Daily Devotional

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From whence does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

Eric Kilburn, Jr., has a big problem! The 16-year-old from Goodrich, Michigan, just set the Guinness record for the largest hands and feet on a teenager. Eric is 6 foot 11 inches tall. He is active in sports, including football. Eric wears a size 23 shoe. To put that into perspective, the average size of men’s shoes in the United States is 10.5. Eric’s big problem is finding shoes that fit.

UPS drivers spend their days bringing packages to homes and businesses. They usually drop their cargo and run to their next destination. Raheem Cooper is a UPS driver in Valdosta, Georgia. Raheem was on his route when something caught his attention. Raheem spotted a person lying on the ground. He stopped his truck and jumped out to see what was wrong.

I recently had the privilege of meeting with our confirmation students. Confirmation is a class offered to our 7th-grade students to learn about Christ, the Church, and what God has created them to be. At the end of Confirmation, students are offered the opportunity to become full, professing church members. The topic that day was the body of Christ. We talked about how everyone is made differently and with purpose. The confirmation class is filled with so many outstanding students. While we were talking about their place in the body of Christ, I was reminded of the early believers.

And David said, “Is there still any one left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “Your servant is he.” And the king said, “Is there not still some one of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?”

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

I’m blessed to have had the influence of two Godly grandmothers. Family meals were important to both ladies. They were keen on presentation and often had floral centerpieces from their gardens, and always a pretty tablecloth. I remember them teaching me how to properly set the table. We always prayed before meals and were taught to use good manners and maintain polite conversation.

Few people have done more work to grow the church than the Apostle Paul. Paul started at least 20 churches on his journeys. Countless more faith communities were started because missionaries from the churches Paul would also travel and preach. In addition to starting so many churches, Paul was a writer and teacher. He is responsible for writing or inspiring over a quarter of the New Testament. Through Paul’s ministry, the church grew and flourished.

I have never walked into my mom and dad’s home as an adult without being asked to sit down—usually at the dining room or kitchen table—to food. It’s not always fancy—though I can remember many elaborate holiday celebrations with standing rib roasts, homemade bread, multiple complex desserts, and a fully set table. It’s always a welcome place, for sure.

Your average high school building is filled with hundreds of teenagers. These buildings require significant care by custodians who pick up trash, clean rooms, and keep the facilities in good repair. It is a challenging job. Those custodians who serve in these buildings deserve recognition for their hard work that keeps these schools functioning.