God's Word Daily Devotions, 675 North Cedar Street, Newark, OH (2026)

06/23/2026

Colossians 3:12-14 says: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”

The “bowels” are the inward parts, the organs such as the heart, the kidneys, the liver, and the intestines. We cannot see them work, but without them, we have no physical life. If someone puts a sword through another person, their bowels gush out. That is not a pleasant thought. However, the same thing happens when someone wounds another with hurtful words. Their emotions gush out. We may see them cry, and their face will show the emotions they are feeling.

Paul said to have “bowels of mercies.” I have a picture in my mind of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness gushing out. They are internal, and others cannot see them, until something happens for them to gush to the surface. Having them on the inside is a picture of how our lives should function as Christians. We have kindness (we use kind words), humbleness of mind (we don’t think too much of ourselves), meekness (we avoid unnecessary harshness without compromising), longsuffering (we are patient with people; long-tempered instead of short-tempered). We forbear one another and forgive. We do not react quickly in anger. “Put on” tells me these are not automatic. We must “clothe ourselves” with God’s help.

We are God’s elect, called by God. As God is holy, with pure motives, we are to be holy, with the same pure motives driving us. We are beloved by God, so we are to love one another as God loves us. We are to put on charity, a love that focuses on preferring others above ourselves, a pure love that only wants to see good in the lives of others. It causes us to give what we can to see others get help and do good. That is the bond of perfectness, or the glue that holds us together as the church. When we give ourselves to God, we are investing in others and not serving ourselves.

Sister Annette Hupp

06/22/2026

In Haggai 1:5 God said, “Consider your ways.” How are you living your life? Then in verse 8 He said to build your house, and “I will take pleasure in it.” God wants you to build a spiritual house with Him in control of it.

Have you left your spiritual house a wasteland? Is it barren of the Word of God and the Spirit of God? Are you going your way and not God's way? If you are, you are in a spiritual drought and your life is yielding no fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Without water, your land will be barren. The Spirit of God gives life to the soul now, and everlasting life when your time on earth is over.

If you allow the Word and Spirit to work in you, your life can be a fountain for precious souls. Matthew 5:13 says, “Ye are the salt of the earth.” Salt causes ones to be thirsty. Your living for God makes others thirsty to have the life you have. They want the peace in their life that you have. They want the grace you have for situations that come your way. Matthew 5:14 says, "Ye are the light of the world." You have the knowledge and understanding of God's Word that people desire to know and understand. They listen when you talk. Truth shines in the darkness.

God wants you to obey His will. You need to have godly fear in your life, a fear that your life will hurt the great heart of God by your words and actions. Galatians 5:19-21 tells us the things of the flesh, what people do when they are not serving God. Proverbs 6:16-19 tells us the things that God hates.

God gave man the Ten Commandments. When one of the Pharisees, who was also a lawyer, asked Jesus tempting him, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:36-39).

If you obey God, He will be with you through every situation in life. He will give you grace and peace. Serve God with all your heart.

Sister Susan Hogan

06/21/2026

Sometimes it feels like we pray and pray for the same thing, maybe for an answer to a problem, maybe for a healing.

Luke 18 talks about an unjust judge who got tired of hearing a woman's complaint so he gave in to her and gave her what she was asking for. Verses 6-8 say: "And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the Earth?"

Mark 11: 24 reads, "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

Abraham waited 25 years
Joseph waited 13 years
Jacob waited 14 years
Moses waited 40 years
Noah waited 120 years
If God is making you wait, you are in good company - unknown

Psalm 27: 14 says, "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

Sister Jennifer Spurlock

06/20/2026

We need to acknowledge God. Proverbs 3:5-7 says: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil."

Acknowledge means to accept or admit the existence or truth of; to recognize the fact, importance, or quality of.

When God does something for us, we should be quick to acknowledge it and give Him praise and honor. David acknowledged God all throughout the psalms and was blessed because of it.

When you do something for someone, big or small, it's nice to receive acknowledgment for your kindness. As parents, we are pleased when our children show gratitude for the sacrifices we make to provide for them.

God desires praise, worship, obedience, and reverence.
As David, we should not wait until God does something for us to give Him praise and acknowledgment. We should acknowledge God each moment of every day. We cannot take even one step without His help. We are helpless without Him.

