(Personal Note: Starting January 1, 2015, I will be transitioning from posting devotionals every day to posting devotional thoughts with you on a weekly basis that will continue to come to your inbox. My desire is to encourage you in your journey with God.) “The Lord said to Moses, ‘You shall also make a basin of […]
Author: Stephen Trammell
Portrait of Intimacy
(Personal Note: Starting January 1, 2015, I will be transitioning from posting devotionals every day to posting devotional thoughts with you on a weekly basis that will continue to come to your inbox. My desire is to encourage you in your journey with God.) “You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and […]
The Greatest Possession
(Personal Note: Starting January 1, 2015, I will be transitioning from posting devotionals every day to posting devotional thoughts with you on a weekly basis that will continue to come to your inbox. My desire is to encourage you in your journey with God.) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, […]
The Greatest Exclusion
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV) As you celebrate the birth of Christ on this Christmas Day, consider the reason He chose to leave the glory of heaven to come to the earth. God […]
The Greatest Simplicity
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV) Life can get so complicated at times. During the Christmas season the traffic increases, last-minute shopping intensifies, and stress elevates. There are so many expectations to meet and […]
The Greatest Invitation
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV) Of all the invitations you will receive in a lifetime, there is no invitation that comes close to the significance and magnitude of the greatest invitation extended to […]
The Greatest Sacrifice
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV) What comes to mind when you think of the concept of sacrifice? I immediately think of the soldier fighting on foreign soil to preserve our freedom. I think […]
The Greatest Giver
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV) God’s generosity flows out of His love for humanity. Even though we have chosen, in our humanity, to rebel against God and to turn from His perfect will, […]
The Greatest Number
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV) God so loved the world. John used world (Greek: kosmos) 78 times in his Gospel and 24 times in his letters. The world refers to the realm of […]
The Greatest Lover
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV) Have you ever questioned your own value and worth? That’s a normal part of life. Everyone wants to feel valued and valuable. God established your value by taking […]
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV) How would you describe your dad? Think about his qualities. What made him special to you? How did he best communicate love to you? Recall some of your […]
Focus on Abiding
“‘I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.’” John 15:5 (ESV) God will never ask you to do anything without equipping you to do it. God has an assignment for you to […]
Discover the Gate
“So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out […]
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV) Life comes fully loaded […]
Expect Great Things
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) When anxious thoughts race through your mind, uneasiness permeates your emotions. You begin to fear the unknown. Indecision imprisons you. Questions linger. That’s exactly the kind […]
“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” John 13:14-15 (ESV) Who’s your boss? To whom are you yielding allegiance? I hope your answer is […]
Accept His Acceptance
“And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us.” Acts 15:8 (ESV) Have you accepted God’s acceptance of you? That’s step number two in order to PACE yourself for the day. Remember, you start your day off by lifting your hands toward heaven […]
PACE Yourself
“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” Psalm 9:1 (ESV) How do you begin each day of your life? Do you jump right out of bed and hit the floor running or do you slowly drag yourself from beneath the sheets and gradually […]
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV) Jesus […]
Journey with God
“And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before.” Joshua 4:18 (ESV) The Christian […]
Standing On Dry Ground
“Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.” Joshua 3:17 (ESV) If God brings you to it, He will bring you through […]
Never Been This Way
“At the end of three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people, ‘As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. Yet there shall be a distance between […]
Spiritual Checkup
“And he said, ‘Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was […]
The Value of Rest
“And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Arise and eat.‘ And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again.” 1 Kings […]
The Value of Rest
“And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Arise and eat.‘ And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again.” 1 Kings […]
Rock Bottom
“Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, ‘It is enough; […]
Loss of Perspective
“Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ‘So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.’” […]
“And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, ‘O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, […]
Ready to Live
“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 1 John 5:11-12 (ESV) Where do you go to find life? Are you waiting for life to come sometime […]
“‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.’” Matthew 13:44 (ESV) When I stood behind the pulpit to speak at the funeral of the surgeon who saved my life, it was as […]