DAILY DEVOTION

Today's devotional readings were taken from these. . .

"Daily Wisdom"

"What Do You Know About Epiphany?"

If you thought Christmas was safely over on December 25th, you are missing out on some of the more meaningful and theologically rich traditions of this season!
According to one Web site looking at early Colonial history in the U.S., "Celebrants in the 18th century saw Christmas Day itself as only the first day of festivities. Probably because customs then were fewer and preparations simpler, colonial Virginians looked to the twelve days beyond December 25 as a way to extend and more fully savor the most joyful season of the year" writes Emma Powers in "Christmas Customs" (http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/xmas/customs.cfm).

Read more here. . . What Do You Know About Epiphany?


"My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers

"Why Can I Not Follow You Now?"

There are times when you can’t understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings a time of waiting, and appears to be unresponsive, don’t fill it with busyness, just wait. The time of waiting may come to teach you the meaning of sanctification— to be set apart from sin and made holy— or it may come after the process of sanctification has begun to teach you what service means. Never run before God gives you His direction. If you have the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt— wait.

Read more here. . . Why Can I Not Follow You Now

"The Upper Room"

"Life's Stings"

WHERE I live in Florida, we have an insect known as the fire ant. Tese little creatures build small anthills in lawns and gardens and are pests to gardeners. Sometimes when I am working in my garden, I can feel the sting of four or five of these insects simultaneously. Right away I apply a soothing balm that helps to ease the pain until the bites heal and my hands return to normal in a few days.

Sometimes my life is somewhat like an experience with those ants. . . .

Read more here . . .Life's Stings


"Our Daily Bread"

"Our Influence"

Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) was gifted with a brilliant mind. He learned to read at age 3, could translate Greek at 12, and enrolled in Brown University when he was 16. While there he was befriended by Jacob Eames, a man who rejected the miracles of the Bible. When Judson graduated as valedictorian in 1807, he had been so influenced by Eames that he denied his Christian faith.

One night, when Judson was staying at a village inn, he was disturbed by a man moaning in the next room. The following morning he asked the innkeeper about the ailing man. He was told that the man had died and that his name was Jacob Eames.

Read more here. . . Our Influence