Daily Devotions

 We all have it. Maybe we don’t realize it. Sounds kinda mystical. It’s the stuff fairytales are made of. Some call it an aura. Some call it presence. Some may refer to it as a glow. Whatever you call it and exactly what it is I’m not sure but I am sure everybody has it. They exude it.  We can’t help but be who we are. We are able to spot it so much more quickly in others than we do in ourselves. It’s that quality that some possess that makes you want to be around them. It’s also that same quality that makes people want to not be around them. You know what I’m talking about. It’s that intangible, invisible, yet very real presence that emanates from within. Here’s the crazy part. We will exude that aura depending on what and where we are emotionally and spiritually. To be fair we aren’t always a party to be around like when we’re “hangry.” Other times we are a joy to be with. When we encounter Jesus and he becomes a vital part of our lives more often than not we will exude joy, peace, a

 We all know it’s true, actions speak louder than words. Knowing it and doing it are two completely different things. We all love a good speech filled with flowery words that paint a beautiful picture. We all have our favorite speakers and orators but ultimately it comes down to actions. We can easily say what others want to hear and frankly, there are some silver tongues devils who can talk themselves out of almost anything and sometimes even into everything! Words definitely have the power to persuade. Actions, however, will always trump words.  We can be guilty of what we condemn others of, all talk and no action. What is most assuredly needed today in America is a lot less talk and way more action. There is a way that we can truly demonstrate our love for others and that is through concrete action. Our verse for today encourages us to do just that. Don’t love in words only but back it up with some real action. You tell your wife you love her but it would be better to buy her flower

 Today is a good day for prayer! In fact everyday is a good day for prayer. We are reminded in scripture that we should pray in all situations. That means big or small, things of global and national importance and things that matter to my child. Finances a mess? Pray. Marriage a little rocky? Pray. Feeling down or depressed? Pray. Having a great day? Offer a prayer of thanksgiving.  There are so many different ways to pray. We seem to think that it always involves kneeling for an hour in deep prayer although that would be ok too! Pray while you’re driving to work. Pray while you are working out. Pray while jogging. Pray in the shower. Pray for your food. Pray over you spouse. Pray for you family. Pray for your enemies. Pray for our state and national leaders.  Big prayers, little prayers, short ones and long ones. Prayer is simply talking to God about everything and anything. He stands ready to listen and even speak into our hearts and minds. Read prayers, say prayers, sing prayers, th

 So many in America today are asking , “Now what?” Where do we go from here? What will become of us? Big tech is censoring conservative voices, the left wing liberals are going to begin persecuting those that disagree with them, our rights will all be under attack or even stripped away! This is all very concerning and well as it should be. But God has a plan and he is working it as he sees fit without even asking my input or permission! What I see is God purifying his church. He will have his bride and she will be spotless and glorious! It’s nothing new for darkness to not understand the light. Darkness is frightened by the light so it works tirelessly to extinguish it. Darkness knows it has a limited time so it will do everything it can it a short amount of time.  Our hold on this world is a temporary one. We are just passing through. This world is not my permanent home. I seek a home not made by hands. I belong to a kingdom that cannot be overturned. I serve a King without equal.  To

 As a kid it was always fun playing hide-n-seek. Not sure which was more fun, the hiding or the finding! Of course there were times when someone hid so well you just couldn’t find them. Then the times when a kid would hide in plain sight.  We have this idea that God is hiding from us all the time. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact he has revealed himself over and over and over again. The real issue is that we get so easily distracted by all the shiny stuff of life.  We are told in his word that in the past he spoke through so many different people and avenues. He finally decided to come and speak to us directly through his Son, Jesus Christ. Through him he basically showed us who he really is and just how much he really loves us. In our current environment of constant entertainment, and a video screen in our hands we are easily distracted. So many things competing for our attention. It turns out God is “hiding” in plain sight. He is there right in the middle of our chaos

 God rules and reigns in the affairs of men. He sets up and brings low kings and kingdoms at his pleasure. He is at work in our beloved America whether we see it or not. Being confident of this truth means that after I have done my part in the process of selecting government officials I then leave the rest to him.  In the same way but on a much smaller scale I know that I can trust him with the plans for my life. To him it is just as important because of how much he loves us. Too many today are bent all out of shape with everything going on at the White House but don’t give the same attention to what’s happening in their own house. There is a tension, a balance between my planning and God’s will and leading. He gave us the intelligence and creativity at creation to work, plan, and be about the tasks set before us long before the fall in the garden. So in a practical sense when we plan and work hard to provide for our families and help our neighbors we are in his will already.  We must

 So much drama. Watching the political parties in America today is like watching a soap-opera. So many drama queens it’s ridiculous. Some people just seem to create histrionics wherever they go. It follows them like a cloud that permeates everything they say and do. Usually when that person comes into a room you can almost hear the sighs rise up because you know what’s coming. You want to pull out your violin and start tuning because a sob story is about to begin and you want to be ready with the whiny, cry in your beer, music.  Truly it’s exhausting. We are bombarded from every angle about why this or that isn’t fair. We explain that they will get their due. Our thoughts are taken captive by all the theatrics and melodramas. Anxiety rules the day and your peace of mind is gone!  In today’s verse we are encouraged with good news! You have to read the previous verse to understand it fully. “Don’t worry about anything instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him fo

