Scripture:  John 10:9, 11 (NASB) - I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out  and find pasture…I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the  sheep.       I love movies.  Sometimes the novel version is so engaging that someone produces a movie of that story.  Where applicable, it’s always exciting to compare the two depictions.  I o...  Read More

Scripture: John 4: 26, 28-30, 39, 41 -  "Jesus saith unto her, 'I that speak unto thee, am He.'...The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men 'Come, see a man, which told me all things which ever I did: Is not this the Christ? Then they went out from the city and came unto Him... And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on Him for the saying of th...  Read More

Scripture:  John 4:37 - And herein is that saying true, One soweth and another reapeth.One might call it serendipity, to engage the day as if ordinary and find it to unfold gloriously... but then to have the usual days characteristics, and to face them with the usual expectations of "same ol' gravy, warmed-over", as the saying goes, would be poor regard of our daily blessing. If one is not careful...  Read More

Scripture: John 19:28-30 - After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spiri...  Read More

Scriptures: (Corinthians 5:21 NKJ) For “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  (Isaiah 53:6). “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned every one, to his own way, And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Rom. 5:8) But God demonstrates His own love towards us, while we were still sinners,  in that  Christ died fo...  Read More

Scripture:  Psalm 33:11 – “The counsel of the Lord stands forever,  The plans of His heart from generation to generation.”Malachi 3:6 - “For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.”Numbers 23:19 - “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?I ...  Read More

Scripture:  Isaiah 5:20 (NKJV) - Woe To those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness..Young people born about thirty years ago entered a world that was well on its way to being saturated with technological gadgetry.  Consequently, their adaptation to such devices usually comes more easily to them than to us who were born during an earlier era.  Similar...  Read More

Scripture:  Acts 16:25-31 - And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew o...  Read More

Scripture:  Psalm 33:1, 3, 12 - "Rejoice in the Lord, O' ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright...  Sing unto the Lord, a new song: with a loud noise, play skillfully...Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance."Psalm 96:1, 2 - "Sing unto the Lord a new song: Sing unto the Lord all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless His na...  Read More

Scripture: John 12:12-15  - The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out “Hosanna!‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!” 14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;...  Read More

Scripture:  II Corinthians 5:9 - Therefore, we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well-pleasing to Him.Have you ever been within earshot of someone describing another person’s less than stellar conduct (or speech) as being “out of character?”  Such statements can prompt the question, ‘I wonder if person x’s behavior really was out of character, or if who they truly are at heart simp...  Read More

Scriptures:   Deuteronomy 33:27 (NKJ) - The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, ‘Destroy!’Psalms 46:1 (NKJ) - God is our refuge and strength, very present help in troubleThe word refuge takes on a meaning of a mansion or an abiding place, which gives the thought that God is our abode, our spiritual home. T...  Read More

Scripture:  James 1:19, 20 - So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.God gave us two ears to hear, two eyes to see, two nostrils to breathe, but only one mouthto speak.  Yet, in opposite proportion, God says far more about the potential good and damagespeech from a mouth can do to ...  Read More

Scripture:  Galatians 4:19 - My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you.The Holy Spirit has come to indwell all who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as personal savior.  His will and work in us is not just to reveal knowledge about Christ to us, but to reveal Christ through us in CONDUCT, CHARACTER, and COMMUNICATION.  Our devotional passage reminds us ...  Read More

Scriptures: Isaiah 43:18 - 19 - Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.19 Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.Philippians 3:13-14 - Brethren, I do not count myself to have [a]apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching...  Read More

Scripture:  John 15:12-17 - This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Fath...  Read More

Scripture: Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.To delight in the Lord will cause me to deny myselfTo delight in the world will cause me to deny His helpTo delight in the Lord will activate the Holy SpiritTo delight in the world will deactivate divine limitsTo delight in the Lord will trigger discernmentTo delight in the world will trigger d...  Read More

Scripture: Philippians 2: 9 -11 – 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.“What’s in a name? “That which we call a rose. By...  Read More

Scripture: (Psalms 119:105 NKJV) Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.Through years past, I served in youth ministry. When reading Scripture, youth were to ask the Lord: What are you saying to me? How do you want me to apply this to my life? What am I to learn? When you read Scripture with a yielded, teachable heart, the Holy Spirit will work through God’s Word to illuminate your ...  Read More

Scripture:  Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.I remember when I invited Jesus Christ into my life in August of 1978!  That was the best day of my life!  I’m so grateful that the Lord has unconditional love for me, and my personal relationship with the Lord will last fo...  Read More

Scripture: Revelation 22:16 – “I, Jesus, have sent mine Angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.”You don’t have to be a boxing fan to have heard the statement, “I am the greatest” and know who said it. Most people, even young people know who Muhammad Ali is. Every chance Ali got he told the world that he was ...  Read More

Scripture:  Hebrews 10:23 – Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.During the era of slavery in America, it was common for a master to whip a slave and force the other slaves to watch; and it was not strange to see a slave soon after childbirth be thrown back out to the field to work.  Oh, the horrors of slavery.  The United States commemorate...  Read More

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.Let’s have some fun and pick some FRUIT as the spring season approachesDepending on the spirit, I call for helpThe spirit is Holy, the flesh for selfThe spirit lives in me, alive and strongIt can’t be removed, or...  Read More

Scripture:  Luke 18:1 (NKJV) - Then He spoke a parable to them that men always ought to pray and not lose heart….A wise preacher of the gospel was quoted as saying, “Prayerlessness is a spirit of independence from God.”  It’s one thing for a Christ follower to become slothful about prayer and to neglect frequent returns to God’s throne room, but I’m convinced that doing so forfeits a great privile...  Read More