Marie’s daily verse: The Lord your God is in your midst, The Mighty One will save, He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing  (Z

Zechariah 3:17 NKJV). 

                                                                               DAILY DEVOTION

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing, that there will not be room enough to receive it (Malachi 3:10.

This is an interesting promise. God asks us to test Him! I can’t think of any other place in Scripture where God asks us to test Him. He asks us to tithe (give 10% of our income to His work). Many say, “I can’t afford to do that.” But God makes a promise to those who dare to test Him. He promises to pour out on tithers overwhelming blessings! He will open the windows of heaven and shower His blessings upon the faithful.

Yes, tithing benefits the kingdom of God, but it also helps the tither. Have you ever put God to the test? If not, you may be missing out on the greatest temporal blessings you can ever know in this life. God promises that you will be free from financial concerns. Inflation cannot cancel the blessings of God. A declining stock market will not tie His hands. Blessing upon blessing is promised to those willing to put God to the test. And one thing is sure. God will never fail a test!

Father, what a tremendous promise You have given. You have challenged us to put You to the test. Help me to believe Your marvelous promise to the faithful. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Marie’s daily verse: Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (COLOSSIANS 3:12).

DAILY DEVOTION, December 2, 2022

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Colossians 3:16).

I grew up in a musical family. My Dad played the organ at church for over 50 years. My mom lent her beautiful soprano voice to the choir and sang many solos. The one I remember most was when she sang, “God so loved the world.” I can still hear her singing that song in my mind. I must admit that in my youth, I was not much of a Christian. But the music of the hymns and their powerful message was embedded in my heart. That’s why we sing at church. The great hymns of the faith express the Gospel to us in song. “Amazing Grace” is one such song, but there are many others.

In our verse, Paul states that as we sing together, the word of Christ is implanted in our hearts. So, sing, even if you can’t carry a tune. Or read the words of each hymn. They will build your faith in Jesus. Sing with grace in your heart, and your faith will grow. Yes, we preach and teach to help others grow in faith. But we also sing for the same purpose.

Father, I thank You for the music of the church. As we sing words of faith together, those words become embedded in our minds, and our love for You grows. Thank You for Marion (and Dorothy before her), who does so much to help us make music in our hearts. In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.

Marie’s daily verse: You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. PSALM 119:114

DAILY DEVOTION, November 29, 2022

 And giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:12).

Paul spends much of the first chapter in Colossians encouraging the congregation. We note in the above verse that believers have been qualified. We do not qualify ourselves to enter God’s kingdom of light. We have been qualified by another, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Thus, we thank the Father who arranged for our salvation by sending His Son into the world to redeem us. Those who trust in Him are qualified to live in heaven forever.

Why does Paul refer to the Colossian Christians as “holy people.” Were they not sinners like us? Yes, but when we trust in Jesus, our sins are forgiven, and, as Paul said elsewhere, Christ’s righteousness is credited to us. In this manner, we become holy people.

The kingdom of light (heaven) is also described as our inheritance. Again, we do not earn a place in heaven by our good works. We receive eternal life as an inheritance. If you are in the will of a wealthy person, you look forward to the legacy you will receive. God has decreed that all who believe in His Son will receive a glorious inheritance. It is truly wonderful to know that God loves us so much. He has done everything necessary to secure a place for us in His kingdom. Sometimes I wonder why Christian’s fear death so much. What we will receive in the future is much better than what we experience during earthly life.

Father, I thank You for the grand inheritance purchased for me by Jesus. I can hardly imagine what heaven will be like, but you have given us glimpses to assure us that heaven will be far better than life on this sin-scared earth. Thank You so much for Your redeeming love. I pray in the name of my Savior, Amen.

Marie’s daily verse: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ROMANS 8:38-39

DAILY DEVOTION, November 28, 2022

Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them (Proverbs 26:12). Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil (Proverbs 3:7).

Solomon often speaks about wisdom and foolishness. In our two verses, he issues a caution. Do not be wise in your own eyes. How do you view yourself? Do you think you are unusually wise? I have three college degrees hanging in my office, so that makes me wise, right? Be careful! True wisdom is a blessing but if you are unusually wise, don’t get all puffed up about it. Whatever wisdom or intelligence you possess is a gift from God. Do not view your wisdom as self-attained.

Solomon says a fool has more hope than you if you see yourself as among the wise! We are to fear and honor God and avoid evil. That is true wisdom. If we become prideful about our intelligence, we must remember that our omnipotent God can take that from us instantly. Pride drives us away from God. Humility draws us near to God. If your IQ is above average, thank God for it. Use your intelligence to serve God. Just don’t let it go to your head!

Father, I thank You for the gifts You have given to me, including whatever wisdom I possess. Guard me against pride. May I use my wisdom in service to You, being careful to avoid all that is evil. In Christ’s holy name, I pray. Amen.

Marie’s daily verse: And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father

 through him. Colossians 3:17 

DAILY DEVOTION, November 24, 2022

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Philippians 4:6).

Happy Thanksgiving to our wonderful church family! Paul addresses the subject in our text. He states that the cure for anxiety is prayer. Whatever our situation, we are to turn away from stress and turn to prayer. We are to present our requests, whatever they are, to God. He adds a little “footnote” to the process. Pray with thanksgiving.

When you pray with thanksgiving in your heart, you are praying with faith. You are thinking of all the blessings God has bestowed upon you, and thanksgiving fills your heart. A thankful person remembers how God has blessed him in the past, and when he prays, he anticipates future answers to his prayers. If you have nothing to be thankful for, why pray? You don’t see God’s past blessings, so why should you have faith for future blessings? Those who want to do business with God are thankful. Yes, we all have our problems, but those who trust in Jesus have an incredible future. That is reason enough to be grateful.

Father, I see blessings in abundance in my life; blessings too numerous to count. I am truly grateful for Your generosity and Your unfailing love. I thank You especially for Jesus, my Savior, and the wonderful future I have because of Him. May His name be honored in my daily life. Amen.