Devotionals from Dad

Jeff Ellis
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

I am a simple man that wants to be able to share short 5 to 6 minute Christian devotions based upon my own personal life experiences. The devotionals have been created for my children and grandchildren, however I am hopeful that many others will find them inspirational.

  1. 4d ago

    The Plans of Men

    Love to hear from and know who is listening I am a type A personality. I love to make plans of all I am going to accomplish for the day. Every week almost without exception, I write a todo list for the weekend. My inner control freak gets a bit of a sense of accomplishment, when everything on my todo list completed. On the other hand it gives me a great deal of anxiety when my list doesn't get completed. When this happens I start a new list for the next week and move that item to the top of my list. What does the bible have to say about making plans for the future? James 4: 13-16 ESV Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. My difficult question to you is this, do I make plans for my days or is my highly structured possibly, OCD todo list a sin? After all, according to God's word I do not know what tomorrow will bring for me. If you think about it, God is a planner. In Genesis 1:26, we hear the Trinity say, let us make man in our image, in our likeness. That sounds to me like the God head is making plans for the future. But God doesn’t just make plans for himself, like I do. He laid out his plans to both Moses and Joshua Exodus 3 and Joshua 6. He had detailed instructions for how the nation of Israel was to worship Him Leviticus. He has written out every day of our lives as well. Psalm 139:16 HCSB Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began. God is the one who is in control and in charge. He has determined the beginning and the ending. He has placed us in our various roles in His Story. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t plan. Even though God has already determined our future, it doesn’t mean that He will give us all the details. You must daily pray and spend time in God's word and He will reveal to you His plans, but He doesn't hand us all the details. He assumes we will plan too, counting the cost, and affirms the wisdom of His plans. It is an awareness that even if I am not the one in charge, I am still responsible! I am not in charge of my own destiny, but I will need to answer to God on how I have managed what He has given me. When we take the time to plan, we are living proactively. However, we need to remember that when we make plans, there are some guidelines we should follow when making those plans. First, our plans need to reflect God's purposes. Secondly, our plans need to bring glory to God. And lastly, we need to commit our plans to God so that he may establish them. Proverbs 19:21 ESV Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. We are saved be the grace of God to do His good will. Doing good works instead of flying by the seat of our pants, hoping that we’ll get to it sometime. I say to things to myself as much as I am to those who may hear me. Make sure that your plans include God and bring glory to God and don't forget to take advantage of the opportunities at hand when they arise, even if they don't happen to be on your todo list or according to your plans for the day. Remember God is in control even when it feels like life is out of control! Support the show

    6 min

  2. May 24

    My Beautiful Bride

    Love to hear from and know who is listening Many of us have pet names for our spouse. Common pet names include: babe or baby, hun, sweetheart or sweetie, cutie pie, pookie and honey bun. For years I have called my wife, my beautiful bride or my queen and I am her humble servant. All joking aside I consider myself a blessed man to have a devoted, loving and Godly wife. What exactly does it mean to have Godly wife? To define a godly wife, we must first consider what the word godly means. In 1st Timothy 2:2, Paul uses the word in conjunction with being, peaceful, quiet, and dignified. 1 Timothy 2:2 ESV for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.  The Bible says the Holy Spirit, who is in every believer, both men and women, produces visible and invisible acts of godliness: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. However there is a strength of character that is found more frequently in a godly wife, that is not commonly found in men. A godly wife, whose life is rooted in faith, exhibits grace and forgiveness, unwavering trust, quiet dignity, and compassionate leadership. Fortunately, the Bible gives more specific qualifications as to what a godly woman, particularly a godly wife, looks like. Proverbs 31 says An excellent wife is far more precious than jewels.  Proverbs 31: 10 ESV An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.   A godly wife has the heart and trust of her husband. She does him good, and not harm She works with willing hands. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household. She dresses herself with strength and dignity. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She opens her mouth with wisdom. Her children rise up and call her blessed; and her husband praises her. The world defines a trophy wife as a beauty queen, but the bible says beauty is vain. Proverbs 31: 30 ESV Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.  Finally, a godly wife should be submissive to her husband. Ephesians 5:22 ESV Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.  What does a submissive wife look like? Not what you might think. The Bible teaches that Jesus submits to His Father. Yet Jesus is equal to the Father. Therefore, a submissive wife is not less valuable as a human being; her role is not less important, but it is different. Christians know that Christ is every bit as divine as the Father and the Holy Spirit, but each plays a different role. In the same way, men and women each play a different part in marriage. So, for a wife to be submissive to her husband as Christ is submissive to the Father means she willingly allows her husband to lead. Jesus went willingly to the cross, although not without distress. He knew the Father’s way was best. A godly wife may find the path of submissiveness painful at times, but following God will always result in spiritual rewards that last for all eternity. Submission does not imply weakness; a submissive wife is not “unintelligent” or “unimportant.” Submission requires strength, dignity, and devotion. A woman can be a godly wife without being perfect, we know there is no such thing as human perfection. But my beautiful bride is as close to perfection as they come. I thank God daily for my wife.... My wife, my beautiful bride, makes me a better man! Support the show

    6 min

  3. May 12

    Living a Duct Tape Life!

