Remember the childhood experience of getting soap in your eyes during a bath? The moment the soap would trickle down, the natural reaction was to look down, which only made it worse. However, as parents, we've all told our young children to "Keep looking up." When trying to wash that young child's hair, if we could get them to keep looking up, the soap wouldn't get in their eyes. Well, when I read...  Read More

I read about the love story of Daniel Webster and Grace Fletcher. At the time, he was a poor lawyer who fell in love with Grace and began dating her. Grace's father was a clergyman and he allowed Daniel to visit only when he was present. So, they started dating in Grace's home, where she worked. Her job was to untangle knots in silk yarn, which was a time-consuming process. Daniel would sit with h...  Read More

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  — 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)Ann Landers, the syndicated advice columnist, was at one time receiving ten thousand letters a month from people with all kinds of problems. Someone asked her if there was one common denominator among all her correspondents. She said that the great overriding theme of all the letters s...  Read More

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9It is crucial to distinguish between our relationship with God and our fellowship with God. When you are a child of God, you are in relationship with God. He's your Father; you are His child. That doesn't change. A doctrine that we need to understand and appreciate is ca...  Read More

"He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." - 2 Corinthians 5:21Every now and then, somebody says, "Well, what you need to do is forgive yourself" or "You just need to be affirmed." But that misses the whole point of true forgiveness.Think about it this way: Imagine if I had a guy named Jack and a guy named Bob in front of me, and I punched Jack ri...  Read More

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." - Psalm 103:12When God forgives, He doesn't do it halfway. Throughout Scripture, He uses descriptive illustrations to help us understand how completely He removes our sins:He removes our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:11-12). How far is the east from the west? It just continues to go. God ...  Read More

"I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man." - Acts 24:16In God's word, we see four different types of consciences that people can have:The Weak Conscience (1 Corinthians 8:7) - People may feel guilty when they should not. Often, people feel guilty about things that are not sins. Paul addressed this when he talked about eating meat sacrificed to idols. There are some areas the...  Read More

"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." - 2 Corinthians 7:10The biggest thing I want you to take away from this devotion is the difference between what the Bible calls godly sorrow and worldly sorrow, godly guilt and worldly guilt.When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, what did they do? They hid thems...  Read More

"Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." – Galatians 6:2Life feels lighter when we share the load. God designed us for community, and He never intended for us to carry our burdens alone. When we walk alongside others, or let them walk with us, our burdens become lighter.Henry Cloud, a Christian psychologist, shared a fascinating study about stress. In this ...  Read More

Scripture: "For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us." — 2 Corinthians 1:20 (NKJV)There’s a story about an art collector who loved his son dearly. When the son passed away, a portrait of the son became the centerpiece of the father’s collection. Upon the father’s death, an auction was held for his enormous art collection. The first item up for bid...  Read More

"...in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." -- Ephesians 2:21-22 (NKJV)I have got this miscellaneous bucket of Legos. On their own, those pieces seem useless. Scattered, unconnected, not contributing to anything. But when someone with a master plan puts those piece...  Read More

"So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family." Ephesians 2:19 (NLT)Right after Paul said Christians are citizens of a new kingdom, he adds that they are also members of a new family.I once attended one of my family gatherings, and I noticed something. In the same home, there were babies and older ...  Read More