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"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lampand put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-6). My husband and I raised our family in ...
Keep ReadingFor we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). The good news just keeps coming. This past Sunday, we declared, "He Is Risen!" Jesus has conquered the grave. By His selfless sacrifice, we have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light. We were once dead in our s...
Keep Reading"Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lor...
Keep ReadingWhen you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one ...
Keep ReadingFor since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). In these weeks leading up to Easter, also known as Resurrection Sunday, we have been taking a "deep dive" into Paul's passionate plea to the Corinthian church to understand Jesus's death, burial, an...
Keep Reading"Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way."(Exodus 33:3) A land "flowing with milk and honey" likely sounded pretty dreamy to the Israelites after walking through the desert for 40 years. But how satisfying would it be without the Lord accompanying them? I'd imagine ...
Keep ReadingIn her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly (1 Samuel 1:10). "God, if you do this one thing for me, I promise I will __________." Have you ever prayed a prayer like that? I have. When I was a teenager, I remember bargaining with God in this way. I was desperate. I knew He was the One who could fix my problem. Although, if I am honest, I hadn't though...
Keep ReadingWhen they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them" (Acts 4:24). Often, when I read the news, I think, "The world is such a mess." How about you? Each day we are confronted with any number of disturbing news stories. There are stories of wars, oppre...
Keep ReadingGo therefore and make disciples of all the nations[help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words],baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19 Amplified Bible) When you think about the person (or people) who showed you what it looked like to follow Jesus, who comes to mind? What behaviors or practices we...
Keep ReadingAndhe entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading themabout the kingdom of God.But when some became stubborn andcontinued in unbelief, speaking evil ofthe Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the discipleswith him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.This continued fortwo years, so thatall the residents of As...
Keep ReadingJesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.Mark 3:13 [Editor's Note: Happy New Year! Your devotional writing team is back, refreshed and ready for a new sermon series: Spiritual Power in Everyday Places, highlighting the spiritual authority of the believer. First, though, we're focusing on Jesus calling His twelve apostles (Mar...
Keep ReadingFor to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the governmentwill be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,Mighty God, EverlastingFather,Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). "Ask your neighbor what their favorite Christmas song is," instructed the worship leader this past Sunday during our greeting time. I turned to the gentleman behind me and asked h...
Keep ReadingThe mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord's people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col 1:26-27). Recently, I received an invitation from a woman in my neighborhood to attend her 38th birthday party. Ladies only. Cri...
Keep ReadingOnce you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation (Colossians 1:21-22). Have you ever watched one of those home makeover shows like "Fixer-Upper," or "Forever Home," or the hilariously ...
Keep ReadingThe Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation (Colossians 1:15). The Son - Jesus - is the image of the invisible God. Wait. Stoprightthere. This is an awe-inspiring Truth that we ought to sit and ponder. How could God, the Creator of all things, the One who spoke the Universe into existence, be seen with our imperfect vision? How could the ...
Keep ReadingA shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit (Isaiah 11:1). My mom has a wonderful "green thumb." She has beautiful plants inside and landscaped gardens outside. Me - not so much. (Apparently, this gift skipped a generation.) So when we purchased our home here in Chapel Hill that came with rose bushes, I had to call in my local "ho...
Keep ReadingHear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gatesto worship the Lord. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:"Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place" (Jeremiah 7:2-3). A few weeks ago, we looked at the Ten Commandments given to the people of Israel. As we learned, these laws were given by God...
Keep ReadingThen God spoke all these words: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;you shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:1-3). "Look both ways before you cross the street!" "Wash your hands before dinner (and after you use the bathroom)!" "Wear your helmet!" When our boys were little, my husband and I felt like we ...
Keep ReadingAll this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us (2 Corinthians 5:18-20...
Keep ReadingWhen he came to Jerusalemhe tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.But Barnabastook him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus (Acts 9:26-27). With the a...
Keep ReadingListen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going t...
