God wants to fill our mouths with laughter—not superficial, temporary amusement that washes away with the next wave of emotions, but genuine and buoyant joy that can withstand the storms of life.
Category Archives: Devotion
Choosing to Trust
David measured his fear up against his God and fear came up short.
Escaping Bondage
“Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” Numbers 14:4 (ESV) The people of Israel were unhappy, to put it mildly. When faced with the prospect of fighting the giants in the land God had promised them, they grew frightened and rebelled. So they cried out, “Would that we had died in the …
Bring Out the Chisel
To become more like Jesus, we must allow God to chisel away anything that isn’t Christlike. The superfluous, the negative, the misbeliefs, the self-doubt. Whatever is harmful to our spiritual growth.
The process may be painful; it might include areas of our lives to which we’ve grown attached, but how much more painful would it be to resist His Spirit and remain an unfinished work?
What Size is Your God?
We live in a society that tends to put people in boxes according to gender, age, race, skills, and education… Sadly, many of us do the same with God. We diminish God to a size our finite minds can handle. We set limits on His ability to work wonders in the world, our country, our neighbor, our homes, and our lives. Those miracles He worked for the Israelites were pretty awesome, but He doesn’t do stuff like that nowadays, right? Nothing is further from the truth. God still works miracles today.
Little Known Memories of the Fallen
Though many have had their lives altered by war, we are thankful to God for our servicemen and women. We honor their patriotism and self-sacrifice to make this a better place to live.
Why, Oh Why, Did I Take This Job?
Guest Post by Author Lauri Lemke Thompson “The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV). I arrived early on my first day at a new job and sat …
I am Listening
All too often, we do the same with God. Our prayer life is more of a monologue than a conversation. We pour out our requests and petitions yet forget to stop and listen to what God wants to tell us.
Sometimes It Takes Affliction
When do we think, “Good to me” when we suffer? Affliction is not pleasant. It hurts, it goes against the grain, and it runs contrary to the philosophy of health, wealth, and happiness. That’s where our thoughts, our understanding, and sometimes our will struggle. Because, while God is focusing on eternity, we’re still stuck on the here and now.
When I Feel Less Than
Simon Peter understood that I-feel-like-a-failure sentiment – as a fisherman, but mostly as a disciple. Though he’d professed he would follow Jesus, even unto death, he didn’t keep his word. Not only did he deny Christ, but he did so three times! Yet Jesus sought him out and gently drew him back to Himself. God never stopped loving Peter. That would directly oppose His character. He never stops loving us, even when we feel like we’ve failed. His love does not depend on our merit but on His grace.