 This morning, our attention and focus is on the son of Eleazar and the grandson of Aaron. His name is Phinehas. His name means “the face of trust.” He is noteworthy for being righteous and doing the right thing at the right time.

Today's Verse: But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel. ~Philippians 2:22 Yesterday we looked at John Mark and his mentoring by Peter. This morning we are looking at Paul and his mentoring of Timothy. The principle of spiritual mentoring is given to us in 2 Timothy 2:2, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

Today's Verse: The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son. ~1 Peter 5:13 When we introduce or refer to family members, we typically refer to their relationship to us with descriptions as “my wife,” “my husband,” “my daughter,” or “my son.” Peter referred to a special relationship that he had with a young man he took under his wings. John Mark, or Marcus, is referred to as Peter’s spiritual son in the faith. We se

Today's Verse: And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. ~Luke 1:20 Being tongue-tied is when you are speechless and do not have the words to say what you want, perhaps out of shyness or embarrassment. This morning, we are considering a man who was “tongue-tied” because he did not believe the word of the Lord and was unable to speak

Today's Verse: Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. ~Psalm 112:4 Integrity refers to the character, honesty, truthfulness, and virtue of a man. A man of integrity is non-compromising when it comes to his affairs and relationship with others. He is a trusted and respected individual. Another word that describes a man of integrity is upright. Ps. 112 is about the upright man. Upright means he is straight u

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 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: Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp? ~Genesis 31:27 Have you ever driven on a freeway and accidentally taken the wrong exit? If you have, you might have felt anxious and frustrated. Fortunately, in this day of advanced GPS technology, we can quickly get our bearings corrected and be back on our way to our desired destinati

Today's Verse: Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD. And the people did yet corruptly. ~2 Chronicles 27:1-2 A core principle about leaders and followers is that “people do what people see.” Dr. Lee

Today's Verse: There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. ~Proverbs 30:11 Sociologists have identified seven generational groups that are present in our society. There are the Traditionalists, who were born before 1945. There are the baby boomers, who represent everyone born between 1946 and 1964. There is Generation X, which includes those born between 1965 and 1976. There are the millennials, which include everyone born between 1977 a

Today's Verse: And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle. ~Acts 23:10 Do you sometimes feel like you have so many things competing for your attention or time that you almost feel like you are being pulled apart? If you have had this experience, it is a very uncomfortable and stressful feel

Today's Verse: They made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept. ~Song of Solomon 1:6b We live very busy lives! Living in the San Francisco Bay Area places many demands upon working adults. Working people need to make time for commuting, attending classes, taking their children to school and after-school events, household chores, cooking, cleaning, and outside volunteer activities. In addition, those of us who are actively serving the Lord in o

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: The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him. ~Proverbs 31:1 Today we honor mothers everywhere. We owe a debt of gratitude to Anna Jarvis for diligently encouraging her state legislature in West Virginia to recognize all mother’s one Sunday a year. This noble deed resulted in our Congress passing legislation that made Mother’s Day an official day of recognition on the second Sunday of every May. Today we acknowledge the lives and ministrie

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: Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. ~1 Peter 3:7 I recently read how UPS (United Parcel Service) handles an average of 20.1 million packages per day. This is substantially more than FedEx, which averages more than 16 million packages per day. A percentage of these shipped goods falls into a categ

Today's Verse: But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? ~Matthew 15:3 Do...