Keep ReadingInstead, we will speak the truth in love,growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love" Ephesians 4:15-16 (NLT). Our God is a relational God: Father,...
Keep Reading"Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found; for great is the wrath of the Lord which is poured out on us because our fathers have not observed the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book." So Hilkiah and those whom the king had told went to Huldah th...
Keep Reading"And the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: 'When you reach the edge of the Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river'" Joshua 3:7-8. It was finally time for God's people to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Lan...
Keep ReadingSo he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." He said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel."Genesis 32:27-28. I recently attended a Christian retreat at the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove in Asheville. I was by myself and didn't know any of the other attendees. It was a little awkward and I felt lonely at first, but we all wore tags w...
Keep ReadingI know that whatever God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it, and nothingtaken away from it. God has made it this way, so that men will fear him (Ecclesiastes 3:14). A few years ago, a man named Juan and his wife had a thriving small business in Chicago. It was highly rated on social media and all was going great - they were "living the dream." Then sudde...
Keep ReadingTherefore, whoever hears these words of Mine and acts on them,may be compared to a wise man who built his house on a rock (Matthew 7:24). You may have read this verse and thought, "Whoever hears what words?" Glad you asked! Beginning in chapter five and continuing through chapter seven, Matthew records Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount, which is chock-full of wisdom on ho...
Keep ReadingThere is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise,but a foolish man swallows it up (Proverbs 21:20). Back in the 1960's, a Stanford psychologist set out to measure self-control among a group of preschoolers. He was interested to observe the effects of self-restraint and delayed gratification as markers of success in life. He gathered the children in a room an...
Keep ReadingThus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sentinto exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, Build houses and live in them;and plant gardens and eat their produce" (Jeremiah 29:4-5). It is not a big mystery that we are born with a propensity towards wanting our own way. Think of a toddler insisting, "Mine!" Or the teenager in your life declaring...
Keep Reading"But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers" (Psalm 1:2-3). We once lived in a home that was surrounded by Redwood trees. When we first moved in, they were maybe t...
Keep ReadingMost of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21:8-9) The account of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem ...
Keep ReadingJesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him" (John 9:3). We are Stepping into the Story of Jesus' earthly ministry. Walking with Him on His journey to bring Light into the darkness. To set the oppressed free. To give sight to the blind. This scene in John 9 opens with a blind man on ...
Keep ReadingJesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinksthe water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will becomein them a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14). Have you ever felt apprehensive about meeting new people? Maybe starting a new job or entering a new school or neighborhood? You migh...
Keep Reading"Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this mancame to Jesus by night and said to Him, 'Rabbi, we know that You have come from Godas a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him'."(John 3:1-2) As we enter the season of Lent, we have been invited to "Step into the Story." These next several weeks, we will...
Keep ReadingBut He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone,but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God'" (Matthew 4:4). Who remembers AWANA? You know, the ministry whose mission it is to reach children with the Gospel. AWANA is an acronym for Approved Workman Are Not Ashamed based on 2 Timothy 2:15. This verse exhorts us to be "a worker...
Keep ReadingSo Jesus replied to him, "Let it happen now, for it is right for us to fulfill all righteousness."(Matthew 3:15) I love baptism Sundays at church. Usually, my cheeks hurt from smiling while tears of joy roll down them. My hands hurt as I clap and cheer on my brother or sister-in-Christ as they come up out of the water. It takes courage and commitment to take this step. It...
Keep ReadingBe devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality (Romans 12:10-13). "Thank you for praying, we had a breakthrough this week!" "I am grat...
Keep ReadingTaking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, "Do you see anything?" And he looked up and said, "I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around." Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly (Mark 8...
Keep ReadingPhilip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philipto come up and sit with him (Acts 8:30-31). Has anyone ever asked you to help them understand Jesus' Good News? What was it like? Were you nervous? Excited? Afraid? Maybe all of the abo...
Keep ReadingNow Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. And a man who had been lame from his mother's womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he bega...
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