    Love to hear from and know who is listening My younger listeners you won't remember the TV show Hee-Haw. It aired from 1969 to 1993. Gloom, despair and agony on me was a reoccurring skit on the show. Four moonshiners, typically Grandpa Jones, Gordie Tapp, Roy Clark, and Archie Campbell, would sing about their troubles with women, and the song went like this: Gloom, despair, and agony on me. Deep, dark depression, excessive misery. If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. Gloom, despair, and agony on me! I feel confident that many of us have gone through seasons in our life when it felt like your misfortune would have no end. Jesus told the disciples to “be of good cheer” just as they were about to face the darkest, most troubling time of their lives. He would soon be leaving them and He knew that severe persecution, suffering, and the possibility of death awaited each of them.  John 16:33 ESV I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. I once heard it said that if your bible is tattered and held together by duct tape then your life is likely in pretty good shape. Don't take this wrong I am not trying to brag, but my bible was given to me by my mother more than 30 years ago. It is a study bible, in the Living Bible translation. I have a nice leather cover over on it, but if you remove the cover you will see that the binding is being held together by duct tape. The inside cover has five questions written in it that you should ask a someone you are trying to witness to and underneath that are the verses to the Romans Road complete with the page numbers. Although the pages of my bible are torn and tattered I wouldn't trade it for a million dollars. Look at you bible. Is it covered with duct tape or has it sat in the same place on a book shelf for so long that if you moved it you would see the dust imprint from where it was. All that being said Jesus told us that there would be times of tribulation in our lives. In the letter to the Hebrews, the author writes to a group of believers who were weary and worn from suffering. They were experiencing persecution for their faith. Hebrews 12: 3-4 ESV Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Though we don’t often face the same levels of suffering that the early church faced, we do find ourselves worn by life in a fallen world. We find ourselves battling the same temptations and sins, wondering if we’ll ever conquer them. We experience rejection from family, friends, and co-workers for our faith. We grow weary from standing for truth in an increasingly post-truth world. We are worn from illnesses, caring for loved ones, watching a loved one lose the battle with cancer or any number of other issues. So if your life seems to be in shambles take out your bible and dig into God's word. Spend so much time in your bible that you begin to wear it out, even if that means holding it together with duct tape.  John 15: 10-11 ESV If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.  To grasp the significance of John 15:10 and 11, we must set our eyes on Jesus, who is the embodiment of joyful, loving obedience. In the face of fierce opposition, Jesus found joy in fulfilling the will of His Father. Obedience stems from love and is the one and only source of true joy. Support the show

    6 min

  4. Apr 28

    Creditability

    Love to hear from and know who is listening Every month my credit card company send me a statement that shows what I have purchased and what I owe. With this statement comes a report of my credibility and my credit score. My credit score is calculated by and includes all the actions and details of the things I did financially during that past 30 days. My financial choices may have either had a positive or a negative impact on my credit score. My credit score is a measure of how much I can be trusted, believed in, and deemed reliable, financially speaking. It is a worthiness of trust and belief. If there was such a thing as a “Christian Credit Score” would you have positive or negative score? As Christians, life choices act as a witness, either drawing others to Christ or creating barriers to the gospel. John 13:34-35 ESV A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. When we choose to give our lives completely to the Lord and invite His Holy Spirit to fill our hearts, we become one with Christ. He gives us a little bit of heaven down here. The way we live will affect those around us. Our desire should be to live so that others will desire to know the Lord as well. We may have made some wrong choices in the past, and today are living with the consequences of those choices. But we serve a God of second chances. As we confess our failures, the Lord forgives and restores our relationship with Him. He can take the broken pieces of our lives and put them back together again, producing something beautiful. It is never too late to make a new choice. If you find yourself on the wrong road because of choices you have made in the past, stop, turn around, find the right direction in the Word of God, and walk in the way that the Lord leads. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. My difficult question to you is this, How do you improve your “Christian Credit Score?” Small, consistent daily decisions, like kindness, patience in traffic, or integrity in business, create a positive ripple effect, often motivating others to re-evaluate their own actions and faith. By choosing to act with love, forgiveness, and generosity, we become the more like Christ.  But what does this look like  what are some ways I can love, forgive and be generous? Well you can start by attentively listening to those around you. Rather than planning your response, just stop and listen with your heart and your ears. Another action you can take is to stop your so called busy day and give to the person standing on the street, holding the cardboard sign, without judging them. Choices in relationships and daily life provide a visible example for others, often leading them to seek a similar foundation of faith. Matthew 5:16 ESV In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Now more than ever, others need to see Jesus in us. Not the Jesus the media portrays. Not the Jesus that others have created in their minds. But the Jesus of the Bible. The Jesus of the cross. The Jesus who lives in our hearts and loves without reason! Support the show

