Devotional for May 12 - May 18

To all my readers:

I am changing this blog to a weekly format. I am being forced to do it this way because this blog site is saying my blog is too short to continue publishing. I purposely try to keep it short so you will have time to read it every day. I hope you will understand and keep reading.

Thank you,

Brad Hopkins

May 12


Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

(Romans 12:15)

Meditation

Before I was saved, I worked in a very competitive environment. Many of my co-workers were very jealous of the accomplishments of others. I have to confess; I too would get that green-eyed feeling if I didn’t get promoted when I thought I deserved it. Outwardly, I showed a happy face. I would congratulate the person who was recognized or promoted, but inwardly I was terribly envious. I received as many promotions as most in my career field, but I couldn’t rejoice for others because of jealousy and covetousness.

I didn’t know how to deal with grief so I would shrink away from someone who was suffering some kind of loss. I didn’t want to feel the pain they were going through. My life was in enough of a mess. I had plenty to grieve over without taking on someone else’s anguish. The idea of going to a funeral for someone other than a close family member was something I would try to avoid at all costs. It’s not that I didn’t care, it’s that I didn’t want to feel any of that pain.

There’s an old quote that says, ‘Man is not an island.’ Even though that saying doesn’t strictly apply to Christians, it is just as relevant for us. That means we are not alone in this world! We are a part of the body of Christ and therefore, that which affects one of our brothers or sisters in Christ, it affects all of us. I will, never again, avoid sharing in someone’s joy or pain because of jealousy or dread of feeling pain. As part of the body of Christ, we are called to love one another through triumph or tragedy.

Everyone experiences happy and sad times; times of rejoicing and weeping. When someone has cause to rejoice, I want to be happy for them and not jealous in any way. When they are mourning a loss, I want to show compassion and mourn with them, to comfort them in their time of despair. After all, I would hope to receive the same from others when I have times of rejoicing and mourning. It all comes from the example Jesus gave us when he walked the among us. He showed his compassion when he wept at the graveside of Lazarus. He cried with Mary, Martha and the others just before he raised him from the dead and then he rejoiced with them after he raised Lazarus. So our fellowship is not only for the good times but for the sorrowful times showing ourselves to be true to the faith we have in Christ.

Daily Prayer

Worshipful God, you are the wellspring of our happiness, and our refuge in times of sorrow. We thank you, Lord, for every moment we can rejoice in what’s happening in our lives. Always help us to remember to be grateful for those seasons. Prepare our hearts, Lord, for those times when we’re going to need to hunker down and endure the times of great loss. Make us aware of those people in our lives who are experiencing either of those scenarios. Take away any jealousy we may feel when someone excels at something over us, and to rejoice with them. At the same time, remove any fear we may have over being with someone who grieving. Help us to freely grieve with them. Please, have your Spirit bolster our courage to boldly share your love with everyone who feels joy or sorrow. Lord, if they do not yet know you or have a relationship with you, give us the words to show them who you are. Lead us with the words of your grace. Help us to explain why they need the water of life and how they can get it free. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!

May 13

For the Lord sees not as man sees, a man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

(1 Samuel 16:7)

Meditation

My human nature causes me to prejudge people based on what they look like. If I see someone who is slovenly dressed, I make assumptions about that person that, more often than not, has no foundation in reality. In the same way, when I see someone wearing a suit and well-groomed I assume they are successful in business. When I see people laughing and having a good time, I figure they are happy on the inside without worry or fears. In short, my conclusions about what I perceive are not always correct. The shabbily dressed person is not necessarily homeless and destitute. The well-dressed person may be putting up a good front to mask his failures. That laughing person could quite possibly be crying on the inside.

We live in a society that tells us what beauty is supposed to look like with images on television, ads on the internet or in print. I have been in many relationships based solely on outward appearance. The most beautiful person in the world can have the ugliest heart and vice versa. Even though I know that there have been times when I was still drawn to people who had a certain way of looking and I would try to avoid those who didn’t. It’s a strange quirk of being human, that I do that even though I’ve been insecure about my own appearance.

