The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master.” — Luke 2:10-11 MSG The Christmas carol “O Holy Night” originated in France during the mid-1800s, and it’s…
True Love’s Endurance
Editor’s Note: Today’s devotional is excerpted from A Jane Austen Devotional, beginning with this selection from Mansfield Park. Enjoy! Once, and once only, in the course of many years, had [Fanny] the happiness of being with [her brother] William. Of the rest she saw nothing: nobody seemed to think of her ever going amongst…
A Classic Christmas
This year, the editors at Thomas Nelson have gathered meaningful and heartwarming works of literature that celebrate the Christmas season and published them together in A Classic Christmas: A Collection of Timeless Stories and Poems. Authors like Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning often wrote about the spirit of Christmas and the…
Christmas Lights
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. — Matthew 5:14 No one loves Christmas more than my dad. My parents had a way of making it magical every year, and a huge part of that experience was the decorating. There was only one kind of Christmas…
The Choice to Rejoice
But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield. — Psalm 5:11-12 As believers…
Dangerous Prayers: John Wesley
John Wesley (1703–1791) John Wesley was born into the devout Anglican home of Samuel and Susanna Wesley. Wesley’s father was a priest, and his mother taught religion to John and eighteen siblings. When Wesley grew up, he attended Oxford, where he proved himself a competent scholar and was soon ordained as an Anglican minister. Later,…
Armor Up!
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. — Ephesians 6:11 ESV Scuba diving is a popular beach excursion, and every diver wears the appropriate equipment in order to survive while exploring underwater worlds. The mask protects your eyes and clarifies your…
Ask in Prayer: God Hears
Ask in Prayer Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. — James 5:16 NKJV In Mark 11:24, Jesus says something remarkable: Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received…
Rest at the Lake
Lighten Your Load “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” — Matthew 11:30 When the kids are out of school for the summer, families escape for weeks at a time to a lake house. This longer-term vacation means that the chores of everyday life are part of the trip. Take laundry, for instance:…