Sarah E. Westfall |
February 22, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
He worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews. (Est. 10:3) WE ALL LOVE a good-versus-evil story—especially when good triumphs and the bad guy gets knocked down a few notches. There’s something satisfying about balance being...
Sarah E. Westfall |
February 21, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
Who is there that the king would rather honor than me? (Est. 6:6) YOU’VE WORKED HARD, putting in long hours and doing jobs no one else wanted. You have a good reputation within the company. But when the time comes for that big promotion, you’re passed by for someone...
Sarah E. Westfall |
February 20, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
Will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? (Luke 18:7) ONE TRIP TO TARGET is all it takes. Push that red cart through the store, and soon enough you’ll hear it: “I want that! Will you buy it?” Not just once, but over and...
Sarah E. Westfall |
February 19, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. He warned them not to tell others about him. (Matt. 12:15–16) BROADCASTING OUR EVERY MOVE has become commonplace in our social media–driven culture. The beauty of these online...
Sarah E. Westfall |
February 18, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
He will be . . . a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. (Isa. 33:6) THE HINT OF HIDDEN TREASURE sends excitement straight to your toenails. Most of us are thrilled to find five dollars in our pockets, let...
Elizabeth Rhyno |
February 17, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
He will bless those who fear the Lord—small and great alike. (Ps. 115:13) WHEN THEY FIRST STEPPED IN and the boat began to rock, Daniel’s eyes grew wider. His father’s grip on his shoulder assured him that he didn’t need to be afraid. “Son, we’ve waited a long time...
Elizabeth Rhyno |
February 16, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few.” (2 Kings 4:3) WHEN MATTHEW FIRST DREAMED about helping in the remote African mission, he hadn’t anticipated experiencing difficulties trying to get there. He had spent years...
Elizabeth Rhyno |
February 15, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? (Est. 4:14) MARGARET WAS PASSIONATE about pursuing this newfound interest. It was as if someone had lit a fire in her to learn and prepare. More than anything else, she wanted to know...
Elizabeth Rhyno |
February 14, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordechai, she was in great distress. (Est. 4:4) SHE NOTICED STELLA’S DOWNCAST expression as soon as she arrived at work that morning. Her usually bubbly coworker seemed to carry an unusual weight...
Elizabeth Rhyno |
February 13, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. (Luke 17:15) IT WAS ONE OF THOSE moments for which you can’t prepare. Somehow, the family sat, surrounded by tension. In the weeks since the funeral, this appointment had loomed, along...
Elizabeth Rhyno |
February 12, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. (Ex. 1:21) KYLE THOUGHT MAYBE he was losing his mind. He could have sworn he had just written check number 47 yesterday. But today the pile of checks began with number 49. “No matter,” he...
Elizabeth Rhyno |
February 11, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.” (2 Kings 4:2) REBECCA COULD HEAR HER DAUGHTER moving around in her room, and she assumed the little one was up early playing dolls. No matter. If she was entertaining herself, she...
Jim “Umf” Lo |
February 10, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. (Ps. 115:5) GROWING UP IN A HOME that followed some of the Chinese cultural norms, I was instructed to pay homage to Buddha. The smell of incense being offered as a fragrant offering to Buddha filled the...
Jim “Umf” Lo |
February 9, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Eph. 4:32) IT WAS MY FIRST SUNDAY at the church that had called me to be their pastor. After the service, an older gentleman handed me a note that said, “My wife and I...
Jim “Umf” Lo |
February 8, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor. (Est. 3:2) AN AFRICAN CHRISTIAN shared about his grandmother’s courage: without any warning, dissident soldiers had entered into her village in the middle of the night and had woken up all the villagers and lined...
Jim “Umf” Lo |
February 7, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
Esther . . . continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions. (Est. 2:20) WHILE I WAS NEARING COMPLETION of the requirements for a doctoral degree from the University of South Africa, my promoter or supervisor called me over the phone, “Jim, I want to see you because I...
Jim “Umf” Lo |
February 6, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42) WHEN WE LIVED IN ZIMBABWE, I asked Sikhumbuzo what drew him to the Sihlengeni church near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. He shared that one big attraction was...
Jim “Umf” Lo |
February 5, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
Do not get drunk on wine. . . . Instead, be filled with the Spirit. (Eph. 5:18) FOR THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, I have served on the board of the Grant County Rescue Mission in Marion, Indiana. As the chairperson, I have asked different men, who have been helped by the...
Jim “Umf” Lo |
February 4, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths. (Eph. 4:29) WHILE I WAS GROWING UP, I heard the saying, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.” I knew this phrase was not true. Words do hurt and harm. Words were used to tell me...
Michael Jordan |
February 3, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion. (Ps. 114:2) WE RUB OUR EYES each Sunday morning and prepare to go to church. Those of us who are pastors look over our sermon notes, or brush up on the news to see whether there is anything we should include in the...
Michael Jordan |
February 2, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Cor. 12:9) WE LIVE IN A WORLD that glorifies power. Nations seek power; political leaders try to project power to reassure voters and secure elections. We look...
Michael Jordan |
February 1, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
When the turn came for Esther . . . to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai . . . suggested. (Est. 2:15) MUCH IS MADE of Esther’s simplicity. Esther vied with other women for the affection of King Xerxes; the rules of the contest permitted each...
Michael Jordan |
January 31, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. (Est. 1:12) AS A SHOW OF HIS POWER, the king had been giving a seven-day banquet for many nobles. Much food—and wine—had been consumed, and the king wanted to show off his...
Michael Jordan |
January 30, 2019 |
Daily Devotionals
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9) SCHOLARS HAVE LONG DEBATED the nature of Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.” Paul apparently struggled with some physical, emotional, or spiritual difficulty, a...
