Devotionals

Daily readings to encourage your heart and mind in the pursuit of God and his glory.

  • The God of Second Chances

    Esther 10

    The full story line of the Old Testament Historical Books points us finally to Christ. We learn in these books our need of a perfectly righteous king when we see the leaders of God’s people fail time and again. Because ...Read More

  • Divine Reversals of Fortune

    Esther 8–9

    The early church father Athanasius of Alexandria comments that the fifth-century-BC Jews “called a feast, thanking and praising the Lord, because he had changed the situation for them.” When God intervenes to rescue His children, the only appropriate response ...Read More

  • The Invisible Hand of Providence

    Esther 5–7

    There is no such thing as chance in the sense of things that “just happen”; chance is simply a name for mathematical probabilities. Our universe is not randomly running on its own, and things never occur by coincidence. The Lord ...Read More

  • Nehemiah’s Pleas to God

    Nehemiah 13:1–14

    Matthew Henry comments on today’s passage: “Deeds done for the house of God and the offices of it, for the support of religion and the encouragement of it, are good deeds. . . . They shall in no wise lose ...Read More

  • The Jews Covenant to Obey God

    Nehemiah 10:28–39

    The promises or covenants that we make will ultimately be only as good as our commitment to keep them. Formalizing promises in writing is a good thing to keep us accountable, but written documents are meaningless if we do not ...Read More

  • The Jews Hear the Law

    Nehemiah 8

    God calls us to mourn our sin; however, that does not mean He expects us to be in a state of perpetual grief over our transgressions. There are times for celebration, and a healthy spiritual life makes sure to include ...Read More

  • Escaping a Conspiracy

    Nehemiah 6

    Not everyone who expresses a desire for our welfare intends good for us. Thus, we must take great care in whom we choose to be our friends and be wise when people who once seemed to hate us suddenly appear ...Read More

  • Nehemiah Rescues the Poor

    Nehemiah 5

    God’s law is given to redeemed people as a delight (Ps. 119:97). When people use the law to put burdens on us that cannot be fulfilled, the law is being used improperly. Nehemiah worked to apply the law properly and ...Read More

  • Putting Away the Foreign Wives

    Ezra 10:1–17

    Today’s passage is difficult, so we are thankful that we have more revelation under the new covenant with respect to marriage and divorce. If a believer’s spouse does not trust in Jesus, he or she should not divorce the unbelieving ...Read More

  • The Problem of Intermarriage

    Ezra 9

    The problem with the mixed marriages in Ezra’s day is that the Jews had yoked themselves to people who denied the one true God. We cannot think that marrying people who are not believers will be good for our spiritual ...Read More

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