Daily Devotional

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.”

I love you, Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
    and I have been saved from my enemies.

High school graduation is a significant milestone in any person’s life. Twelve years of education is celebrated in one special event where each person’s hard work, determination, and perseverance are acknowledged by family, faculty, and peers. Graduation is a big deal. That is why schools work so hard to make the graduation ceremony an exceptional event.

One of the ways schools work to keep the graduation ceremony a unique event is by enforcing a dress code on the students. This helps to maintain an environment that will allow for proper celebration, and allow each student a moment to be recognized.  When students break the dress code, they are often asked to not participate. That is exactly what happened to Daverius Peters when he arrived at his graduation in Boutte, Louisiana.

Hahnville High School required that students wear dress clothes for their graduation. Daverius did not realize that his expensive sneakers did not meet the dress code. He was turned away at the door for his dress code violation. Daverius was shocked, to say the least. As he walked away from the graduation..

Can you imagine what it must have been like to witness Jesus perform a miracle? How amazing would it have been to see Jesus defy the laws of nature? What was it like to see a prayer answered right before your eyes?

Matthew records the story of Jesus healing a paralyzed man. It is a beautiful story of a group of men who bring a paralyzed friend to Jesus. Jesus and his disciples had crossed over the Sea of Galilee. When they arrived on the shore, these men met Jesus with the hope that this man, who spent his days lying on a mat, would be healed. When Jesus witnessed this beautiful scene, he noted the faith of the men and extended mercy. Jesus told the man on the mat, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” (Matthew 9:2)

When some of the teachers of the law who were present heard this, they immediately began to say negative things…

Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world. It is 29,031 feet above sea level. People from around the world seek to scale hazardous heights and become one of the few who have successfully reached the summit.

This past April, Hari Budha Magar successfully made the climb to the top of Everest. He will now be recorded in history as one of only 4,000 people to ever reach the summit. What makes Magar’s accomplishment noteworthy is that he is the first double above-the-knee amputee to reach the top. Hari made the climb with the use of special made prosthetics. Along with his team, Hari overcame the freezing temperatures, ice, and dangerous terrain.

Hari started the climb on April 17. This date was important because…

Unexpectedly, April of 2015 was one of the hardest months of my life. December of 2014 had been the best month of my life. I had been dating the love of my life, graduated college, accepted my new position at St. Luke’s. Everything seemed smooth sailing, until April of 2015 – I found out I was pregnant. Every plan I had laid out seemed shattered and was an incredibly dark time for me. I felt crushed, I questioned everything I had learned, what it was for, and where my life and next steps were going to be. Did I ruin everything?

The end of the American Civil War arrived in 1865.  The United States was finally at peace after four brutal years of conflict.  The end of the war brought peace on the battlefield, but the terrible loss experienced during the war was felt in every community in the United States. By the war’s end, over 600,000 men had lost their lives in the line of duty.

Not long after the end of the war, Henry Welles, a druggist in Waterloo, New York, approached several members of the community, including General John B. Murray, with the hope of finding a way to not only praise the living who had fought in the war, but to honor those who had given their lives in service to the cause. It was in May of 1866 that the first Memorial Day, known then as Decoration Day, was celebrated…

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” – Colossians 4:2

The Apostle Paul concludes his letter to the Colossians with a brief but significant request. He could have asked the young Christians to do many things. Paul asks that they “Devote” themselves to prayer.

This request from Paul reflects his personal dependence on God. As we read through Paul’s writings, we see that he has grown in his faith to the point that he has a deep dependence on God. Even as Paul writes from prison, we see that the hardship he has endured has only served to teach him that prayer is a great gift to the people of faith. Prayer allows us the privilege to go before God and to connect with the One who gives “every good and perfect gift from above.” (James 1:17)

Paul would write about his dependence on God and prayer in his letter to the Philippians…