A Devotional for Your Life: Help for Living a Providential Life

By Bill Winscott

A Devotional For Your Life is dedicated to presenting important and thoughtful subjects each day with applicable Bible verses. Over 350 subjects are presented that add a fresh Christian view grounded in scripture. The daily devotional entries include comments, questions, scripture and a short prayer. Enhance each day with attention to God’s word.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664260511

Bill Winscott

Bill lives with his wife Carol and two Westie dogs in the Hill Country of Texas. He has a Christian background as a seminary graduate in theology, pastor, student and teacher. Bill's experience also includes being a business owner, business manager, military officer , medical technologist and medical manager. Bill and Carol have five children and eight grandchildren.

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Copyright © 2022 Bill Winscott.

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-6050-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-6052-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-6051-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022904460

WestBow Press rev. date: 5/7/2022

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The

Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing

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Scripture quotations marked (NRSV) are from New Revised Standard Version

Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the

United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living

Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by

permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies

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and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scripture marked (NKJV) taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright

© 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NASB) taken from the (NASB®) New American

Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman

Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org

CONTENTS

Introduction

January

1 Discipline

2 A Powerful God

3 Winning The Race

4 Listen To The Spirit

5 Sins As Scarlet Made White

6 What To Do With Satan

7 Lessons In Fishing

8 Growing In Community

9 The Way

10 Written On Their Hearts

11 Lord And Messiah

12 The Seas

13 Creator

14 Never Give Up

15 A Familiar Warning

16 Walk In Integrity

17 Encouragement

18 Focus On God

19 Scriptural Authority And Power

20 Faith And Understanding

21 Inner Strength

22 Your Rescue From Evil People

23 Our Only Hope

24 Reaction To Tragedy

25 Careful Listening

26 Criticism And Judging Others

27 Take Courage

28 Refuge

29 Shall We Obey The Law?

30 Humility And Exultation

31 What Is Required Of You

February

1 Unfailing Love

2 Be Humble

3 God’s Greatest Challenge

4 The Wise Person

5 Fools

6 God’s Mysterious Will

7 Sin And New Life

8 The Church, Worship And Scripture

9 False Teaching Correctly Judged

10 The Only True God

11 Peace

12 Self Evaluation

13 Pleasing God

14 Amazing Unbelief

15 The Baptism Of Jesus And The Trinity

16 The Story Of Jonah

17 A Fountain To Cleanse

18 Support For God’s Chosen

19 The World’s Sin

20 The Reading Of Scripture

21 Sovereignty Of God

22 Israel And Jerusalem

23 Instructions For Church Leaders

24 Spend Time In The Scriptures

25 Your Calling

26 Jesus Brings Division Or Peace

27 Power In Prayer

28 Faith And Future Perfection

29 Clearing Corruption

March

1 God’s Faithful Love 67

2 Who Cares For Me? 68

3 Choices 69

4 We Must Forgive 70

5 Pleasing To Save 71

6 Endurance 72

7 Lost 73

8 The Greatest 74