    6 min

  5. Apr 28

    Well Worn

    Love to hear from and know who is listening I have blue jeans that I wear that I have owned for many years. They are the most comfortable clothing I have, but they no longer resemble what they did they day I bought them. The knees are worn through. They have been patched, where I have snagged them. They are no longer the bright blue they were when I bought them. Over the years they have been transformed by daily life and use,.. oh but they  are so comfortable! I could replace them with a new pair a jeans but then I would have to start the process all over, transforming them into the comfortable jeans I love and by the time that process is complete they are nearly ready to be replaced again. Time transforms everything. My body is not the same as it was when I was younger. I have grown gray hair. I have lost hair. My skin has become wrinkled. I have aches and pains that I never could have imagined I would ever have, when I was a young man. Time transforms everything. When I am planting my garden in the spring. I open a packet of seeds. The seeds inside of the packet look nothing like the plant they will become. They must be put into the soil and die before they can become useful to me. John 12:24 ESV Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Being a tent maker by trade, Paul considered the tent a fitting analogy for the temporary nature of our current earthly, mortal bodies. The human body is temporal, weak, and prone to decay, much like the simple, temporary structures Paul made with his hands. Tents serve a purpose, but they are not meant to be permanent dwelling places. By contrast, our future heavenly bodies will be permanent, beautiful, and glorious. They are our “forever home” that will never show signs of weakness or decay. They will be made for us by God himself, not by human hands. 2 Corinthians 5:1 ESV For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. As we age, our bodies and our minds change. Just like my favorite pair of jeans that I have grown to love, they wear out. Our bodies and those of our loved ones get weak and our minds grow forgetful and eventually they are completely worn out. Just like my garden seeds, our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 1 Corinthians 15: 40-44 ESV There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. As Christians, we need not fear death or the destruction of our bodies. No matter what happens to these mortal tents we live in now, we will inherit imperishable, glorified bodies. The house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Support the show

    6 min

  6. Apr 17

    How to Pray

    Love to hear from and know who is listening I have grown up in church and I have heard many people pray, in many different ways. I can tell you that I pray differently when I am asked to do so in a public setting, than I do in private. When I am in a public with my co-workers some of which I know have faith in God and some I am pretty confident don't, and I am asked to bless a meal, I pray differently than I do when I am asked to pray in church with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Finally, when I am in the privacy of my home I pray much differently. I would even say that depending upon my state of mind, if I am struggling emotionally with the trials and tribulations of life and my heart is in distress, then my prayers are totally different than they are when God is blessing me and everything in life is well. So my difficult question to you today is this, is there a correct way to pray? Is there a wrong way to pray? Matthew 26: 36-39 ESV Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” and taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Praying correctly means engaging in honest, heart-felt conversation with God rather than using perfect words. When Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane he fell on his face and poured our his heart. Prayer does not require special formal language or a specific posture; you can pray silently, aloud, sitting, or kneeling. The goal is to build a relationship with God. I have known people that when they have been asked to pray in church, they suddenly begin speaking in the King James dialect. This has always left me wondering, why their prayer suddenly sounded more like a sermon from an 70's Evangelist then the person I know. The prayer of the Pharisee, found in Luke chapter 18 verses11 and 12, is a self centered monologue rather than a humble petition to God. Standing in the temple, he boasts of his moral superiority saying I am not like other people and points out his religious achievements of fasting twice weekly and tithing. But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, he beat his breast and said, God, have mercy on me, a sinner! So what is the proper way to pray? There is an acrostic formed from the word pray that will help you remember how to pray. P is for Praise. Start by praising God for who He is and thanking Him for what He has done. R is for Repent. Honestly share where you have fallen short and ask for forgiveness. A is for Ask. Express your needs, concerns, and desires for yourself and others. Y is for Yield. Align your will with God, trusting His wisdom and timing. 1 John 5: 14-15 ESV And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. Far too often, prayer is viewed as a magic formula. Some believe that if we do not say exactly the right things, or pray in the right position, God will not hear and answer our prayer. This is completely un-biblical. God does not answer our prayers based on when we pray, where we are, what position our body is in, or in what we words we use. The proper way to pray is to pour out our hearts to God, being honest and open with God. He already knows us better than we know ourselves. God is more interested in the content of our hearts t Support the show

