Daily Devotionals

Romans 8:28–31

Are you tired of gimmicks and scams offering everything from perfect abs in 30 days to financial independence in four easy steps? It’s all nonsense! The infomercial promising the latest easy fix is indeed too good to be true. We may despair, wishing life was that simple. ButGod offers a promise that is guaranteed: when His word is accepted and believed, it can bring about genuine peace and an enduring joy. It’s good, but it’s also true!

Colossians 3:7–10

The flesh dies a slow, bitter, bloody death—kicking and screaming all the way down. “Putting off” the clothes of the old self—the old, habitual lifestyle—will not be complete until you are determined to “put on” the garment of the new self—the new, fresh, Christian lifestyle (see Colossians 3:9–10). The tailor’s name is Change, and he is a master at fitting your frame. But the process will be painful ... and costly.

1 John 5:1–5

If tears were indelible ink instead of clear fluid, all of us would be stained for life. The heartbreaking circumstances. The painful encounters with calamities, the brutal verbal blows we receive from the surgeon. The caustic response of an angry mate. The sudden loss of someone we simply adored. The pain and shame of riding out the consequences of a stupid decision. Such is the groan and grind of life on planet earth.

Hebrews 12:1–2

What is perspective?

Well, it’s obviously related to the way we view something. The term literally suggests “looking through ... seeing clearly.” One who views life through perspective lenses has the capacity to see things in their true relations or relative importance. He sees the big picture. She is able to distinguish the incidental from the essential ... the temporary from the eternal ... the partial from the whole...the trees from the forest.

2 Chronicles 7:13–14

Try turning on the nightly news and avoid hearing about yet another nation in turmoil, usually from within. Though the last great World War was fought decades ago, cultures and kingdoms continue to clash both from within and from without.

Psalm 56:1–4, 12–13

Each morning you awaken to an unpredictable set of hours filled with surprises and trials and potential anxieties.

Many souls start priming the pump of worry even before they get both feet on the floor. All sorts of energy is consumed as the mind runs up and down the dark alleys of imaginary dread.

Yet God desires we rise above such earthly circumstances and soar to new levels of confidence in Him. Here’s a better way to respond to life’s inevitable anxious moments:

Proverbs 3:5–6

Years ago, I got a big laugh out of Stephen Erickson’s article “How to Choose a Dentist”:

Never trust a dentist

... who wears dentures

... who has hairy knuckles

... whose drill is driven by a system of pulleys connected to three mice on a treadmill

... who sends you a Christmas card and charges you for it

... who uses the suction hose to empty your pockets

... who is also a barber

... who sprays his equipment with Lysol to sterilize it

You can always trust a dentist

Matthew 11:28–30

Strange, isn’t it, how we tend toward extremes? What begins as self-improvement becomes self-enslavement ... what starts as merely a mellow change of pace leads to borderline fanaticism. We’re nuts! Left to ourselves, we’ll opt for extremes virtually every time. Which explains why God’s Book so often stresses moderation, self-control, softening our sharp-cornered lives with more curves that necessitate a slower pace.

Psalm 46:10

What is it about our modern culture that drives us to the brink of burnout, no matter our age? Just trying to keep up with daily responsibilities if you’re a family of five, with school-age children to manage, a mortgage to pay, and a dog to keep groomed, calls for near supernatural abilities.

It’s bad enough just meeting the daily and weekly deadlines along with fulfilling some people’s expectations—ugh!—but when I include a bunch of other self-assigned projects, the stress level can approach the ragged edge of madness.

Psalm 61:1–5

At times putting words on paper can free our feelings from the lonely prison of our souls. Especially in times of heartache and disappointment.

It was King David who wrote:

O God, listen to my cry!

Hear my prayer!

From the ends of the earth,

I cry to you for help

when my heart is overwhelmed.

Lead me to the towering rock of safety,

for you are my safe refuge,

a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.