Daily Devotions

Pro. 27:9 Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel. I think we all know that scents and smells have the power to change one’s mood.  For example, the aroma of fresh cookies baking in the oven can put a smile on anyone’s face.  Likewise,…

Pro. 16:28A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends. People become friends because they have something in common. When I was a child, my friends were the kids who liked to play the games I liked to play. In middle school and high school, my friends and I shared the…

Pro. 17:9 He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends. The picture of forgiveness that we get from God’s example is one of a total reset.  When we think about how He separates us from our sin through repentance, and to what degree that occurs, the metaphor is…

Pro. 27:6Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. The course of a friendship should be a natural progression from the strange to the familiar. When two people first get to know one another, there is a lot to learn. Then, as they spend more time together and…

Pro. 22:11 He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend. I recently had a conversation with someone who said that he has only one good friend. The reason this conversation began is that he wanted to know why this is the case. While it is…

Pro. 18:24 A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Some people see life as a popularity contest. Perhaps this comes from the fact that childhood and adolescence can be like this for many people. If we regularly see those who are well-known…

Pro. 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. It has not escaped me that my perspective on friendship for the Christian is controversial, but I believe that the scriptures support the position.  It is founded on the biblical command that we not be friends with the world. [Jam.…

Jer. 32:24-25 Behold, the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has come to pass, and behold, you see it. Yet you, O Lord GOD,…

2Kgs. 19:14-16 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD and spread it before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said: “O LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone,…

2Kgs. 4:32-35 When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed.  So he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the LORD.  Then he went up and lay on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes,…