Devotionals

Genesis 17:2

Nearly 25 years had passed since the Lord first spoke to Abram in Ur. Since then, his spiritual roots had pushed deep into the soil of faith in his God. At long last, he trusted in the Lord’s promise and rested in His sovereign will. He was now capable of receiving the covenant blessings.

Genesis 17:1

Thirteen years passed, and Abram didn’t hear anything from God. There was no vision. There was no voice. There was no visit. Only silence. Try to imagine: complete silence on God’s part for 13 years.

Psalm 46; 131; Isaiah 30:15-18; Mark 6:30-32

It is almost 10:00, Monday night. The children are snoozing and snoring upstairs (or they should be!). Aside from a few outside noises—a passing car...a barking dog...a few, faint voices in the distance—all's quiet on the home front. That wonderful, much-needed presence has again come for a visit—quietness. Oh, how I love it...how I need it.

Genesis 39:19-21; 41:50-52; 45:4-8; Proverbs 18:12; 1 Peter 1:3-9

"There lies the most perfect ruler of men the world has ever seen...[and] now he belongs to the ages."

Of whom was this said? One of the Caesars? No. Napoleon? No. Alexander the Great? No. Eisenhower? Patton? MacArthur...or some earlier military strategist like Grant or Lee or Pershing? No, none of the above. How about Rockne or Lombardi? No. Or Luther? Calvin? Knox? Wesley? Spurgeon? Again, the answer is no.

Leviticus 26:14, 18, 21, 27, 40-46; Luke 8:4-18; John 4:1-26; James 1:19

It is impossible to overemphasize the immense need humans have to be really listened to, to be taken seriously, to be understood. No one can develop freely in this world and find a full life without feeling understood by at least one other person....

Listen to the conversations of our world, between nations as well as those between couples. They are for the most part dialogues of the deaf.¹

Psalm 37:30-31; 119:9-16; Matthew 4:1-10

Genesis 2:2–3:15, 31:38–42; Colossians 3:22–25

I have just taken my Webster’s Dictionary off the shelf and looked up "thorough." He says it means “carried through to completion, careful about detail, complete in all respects.”

1 Corinthians 15:50–58

One evening my wife and I were enjoying a quiet conversation together. We were sipping some fresh-perked coffee, the house was unusually still, and there were no plans to go anywhere that evening. You know, one of those priceless moments you wish you could wrap up and reserve for later use when it’s really needed again. 

Philippians 2:1–2

As we discussed in Part One, Martin Luther, hero of the Protestant Reformation, was a maverick, a classic shaker and mover. Alone...independent...invincible. He needed no one but God to lean on.

Or did he? 

Is that true of any “hero”? 

Mark 10:35-45

Up-front heroes are often seen as being larger than life. Overstated. That’s unfortunate.