22 September 2025

Daily Devotion:

"God is My Portion and Cup"

Psalm 16:5

New Living Translation

5 Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine.

Many natural disasters have ripped around the world. Some causing people to lose everything they own: their photographs, important papers, furniture, vehicles-eventheir entire homes. How difficult it must be to see your security wiped out in a matter of minutes. But wait! Is their security really gone?

In Psalm 16:5, David tells us that the Lord is our security. Friends, neighbors, and even strangers can donate food, water, clothing, furniture, and money to the victims of disasters, but only God can truly keep us safe, both physicallyand spiritually.

Storms may destroy, banks may collapse, and the enemy, Satan, may attack us, but the Lord assures us, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews13:5). What greater, more invincible insurance could we have than the same God who created heaven and earth, who placed the stars in the skies and set the planets in motion?

Rejoice! Feel the joy! God, our God, is our security.

21 September 2025  

Daily Devotion:

"Singing of God's Faithfulness"

Psalm 89:1

New Living Translation Psalm

I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.

What do you have to leave behind when you're gone? Most people aspire to leave some mark on the world or some monetary gift to their children. While these things may bring some satisfaction, true joy comes when we successfully pass on our faith. This is the only true way to touch future generations.

Believers are instructed in Scripture to teach their children the Word of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:7). We are to store up, for ourselves and those who come after us, things of eternal significance (Matthew 6:20). This is vital if we desire the ultimate joy of seeing our children walk in truth (3 John v. 4).

A joyful life is one lived with the future in mind. Let's proclaim His goodness to those who follow us. Let's make sure we're not the reason that the next generation hasn't heard of God's Word and works among His people.

20 September 2025

Daily Devotion:

"Doubt and Disbelief"

Luke 1:18

New Living Translation

18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

What do you do when times are difficult? When you've trusted until you're tired and you've endured until you're empty? What's your response when well-meaning folkstoss “For those who love God all things work together for good” your way like it's a magic cure-all for whatever ails you (Romans 8:28 Esv)? If you're Zechariah, you say, “Prove it.”

It's easy enough to judge him, but who hasn't, at some point, yearned for just a little tangible reassurance? Maybe you're trying to pay your bills from an empty bank account. Or you've been sitting with someone you love, and he or sheis fading fast.

Sometimes He takes pity on us. He hears our doubts and lets us touch the scars (John 20:24-27). There is joy for those who are able to believe even when they can't see (John 20:29) and who simply take God at His Word (Luke 1:45). Let's takeour cue from Mary and joyfully say, “Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38 ESV).

19 September 2025

Daily Devotion:

"God Has a Plan"

Jeremiah 29:11

New Living Translation

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

If polled, three out of four Christians would probably claim Jeremiah 29:11 as their “life verse.” Some people quote it to every friend going through a trial. It's written on Post-it notes and cross-stitched onto pillows. There's no denying that it's a catchy verse.

The best part of this verse is often forgotten; it was a message from God to a people living in exile (Jeremiah 29:4). They were banished to a distant land, surrounded by unfamiliar territory and unfriendly faces. They were scared and scarred. They were worn and weary. Then, in the midst of their suffering, God whispered hope.

You can take comfort in knowing that God has a plan, and you can find joy in knowing that He still has a plan in spite of your mistakes and flaws. When you look around and wonder how you got here, He knows. When your own sin has causedyour current pain, God still has a plan. You can rejoice knowing that God's plan is a good one.

18 September 2025 DailyDevotion:

"When All Hope Seems Lost"

Luke 8:49

New Living Translation

49 While he was still speaking to her, a messenger arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. He told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”

How many times have you believed that something was dead, hopeless, beyond repair, or not worth the fight? Has the enemy tried to suggest that you shouldn't trouble God with that thing anymore? Whatever it is that you fear is dead-don't believe it. To live joyfully, you must remember the power of your God. You have a God who breathes on dead things and causes them to live again (Ezekiel 37:13). You have a God who calls dead men from their graves with a mere word (John 11:43). You serve a Savior who walked about of the tomb Himself (Luke 24:2-3).

Nothing is so dead that God's breath can't resurrect it. No hope or dream is so buried that it can't be called forth with just a word. What Satan calls dead, God calls merely asleep.