9 Making A Home In Your Heart 75

10 Our Struggle 76

11 How To Cause The Devil To Flee 77

12 Where Is Your Confidence? 78

13 The Family Of Christ 79

14 The Road To Salvation 80

15 Answer - The Church 81

16 Generosity 82

17 The Hidden Word 83

18 Live Out Your Blessings 84

19 Trusting God 85

20 Our Future Beyond The Grave 86

21 Your Heavy Burdens 87

22 Facing Rejection 88

23 A New Covenant 89

24 Who Should We Please? 90

25 Witnessing The Resurrection 91

26 The Many Works Of Jesus Christ 92

27 Pursue Peace And Holiness 93

28 Concerning Authority 94

29 Praise 95

30 Christian Songs 96

31 Humility Before God 97

April

1 Joy

2 Good Character

3 Truth

4 Kindness

5 Using God’s Gifts

6 The Futility Of Pleasure And Possessions

7 Idleness

8 Compassion

9 Restrain Speech

10 Creator God

11 Wheat And Weeds

12 A New Life

13 God’s Love For Us

14 A Child Of God

15 Fruit Of The Holy Spirit

16 Bad News

17 Hypocrisy

18 Bear One Another’s Burdens

19 Glory

20 Like A Rock

21 Death To The Power Of Sin

22 Work Of The Holy Spirit

23 Rest

24 God’s Love And Faithfulness

25 Humility Before God

26 Full Of The Spirit

27 Life Is Short

28 Waiting Patiently

29 A Gracious God

30 What Things Are Eternal

May

1 Suffering, Hope And Future Glory

2 Endure All Through Grace

3 Like A Child

4 What Is Valuable?

5 Martyrdom and Glory

6 Wisdom

7 The God Of Peace

8 The Power Of A Name

9 Reflecting On Life And Death

10 Who Can Be Saved?

11 Overwhelming Victory

12 Our Eternal God

13 A God Of Caring And Kindness

14 Those Who Do Not Repent

15 False Teachers

16 You Are Identified By Your Fruit

17 What Scriptures Are We To Obey?

18 Resist Satan

19 Set Your Sight On Heaven

20 Our Always Present God

21 Christ – The Suffering Servant

22 Do We Seek The Right Things?

23 The Purpose Of Christ’s Time On Earth

24 The Temple Of God

25 Many Are Called – Few Are Chosen

26 Surprising Faith

27 A Heavenly Welcome

28 False Teachers And False Teaching

29 The Foundation Of God’s Throne

30 Knowing Christ’s Mighty Power

31 Making Christ At Home In Your Heart

June

1 About Spiritual Maturity

2 Who Calls Jesus The Son Of God?

3 Discipline In The Church

4 The Nature Of The New Covenant

5 Imitate God

6 The Full Thanks Christ Is Due

7 The Hope Of Future Glory

8 Living A New Life

9 The Righteous Judgment Of God

10 The Moment Of Christ’s Return

11 The Power Of God

12 The Lord’s Protection

13 God’s Own Child

14 A Pure And Clear Conscience

15 Loneliness

16 Be Satisfied

17 Examine Yourself

18 Building Up In The Lord

19 Credit For Work

20 Our Amazing God

21 Forgiveness Of Sin

22 Encouragement For The Believer

23 Are We Like Solomon?

24 The Need For Mercy And The Joy Of Salvation

25 Give Credit To God

26 The Highway Of Holiness

27 The Coming Of The Lord

28 The Holy Place

29 The Restoration And Salvation Of Israel

30 The Law Of The Lord

July

1 Pray For All People

2 A Clean Heart

3 The Day Of The Lord

4 Peace With God

5 Who Can Compare?

6 Controlling The Tongue

7 Salt And Light

8 Real And False

9 Wisdom From The Wise

10 A Gentle Whisper Of God

11 Receiving The Word

12 Running The Race

13 God’s Revelation Of His Spirit

14 God’s Discipline

15 Revenge

16 God Exalts The Humble

17 Different Perspectives

18 Giving Generously

19 Separation From God

20 Tomorrow

21 The Helper

22 The Suffering Of Doing Good

23 What Is Love?

24 Knowing Our Resurrection

25 Our Resurrected Body

26 Written On Our Heart

27 Answer For Depression

28 Dead To Sin – Alive In Christ

29 Hypocrisy

30 Where Is Your Treasure?

31 Signs Of The End

August

1 Reaching The Goal

2 Holy Scripture

3 Marriage

4 Have You Not Seen Or Known The Light?

