NorMel House Devotions

Some days, the words just flow through my fingers and onto the page. I feel like a conduit, not a writer. But then there are days when the words just don't seem to come; when there's so much on my heart, but I just can't seem to put it into words. Grief can have that effect sometimes. There are no words that will truly express my thoughts and feelings right now, so I'll let God's Word speak for itself: No more shall there be in it     an infant who lives but a few days,     or an old man who does not fill out his days Isaiah 65:20 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.                           ...

  Titus 1:1-3 "Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness -  a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and at His appointed season He brought His word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior" Ever notice how sometimes time seems to fly by and other times it seems to drag? Our view of time is linear, and we see things in sequences of events. God, however, is timeless, and His timing in our lives is perfect. 2 Peter 3:8-9 says, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the LORD, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promises, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” God is outside of time, He knows all th...

Read Levitcus 20:26 and John 17: 6-19 Our text tells us that to be holy is to be set apart from the world. John 15:18-19 says, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belong to the world, it would love you as its own, but I have chosen you out of the world, that is why it hates you." If we are set apart from the world, there should be an obvious difference between how the world behaves and how we behave. That difference will cause the world to hate us. To be holy is then to be different from the world; we are to be in the world but not of the world. Jesus prays about this in John 17 when He prays for His disciples. Several times throughout the passage, Jesus reminds us that we are in the world but not of the world, and the world will hate us for this. It is not our doing, but God who sets us apart and makes us holy. In fact, we were set apart from the world long before we even existed. We can see this in Jeremiah 1:5 where it says, "Before I ...

  Read Jeremiah 12 The book of Jeremiah was written after the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of many. Jeremiah wrote to tell the people God's judgment was upon them. In chapter twelve, he pleads with God, asking God why the wicked seem to prosper. He notes the hypocrites who seem to worship falsely, and yet they prosper. Jeremiah's inquiry is a good example of how we, too, can make inquiries correctly.  Note how he starts by proclaiming God's righteousness (verse 1). He then brings his "case" before the Lord. He trusts that God is a just God and listens to our prayers. Ultimately, the Lord answered him by telling him the wicked will perish (verse 14), but He will still have compassion on His people and return them to their promised inheritance. If the people truly repent, then they will receive that inheritance. However, it ends with a warning for those who don't repent, ""but if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and de...

 Going through hardships, loss or trials can leave us confused and feeling hurt. We don’t understand why we go through them and can be left feeling brokenhearted. When struggling with life’s disappointments and troubles it’s hard to do as the Bible says in James 1:2 and “count it all joy”. It’s times like these that we need to remember what the Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Though we may not always see it or understand God’s plans for us we can always go to Him in prayer. The best thing we can pray is that God’s will be done. His desire and plans for us are better than anything we can dream up or hope for ourselves. As you go through rough times it’s ok to cry out to God, but remember to trust His good will for you. Today’s #TuesdayTunes speaks to the broken hearted in a prayer that reminds us to pray that God’s Will be done. Check out Hillary Sc...

Read Jeremiah 29 (see bottom of entry) I can't imagine living as a slave in a foreign country. Could you? I can't. I can't even begin to understand what that would be like. I've been blessed to live in a country that values freedom.  (Almost to the point where it's a fault.) I don't know what it's like to be whipped or forced to do hard labor or go without food. The Israelites did. They lived in Babylon under the harsh rule of King Nebuchadnezzar. I imagine the oppression would be depressing. You might even grasp for words of hope from any source, even false prophets. Jeremiah 29 tells us of the hope God gives amidst some very difficult and rough times for the Israelites. Despite being in a foreign land, despite being captives and slaves, God sends them hope and direction through the prophet Jeremiah, "...seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile..." (Jer. 29:7a) Can you imagine being told that God brought you...