Prayer from the Heart
Read: Matthew 6:1-8 When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. (v. 6) I read recently about a woman who was very distressed about a particular problem in her life. She was sharing this with a friend, and the friend said to her, […]
Power in Prayer
Read: James 5:13-18 The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (v. 16 NIV) Today’s verses bring to mind a mission trip to Chicago that I went on with the young people of the church I was serving in Iowa. Like many such mission trips, we did various physical work like painting and […]
Confidence in Prayer
Read: Hebrews 4:14-16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace. (v. 16) Recently I was talking with a friend and the name of a certain individual came up. I had heard of this person but didn’t really know him. “What’s he like?” I asked. My friend responded, “Oh, he would […]
Devote Yourselves to Prayer
Read: Colossians 1:1-8; 4:2-4 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (Col. 4:2 NIV) “Prayer today is the most neglected area in the life of the believer and in the life of the church.” Those are the words of Dr. J. Vernon McGee, a prominent Bible teacher, pastor, and theologian who ministered in the […]
The Sabbath Keeps Us
Read: Isaiah 30:12-17 In returning and rest you shall be saved. (v. 15) Today is the final devotion in our Sabbath series. The irony is not lost on me that as I write this, I’m using my Sabbath to finish in order to meet my deadline! It’s so easy to slip back into patterns of […]
Rehearsing Heaven
Read: Hebrews 4:1-11 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. (v. 9) The great Albert Einstein was traveling on a train from Princeton, New Jersey. When the conductor came through collecting tickets, Einstein grew frantic because he couldn’t find his ticket. The conductor reassured him. “Dr. Einstein, I’m sure you […]
Gaining a Wise Heart
Read: Psalm 90 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (v. 12) Four thousand weeks. This is the amount of time human beings, on average, have on this earth (about 80 years). Some of us will get a bit more, others of us will get less. It’s […]
Learning to be Content
Read: Philippians 4:10-20 I have learned to be content with whatever I have. (v. 11 NRSV) If only . . . Do you ever find yourself thinking these two words? If only my child would behave, I’d be less stressed. If only I could get a raise, I’d enjoy my job more. If only I […]
We’re Not in Egypt Anymore!
Read: Deuteronomy 5:12-15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand. (v. 5) You may recall from earlier in this devotional series that there are two places in the Bible where the Ten Commandments are recorded: […]