5 The Boldness In The Gospel

6 Persecution – A Difficult Situation

7 Israel In The Future World

8 Unity With Christ

9 God’s Mysterious Plan

10 Endurance Of Discipline

11 Knowing God

12 Caught Up With Christ

13 Final Judgment

14 Salvation Comes From Belief

15 What Can You Do?

16 Love And Thanksgiving For God

17 The Five Thousand Fed And Satisfied

18 Last Words

19 Wisdom Of The Bible

20 Stand Firm

21 Distractions

22 Faithful And True – King Of Kings

23 Imitate God

24 Going On To Maturity

25 The Christian Attitude In Life

26 Time Is Running Out

27 A Message For The Church

28 Temptation

29 Acceptance And Rejection Of Christ

30 The Supremacy Of Christ

31 The Real Family Of Christ

September

1 Lord And Messiah

2 Hell

3 The Good News Of Faith And Love

4 Ready For Good Work

5 Remember

6 Be Prepared

7 Which Law Do We Serve?

8 Suffering For Christ

9 Christ’s Gifts To The Church

10 One Who Comes From Heaven

11 Immorality And The Believer

12 The Nature Of Love

13 A Complete Sacrifice For All Time

14 Remain Faithful

15 Be Of One Mind

16 Trust In God

17 In Christ

18 Upon What Does Faith Rest?

19 A Powerful Motivator For Good

20 Foolishness And Wisdom

21 Confession, Cleansing And Pardon

22 God Commissions His Missionaries

23 Christ And The Holy Spirit

24 The Only Gospel

25 The Christian Viewpoint

26 The Temple Of The Living God

27 Draw Near To God

28 God’s Compassion And Love

29 An Encounter With Satan

30 What Are The Results Of Our Deeds?

October

1 Persecution

2 Double-Minded

3 End Times Assurance

4 Let Us Hear What God Will Speak

5 Surpassing Value

6 Christian Qualities

7 Justice And Vindication

8 Remember Jesus Christ

9 The Authority Of Christ

10 Difficult Times

11 A Deceitful Heart

12 God And The Righteous

13 No Other

14 Power Through Weakness

15 Tomorrow

16 How Much Faith Do We Need?

17 Sanctification

18 Prophecy

19 Hold Fast

20 The Hope Of All People

21 False Teachers

22 Pride

23 The Call To Freedom

24 The Bible

25 Rejoice In The Lord

26 The Promise Of The Holy Spirit

27 The Fight Of Faith

28 There Is Only One Gospel

29 The Lord’s Supper

30 Listen To The Lord’s Prophets

31 A Renewed Living Sacrifice

November

1 Be Of One Mind

2 Blessed Believers

3 Devote Yourself To Prayer

4 Stay Faithful To Christ

5 The Grace Of God

6 A God We Cannot Escape

7 Pentecost Prophetic Images

8 Satan Attacks

9 Hallmarks Of A True Christian

10 Inheriting The Kingdom Of God

11 Entering God’s Rest

12 Sufferings Of A Christian

13 Known By Our Words

14 The Only Way

15 Loving And Obeying God’s Word

16 Give Your Parents Joy

17 Ask The Father

18 Joy In The Lord

19 A Clear Mind

20 God’s Testimony To Us

21 Coming To The Kingdom Of God As A Child

22 Evil Times

23 Praise To God

24 The Joy Of Evangelism

25 Seek The Things Above

26 The Word Of God

27 Living In Christ

28 All Creation Waits For Future Glory

29 Busybodies

30 Living By God’s Grace

December

1 Peace

2 The Spirit And Sanctification Of Truth

3 A Place For You

4 Love Commandments

5 A New Attitude Toward Sin

6 Wisdom From Above

7 The Supremacy Of Christ

8 Atonement

9 Where Does Prophecy Come From?

10 Fear Of God

11 Give Thanks For Everything

12 The Hope Of Glory

13 God’s Light

14 God Made Known

15 Blessing Or Torment

16 Christ’s Humility And Glory

17 The Good Shepherd

18 Always Give Thanks

19 Stand Firm

20 Christ Lives In Us

21 Living In God’s Will

22 Paul And God’s Grace

23 Ask God For His Gift

24 Be Blameless And Pure

25 A New Attitude

26 Later Times

27 Saved By Grace

28 Enlightenment

29 Anointed

30 Have Courage

31 Revelation Of The Mystery

Epilogue

We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.

