God Save the King!
This is the season for elections. There will be pivotal elections in both Israel and the United States over the next few days. And the results of both these elections may shape the course of political events and influences for years to come, for good or for bad. When Israel rejected God their
The God-Honest Truth
In today’s age of information overload, it is easy to become confused about what is true and what is false. We are so inundated with conflicting reports from various sources about current events and rumors of wars that sometimes we don’t know who or what to believe. It is not so different today
Our Earnest Expectation
As we celebrated in Israel this week the completion of reading God’s Word at Simchat Torah, everyone is beginning their Bible reading cycle anew, starting with Genesis. How about you? Are you reading your Bible every day? Do you have a goal of reading it all the way through? I encourage you to
Finishings and Beginnings
I feel like today is a day of finishings and beginnings. Many just started a new school year and are getting back to a set routine after the long summer break. And in Israel, we will be celebrating the beginning of a Jewish New Year with Rosh Hashanah and the Fall Feasts. And
Sowing in the Dry Seasons
By late August in Israel, the crops have been harvested, and due to the lack of rain for a couple of months, most of the fields look very dry and brown and stubbly. Wildfires are common and can spread quickly with the abundance of dry tinder. Some farmers begin clearing those fields and
Consider Your Path
This week marks the beginning of the final month of Elul on the Jewish calendar. It is the month preceding Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the most solemn day of the year when the Jews stand before the Lord God in fasting and prayer to ask for forgiveness. It is the closing
Your Biggest Fan
Have you ever seen how giddy some parents get when their little son or daughter performs in a play or recital, receives a special award or wins a sports game? Some parents lose all their adult dignity and don’t care what others think. They jump up and down and clap and grab the
The Power of Pleasant Words
Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. (Proverbs 16:24) We are connected beings—body, soul and spirit. When our emotions are stressed it can make us physically sick. When we harbor anger or bitterness, it has an impact on our spiritual health. Yet pleasant words are
Have You Trials and Temptations?
Have you ever gone through a trial or difficult season and asked, “Why me? Why am I going through this?” I think we all have at one time or another. Sometimes we can easily identify the root cause of troubles when they come. But sometimes we simply don’t have good answers for why
Beauty for Ashes
Not all holidays are a happy celebration of a great event. In Israel this week, Tisha B’Av (the 9th of Av on the Jewish calendar) is a day of mourning and fasting for calamities that have befallen the Jewish people throughout history on this specific date. Most notably, both Solomon’s Temple (587 BCE)
The Master of Breakthroughs
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Into each life some rain must fall”? This means that everyone faces trials and troubles from time to time. But maybe lately you have been saying, “When it rains, it pours!” feeling that your troubles have come in doubles. Don’t worry, you are not the only one
God’s Jewels
If you read last week’s devotional entitled “Preaching to the Choir”, I want to apologize for stepping on some toes (I stepped on a couple of my own toes too). And Malachi's audience also had some strong reactions to his message that stung the LORD’s ears, “Your words have been harsh against Me,”
Preaching to the Choir
I'm sure you've probably heard the phrase "preaching to the choir" before. (It is like trying to convince someone of something that they already believe.) If you are reading these devotions we post, chances are you are already believers and have heard these things before, but sometimes even the choir needs to recheck
Focus Through the Static
Our world is inundated daily with news from a myriad of media outlets. And the majority of them are vying for the most alarming and sensational headlines to attract an audience. Why does human nature focus on the ugliness of the world yet fail to see that the cause of that evil is
Daddy, Don’t Fall!
As we honor our dads on this Father’s Day weekend, I would like to share with you a special memory of mine. When I was a young child, my father worked in the phosphate mines in Central Florida. After a series of accidents and injuries at the work site, the company launched a
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“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 TLV