Today's Verse: And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. ~James 2:23 Of the many wonderful things to describe a man's relationship to God, being called the Friend of God in Scripture ranks as one of them. This morning, we want to examine why Abraham stands out as a man who is called the Friend of God. There is the necessity. To not be a friend of God is to be at en

Today's Verse: Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. ~John 21:5 One of the hardest things for us to deal with is when God shows us we lack maturity in our decisions, judgment, and works. We don’t like being told we are immature. This morning, seven of Jesus' choicest men received a vital and timely lesson on what real maturity is all about when it comes to doing the work of the Lord. We see a dismal failure. “Simon Peter saith unt

Today's Verse: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; ~1 Corinthians 1:27 Our culture magnifies endurance ability, fitness, muscular prowess, and extraordinary strength. Many people dedicate segments of their day to endurance and weight training in order to achieve a level of fitness and strength that places them in the upper echelons of success in thi

Today's Verse: A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. ~James 1:8 Are you someone who has a hard time making decisions? Do you find yourself in turmoil because you have divided interests? James said that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. The idea of being double-minded means to be “two souled.” Let us see the importance of being able to make solid decisions and being concretely stable about our belief. There is the characteristic of a double-minde

Today's Verse: And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. ~Luke 1:19 Angels are God’s ministering spirits and flames of fire sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation. They encamp around about them that love the Lord. They escort the souls of the departed into the presence of God. They overshadow and protect God’s people. Archangels are of the highest rank

Today's Verse: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. ~Revelation 2:17 Geology is the study of rocks, ore, and rock formations. Students of geology are able to identify colored rocks and determine how they attained that color. Rock colors have significance in l

Today's Verse: For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; ~Titus 1:7 A leader is someone who has been entrusted with the responsibility of directing, guiding, and influencing other people in an organization or mission. A spiritual leader must be godly, trustworthy, and transparent. He is someone who carries a large burden on his shoulder in his leadership capacity. Let us se

Today's Verse: And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. ~Matthew 17:8 Many years ago, when I was in 4th grade, I spent a summer at the home of one of my cousins. I had a great time with them. When the day came for them to drive me back to being with my family, I felt a sense of sadness. However, that did not last long! I soon remembered how good it was to be back home with my parents. This morning, we see where three of the apostles had an un

Today's Verse: And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; ~Luke 2:36 One of the marvels about the grace of God is that it is God’s strength made perfect in weakness. As we get older, the reality is that we start to slow down and our health starts to decline. We have less energy and become weaker. As many people age, they use their slowing-down and w

Today's Verse: I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: ~Revelation 2:2 Revelation 2:1-7 is the record of a letter that the Lord had the Apostle John write to the church at Ephesus. God loves His churches, and He wants every local church and its members to have a long-term and deeply rooted impact where it is planted. The L

Today's Verse: By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. ~Hebrews 11:29 According to Wikipedia, the Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. It borders six countries. This salty sea is just over 190 miles across at its widest point and about 1,200 miles in length. There's a measured maximum depth of 8,200 feet and an estimated average depth of 1,640 feet. Needless to say, i

Today's Verse: And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. ~Luke 1:17 A man of the hour is a man who has a special purpose and function. He is unique, influential, and one-of-a-kind. John the Baptist was God’s man for the hour. The prophets Isaiah and Malachi foretold of John and the unique ministry God had for him.

Today's Verse: Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, ~Jude 1:24 One of the most difficult experiences for us to go through in life is failure. Failure is when we do not meet an expectation, do not make the cut, do not meet the minimum requirements, or we just mess up. Failure can be demoralizing and lead to countless insecurities. Failure in the Christian life is when we disappoin

Today's Verse: I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. ~3 John 1:9 Yesterday’s devotion was about a Christian who was well-loved. This morning’s devotion is about a Christian who is the complete opposite of what Gaius was. His name characterizes a believer who is dangerous to the health of the church. This morning, we are cautioned about what happens to a Christian who is not walking in the Spirit and who wind

Today's Verse: The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. ~3 John 1:1 The entire epistle of 3 John is written to a man whose name means “lord.” I get the sense that his parents gave him such a name because they envisioned him having strong influence among people as he matured and became a man. This man’s name is Gaius. In the opening verses, John makes some very favorable statements about Gaius that are an inspiration for our life this morning. We see

Today's Verse: Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. ~2 John 1:8 I am thankful for people who serve as an extra set of eyes for me. These are people who assist me in making sure we have left no stone unturned, covered all of our bases, and seen what I cannot see in my blind spots. The Apostle John was writing to “the elect lady and her children.” Some believe this was addressed to a lady and her children i

Today's Verse: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. ~2 Peter 1:4 A promise is an oath or a word of commitment for an action to be accomplished. I think of marriage vows where the groom and bride promise to be faithful and remain at each other’s side. The Bible is a book that contains the promises of God. Peter described them a

Today's Verse: And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ~2 Corinthians 12:9 The word “sufficient” means “adequate,” “enough,” and “a perfect fit.” The Greek word for “sufficient” is used fourteen times in the New Testament and is also translated as “contented.” God says, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” In an age

Today's Verse: And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. ~Mark 15:21 Weightlifting is a very good exercise for building endurance and muscle mass and for toning. It is helpful for your cardiovascular system as well. Athletes who are serious weightlifters can transform their bodies into muscular sensations. In effect, it changes a person outwardly and makes him look like a different man

Today's Verse: Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; ~Hebrews 1:3 A few years ago, one of my neighbors negotiated a very good deal to install solar panels on his house. He did a thorough comparison of vendors to arrive at his decision. We do comparisons to make sure we get the best value for our mo