Category Archives: Daily Devotionals

Daily Devotionals

Psalm Forty-Nine

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The book of Psalms consists of a series of conversations between God and man. This one is concerned with the fate of those who refuse God’s call…..                      

DOLLR3_FThe Rich  Man.

Hear this you people living here, All people in the world give ear,

I’m telling you with all my heart, To  trust in God and take a part;

For those who trust in only wealth, Will find their soul soon has no health;

They cannot save their brother’s soul, They cannot make him to be whole.

No matter who, we all must die, And meet our Maker up on high,

Our wealth is left with what we’ve gained, And others waste all that remained.

People think to leave their name, On their estates will keep their fame,

Riches cannot take their soul, To the One who makes them whole.

Tis only God who can redeem, Who takes us into heaven’s gleam.

Do not fret o’er those made rich, They cannot take with them  one stitch!

Their glory fades and fame will pale, For in their death all else will fail.

They are no better than a beast, That perishes with all that’s least.

How true this psalm is! Those who never give God a thought during their life time have nothing to look forwards to in the next life. Some say boastfully that they have lived without God and they will die without Him, while the best that others can look forwards to is being reincarnated as a donkey or some other animal! But when they come to the point of no return, they cry out in horror at what they can see ahead of them. There is nothing sadder than the cry of “Too late!”

Daily Devotionals, Uncategorized

Is this Your Shepherd?

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Psalm Twenty-three….

The Shepherding One

The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all I need, I rest in green pastures, by still waters He’ll lead;

My soul He restores, His paths are all right As He leads each day, I walk in His light

In the shadow of death, I’ll not be afraid, For my Lord is with me , my debts He has paid,

His rod and staff, they comfort and keep, My cup runneth over, my joy is so deep;

Goodness and mercy always with me, For I’ll live in His presence eternally.

   This must be one of the best known and loved portion of Scripture there is! The picture of a Shepherd lovingly caring for His sheep is an idyllic one indeed! Yet it is true in the spiritual sense for those who know this wonderful Shepherd of the sheep. Our Lord says it of Himself…..”I am the Good Shepherd, I know My sheep and am known by Mine”  (John 10:14).

We can truly say, “Because the Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need”. Not only does He provide our physical needs, but more importantly He gives us our daily spiritual needs as well! What a wonderful prospect we have as we look ahead! We need to hang onto this psalm firmly, especially in times when we are feeling down….it is the most uplifting  song we can sing, and will surely lift us out of our swamp of despondency!

Daily Devotionals

Lessons from Fishing

12f  We sometimes go fishing. It’s a wonderfully relaxing pastime unless there are no fish around in which case one can feel rather frustrated. However, if it is a nice day, just being on the water is relaxation in itself.

When the fish are biting well, and one or two come into the boat, all the trouble seems worthwhile. That reminds us that nothing worthwhile in life just happens without some effort. Nothing tried is nothing gained just as in other phases of life.

Sometimes only undersized fish get caught. This is when one has to just throw them back to grow some more We have to be honest in this and not keep them. If one is caught by the inspector, a  heavy fine and sometimes even the confiscation of the boat.

Other times, a big one might get on and be brought right up to the side of the boat, only to have it give a final flick of the head  and get away. At times like this it doesn’t seem fair…..after all that effort to have it get away! That reminds us that life isn’t always fair. At times it is grossly unfair. But this is how we learn to cope with disappointments…..things won’t always go our way!

Another lesson to learn is to kill the fish immediately they are brought into the boat. It is not fair to let creatures suffer unnecessarily, and to die of  slow suffocation is anything but kind.

Learning to cast with the rod doesn’t just come naturally. As with most things, there is a certain knack to learn to get the line far enough out. The same principle applies here as with other things….practice makes perfect! If at first you don’t succeed, try again as the old saying goes.

Last but not least, is that time spent with family or friends is never time wasted. Let’s make sure we take the time to enjoy the things that God has given us to freely enjoy. It would be sad indeed to have to face Him one day and hear Him say, “ I  made all that beauty for you to experience, and you never took the time to enjoy it!”

