Psalms 71:18 "Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare Your power to the next generation, Your might to all who are to come."
During all of his life the psalmist experienced God's unwavering faithfulness, and was full of praise (Psalm 71:1-8). So why did he have this sudden plea for God to continue to be faithful? Did he think God would stop being close by in his time of need?...

My Friends, another year has passed since the largest terrorist attack on the United States of America. It has been another hard year for we the people, it has been a hard year for America. But, it has brought some changes that have not all been happy ones. Due to the war in Iraq we have added other names to the list of families who are hurting from the deaths or injuries of loved ones. There are also many saddened...

Esther 1:12 "But when the attendants delivered the king's command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger."
Yesterday we discovered why Esther became the queen. Today we are going to see how God works in ways that may seem strange to us. Just like the way He handled putting Esther right where He wanted her and at the exact time she was needed.
As we read this story we see that there was a...

Esther 4:16 "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."
Take a moment and think of the most beautiful woman's face you have ever seen. Queen Esther looked like that. She...

Psalms 49:17-18 "for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. Though while he lived he counted himself blessed - and men praise you when you prosper."
Here the Psalmist realizes that wealth is not the "be all and end all" that so many make it out to be. Yes, having a lot of money can give a person certain freedoms and pleasures, and it can enable him or her to be...

Galations 1:8 "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed."
How we align our lives with the gospel greatly impacts our destiny. The gospel is not just an authoritative opinion to be adhered to, but it is a life giving force which transforms our lives and brings us into an intimate relationship with Almighty God as our loving Father.
The gospel is "the...

Hosea 2:15 "I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope: She shall sing there, As in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt."
Are you struggling right now with a heavy burden...maybe a troubled marriage, a financial problem, or maybe an illness where everything seems impossible? God promises to exchange trouble for a door of hope. He did it...

I am sorry there has been no devotion these past two days. My computer has been down.
Ephesians 1:17 "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him."
We all have many needs, but the greatest of these is having a greater revelation of the character of God. This need makes the prayer in Ephesians very important to all of us.
The main purpose...

Isaiah 46:9-10 "Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from the ancient times things that are not yet done, saying My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure."
When I read these words it made me stop and think about my future and my purpose in life. So when you read them you...

Philippians 2:5 "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."
Do you want to be like Jesus? I sure do.That is why I read my Bible and go to church, among other things. I imagine you do too. The more we see and hear of God's mind and heart, the more our desires can be fulfilled. They can never be fulfilled if we do not read and listen to His word.
The key to being like Jesus...

Song of Solomon 1:3-4 "We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will remember your love more than wine."
As worshipers we need to get to know the great worship book found in the bible...the Song of Solomon. We need to get to know it until it becomes a part of us. Then, after a while it will feel as if we wrote parts of it ourselves.
At first, we may wish we had the ability to write such beautiful...

Galations 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
When I was a small child and early into my teens I had a plan for my life that seemed perfect to me...a life of luxury (I am not from luxury ), a good wife of a successful businessman, a loving mother to wonderful children. I even thought God was a part of that life and...

Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you."
In considering the kingdom of God, the main thing we need to understand is that the kingdom of God is not heaven. Maybe now some of you are thinking I have lost my mind... no, I have not, well not about this anyway.
The kingdom of God is not way out yonder in the blue somewhere. It is right...

Matthew 6:12 "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."
Do we really want God to forgive us the same way we forgive those who have hurt us? One of Satan's most destructive lies is that forgiveness is optional. It is not an option. While it is true we have to make the choice to forgive someone or to hold a grudge forever. It is not true that the choice we make will have no effect on...

Psalm 63:1 "O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water."
The Psalms are full of earthly, palpable descriptions of intense longing for God and all He has to give. Here, David uses the metaphor of raging thirst to describe how he wants to experience God's refreshing presence.
He takes his soul's longing up a notch by...