Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Matthew 2: 1-3, NKJV. Emphasis provided. Most Gracious God, here we are again, expecting a blessing from You. We know that we will not be disappointed as we sit at Your feet and learn...

Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. Acts 12: 5-7, NKJV. This is one of my favorite Bible stories. It...

Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things, Who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?” Psalm 12: 1-4, NKJV.  Dear God, please teach us how to speak in a way that will bring honor to You. In Your holy name we pray. Amen. I am sure that some of you may have heard the term "charlatan" being used to describe...

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139: 24, NKJV. Oh LORD, how wonderful You are! What a privilege is ours to surrender completely to You. This we do gladly, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Surrendering is not easy. Most of us like to have control over our lives. We like to make our decisions and determine the course our lives should take. As king of the children of Israel, that is what David did. He was in control....

He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD. Psalm 40: 3, NKJV.  Holy God, we offer You our praise and our worship as we sit in silence and listen to Your voice speaking Words of life to our souls; For this we give You thanks in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. The word new usually fills its hearers with hope - unless, they were not ready for a change. When I worked for the US Army, I heard with some frequency the phrase, "Why fix it if...

This is the day the LORD has made;We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118: 24, NKJV. Dear Heavenly Teacher, thank You for another opportunity to grow as we sit at Your feet and learn of You, through the study of Your Word! In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen. What a wonderful gift of love each new day is! Indeed, each one gives us a reason to "rejoice and be glad." Those who walk with the Lord can testify to that fact in a special way, because at His " right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16: 11c)....

My regrets for the absence of our devotionals for more than a week. New devotional have been posted from February 22 thru 26. By God's grace, I will do my very best to get caught up. I welcome your prayers! Blessings, Mabel

“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, as raindrops on the tender herb, and as showers on the grass. For I proclaim the name of the LORD:  Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He. Deuteronomy, 32: 1-4, NKJV. Merciful God, please help us to listen carefully to these words; and may we be blessed as we "apply our hearts...

A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; the simple pass on and are punished. Proverbs 27: 12, NKJV.  Dear God, please help us to pay heed to what is happening around us so that we will not have to suffer needlessly. In the name of our Savior Jesus Christ we pray. Amen. I find it hard to understand how we can see people fail, and suffer, in their wrong doing, and still believe that, "It won't happen to me!" But then it should not be so hard to understand if we realize, that with the entrance of sin, our spiritual DNA...

Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, 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?” But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them,...