Encouraging Words Devotional

Life At Its Best

In his book Senior Moments, Willard Spiegelman expressed a very pessimistic view on life: “We come into the world alone, with a cry,” he reminds us. Then he adds, “We exit alone, to confront the final eternal silence. The fun, all the pleasure and adventure, lies in between.”

Is Your Situation Hopeless?

If you feel that the situation you face is hopeless, you may fall into a pit of depression that can even lead to suicide. After all, you reason, if there is no hope of change, why continue living?

Is Prayer Enough?

Allie Pohlmeier Smith served for a period of time as a missionary in Kenya. After she returned to the U.S., violence broke out in that country that she had grown to love. As the atrocities mounted, her heart ached to help. Yet, all she could do was to pray. And pray she did. But she became haunted by that thought “All we can do is pray.”

Introvert or Extrovert?

I would have knots in the pit of my stomach when I was headed to an event where I’d be making conversation with people I had never met before. What if I couldn’t think of anything to talk about??

            I had sweaty palms when I was about to address a group and saw professionals sitting in the audience. I had a terrible fear my mind would go blank.

Need Peace?

Have you noticed that when you see something in your home day after day,  soon you fail to notice it? My husband experienced that when a brass plaque appeared on his desk next to his computer monitor. The message? A verse from Paul’s letter to the Colossians that reads: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts!” (3:15). 

God's Grace Giftwrapped

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.”

Interruptions

Author Jill Briscoe asks, “Do you ever have days where you have all your time wonderfully organized and then you get nothing done as planned because of constant interruptions?”

I've Got Work to Do

My husband, Harold, likes to ask kids, “What age do you have to be before you’re ‘old?’” He gets answers all the way from “50” to “a hundred.” I suppose we’re really not old until we reach the age when God has no more for us to do here. Harold sometimes says, “God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things, and right now I’m so far behind, I’m sure I will never die!”

I Shoulda...

Her name is the “Shoulda’-Finger-Pointer,” and she comes around to spoil your peace of mind, especially after any kind of social event. Let me explain. The “shoulda’-Finger-Pointer” is the little voice inside that robs us of peace and joy when she makes us shake our fingers at ourselves and say, “You SHOULD have done more.” Or, “You SHOULD have done it differently.” Or even something as frivolous as “You SHOULD have known better than to wear that dress tonight.”

How Do I Know My Value?

Let’s say you own a beautiful piece of art--a painting, a gorgeous crystal vase, or perhaps an antique sculpture. How much is it worth? You’re probably not sure. There’s a way to find out, though. Experts tell us that when it comes to placing value on a beautiful piece of art, that value depends on three things: