“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:14 In her book, Embraced: 100 Devotions to Know God Is Holding You Close, Lysa Terkeurst states, “I believe the opposite of pride is trust in God. Pride begs us to believe it all depends on us. …
Category Archives: Devotion
Don’t Stop Praying
And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Luke 18:39 ESV As Jesus was walking towards Jericho, a blind man sitting by the roadside heard the sound of the crowd surrounding Jesus. “What’s happening?” he asked …
Take Refuge in Him
“The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.” Psalm 37:39-40 ESV Because they take refuge in Him. Isn’t it comforting to know that God does not dole …
Fully Known Yet Fully Loved
Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared. Genesis 32:30 (NLT) Jacob was anything but perfect. He was a cheater, a deceiver, a swindler, and a man determined to get his way. For years, he referred to …
Waiting On God’s Promises
“This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” Genesis 15:14 God had promised Abram that He would bless him and give him descends more numerous than the stars. Yet, despite this promise, Abram took matters into his own hands and skipped ahead of God’s timing. Scripture tells us …
The God of Israel
“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Genesis 32:28 ESV At this point in the biblical narrative, Jacob is on the move from Paddan-aram where he has lived and worked for thirty years. He is headed back to the land …
God’s Ways
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 “Why?” At some point, we all ask this question of God. Paul Tripp offers a …
On Making Wise Choices
So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord. Joshua 9:14 This short but significant verse in the story about the Gibeonites deceiving the Israelites is one worth studying and remembering. Joshua and the men of Israel looked at the evidence – old bread, worn sandals, and burst …
The Problem with Henny Pennys
“Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:23 ESV In 1823, Just Mathias Thiele published an early version of the Henny Penny story in the Danish language. In Thiele’s untitled account, a nut falls on Kylling Kluk’s back and …
Lessons on Discipline
For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews …