DEVOTIONS
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Today’s Truth
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies (Proverbs 31:10 NIV)
Friend to Friend
It’s as though the worn-out piece of wood can tell the future. Years of use have literally left their mark on the old stick, and each time it appears, anticipation swirls in the hearts of my little people.
During the days of my husband’s youth, as he and his siblings grew in age and size, Luke’s mom took a wooden board and made it a measuring stick. Year after year, Luke and his brothers and sister would scoot their heels all the way to the wall, stretch their necks, and wait anxiously to see the new line that marked how much they had grown.
Now, decades later, my children like to measure themselves on this same old piece of wood.
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Today’s Truth
… be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them (Proverbs 4:20–22 ESV)
Friend to Friend
My grandpa read through the Bible four times before he believed it. Though he attended church during his growing up years, he hadn’t yet put his faith in Christ. Truth be told, the main reason he went to church at all was because, in his own words, “That’s where the pretty girls were.”
All was going according to plan until Grandpa asked the pastor’s daughter out on a date. She asked him, on the spot, if he had put his full faith in Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. When Grandpa couldn’t say that he had, she told him that she wouldn’t date him, then held to her conviction as he read through the Bible, cover to cover,
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Today’s Truth
The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire (Nehemiah 1:3 NIV).
Friend to Friend
Some friends of ours just experienced a devastating loss. Their lives will never be the same and we are hurting with them. When news like what our friends just experienced arrives, it often shakes us to the core, leaving us swirling with questions and feeling overwhelmed with emotions.
Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king of a land far from his home. (Which means he held a trusted position that allowed him personal access to the king.) When some old friends came to town, he found out that his people, the Jews, were in a terrible situation. Deeply burdened by the news, he wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed. He took the devastation of his people to heart and responded
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Today’s Truth
The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king” (1 Samuel 16:1 NIV)
Friend to Friend
Have you ever been so discouraged that you just wanted to stay in bed and pull the covers up over your head? Maybe that’s where you are right now.
I’ve hidden under the covers a time or two myself. OK, well maybe more than two.
There’s a story in the Bible that helps me when I feel mopey.
A few years after the Israelites made it to the Promised Land, they grew tired of being ruled by God through the prophets. They wanted to have a king like all the other nations.
Samuel was the ruling prophet at the time, and he told the people all the reasons having a king was a bad idea. They persisted in their demands, and eventually
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Today’s Truth
…rejoice that your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20b NIV)
Friend to Friend
Heaven is on my mind these days. The holidays have a way of bringing to mind the family and friends waiting for me there.
Christmas vividly reminds me that this world is not my home. Heaven is. When I came to Christ in a personal relationship, my citizenship was changed from Earth to Heaven. And what a sweet exchange it was for me!
Heaven is where Jesus is.
“LORD, look down from the heavens and see; look at us from your wonderful and holy home in heaven” (Isaiah 63:15a NCV).
Heaven is a real place, a beautiful city of light.
“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God is its light, and
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Today’s Truth
I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds (Psalm 77:11-12 NIV)
Friend to Friend
I suppose I have my hot flashes to thank.
The changes in my body sent me searching for solutions. I saw a doctor in the medical center near my house, but I didn’t like the options I was given. I decided to look up the doctor who had helped me birth three babies (along with two miscarriages). Although her office was a bit of a commute, it felt like coming home when I walked through the doors. It had been twelve years since I’d visited her office.
Looking at the pregnant woman sitting across from me in the waiting room, I remembered with a smile what it was like to be in her place. That was a long time ago!
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Today’s Truth
For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does (Psalm 33:4 NIV).
Friend to Friend
Some people just seem happy and positive all the time. They appear to never worry and fret. These people act like they eat rainbows for breakfast and ride a unicorn to work. But life isn’t all lucky charms. Sometimes it is just plain hard.
We should anticipate trials. Jesus promised trouble. “In this world you will have trouble,” He warned (John 16:33).
So what if the worst thing you can imagine does happen? What then?
What if my child gets sick?
What if my husband does leave?
What if I lose my job?
What if I get on a plane and it crashes?
I decided a long time ago, when I get on a plane, I’m either going to get where I’m headed, or
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Today’s Truth
Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your Words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by Your Name, O Lord, God of hosts (Jeremiah 15:16 ESV).
Friend to Friend
My father gave me a white, leather-bound Precious Moments Bible when I was young. If you weren’t raised in the church in the eighties, you might not know that Precious Moments characters are cartoon-like drawings and porcelain figurines of little children in various poses, always with a Bible verse communicating the main theme of the scene. I had half a dozen of these statuettes atop my bedroom dresser. My Precious Moments Bible was filled with darling pictures, and I loved it with all my little-girl heart.
While the gift was from my dad, who took me to church on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, I don’t actually have memories of opening that Bible with him. No one in my
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Today’s Truth
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance (Romans 5:3 NLT)
Friend to Friend
The story is told of a shepherd who tried to persuade his sheep to cross a swiftly flowing stream. Since sheep are naturally afraid of rapidly running water, the shepherd couldn’t get them to cross. Then he had an idea.
Picking up a lamb, the shepherd stepped into the river and carried the lamb to the opposite shore. When the mother saw that the shepherd had safely led her lamb across the stream, she forgot her fear and stepped out in faith and into the rushing current. Soon, she was safely on the other side. The rest of the flock followed.
Valleys are lined with disappointment and discouragement and sometimes streams of rapidly running water. Some people seem to thrive
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Today’s Truth
I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty (Revelation 1:8 NIV)
Friend to Friend
I was headed up, up, up. My car climbed the towering, sky-high road up the bridge. On the ascent, I could see everything, boats below, a beach lining the shore and cargo ships out the left side of my window. But there was one thing I could not see. The other side of the bridge.
From my vantage point, it looked like the road just ended. It looked like I’d get to the top of the bridge and suddenly, fall over it, into deep waters. Ahhhh, I’m going to die! That’s how it appeared as I drove…but at the same time, I knew that wouldn’t happen.
Why? Because, even though I couldn’t see, I knew there was another side. Even though
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