Daily Devotions (Page 53)

Romans 14:5-9 One person values one day above another. Another person values every day the same. Let each person be fully convinced in his own mind. The person who honors a certain day does this for the Lord, and the person who eats does this for the Lord, because he gives thanks to God. And the person who does not eat does this for the Lord and gives thanks to God. In fact, not one of us lives for himself,…

Romans 1:16-17 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes—to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For in the gospel, a righteousness from God is revealed by faith, for faith, just as it is written, “The righteous will live by faith.” Dear Heavenly Father, We pray that, like Paul, we will never be ashamed of the gospel. However, being honest, we must admit that when we…

James 3:16-18 In fact, where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and every bad practice. But the wisdom that comes from above is first pure, then also peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who practice peace. Dear Heavenly Father, When we look at the world, envy and selfish ambition seem to be the highlight of every newscast. Someone…

Psalm 34:1-3 I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth. In the Lord my soul will boast. The humble will hear and rejoice. Proclaim the greatness of the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. Dear Heavenly Father, Reading this Psalm reminds us that even as believers, we do not always bless you or praise your name. We become reactive to situations, forgetting who we are; we say and do things far from being a blessing.…

Luke 12: 27-31 [Jesus said] “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. But I tell you, not even Solomon, in all his glory, was dressed like one of these. If this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow, is thrown into the furnace, how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith? Do not constantly chase after what you will eat or what you will…

Psalm 34:15-18 The eyes of the Lord watch over the righteous. His ears listen to their cry. The face of the Lord is set against those who do evil, to cut off memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears. From all their distress he delivers them. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He saves those whose spirits have been crushed. Dear Heavenly Father, Forgive us when we accuse you of not caring about us or not hearing our prayers. Lord,…

Psalm 119:130 The doorway to your words lets in light. It gives understanding to the inexperienced. Dear Heavenly Father, Jesus said he was the gate to the pen; in other places, he called himself the doorway to heaven and the light of the world, while in John’s gospel, he was named the Word. As the Word, Jesus sheds light on all our sins, then shows us the path to receive his forgiveness by faith in him. Every person is “inexperienced”; there…

Colossians 3:1-4 Therefore, because you were raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Dear Heavenly Father, Be with us today and send us your Holy Spirit so that we set…

Luke 13:29-30 People will come from east and west, from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And note this: Some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last. Dear Lord Jesus, Your kingdom of heaven is unlocked to all people through the forgiveness you won on the cross for everyone, and it comes to each person by faith in your saving work. No one is limited…

Colossians 2:13-15 Even when you were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ by forgiving us all our trespasses. God erased the record of our debt brought against us by his legal demands. This record stood against us, but he took it away by nailing it to the cross. After disarming the rulers and authorities, he made a public display of them by triumphing over them in Christ. Dear Heavenly Father, We…