Today's Verse: For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: ~Ephesians 3:1-2   Have you ever been stuck in really bad traffic? This can be very frustrating and draining on your energy. Have you ever been stuck in a problem that made you feel bound and shackled with little certainty of getting out? Paul was in prison bound to two Roman soldiers. He referred to himse

Today's Verse: But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. ~Psalm 92:10   Oil is a necessity of life. It is used for medicinal purposes. It is used to provide relief during the intense heat of the day. It is used for cooking. It was also used to indicate the approval of God upon a new king or a prophet of God. Oil is made by applying strong pressure to olives until all the oil has been extracted. Many olives must be crushed to

Today's Verse: And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. ~1 Kings 18:30   When you are in major trouble, you are relieved to get out of it. We refer to this as "getting out of a fix." The word "fix" also has the idea of repairing and restoring. King Ahab made an unholy alliance when he married Jezebel of Zidon. Through her influence, Baal worship permeated the land

Today's Verse: And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. ~Judges 7:4 Has anyone ever told you that you have “too much” or “too many”? “Too many” implies more than necessary or more than is required. The Isr

Today's Verse: Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! ~Amos 6:1 I love the ministry and serving the Lord. The role that I serve in involves a multiplicity of tasks, responsibilities, and many people who need to be ministered to. The fast pace and large workload require me to be highly inspired and on the edge when it comes to completing tasks. I purposely try to plan a

Today's Verse: For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; ~Ephesians 2:14 One of the great names of our Lord Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace from Isaiah 9:6. As the Prince of Peace, He is the giver, sustainer, and complete authority for peace. Many noble men and women have lived their lives as activists for world peace. However, Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation.” Any kind of society or wo

Today's Verse: Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. ~Acts 20:31 Whenever we enter into a contract, purchase real estate, purchase insurance, incur a debt, or agree to a medical procedure, we want in writing the terms and conditions of what we are getting into. We want full disclosure of what are agreeing to, the risks, exclusions and limitations. We do not want any surprises after the fact, or

Today's Verse: And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth. ~1 Kings 17:24 Do you know anyone who is a skeptic? Are you someone who is a skeptic? The Jews tend to be skeptical people. Jesus said about them, “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.” After crossing the Red Sea, the Hebrews saw and then believed. However, faith means believing first and then seeing. Faith is belie

Today's Verse: And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. ~Genesis 12:8   The altar was a place established for the worship of God. The altar was identified by sacrifices that the offeror burned at this location. The altar identified the offeror as a worshiper of God. It was meant to stir the devotion o

Today's Verse: On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: ~Acts 10:9   Every Christian believes in the importance of prayer. We know that prayer is a vital part of our fellowship with God. Jesus taught, “that men ought always to pray and not to faint.” Paul taught that “men should pray everywhere lifting up holy hands.” Prayer is the means by which the hand of God is moved to work

Today's Verse: Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. ~Psalm 86:1-2   A man prayed this prayer one morning: “Dear Heavenly Father, So far, today, I've done all right. I haven't gossiped or lost my temper. I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, or self-centered. I'm really happy about that so far. But in a few minutes I'm going to be getting out of bed and then I'm goi

Today's Verse: And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. ~Acts 9:6   Have you ever been in a dark cavern or room where all you saw was pitch blackness? If you have, you know how eerie a feeling that is. You feel lost, blinded, unsure, and at a standstill. However, once you are able to see light again, you must act decisively. Saul (later Paul)

Today's Verse: For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. ~Isaiah 66:12   There is something special about observing bodies of water. For instance, standing at the shoreline of an ocean and watching its waves inspires me to think about the power of God. Ocean waves can be very powerful and instill a sense of a

Today's Verse: Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. ~Matthew 5:8   A few years ago, I started to notice more floater activity in my right eye. I made an appointment with an ophthalmologist for a thorough eye exam and to make sure I did not have a detached retina or any other vision impairments. Thankfully, everything checked out well. Our vision and ability to see are important to us in everything we do. We want good visual acuity. We want to know that we ca

Today's Verse: Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. ~Matthew 9:38   One of the necessary traits of leadership is the willingness and ability to solve problems. Problem solving can be tedious and can require much attention. This morning, we see a problem that we are to pray about. It is a problem of such magnitude that every Christian is a vital part of the solution.    We see the concept of missions.  Missions is simpl

Today's Verse: Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. ~Isaiah 62:4   The word "forsaken" is very ominous and carries with it feelings of darkness and despair. It means being abandoned, deserted, and rejected. To be forsaken is to be at a very dark and lonely place in life. The Jews had become so idolatrous

Today's Verse: And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. ~Matthew 8:26   A hurricane is a major storm that is categorized into levels 1 to 5. A storm is classified as a hurricane when the winds reach 74 miles per hour or more. The highest category of a hurricane is level 5, where winds are more than 157 miles per hour. We are told that Jesus and the disciples experienced a gr

Today's Verse: And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, ~Jude 14   This morning, we are examining the life of Enoch. He is the seventh descendant from Adam. He was an exception among the men of his day. His name means “dedicated.” He is a man who inspires us to live above the world.    We see Enoch and his walk.  “And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and be

Today's Verse: I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. ~Psalm 119:63   I thank the Lord for my preacher friends who love the Lord, win souls to Christ, and have strong Biblical values. We enjoy each other’s fellowship and rejoice in speaking of what God wants to do through our lives. In our devotion this morning, the psalmist makes a statement about his friends in life. He sets for us the criteria for bosom buddies.    We see the camar

Today's Verse: Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. ~Acts 4:13  Several years ago, I had the privilege of preaching the gospel to 10,000 unsaved people over two days. My heart was overwhelmed in awe at such an opportunity. As Christians, we read through the book of Acts, and we wonder if the days of great evangelism are still po