NorMel House Devotions

Psalm 8: How great is our awesome God! Ever heard the expression “a childlike faith”? There’s a reason that we, as Christians, talk about having faith like a child: children can trust and praise God without hesitation, reservation, or doubt. As adults, we ought to desire and ask God for this kind of faith because, often, the older we get, the more cynical and distrustful we can be. There’s something truly beautiful about seeing a child singing loudly, praising God with great enthusiasm. They have no barriers; they don’t worry about how they sound; they sing praise to God with their whole heart. David starts Psalm 8 with the same unfettered love; he praises God and acknowledges God’s glory and majesty. This is how our days and prayers ought to start. David points out the stark contrast between the open praise that comes from children and the failure of those who oppose God. Though children are considered the weakest in our society, the praise that passes their lips is a strong and p...

"When it rains, it pours." Ever heard that expression? Ever felt like that expression describes your life? Sometimes in life, we get hit hard, and then it seems the hits just keep on coming. One thing after another.... after another... after another. Every time you try to "get back up" again, something else hits and keeps you down. It's like the shoe fell, but then more shoes just keep on falling! As Christians, we know that there will be trials and suffering in this life, but God's word is filled with comfort and promises to give us strength. Matthew 11:22-30      Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.    Isaiah 41:10      Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my ri...

Right now you’re struggling, but I see you. More importantly, God sees you. Turn to the Bible           “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”  Psalm 34:8 When your body has taken so much of your freedom, and you feel like you’ve lost another one, it’s easy to feel sad and disappointed. Maybe today just sucks, but you will be ok when you find your refuge in Him, in His Word.           “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26 You feel like your body has betrayed you, let you down. But remember, God is good, and His plan for us is good. Right now, it may be hard to feel that, to hear the words that should bring comfort. Read them once, and then again, and again until His Words echo in your mind.           “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for ...

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...

  Family. For some, family is a happy, healthy, and comforting thing, but for others, it can be quite a painful word. For some, hearing the word family brings thoughts of warmth and love, but there are also those who feel anxiety, or fear, or anger, some even feel bitterness or regret. Family is supposed to be a beautiful gift; there are many verses in the Bible that speak about how a wife and children are a blessing and a gift from the Lord. "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord." (Proverbs 18:22 ESV) And turning to Psalm 127:3-5 ESV, we read, "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!" Proverbs 17:6 ESV says, "Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers." Family is meant to be a gift, but because we live in a sinful world,...

 Joy – a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. Do you feel joy? It’s not typically the word we use in conversation; we tend to say we’re happy or glad about things. The question remains, though: do you feel joy? There are two types of joy: reactionary joy or joy that is ‘soul-deep’. Soul-deep joy is a deep and lasting joy, regardless of circumstances. Proverbs has many verses that speak about joy; “The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish” (Proverbs 10:28). Or we can turn to Proverbs 17:22, where it says, “A joyful heart is a good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Where do we find ‘soul-deep’ joy? We saw in Proverbs 10:28 that it comes from the hope of the righteous. What is that hope? In Luke 2:10-11, we read, “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Our...

  Bless the Lord, O My Soul Of David. Psalm 103  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3  who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4  who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5  who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. 6  The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. 7  He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. 8  The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9  He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10  He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11  For as hig...

This world is filled with evil. We don’t like to think about how evil the world and people truly are, but sometimes it feels like it slaps us in the face and knocks us to the ground. When people do hateful and hurtful things to us, it’s easy to want to strike back. However, Romans 12:21 reminds us, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Not an easy thing to do, and it goes against our own sinful nature; but if we turn back a few verses, we’re told “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the LORD’.” (Romans 12:19). 1 Thessalonians 5:15 tells us, “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.” Don’t strike back. When people slander you or do evil towards you, remember, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (2 Timothy 4:18). But...

 Change. Life is full of changes, some of which we want and plan for, and others that happen to us whether we want them or not.  It can be difficult when you realize you really have no control over anything. We all like to think we have control over things in our lives, but the Bible tells us, "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps" (Proverbs 16:9). We can and should make plans, but ultimately, God is in control of all things. When we go through things we don't really want to, it can be easy to start questioning God and His plan, but it's at times like those that we really need to lean on God. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Trust in God, and He will make your path straight. The Bible often speaks about life like a path or a race: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the w...

Titus 3:8 “This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.”  Throughout the letter to Titus, Paul has stressed the importance of doing good works and living a Christian lifestyle. He wants Titus to teach “what accords with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1), and He reminds us that we can trust what he has been saying because Christianity is not characterized by hopes, wants, and dreams, but rather, it is based on historical facts. What Paul has just told us in verses 4-7 is trustworthy because it is true, rational, and verifiable. Christianity is unique; religions of the world tell us to do this or do that, but Christianity tells us to look at what WAS done. The good news is what God has already accomplished for sinners. This verifiable truth is why Paul reminds us that what he has told us is trustworthy: Jesus came, ...

