Posts with the tag “demetrius”

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 22–Verse 22I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father's house.We all know that we can suffer persecution for our faith. But what are you going to do when others have to pay the price for your faith? Are you going to apologize? Are you going to recant? Are you going to crumble? David didn’t. He seemed to know there was going to be a price associated...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 10–Verse 11What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?Just because somebody has been used of God in some special way, does not mean God endorses their character. Saul, as we will find out, did not have a heart for God. He did not pan out, and he did not last long. In fact, he became a sick and tyrannical man. Please don’t celebrate people for...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 9--Verse 2He had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. Be careful of trusting a first impression. Sometimes we have a mental image of who would be right for what. And sometimes initially they check all the boxes. They look i...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Judges 21–Verse 20If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards and snatch each man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh…Have you ever tried to clean mud off your shoes by wiping your shoes in mud? Well, you can’t fix a problem with a problem, and you can’t solve violence with violence. But by the end of the book of Judges, that’s...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Judges 18--Verses 19b-20“Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?” And the priest's heart was glad. He took the ephod and the household gods and the carved image and went along with the people. As we read through Judges, we consistently hear 'In those days there was no king in Israel.' Everyone did what was righ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Judges 7–Verse 2The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand…Wait, what? Too many? Don’t you mean too few?No, Gideon. I said too many. You have too many soldiers. When you win this victory (and you will win), I don’t want you thinking that you won because of the size of your army. Therefore, I’m going to shrink your unit of 32,000 men down to...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Judges 6--Verse 15How can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.And in verse 16, God doesn’t even argue with Gideon. He says, “Yeah, but I will be with you!” Isn’t that just like God? He votes for the least likely to do some of the greatest things. If you don’t feel like you measure up, you might just be in the perf...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Joshua 18–Verse 3How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?They say, “Half the job is just starting.” Yet beginning a big task can tend to psych a person out.When I was in seminary, I had to write a 200-page dissertation. I looked forward to it, but I felt a little intimidated too. Had I read enou...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Joshua 14--Verse 14Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh. It makes sense that Hebron would go to Caleb. Hebron was a significant place. Some 500 years prior to this, Abraham purchased it to bury his wife, Sarah. And eventually all the patriarchs were buried there. Therefore, when the spies (of which Caleb was one) came into the promised land they immedia...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Joshua 4–Verse 7These stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.If we’re not careful, we can tend to forget the miracles God works in our lives. Therefore, we need to devise methods for remembering. And, not only that, but passing on the stories to our children, and our children’s children to the third and fourth generation. But this will require some ingenui...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Deuteronomy 32—Verse 47It is no empty word for you, but your very life.Have you ever seen a baby lay hold of a warm bottle of milk? Have you ever seen a man bite into a savory cut of steak? Oh, man, it’s like nothing else matters. Their eyes roll back in their head as they ingest the nourishment into their very soul.Spending time in God’s word is very much the same. Whether i...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Deuteronomy 23–Verse 23No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation…God was saying these people were trouble, so don’t make alliances with them. They snubbed you, they cursed you, and, in Numbers 25, they seduced you. And since they cursed you, they brought a curse upon themselves - down to the 10th generation! Generational curses ca...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Deuteronomy 20--Verse 8Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.Fear has a way of spreading like no one’s business. A feeble voice here and a couple of murmurs there can send a cold shiver through the camp. That’s why you want to manage your environment well and listen to only the b...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Deuteronomy 8--Verse 5Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. Words cannot express what a father feels toward his son. He is the apple of his eye. But if he’s going to be worth his weight in salt, he’s gonna need a little training. So, the father will bring the heat when the occasion calls for it. Not because he’s trying ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Deuteronomy 5–Verse 29Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!Unfortunately, many people feel that the Ten Commandments are no longer worthy of attention. They’ll think, Oh, we’re no longer under the law, but under grace, and therefore skip over chapters like t...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Numbers 23–Verse 28Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the desert.Balaam spoke some of the most eloquent, insightful prophecies found in all of the Old Testament. However, I feel sorry for the guy. He is being strung along by a creep because he had no bone in his back. He was gifted; he was extremely anointed, but he had no sense of danger. And the story did...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Numbers 20--Verse 8Tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water.So, what did Moses do? He struck it. Twice! Why? Because he was angry.Be careful of acting out in anger. Sure, you probably have a reason, quite likely a very good reason for being angry. But before you pop off at the mouth and before you walk off and slam the door, ask yourself a simple question, ‘is it wo...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Numbers 9--Verse 23At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out.Sometimes we stay put; sometimes we move forward. It all depends on what the Lord is doing.Verses 15-23 describe the cloud by day and the fire by night. When it lingered over the tabernacle, Israel remained. When the cloud lifted, Israel broke camp. And they lived this way f...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Numbers 7--Verse 89And when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; and it spoke to him.Mother Teresa was once asked in an interview, “What do you say when you pray?” She replied, “Nothing, I just listen.”It’s interesting that w...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Leviticus 23--Verse 2These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations.What would it look like if we stopped and celebrated more? As Americans, we just keep the pedal to the metal and don’t stop nearly enough.But I like how God instructed Israel to do it. If you were to add up all the holidays listed in chapter 23, you would have 18 days....  Read More

