enLIVEn Devotionals

Abiding in Jesus - Overflowing His Spirit

Essence of Family

My family and I went water tubing with my brother’s family. My six year old son rode on the jet ski with my brother as he pulled me on the tube. I told him that he would never knock me off the tube, which—come to find out—was the worst thing I could say. My brother’s sole ambition became to throw me off the tube. I smiled every time I came to the surface after being slung into the water because I couldn’t help but enjoy the thrill. I guess I must have smiled a lot because my son said he wanted to ride on the tube with me. I gave my brother The Look, which said, “You better not knock off ... Read the Post

Everything Matters to Him!

“Mummy, all my socks have holes in them,” commented our older daughter. “Mine, too,” her younger sister chimed in. I felt sad for our girls. We were preparing for mission work in Brazil, and there just wasn’t money in the budget for new socks. We had asked God to supply funds for our support and air fare, and He had graciously provided. But socks? Could I trust Him to meet that need for our family? As I thought about it, I decided to pray about the situation. “Lord, we have asked You for big things, and now I ask You to supply some socks for our girls.” No sooner had I finished ... Read the Post

Rebuke Me

I was talking to my twin sister about a concern I had with a particular topic. She wisely told me that my opinion might be judgmental and that I should probably keep it to myself. I was upset at first because I thought, Surely, my opinion is godly and right. However, her loving rebuke stayed in my mind; and throughout the next several days, I came into contact with three different friends on separate occasions. This particular topic that my sister advised me on came up. Though my opinion popped into my head – and I still as of yet didn’t see a problem with it – I kept it to ... Read the Post

His Delight

Hunched over a plastic bowl, she carefully eyes mini chocolate chips as she eats. Finally, she has it all to herself; big brother has finished his portion. He soon joins her at the coffee table to read a story, possibly to her. He tweets and twitters, unaware of sister’s rising suspicion. She presses her soft arms against the little orange bowl, inching her face ever closer to precious chocolate bits. She watches him from the corner of her eye. Suddenly, she collects a fist full of chocolate chips, jams them in her mouth, then grabs the bowl and runs across the room. The bowl firmly ... Read the Post

Free Indeed

While sitting at an Independence Day celebration awaiting the evening fireworks display, a friend remarked, “I wonder how many of the hundreds of people here stop to think about the true reason we celebrate tonight. It is not about the fireworks or the cookouts. It is because a group of men drafted and signed a document that would ultimately lead to our nation’s freedom. Countless others believed in fighting for that independence—even though it cost many of them their lives.” I thought about his comments on the way home that night. I said a prayer of thanksgiving for our founding fathers, ... Read the Post