Devotionals
-
Encouragement for the Month of February
“‘I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.’ “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take…
-
Learning Inductive Bible Study Methods with Romans 7
Over the last month or so, I’ve been searching for ways to improve how I study the Bible. I’ve used the Abide method, designed by the women at Risen Motherhood; I’ve practiced reading and narration as Charlotte Mason recommends; I’ve also written down portions of Scripture in my journal in cursive to help me commit their content to memory. Recently I came across this article by Jim Wilson, which gives a great outline for the how and why of the inductive Bible study method. I meet with a couple women from church on a regular basis and I love studying the Bible with them. We’re reading through the book of…
-
Do I Really Believe that Fullness of Joy is Found in Jesus?
You make known to me the path of life;in your presence there is fullness of joy;at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.Psalm 16:11 Psalm 16 is one of my favorite Psalms. The Corner Room, a folky Christian band, put Psalm 16 to music on one of their albums. It’s a lovely rendition of the Psalm. Verse 11 always stands out to me. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ve certainly read about my struggle with overeating. I’ve accepted that this will probably be a lifelong battle for me; however, victory belongs to the Lord. In a recent article from Desiring God, Scott Hubbard says, “Christians commit sins.…
-
How Small a Whisper, How Thunderous His Power
“Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?” Job 26:14 I think this verse from the book of Job is absolutely beautiful. It stirs my soul to wonderment. Do we truly only see the outskirts of God’s ways? How is that possible when the world is such an intricate and immense place? A single cell is more complex than my mind can even comprehend. The processes of a cell continue steadily; the atoms that make up each cell never cease to move. Somehow, that little cell knows exactly what to…
-
The Joy of the Lord Is Your Strength
“Then he said to them, ‘Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, ‘Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.’ And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.” Nehemiah 8:10-12 In Israel’s history, this passage comes directly after Ezra reads the law…