Hove it when my children come to me and say: "Dad, can you please help me with this? I can't seem to get it right." There is joy in seeing their eyes light up when their problem is solved, and they show gratitude.
Remember, God is waiting on us every morning to acknowledge Him betore we go through the day. We need Him, and we cannot make it without Him. As the song says, "We can't even walk without Him holding our hand.”

We acknowledge God by spending time with Him in prayer and Bible reading, and by attending and participating in worship services. We also acknowledge God by how we talk, how we respond to situations, how we dress, and how we address others.

We must give God praise for absolutely EVERYTHING accomplished in our lives. Colossians 1:16-17 reads: "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."

Brother Joel Barrows

06/19/2026

When reading the story of Corrie ten Boom, who hid Jews from the N***s, I find myself thinking: "If only she hadn't opened the door to the man who betrayed her, she would not have been arrested. She could have stayed in her home, safe with her family." Perhaps I have been looking at this story with earthly eyes. What if Corrie's arrest and imprisonment were God's plan all along? God needed missionaries to go to the Ravensbrück concentration camp and share the Gospel with the many women who were facing certain death.

Although the cost was high (Corrie's father, sister, brother, and nephew died), Corrie's prayer was: "Lord Jesus, I offer myself for Your people. In any way. Any place. Any time." She had "set" her "affection on things above."

When suffering, trials, afflictions, and persecution come our way, James 1:2 tells us to "Count it all joy." This is difficult when we have an earthly mindset, but when our eyes are "set . . . on things above," we learn that trials and joy are not incompatible. Third John 1:4 tells us the greatest joy is "to hear that my children walk in truth." While we do not enjoy the suffering, we can find great joy when God uses it for His glory!

The danger is in becoming too attached to the "things on the earth." "When we focus on earthly things, our eyes slip from the 'things above'" (L. Hoover). When that happens, we need to refocus and "set" (an action word) our mind on "things above." This will require laying down things, plans, ideas, and opinions that are not part of God's plan and submit to His plans and ideas. When we do this, the songwriter tells us that "the things of earth will grow strangely dim."

Every possible trial to the child of God is a masterpiece of strategy of the Captain of His salvation for His good.—Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

06/18/2026

Have you ever done something you regret? Do you wish you could go back and relive a portion of your life? Have you ever thought back to an event in your life and wished it never happened? You may think, "If I could do it over again, I would do it differently."

There are many people who experience regret for past failures and mistakes. Regret is "sorrow aroused by circumstances beyond one's control or power to repair." Regret is a powerful emotion. It can cause anxiety and fear. Maybe you did something you do not want anyone to know about. You feel fear and shame, hoping no one will ever find out. We all know it is impossible to go back and change the past. What happened is what happened. We cannot fix it. There are no "do overs."

I have good news for you! There is something you can do about the guilt of the past. Jesus came to forgive and take away the shame of past sins. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death." When you are truly sorry, God will forgive you, and He will never bring up your sins against you again. I remember the day I gave all my sins to the Lord. I confessed to Him, and He forgave me. There was such a load lifted off me! It was such a relief to know that even though I could not go back and fix what I did wrong, Jesus took my punishment and offered forgiveness.

The devil would like to continue to bring up your past and cause you to feel worthless because of the choices you made. I love what Paul said in Philippians 3:13-14: "Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." We need to forget those things which are beyond our control to change. Press forward! Look ahead and not behind.

"You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending." - C.S Lewis.

Sister Annette Hupp

06/17/2026

In John 15, Jesus presented a spiritual lesson. He is the Vine; we are the branches. John 15:2 says, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." The word "purge" means to clear of guilt, to cleanse from impurity; to prune trees and vines from useless shoots. Verse 3 says we are clean through the Word. The Word of God keeps us pure and free from impurities. Those useless shoots that attempt to sprout up must be cut off. They take nutrients from the branch and keep it from bearing fruit.

I read an article about the pruning of table grapes. It said a gardener must not be timid about pruning.
"When gardeners prune, they should remove the majority of wood (the branch) produced the previous season - until about 90 percent is pruned off." That's a lot of pruning.

