The citizens of a small community were overwhelmed with discouragement. The drought had destroyed the crops of the farmers, and they were facing bankruptcy. The merchants were unable to purchase inventory for their stores because their customers could not pay their bills. And things went downhill from there.
Everyone was heartbroken and depressed except one elderly man of God. He invited the leaders of the community to his home for a meeting to see if he could encourage them to continue a little longer.
His friends came to his home and sat around his kitchen table. He asked them to turn from facing him while he hung a large piece of white paper on a wall. Then, he asked them to turn and look at it. As they did, he placed a black dot in the center and asked, “Gentlemen, what do you see?”
In unison, they said, “A black dot.” Not one of them mentioned the white paper that surrounded the one small black dot.
“Gentlemen,” he asked, “are there some blessings in your life that we can place around the black dot that might make it not so obvious?” One by one, they thought of the good things that they had been overlooking in their time of loss and grief.
God’s goodness sometimes disappears from our horizon. When days are difficult and nights are long, it is easy to see the dot and not the One who can remove it.
Prayer: Help us, Heavenly Father, to be aware of all that we have because of Your goodness and grace. Give us faith to endure the difficulties of life through Your strength. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture For Today: Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Matthew 19:26
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What Do You See?
The citizens of a small community were overwhelmed with discouragement. The drought had destroyed the crops of the farmers, and they were facing bankruptcy. The merchants were unable to purchase inventory for their stores because their customers could not pay their bills. And things went downhill from there.
Everyone was heartbroken and depressed except one elderly man of God. He invited the leaders of the community to his home for a meeting to see if he could encourage them to continue a little longer.
His friends came to his home and sat around his kitchen table. He asked them to turn from facing him while he hung a large piece of white paper on a wall. Then, he asked them to turn and look at it. As they did, he placed a black dot in the center and asked, “Gentlemen, what do you see?”
In unison, they said, “A black dot.” Not one of them mentioned the white paper that surrounded the one small black dot.
“Gentlemen,” he asked, “are there some blessings in your life that we can place around the black dot that might make it not so obvious?” One by one, they thought of the good things that they had been overlooking in their time of loss and grief.
God’s goodness sometimes disappears from our horizon. When days are difficult and nights are long, it is easy to see the dot and not the One who can remove it.
Prayer: Help us, Heavenly Father, to be aware of all that we have because of Your goodness and grace. Give us faith to endure the difficulties of life through Your strength. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture For Today: Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Matthew 19:26
Were you helped by today's devotional? Leave a comment and let us know!
Everyone was heartbroken and depressed except one elderly man of God. He invited the leaders of the community to his home for a meeting to see if he could encourage them to continue a little longer.
His friends came to his home and sat around his kitchen table. He asked them to turn from facing him while he hung a large piece of white paper on a wall. Then, he asked them to turn and look at it. As they did, he placed a black dot in the center and asked, “Gentlemen, what do you see?”
In unison, they said, “A black dot.” Not one of them mentioned the white paper that surrounded the one small black dot.
“Gentlemen,” he asked, “are there some blessings in your life that we can place around the black dot that might make it not so obvious?” One by one, they thought of the good things that they had been overlooking in their time of loss and grief.
God’s goodness sometimes disappears from our horizon. When days are difficult and nights are long, it is easy to see the dot and not the One who can remove it.
Prayer: Help us, Heavenly Father, to be aware of all that we have because of Your goodness and grace. Give us faith to endure the difficulties of life through Your strength. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture For Today: Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Matthew 19:26
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The Source Of Peace
Russ Ortiz was an outstanding baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves. In fact, in one season he won twenty-one games.
On one occasion, a reporter asked him how he kept calm in situations when it looked like he would lose control of the game. Quickly he replied, “When I am on the mound and need a calming experience, I look under the bill of my cap. You see, I keep a Bible verse there,” he explained. “When I started doing it,” he continued, “it helped me put things in perspective.”
The Christian is never guaranteed a life free from stress, strife, or the challenges of the world. Being a disciple of Christ does not promise us of quiet paths and calm waters. But it does assure us that when we keep our minds securely focused on God and His Word, we will know perfect peace even in the most turbulent times.
Isaiah, in a song of praise to the Lord, wrote, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on You!”
This is a powerful promise for every believer. His Word and His faithfulness provide all of the assurance that we need to know that He will give us perfect peace. It exceeds all of the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that we find in the writings of worldly authors. In Him, we have everything we need: His eternal and unchanging love. When we accept this fact, there is no reason for us to fear the chaos that confronts us or the confusion that surrounds us. He gives us peace.
Prayer: Lord, may we accept the peace that You offer us through Your Son, our Savior. Help us to rely on Him and His power to protect and preserve us in all things. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture For Today: You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on You! Isaiah 26:3
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On one occasion, a reporter asked him how he kept calm in situations when it looked like he would lose control of the game. Quickly he replied, “When I am on the mound and need a calming experience, I look under the bill of my cap. You see, I keep a Bible verse there,” he explained. “When I started doing it,” he continued, “it helped me put things in perspective.”
The Christian is never guaranteed a life free from stress, strife, or the challenges of the world. Being a disciple of Christ does not promise us of quiet paths and calm waters. But it does assure us that when we keep our minds securely focused on God and His Word, we will know perfect peace even in the most turbulent times.
Isaiah, in a song of praise to the Lord, wrote, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on You!”
