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Showing posts from June, 2025

Well-Spoken Word

  Today’s e-devotion is from the Navigators and was shared earlier this month.  This is good stuff from LeRoy Eims as he shares from 2 Samuel about well spoken words.  Read on and be blessed. Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  In 2 Samuel 19, we see David snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. After his army triumphed over the rebellion of Absalom, David was in tears. His men had won the battle, but he was making them feel as if they’d lost. It’s normal for a father to grieve the death of his son, but there was a problem here. The men in the army who had fought in this battle saw David’s tears and assumed he was angry with them. The Bible says, “The men stole into the city that day as men steal in who are ashamed when they flee from battle” (2 Samuel 19:3). I wonder how often we do the same thing with our kids. Bill...

what road are you on?

  I love to travel.  In fact there have been times in life, over 5 decades, where I have enjoyed being out on the road, seeing things, enjoying scenery and even taking in life. From the backroads of Oklahoma to the foothills of Virginia I have enjoyed the paths we have traveled.  Even further from the high mountains of Colorado to the paths with potholes in Cuba I have enjoyed the roads. This relates to our spiritual lives as well.  We are all on one road or another.  In this e-devotion let’s take roads that the Bible tells us about. Matthew 7:13-14  NLT   “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. We each have to make a choice.  The wide road of destruction or the narrow road of life. Proverbs 3:5-6  NLT   Trust in the Lord with all your heart;...

the godly man

  Yesterday was Father's day, and I grateful and blessed to be a father to three great children.  Also Julie and I were blessed with great and godly fathers.  We have so much to be thankful for. That is why I take some time the first of this week to point you to the wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon who was the son of King David.  There are so many things we can talk about when it comes to the example of great and godly Fathers. Here is just one place in Scripture that reminds me of what a godly father is like.  Read these verses and take note of what a godly father is like. 2 Chronicles 1:1,7-12  NLT  1 Solomon son of David took firm control of his kingdom, for the Lord his God was with him and made him very powerful. … 7 That night God appeared to Solomon and said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” 8 Solomon replied to God, “You showed great and faithful love to David, my father, and now you have made me king in his place...

faith from the Word

  Final thoughts.  Wait.  I am not talking about the end of it all, but it is the end of the week.  Take this as a challenge to start the weekend with some encouragement to hear from God and believe some of the most important truths we are given. Read through these and mark the truths that stand out to you.  It is amazing to understand how God uses these things, and more, to strengthen our faith and help us walk daily with God. Read on.  Be challenged. Joshua 1:7-8  NLT   Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. Psalm 139:17-18  NLT   How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.  Th...

living in freedom

Jesus wants you to be free.  That is the title of a devotion from Henri Nouwen, one of my favorite authors.  And that is a powerful title and truth. Freedom is not tied to situations or even locations.  I have talked to people who are in prison who share that they understand their freedom in Christ.  Then I have talked with people who are not free because of their choices and difficult struggle. My prayer is that we will know the kind of freedom that Henri Nouwen shares about.  This is the freedom that comes in Christ by believing what He says. Nouwen wrote: Jesus wants to free us from the chain that imprisons us.  He wants to free us by revealing that we are loved before we can give or receive love from anybody.  Jesus came to reveal to us the first love. The original love. We are called by Jesus to come in touch with that first love. 2 Thessalonians 2: 13  “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because...

be encouraged

  I have spent much of this week at a conference, and I have had the opportunity to reconnect with so many friends as well as spend time with some people that encourage me so much. All of us need to be around people who make us better and stronger.  Be encouraged and be an encourager.  That is one of the things we need to make sure happen in our lives. There are great benefits to encouragement.  Acts 14:22  NLT  where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. Some of the people I have connected with have history with me.  We have shared stories and even prayed together.  It has been good. Romans 1:12  NLT   When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. Much of the things that have encouraged me this week come from messages and testimonies.  Faith of others have...

listening to God

  Romans 11:33-36  NLT Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! 34 For who can know the Lord’s thoughts?  Who knows enough to give him advice?  35 And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? 36 For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.   This week I am spending time at a conference.  One of the things that this requires is listening.  But we have to listen every day. My prayer is we will listen to what God is saying all the time.  Listening is an art and very important.  Listen is vital to following God. There is very little that we have to explain apart from Scripture. God shares with us that He is in charge, He is able and He has all of life in His hands.   Years ago I heard Pastor John MacArthur say something li...

celebrating Pentecost

  One of the most powerful things we can talk about really isn’t a thing but a person.  To be specific this is the third person of what we Christians know as the Trinity.  The trinity is made up of the three persons of the God head, Father and Son and Holy Spirit.  Sound familiar. Well, there is a day that many hold as very important.  It is Pentecost Sunday, the 49th day since Easter.  It is the day we remember that the Spirit was sent from God for us.  And the reason why the Spirit was sent is for our good and God’s glory.  So many things the Spirit of God does in our lives. Let me take some time today to help us remember the place that the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, has in each of our lives. John 14:26  NLT   But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. The Spirit teaches us about God. Romans 8:26...