Daily Devotionals

Ephesians 4:3–6

1 Corinthians 15:51–52

The feelings are familiar. Mouth open. Eyes like saucers. Chill up the spine.

“The flash of a mighty surprise” boggles the mind, leaving us somewhere between stunned and dumb with wonder. “Am I dreaming or is a miracle happening?” So it is with surprises. Surprises start parties and end partnerships. They solve murders, enhance birthdays and anniversaries, embellish friendships. Kids at Christmas love ’em. Parents expect ’em. Coaches use ’em. Politicians diffuse ’em.

Numbers 30:2

March 11, 1942 was a dark, desperate day at Corregidor. One island after another in the Pacific theatre had been buffeted into submission. The enemy was now marching into the Philippines as confident and methodical as the big band in the Rose Bowl parade. Surrender was inevitable. The brilliant and bold soldier, Douglas MacArthur, had only three words for his comrades as he stepped into the escape boat destined for Australia: “I shall return.”

Amos 8:11–12

The word hangs like an omen in our heads.

We picture brutal, grotesque images. Cows’ hips protrude. Babies’ eyes are hollow. Bloated stomachs growl. Skin stretches tight across faces. The skull outline emerges. Joints swell. Grim, despairing stares replace smiles. Hope is gone...life is reduced to a harsh existence. Those who have seen it cannot forget it. Those who haven’t cannot imagine it. It’s famine.

James 4:14–16

He was brilliant. Clearly a child prodigy, the pride of Salzburg, a performer par excellence. One of the most brilliant and gifted composers of all time left earth at the young age of 35. The man lived most of his life in abject poverty. He died in complete obscurity!

His official name was Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Amadeus TheophilusMozart. With a handle like that, he had to be famous.

We call him Mozart.

James 3:2

Nothing damages our dignity like stumbling!

I have seen people dressed to the hilt stumble and fall flat on their faces as they were walking to church. I’ve done it myself, hoping no one was watching. I’ve watched a sure and winning touchdown by a running back foiled by a stumble.

2 Corinthians 11:13–15

My friend ate dog food one evening. He was at an elegant student reception in a physician's home. The dog food was served on delicate crackers with a wedge of imported cheese, bacon chips, an olive, and a sliver of pimento on top. It was hors d’oeuvres a la Alpo.

Matthew 7:13–14

Do you know where you are going?

You remember Thomas Henry Huxley. Devoted disciple of Charles Darwin. Famousbiologist, teacher, and author. Defender of the theory of evolution. Bold, convincing self-avowed humanist. Travelling lecturer.

Ephesians 4:29

Abraham Lincoln’s coffin was pried open on more than one occasion.

Once in 1887, 22 years after his assassination. Why? It was not to determine if he had died of a bullet fired from John Wilkes Booth’s derringer. Then why? Because a rumour was sweeping the country that his coffin was empty. A select group of witnesses observed that the rumour was totally false, then watched as the casket was resealed with lead.

Genesis 12:1–2

When God calls a servant, there is little room for negotiation. The most striking example of this is when God spoke to Abram, lifting him from obscurity and setting him on a course that would change human history.

The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous (Genesis 12:1–2).