Marie’s daily verse:  Ephesians 6:18 NLTPray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

DAILY DEVOTION, March 15, 2023

That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain (Philippians 2:15-16).

Paul writes to his beloved church at Philippi. He calls upon them to be blameless and harmless. That is a challenge! We become “blameless” by trusting in Jesus, who removes all blame from us. We become harmless by striving never to harm another person. We are to do good to others, not harm them! We are to be bright lights in a perverse and crooked world. We achieve these grand goals by “holding fast to the word of life,” the Bible. Paul fears that if the Philippians (or us) fail to live up to these ideals, he has labored in vain.

The bottom line is to hold fast to Jesus our Savior and to fill our minds and behavior with the words of Jesus. We do not want Paul to say, “I have labored over you in vain.”

Father, I thank You for Jesus, who on the cross removed all blame from my life. Help me to hold on to Him tightly and to allow His Word to guide my steps. In His name, Amen. 

Marie’s daily verse: 

Isaiah 25:1 (NKJV)O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

DAILY DEVOTION, March 6, 2023

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

This ancient prophecy of Isaiah describes the two natures of Jesus. First, He is a human born of a woman, as we all are. Unto us a child is born. But then Isaiah switches to the divine nature of Jesus. A Son is given. Jesus was both born and given. He was given to us by the Father to be our Savior and Lord.

In His humanity, Jesus was one with us. He hungered, thirsted, felt pain, and finally died on the cross. In His divine nature, Isaiah says amazing things about the Messiah. He is wonderful. He is the mighty God, equal to the Father. He is God everlasting. He came to bring peace to the world, and He does bring peace to those who love and trust Him.

Father, I am amazed that Isaiah spoke so clearly about the Messiah 600 years before His birth. With Your help, I plan to love and trust Him all the days of my life. In His name, I pray, Amen. 

Marie’s daily verse: As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” JOHN 15:9-11

DAILY DEVOTION, March 1, 2023

He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21).

We learn several essential truths from these words of Jesus. First, we have His commandments recorded in Scripture. Do we obey them? Jesus declares that the one striving to keep His commandments is the one who loves Him. We may conclude that those who show little or no interest in obeying Him do not really love Him. Those who do not love Him do not trust Him. They are outside the Kingdom of God. We must ask, “Do I try to keep the commands of Jesus?”

Jesus adds that the heavenly Father loves those who love Jesus.  But doesn’t God love everybody? Yes, but His love for the world is, in a way, potential. It becomes actual when we trust in His Son. Yes, God loves you, but you become a part of His family when you trust in His Son. When faith is present in us, God’s potential love becomes actual.

When all the above is in place, something glorious happens. Jesus manifests Himself to us. To manifest is to reveal. Wow! Jesus here promises to reveal Himself to those who meet the conditions. How He does that varies from person to person. The point is that true Christians not only trust Jesus, but they also know Him. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to our innermost being. This leads to a final question we must ask ourselves. Do I know Jesus as a living presence within my heart?

Father, I thank You for sending Your Son into the world to save us. I pray that my faith is genuine. Father, I want to obey Your commandments, not to earn Your favor but to demonstrate the reality of my faith and love for Your Son. I pray the Holy Spirit will reveal Jesus to my heart continually. In His name, Amen. 

Marie’s daily verse: But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, 

    whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought  and never fails to bear fruit.” JEREMIAH 17:7-8

DAILY DEVOTION, February 16, 2023

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children. . .( Proverbs 13:22).

What kind of inheritance will you leave to your children and grandchildren? When we think of inheritance, we usually think of money. Even more important is the spiritual heritage we leave. I have quoted Patrick Henry before, and I repeat his words again because they speak to the issue.

He wrote this in his Last Will and Testament: “I have now disposed of all my property to my family; there is one thing more I wish I could give them, and that is the Christian religion. If they had that, and I had not given them one shilling, they would be rich, and if they had not that, and I had given them all the world, they would be poor.” Well said, Patrick. My parents left me a few dollars (they were not rich). More importantly, they took me to church every Sunday. The message didn’t sink in at first, but the foundation they laid finally came to fruition.

Father, I thank you for my parents. I thank you that they were faithful to take me to church, where I heard my dad play the organ and my mother sing. These are precious memories, and I thank you that the spiritual seeds they planted eventually sprouted. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. 

Marie’s daily verse: “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. LUKE 11:9-10

DAILY DEVOTION, February 15, 2023

The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day, the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed (2 Peter 3:9-10).

Even in the first century, many scoffed at the name of Jesus. His disciples had declared that He would come again, but He had not come. Many concluded that the entire Christian story was a myth. Peter explains the reason behind the “delay.” God is exercising patience. He does not want any of us to be lost. Is He waiting for me, for you, to come to repentance?

We are not to know the time of His coming, but He will come. This old earth will be destroyed, and God will prepare a new heaven and a new earth where His people will live forever in peace and harmony. In Jesus Christ, God has brought salvation to the entire world. None are excluded. God waits patiently for us to surrender our hearts to Jesus. Have you?

Father, thank You for Your infinite patience with us. Thank You for all who have trusted in Your Son. May I live to honor You as I wait for the return of Your Son.