 Parenting is hard work. It takes a lot of perseverance, dedication, and yes, blood, sweat and tears. As parents we use rewards and punishment in an effort to shape and mold children’s behavior that will serve our children well as adults. The prefer method is to use rewards because it’s fun all the way around. We like to bless our kids with good things when they do what is required of them. As a father of five very different children the methods change for each individual child but the goals and main methods remain the same. What will motivate one to good behavior will not motivate another. What will discourage one from bad behavior may have little to no effect on another. It’s a daunting task to say the least. Once in a while even parents get it wrong.  The harsh reality is that we sometimes get punished for doing right in this world. Jesus understood this and let’s us know that our good deeds will not go unnoticed by our Heavenly Father. He will take care of blessing us at the right

 We take it for granted that people have a certain level of common sense but when you see what gets posted on social media you quickly realize that’s not true. People even go to the extreme and do really dumb stuff because somebody somewhere said it was a challenge so for some unknown reason they take it very personally and actually record themselves on video doing crazy stuff on purpose.  It’s really amazing just how many people will believe whatever is sad. There are also people who think they’re smarter than everyone else and that they have some sort of secret insight into what is going on in our world right now because they saw this video that someone they trust sent to them so it must be true. Just stick the word “prophet” and all of a sudden you’ve got a ton of followers in the religious community. The word of God tells us that in the last days people will have itching ears and they will heap on to themselves teachers who will tell them what they want to hear. Basically people wa

 More than ever we need to practice this word daily. Too many are doing the opposite and stoking fear, repeating conspiracy theories, instigating insurrection, and seemingly pushing each other to the brink of a civil war. Others are running around like Chicken Little screaming, “the sky is falling!” Commercials for ready to eat meals that will stay good for 25 years are everywhere. Some people of faith have even been fooled and are now shopping for new social media apps and running scared from platform to platform. I wish someone would go back and re-read their bibles! This is not the day for men’s hearts to fail them for fear. At least not the heart of Christian men and women. All this scurrying about comes from putting all your eggs in the political and news baskets. Listen, this peace I have, the world didn’t give it to me and the world can’t take it away! Regardless of who the resident of the White House is my peace is secure. The biggest issue is the feeling of loss of control. To

 Lord of the Rings is probably one of my all time favorite series of movies ever! It’s absolutely spectacular in the scenery, the characters, the battles scenes, the struggle between light and dark forces. We watch them several times each year. So many great quotes too! This story line was written many years ago and became classics. The work that had to be done to bring the stories to life from book to movies was a tremendous undertaking. The film had to be true to the books at least in being able to convey the truths without losing any of its power.  In today’s verse we see that the “Word became flesh and lived among us.” We had for millennia the written Word of God in an assortment of scrolls. Our bibles are a collection of books written over a span of 1400 years by over 40 different authors from every walk of life. Farmers and kings, prophets and priests, princes and fishermen, and more all penned at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit some of the most beautiful works of literature e

 Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back! There are tons of products out there that boast satisfaction. Oftentimes they can satisfy your need for a very specific item. Those times when they don’t can leave you feeling frustrated and misunderstood.  There is in us a craving, a desire for more. No matter how much we have we seem to always want more, better, bigger, newer. It is an endless cycle of temporary satisfaction and a craving for more. We eat the most delicious meal ever and ooh and ahh about how excellent it is and go on and on about it to others only to find ourselves hungry again within a few short hours. The belly is never fully satisfied. It’s not just food. It can be affection, love, money, power, influence, or a plethora of other needs and wants. We are creatures of craving. If we are not careful we will find ourselves miserable with unsatisfied cravings.  Jesus knew this about human nature. He understands us better than we understand ourselves. He gives us words of wis

There is just something special about walking up to a fruit tree and picking off some delicious ripened fruit. There’s no feeling like that. We had a fig tree, a grapefruit tree, and a pecan tree in our own backyard growing up. We enjoyed being able to eat fruit right off our own trees. At just the right season I can take a walk around our church neighborhood and there is a huge fig tree with branches hanging way out into the sidewalk full of figs. Yes, I take a few and enjoy them on my walk. It’s so refreshing and energizing. People are like fruit trees. We are either barren, bearing good fruit, or bearing bad fruit. When we stay close to the Lord in our journey of faith we are able to produce good fruit. Peace, love, joy, kindness, gentleness, patience, self-control, forgiveness, and more! In fact we can sometimes produce so much fruit that it naturally overflows to others who are blessed as well. Likewise we can bear bad fruit. Hate, selfishness, meanness, criticism, lust, envy, str

 There are different levels of strength and courage. In leadership books and seminars we are often told to set scary goals. We’ve heard it said that if it doesn’t scare you then it’s not from God. We’ve been told that we should believe for the impossible. While there are some things we can take from all of this I beg to differ with this kind of “go big or go home” mentality to Christian living.  We are told if you are not living constantly at the precipice of failure or greatness you are somehow doing it wrong. Nothing could be further from the truth. I suspect that much of that kind of thinking is more about personal satisfaction, ego, pride, and human greatness. Somehow we think we are greater spiritual giants than others because we bought into this idea. Often being strong and courageous is found in daily living. Small acts of love, sacrifice, and service. You may never go into battle against overwhelming odds and come out the celebrated, conquering hero but you serve quietly, faith