“Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”” (Genesis 17:17, ESV) It is good to laugh. When God tells Abraham that he and his wife, Sarah, would have a son, Sarah laughs. When I have read that verse in the past, my thought was that she was … [Read more...] about Laugh a Little
Devotions
When You Want to Hit Back
“Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:12, ESV) Keep your conduct honorable. Do the right thing! Return evil with good. I know you want to hit back. But our calling is to resist that urge for a greater good. Our human nature we want … [Read more...] about When You Want to Hit Back
The Battle for Your Passion
“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” (1 Peter 2:11, ESV) Passions of the flesh are waging war against your soul. These are powerful words. Do not take them lightly. Every day there are temptations around us to divert our heart and desires away from the Lord. Our minds are bombarded with … [Read more...] about The Battle for Your Passion
Lord Have Mercy
“Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:10, ESV) This verse takes us back to the Old Testament Book of Hosea. In this book, God tells Hosea to take a prostitute named Gomer as a wife. She lives unfaithful to him but bears him three children. One child was named “Jezreel," another … [Read more...] about Lord Have Mercy
Chosen
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9, ESV) Maybe you remember the days on the playground in school when teams were picked. You never wanted to be the one picked last. It meant that no one wanted you. … [Read more...] about Chosen