Daily Devotional from Leviticus 15--Verse 31Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.In our day and age, we often think in terms of personal problems. My problems only affect me. However, you can see that the laws in Leviticus have a strong communal aspect to it. My personal problem...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Leviticus 11--Verse 44I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.This verse says that the Lord wants us to consecrate ourselves. Do you know what that means? It means to declare yourself to be sacred. Another word for sacred is dedicated. Dedicated for a special use. My wedding ring is dedicated. My birth certificate is dedicated. My J...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Exodus 40--Verse 33Moses finished the work.Moses did according to all that the Lord had commanded him. Nothing was left undone. He finished the work. He built the house.And today there’s another house being constructed. But this one is not made of gold, silver, and precious stones. Rather, this one is made of living stones. You and I are being built together into a dwelling p...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Exodus 37—Verse 1Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood.There’s something to be said for using your hands in the worship of God. In today’s reading, Bezalel made the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altar of incense, and even anointing oil. In this day and age of digital technology, we can lose the tactile sense of working with our hands. And that includes cooking a meal from ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Exodus 24–Verse 12The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there…”Moses was about to have the encounter of a lifetime. But before this was to happen, he was simply told to come and wait. But, knowing Moses, he was probably fairly accustomed to this kind of thing with no big encounters to speak of. Lately, I feel the Lord’s been waking me up very early i...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Exodus 23--Verse 10Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest.Some songs have no rhythm. Everything just bleeds together. Non-stop work has no rhythm. Fitting everything in your schedule has no rhythm. Saying yes to every opportunity has no rhythm. But a cadence of creation was set in place back in Genesis 1-2. And in order to move to the music you...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Exodus 8–Verse 23I will put a division between my people and your people.We don’t like the sound of that. Division? We would probably prefer to fit in with those around us – do the same things, act the same way, talk the same talk. They’re into this, that, and the other. And, why shouldn’t we be? We breathe the same air, after all. Shouldn’t we think the same thoughts, have t...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Exodus 4--Verse 14Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well.Moses: Then why didn’t you choose Aaron in the first place? You know this type of work requires eloquence! I can’t persuade an empire to relinquish their labor force by a stammering tongue. What are you thinking, God? You know Aaron is better at this kind of thing.God: But I haven’t ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 47–Verse 26And it stands to this day, that Pharoah should have the fifth. God asks for 10%, but Pharoah takes 20. God gives us a Sabbath, while Egypt offers no days off.  You can see why Israel groaned under a heavy load.So the Lord delivers us from Egypt and lightens the load. His yoke is easy; His burden is light. But notice-- there is a yoke, and there is a burden....  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 39--Verse 12She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.I’ve always loved the image of Joseph’s garment dangling in the hand of Potiphar’s wife. It tells me he knew who he was and to whom he belonged. And I believe we must share the same conviction. I say this because sometimes temptation ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 33–Verse 7bAnd last Joseph and Rachel drew near…Everyone knew Joseph was the darling of the family - the pampered little boy. Upon reuniting with his brother Esau, Jacob didn’t know what he was getting into. So he set his expendable children out front as a human shield for his favorite child. And, if you know the rest of the story, you know that his favoritism did not...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 21--Verse 17What troubles you, Hagar?People may abandon you or kick you to the curb, but God never will.Take Hagar for example. After getting tangled up in a sticky situation, she and her son get dumped in the middle of a wilderness with only a loaf of bread and a skin of water. Discarded and rejected. No comforting voices, no encouraging touches. None but one…What tr...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 19--Verse 26But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.I could see this happening so easily in America. Judgement is on the way and Lot’s family is dithering and delaying. The sons-in-law thought it was a joke (verse 14), Lot was dragging his feet (verse 16), and now we see Lot’s wife casting her eye back to what used to be. It’s like the...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Exodus 23--Verse 10Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest.Some songs have no rhythm. Everything just bleeds together. Non-stop work has no rhythm. Fitting everything in your schedule has no rhythm. Saying yes to every opportunity has no rhythm. But a cadence of creation was set in place back in Genesis 1-2. And in order to move to the music you...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Exodus 4--Verse 14Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Moses: Then why didn’t you choose Aaron in the first place? You know this type of work requires eloquence! I can’t persuade an empire to relinquish their labor force by a stammering tongue. What are you thinking, God? You know Aaron is better at this kind of thing. God: But I haven’...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 39--Verse 12She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. I’ve always loved the image of Joseph’s garment dangling in the hand of Potiphar’s wife. It tells me he knew who he was and to whom he belonged. And I believe we must share the same conviction. I say this because sometimes temptation...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 21--Verse 17What troubles you, Hagar?People may abandon you or kick you to the curb, but God never will.Take Hagar for example. After getting tangled up in a sticky situation, she and her son get dumped in the middle of a wilderness with only a loaf of bread and a skin of water. Discarded and rejected. No comforting voices, no encouraging touches. None but one…What tr...  Read More

The first devotional post of the New Year! Let's SOAK UP the Word together in 2023. If you'd like a video overview of the first part of the book of Genesis before diving in, check out the link at the end of this post from our friends at The Bible Project.Daily Devotional from Genesis 1--Verse 2The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God wa...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Revelation 22--Verse 5They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light.Isn’t it interesting that the Bible begins and ends with a world filled with light, yet with no sun?On the first day, God said, “Let there be light!” And there was light. Yet the sun wasn’t created until the fourth day. And then at the end of time, the sun will no longer render ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Revelation 17--Verse 14They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is the Lord of lords, and King of kings, and those with him are called the chosen and faithful.Have you taken league with the lamb?Of all the critters we should link up with in a great war, why in the world would you want to? A lamb is not going to do anything for you. Maybe you’d be...  Read More