Daily Devotionals

Thoughts from Proverbs Chapter Two…

PETEE022Verses:1-6

Solomon is begging his son here to listen and take notice. A person with a bit of age and experience behind him, can see the pitfalls that a headstrong youngster can never see.

“Listen to me”, Solomon says, “Seek and apply yourselves, ask and seek earnestly for wisdom!” Do we do this?

God has all these blessings in Christ Jesus waiting for us, but we must put effort into getting them (John 15:7). James tells us that we don’t have the enjoyment of them because we don’t ask for them and apply ourselves to getting them (James 4:2c). It is like a student once who needed finance to get through his course and asked the Lord to provide it. He did, but not in the way he expected it…. God provided a job for him to earn his own money!

Those who earnestly and prayerfully seek, WILL find …..this is one of the prayers that God has unconditionally promised He will grant! (Matthew 7:7)

Seek wisdom from the Lord above, Who gives all things richly in love;

But we must search and seek this for, It to be giv’n from God’s rich store.

Daily Devotionals

Father God versus Mother Nature

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PROVERBS  THREE…. (v.19-26) 

Verses 19-26

     Solomon tucks in here a basic truth which is so relevant in this day and age where evolution is so freely taught..

It is God who created all the things and Who gave us the principles of nature. It is not MOTHER Nature, but FATHER  God! This knowledge and wisdom tells the believer that God has all things under control and there is no need to worry about global warming, ozone layering or over-population   of the Planet! (Hebrews 1:2-3)

We must hold firmly onto this knowledge and not waver from it, so we will have sound wisdom and perfect peace with the confidence that God’s Word gives. Hebrews tells us that our Lord is upholding all things by the Word of His Power . He is ALIVE, and sitting on the right Hand of God RIGHT NOW! He is taking care of the universe, and He has taken care of man’s sin problem, if only man will turn to Him.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       The Lord with wisdom, has made the earth, This  wisdom is the utmost worth;                         It’s  in  His control, we need not fear, But praise Him for this and be of good cheer!

Daily Devotionals

How Did Things Start?

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Genesis One….(v.1)

Verse 1….

   The first phrase of the Bible says….”In the beginning, God”. This is where most people start but as we go through the Bible we get little glimpses of eternity past….things that happened before the world was even created. Verse one presupposes that God was there before He started creating.

One of the main attributes of God is that He is a God of Love. How could He possibly display this love to the beings that existed there in eternity with Him? They all obeyed Him implicitly, and there was no reason why they shouldn’t. They had been created to be His ministering spirits to do His slightest command (Hebrews 1:7, 14)

God wanted to display His manifold (many faceted) wisdom to all the principalities and powers of the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:10). How could He do this unless there was a dark backdrop to show His marvelous light against? Unless there is disobedience, perfect obedience doesn’t have any impact.

Therefore it is safe to assume that God had a plan  BEFORE He ever began creation. Not only did He have this plan, but it was written down in detail ahead of time. Jesus Christ could say to His Father, “You have prepared Me a body, as it is written in the volume of the Book” (Hebrews 10:5-7)

God’s plan was written in His Book, Of things the angels wanted to look;                             He made the earth so He could show, His love and light for men to know.

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Genesis One….(v.1)

Verse 1….

   We have seen that God had a plan BEFORE He began His creation work (and is still working to it). From God’s viewpoint, the whole plan was as good as accomplished….now He is just waiting for it to work itself out. After all, He created TIME….ETERNITY is timeless, without time! Time didn’t come into being until the sun, moon and stars were created for without them, there is no measuring rule.

