Devotionals

Colossians 4:2-6; Matthew 5:13-16; Ephesians 5:1-33

On a dangerous seacoast notorious for shipwrecks, there was a crude little lifesaving station. Actually, the station was merely a hut with only one boat...but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the turbulent sea. With little thought for themselves, they would go out day and night tirelessly searching for those in danger as well as the lost. Many, many lives were saved by this brave band of men who faithfully worked as a team in and out of the lifesaving station. By and by, it became a famous place.

1 Samuel 16:1-7; 1 Kings 5:1-12; John 15:15

Are you attractive? I'm not referring to external beauty nor facial features. I'm asking if you are attractive—magnetic, winsome, charming, friendly. Listen to Proverbs 18:24a (KJV):

A man that hath friends must show himself friendly.

Do you see the point of the proverb? To have friends we must be friendly. Friendliness is a matter of being someone...more than it is doing something.

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.