Everyone deserves to be given a fair chance. I know of a person who was denied a job because she was a little overweight. She was totally capable of performing the responsibilities and duties but she wasn’t given the opportunity. It seems they are the only people that it’s politically correct to discriminate against, besides Christians. I’m sure some of us know of a totally incompetent person who was hired because of their appearance. We are a visually driven race and the decisions we make, based on appearance, are almost never right.

I cannot see what the Lord sees because he sees what’s in a person’s heart. Fortunately for me, God has no prejudices when it comes to how I look because I am created in his image. Without his leading, I will always fall back to be led by my human nature which will always fail me. God sees what’s in our hearts and what we are capable of. He loves us enough to begin a work in us even though, on the inside, we are ugly we don’t deserve it.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, you know all things and see all things. We can only see what’s right in front of our eyes, and even then, we misinterpret what we’re seeing. Help is to discard all of our prejudices about what a person looks like, or what job they do, or who they’re related to. None of that matters in your eyes. What’s important to you, and should be important to us, is what’s in their hearts. We see things like the pigment of someone’s skin, or their apparel, and make judgments about their entire character. We cannot know what they are thinking or what they believe based on what they look like. Show us a better way, dear Lord. We want to be like Jesus and follow your will for our lives. Help us to always give the other person the benefit of the doubt. Don’t let us make assumptions about their beliefs based on their outward appearance. Instead of immediately judging someone, help us to say a silent prayer for them. We belong to Jesus, help us always act like it. In his name, we pray. Amen!

May 14



For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 

(1 Timothy 6:7-8)

Meditation

To this day, even as a follower of Jesus Christ, I still find myself desiring things I don’t need. I am a product of our society of consumption. Even though living in the US is a blessing in many ways, we are constantly bombarded with images of desirable things we should want. Even though I know that I am blessed by the Lord to provide my daily bread, my humanness takes over at times, and a ‘spirit of want’ will take over my thoughts. I know nothing I accumulate in this life follows me into the next, so why do I still try so hard to get more stuff? I have to fight that demon all the time.

I have to constantly remind myself that demon ‘spirit of want’ makes the picture of that special something appear to be something I need. I have much more than most of the 7.5 billion people on the planet, but that doesn’t seem to matter. If it’s new and innovative, high tech, or something novel, I usually want it. Do I need it? Probably not, and with prayer, I’m usually able to deflect those wanting thoughts. Since I’m not financially able to buy all the things I want, I rely on the strength of the Lord to help me resist them. When I am faithful to give it to him in prayer, he is faithful to help me defeat that demon.

I remember reading a joke a few years ago. It was about a very rich man who was about to die. He told his trophy wife he wanted all of his money, which consisted of several million dollars, to be buried with him when he died. After his funeral, a friend of the trophy wife asked her if she really gave him all that money. The wife said, sure, I wrote him a check and put it in the casket. If he can cash that check, he can have it. I don’t personally know anyone with a personal desire to take something into the next life, but I’m sure there are some out there.

The world (translate that, Satan) wants us to be consumed with consuming. If we’re busy looking for the next bauble to purchase, our minds are not on God or the work of the kingdom. We don’t need ninety percent of the things we own. Every bit of it, even our favorite pair of socks, is going to be left here when we die. If we get all wrapped up in our possessions, and getting even more, we’re missing the greatest of all possessions; our relationship with the Jesus Christ. If we can learn to be content with whatever God gives us in this life, our eternity will be filled with a bounty we cannot describe. 

Daily Prayer

Father, mere words fail to explain how we feel about you. In fear of your mighty and just wrath, we turned from our wickedness. In acceptance of your grace and mercy, we declare your love to the world. In awe of your bountiful provision, we humbly thank you. Lord, we were born into this world naked, screaming, and hungry. We have nothing. We are insignificant, helpless, and totally dependent on others. But even so, you love us and provide for our wellbeing. We live in a materialistic world where gathering as much as we can, is what’s accepted and expected. We go through life and whether we believe in you or not, all we possess belongs to you. We are just temporary stewards of whatever we have. Every material possession will be left here when we pass from this life. Help us, Lord, to be satisfied with whatever you provide. Keep covetousness from our hearts. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!



