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...

Love is a major topic in February. People do all sorts of things to express their love around Valentine’s Day, such as dinners, buying flowers or chocolates, and coming up with fancy dates and cards to let someone know they love them, typically in a romantic way. We often express our love by giving people gifts or doing something nice for them, but what does the Bible say about love? More particularly, what does it say about our love for God? It’s wonderful to have a significant other, but ultimately, we must love God above all else. Deuteronomy 6:5 gives us the command to “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” So how do we express love to our glorious God? John 14:15 puts it quite simply, “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.” We are commanded to love God and to show that love by keeping His commandments. Seems like a tall order for a sinful people, but 1 John 5:3-4 tells us, “In fact, this is love for God: to keep H...

So we’ve now learned that God’s grace is the undeserved gift of salvation that all people need. We could not earn it ourselves, but rather, by the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we are given faith to accept this gracious gift. We’ve learned that God’s grace is limitless and all-sufficient. So, what else can we say about grace? Romans 6:14 says, “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” So, we who sinned and could not do any good, who “were once slaves of sin” (Romans 6:17), now, “Having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:18). So we see that grace transforms us! We go from being slaves to sin to being slaves of righteousness.  Titus 2:11-12 tells us, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.” When God gives us His grace, He also gives...

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...