Today's Verse: The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. ~Habakkuk 3:19 When buying cold and pain relief medicine, the label description of “maximum strength” implies greatness of potency and something that will more than get the job done. Habakkuk made a discovery about maximum strength that changed how he lived. We see the vital connection. “T

Today's Verse: If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. ~Colossians 3:1 The Scottish preacher John McNeill liked to tell about an eagle that had been captured when it was quite young. The farmer who snared the bird put a restraint on it so that it could not fly, and then he turned it loose to roam in the barnyard. It was not long until the eagle began to act like the chickens, scratching and pecking at

Today's Verse: The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion. ~Proverbs 28:1 What comes to your mind when you think of a lion? Lions have been labeled the king of the jungle. They are considered fierce, strong, and relentless. They are fearless and tactical hunters. They instill fear into the hearts of their prey. Peter describes a lion as a predator that walketh about, seeking whom it may devour. Solomon uses the boldness of a lion to describe t

Today's Verse: Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way. ~Psalm 119:37 One of the challenges of parenting babies and toddlers is keeping their attention focused. Little kids tend to be distracted easily. Learning to focus is part of child development and training. In some cases, children who have difficulty focusing are said to have attention deficit disorder. In a spiritual sense, some Christians find themselves pulled in different direction

Today's Verse: The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger. ~Job 17:9 Every mother is good at telling her children “go, wash your hands” before touching their faces and before eating a meal. Our hands come into contact with a lot of germs that can spread very easily. Clean hands are an essential part of good hygiene and good health. Clean hands are also a beautiful picture of the importance of serving God with purity

Today's Verse: And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. ~Genesis 22:1 I remember very vividly in grade school the class roll call. The teacher would stand up at the beginning of class, after recess, and after lunch and call out the names of the students. We were expected to respond with “here” to indicate we were present. If there was no answer, we were marked off as being absent. In the

Today's Verse: And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. ~Acts 18:24 The city of Alexandria was the citadel of higher learning and a place that thrived on philosophies, occultism, and godlessness. Corrupted manuscripts of Scripture came out of Alexandria and gave way to a corrupted translation that would later be rejected. As a believer, you would have to be discerning and careful about what came out

Today's Verse: And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. ~Acts 18:5 A pressure point is defined as a point on the surface of the body that is sensitive to pressure. Traditional Chinese medicine teaches that applying pressure to specific areas of the body can help relieve tension and stress. In our devotion this morning, we read about how the Apostle Paul was pressed in the spirit. Y

Today's Verse: Arise, Barak, and lead….. ~Judges 5:12b The Bible contains the historical account of insignificant and weak people whom God used to do great things. Someone said, “The men who conquered the world were men the world could not conquer.” One of these seemingly insignificant men was Barak. Barak is presented to us as a man of faith. “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae....” (Hebrews

Today's Verse: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. ~2 Timothy 3:17 When I go on vacation, we enjoy using our timeshare which gives us the opportunity to live in a unit that is “fully furnished.” It has comfortable furniture for relaxation, sleeping, and dining. It has all of the kitchen equipment for cooking. Being fully furnished provides us with all the amenities we need to have an enjoyable time away. Paul uses the term “throughly

Today's Verse: And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. ~Acts 16:25-26 Breakout is a term that is used in many descriptive ways. It is used to describe something unexpected that occurs like the breakout of a rash. In the stock market, it describes a st

Today's Verse: And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. ~Acts 16:14 Lydia is one of many special women whom God used in a great way. Her name means “travail,” which implies hardship and difficulty. She was a successful businesswoman from Thyatira. She thrived in the mercantile business selling purple garments. However,

Today's Verse: And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. ~2 Kings 2:12 Are you a person with focus? Do you find yourself getting easily distracted? It is a term that is used to describe a focused person is “eagle eye.” When we say, “He has an eagle eye,” we mean that a person has a keen focus on his objective and will not bec

Today's Verse: Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. ~Galatians 6:2 Do you do weightlifting? Weightlifting is when you use weights to build and strengthen your muscles. This type of exercise is very helpful in preventing muscle atrophy and strengthening your bones. As a sport, competitors seek to lift massive amounts of weight to demonstrate power and strength. Everyone should do some form of weightlifting for good health. This morning, we want to c

Today's Verse: Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. ~Romans 13:1 One of our key Baptist tenets is the separation of church and state. By this, the state is not to control the affairs of the church, and the church is not to unduly influence the state for unbiblical reasons. However, Christians are obligated to obey the laws of the land as good citizens. God refers to government as “the high

Today's Verse: As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle; ~Job 29:4 A secret is something that is hidden from the view and understanding of others. It is a hidden answer, fact, idea, or solution. We sometimes refer to a secret pathway to a destination as a path that only a few know about. We sometimes refer to secret plans as plans that are hidden from other people. Job referred to the secret of God. By this, he was speaking of the privi

Today's Verse: And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; ~1 Thessalonians 4:11 High school is a daunting time for students. Their lives revolve around getting excellent grades, taking as many advanced classes as possible, being involved in sports and community service and being top-notch achievers. Top achievers know that they have to manage their time very well, stay focused, and go the extra mile when

Today's Verse: Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. ~Philippians 2:12 One of the favorite phrases of our generation is said when someone has finished an exercise regimen. He will say after he completes this regimen, “I just had a good workout.” It implies that he did a number of exercises that worked various muscles in his body and put his heart to wo

Today's Verse: For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. ~Romans 12:3 Our devotion this morning is what I call "food for thought." It is about a necessary characteristic of spiritual living that needs to be active in us all the time. Paul admonishes believers to think soberly. Let us see this mornin

Today's Verse: Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. ~Psalm 103:5 Eagles are considered the most majestic of bird species. They are a wonderful spectacle to behold in the sky. They are considered masters of both sky and land. Eagles are mentioned 34 times in Scripture. Psalm 103 is a psalm of praise. David was praising the Lord with all his soul for God’s mercies, forgiveness, and care. In Psalm 103:5, he says that God’s ca