(The following is the May 18 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read Acts 9 and pay close attention to verse 31.) After Saul’s Damascus road encounter with Christ, the church was initially wary of him because of his previous persecution of believers. Barnabas, whose name means “Son of Encouragement,” took him …
Learning History Can Deepen Your Faith
(The following is the May 14 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read Acts 7 and pay close attention to verses 1-53.) False witnesses wrongly accused Stephen of blasphemy. The high priest of the Sanhedrin asked him, “Are these things true?” (v. 1). Stephen replied with a lengthy discourse that walked …
Selfless Love
(The following is the May 1 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read John 19 and pay close attention to verses 25-27.) Nail-pierced hands and feet bled, as did his head from the crown of thorns. His body was torn from the cruel lashes he endured before the crucifixion. Difficult breathing was …
My Prayer Before Reading Scripture
Each morning, I have two times of Bible reading. The first includes any devotional books I'm working through. For this year, that includes a devotional through Psalms and one through the New Testament. The second time in His Word includes whichever current plan I'm using to read through the whole Bible. Currently, that is a …
Immediate, Eternal Truth
(The following is the April 29 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read John 18 and pay close attention to verses 1-9.) Whenever God speaks, his words are immediately eternally true. We often read “thus says the Lord” when Old Testament prophets communicate God’s word to others. We repeatedly see “as it …
