THE HOME DEVO

  “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”(James 4.17). So, what are you going to do today? That is all!                                  PRAYER REQUESTS____________________________________________________    

  DISCUSSION                                              One of the saddest passages in the Bible is found in John 6.66. John writes, “After this many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him. “ Why? What would cause a group of believers to turn away from Jesus, never to return again? The reason for their exit was based on a statement from Jesus that was difficult for them to understand or accept. During His ministry, Jesus made several statements that were difficult to follow: “Sell all your possessions and give it to the poor,” “Deny yourself”, and “Love your enemies” are just a few that come to mind. But what makes this statement so much more difficult for them to follow?   I think what caused their exit was when Jesus said, “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life..”(6.54). Surely Jesus is not expecting th...

  DISCUSSION                                                                        Do you know the feeling of anxiety when you’re overwhelmed with projects, problems, and other issues? You feel as though you are doing everything you can do to keep your head above water. Whether you believe it or not, you are not the only one to ever feel this way. David describes that exact feeling when he cries out, “Save me, O God! For the water have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is not foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me” (Psalms 69. 1-2). I have often wondered, what was the problem to which David was referring. Was it his hiding from Saul, who sought to ki...

  DISCUSSION                                               I don’t know Dennis Jernigan and chances are neither do you. He is a noted songwriter of many of the songs that we sing in our churches and devotionals. What you also don’t know is that prior to 1981, Dennis was a practicing homosexual who was in a committed relationship with another man. Someone introduced him to Jesus and he became a believer. Today he is married and has nine children. I am not sure exactly when he penned the lyrics to the song “For All That You’ve Done I Will Thank You”, but something about the words in the chorus “thank You for loving and setting me free” led me to understand this song on a deeper level than once before. God’s word has the power to set us free from the bondage of sin, no matter the sin. I hav...

  DISCUSSION                                        The Gospel of John tells the story of a young boy who was dying in Capernaum. I assume his father had exhausted every medical mean at his disposal, but he had one option left. There had been talk of a physician named Jesus who was using a strange new type of medicine, but Jesus was a least twenty miles away. Nevertheless, he had no other options; the father goes to Jesus. As he meets Jesus, he explains his son’s situation, and pleads with Him to come back to Capernaum before his son dies. Jesus’ response was “Go, your son will live” (John 4.50). “Is that it?” might have been our response, but the father believed and rushed home. What trust! What peace! What faith! This father believed and left knowing that Jesus had said something in Cana of Galilee that affected his ill son at his home twenty miles away. We have no indication in...

  DISCUSSION :                                                              Have you ever been to a museum? It has always been a dream of mine to visit the famous Louvre in Paris. It was built in 1792 and contains nearly 35,000 items including the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and many other works that are considered “masterpieces.” What if I told you that you didn’t have to travel all the way to Paris to see a masterpiece? In fact, you visit lots of masterpieces every day at the grocery store, at a red light, at your workplace, and even at your church. Paul tells us “we are His workmanship..” (Ephesians 2.10). Another word for “workmanship is “masterpiece.” The Almighty carefully crafted every person in this world. Today, there are more than 7 billion people...

  There is tremendous power in showing gratitude. Francesca Gino, an Associate Professor at the Harvard School of Business, conducted a study and published it; It was called “Sidetracked: Why Our Decisions Get Derailed and How We Can Stick to Our Plan”. Gino found that “Receiving expressions of gratitude makes us feel a heightened sense of self-worth, and that in turn triggers other helpful behaviors toward both the person we are helping and other people, too”. That just means that when we receive words or acts of gratitude, we feel so good about ourselves that we are more likely to pass along other positive expressions. In Luke 17.11, we see the parable of the Good Samaritan.