Daily Devotions

Memory Verse “The Spirit of the Lord is in Me. This is because God chose Me to tell the good news to the poor. God sent Me to tell the prisoners of sin that they are free, and to tell the blind that they can see again. God sent Me to free those who have been treated unfairly.” Luke 4:18 (ICB) Double Portion Hey Kids! As you already heard, our superhero this month is Elijah, who did AMAZING miracles because he knew that God was his source of power, obeyed God, and gave his life to serve God.   Kids you know what is more cool than that?  Elijah took the time to teach a person named Elisha all that he knew.  He showed him how he listened and obeyed God in everything he did and how he served God with all his heart.  He wanted to make sure that someone special continued God’s work when he went to heaven. Elisha was specially picked by God and faithfully followed his leader Elijah everywhere he went.  He did not leave his side, he listened, respected, and did whatever his leader told him to do.  And he had a strong faith in God and desire to serve God.  Elisha knew what God wanted him to do and he went full force after it.   When it was time for Elijah to go to heaven, Elijah asked Elisha what he wanted.  Guess what he asked for???  Not a new bike, not a huge TV with a gaming system, or a new iPhone 12,

Today’s Bible Verse “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Revelation 22:13 What Will Settle It? Over the course of various conversations, I have heard a phrase used that sounds like this, “At the end of the day, it’s what really counts that matters.” First, to understand that statement a person would have to understand what really matters, right? Secondly, with everyone entitled to their opinion, who would be the one to settle that? Who is the standard? Is there a settling standard that would be applicable for any and every situation? Yes there is. It is the Word of God.  In many ways, we are living in strange times. In the complexity of our current affairs there is no shortage of voices to be heard, opinions to be offered, and narratives to be expressed. Yet, for the Christian, there is one voice that should settle all issues – their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. No matter what our background, upbringing, nationality, ethnicity, history or experience, God, through His Word, has the final say. Not only does the Bible clearly show this to be true, but this core value is what we’re encouraged to renew our minds to in order to live our Christian life without compromise and with a Bible-based conviction. A powerful key that every disciple of Jesus is encouraged to pursue is understanding that the source and answer to all questions is God’s Word. In other words,

Today’s Bible Verse “Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.’ So Jesus went with him…” Mark 5:21 Only Believe Jairus believed that if Jesus laid his hands on his daughter, she would be healed! The amazing thing is Jesus went with Jairus. In some instances, we see people who needed Jesus to speak the word. In other instances, others believed their healing would come through reaching out and touching Jesus’ garment. We all have faith to meet the challenges of our day, and Jesus will always meet us at the level of our faith. We don’t have to conjure up faith to an artificial level. Jesus is always pleased when we believe in Him. Maybe, like Jairus, we started off in faith believing that if Jesus would touch the situation, it would be well, but it seems the situation has gone from bad to worse. Jairus learns that his daughter is no longer sick, but she had died. Jesus’ response to Jairus is His response to us. “As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said

Today’s Bible Verse “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]” John 16:33 (AMPC) Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled In the midst of the chaos and confusion, conflicts and contentions, that COVID-19 has caused locally and globally, we are reminded of what Jesus said: “Let not your heart be troubled for I have (past tense) overcome the world.” Here are some important things to do to self-quarantine yourself spiritually: FIRST…Look Upward. Always keep your eyes on Jesus. Hebrews 11:2 (NKJV) states, “…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith… SECOND…Look Inward. Always take heed to your spiritual well-being. Keep feeding on the Word. 1 Timothy 4:16 tells us to, “Pay close attention to yourself [concentrate on your personal development] and to your teaching; persevere in these things [hold to them]…” THIRD…Look Outward. Be a blessing to someone. Make a phone call to a friend, relative coworker or someone you haven’t seen in a while. A word of encouragement is oxygen to the soul. Ephesians 4:32 (AMPC) tells us to, “…become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted)…” FOURTH…Look Forward. Always remember to keep moving forward by faith regardless of

Today’s Bible Verse “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” 1 Peter 5:7 (AMPC) Work Out the Worry In Ecclesiastes 3:1, we read, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” I recall one particular “season” that was very difficult for me. Several years ago, my husband had a strong desire to attend Bible school. When he conveyed that the location was in Columbus, Ohio, I was rather shocked and felt very saddened. I was sad because my stepfather had just retired and appeared to have an expectation to spend time with our first-born child. I was shocked because I was born and raised in Hawaii and I never left the island of Oahu except to go on vacation. Even though I had moments of feeling excited for the new experiences to come, I began to be concerned that I would not have any family or friends nearby to give me the support I would need. I know that this may sound silly, but I’d anxiously wonder if we would have ample clothing and necessities for this new lifestyle. I also questioned myself if I was equipped to care for our firstborn child while my husband was away at school during the day then straight to work thereafter. I was especially feeling timid as to how I was supposed