May 15



As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

(Ecclesiastes 11:5)

Meditation

How did my soul and my body unite? I’m sure it wasn’t some kind of accident. I certainly don’t understand the power and majesty of a being who is able to create the universe and everything in it and then hold it all together. As a believer in the one true and living God, I believe also in this special creation, but I can only sit in wonder and awe at how it was completed.

I used to follow those who do not believe. They try to scientifically prove our creation was by chance without the involvement of God. They seldom take the time to just look around them and marvel at what God has created. Too many elements of creation had to be in place for our existence to happen. Everything from the placement of the earth in the “Goldilocks Zone” of the galaxy and our solar system, to the central nervous system of the human body, all had to be there and functioning perfectly.

I need look no further than the miracle of birth. Be it my own children, a litter of puppies or a clutch of baby chicks it’s a most awesome sight. They are all miracles in their own right. We’re told the process of birth, as we see it today, evolved over long periods of time, far longer than the lifespan of the original parent. If that were true, how was the second generation ever born?

    What’s fundamental in all of creation is the hand of God. He is everywhere I look. I will not be fooled or led astray by what is only fleeting and ever-changing theories about how we got here. I don’t need a theory. I need the Almighty Father who planned from the beginning of time, my redemption. I need the saving grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I need the Holy Spirit who comforts and guides me through life. That’s what works!

Daily Prayer

Lord God, you are the personification of love. You hold the entire universe together with the power of your thought. Thank you, Lord, for redeeming us from the bleak existence, filled with wickedness and the low living you found us in. Thank you for rescuing us from the path to destruction we were on. You have made it possible for us to put on the righteousness of Christ. He came to redeem us, putting us on a clear and virtuous path. Dear Lord, you are great, and we give you the glory. We praise you for all the wonderful things you have done throughout the history of the world. Things that you planned from the foundation of time. Things you told us you were going to do and then you do them. We await the promised fulfillment of the return of Christ as patiently as we can because we know you have never gone back on a promise before. All we can ask is that you come quickly, Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

May 16

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body, you were called to peace. And be thankful.

(Colossians 3:15)

Meditation

I spent most of my adult life without any real peace in my heart. I thought peace equated with being happy. I thought other people were responsible to make me happy and therefore bring me peace. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Peace and happiness do not equate. I can be in the midst of great personal sorrow and still be at peace. In the same way, I could be feeling totally contented and not be at peace at all.

When I finally gave my heart to Jesus he filled it with peace. It was like taking a warm shower on a cold day. I was actually going through a very tough time in my life. Even though everything else in my life was falling apart and I was very unhappy, Christ was there to help me through. He gave me peace that outlasted all of the sadness I was experiencing.

In gratitude for what Christ did for me, both on the cross and how he changed my heat, I have an obligation to show an unbelieving world why I have such peace. Jesus took all of the emptiness in my heart and filled it with his presence. He didn’t just get me through that time in my life and then set me adrift. He has stayed right with me since then, through the Holy Spirit.

I will always be thankful for what Christ has done for me. He took a pathetic, sorrowful, unhappy and undeserving wretch and gave me a new heart. He gave me a new purpose for living, a new longing for righteousness, where before I was always looking out for myself. Now I express my thankfulness in these words that I pray will show the way to peace for someone else.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, you are the guardian of our souls. We trust you with our eternity and the eternities of those we love. The peace we hold in our hearts is nothing akin to what secular society offers. They want us to seek peace in consuming material goods. They think peace is found at the bottom of a bottle, or something you smoke or inject. They have bought the lie that promiscuous sexual liaisons are just the ticket to peace and paradise. Beyond our secular society, our national leaders will try to convince us that simply not being at war with an enemy is peace. Not one of them could be further from the truth. Real peace is internal; it’s in our hearts, and it’s only offered by you. Thank you for calming our fears when trials come our way. There is no place to hide from the tough times, but we can take refuge in your loving arms. Bring us back into your fold when we slip back into our old ways. Correct us when needed because you correct those you love. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!

May 17

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

(Romans 12:9)

Meditation

I try to love everyone even though some people make that very hard to do. I try to remember that I haven’t always been very easy to love myself. My efforts to be unpretentious in showing love are because it’s Jesus who gave it to me first; before I was even born. He showed me the greatest illustration of love by taking my sins to the cross. That self-sacrificing love is like nothing I ever had before I turned to Jesus.