Titus 3:3 “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.” We live in a world that is full of deception. We deceive ourselves and others with worldly ideologies that would have you believe that you are a good person, that you can find strength in yourself, that you can have your own truth, and that freedom is being able to do whatever you want, whenever you want. The Bible tells us something different. If we start with the basic knowledge that we can do no good in and of ourselves then all of those concepts go out the window. In Titus 3:3, Paul is describing all mankind, and if you think you’re an exception, then you deceive yourself! Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Christians can sometimes have haughty opinions and think they’re better than unbelievers, but Paul is reminding us that we, too, were “foolis...

Titus 2:6 “Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.” Self-control. We all need it and yet, we all lack it in some way. For some it’s indulging excessively in food, for others it’s not holding the tongue but gossiping, yet, for others, it’s indulging sexual desires in wrong ways, still, others struggle with drug or alcohol abuse and there are still so many more ways we lack self-control. Maybe you lash out in anger or frustration, maybe you read or watch things that you shouldn’t. Demanding self-control is a tall order and yet, it’s one we must all seek. Self-control is a common theme throughout the book of Titus. Paul tells Titus to teach self-control to the old men, the older women, the younger women and now the young men as well. Really, he wants us all to practice self-control because when we can control our urges it prevents us from sinfully living them out. In James 3:2 it says, “For we all stumble in many ways and if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is...

Titus 2:4-5 “Then you can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” Have you ever thought about your kids or spouse thinking something like, “I may love you but right now I don’t particularly like you”? If you’ve never thought about love like this before, it may seem a strange thing to say but the truth is that when you truly love someone there can be times when you are frustrated with them, angry at them, or really just don’t like their actions or words. Paul tells Titus to teach the older women to teach the younger women to love their husbands and families because, the truth is, we all need to be taught how to truly love one another. Love is not the wishy-washy emotions the world seems to think it is, but rather, love is a choice. We must be taught and choose to love because our sinful inclination is to be selfish, but als...

Titus 1: 15-16 “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and their consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.” Paul has been talking about false teachers and false doctrine and in today’s text he continues with this topic. The Pharisees and Judaizers were obsessed with purity; they made up all kinds of laws about what was clean and pure and how to avoid becoming unclean. They tried to trap Jesus in Mark 7 by asking Him, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” (Mark 7:5) They put the ideas and rules, that they made up, above the laws of God. Jesus turns this around and tells them, “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” (Mark 7:8) He continues explaining and in Mark 7:15 He s...

Titus 1:1-2 "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" When I was a child, I went through a phase where I lied about everything. It was so bad my siblings used to say, “If she says it three times you know for sure she’s lying.” Well, the Cretans were also liars. They lied so much that the word “Cretanize” meant “to lie”. At the beginning of Paul’s letter to Titus and the Cretans he wants them to know that God does not lie. Paul is emphasizing that God is truth, His word, spoken through Paul, is trustworthy and true, therefore, we can believe what Paul is going to tell us. The Bible tells us that God cannot lie or change. We see this in Numbers 23:19 where it says, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His m...

Read Psalm 1 Sometimes it seems as though the wicked prosper and the Christian suffers, but have you ever thought about what happens in the end? The Bible tells us many truths and if we look at Psalm 1 we can be comforted by the Godly wisdom we’re given and also find the answer to our question; will the wicked always prosper? Psalm 1 tells us of two ways of living and what will happen if we live either way. There is the “way of the sinner” and the “way of the righteous”. We start with a look at the righteous, then we’ll see the downfall of sinners, and end, as we always should, with reason to praise the Lord. Psalm 1 starts with a look at the man who is blessed because of righteousness; how then, must we live to be one of the blessed? Our text reminds us that the people of God must be characterized by righteousness; sinners have no place among God’s people. Those who serve the Lord and do His will are blessed. The very first verse tells us not to “walk in the counsel of the wicked.” Pr...

The Bible tells us that this life will not be easy. Christians, especially, can count on going through hurdles, trials and tribulation. Even Jesus had to endure through sorrow, rejection, pain and temptation. Jesus wept upon seeing Mary's grief after Lazarus died. He was rejected three times by someone who claimed to love Him. He was beaten and mocked by the authorities and had to deal with Satan actively trying to get Him to turn from God. How did Jesus deal with all this? How did He persevere when life got difficult? If we turn to John 11 we can see how He dealt with His grief, "And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, 'Father I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but I said this on account of the people standing around that they may believe that You sent Me.'' (John 11:41b-42). So we see that prayer is where we start. In Matthew 4 we can read about how Satan actively pursued Jesus and tried to tempt Jesus to turn from God. Jesus quash...

  Read Ephesians 6:1-4 In our passage today, Paul continues to describe how we ought to live in regard to our relationships. Last time, we saw how the relationship of a husband and wife must mimic Christ's relationship with the church. Our passage moves on to the relationship between children and their parents. As sinful people, our inclination is to rebel against authority,  but Paul starts off reminding us that children ought not only to obey their parents but to honor them. This is so important it is one of the ten commandments. In Matthew 19:19, Jesus tells a rich man that you must "honor your father and mother." In Matthew 15:4, Jesus tells us, "Honor your father and your mother, and whoever reviles father or mother must surely die." Honoring our parents is so important that the punishment for disobedience was death! Its importance is also shown in the promise given for obedience. Verse 3 of our text says, "that it may go well with you and that you may...