Posts with the tag “audrey”

Daily Devotional from Matthew 24--Verse 42Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.When I was a young believer, I would read this verse and think, 'What, are we supposed to stay awake 24 hours a day???' No! Jesus is not speaking literally here; he is saying STAY AWAKE SPIRITUALLY.The enemy of our souls tries to sing us a song that will lull us to sleep spiritually...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Leviticus 26—Verses 3-4If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.Verses 1-13 list the blessings of obeying God, while 14-39 pronounce curses for disobedience. We’re in the middle of the five books of the LAW and t...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Exodus 25--Verses 26-27And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and fasten the rings to the four corners at its four legs. Close to the frame the rings shall lie, as holders for the poles to carry the table.See how detail-oriented God is! It's like IKEA took their cues from Him...'just print instructions and let them build it'. Consider the Table for Bread. ‘Put rings at...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Exodus 9--Verse 35So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.This little sentence is getting rather repetitive here, isn't it? Moses foretells a plague, God sends the plague, and Pharaoh hardens his heart and refuses to let the people of Israel go. I don't know about you, but I don't want God to ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 40--Verse 4The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for sometime in custody. How much lower can you go? Joseph has been sold into slavery, falsely accused of wrongdoing, thrown unjustly in prison, and now he is assigned to serve the servants in the prison! You'd never know it by his attitude though. I'm sure Josep...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 22--Verse 14So Abraham called the name of that place, "The Lord will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided."Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his own son - the miracle son that God had promised him – is an example of complete trust in God.Sometimes God asks us to go somewhere we don’t know, or do something that seems scar...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 5--Verse 22Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters.I've always loved this verse - it's in the midst of a list of 'this guy lived this long and fathered this guy, and then died at this age'...literally, over and over. But there are a couple extra details given about Enoch: he walked with God (the footnote in my Bibl...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Proverbs 27—Verse 1Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.It’s our nature to make claims like, “I’m never going to leave here,” “I’d never live there,” “I’ll always do this” or “I’d never do that” … And it is fine to make plans, set goals, and have dreams. As long as we submit them to God, and hold them with an open hand. His plans for us are of...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 132—Verse 8Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.In this song, the psalmist is referring to the physical dwelling place of God on earth – the temple built by David’s son Solomon, where God said His Presence, and the Ark of the Covenant, would dwell. The Israelites felt secure knowing that their God dwelt among them because they had s...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Proverbs 26—Verse 11Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.I have seen my dog eat her vomit, as well as other unmentionable substances – it is utterly disgusting. So why do they do it? Because to a dog, it simply looks like food that tastes good – and it goes down a little easier the second time.The teacher here likens our follies to that vomit t...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 131—Verse 2But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.What’s so calm about a weaned child with its mother? It can feed itself! The child knows that mother is no longer the only source of food. A weaned child has learned to ask for food when they are hungry.We are heading into the holiday season wh...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Proverbs 25—Verse 4Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel.Dross is defined as ‘foreign matter, dregs, or mineral waste, in particular scum formed on the surface of molten metal.’ So when a silversmith is melting down raw mined silver, he has to clean the dross out before he can form the silver into something beautiful.The VALUE is already...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 130—Verse 5 (NIV)I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.What are you waiting for? A better job? A spouse? A house? A debt to be paid off? Healing? World peace? Our whole existence on earth is as a waiting room. But ultimately, we are not waiting for any of these things or anything else. We are waiting until the day when we are reunited ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Proverbs 24—Verses 17-18Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, lest the Lord see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.GO HAWKS! Yes, it is absolutely okay to cheer on your favorites. But if you’re also praying the other team’s wide receiver would break a leg, well that would be displeasing to Jesus! That’s a li...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 129—Verses 1-2Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth – let Israel now say – greatly have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me.Suppose for a moment that the psalmist here wasn’t talking about human persecutors, but something internal. What if it was an addiction, or a negative ‘voice’, or a besetting sin that had afflicted him fro...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Proverbs 23—Verse 15My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad.As parents, we get the responsibility and the privilege of raising our kids to know and love the Lord. We get to read the Bible to them and teach them what it means to have character and integrity, and to love and serve others. But at some point, they reach an age where they will start making their o...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 128—Verse 1Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!To “fear the Lord” doesn’t necessarily mean to be afraid of him. It’s more like to reverence and respect him and be in awe of his power, his grace, his greatness – his work on a macro and micro level.To walk in his ways, we have to study his ways, understand how they apply in our culture today, and...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Proverb 22—Verses 17-18Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge,for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips.Why do we continue to read the Bible year after year after year? Because it is a Fount of Wisdom and Encouragement. It offers an eternal Hope that is always true no matter what ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 127—Verse 2It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.Sleep. A blessing which sometimes seems a curse. When I am reading a really good book, I bemoan the fact that I can’t stay awake until I’m done! Yet, at the end of a long and weary day, laying my head down on that pillow is the best fe...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Proverb 21—Verse 21Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.There are so many things we pursue in life. Education, a career, a spouse, relationships, a home, a skill or hobby…all good things. But more than these external, temporary things, God encourages us to pursue aspects of character – righteousness and kindness. If we make chara...