Today’s Verse: And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. ~Luke 23:43 The Garden Isle of Kauai is called “paradise” by vacation experts. Paradise brings to the mind a place of blissful beauty, a tropical garden setting, peace, safety, and an irresistible haven of rest. The ancient Persians described paradise as a shady, well-watered hunting reserve with enclosed walls where animals were kept for hunting. Paradise is also synonym

Today’s Verse: And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him. ~Numbers 7:89 Mercy is sympathy exercised towards someone who is under fire for a crime. It is compassionate forbearance shown toward an offender or enemy. It is the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or

Today’s Verse: And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. ~Mark 5:15 Are you someone who has a sound mind? This means that your thoughts and passions are under control. It implies the idea of being sober-minded, sane, and in the right frame of mind. This morning, we see a man who is sitting next to Jesus who is described as being in his right mind. Let us see wha

Today’s Verse: And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. ~ Colossians 1:18 Sometimes, in the busyness of everything that we do, we forget Who Jesus really is. As a preacher, I preach and talk about Jesus. When I sit in a service where there is another preacher, I listen to messages about Jesus. When we serve, we know that we are serving Jesus. When we pray, we are praying th

Today’s Verse: Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of Israel. ~Isaiah 30:29 The Assyrians were the mighty world power during the days of King Ahaz. Israel would be overtaken by them. King Ahaz made an alliance with them, only to have them turn against him and Judah. The Lord intervened and delivered Ahaz and Judah. In is deliverance, G

Today’s Verse: But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. ~Hebrews 6:9 A really good coach teaches, disciplines, and inspires. He patiently takes the time to help an individual achieve and excel in academics, artistry, sports, or a vocation. He is persuaded that his protégé can do more, go further, and attain new breakthroughs. Paul told believers who were struggling in their faith, “We are persuaded better

Today’s Verse: And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. ~Luke 23:42 One of the hymns we sing as Christians is “At the Cross.” The chorus says, “At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light, and the burden of heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day.” This morning, we see the dramatic salvation of a man who was not only at the cross, but on a cross. We see the condemned. This man

Today’s Verse: And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: ~Genesis 19:12 It is said, “Statements accuse, but questions convict.” In Genesis 19:12, we see one of these convicting questions. It was asked of a man who got his roots settled in too deep in the city in which he lived, and he now faced the prospect of losing everything, including his family. T

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 The Bible has many wonderful lessons for us about the faith of Abraham. He was strong in faith, not doubting the promises. The greatness of Abraham’s faith was because it was in the most high God. What made Abraham a great believer, great in faith, great in prayer, and great in his testimony was the simple

Today’s Verse: Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. ~Romans 10:1 The Lord Jesus Christ said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” The desires of our heart are the people or things we are most passionate about. They are what occupies our thoughts. It is that which we wish to impact through our efforts. Paul laid bare his heart to his friends at Rome in letting them know how much he loved the souls of the peo

Today’s Verse: The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ~2 Peter 3:9 This morning, we are considering one of the great promises of the Bible. Bible promises are also Bible truths and absolutes. It is the promise that God is longsuffering; that is, He is incredibly patient towards the entire human race, so that all would hear the glorio

Today’s Verse: And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window. ~Joshua 2:21 The Oxford dictionary defines a “lifeline” as "a thing on which someone or something depends or which provides a means of escape from a difficult situation." For someone trapped on an upper floor of a building on fire, a lifeline is vital to his rescue. For someone who is trying to escape being captured or hurt

Today’s Verse: And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. ~Luke 19:5 One of the favorite Bible accounts for both young and old is how Zacchaeus came to Jesus. The salvation of Zacchaeus led to Jesus stating His ministry purpose when He said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” While he is a great lesson on a sinner getting saved, Z

Today’s Verse: Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. ~1 Peter 1:21 First Peter 1 is a very encouraging chapter about our salvation in Jesus Christ. We sometimes take for granted all that is involved in our salvation. In vv. 18-25, we see the work FOR salvation, the work IN salvation, and the work THROUGH salvation. We see the blood. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corr

Today’s Verse: Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: ~1 Peter 1:6 One of my favorite words in the Bible is “rejoice.” It means "joy elevated to a higher level." In Matthew 5:12, it means to be “exceeding glad,” Peter says that is it is “exceeding joy.” The idea of rejoicing implies we have a joy that is abundant, beyond description, and overflowing. Peter said that the believers he wrote to greatly r

Today’s Verse: To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, ~1 Peter 1:4 An inheritance is something that is passed to another person (typically a family member) by will. It is usually passed to the designated person after the death of the testator. In some cases, it is done while the testator is alive and is given as a gift. Peter refers to an inheritance that is guaranteed to everyone who is saved. This inheritance in

Today’s Verse: I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. ~Hosea 13:14 In 1193, the English King Richard I, also known as Richard the Lionheart, was returning from leading a crusade to the Holy Land. As he returned through Europe, Leopold V captured him in Austria. The Roman emperor demanded a ransom for Richard's release. The price w

Today’s Verse: And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? ~Zechariah 3:2 One of the favorite things associated with camping out is the making of a campfire. A lot of firewood is set aside as fuel to keep the fire going. Once the fire is roaring hot, we think about putting more wood and not about taking any out. In our devotion this morning, our thought is cente

Today’s Verse: Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing. ~Nehemiah 13:2 The historical account of Balak hiring Balaam to curse Israel was a repeated reminder to the Jews. It was a reminder of the grace and goodness of God in turning the curse into a blessing. A curse is a misfortune, evil, or doom against another person or group. A curse has

Today’s Verse: And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; ~Hebrews 9:3 The holiest of all describes the place inside the Old Testament tabernacle where the high priest could go. There was a veil that separated the sanctuary and the holiest of all. The high priest alone entered into this inner sanctum” once a year not without blood” that would be sprinkled for his sins and the sins of the nation. Let us see some vital and life transforming le