Daily Devotions For The Deaf

Our next question about giving thanks is: Who should give thanks? Praising God and giving thanks are two very important things for Christians to do. Many times in the Bible, Christians are commanded to give thanks and praise God. Psalm 107:1-2a says, “Praise the Lord because he is good! His faithful love will last forever! Everyone the Lord has saved should repeat that word of thanks.” Our Bible Reading today tells us that Jesus healed ten men with leprosy, a terrible skin disease. These ten men asked Jesus to heal them, and Jesus healed all of them. But only one man thanked Jesus. Jesus must have been sad that the other nine men did not thank Him. What about you? Maybe you are like the nine men. Maybe you enjoy life and accept things from God but do not thank God for these blessings. I hope you are like the one man who thanked Jesus. Be like the man who thanked Jesus. Thank God and praise Him today and every day!

We know that we should be thankful. But for what things should we give thanks? Today we will look at several Bible verses. These verses give us examples of things for which we should be thankful. In 2 Corinthians 9:15 Paul said, “Thanks be to God for his gift that is too wonderful to describe.” What is this gift? In verse 14 Paul talked about God’s grace. We should be thankful for God’s grace, given through Jesus. Our Bible verses say, “I love the Lord for hearing me, for listening to my prayers. Yes, he paid attention to me, so I will always call to him whenever I need help.” Be thankful that God pays attention to your prayers and answers them. James 1:17a reminds us, “Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him.” Give thanks to God for all your blessings — family, good health, food, clothes and a place to live. We have many, many things for which we can be thankful. Take time to thank God today!

Yesterday we started talking about giving thanks to God. Our question today is: When should we give thanks to God? The Bible clearly answers that question in Ephesians 5:20. This verse says, “Always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It is easy to think about giving thanks at only one time of the year. But God does not give us His blessings only one day a year. He blesses us every day! Often, though, we fail to give thanks to God. The Bible gives us many examples of when to give thanks. Verse 2 of our Bible Reading tells us we can give thanks in the morning and at night. In John 6:11, we read that Jesus thanked God for food. We can thank God for food every time we eat. In Philippians 4:6, Paul reminds us to give thanks when we pray. I hope that you are thankful and that you will take time today to thank God for His many blessings.

It is very important for us to give thanks to God. Our Bible Reading today is one of the many times in the Bible that we are encouraged to thank God for all He has done for us. When we pray, our prayers should be full of thanks. Then our thanks should lead us to praise God. Verse 34 of our Bible Reading says, “Praise him, heaven and earth! Sea and everything in it, praise him!” I know some Christians who grumble and complain to God. This shows that they are not thankful for what God has done for them. In the Old Testament we read that the Israelites often complained to God. Then God allowed bad things to happen to them. Later, the Israelites realized that they should always give thanks to God. Soon it will be Thanksgiving Day in America. Do you give thanks to God every day? For the next few days we will look at some questions about giving thanks. Begin today to show your thanks to God.

Today’s Bible verse has only five words: “Always be full of joy.” Can we really be filled with joy all the time? Can we really obey this Bible verse? Yes, we can be filled with joy all the time. God promised that anyone who believes in Jesus and obeys Him will be filled with joy. This kind of joy is not a happy giggly feeling. This kind of joy makes you feel content and safe and at peace in your heart. Joy is knowing that no matter what happens, God is in control. Real joy is trusting God to take care of you, no matter what happens. How can we have this joy? Follow and obey God. Serve other people. Worship God. Put other people first. Read and study the Bible. Pray. If you do these things today, you can say with the psalm writer, “Yes, we will be happy because the Lord did a great thing for us” (Psalm 126:3).

When I became a widow, I was confused and lonely. I didn’t know what to do. Many Christians comforted me through this difficult time in my life. These people sat with me, listened to me and sent me words of comfort. Months after my husband died, I learned about people who were still praying for me each day. The prayers of these people gave me strength on difficult days. These people were like Paul and the Christians in Corinth. “We know that you share in our sufferings. So we know that you also share in our comfort” (verse 7b). Through this experience, God taught me that I should comfort other people who are experiencing the death of a loved one. Verse 4 of our Bible Reading talks about God. “He comforts us every time we have trouble so that when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us.” Thank God for the times He has comforted you. Then reach out to a person who needs comfort today.

In our Bible Reading today, Paul gives Timothy some advice. Paul reminds Timothy to stay away from evil and foolish things. Then Paul talks about people who are caught in the devil’s trap. Years ago, trapping animals in America was a big business. People depended upon animal fur to make warm clothing. Trappers knew how to bait a trap and catch the animals they wanted. The devil knows how to tempt us and catch us in his trap. He tried to make Jesus sin, but Jesus remained pure and sinless. We should be like Jesus and say, “No!” to the devil. God’s Word will give us strength to escape the devil’s temptations. Be careful and guard yourself from the traps of the devil. Share God’s Word with others so they can “wake up to see what is happening and free themselves from the devil’s trap” (verse 26b).

