Tag: devotional
-
Hope in the Word
Advent 2024 “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word” (Psalm 119:114). We look for hope in so many places. Our health. Our finances. We look to important relationships, the government, and even ourselves. The list is endless. But the author of Psalm 119 identified his source of hope as…
-
Gratitude Changes our Heart
“Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all humanity. Let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices and announce his works with shouts of joy” (Psalm 107:21-22, CSB). To quote Madame Blueberry from VeggieTales, “A thankful heart is a happy heart.” I have tested this and found it to be…
-
This I Call To Mind
Lamentations 3:21 says, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.” The act of “calling” something to mind implies intentional action—a conscious choice on where we focus our thoughts. When my heart grows weary, and hope feels faint, I consciously choose to remember and offer praise for what God has already done.…
-
Where Do We Find Healthy Rest?
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Friend, let’s talk about rest. Retreat is not true rest. If we are not careful, we retreat not only from hard things, but we retreat from God. Healthy rest includes space for God, because healthy rest…
-
Heart Wide Open
2 Corinthians 6:11: We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. I am feeling called to vulnerability. Called to a higher degree of transparency so that I can offer connection and hope to others. While I don’t think this means baring my soul to every stranger, sometimes God brings someone into…
-
Broken and Brave
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). We all have strengths and gifts…
-
More Than Words
“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalm 42:1-2) Do you ever crack open your Bible and the words seem to fall flat? When my heart feels this, I have…
-
I Just Need More Jesus.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13). I have realized that when I feel like life needs more stability, my heart needs more joy, or my mind needs more peace, it is really…
-
Beautiful Words of Counsel
“Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors” (Psalm 119:24). My small, simple soul was cranky. Maybe feeling a little sorry for itself. Unpleasant news and life events had way-laid my laid-back summer. Words were spoken that made me feel defeated. And I let my feelings speak into my days and found myself…
-
Prayer
“And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6) It is good to remember God’s holiness. He is, after all, the all-powerful creator of the universe. But He is also our comforter, our protector, and the Father whose love is beyond comprehension. …