Daily Devotionals

Psalm 51:12–15

Joseph suffered cruel treatment from his vengeful brothers and devastating consequences from a false accusation. He could have languished in the dungeon, eaten up with bitterness. Joseph saw a better way—he saw God’s sovereign hand through the pain. Because he did, he later stood before his betrayers filled with nothing but forgiveness. That sincere ingredient freed him from any thought of retaliation or revenge.

Forgiveness is the song of the soul set free!

1 John 5:11–13

Being lost is a terrifying experience. A person’s head spins as panic creeps up, shouting threats like, “You’ll never find your way!” or “It’s impossible!” Fear clutches at you.

Ephesians 5:1–2

Following the sixth day of creation, the Lord God deliberately stopped working. He rested. It wasn’t that there was nothing else He could have done. It certainly wasn’t because He was exhausted. Omnipotence never gets tired! He hadn’t run out of ideas, for omniscience knows no mental limitations. He could easily have made more worlds, created an infinite number of other forms of life, and created multiple millions of galaxies beyond what He did.

But He didn’t. He stopped. He deliberately stopped working and started resting.

Matthew 6:25–27

Now here’s a rhyme I’ll never understand:

Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?
I’ve been to London to visit the Queen.
Pussycat, pussycat, what did you there?
I frightened a little mouse under her chair.

Luke 5:13–16

In our work-worshipping society, being still is no small task. Many have cultivated such an unrealistic standard of high-level achievement that a neurotic compulsion to perform, to produce, to accomplish the maximum is now the rule rather than the exception. We’ve lost the value of solitude.

Acts 19:17–21

Transitions in life have a way of either stalling our progress or keeping us alert to God’s purposes. Transitions are usually unexpected, sometimes shocking us to the core. We ask questions like, “Where did that come from?” or “How in the world did I not see that coming?” Other transitions we foresee, and that allows the opportunity to prepare...as when your last child heads off to college or when you’re in the last stretch of your career, nearing retirement.

Isaiah 26:3–4

Peace is something that is needed between nations just as much as it is needed between neighbours. Let’s face it: we’re a warring people. Deep down underneath our placid plastic cover we are fighters. Most don’t live at peace with themselves, so it stands to reason they don’t live peacefully with others. That’s true among Christians as well as non-Christians. There are very few who live a life that is calm, easygoing, and free from anxiety.

Tucked away in the 26th chapter of Isaiah are two verses we need to dust off occasionally and let soak in.

2 Corinthians 4:7–10

There’s no getting around it, pain and suffering are inevitable. Our grandparents did not escape it, our parents did not escape it, you and I will not escape it, nor will our children escape it. Some will say, “If you suffer, you are in sin. And since you are in sin, if you will deal correctly and sufficiently with your sin, your suffering will go away.” None of that is the truth. Scripture does not support such reasoning! Let’s look at God’s perspective on suffering, delivered in the words of the apostle Paul:

1 Thessalonians 4:1–5

We have a number of ways of encouraging someone toward excellence. Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to excel in their walk with Christ.

While advocating an excelling lifestyle, Paul targets one specific area that needs constant attention—moral purity:

Jonah 1:1–4

As a pastor, I often get asked questions regarding God’s will. Here is a sample:

What if I know the will of God, but I’m not able to do it?
Why can’t I rely on my feelings?
Can I be in the will of God and not realize it?
What about situations I’m going through that aren’t addressed in the Bible?
Is God serious about everything He commands?

Remember what happened when Jonah rebelled? Read this brief refresher: