Today’s Verse: But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; ~Acts 26:16 The law enforcement personnel of our land maintain a database of criminals who are most wanted. This list is designed for the public to be aware of the need for the capture of these people. Our devotion this morning deals with a mo

Today’s Verse: But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: ~1 Peter 3:15 How do you respond to your critics or those who find fault in you? Are you aware if your testimony among men reflects a negative attitude against you? If so, how do you respond to this? This morning, we want to consider the God-proven way by which we can positively respond to our c

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: And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel. ~Ezekiel 40:4 In a court of law, a witness is someone who testifies of what he saw or heard. This is important in verifying legal matters. The word of a witness can prove that something is true or

Today’s Verse: My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. ~Psalm 45:1 Having a good writing pen is essential wherever you go. One of the best pens you can own is a Montblanc®. It is an expensive but reliable pen. You never want your pen to run out of ink or fail you when you are writing. This morning, we are considering what is regarded as the world’s mightiest pen: your tongue! Psalm

Today’s Verse: How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? ~Romans 10:14 The high priority of the gospel ministry is the preaching of the gospel. Preaching in a church is the center point for directing the congregation towards the worship of God. It has been said that “preaching is the engine that drives the church.” God’s great leaders have been prea

Today’s Verse: These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. ~Revelation 11:4 The olive tree is very prominent in the Bible. It is a symbol of peace, accord, and association. An olive branch is a symbol of peace. It was an important tree in the economy of Israel and was useful as food, fuel, furniture, and a pharmaceutical. It was used for anointing and sacrifices. In our devotion this morning, we read about God’s two olive tree

Today’s Verse: These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. ~Revelation 11:4 During the Great Tribulation, God will raise up two men who are referred to as God’s two witnesses. They are described as His two olive trees and two candlesticks. They have a limited ministry, during which they will testify of God’s judgment on earth and direct the people of the world to the Lord. Let us consider the encouragement that the lives of th

Today’s Verse: Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? ~John 4:29 When something exciting happens, we encourage others to join us to see it. A woman who lived a private and shameful life had the pleasure of meeting the Lord Jesus Christ one day as she made her daily, noontime trip to draw water from a well. Her life was so changed that she ran back to town and excitedly told the men of the city, “Come, see a man.” We see the motive.

Today’s Verse: And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? ~Joshua 4:21 Memorials are established as reminders to future generations. God commanded Joshua to have the men of Israel take twelve stones out of the Jordan River and place them on the other side of the river after they had crossed it. The other side was named Gilgal. The shoreline at Gilgal would have twelve stones arr

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 experienced making an echo? Typically, an echo effect will happen in a mountainous area where a sound that you make will repeat itself. It’s a fun experience for children and adults alike when they hear the echo of their voice or sounds. Twice t

Today’s Verse: There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ~John 1:6 Have you ever considered why you were born? Perhaps the biggest neglect we have is not knowing early in life why we were born, and, after we are saved, what our purpose is. We must grasp the fact that we were created to worship God and glorify Him. Our salvation purpose is that we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. John the Baptist was one of the greatest men ever born. He

Today’s Verse: By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. ~Hebrews 11:4 There are several brothers in the Bible that are noteworthy characters. There is Esau and Jacob, Moses and Aaron, Hophni and Phinehas, James and John, and Cain and Abel. Cain and Abel are the first two brothers in the Bible. In Hebrews 11, Abel is the first hero

Today’s Verse: And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. ~John 11:43 The family of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus was very close to our Lord Jesus Christ. Until we get to John 12, we see Martha and Mary interacting much with Jesus, and Lazarus is quietly in the background. Lazarus was the baby brother who was in the shadow of his two older sisters. Lazarus was possibly shy, introverted, and wanting to avoid the spotlight. Lazarus was a good man,

Today’s Verse: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. ~Acts 1:8 A credible witness is someone who gives an accurate and truthful description of something they saw. “Witness” is also a term that describes a spectator who sees an athletic event that he enthusiastically talks about. In the Greek language, the word for

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 there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; ~Luke 2:36 One of the marvels about the grace of God is that it is God’s strength made perfect in weakness. As we get older, there is the reality that we start to slow down and our health starts to decline. We have less energy and become weaker. Many people, as they age, use their slowdown and

Today’s Verse: For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. ~Acts 4:20 When a person is subpoenaed to the witness stand, he is expected to give an account of what he heard and saw to the best of his memory. The information he gives is critical to the arguments for or against a case being tried. He is not to make up his story but to testify accurately. Our devotion this morning centers on this statement made by Peter and John, “For we cannot but speak the t

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: Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: ~Acts 26:22 Are you at a tough spot in your life right now? A tough spot is like the children of Israel with the Egyptian army behind them and the Red Sea in front of them. A tough spot is Gideon’s army being divinely reduced to 300 soldiers facing a Midianite foe of 100,000 so