Today’s Verse: Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. ~Psalm 78:41 What we believe and how we behave have a direct effect on how much God is able to work in our life. A man named Henry Varley made a statement that changed the life and ministry of Evangelist Dwight Moody. He said, “The world has yet to see what God can do through one man wholly committed to Him.” By this, Varley was telling Moody that the only thing holding God back from doi

Today’s Verse: But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. ~Jonah 1:3 Jonah is listed in the Bible as one of the Minor Prophets. He is considered minor because the length of his book is smaller than the Major Prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. As we study

Today’s Verse: Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar off. ~Luke 22:54 When learning to drive an automobile, the driving instructor will caution every student driver to watch his distance. By this, it means that the driver should not drive so close to the car in front of him that he could accidentally rear-end the other driver. It is a saying that is meant for safety. This morning, we want to apply this thought o

Today’s Verse: And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself. ~John 18:18 Wintertime is when the cold season hits us hard. As I write this devotion, 25% of our church is down with illness, hospitalizations, or crisis. The majority of them have been hit with the flu and colds. Colds make us very miserable. We experience fever, chills, coughing, runny noses, int

Today’s Verse: As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place. ~Proverbs 27:8 The study of birds is referred to as ornithology. This is a Latin word that simply means “bird science.” Personally, my interest in birds is eating them! I like eating chicken, duck, quail, and turkey. Reference to the word birds is found 49 times in the Bible. Solomon uses the metaphor of a wandering bird to teach us a valuable lesson. We see the description. “As

Today’s Verse: He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way. ~Psalm 107:40 What comes to your mind when you hear the word “wilderness”? For me, I have foreboding thoughts of barrenness, uncharted territory, wild animals, and a place where you can die from a lack of supplies and resources. The psalmist described it as the place “where there is no way.” The wilderness is not a place that you would choose for an adventurou

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 that you had second thoughts, had buyer’s remorse, and changed your mind. The be

Today’s Verse: Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. ~Acts 13:13 Have you ever made plans to go on a journey somewhere, only to turn back? Maybe you turned back because you forgot something. Maybe you turned back because of adverse travel conditions. Maybe you turned back because you decided you didn’t want to go any longer. Our devotion this morning centers on a man who turned ba

Today’s Verse: Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? ~Jeremiah 2:5 Today is July 4, and this year marks the 242nd anniversary of the United States’ Declaration of Independence. Fifty-six brave men signed their names to this declaration that they and their families would not live under the bondage of tyranny and oppression. They risked everything they had to declare t

Today’s Verse: And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? ~Genesis 3:8-9 Almost every business or organization that serves the public has a lost-and-found department. If you lose or misplace a personal item, you will normally go to the lost-and-found department

Today’s Verse: And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. ~Ruth 1:14-15 The Christian life is a faith walk. Once in the Old Testament and three times in the New Testament we read that “the just shall live by faith.” Paul reminds us that we walk by faith and not by sight. Abraham pictures

Today’s Verse: Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them. ~Jeremiah 6:30 Years ago when the first oil crisis hit our country, investors started to pour large sums of money into gold and silver as a safe haven from currency fluctuations. Many people who got in early made a great gain on their investment. However, many people also learned how volatile the precious metals market can be, and when the price of oil started to come down, so did the pr

Today’s Verse: And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself. ~John 18:18 Winter time is when the cold season hits us hard. As I write this devotion, 10% of our church attendance is down with illness, hospitalizations, or crisis. The majority of them have been hit with the flu and colds. Colds make us very miserable. We experience fever, chills, coughing, runn