Several months ago, a friend asked me to pray for her. She was thinking about changing jobs and wanted God to give her wisdom to make the right decision. This morning my friend called to say she had a new job. She thanked me many times for my prayers. I should have been happy to hear this news, but when I hung up the phone I felt terrible! Why? Because I had failed to pray for her. I remembered to pray for her for a few days. But then I forgot to continue praying for her. In verse 2 of our Bible Reading, Paul says to help “each other with your troubles. When you do this, you are obeying the law of Christ.” I don’t think that Paul was telling us to help each other for a few days and then quit. He was encouraging us to help each other every day. Maybe you have promised to pray for someone and then forgotten about them. Ask God to help you be faithful and continue to pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Today we will learn about a time when God gave Peter the power to do a miracle. In our Bible verses, we learn that Peter and John went to the temple in Jerusalem. There they met a man who had never been able to walk. It was common for people who could not walk to come to the temple to beg for money. This man asked Peter and John for money. In verse 6, Peter said to the man, “I don’t have any silver or gold, but I do have something else I can give you. By the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth — stand up and walk!” When Peter said this, the man’s feet and legs became strong. The man got up and started walking and jumping. He was able to walk immediately! Our verses also tell us that the man praised God. Why? Because he knew that God had healed him. God may not perform a special miracle like this for you today. But He may give you wisdom to make a good decision or help you tell someone about Jesus. When God helps you, be sure to praise and thank Him!

I have a painting called “The Road to Emmaus.” This picture shows two men walking down a road with Jesus. If you look very carefully at the picture, you can see a city off in the distance. This painting is based on our Bible verses for today. In these verses, we learn that the same day Jesus arose from the dead, two of His followers walked from Jerusalem to the town of Emmaus. As they walked, they talked about Jesus’ death. Verses 15-16 tell us, “While they were talking, discussing these things, Jesus himself came near and walked with them. (But the two men were not allowed to recognize Jesus.)” Jesus and the two men walked to Emmaus. Later, when Jesus was eating with them, “the men were allowed to recognize him” (verse 31). The two men were very excited that Jesus had been with them. We cannot walk and talk with Jesus today like these two men, but we can still be excited to read the Bible and learn more about God. Take time to study His Word today!

While Jesus was on earth, He did many miracles. These miracles proved that Jesus was truly God’s Son. Sometimes Jesus healed people or raised them from the dead. Other times, He removed demons from people. In the miracle in today’s Bible Reading, Jesus walked on Lake Galilee. Jesus showed that He can control nature. I live in an area where tornadoes occur during the summertime. No man can control a tornado or direct where it will go. As I write this devotion, many hurricanes are developing in the Caribbean Sea. No human can control these terrible storms. But Jesus has control over everything in nature. Jesus’ followers in the boat were scared when they saw Jesus. They had never seen anyone walk on water! But in verse 20, Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. It’s me.” Then the followers were happy. Jesus can control nature. He can also help us with our problems every day. We don’t need to be afraid when we face problems. Depend on Him today!

Some evenings when I come home from work, I like to take a walk. Often it is hard to find the time to go for a walk. Other times I am so tired that I don’t know if I can go for a walk. Verse 31 of our Bible Reading talks about running and walking. “But those who trust in the Lord will become strong again — like eagles that grow new feathers. They will run and not get weak. They will walk and not get tired.” It would be great to run or walk long distances without becoming tired. But our Bible Reading is not talking about physical weakness or tiredness. It is talking about people who are spiritually weak or tired. If these people will trust God, they can become spiritually strong. They will be able to face the difficulties in life and not become discouraged. All of Isaiah, chapter 40, talks about God’s power, wisdom and greatness. God will use His power, wisdom and greatness to help us every day. All we need to do is trust Him. Maybe you are facing problems today. Depend on God to give you the strength you need.

Our Bible Reading for today is a praise song written by King David. David wrote many psalms about his experiences in life. In verse 4a he said, “Even if I walk through a valley as dark as the grave, I will not be afraid of any danger, because you are with me.” David may have been talking about a time when he actually walked through a dark valley. Or he may have been thinking about times he faced problems. Maybe David remembered how he felt when he killed a lion or faced the giant, Goliath. David knew that he did not need to be afraid. Why? Because he knew that God was with him. Probably you will never need to kill a lion or fight a giant man. But you will face hard times in life like sickness, financial problems, family problems or death. When these happen, you need to depend on God like David did. Are you facing problems today? Ask God to help you as you “walk through a valley as dark as the grave.”

In our Bible Reading today, we learn about Gideon. God chose him to be a leader of the Israelites. But Gideon was not sure that he would be a good leader. He asked the angel of the Lord, “How can I save Israel? My family group is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh, and I am the youngest one in my family” (verse 15b). Gideon even asked God two times to give him proof that He would be with him. Finally, Gideon decided to serve God, and he faithfully led the Israelite army to defeat the Midianites. Gideon is even mentioned in Hebrews, chapter 11, as a man of faith. Sometimes I feel like Gideon. I am quiet and shy. I do not think that God can use me to be His servant. But God can make even the weakest person successful. The Bible tells us about many people who served God even though they thought they were not good enough to be God’s servant. God has used me, and He can use you, too. Submit to Him and become His servant today!

Today many people in America will honor their fathers. My father was a good father. He made sure I had a place to live, food to eat and clothes to wear. But most important, my father gave me his love. My father has died, but I still miss the sound of his voice and how safe I felt in his arms. Our Bible Reading for today was written many years before Jesus was born. Verse 6 talks about Jesus. “God will give us a son...His name will be ‘Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.’” This verse tells me that Jesus is my “Father Who Lives Forever.” My earthly father died, but I am so glad that Jesus is my Father forever. I can talk to Jesus any time, and I can read about Him in the Bible. Jesus loves you and died on the cross to give you salvation and eternal life. Have you accepted Him as your Father Who Lives Forever?