Christian Daily Devotionals

by Darren Hewer

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4

I love the Bible. It’s God’s Word, our ultimate source of truth. It contains not only the grand story of the beginning of time and space and our Earth, but also the intimate story of God’s people, and the glorious coming of God’s Son Jesus Christ for our salvation.

But even so, I find that there are times in my life when my daily Bible reading becomes merely routine, if I happen to do it at all. In fact, sometimes I wonder about the Bible: Couldn’t God have given us a more efficient manual? What I mean is, it sometimes seems so complicated. Did you know that the Bible has 66 books, containing 1,189 chapters and 31,170 verses? Instead of 17 major and minor prophets, for example, maybe we could have been given a list of the top 10 marriage tips instead?

Then I think: God didn’t want to give us the kind of book that you read once and put on the shelf. He wasn’t interested in giving us a pamphlet. God wanted to give us something that would engage us and continue to challenge us for a lifetime. He, in His infinite wisdom, gave us a book that was so deep that we could read it every hour of every day of our entire lives and still not exhaust its wisdom.

If you’ve spent any serious amount of time reading the Bible you can probably attest to how you’ve read a passage a dozen or more times before, but somehow this time, it hits you in a totally new way as God illuminates your mind to deeper meaning and fuller understanding. “How did I not see it before?” you think. And it’s so amazing how deep this book is!

God Himself is like that: Our great God isn’t someone of whom you could say, “Oh, God? Yeah, I met him once, I think.” God is so amazingly great that it’s a lifelong process to know Him. He wants us not to just know ABOUT Him, but to know Him intimately. And for that, a simple pamphlet won’t do.

God, we thank you for your Word, the wisdom of which can never be exhausted!

Question: How has your Bible reading been lately? Is it time to begin to re-read it with “new eyes”?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/01/23/dh_bible/
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by Katherine J. Kehler

One evening I asked a group of Pioneer Girls what was the first thing that came to their mind when they thought about God.  One girl answered, “An old man with a long beard, sitting on a cloud.”   That was how she perceived God.

I often wonder what people around me think about God. A.W. Tozer wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”   It is so importance that we have the Biblical view of God and not our own or someone else’s view of God.

This is what the late Dr. William R. Bright wrote about his Biblical view of God.

1.    Because God is spirit...I will seek intimate fellowship with Him.
2.    Because God is all-powerful...He can help me with anything.
3.    Because God is ever-present...He is always with me.
4.    Because God knows everything...I will go to Him with all my questions and concerns.
5.    Because God is sovereign...I will joyfully submit to His will.
6.    Because God is holy...I will devote myself to Him in purity, worship and service.
7.    Because God is absolute truth...I will believe what He says and live accordingly.
8.    Because God is righteous...I will live by His standards.
9.    Because God is just...He will treat me fairly.
10.    Because God is love...He is unconditionally committed to my well being.
11.    Because God is merciful...He forgives me of my sins when I sincerely confess them.
12.    Because God is faithful...I will trust Him to always keep His promises.
13.    Because God never changes...my future is secure and eternal.

What comes to your mind when you think about God?  Think about it and write it down. Do you need to rethink your view of God?  Is it Biblical?

May You take the scales off our eyes to see clearly how wonderful and loving You are, Oh Lord!. Amen

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/01/17/kk_think/

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by Dr. Bill Bright

“And how can we be sure that we belong to Him? By looking within ourselves: are we really trying to do what He wants us to? Someone may say, ‘I am a Christian; I am on my way to heaven; I belong to Christ.’ But if he doesn’t do what Christ tells him to do, he is a liar. But those who do what Christ tells them to will learn to love God more and more. That is the way to know whether or not you are a Christian. Anyone who says He is a Christian should live as Christ did” 1 John 2:3-6

I frequently counsel with people who assure me that they are Christians, but their lifestyles betray their profession. In fact, Jesus refers to this kind of person in His parable of the wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30).

“I never knew you; depart from me,” He will say to people whose profession of Christian faith is insincere Matthew 7:23, (NAS). According to the Word of God, these people are confused, and we do them a great injustice if we do not hold before them the mirror of God’s Word. Our Scripture portion today is one of the most effective passages to help open their eyes.

If there has not been a difference in your lifestyle since you professed faith in Christ; if, even in your failure and sin – and we all fail and sin at times – you do not have a desire to obey God and live a life pleasing to Him, it is quite possible that the new birth has not taken place in your life. Test yourself if you are not sure; if you have not done so, you can experience the new birth simply by receiving Christ into your heart today. This applies more directly to carnal Christians.

Bible Reading: 1 John 3:18-24

Today’s Action Point: To be absolutely certain of my relationship with Jesus Christ, I will take spiritual inventory of my life and seek to ascertain whether my lifestyle is consistent with that of the true believer and follower of Christ.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/12/26/bb_sure/

by Vonette Bright

Jesus said,
“I am the One who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.�? Revelations1:8b (NLT)

No question… Jesus is God!

Some time ago, a gracious man in his middle eighties said to my husband,
"Mr. Bright, I've been the chairman of the board of my church for fifty years, and no one has ever told me I have to receive Christ as my Savior.
Do you think, in the light of all of the good things I have done,
that I must be born again?�?

Bill explained, "The need for you to be born again is not my suggestion.  Jesus said,
'You must be born again' to Nicodemus, who was also a fine religious leader."

Friend, choose to receive Christ into your life through prayer today.
And if you’ve done that, share it with someone.  Tell them about God’s great love.
http://www.thoughts-about-god.com/4laws/law0.html

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/12/13/vb_i-am/