“And I tell you, ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you . . . if you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to …
Tag Archives: devotions
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 …
On the Wrong Side of Fear
So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.” Elijah was afraid and fled for his life… 1 Kings 19:2-3 (ESV) She was a powerful foe, one who could send a mighty man …
Living for Today
To get ahead of myself – to rely on my resources, my ‘wisdom,’ my self-sufficiency, is to anticipate the future without the grace God provides anew each morning to meet that day’s needs.