Today's Verse: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. ~Isaiah 45:3   Do you enjoy treasure hunts? This is when the organizer of such an event chooses a location where he hides treats, treasures, and trinkets for people to look diligently for. The reward is that whatever is found becomes the sole possession of the one who finds it. God told Is

Today's Verse: For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. ~Hebrews 5:12   Meat is a good source of protein for proper nutrition. There are some people who strongly feel that they need to have meat at every meal and do not limit the portion of meat they consume. Even though some would prefer to eat a different source o

Today's Verse: Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. ~1 John 3:2   There are two striking things about either a married couple or a family. In a family, it is the resemblance that children have to each other. With couples who have been married for a long time, it is how similar they look in resemblance as well. Our passage this morning speak

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 Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness: and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel. ~Numbers 21:23   What is the most gigantic problem you have ever faced? Whatever it may have been, it stood between you and success. This morning, let us see an incident that teaches us the importance of not letting the giants in our life intimidate us or cause

Today's Verse: What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?  ~Psalm 34:12 People, as they get older, will sometimes tell their family and friends, “I’ve lived a good life.” By what means are we qualifying a good life? Is it our comfort level? Is it our success? Is it our career achievements? Is it our travel? David gives us the biblical perspective on what constitutes a “good life.” Everyone wants a good life and Psalm 34 tells us how it is a

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: Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. ~Hebrews 4:14   A few years ago, I took members of my family out of town for a family trip. On the first day of our arrival, I took my granddaughter to see the ocean waves. As I knelt down holding her to touch the water on the shoreline, we both were surprised by a rogue wave about two feet high that got both of us wet. She was v

Today's Verse: And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it. ~Exodus 30:1     And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. ~Revelation 8:3   The burning of incense was an integral part of worship after the building of the altar of incense. Incense was composed of

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: To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. ~Isaiah 61:3   Several years ago, an area three hours north of us was completely ravaged by a wildfire. This fire devastated over 151,000 acres, decimated an entire city, displaced thousands of survivors,

Today's Verse: I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid? ~Job 31:1   A covenant is an unbreakable contract between two parties. It is meant to stay in place and be honored by both parties. The only action that could break a covenant was death. The parties of a covenant would “cut the covenant” as their way of pledging their honor and commitment to their respective responsibilities. We see an example of this in Genesis 15:9-18. Job made a consecrat

Today's Verse: Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. ~Philippians 2:2 We live in a world of differences. When two parties are discussing business points before they sign off, they must come to a meeting of the minds. No two people can go forward on an important matter unless there is a meeting of the minds. In Philippians 2, we see Paul placing a strong emphasis on the virtue of being likeminded.    We see the command

Today's Verse: And the watchman saw another man running: and the watchman called unto the porter, and said, Behold another man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth tidings. And the watchman said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings. ~2 Samuel 18:26-27   Running is a popular activity and exercise for many people. One man said that “running is the

Today's Verse: Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. ~Genesis 42:1-2   Our devotion this morning takes us to a famine in Egypt and the surrounding areas. A famine is when there is a scarcity of food. Famines result in food shortages, hunger, loss of jobs, large-scal

Today's Verse: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? ~Psalm 22:1   Psalm 22 is one of the great Messianic psalms. It is a psalm that records for us the sufferings of our Lord Jesus on the cross. Psalm 22-24 are referred to as the "shepherd psalms." Psalm 22 is referred to as the psalm of the Good Shepherd where the Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep. In this psalm, we have a vivid descript

Today's Verse: For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: ~Job 19:25   In life, we will face difficulties and suffering that will push us to the extreme when it comes to patience and resilience. When these difficult times come, how will you respond? Will you succumb and give in, or will you be unbroken and strong? This morning, let us see how Job encourages us to be unbroken in faith and spirit when we have a very trying affl

Today's Verse: And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: ~Acts 20:22   In the area of executive compensation, profitable corporations look for ways to keep their best executives from leaving. One tactic that is used is called “golden handcuffs.” This is a compensation package that promises to pay out an exorbitant amount of money to the executive as long as he contractually agrees to stay with the company and

Today's Verse: Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. ~Psalm 112:4   Have you ever been at a place where you feel like you have been in the dark? By this, I mean you are uninformed or left clueless about something that others know about. Well, this morning God gives us the secret to how not to be in the dark when it comes to a life that He desires to bless.    We see his adoration.  “Praise ye the LORD. Ble

Today's Verse: Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. ~Matthew 25:7   Trimming the lamp is a necessity for a candle or oil-based lamp to give off maximum light. The wick draws from the oil at the base of the lantern. To maximize the needed light, the wick must be cut and trimmed in such a way that it is wound or wedge-shaped. This morning, we are looking at the parable of the ten virgins and the trimming of their lamps.    We see a continuous attention.  Trimm