Marie’s daily verse: Psalm 118:24This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.

DAILY DEVOTION, April 6, 2024

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7, NKJV). “For as he thinks within himself, so he is” (NASB).

The point of this verse, in either version, is straightforward: Our thoughts are the most important thing about us. Everything we achieve or fail to achieve is directly influenced by our thinking. Our thoughts are like seeds that produce crops. Thoughts produce actions. Good thoughts create good actions.

One author wrote, “Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results.” In other words, nothing can come from corn but corn, nothing from weeds but more weeds. Men understand and work with this law in the natural world, but few understand it in the spiritual and moral world.

The point of the Proverb is that we are what we think, and our lives run in the direction of our thoughts. If we think angry thoughts, we will be angry; if we think positive thoughts, we will be positive; if we think negative thoughts, we will be negative. The mind is a garden, and we have to cultivate it. We are responsible for the kind of seed we sow into the furrows of our minds.

What thoughts run through your mind as you seek to cope with life’s problems? Do you tend to have fearful thoughts? Guess what such thoughts will produce. Fear! What if we think of thoughts of faith? What if we join with Paul in thinking, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

You believe in Jesus as Savior, the one who has earned a place in heaven for you. If you trust Him to take you to heaven, can you trust Him to handle your day-to-day problems? What do you think?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus, our Savior. Thank you for the Holy Scripture, which is full of practical wisdom. Satan wants to fill our minds with fear. We resist him in the name of Jesus! Father, help us fill our minds with godly thoughts that drive away our fears. Help us oversee our thoughts, knowing we tend to become what we think. In Jesus’ holy name, we pray, Amen.

Marie’s daily verse: Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

DAILY DEVOTION, May 5, 2024

I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me (Psalm 13:5-6).

This is an interesting Psalm. Before the above text, the author launches complaint after complaint against God. God has forgotten him. God is hiding His face from him. His enemies prevail against him. Then in verse 5, he comes to his senses. He remembers who God is, the ever-faithful One. He remembers God is merciful, and he can always count on that. He recalls that he possesses salvation, and that is secure. He breaks into song, remembering how God has dealt bountifully with him.

There is a simple lesson here for us. Yes, we have problems. Yes, sometimes it seems that God does not hear our prayers. Sometimes we wonder if God has forgotten us. When we are discouraged, we need to remember – – – God loves us. He cares for us. He is a merciful God whose mercy endures forever, a phrase repeated over and over in the Book of Psalms. Through faith in Jesus, we have enduring salvation. These facts should cause us to break into song, praising God for His ever-present goodness and mercy.

God of love, remind me when I am discouraged to remember who You are. I know You have not forgotten me. Forgive me when I complain against You. Thank You for Your mercy which brings Your salvation to me. Thank You for Your bountiful blessings, which are too numerous for me to count. I praise You in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

DAILY DEVOTION, May 4, 2024

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me, you can do nothing (John 15:5).

We all know the difference between a thermostat and a thermometer. A thermometer tells you the temperature but does nothing to change it. A thermostat changes the temperature. True Christians are like the thermostat. When we become attached to Christ, the Vine, his life, and power flow to us and through us, even as the life of a vine flows into the branches. The result is that we are changed. We begin to bear fruit, much fruit.

This verse becomes a test of the reality of our faith. Does our faith in Jesus change us? Are we bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God? We cannot produce spiritual fruit apart from Jesus. As we trust (abide) in Him, spiritual fruit begins to be produced. Various kinds of good works appear in the lives of those who trust Jesus.

Paul describes this change as becoming a new person. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). Faith is not a thermometer. It is a thermostat that changes things.

Holy Father, I want to be a fruit-bearing Christian. I don’t want to just give verbal assent to my faith with little fruit in evidence. I want to bear a lot of fruit. I know I can’t bear fruit on my own efforts. I need to daily trust in Jesus and allow His life to flow into me. In His name, I pray, Amen.

Marie’s daily verse: 

 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying (Romans 12:12).

DAILY DEVOTION, May 3, 2024

How sweet your word is to my taste—sweeter than honey in my mouth (Psalm 119:103, CSB).

The Psalmist describes what it feels like to read and study God’s Word. He compares it to the taste of honey and says God’s Word is even sweeter than honey. To make it fit modern life, I might say reading the Bible brings more sweetness into my life than eating a hot fudge sundae!

The Psalmist uses figurative language to state a simple truth. Reading God’s Word is a wonderful experience. It is better than eating something sweet. God’s truth has made a deep impression on the author. I have some maturing to do as I thought about this verse. Do I have this high view of the Bible? Are the truths found therein sweeter to me than a hot fudge sundae?

As we read the Bible with open minds and hearts, receiving the truths gladly contained in that unique book, those truths become more precious to us than honey or anything else! The more we read and study, the sweeter it becomes.

Yes, there are Old Testament books that are not very sweet to us (think Numbers), but there is also much wisdom and beauty to be found in the Old Testament. However, I find line after line of the New Testament filled with beautiful truths, satisfying to my taste buds.

Father, sometimes I find reading the Bible to be tedious. Forgive me, for I know the problem is with me and not with Your Word. I want to experience what the Psalmist experienced, the sweetness of Your Word. Open my eyes to see the wondrous things revealed in Your Book. I ask this in the name of Jesus, my Savior, Amen.

Marie’s daily verse: And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for (1 John 5:14-15).

DAILY DEVOTION, May 2, 2024

 I tell you the truth. You must accept God’s kingdom like a little child, or you will never enter it (Luke 18:17 ICB).

We say that salvation is by faith. Here it seems that redemption is reserved for those who are like a little child. Is this a conflict? I believe the point is this. Little children cannot provide for themselves, and so they must have faith in their parents or some other adult. Children live life without preparing food, buying a house or furniture, making decisions about the future, etc. They trust their parents to provide.

Jesus says we must have a similar attitude. We adults can easily fall into the trap of thinking we can provide for ourselves. When facing life’s most significant matters, we are helpless to provide for ourselves. How can we find forgiveness of sins? How can we receive a place in heaven? Where do we turn when faced with a problem we cannot solve? If we cannot learn to trust God with child-like faith, we will never enter God’s Kingdom.

We need to live life as little children, trusting God to care for us and to provide those spiritual needs we cannot provide for ourselves. We need to thank Him for giving us the ability to meet many temporal needs. Just as children cannot survive without some adult care, we cannot survive without God. The sooner we realize that, the better.

Dear Father, I ask You to set me free from all pride and arrogance. Help me to see that without faith in You and Your Son, I am nothing. Like a child, I cannot provide for those things which are most important.  I want to trust You with child-like faith. Help me, I pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.