We must abide in the vine and allow God to continually purge, or prune, us as often as we need it. We may feel we are doing fine, when in reality, self needs to be cut back. The pruning knife does not feel good, but it helps us produce more results for God. He said without Him, we can do nothing. Those useless shoots are always attempting to grow. They may be the sprout of selfishness, laziness, indifference, bad attitudes, pride, jealously, worldliness, entertainment, and many other things that are constantly needing trimmed out of our lives.

One commentator said this: "It means in the spiritual training the checking of natural impulses and affections, and the removal of everything, even though it be by a pang sharp as the edge of the pruner's knife, which can misdirect or weaken the energy of the spiritual life, and thus diminish its fruitfulness." God sees what is attempting to steal our time and effectiveness for Him, and they are worthless. His wisdom is higher than ours. I want to stay connected to the Vine. If I am not producing fruit, Jesus said I will be cut off.

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me" - John 15:4

Sister Annette Hupp

06/16/2026

Matthew 5:13-16 says: "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Salt is a preservative that keeps food from spoiling by stopping the growth of bacteria. Christians preserve the Word of God. The closer we get to God, the more we can cause others to want to draw close to God.
They can see the integrity and character we display and it has an effect on people. There have been times when others have refrained from using curse words because they did not want to offend me.

Salt adds seasoning to food and is an important nutrient we cannot live without. God has placed us here to be the salt. God uses people to bring His message to the world. If I lose the quality of saltiness by acting in a way unbecoming of a Christian, I am good for nothing. Others will be turned off rather than drawn to Christ. It is important for me to stay salty, so ones will be thirsty for the Gospel.

The darker the room, the greater the light shines. May my light shine and testify of the good things of God everywhere I go and in everything I do. I don't necessarily need to "preach" to anyone, just show love and concern. The best way to shed light on any situation is to be an example. May the spirit I possess be the Holy Spirit. That is my prayer and my desire. No matter what I do, I must do all for the glory of God. I want God to use me, be pleased with me, and dwell within me. I can do nothing without God.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sister Annette Hupp

06/15/2026

My little children ….

Matthew 19:14: “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

Mark 10:14: “But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”

Luke 18:16: “But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”

How much do we hold our children?
How much do we “shoo” them away to "go find something to do"?

Jesus called them TO Him! Should we not keep our children "at our elbow" while they are still young and willing? YES!

1 John 2:12: “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.”

1 John 2:1: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

If He has forgiven our sins, are we not His children? What if Christ loved us for a while then sent us out to "go do something on our own for a little while"? Oh the horrors! And that's what we see today. People claiming to be His child, but not "sitting at the feet of Jesus" and "learning of His ways.” They are off "doing things on their own" for a little while, until the next time they talk to Jesus.

1 John 2:13: “I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.”

1 John 2:28: “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.”

Let us TAKE TIME to KNOW our Father, so when He returns for His children, we need not be ashamed but full of confidence that we will be with Him eternally.

Sister Rachel Fowler

06/14/2026

“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God.” This is one of the most simple instructions Jesus gave for a successful life. Luke 12:31 in the NLT says, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need."

There is a song that reads:

"Put Jesus first in all that you do,
Put Jesus first He'll take care of you."

These instructions in God’s Word are very simple, yet as humans they can be very difficult to follow. My prayer is, “Lord, increase my faith to trust you completely with my life. Help me to seek You first and put You first in all that I do!”

In my personal life, I am facing many important decisions such as finding a house and planning a wedding. I’m uncertain about the future of my job. All these weigh heavy on my mind, and I have felt very overwhelmed recently. There are too many things to keep track of, and I’m not feeling able to do any one of them well. I sometimes feel I’m not giving God enough time to strengthen me for the battle.

Luke 12:22-31: “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment . . . And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Verse 29 says, “Neither be ye of doubtful mind." One of the Bible references I read says, “Live not in careful suspense.” We don’t need to be worried about what is coming next if we live pleasing to God.

Philippians 1:6 says, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Proverbs 3:5 reads, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding.”

Trust God by putting Him first. He will work everything else out and give you what you need and more. He gives exceedingly abundantly!

Brother Alex Orr

God's Word Daily Devotions

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