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 126— Verse 6He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. One of the things I love about our Lord is that he is close to the broken-hearted (Psalm 34:18). He weeps with those who weep. He feels compassion for us. Of every other world religion, and every other ‘god’ that has ever been worshipped, ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Proverb 20— Verse 10Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the Lord. It’s interesting that this sentiment is repeated in verse 23. What it’s essentially saying is that God cares about integrity. He wants our actions to match our words. He wants who we are on the inside to match what we show on the outside; our private life to match our public li...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 125— Verse 1Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.People today put their trust in many things. Financial portfolios, sports teams, celebrities, friends, family, careers, hard work, good works….this list goes on. But every one of those things has great potential to let you down. Money can’t buy you love or happiness. S...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Proverbs 19—Verse 20Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.Notice that we are counseled in two different ways regarding advice and instruction. LISTEN to advice – that doesn’t mean take all advice you get. Advice is based on opinion. Another proverb says that wisdom is found in a “multitude” of counselors. It’s wise to get advice from ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 124—Verse 2…if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when people rose up against us…This psalm takes a different perspective when thanking God for His many blessings. I often focus on thanking Him for what He’s done, what He’s provided, and who He is. But this psalm encourages the church to thank Him for everything that did NOT happen! Have you ever stopped to th...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Proverb 18—Verse 17The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.A recent question in our household: Can we put Neosporin on our dog’s wound?One internet search found: “Neosporin is not safe for your dog and can cause vomiting and diarrhea.” Another search found: “Neosporin can be used to treat minor cuts in dogs, just like in humans.”W...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 123— Verse 2Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us.I love the imagery here. A good servant is focused on their master in order to anticipate their needs. A more modern analogy might be an athlete who stays focused on their ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Proverb 17--Verse 9Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.People will offend you. Godly people. People you love and trust. We are all human and we are all dealing with different things at different times and not always aware of each other's burdens. How do we deal with it?The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:5 love is not easil...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 122—Verse 1I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”I LOVE hangin’ with my church people! The last church we were members of had two morning gatherings back-to-back, and we went to both! I attended one gathering and served during the other. Why?Because I find what I need when I gather with my brothers and sisters in Jesus.When I need healing...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Proverb 16— Verse 24Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.You’ve heard of the Five Love Languages, right? Different people feel love in different ways – through Acts of Service, Gifts, etc. One of those languages is Words of Affirmation. I must say, of all 5 love languages, this is probably at the bottom of my list personally. Words...  Read More

Devotional from 1 Corinthians 12 --To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.1 Corinthians 12:7Consider the Mona Lisa: da Vinci spent hours capturing the spirit and personality of his subject and "manifesting" it in his painting. Mostly it was for her own benefit - she was a wealthy woman who wanted a self portrait. But it was such a unique piece of art that through the ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Proverb 15--Verse 33The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.This proverb provides tons of examples of what it's like to walk in wisdom and righteousness, and what it's like to walk in foolishness and wickedness. How are we supposed to remember it all? Well, Jesus boiled all the laws down to two:Love God more than anything or anyone else,...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 120—Verse 7I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!Do you know someone who always has to argue every point? They thrive off playing the devil’s advocate, and you feel like you can’t make any statement to them without them counteracting it somehow? I often find it exhausting to have a conversation with people like that. Because I am for peace, as the psalmist ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Proverbs 14--Verse 4Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.I’ve mucked out stalls before. It stinks. It’s hard work. But can I tell you, the fresh butter you make from the cream you skimmed off the milk that you got from the cow – is like a bit of heaven in your mouth.There are often aspects of life we’d rather not deal...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 119—Verse 18Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things out of your law.Do you know why Psalm 119 is so long? Because it’s an acrostic. Each stanza starts with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The ESV bible, at least, has each stanza labeled by the appropriate letter, starting with “Aleph” and ending with “Taw”. And much of the theme throughout this beaut...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Proverb 13—Verse 18Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored.When someone asks us to consider that our way of thinking or acting might not be as wise or as Christlike as it could be, we have a choice.We can react: we might get defensive, explain our reasoning, stick to our guns, or just shut down.Or we can respond: we might...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 118—Verse 24This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.Have you read that kids’ book ‘Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day’? Haven’t you been tempted to classify days in that way before? I have. Some days seem Just. Plain. Bad.But if we agree with the psalmist here, then every day is a day made by the Lord, thus it is...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Proverb 12—Verse 25Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.You never know when someone is dealing with anxiety, fear, sorrow, or depression. Proverbs 18:21 says “Life and death are in the power of the tongue.” You have the power to speak LIFE into another person’s being!You also have the power to speak life into your own. I love how David reco...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Psalm 117—Verses 1-2Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!This psalm is awesome! It’s the shortest of them all, at only two verses, it’s the shortest chapter in the bible, and if you open your bible and turn to the exact center, you’re at Psalm 117. Tha...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Proverb 11—Verse 12Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent.I’m on the board of my neighborhood HOA. I sometimes hear the grievances one neighbor has with another. It might be fast driving, ‘junk’ outside, or incessantly barking dogs…These things can be legitimately irritating.There are good and poor ways of dealing with irritation...  Read More