Monday Morning Devotionals

There is a disturbing parallel between catching bass and the way Satan works in luring us into destruction.

I believe that gratitude leads to happiness, and ingratitude leads to darkness, pride and ultimately separation from God.

Moses was the greatest Jewish leader, he received the 10 commandments, he interceded for the people time and time again but because of just one sin, Moses was prevented from entering the land that he had led the people towards for 40 years. This ending to his life teaches us several important lessons about how God feels concerning sin.

In order to have a good name there are two things necessary regardless of what you wear or who you know.

Punctuality is a common problem in churches. In this lesson, Mike looks at the question, why is being on time for worship services a problem?

We know that friendship is an important part of life. A good friend brings us joy and good times. We usually turn to our friends for comfort and help when we are in trouble or sad.

In 2007 a book "All the Rules" was published. The authors claimed it could help a woman find a man to marry her.

In I Chronicles 14:12 we read about David's military leaders waging a successful battle against the Philistines and taking some of the spoils including foreign idols. David forced them to destroy these objects because they violated God's commands. In this brief episode we see several qualities to look for in leaders of any place or time.

The pleasure of most gifts is to unwrap and examine them. In this lesson, I would like to do this with our most precious gift, forgiveness.

Today, I would like to talk about the need to give God 100% and why we should not be afraid of doing so.

It seems that atheists are in need of publicity.

I have noticed something about our teens lately that is quite encouraging: they are not ashamed of us.

Have you ever noticed that Jesus spoiled every funeral He attended?

Jesus had the potential of doing so much, but He didn't. He could have cured all the lepers, freed the Jews from Roman domination, stopped the hunger and suffering of the poor, but He didn't.

Most of us who look back on our wedding day know that weddings are for making vows, but marriages are where we work at keeping those vows.

Montréal is best known for its hockey madness. When the Canadiens are in the playoffs for the Stanley Cup Championship there is a total media blitz about the team and its chances to score the biggest prize in hockey.

In Colossians 2:20-23, Paul teaches that the denial of the flesh does not necessarily decrease the power nor the attraction of the flesh.

Here are a few commonly asked questions regarding the act of praying.

In the summer of 1992, I watched a girl from Oklahoma, Shannon Miller, rise to the lead in the individual gymnastics competition at the Olympics and then win her medals.

Several years ago, a Christian woman asked me what she could do for her father, who was not a Christian, and who was dying of cancer. After prayer, and some serious soul-searching, I provided her with three suggestions for helping her unsaved father pass.

In Matthew 6:9, Jesus is teaching His disciples how to pray. "Pray, then, in this way:" This was not so much the teaching of what words to say because the Jews were trained to memorize the psalms and were experienced in offering praise and worship at the temple.

In the Old Testament the word for trusting faith was a Hebrew word that meant a rope. I'd like to use this imagery to explain something about how trust is built and how trust is destroyed.

Over the years I've learned that each child in a family has specific needs and, as a father who knows his children, I often pray for God to bless them in particular ways.

It seems that older people are the ones who are interested in religion and younger ones have little time for spiritual things.

I'd like to talk to you about an experience I had as a young father many years ago. It began when my youngest son, William, came home from school one day feeling a little low.

An important topic that parents and teens often discuss is what is, or is not, mature. Parents and teens do not have the same idea about what maturity actually means.

​In July of 1776 the American Congress approved the Declaration of the Independence of the 13 United States of America. One of the key figures behind the Declaration was Thomas Jefferson, whose writing in "Defense of Liberty and Rights of Man" was the intellectual force behind the Revolution.

Let's begin our week by reading a psalm of praise.

When I lived in Montréal, I remember a shocking news story about a young woman who died instantly when a piece of concrete fell on her as she was eating supper with her husband in a downtown restaurant.

Solomon, in Proverbs 13:24, emphasizes that discipline, akin to a shepherd's rod, is an essential expression of love necessary for a child's growth, as it teaches them accountability and obedience, ultimately preventing a life without direction and self-discipline.

In an article entitled, "Enjoying the Enduring Magic of Long-Term Friendship," Katherine Lowry lists several important ingredients found in friendships that are able to last for many years.

When faced with a decision to do something or get involved in some scheme or plan, people sometimes base their choice on the popular saying "why not?"

5 indispensable rules that pave the way for your present-day survival and future prosperity as a preacher.

The Wednesday night service is as inconvenient a habit as you can have. You have to rush home from work and rush through supper or delay supper until late.

Bristo, a female Boxer belonging to our eldest daughter, died recently from a combination of age (13 years) and various ailments that are common in dogs of that type.

In this devotional, the focus is on procrastinators, urging them to overcome the habit by highlighting its negative consequences, such as missed opportunities, entrenched laziness, and the erroneous assumption of ample time, all while drawing on biblical wisdom from Solomon and James to emphasize the importance of timely action and the unpredictability of life.

Discover how embracing life's challenges with faith and perseverance can lead to profound personal growth and a deeper connection with God.

Gain valuable insights on how to handle the challenging situation of dealing with disfellowshipped members, guided by biblical principles and a compassionate approach.

Discover the true source of salvation and the pitfalls of modern faith healers, emphasizing that only the gospel, not miraculous healings, has the power to save our souls.

We need to protect ourselves against continually desiring what we don't have or constantly craving more of what we do.

Several years ago, I was visiting a congregation whose "prime" had passed. The attendance was half of what it used to be as empty pews marked the places where entire families once sat. The singing only echoed the full voices that had previously stirred the building with sweet praise.

There is a modern expression that describes an old human need. The expression is "kissing up" and it means to curtsy or cultivate favor with a superior.

This devotional looks at the profound difference between "keeping" and "seeking" God's kingdom, finding freedom and hope in the promise that those who earnestly seek will ultimately find it.

In 1990 there was an unusual movie called "Awakenings" with Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. It was about a man who, for some reason, was in a coma for years and then suddenly came out of it for a while with the help of his doctor.

Sometimes when we listen to the news and they talk about the number of people there are in the world and the magnitude of the problems, we feel rather insignificant.

What does Paul mean when he says that we have been freed from sin; that we become slaves to righteousness?

Many years ago I took a trip in one of our church vans. When the weather suddenly changed and it began to rain so hard that the windshield wipers couldn't keep up.

As Christians, we eventually learn that there are always choices to make if you want to follow God's way. A thousand little decisions.

When our children were young, during the weeks preceding Christmas, I watched them as they counted down the days, hours, and minutes until that special moment when the "gifts" were opened.

In Psalm 6, David the king of Israel, goes through a range of emotions as he suffers from an undisclosed illness.

I remember Christmas disappointments; left-winger equipment instead of goalie equipment; toboggan instead of pool table... Anybody remember theirs? The problem many times as children is that we are not clear on what was promised.

Perhaps the reason why Christmas time is "special" is because, for some reason or other, everything seems more intense at Christmas.

The disastrous floods that ravage various parts of the world each year remind us of the catastrophic deluge that God once used to destroy the earth in the days of Noah.