Today’s Verse: But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; ~Philippians 1:12 Have you ever had an occurrence after which you made the statement, “This did not happen by accident”? After the occurrence unfolded, you came to the realization that God was orchestrating things behind the scenes to bring about your situation. Paul was imprisoned in Rome. Of all things, he was chained b

Today’s Verse: And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. ~Acts 8:26 Philip occupies a special place in the Scriptures and in the outgrowth of the gospel in the Book of Acts. He is an encouraging reminder that any of us and all of us can and should be faithful in all seasons of our life. He is a testimony of how God blesses faithfulness. There is the reputation of

Today’s Verse: Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. ~Acts 3:6 Marquis de Lafayette was a French officer who provided invaluable assistance to George Washington and the struggling American army. After the war was over, he returned to France and resumed his life as a farmer of many estates. In 1783, the harvest was a terrible one, and there were many who suffered as a result. Lafa

Today’s Verse: For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! ~1 Corinthians 9:16 Necessity is defined as that which is necessary, imperative, important, or required. Another way of looking at necessity is that which is our cause, is essential, or must be done. Personal necessity is what we consider our highest priority. It is what drives us. Let us see, this morning, Paul’s personal

Today’s Verse: So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. ~1 Thessalonians 2:8 How much effort do you put into what you do? In the majority of business or professional situations, people have certain conditions, requirements, or restrictions that they place upon their effort or pledge. They will say, “I will do this if you do that.” We refer to these stip

Today’s Verse: So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. ~1 Thessalonians 2:8 How much effort do you put into what you do? In the majority of business or professional situations, people have certain conditions, requirements, or restrictions they place upon their effort or pledge. They will say “I will do this, if you do that.” We refer to these stipulati

Today’s Verse: And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. ~Romans 16:20 Peace is a fruit of the Spirit. It is that inner tranquility for the believer that can be great and perfect. The possession of true peace surpasses all understanding. It is a tranquility that most people desire, but they fail to meet its conditions in order to possess it. This morning, let us see the importance of keeping the peac

Today’s Verse: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. ~2 Timothy 1:7 Recently, while I was witnessing to a young person about putting her faith in our Lord Jesus Christ for her salvation, she said that she was open to being saved but was very afraid of the persecution she would receive. She was fearful of being rejected by her peers and being made fun of, and she was concerned that some would physically assault her. As be

Today’s Verse: But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; ~Philippians 1:12 Our devotion this morning centers on how God uses what appears to be difficulties and turns them into blessings. One noted preacher, J.H. Jowett, calls Philippians 1:12-14 “The Fortune of Misfortune.” If we are not careful, we might overlook opportunities that God gives us in obstacles. This morning, let

Today’s Verse: Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. ~Luke 10:3 Lambs and wolves are natural enemies. Lambs are young sheep that are less than a year old. Lambs are cute, cuddly, and compact (small). They are extremely vulnerable and must rely on the safety of the flock and the shepherd. Wolves, on the other hand, are carnivorous predators. Wolves see lambs as easy pickings for food. Jesus told seventy men whom He sent out to proclaim the gospel that H

Today’s Verse: For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day. ~Acts 15:21 The idea of community can be traced back to Adam and Eve. Communities are made up of neighborhoods, districts, and zip codes combined together to make up cities. Every city has its own unique identity based upon attractions, education, employment, life stages, open space, population density, recreation, safety, and wealth. Most overlooked,

Today’s Verse: I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. ~Isaiah 27:3 My father grew up on a farm. He loved gardening. Even though he worked seven days a week and 12- to 14-hour-days for many years, he would spend time every day in his garden. This included caring for numerous fruit trees, a small vegetable garden, orchids, and a koi pond. For the Jews, having a vineyard was the height of gardening. God uses the symbo

Today’s Verse: God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. ~Psalm 67:1 The word “blessing” carries with it the idea of approval, favor, goodness, help, and being greatly enabled. The word “bless” in Hebrew is “barach,” and the word “blessing” in Hebrew is “berachah.” Psalm 67 is a very short psalm, but it is packed with richness. It is the prayer of God’s people for His blessing. We see the prayer. “God be merciful unto us, and bless us;

Today’s Verse: And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. ~Luke 19:13 In the business and financial world, executives, managers and investors measure the worthiness of an investment by looking at ROI or return on investment. They want to know if they got a good rate of return on their money. This morning we are considering a parable that stresses our Lord’s demand that he gets a good rate of return on what he has giv

Today’s Verse: And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. ~Luke 14:23 Many years ago when my wife and I got engaged, we had to work through the challenge of who to invite to our wedding. We had extensive business, church, family, and social relationships we were on very good terms with. We found our list getting larger and larger. On the day of our wedding, we were honored that several hund

Today’s Verse: But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: ~2 Timothy 1:10 I have read the following humorous conversation between a doctor and his patient: Doctor: “I have bad news and worse news.” Patient: “So let’s have it.” Doctor: “The bad news is that you only have 24 hours to live.” Patient: “I can’t imagine what could be worse than that!” Doctor: “I

Today’s Verse: Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame. ~1 Corinthians 15:34 Do you ever find yourself lacking a commodity that you would like to have, but you can’t afford it? If you do, you might feel like you are what is called a “have-not”. The Apostle Paul referred to a group of people as “have-nots.” There is an important essential they need to have, but they don’t. This morning, we should be concerned abou

Today’s Verse: So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. ~1 Thessalonians 2:8 How much effort do you put into what you do? In the majority of business or professional situations, people have certain conditions, requirements or restrictions they place upon their effort or pledge. They will say, “I will do this, if you do that.” We refer to these stipulati

Today’s Verse: For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. ~1 Thessalonians 1:8 Have you ever been in a high mountainous region where you are able to shout and hear your echo? If you have, you were probably amused and amazed at the distinctness of the resonance and sound of your echo. The sound of the echo is a parallel of the words and

Today’s Verse: As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. ~Proverbs 25:25 Do you get thirsty often? Being thirsty is sign we are dehydrated and need water to rehydrate. Thirstiness is especially evident when the weather is very hot, or after we have been engaged in rigorous physical activity such as an exercise workout. The best kind of water to drink to quench our thirst is cold water. Solomon said, “As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good new