Posts with the tag “demetrius”

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

Daily Devotional from Revelation 12--Verse 10Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before God.Do you know you have an accuser? That’s right. His name is the devil. And that’s what his name means – “Accuser.” You might not know it, but he stands before...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Revelation 7--Verses 9-10Behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne, and before the lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”Take a moment to imagine t...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Revelation 2--Verse 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.Have you ever tried to give away some furniture, and can’t seem to get anybody to take it? But once you put a price on it, it’s gone by the end of the day! Same principle applies to the things of God. If the Lord made his will painfully clear, nobody would seem to value it. But if he wer...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 John 5--Verse 21Little children, keep yourselves from idols.John Calvin famously said, “the human heart is an idol factory.” There’s just no way around it. We are hard-wired for worship. If Jesus is not the object of your devotion and affection, you will manufacture little deities. Causes and careers will be your idols and icons. Hobbies and pursuits will be your gods and g...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Peter 3--Verse 9The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.God doesn’t want anybody to perish. So, the Lord waits, and he waits, and he waits. He is certainly the most patient being to have ever existed. He wants people’s salvation more than anything...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Peter 3--Verse 15Honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.The Bible tells us to destroy arguments (2 Cor. 10:5) and to defend the faith (1 Pet. 3:15), but lest we get too zealous, keep reading verse 15. Peter says, “do it with gentleness and r...  Read More

Daily Devotional from James 3--Verse 5How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!In the fall of 2017, a 15-year-old boy was lighting some firecrackers and accidentally sparked a wildfire that destroyed 50,000 acres along the Columbia River Gorge. It burned for more than 3 months before it was fully contained. And, more than 6 months later, the fires were still found to be smoldering. Su...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Hebrews 11--Verse 10[Abraham] was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.Abraham is known as the father of our faith. He’s a pretty significant guy. However, if you think about it, what did the man do? He basically walked around looking for a city. Doesn’t seem all that striking. But we honor him today, not for his triumphs, but fo...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Hebrews 6--Verse 10For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.Any good bank is going to keep track of every penny you invest. They don’t get to play fast and loose with your cash. And if they can take care of all details, don’t you think God is able to do so as well? Every act of servi...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Timothy 4--Verse 2Preach the Word.Have you ever listened to a preacher and realized that after 10-15 minutes, Scripture has not once been referenced? Or perhaps a Scripture is read at the beginning, but it only served as a point of departure? But Paul’s clear mandate is to preach the Word. So that means open the Word and stay with the Word.Preacher, you have nothing else to...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Timothy 5--Verse 14Give the adversary no occasion for slander. Paul encourages us, as representatives of the gospel, to consider living your life in such a way that doesn’t invite slander. You might choose to do something based on your preference or freedom, but Paul constantly reminds us to be thoughtful of what appearances may bring. As Christians, you will have your crit...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 2 Thessalonians 3--Verse 1Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored. I love the high regard Paul has for the Word. He asks for prayer, not for the purpose of provision, not for the desire for safety, not for the hope of direction, but that the Word of the Lord would have free course. That was his central ambition. Is it yours? Ma...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Thessalonians 3--Verses 12-13May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father.Jesus has taken it upon himself to make you holy. Think of it. One day you will be blameless – clean, flawless, and perfect! No tinge of guilt. No speck of shame. No...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Philippians 1--Verse 12I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. Opposition never hinders the gospel! If anything, it only accelerates it. Think of communist China. China is officially an atheist country, yet it’s on course to be the world’s most populous Christian nation within 15 years. Chairman Mao wanted to elimina...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Ephesians 2--Verse 14For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.There was a thick-slab wall that stood in the temple. It read: “Foreigners must not enter…Whoever is caught will have himself to blame for his ensuing death.” This was called the Thanatos Inscription. Thanatos is a Greek word that means de...  Read More