Today's Verse: The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. ~Isaiah 50:4 Do the people in your life consider you an encourager? Solomon said that “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” So much speech today is put-downs of another person. What we say, when we say it, and how we say it can either build up or cau

Today's Verse: But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; ~2 Timothy 3:14 What’s the secret to finishing the Christian life victoriously? The Apostle Paul was in the Mamertine prison and counting down the days before he would be executed for being a preacher of the gospel. He was concerned for the spiritual welfare of a young pastor named Timothy. As Paul closed out his final letter to Timothy, H

Today's Verse: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. ~Galatians 2:20 As we begin a New Year, I am thankful to be alive. I am thankful for my salvation, the prospect of Heaven, good health, a good appetite, the blessing of being married, my children, my granddaughters, my church, and the privilege to serve the

Today's Verse: Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, ~Hebrews 6:1 Happy New Year! Believe it or not, today marks the beginning of a new year. It is at the start of a new year when all of us think about and make plans for an improved and more successful year than the one we just completed. Let us see some key principles that are essentia

Today's Verse: And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. ~Luke 9:62 A little boy heard a Sunday school lesson about Lot’s wife and how she looked back as she was following Lot out of Sodom and, as a result, was turned into a pillar of salt. The teacher asked if anyone had any questions, and the little boy raised his hand. He said, “My mother once looked back when she was driving and turned into a lig

Today's Verse: And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz. ~Ruth 2:19 One of the favorite questions that family members and close friends ask each other at the end of a day is, “What did you do today?” In the agricultural business, harvest time is a busy tim

Today's Verse: And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. ~Luke 2:7 Have you ever arrived at a special event only to find out that there was no space for you to sit at the table? I can remember many times being invited as a guest to a dinner event or speaking at a conference, but somehow the host did not have a spot for me to sit! Once they figured this out, the host

Today's Verse: For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. ~1 Corinthians 3:9 A partnership is when two or more people affiliate together for a common cause or venture. It is a collaboration of assets, efforts, and skills for the purpose of making a profit or completing an important accomplishment. In business, many partnerships are not successful after a few years due to the lack of pre-established agreement on rules of operation.

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