This is a powerful promise for every believer. His Word and His faithfulness provide all of the assurance that we need to know that He will give us perfect peace. It exceeds all of the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that we find in the writings of worldly authors. In Him, we have everything we need: His eternal and unchanging love. When we accept this fact, there is no reason for us to fear the chaos that confronts us or the confusion that surrounds us. He gives us peace.
Prayer: Lord, may we accept the peace that You offer us through Your Son, our Savior. Help us to rely on Him and His power to protect and preserve us in all things. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture For Today: You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on You! Isaiah 26:3
Were you helped by today's devotional? Leave a comment and let us know!
The Source Of Peace
Russ Ortiz was an outstanding baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves. In fact, in one season he won twenty-one games.
On one occasion, a reporter asked him how he kept calm in situations when it looked like he would lose control of the game. Quickly he replied, “When I am on the mound and need a calming experience, I look under the bill of my cap. You see, I keep a Bible verse there,” he explained. “When I started doing it,” he continued, “it helped me put things in perspective.”
The Christian is never guaranteed a life free from stress, strife, or the challenges of the world. Being a disciple of Christ does not promise us of quiet paths and calm waters. But it does assure us that when we keep our minds securely focused on God and His Word, we will know perfect peace even in the most turbulent times.
Isaiah, in a song of praise to the Lord, wrote, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on You!”
This is a powerful promise for every believer. His Word and His faithfulness provide all of the assurance that we need to know that He will give us perfect peace. It exceeds all of the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that we find in the writings of worldly authors. In Him, we have everything we need: His eternal and unchanging love. When we accept this fact, there is no reason for us to fear the chaos that confronts us or the confusion that surrounds us. He gives us peace.
Prayer: Lord, may we accept the peace that You offer us through Your Son, our Savior. Help us to rely on Him and His power to protect and preserve us in all things. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture For Today: You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on You! Isaiah 26:3
Were you helped by today's devotional? Leave a comment and let us know!
On one occasion, a reporter asked him how he kept calm in situations when it looked like he would lose control of the game. Quickly he replied, “When I am on the mound and need a calming experience, I look under the bill of my cap. You see, I keep a Bible verse there,” he explained. “When I started doing it,” he continued, “it helped me put things in perspective.”
The Christian is never guaranteed a life free from stress, strife, or the challenges of the world. Being a disciple of Christ does not promise us of quiet paths and calm waters. But it does assure us that when we keep our minds securely focused on God and His Word, we will know perfect peace even in the most turbulent times.
Isaiah, in a song of praise to the Lord, wrote, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on You!”
This is a powerful promise for every believer. His Word and His faithfulness provide all of the assurance that we need to know that He will give us perfect peace. It exceeds all of the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that we find in the writings of worldly authors. In Him, we have everything we need: His eternal and unchanging love. When we accept this fact, there is no reason for us to fear the chaos that confronts us or the confusion that surrounds us. He gives us peace.
Prayer: Lord, may we accept the peace that You offer us through Your Son, our Savior. Help us to rely on Him and His power to protect and preserve us in all things. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture For Today: You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on You! Isaiah 26:3
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Dig Deeper!
Henry was caught up in the gold rush. Shortly after arriving in California, he found a mine, staked a claim, and began digging. One day he found some ore, became excited, and believed he had struck it rich. He knew, without any doubt, that fame and fortune would soon be his.
He kept digging for a few weeks but eventually became discouraged and wanted to quit. Finally, a stranger approached him and offered to purchase his mine. In a moment of frustration, he agreed to sell his rights for $11,000.00.
The new owner was excited about his purchase and began to dig where Henry stopped. And he kept digging for years and years. Eventually, the Comstock Mine produced 340 million dollars of gold!
Wanting to encourage the church in Galatia, the Apostle Paul wrote, “So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessings at the appropriate time.”
We have all faced those times in our lives when we become discouraged and distressed at doing what we believe is the right thing to do. No one offers a word of thanks or encouragement, and there are no visible results to accompany our hard work. But Paul reminds us to keep on keeping on and doing good and then trust God for the results. Giving in or giving up or giving out is the sure way to forfeit the blessing that God will award us for being faithful.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, may we be faithful to You in what You ask us to do. Protect us from allowing discouraging moments to destroy us and doubts to defeat us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture For Today: So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessings at the appropriate time. Galatians 6:9
Were you helped by today's devotional? Leave a comment and let us know!
He kept digging for a few weeks but eventually became discouraged and wanted to quit. Finally, a stranger approached him and offered to purchase his mine. In a moment of frustration, he agreed to sell his rights for $11,000.00.
The new owner was excited about his purchase and began to dig where Henry stopped. And he kept digging for years and years. Eventually, the Comstock Mine produced 340 million dollars of gold!
Wanting to encourage the church in Galatia, the Apostle Paul wrote, “So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessings at the appropriate time.”
We have all faced those times in our lives when we become discouraged and distressed at doing what we believe is the right thing to do. No one offers a word of thanks or encouragement, and there are no visible results to accompany our hard work. But Paul reminds us to keep on keeping on and doing good and then trust God for the results. Giving in or giving up or giving out is the sure way to forfeit the blessing that God will award us for being faithful.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, may we be faithful to You in what You ask us to do. Protect us from allowing discouraging moments to destroy us and doubts to defeat us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture For Today: So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessings at the appropriate time. Galatians 6:9
Were you helped by today's devotional? Leave a comment and let us know!
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