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

Today's Verse: After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. ~Genesis 15:1 When I think of a reward, what comes to mind is compensation for finding something or someone that was missing. Law enforcement agencies will offer a substantial reward that leads to the finding and arrest of a wanted criminal. People who lose a valuable item offer a reward for its finding. This morning, l

Today's Verse: But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? ~Galatians 4:9 One of our favorite traditional hymns is “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.” The chorus of this hymn declares, “No turning back, no turning back.” Turning back implies going back on a good decision. It means you have second thoughts and buyer’s remorse, and you changed your mind. The be

Today's Verse: And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words? ~2 Kings 1:7 Our church has been blessed by God with weekly visitors for many years. It is a blessing to look out among the congregation and see many new faces. Oftentimes, I will ask one of our core leaders, “Do you know who that man or woman is?” They will reply, “Which man or woman are you referring to?” I then try to distinguish the visitor by whom they mi

Today's Verse: A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof. ~Proverbs 21:22 Strategic planning occurs when a person or a committee of people write out a plan of action for the accomplishment of a stated goal or assignment. This plan assigns responsibilities, establishes processes and timelines, and identifies the people who will get it done. It thinks through the what, the how, and the when. It takes something that start

Today's Verse: But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. ~1 Timothy 6:11-12 Lifeguards are individuals who have been trained to rescue people who are at risk of drowning. Their duty is to monitor and be alert for anyone showing signs of distress in the

Today's Verse: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. ~Matthew 3:17 When someone is pleasing, it means that he has met the approval and satisfied the desire of the person he is serving. I think of a caterer being hired to do a special dinner in honor or appreciation of someone. When the festivity is over the host will tell the caterer, “I am very pleased how this event turned out.” When Jesus began His public ministry, the Godhe

Today's Verse: I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert. I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top. ~Psalm 102:6-7 Loneliness is the feeling of someone being left all by himself. It is an utterly desolate and discouraging feeling of abandonment. You feel like everyone in your life has left you. You feel friendless, solitary, and hollow on the inside. The psalmist describes his loneliness as a pelican in the wilderness, an owl of the d

Today's Verse: For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. ~1 Corinthians 1:18 God has ordained that the ministry of preaching is how His Word is to be communicated to the masses. The Corinthian believers fell into the error of “hero worship” and became divisive over whom they followed and listened to. They made the mistake of being attracted to “preaching styles” instead of being “preaching submissiv

Today's Verse: And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou. ~1 Kings 20:13-14 Most of us can think of a time in our lives wh

Today's Verse: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: ~1 Corinthians 2:7 Years ago, I spoke with a man about a unique service that he had to offer. He stated that his service was proprietary in nature. What he meant was that he owned it and had exclusive access to it. In a sense, he was saying that he had privileged information. This morning, we are considering “privileged information.” Paul re

Today's Verse: The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head. ~Proverbs 20:29 Solomon made many wise summations when the Holy Spirit moved him to write the book of Proverbs. Proverbs helps us to understand the right pursuits in life, how to be the right person, how to make right decisions, and how to develop the right people skills. God allowed Solomon to listen to and gain counsel from every facet of human experience. Our devotion this

Today's Verse: And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have. ~1 Kings 20:4 The king of Syria, Benhadad, led his forces to besiege Samaria and war against it. Ahab, the king of Israel was intimidated and filled with fear. Benhadad told Ahab, “Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.” Benhadad boldly told Ahab “I’m taking what is yours and making it min

Today's Verse: Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city.... ~Isaiah 52:1a When I am at home, I like to change into clothing that is comfortable for work, exercise, or relaxing around the house. However, when Sunday comes, I like to wear my “Sunday best.” This includes a pressed white shirt, a pressed dark suit, a necktie, and black-shined shoes. I think this would qualify as what is referred to as “beautiful garment

Today's Verse: Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: ~2 Corinthians 3:2 How good are you at reading someone’s body language? In sports, players are required to have a trained eye at being able to read plays and anticipate what the opponent might do. In business or interviews, the ability to read someone’s body language reveals what they really are conveying as their message. Are they truthful or telling a lie? Do they want advice or affirmatio

Today's Verse: And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. ~John 19:38 The Bible records for us three Joseph's. There is Joseph, who was the son of Jacob and who rose to prominence as the man who helped to save Egypt from a seven-year famine. There is Joseph, who was the husband of Mary and

Today's Verse: And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only: ~Joshua 17:17 As Christians, we know the importance of being content. Contentment is when we are satisfied with everything in our life, good or bad, and give God the glory for what He has entrusted to us. However, there are times when we should be stirred in our hearts and in our determination to d

Today's Verse: So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. ~1 Kings 19:19 Among the many topics the Bible addresses, one of the important ones is leadership succession. Leadership succession is when the leader of a ministry carefully selects and develops his eventual replacement. Leadership succession is critical for making sur

Today's Verse: Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour. ~Ecclesiastes 10:1 Flies! I do not like flies. They have to be among the most annoying pests. Living flies are bad. Dead flies are just as bad. Back in Solomon’s day, a container of special ointment was very precious. People would leave the containers open to allow the sweet-smelling aroma to fill the air in t