For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”—Romans 10:13 (ESV) Salvation What certainty do we have in being saved from sin and death? Sure you might have read the gospels and walked with Jesus from betrayal, to condemnation, to crucifixion, to death, and then to resurrection. But does that mean you’re saved? What makes me so bold that I, a sinner, should receive what God has done? Salvation is givenRead More

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.—Colossians 3:16 (ESV) Let It Dwell In You The Word of God holds great power. It is in this Word that we learn of God and His love for us. We read about Jesus’ death and resurrection for the salvation of us sinners. We readRead More

Paul’s Trip to Rome In A Storm 13 When a moderate south wind began to blow, they thought  they could achieve their purpose; so they weighed anchor and  began to sail past Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a  violent wind, called the northeaster, rushed down from Crete. 15 Since the ship was caught and could not be turned head-on into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven. 16 By running under the leeRead More

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice—Philippians 4:4 (ESV) Rejoice What does it mean to rejoice? Does it mean that we always have a smile on our faces? Does it mean we are constantly singing and dancing like nobody’s watching? To truly rejoice means that we find joy and peace even in the darkest places of life. Because of faith, we rejoice in death. Because of the Lord, we rejoice in ourRead More

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.—Exodus 20:2-3 (ESV) God’s Power A simple understanding of sin is that we break the first commandment. In Exodus 20, we  read that Moses is to tell the people that they are to have no other gods besides the one  true God. But lucky for us thisRead More

But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you! – 2 Chronicles 20:17 (NLT)   Wait On The Lord A devotion that I read this morning ended with these four words, “Wait on the Lord.”  Don’t you know, that prompted me to start writingRead More

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.—Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) Trust In so many places, we hear the word “faith.” But what does this word actually mean? The author of Hebrews defines faith as being sure and being convicted. We are sure in where we place our hope. And we are convicted, knowing those things we’ve never seen. But faith is not blind. Children have faith that theirRead More

How Great God’s Love “We love because he first loved us.”—I John 4:19 (ESV)     WHY WE LOVE In the many religions of this world, we find that so many seek to appease their gods. We see, too, many people who think that if they do one thing correctly, then God will do something for them. This is not how God shows himself to us. God shows us pure love. Love that dies brutallyRead More

We’re All Sinners, So Now What? “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”—Romans 3:23-24 (ESV)  Grace How can someone possibly achieve God’s glory? It is not something that can be done by earning good favor with Him. It is not something that we can find on our own. And that struggle is allRead More

Getting Through Challenging Times “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”—Romans 12:12 (ESV)   Hope How does someone rejoice when they are suffering? When you face the trials of life, how do you be patient? When the noise of this world deafens your ears, how do you lift your voice to God? Only through new life in Christ is it possible to rejoice, show patience and praise God while facing challenges.Read More