Psalm 33:20–22 NLT

INTRODUCTION

Traveling through the year takes on a special meaning when we remember scripture each day. Just taking a few minutes every day to read scripture, apply it to your life, and say a short prayer is a powerful force for anyone in their life. This devotional is organized by Bible topical themes that are outlined in the preceding content section of the book. The reader is then able to access a daily devotion by the date or by topical theme. This way the long-term usefulness and the flexible access is provided to the user. It is important to, Be still, and know that I am God (Ps. 46:10 NLT). Our focus on the Word of God is so important to have in living a providential life. This is part of a series of books based upon the theme Living A Providential Life. I pray that these daily devotions will be a blessing in your life every day.

This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. (Ps. 118:24 NLT).

January

January.JPG

January 1

DISCIPLINE

Christians need God’s discipline. The Bible tells us that those who accept discipline are on the way to life and those that do not are off the right path. Do you sometimes feel off the right path for this reason? Discipline is not an action we are supposed to enjoy; however, it often provides us with benefits that can last a lifetime. This is not always easy for us to accept. It is not always easy for us to even recognize that we are in reality being disciplined by God when things don’t go right. Can you think of a time when you were disciplined? What was your reaction? As you look back upon an occasion of discipline in your life can you now realize any benefit in it? The Lord sent Nathan to discipline David after his sin with Bathsheba. David had lost his ability to diagnose his own sin and required discipline to faithfully realize God’s mission for him. Are we any different than David in this regard? Don’t we become lost in our sin and require the guidance of discipline to find our way at times? Our sin needs God’s discipline to keep us on the right path in our life. Confession is our required reaction to God’s discipline.

David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, "The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die. (2 Sam. 12:13–14)

PRAYER: Lord, help me to confess my sins and learn from Your discipline. Amen.

January 2

A POWERFUL GOD

Our God is a powerful God. Just reflect upon this statement for a minute. What are some of the aspects of God’s power that come to mind? Is one of these God’s creative power? Or is God’s overwhelming love and grace the power you most easily discern? The attributes of our God all display immense power in a variety of forms. Do you have to remind yourself sometimes that God can do the impossible? It is easy to forget that God is powerful and strong in this sinful world. God is a sovereign Lord that can easily take precedent over any situation in which we may find ourselves. Have you ever seen God do the impossible? God’s impossible accomplishments occur around us in an infinite display that is unobserved, unknown, or unrecognized in the magnitude of the impossible. Have you ever observed an impossible display of God’s power? Thank God for the impossible!

Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You. (Jer. 32:17 NASB)

PRAYER: Father, I acknowledge You this day and ask for Your power in my life. Amen.

January 3

WINNING THE RACE

Paul the apostle often described our life in Christ as running a race? Paul fought the fight and finished the race as a winner by remaining faithful to Jesus Christ. The prize consisted of a crown of righteousness that he will receive on the day of Christ’s return. This prize is available to all who are faithful. Does your life in Christ ever seem like a race? Are we somehow driven to stay true to our Lord in difficult situations. When life is difficult and we are attacked by Satan to stray from Christ our focus should be on this prize that we will receive one day upon Christ’s return. It is often difficult to keep our focus and faith upon Christ with the many distractions and evils of this world. Have you ever noticed that when you are in a race that it helps to focus on the prize at the end of the race? This could be a cool drink or a fancy trophy; however, it helps us win the race by focusing on the prize at the end. We can win this race only by being faithful to Christ.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. (2 Tim. 4:7 NASB)

PRAYER: Lord, help me to fight the good fight and faithfully finish the course. Amen.

January 4

LISTEN TO THE SPIRIT

Christ said that anyone with ears must listen to the Spirit and understand. The Holy Spirit resides within the believer. Have you ever felt the Spirit speaking to you? Have you listened for the Spirit? The Spirit that Christ sent to reside in us allows us victory in this world despite the sin and evil present. Those that are victorious will not be harmed by the second death. Listening to the Spirit is the key to remaining faithful to Christ. Our minds are often on the many daily activities that we all are involved. These activities plus the many distractions we are confronted with in our daily lives are a real hurdle in our listening process. Prioritization of our many activities into time well spent every day requires help from the Spirit to make time to listen. Scripture states that anyone who has an ear should listen to the Holy Spirit. Those that listen to the Spirit are assured of escape from the second death.

Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The victor will never be harmed by the second death. (Rev. 2:11 HCSB)

PRAYER: Lord, may I listen to the Spirit and not be harmed by the second death. Amen.

January 5

SINS AS SCARLET MADE WHITE

Our sins are as scarlet yet the Bible tells us that they are made white as wool. We are to give up our evil ways and get our sins out of the sight of an all-seeing God. We are to wash ourselves and be clean! We are to learn to do good and seek justice. Is our evil out of sight of an all-seeing God? Have we washed ourselves clean and learned to do good and seek justice? This is our task through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Look for ways to do good and seek justice today. The Christian can be made as white as snow, even though our sins are a brilliant crimson. This miracle was the purpose Christ came to this earth and died on the cross.

Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." (Isa. 1:18 NRSV)

PRAYER: God, thank You for making my sins as white as snow. Amen.

January 6

WHAT TO DO WITH SATAN

Scripture gives us specific protocols for the believers to protect themselves and overcome Satan through Christ and the Holy Spirit. Spiritual warfare with Satan and demonic beings is a scriptural concept and is alive and active in this world. One of the first things a Christian should do is take prudent defensive measures by arming ourselves with God’s armor. Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil (Eph. 6:11 NET). We are told here that this armor consists of truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God. Have you had the experience of consciously using this armor strengthened in the Lord against evil? What happened when you deliberately resisted Satan? Through the armor of God we are instructed to resist Satan and expect successful results. We are not to provide an area in our life that can provide Satan a way to control us. Satan uses many schemes to control us; but, the armor of God will withstand these. Our struggle is against Satan and the powers of spiritual forces of darkness. Only the armor of God will withstand the forces of Satan.

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7 NASB)

PRAYER: Lord, may I be alert to the wiles of Satan and resist with Your power. Amen.

January 7

LESSONS IN FISHING

Jesus gave the disciples who were fishermen a lesson in fishing. Despite the fact that they had fished all night, Jesus gave them instructions to fish the same area again to catch fish. Jesus instructed Simon to cast their nets into the deep water for a catch (see Luke 5:4). Simon reluctantly lowered their nets although they had not caught anything all night. When they did they caught so many fish the nets started to tear and the catch filled both boats. The reaction from Simon Peter is noteworthy here. He fell to his knees and confessed his sins. James and John were also amazed. Christians are to be fishers of men (see Luke 5:10). Christ can direct us to the most amazing places for a good catch, just like he did for Simon Peter. When we follow Christ and fish for people we can realize an abundance that we would never have believed. Have you ever realized an abundance of success you never imagined through God’s urging? Are we ready to leave everything and follow Jesus?

His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people! And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus. (Luke 5:10–11 NLT)

PRAYER: Lord, make me a fisherman for Jesus Christ. Amen.

January 8

GROWING IN COMMUNITY

From the earliest times of the Christian church growth was grounded in the action of the Holy Spirit. In this fertile environment the church grew at an astonishing rate. Today when our Christian faith communities fail to grow we need to examine the successful components that were present in the early church. What is missing or gone awry? It will reveal itself upon a close examination of the fertile environment we see here in the book of Acts. The leaders Peter and John were instructing people about Jesus and the resurrection of the dead. Belief in Christ was the desired goal for the Christian leaders to realize in their student followers. This message was perceived to be dangerous to the Sadducees. However, their efforts to stifle the efforts of the early church leaders failed because the many people who praised God after miraculous healing and belief of the many followers. Is today much different? There are no Sadducees today; however, there is an abundance of those who would like to stifle the spread of Christianity and the church. Does our belief, obedience and praise of Jesus Christ shine through in today’s world? Yes, in many cases to be sure. However, the light of Christ in the world is sometimes ignored and in many cases stifled through sin by non-believers. Each of us have an opportunity to shine the light of Christ in this world.

