Today’s Verse: And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. ~Luke 5:5 Poor Peter! He and his colleagues had fished all night and caught nothing. It was one of those rare fruitless nights. Fishermen made their living on the catch of the night. Seaside villages and surrounding communities depended upon the catch of the night for food and sustenance. So, when Jesus approached hi

Today’s Verse: And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him. ~1 Kings 19:21 We live in a time when commitment is based on the idea of, “What can I get out of something?” instead of, “What am I willing to give up?” Commitment is missing in employment, marriage, friendships, church membership

Today’s Verse: Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. ~Luke 19:30-31 Do you like being in the driver’s seat? By this, I mean: do you enjoy being in control? Do you have a difficult time giving up control? Are you someone who has a hard time foll

Today’s Verse: And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. ~1 Kings 1:50 Which city in California do you think is the largest in land area? I would have guessed Los Angeles, San Diego, or San Francisco. Amazingly, it is a city called California City. In the 1950s, a master plan was drawn up for this city to be larger than Los Angeles. Many lots for homes were sold, but the dream for this city came to nothing. Today,

Today’s Verse: And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? ~Joshua 5:14 From an organizational and reporting standpoint, we do things by order of rank. We have supervisors, managers, and final decisionmakers whom we are accountable to. Regardless of our title and responsibility, we know that it is important that we fall into rank when

Today’s Verse: And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? ~Matthew 20:6 A workers strike can have a very serious impact on necessary services. Examples of this are if the nurses working for a hospital or the workers of a city’s waste management service strike, their unavailability can cripple and greatly hinder necessary services. It is an incredible relief when the collective bargaining re

Today’s Verse: And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. ~Matthew 8:2 A baby’s first words are very memorable to parents. While we see this as an achievement of growth, it is also the little child’s way of expressing himself to his parents. Matthew 8 is a chapter of Scripture filled with the exciting details of the start of Jesus’ ministry among people. In this chapter, we see His encounters with a leper, a centu

Today’s Verse: And they said, The Lord hath need of him. And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. ~Luke 19:34-35 One of my favorite hymns is “I am Happy in the Service of the King.” It’s a privilege and joy to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. Our devotion this morning centers itself on a young colt (a juvenile donkey) that Jesus took into His service. Let us see the meaning behind “the Lord hath need of him.” We see th

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 mi