Daily Devotionals

The Jewish sages teach there are several questions each person is asked when his or her time on Earth comes to an end. Among those questions are “were you an honest person?” and “did you live by faith?”

While we must make an effort to deal with the facts, we also have to consciously choose faith over the facts.

Take time to reflect upon the story of Exodus, of a people brought from slavery into freedom because of a God who cared so deeply about humankind that He intervened in human history to deliver them, and how that redemption story is played out in our own lives.

Remember to ask yourself during Passover, "How much of my life is lived by choice and not by chance". Celebrate & exercise freedom.

The matzah the Israelites ended up with is the matzah that we eat today in remembrance of their freedom from slavery.

Just as God was faithful to turn Israel’s “wastelands into gardens of the Lord,” He will be faithful to His promises to you.

Celebrate your freedom today, as the psalmist says, by running toward God’s precepts and His Word.

Let’s remember to cry out to God in our own personal times of trouble. Yet, let us also be keenly aware that so many people close to us and around the globe are screaming out in silence.

So let’s make it our focus this week to ensure that we treat everyone—especially those who serve us—with the respect, kindness, honesty, and the dignity that they deserve.

No one chooses to be hurt, but we do get to choose what we do with the experience. We can allow our experiences to change us into hateful, resentful, and ultimately, vengeful people. Or, we can use our hurt as a catalyst for becoming more empathetic, compassionate, and kind people.

Maybe this is what Zechariah meant when he called God’s Holy City “the city of truth.” The battle for Jerusalem is a battle for truth.

The goal of the sin offerings was to draw us closer to God, to bring us into His presence. Because when we sin, it usually means that we forgot about Him.