In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. (John 1:4 NET)

PRAYER: Father, help the Christian church grow through believers in Jesus Christ. Amen.

January 9

THE WAY

What is the attitude of the world toward Jesus Christ? What is the attitude of the church toward Jesus Christ? What is your attitude toward Jesus Christ? The secular world acknowledges a variety of ways to spiritual pursuits that do not necessarily include Jesus Christ. Saul wanted to bring followers of the Way back to Jerusalem in chains before his Damascus road experience (see Acts 9:2). What is the Way? Jesus told Thomas, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). Yes, Jesus is the Way and also the Truth and the Life. Do we really acknowledge this in our lives? Does the church acknowledge this? The Way here is exclusive to Jesus Christ. There is no other way to come to the Father. There is no escaping this declaration for a person who claims to be a Christian. Let us reflect upon who Jesus really is. When we accept this and recognize Christ as a person in the Holy Trinity it makes perfect sense. Christ is in a unique position in the divine Trinity to provide the way to human believers. No one else could claim the position, authority, or relationship to God.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. (John 1:1 NET)

PRAYER: Lord, lead me to find the Way. Amen.

January 10

WRITTEN ON THEIR HEARTS

Paul reminds us of the Holy Spirit’s action of writing God’s law on our hearts as part of the New Covenant in 2 Corinthians. What did God mean when he said that He would put His Law within us and write it on our hearts and minds? This concept is hard to comprehend on the surface. However, if we believe that the Holy Spirit provided the inspiration for Holy Scripture it begins to make more sense. Do we seem to act based upon inspiration from our heart at times? Sometimes we act upon our heart without even realizing it except in retrospect. Our motivations and actions seem to emanate from a source that can perhaps be best described as our heart. How can a deeper source within us be described? Scripture describes our return and repentance to God as dependent upon an effort requiring all our heart. Remember the Holy Spirit dwells in the believer and gives the life of Christ to those in whom He dwells. The law of the Lord must live within our heart.

But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them back in the land, says the Lord. I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my people. (Jer. 31:33 NET)

PRAYER: Father, help me to keep Your law within my heart and mind. Amen.

January 11

LORD AND MESSIAH

The early church believers wondered exactly what they should do after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead and the coming of the Holy Spirit produced a powerful and profound sense of purpose to spread the word of God to the world. Thousands came to know Jesus in a single day and the church was born. Miracles and the gifts of the Holy Spirit were unleashed. History would be changed forever from these events. Never in history had anyone witnessed such miracles. Witnesses of these early days of the church age could only respond with a new feeling of wonder and worship to the glory that they witnessed. These events would eternally change the course of the world. The miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were plentiful in the community of believers.

A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.

(Acts 2:43 NLT)

PRAYER: Father, let me embrace the wonders of Your saving splendor. Amen.

January 12

THE SEAS

When one beholds the vastness of the ocean for the first time, it is always a source of wonder and awe. The flat horizon for much of your field of vision, the constant motion of the surface and waves, the relentless sound of the water hitting the beach, and the contrast from land to water all combines to give a shock to the senses. The ancient peoples of the Bible held a respect and fear of the seas and its dangers. Judging from the experiences of many Bible figures the dangers of the seas were well-founded. Paul we see was shipwrecked three times as reported in 2 Corinthians 11:25. In Acts 27 a fourth shipwreck of Paul is vividly recorded in much detail. At the time of Paul’s shipwreck in Acts 27, an angel of God assured him that he would reach Rome and that no one would lose their lives although the ship would be lost. The sea at times puts us at its mercy just like our daily living. However, God can protect us, just like in the case of Paul. The sea is his, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land (Psalm 95:5 NET). All life comes from Christ.

For recognition of the Lord’s sovereign majesty will fill the earth just as the waters fill up the sea. (Hab. 2:14 NET)

PRAYER: Father, I praise You for the