Praise the LORD“Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.” (Psalm 113:2-3). This week as we celebrate Thanksgiving Day I’m reminded of one of the central...

Consider Your WaysHaggai is a short two-chapter book in the Old Testament. Haggai 1:5 says, "Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.”” Read that verse one more time and then let’s jump down two verses to Haggai 1:7, which says:...

Confession and CommitmentNehemiah 9:31 says, “But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.” The setting for this verse is the city of Jerusalem several hundred years before the birth of Christ. The...

Comfort and Wakeup CallWhen I was in college I found myself doubting my faith. I wondered if it was my own personal faith or just the result of being brought up in a Christian home. To help resolve some of the questions and doubts I had, I decided to read the entire...

CommunionThe Bible doesn’t tell us specifically when to take communion, or how often we should take it, but it does tell us why we should take communion. There are two basic reasons. The first is to commemorate and remember what Jesus did for us in going to the cross...

Children of GodIn professional baseball, the team clubhouse is a place of restricted access. You need special credentials to get in. Now, picture this: a young boy runs boldly up to the clubhouse door and doesn’t hesitate to open it and go in. And no one tries to stop...

By Faith - NoahAs we noted in last week’s devotion, most sports have a “Hall of Fame” to help us celebrate and remember the heroes of the game, and the Bible, in Hebrews 11, has what many call a “Hall of Faith” to help us remember and follow in the footsteps of the...

By Faith - EnochMost sports have a “Hall of Fame” to help us celebrate and remember the heroes of the game, and the Bible in Hebrews 11 has what many call a “Hall of Faith” to help us follow in the footsteps of the heroes of faith it highlights. Faith, it says, “is...

The Blessings of ObedienceThe Bible is filled with God’s commands. They are variously referred to as commandments, laws, precepts, statutes, or ordinances, but whatever they are called, it is clear that God wants us to obey them. Psalm 119:4 says, “You have laid down...

Big Rocks FirstOne day a teacher stood in front of the students in his class. From under the podium he pulled out a large glass jar and placed as many baseball size stones as he could into the jar. He then asked the students if the jar was full. Most said “yes,” and...