When the enemy says, “Don't trouble God because they fear disappointment. Longings often come from a tender place within, and we fear the damage one more disappointment would cause. Joy comes when we no longer fear disappointment and bravely ask our God for abundance (Ephesians 3:20).

17 September 2025

Daily Devotion:

"A Father's Hope"

Genesis 48:11

New Living Translation

11 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “I never thought I would see your face again, but now God has let me see your children, too!”

Israel believed that his son had been dead for years. He had no reason to expect to see Joseph's face again on earth. There wasn't much hope for a surprise reunion. It would have never occurred to him to even ask for such a thing. Can you think of something you long for but have never thought to pray about?

A person who lives joyfully always remembers that God goes above and beyond for His people. Has God ever done something for you that caused you to say, “I never expected that”? It makes you wonder what else you may have missed out on (James 4:2). Many people don't ask for things because they fear disappointment.Longings often come from a tender place within, and we fear the damage one more disappointment would cause. Joy comes when we no longer fear disappointment and bravely ask our God for abundance (Ephesians 3:20).

16 September 2025

Daily Devotion:

"Restoration and Hope"

Hosea 2:14

New International Version

14 “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her.

How quick are you, during a time of trouble, to say, “What have I done to deserve this?” Often our first response is to view our trials as punishment. It's difficult to “rejoice always” when we're in the midst of a wilderness thinking, Why me? (Philippians 4:4).

To walk with joy through the wilderness, we must recognize the gifts that are awaiting us. Sometimes God wants to stir up the passion we once had for Him. Other times the wilderness is a place of protection (Exodus 13:17-18). Thoughthe enemy would have you believe otherwise, the wilderness can be a place of provision (Psalm 78:19). We can have joy in the midst of any circumstance if we train our hearts to look for the gifts. If you're currently in a wilderness, look for the gifts of passion, protection, and provision.

15 September 2025

Daily Devotion:

"The Victor's Reward"

Revelation 2:28

New Living Translation

28 They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!

Have you ever given someone a gift or offered something that you didn't feel was fully appreciated? Perhaps they failed to fully grasp the value of what was being given. Or maybe you've received something and wondered why it was a big deal. We miss out on a lot of joy by not fully understanding the promises made to us in Scripture.

In Revelation, for instance, the church in Thyatira was promised that those who endured and remained steadfast would be given “the morning star.” To fully grasp the joy of that promise, you have to keep reading. At the very end of the book of Revelation, Jesus identified Himself as “the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star” (Revelation 22:16 ESV).

Jesus told His people that, after they endured, they would get Him! There is true joy in digging deeper into God's Word.

14 September 2025

Daily Devotion:

"The Danger of a Loose Tongue"

James 1:26

New Living Translation

26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.

There isn't a person alive who hasn't spoken out of turn at some point or wished he could say, the words simply can't be put back once they have come out. Words can cause damage that can't be undone.

Learning to control one's tongue will prevent the regrets and hurt feelings that often accompany hasty words. Solomon felt that there was little hope for a man who was too hasty with his words (Proverbs 29:20). He also warned against being too quick to make promises before God (Ecclesiastes 5:2).

To truly live joyfully, a person needs to heed the instructions given in Scripture. It's often the simplest commands that, when disobeyed wreak havoc in a life. We can have joy when the words of our mouth are acceptable to God (Psalm 19:14).

13 September 2025

Daily Devotion:

"Measuring Ministry by God's Sphere"

2 Corinthians 10:13

New Living Translation

13 We will not boast about things done outside our area of authority. We will boast only about what has happened within the boundaries of the work God has given us, which includes our working with you.

Some troubles and trials come our way simply because we live in a fallen world. Certain people will stand against us when we stand firm on the truths of Scripture. Then there are the hardships that, if we're honest, we bring upon ourselves.

God has assigned an area of influence to each of us. We'll find joy in faithfully tending what has been entrusted to us, whether family, finances, or a specific ministry. The easiest way to lose joy and gain stress is to begin worrying about another person's area of influence or to begin comparing areas.

Solomon advised his people to “know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds” (Proverbs 27:23, emphasis added).To live joyfully, we must learn to stay in our own lane, to focus on our area of influence, and to know well the condition of our own “flocks.”