Encouraging Words Devotional

What Is On Your To Do List?

She crossed the finish line of the Boston marathon and was able to receive her Abbott World Major Marathon 6-star medal for running the top 6 marathons on the world! Her name: Jane-Jane Ong, a dear friend of mine from Cebu, Philippines.

Have You Put Your Faith In Jesus?

One night I awoke quite suddenly. What time was it, anyway? Three o'clock in the morning! What's more, I realized that in my mind I was singing an old hymn: "It Is Well with My Soul." Not the first or second verse but the third verse:

 

            My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—

            My sin, not in part but the whole,

            Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!^[1]

 

[1] https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/It_Is_Well_with_My_Soul/

 

Do You Believe God Is Great?

How big is God? God Himself gives us some idea in His own words in Isaiah 40:12 where He asks the question, "Who else has held the oceans in his hand?" When I read that question, my next thought was, "I wonder how much water there is in all the oceans of the world?" Here's the answer: "The National Geographic Society tells us that there are 324 million cubic miles of water on the face of the earth."^[1]

 

[1] https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/all-about-the-ocean/

Start Giving Your Worries To God

Elizabeth Gilbert writes,    

 

Some years ago, I was stuck on a … bus in New York City during rush hour. The bus was filled with cold, tired people who were deeply irritated with one another, with the world itself. …. No mercy would be found here.

Are You Worn Down By Your Responsibilities?

In the New Testament, Paul started out his first letter to Timothy by saying he was appointed to be an apostle by the command of his Lord. Here are his exact words: "This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 1:1). Since the word "apostle" means "one who is sent," Paul's assigned job was to carry out the instructions of the One who sent him—God Himself.

You Belong To The God Of The Universe

I really like this story from the book of Matthew:

 

The Pharisees—that is, the religious leaders of Jesus' day—came to Him plotting how they might entangle Him in His talk, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"

Onesiphorus

One Bible student has counted 3,237 different people mentioned in the Bible. Granted, we're not given all their names, but still, each one serves as an example—for good or bad. One is a man called Onesiphorus, a friend of the apostle Paul.

 

 

Why Money Is Not The Answer

The man had a physical challenge—he was crippled and couldn't walk. The only way he knew to get support was to beg at the temple gate in Jerusalem. One morning the lame man awakened to what seemed like any other day. But on this day his life was to be forever changed. When the apostles Peter and John came to the temple that morning, he asked them for money. What they gave him could never be bought. "I have no silver and gold," Peter told him, "but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk" (Acts 3:6). The Bible says, "And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God."

Start Bringing God Into Your Daily Routine

The apostle Peter urged us to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). Knowing that's what God wants, my friend brought up very practical issue: "If I have 1,001 things to do every day, how can I grow in my relationship with the Lord when sometimes a quick prayer is all I have time for?"

Surrendering Your Body and Mind to God

Though my dad was in ministry for more than 70 years, my mom rarely spoke to groups in public. That's why after she passed away, I was so happy to find some speaking notes of hers. She brought a message based on Romans 12:1, where the apostle Paul writes, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice"--reasonable in light of all that God has done for us.