NorMel House Devotions

What then shall we do? The Bible is filled with verses that teach us how to live our lives and how to use the many blessings and gifts God gives us. Many of us don’t like to be told how to spend our money or use our time, and it can be uncomfortable to hear that we may not be living as God requires. But it is wiser to learn to use our blessings, be it talents, money, or possessions, as God tells us to. Proverbs 11:24-25 says, One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. This seems contradictory; the world will tell you to hold on to as much as possible, after all, didn’t you work hard to get what you have? God has every right to tell us what to do with ourselves and our possessions; we are His, and all good things we have are gifts He has given us. So, what does God tell us about giving? We are to give freely, generously, and even sel...

Titus 1:5 “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order , and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.” ESV God is a god of order. There is order in all creation because He is a God of consistent, complex and detailed design, intent and orderliness. Right from the beginning of creation God set in place an order for how things function and are done. Science very clearly shows the order He set in nature; there are patterns and laws to how things are made and how they function. Job 25:2 (NIV) says, “Dominion and awe belong to God; He establishes order in the heights of the heaven.” The laws of science and physics can be seen throughout all creation and all things have a set and orderly way of functioning. Our bodies, for example, are intricately created so that all parts have a set purpose. Because man sinned, chaos and brokenness came into all of creation, causing things to go wrong. When one little part of our body doesn’t function the way i...

Read Proverbs 31:10-31, and Exodus 33:17-20 Beauty. So many people will do anything for it. The world is full of products, diets, and fads in a vain attempt to attain beauty. But what is beauty? The world defines beauty as a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form that pleases the anesthetic senses, especially sight. The Bible defines beauty quite differently. Proverbs 31 has quite a bit to say about what we, as women, should aspire to be. Proverbs 31:10 says, "A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." Beauty is found within your character, your spirit, and your attitude. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, "Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things that man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." What is in your heart will come out in all you say and do. If we keep reading Proverbs 31, we see that a beautiful woman is one who is...