Today's Verse: Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven, ~Deuteronomy 9:1   The book of Deuteronomy consists of the last sermons and words of Moses to Israel. Moses is in the final year of his life. God told him that he would not enter into the Promised Land. So, Moses was preparing them for this great endeavor. As we read Deuteronomy 9:1, God was telling Israel t

Today's Verse: …Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. ~Ezra 10:2b   Hope! This one word is the thread by which people hang from day to day. It is the anticipation that there is light at the end of the tunnel. It is the assurance that the sun will come up in the morning. It is the belief that a loved one will be seen again. As one person has said, “Hope springs eternal.” The people of Judah had grievously sinned against God and were weeping and confessing thei

Today's Verse: But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.  ~Ezekiel 44:14 As children mature, parents will often put the oldest child in charge of the house. This means the oldest child takes responsibility for conduct and order in the household until mom and dad return home. This morning, we are considering the important responsibilities that God vested in the Levites for the house of God and

Today's Verse: And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. ~Acts 27:20   A few years ago, I watched a documentary on the Weather Channel about a cruise ship called the Oceanos and its ill-fated sinking during a storm off the eastern coast of South Africa. Amazingly, no one lost his life, and all 571 passengers were rescued. There were many tense moments before the ship sank when th

Today's Verse: And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome. ~Acts 23:11   What do you do when you’ve been rejected, scorned, and written off as a loser and enemy? This morning, let us see how Paul was encouraged and helped by our Lord when he was at one of the lowest points in his life. Let us see how the Lord is always there for us.    We see the scornfu

Today's Verse: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) ~2 Peter 2:8   Have you ever played tug of war? In this exercise, two groups of people hold opposite ends of a rope. The side that pulls the hardest is the one that wins. The side that loses is generally the side that yields. In our devotion this morning, we see a tug of war that involved a man named Lot.    We see Lot and his

Today's Verse: Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. ~Isaiah 35:6   Death Valley is said to be the largest national park outside of Alaska, covering 3.3 million acres of land. It is primarily a desert location with extreme conditions and weather. Death Valley is the hottest and driest place in America, with summer temperatures peaking above 120 °F and average rainfall

Today's Verse: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;  ~John 2:15 “Turning the tables” is an idiom that means a correction, reversal, or change in plans has occurred. It refers to a situation where the opposite of what was expected to happen occurs. This morning, we see an incident where Jesus literally turned the tables on those who were usi

Today's Verse: Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. ~2 Timothy 4:17   Would you put your head in the mouth of a lion? Lion experts say that a lion’s mouth is 28 centimeters or almost one foot in size when fully extended: that is big! Paul uses the term “the mouth of the lion” to describe the trial or affliction he had w

Today's Verse: I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD: ~Psalm 26:6   There was a time many years ago when doctors were concerned about the high mortality rate of babies who died shortly after birth due to infections. They learned that these deaths could have been avoided by simply washing their hands before touching a patient. Today, it is a standard practice for doctors and medical professionals to wash their hands with bacterial soap unde

Today's Verse: God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me. ~Job 27:5   Integrity refers to the honesty, uprightness, purity, and sincerity of a man. We have confidence in a man of integrity. We have faith in following the leadership of a man who has integrity.   Integrity must be honed and developed through conviction, good example, and decisions. Job said,  “Till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.”  Job was saying, 

Today's Verse: And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. ~Matthew 26:40-41   What time of the day do you consider your energy and strength levels to be your best? For me, it is the early morning hours after I have had a good night’s rest. I try to do my most vigorous physical exercises during

Today's Verse: Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. ~Isaiah 42:1   In tennis, a serve is when a player hits the tennis ball towards his opponent. It is a term that indicates that it is your opportunity to show your opponent what you are capable of doing. The player serving the tennis ball wants to put as much power and spin on it as possible to force his opponent

Today's Verse: Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? ~Luke 14:34   If you are like me, you like to eat food that is well seasoned. One of my preacher friends tends to pour a considerable amount of salt on his food. The food could be very balanced, in my opinion, in salt and flavor content, but he will still add more salt to enhance the flavor. His motto at every meal is, “More salt, please.” This morning, there is a cry for “more

Today's Verse: Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. ~Matthew 26:13   Have you thought about what kind of legacy you will leave behind? What do you suppose will be the greatest achievement of your life that will continue to be an inspiration and a blessing to people long after you leave this life? This morning, we are considering the legacy of a love

Today's Verse: Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. ~Philippians 2:2 We live in a world of differences. When two parties are discussing business points before they sign off, they must come to a meeting of the minds. No two people can go forward on an important matter unless there is a meeting of the minds. In Philippians 2, we see Paul placing a strong emphasis on the virtue of being likeminded.    We see the command

Today's Verse: And the watchman saw another man running: and the watchman called unto the porter, and said, Behold another man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth tidings. And the watchman said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings. ~2 Samuel 18:26-27   Running is a popular activity and exercise for many people. One man said that “running is the

Today's Verse: Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. ~Genesis 42:1-2   Our devotion this morning takes us to a famine in Egypt and the surrounding areas. A famine is when there is a scarcity of food. Famines result in food shortages, hunger, loss of jobs, large-scal

Today's Verse: And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: ~Acts 20:22   In the area of executive compensation, profitable corporations look for ways to keep their best executives from leaving. One tactic that is used is called “golden handcuffs.” This is a compensation package that promises to pay out an exorbitant amount of money to the executive as long as he contractually agrees to stay with the company and

Today's Verses:  And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil. Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. ~Deuteronomy 33:24-25   One of our current health trends is the benefit of essential oils. From soothing sore muscles and relieving chronic pain to promoting restful sleep and overall health improvement, essence oils are recognized as a natural means of s