Marie’s daily verse: God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them (Hebrews 6:10).

DAILY DEVOTION, January 12, 2024

Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12:3).

From whence does wisdom come? Do we gain wisdom by attending college? The colleges I attended led me away from true wisdom.  I learned a worldview that excluded God or minimized Him. One of my philosophy professors at the University of Minnesota challenged the class to debate him on the existence of God. He claimed he would destroy all our arguments. No one (including me!) dared to stand up to this atheist Goliath.

True wisdom comes from God, and His revealed Word. Those who are truly wise adopt a biblical worldview. Wisdom is born when we begin to see the world the way God does. Daniel declares that the truly wise are like bright lights in the sky. And as we point others toward righteousness (namely, Jesus), we are like shining stars in the heavens. I suspect this verse inspired the song “ Will There be any Stars in my Crown?” When we point others to Jesus, our star shines brighter.

We spend so much time on things that have no eternal significance. We need to find room in our calendar to share Jesus with others. That is what wise people do. Gracious God, creator of the heavens and the earth, I want to be a person of wisdom. Help me to see the folly of all worldly wisdom which excludes You from consideration. Help me to reach out to those who know you not and share Jesus with them. In His name, Amen

Thu, Jan 11 at 9:27 AMMarie’s daily verse: John 8:12 (AMP):

Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

DAILY DEVOTION, January 11, 2024

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (John 10:27).

Here we see a picture of a Christian. We know there are hypocrites in the church who claim to be Christians, but their lives do not reflect the simple truths of our verse. The sheep of Jesus are His disciples. They hear His voice. They hear His voice in Scripture, a voice that resonates in the soul.  They drink deeply of His words. They want to know more and more, and so they listen to the voice of Jesus. Yes, there are other voices we hear, but Christians place the voice of Jesus at the top of the list.

Those who hear the voice of Jesus are distinguished from hypocrites because they follow Him. That is the simple way in which we identify a true Christian. They follow Jesus. They seek to do His will. They look for ways to serve Him. He is at the very center of their hearts. So, there are two questions this verse raises for us: Do I hear the voice of Jesus? Am I following Him?

Father, open my ears so that I may hear the Master’s voice. I pray for the courage to follow Him. I want to be one of His loyal sheep. In His name, I pray, Amen.  

Marie’s daily verse: He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless (Isaiah 40:29).

DAILY DEVOTION, January 10, 2024

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).

What exactly is the Bible? Paul gives us insight in this verse concerning the origin of Scripture. The Bible is God-inspired. The word Paul uses here is unique, appearing only in this verse. He says, “All Scripture is God-breathed.”  This does not mean that God somehow overruled the human authors. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter – – – they wrote Scripture through their personalities and vocabularies. The miracle is that God breathed into the finished product so that we have in Scripture the Word of God. The Bible has two authors, God and man.

God’s breath (Spirit) was active when the Bible was written so that the end product is infallible, inerrant, the very Word of God. If any human error crept in, Paul is mistaken about the Bible being inspired by God. God does not inspire error!  If we say, the Bible is a mixture of divine truth and human error, who determines what is true and what is false?

I believe God was actively working in the authors’ lives so that when they wrote their words, they were writing God’s Word. Paul does not say that some Scripture is inspired. He uses the word “all,” which means “all!”

Of course, we humans who read the Bible are error-prone and are capable of misapplying and misunderstanding Scripture. This verse should caution us to read carefully and prayerfully. We are on holy ground when we hold the Bible in our hands. Read with humility.

Father, I thank You for giving us Your Word. I don’t want to depend on fallible humans to teach me about You, nor do I trust myself to understand You correctly. I praise You for giving us an inspired book we can trust to bring us the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I thank You that the Bible has led me to Jesus and salvation. In His holy name, I pray. Amen.

Marie’s daily verse: Matthew 6: 19-21: Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

DAILY DEVOTION, January 9, 2024

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8).

We live in a world of change. Some changes are good, others not so good. Isaiah is thinking of changes that are not so good.  Beautiful flowers fade away. Our bodies are like that. The years go by, and changes happen. Our vision fades, hearing weakens, bones ache – – – you get the idea. Before we give in to despair, we need to find something that does not change. We need something to hold onto in this world where nothing seems permanent. You have such an item. It is the Holy Bible, God’s Word. It contains all kinds of promises that never change. The big issue is the promise of everlasting life. John 3:16 will never change. God loves you. God gave His Son for you. Those who believe in Jesus will not perish but enter into everlasting life. There are many other unchanging promises to be found in the Bible. Read them, believe them, and they will change your life for the better. How long can we depend upon God’s Word? Forever.

Prayer: Thank you, Father, for giving Your Word to us. We desperately need something to hold onto in this world of change. Thank you, especially for the promises of everlasting life. Help us to receive everything in Your Word with faith. Help us to apply Your Word to our lives. Help us to hold onto Jesus with true faith. Thank You that Your Word will stand forever. We can depend upon it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Marie’s daily verse: For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. ⁶From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you (Psalm 71:5-6).

DAILY DEVOTION, January 7, 2024

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).

I love this verse. “Our cares” refers to things that worry us. “casting” refers to the flinging away of a weight we might carry, such as a heavy bag on our shoulder. Peter says, “Do you have cares? Are there things that weigh you down? Cast them aside! Give them to God.

If we cast our cares onto a counselor or a trusted friend, we do so because we know they care.  The good news is that we have a God who cares about us. More than any counselor or trusted friend, God cares! If you think God does not love you, you will not feel like casting your burdens upon Him. While it is true that God is not happy with us when we disobey Him, His overriding attribute is love. He cares about us.  If we cast aside our unfaithfulness and other concerns onto His grace, He will come to us with His caring love.

I am always astonished to think that God cares for me. I know I have failed Him times without number. Yet He graciously reaches out to me (and you) with His caring hands. He offers us forgiveness through faith in His Son, who atoned for our sins at Calvary. His loving mercy never ends. So, if you are weighed down with care today, “Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

Prayer: Loving Father, thank You for assuring us that You care for us. We know we do not deserve Your love, but You offer it nonetheless. You cared enough to send Your very best, even Jesus, our Savior. Help us to rest in Your caring arms today and always. In Jesus’ name, Amen