These days I am bombarded with images, words, and deeds that are abhorrent to God. Society tells me they are good, and I should go along because so many people think it’s okay. I am called evil, a hater or just ignorant when I stand against what God calls evil. Before Roe v Wade, abortion was thought to be evil by a majority of people and most believed that to be true. The Supreme Court changed all that in 1972. This country has since, killed over 60 million babies, contributing greatly to the moral decline of America.

If something is evil one day it is still evil the next and no human court can change that. I am called to be different by God; to be a light that exposes the darkness. It’s my responsibility to lovingly show God’s way of seeing what is evil and what is good to my little corner of the world. Since the love in my heart originally came from Jesus, I can only show genuine love by shining the light of Jesus to everyone, everywhere. John Piper is quoted as saying, “Genuine love is so contrary to human nature that its presence bears witness to extraordinary power.”

Now, Christianity itself is being called evil. Christians are being vilified for holding on to our beliefs. The Word of God is as relevant today as the day it was penned. Murder, fornication, lying and stealing are described as being sinful in the Bible. Those words from God were written thousands of years ago but they are still the truth today. His Word doesn’t change with the fickle whims of society.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, you are the best example we have for how to treat others. However, we fail at this every day. We want to be treated with love and respect but don’t give others the same. We hate it when someone spreads gossip about us, but we hear and tell stories about others all the time. We appreciate help with heavy tasks when we need it, but we can find all kinds of excuses not to help them. Give us a heart, Lord, not to do good deeds for our brothers and sisters for some kind of repayment or reward. Help us to look to paying forward the good things others need. Then, help us to graciously accept their good deeds when they return them. Lord God, we are fallible humans, we make mistakes and sin against each other. We are always quick to expect forgiveness from the person we’ve hurt. Help us to quickly forgive the person who hurts us. After all, you not only forgive us our many sins against you, just for the asking, you also forget what we’ve done forever. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

May 18



Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

(Romans 13:13-14)

Meditation

I was saved almost 20 years ago. At first, I was totally immersed in Christ and reading the scriptures every day. As time went on, my passion began to cool, and I began to fall back into old, bad habits. I didn’t go bar hopping or start chasing women again, but I would drink alcohol until I was inebriated. I know I wasn’t acting like a Christian at all. I was trying to live with one foot in each world. I acted like a Christian on Sunday but the rest of the week, it would have been hard to identify me as a follower of Christ.

What kind of faith can I claim to have if I give in to sinful living?  It’s like I didn’t believe that God could see everything I was doing. All of that bad behavior led me into a kind of depression that brought on even more bad behavior. I was so disappointed in myself for what I was doing. I wanted acceptance from my old friends when I wasn’t in church. I’m not blaming them for what I was doing but I had to separate myself from that temptation.

Of course, I’m not perfect and fail Jesus every day. However, if Christ is the center of my thoughts, he’s like a raincoat in a driving storm. I clothe myself with Christ by making time every day to read the Bible and speak to him in prayer. It didn’t come about overnight, and I still struggle not to fall back into my old ways, but I keep trying. Now it’s a habit that I miss terribly if I can’t spend time with him for some reason.

I now think of Jesus as a protective suit of armor and the Bible as a double-edged sword. The daily battles I face against the desires of my flesh and the temptations of this world will be won for him. This world is full of influences that tempt me away from righteousness. When I fail the test, and I do fail now and then, I am forgiven by the grace of God. 

Daily Prayer

Lord God, you made us new when we turned from our wickedness and looked deep into the face of Jesus. We are a new creation, born of water and the Spirit. We are cast in the image of Jesus Christ to represent him in our Christian walk. We pray you will continue to do your work in us. You saved us, so we could, in turn, share the good news of Christ Jesus with the unsaved in our lives. However, you know that not everyone will be receptive to the gospel message. We can count on some people being downright nasty in their rejection. An unfriendly rebuff from someone we care about can wound us and make us never want to mention the name of Jesus again. Remind us, there is power in the name of Jesus. Freshen our frail spirits every day, Lord, to do the good works you have placed before us from the foundation of time. Thank you, Father, for giving us this to do to keep us from idle thoughts and actions. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!