God knew before He began, how He would bring salvation to man….that His only beloved Son (part of Himself) would go to earth to live a sinless life and then be qualified to die to pay the penalty of sin…a Person with no sin of His own (1 Peter 1:20). He knew BEFORE time began, all those who would come to Him in repentance, and wrote their names in the Book of Life (Revelation 17:8b.) He had even prepared a kingdom for them all BEFORE the foundation of the earth was laid  (Matthew 25:34). But all these things were kept a secret from angels and principalities until AFTER Jesus Christ had died and brought salvation to mankind. (Matthew 13:35). It was then that God’s Holy Spirit revealed these truths to His Apostles who wrote them down for us to read today in the Holy Bible. Let’s make sure that we not only read all about these things for ourselves, but that we make sure that our name is in the Book of Life!

God’s plan was written and early made, Before the world’s foundation laid;             Before the sun e’er showed its face, Or time began, God made our space.

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Daily Devotionals

Thoughts from Proverbs (3)

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PROVERBS  THREE…. (v.1-10)

Verses 1-10

     Solomon is again telling his son to take notice of what he is saying, so he can enjoy a long and peaceful life.

The first thing is to be 100% truthful and honest before God and before man……there is nothing more peaceful than a clear conscience! To experience  the mercy of God, one must be merciful to others and not judgmental. Paul goes into great detail of how a believer must act towards others, and we are left in no doubt as to what the Lord expects. We might think this is hard to do, but Solomon gives us the key…..”trust in the Lord,” he says, “Don’t follow your first reaction to circumstances, ask what God would have you to do! If you do this, you will KNOW the right thing to do”

Paul goes on to say that we will then have God’s peace ruling in our heart with our minds and consciences at rest. We will be thankful for what we HAVE got, and be able to count our blessings. God’s peace helps our state of health…..our stress levels are lower, our stomach stops churning, and we sleep better; “health to our navel” as Solomon says! What better advice could we have than this!  (Colossians 3:12-17)

God wants His people honest and true, Kind-hearted and helpful all their days through;                                                                                                                                                                      Trust in the Lord and His leading each day, And He’ll constantly keep you along Life’s way!

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PROVERBS  THREE…. (v.11-18)

Verses 11-18

Do you think it sounds strange to be immediately told after these wonderful promises of peace and prosperity, that some unpleasant experiences may come upon you?

What is the purpose of trials and tests? Do you notice what the Lord Jesus said to His disciples immediately after His promises of asking and receiving? They would be granted what they asked for, but would not be exempt from experiences trials and tribulations!  (John 16:23-33)

What did Paul say about the problem he asked to have taken away from him? God allowed it to stay so he could experience God’s grace and strength in his time of weakness (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Hebrews tells us that the results of chastening (or correction) teach us to put into practice God’s righteousness and to learn His peace (Hebrews 12:5-11).

Solomon tells us here that the lessons we learn from God’s chastening gives even more wisdom, and that these experiences are worth far more than silver or gold. We can rejoice in them after they are over and profit from them by knowing God better.

Troubles and trials are sent to us all, But our Lord is beside us and won’t let us fall;                                                                                                                                                                          He’ll carry us through, and give us more grace, As we look in His Word, and seek His pure face.

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Daily Devotionals

Devotional Thoughts from Proverbs (2)

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PROVERBS  ONE…. (v.7-9)

Verses 7-9

The beginning of real wisdom is to fear the Lord, that is, to acknowledge, reverence and obey Him, realising that we are accountable to Him.

Solomon goes on to tell his sons to listen to their parent’s instructions.  More importantly for us today, is that we listen to our Heavenly Father’s Words as recorded in His Word the Bible. If we hide it in our hearts, we will not sin against Him,  (Psalm 119:11 it will become a light showing  our way and a guide to our feet as to places to go (Psalm 119:105). It will both show you the way to go as well as the dangers to keep away from.

God’s Word is absolutely true and trustworthy, and the result of living in its way is to have GREAT PEACE where NOTHING will upset or offend us (Psalm 119:160, 165). What better ornament is there to wear than this!

The beginning of wisdom is to fear the Lord, Trust in him, and heed His Word,             Those who won’t take this to heart,  In the things of God will have no part!

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