Look what happens when we ask for His wisdom and discernment and then exercise it: We become filled with the fruit of righteousness! We grow more Christ-like every day! And our lives become an orchestra of praise that brings glory to the One who designed us to do good works…

Verses 9-11 are all one long sentence, but I’ve divided it up. This follows our instruction to rely on God’s wisdom and discernment for our love to abound. When we rely on His wisdom rather than the world’s (which is foolishness in His eyes!), we can determine the excellent things…

HYMN DAY! This is more contemporary, but I love the words to “He Who Began a Good Work in You” by Jonathan Mark Mohr (and sung by Steve Green—you can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsynL7m_1VE. The chorus has spoken assurance to me many times in my life. He who began…

Verses 9-11 are Paul’s prayer for the believers in Philippi; they are my prayer for myself, my children and grandchildren, and all future generations. The way the world defines “love” and the way God defines it is very different. The world’s love is often for self-gratification; God’s love, on the…

Philippians is one of my favorite books in the Bible. There is such depth of knowledge and practicality in Philippians. The certainty we find in verse 6 always gives me the good kind of shivers. God makes good plans for His children. When we give Him the reins of our…

I shared earlier this week that I spent too many years tangled up in the chains of worry. Worrying was a horrendous habit with devastating side effects. God healed me of that burden, and I’ve tried faithfully to choose trust instead of worry, but now and then my humanness sneaks…

If you feel lost or like a failure, there is a better pathway. It’s the pathway of God’s will. When we are in HIs will, we are at peace with ourselves and with our Maker. God’s Word is the map that leads us to His will. Find the good way…

HYMN DAY! “Be Not Dismayed Whate’er Betide” by Civialla D. Martin gives wonderful assurance. Be not dismayed whate’er betide, God will take care of you! Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you! God will take care of you, Through every day o’er all the way;…

(With my Dad’s surgeries and hospital stay, my time is a little tight, so I’m doing some throw-back devotions, all the way back to when my Bugaboos were 7 and 8. You’ll see them in some of the images this week.) Once upon a time a little boy worried and…

This is one of the most difficult scriptures for me to comprehend. A God who wills that none should be lost, hardens some hearts? The Bible gives us examples of this hardening—with Pharaoh, who refused to release God’s chosen people, and with Saul, who needed to step aside so David…