My Portion in this Life

John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” Background: This verse is from a parable that Jesus gave to His disciples regarding the nation of Israel. (A parable in the Bible is a story that illustrates a spiritual truth.) Israel was a rebellious people who forsake God and His ways. They did not respond to the “Master Gardener,” so He sent Jesus Christ to restore the vine and make it healthy. Jesus Christ tells us He is the True Vine, and we are the branches. The…

Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Background: Romans follows the same pattern of other epistles written by Paul, beginning with a strong doctrinal statement (Romans 1-11) followed by exhortations of how we should “therefore” live as Christians. Doctrine and duty go together. This is the fourth “therefore” in Romans, and this one is of dedication…

Psalm 4:8 “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” Background: All the psalms in book 1 (chapters 1-41) are attributed to David writing them (with the exception of 1, 10, and 33). Psalm 3 was written as a morning psalm when David fled Jerusalem after his son, Absalom, had taken over. It is believed that Psalm 4 was written during the same events making this month’s verse considered an evening psalm because of the verbiage. How many of us have lie in bed at night unable to sleep because of something going through our mind? Obviously, at two…

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Background: The early church faced persecution and began to waver between standing firm for Christ and falling back to the Jewish religion. The temple still stood and all the priestly ceremonies occurred daily. The writer of Hebrews asks his readers to evaluate their faith and what Jesus Christ had to offer. These second-generation Christians were being seduced by false doctrines. It may seem like they were at a standstill, but in the Christian life, if you do not go forward, then you are going…

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Background: John wrote this book to prove that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Chapter sixteen takes place the night before Jesus Christ’s crucifixion when He is preparing the disciples for His immediate, yet brief, departure. Verse 33 is the triumphant conclusion of this chapter as Jesus gave the disciples His farewell. Jesus did not sugarcoat the reality that we will have tribulation. The Greek word for tribulation has the idea of stress or pressing.…

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Background: When Paul wrote the epistle or letter we know as 2 Timothy, his life had drastically changed. Abandoned by his friends, he writes what is known to be his last letter to Timothy. It was a more personal letter to encourage his young colleague, his “son” in the faith, who is facing challenges to remain fearless in the suffering and faithful in the ministry. One of the top struggles for men and women is fear. It is not surprising that the most repeated command in…

The ladies ministry at our church has a challenge this year at our winter event in January of memorizing a verse selection each month. I am writing devotionals for each one, so I wanted to share here. Those who attended our event received each month’s verse on a card. I had designed them specifically for the event but will share with you too! Psalm 119:133 “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.” Background: The book of Psalms is an “irreplaceable devotional guide, prayer book, and hymnal of the people of God” (W. Wiersbe). Psalm 119 is the longest psalm (and chapter of…