Devotional Thoughts

Ephesians 1:1-2    "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:  (2)  Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." I could not get the book of Ephesians out of my thoughts as I was trying to seek God's will concerning my devotions after completing the Psalms. I kept going back and forth with other thoughts until I read these first two verses this morning. The Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to begin this book in a manner that gives the ultimate example of God's grace and mercy. He writes concerning himself and the absolute change that God makes in the hearts and minds of His people. I hope to be able to concisely say what I see in these verses. We know the person Saul used to be, but now He speaks in terms of God's grace, mercy, love, and peace. When he was on the road to Damascus, Saul was in no way seeking the peace of the people who wer...

Matthew 2:7-10    "Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.  When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy."   The wise men were following a star that was leading them to Jesus. Scholars tell us that, depending on exactly where they came from in the east, they had been traveling for two to six months before reaching Jerusalem. That time does not take into account the time they would have spent preparing to make such a journey. Whatever the exact period may have been, it was not quick and it was not easy. Herod was extremely interested...

Matthew 2:1-4    "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,  Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.  When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born."  We often see a number of myths surrounding the coming of the wise men. They are often referred to as three wise men. In truth, the Bible does not tell us how many there were. These wise men brought three gifts (gold, frankincense, and myrrh), but the only thing we can know for certain about their number is there was more than one. The manger scenes we see often show the wise men at the manger with the shepherds and a star standing brightly over stable. Again, the Bi...

Psalm 150:1-6   "Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.  (2)  Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.  (3)  Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.  (4)  Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.  (5)  Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.  (6)  Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD." I'm so thankful this morning to say that I have breath in my lungs. There are some days that the humidity affects my breathing; yet, I can say I have breath in my lungs. How about you? For me to say and know that I have breath in my lungs, then this Psalm applies to me. I can't play the trumpet or psaltery or harp. I only can make a noise on a timbrel. I used to play the dulcimer, but it's been a long ...