    7 min

  7. Apr 11

    Real Hope

    Love to hear from and know who is listening As winter comes to an end and spring begins I find myself looking forward to planting my garden. I will watch the forecast and think I sure hope we have past the last frost of the year. Once the garden is growing and the spring showers and storms begin I watch the weather and say I sure hope that there isn't any hail in that thunderstorm forecast for this afternoon. On those days when I have to take my wife to her doctor in the city I will say to her, I sure hope there isn't very much traffic on our way to the doctors office. Each one of these are hopes that are based upon my own personal preferences, on my own personal desires. As a faithful Christian our hope is different from that of the world.  1 Peter 1:3 CSB Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We often use the word hope as wishful thinking. If you have ever had a loved one that is suffering with cancer you may have said, I sure hope the doctor's treatment is successful and that they can be cancer free. We have a desire for something to go a certain way with no real guarantee that it will. But the hope that Scripture offers is something far greater. As believers, our hope is alive. It’s grounded in the unshakable reality of Jesus Christ, who defeated death and rose from the grave. Hope in Jesus Christ is not a mere wish for a better tomorrow; it is a "living hope" anchored in the resurrection. Unlike worldly optimism, which depends on changing circumstances, biblical hope is a firm assurance based on God’s unchanging character.  Romans 15:13 CSB Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. When life feels overwhelming and darkness seems to linger, as faithful Christians our hope acts as an anchor for the soul. We can navigate difficult times by shifting our perspective from temporary circumstances to eternal promises. A Christian’s hope isn’t dependent on what might happen in the future. It’s a steady anchor in what’s already been done. Peter reminds us that our hope isn’t based on changing circumstances but on a past, unchanging truth: Jesus is risen. And the same God who raised Him from the dead is at work in our lives. Because of God’s great mercy, we are born again into this living hope. Philippians 3:10 ESV That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. If we look at life only through our current circumstances, we’ll find ourselves constantly chasing temporary hopes - hoping things will improve, hoping this season will pass, hoping our situation will change. But that kind of hope drains us, leaving us on a roller-coaster of emotions. A Christian’s hope isn’t dependent on what might happen in the future. It’s a steady anchor in what’s already been done. Jesus didn’t just die for our sins; He conquered death, rising in victory. And with His resurrected life, He offers us the same hope, the same assurance of life beyond death. We too are only passing through this world. Our present struggles, trials, and even victories aren’t our final destination. Biblical hope, however, lifts our eyes to the eternal, to the certainty that Christ holds all things in His hands.  Support the show

    6 min

  8. Apr 11

    The Now Generation

    Love to hear from and know who is listening I frequently say that we live in a microwave society. We all want our wishes and desires to be answered just like we warm up the left overs in the microwave, 30 seconds and ding, our desires are answered. I suppose we could also call today the now generation. When pain comes we want relief now! When wrong occurs we want justice now! When disease and sickness comes we want complete healing now! From fast food, to fast relief, we seek drive through window solutions to the wide range of painful experiences in our lives. Society today has been raised on 30 second commercials and 30 minutes sitcoms. We want our lives problems to be packaged in small neatly wrapped boxes. Often we as believers in Jesus Christ we find ourselves like Jacob in Genesis wrestling in the dark with and overpowering source.   Genesis 32: 24-26 ESV And Jacob was left alone. And man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”  So often in this now generation we misinterpret God’s patience as His absence. We want God to act on our timeline and according to our ways. I know it is hard to imagine, but maybe, just maybe our perspective is out of alignment. We read into God's postponement of judgment, a cancellation of judgment. When God doesn't heal our loved ones in a week or two or even a month or two, then God must be out of touch, He is just simply absent! When I say these things I must admit that I am really preaching to myself. Often my prayer to God is “Grant me patients God and give it to me now!” Unfortunately, God does not set his time by my clock. God does not take his cues from my requests. Oh, how I wish God would align his clock with mine, well at least most of the time anyways. Sometimes later on I say, Oh Praise God, you gave me a no answer 3 months ago, I wanted you to act so swiftly, but now I see that your no answers was really in my best interest. It is in those moments when I thank God that he didn't listen to my fervent prayers and hopes for things to work out the way I wanted them to.  Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  Sometimes life seems overwhelming. We want our difficulties cured right now. We want answers now! We want healing now! Just as grapes must be pressed to create wine, or olives crushed for oil, intense pressure is God's method for bringing out the best in you. When the weight feels unfair and you are being squeezed from every side, you are in a season of transformation rather than destruction. When life feels overwhelming, remember that, like grapes, you are not being crushed to be destroyed, but to release the sweetness within. Pressure is not punishment; it is preparation. Your trial is transforming you into something useful and beautiful that couldn't emerge without the pressure. James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  Fix your eyes on the moment you will see Jesus face-to-face. Endure persecution and affliction with courage.  Support the show

    6 min
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About

I am a simple man that wants to be able to share short 5 to 6 minute Christian devotions based upon my own personal life experiences. The devotionals have been created for my children and grandchildren, however I am hopeful that many others will find them inspirational.

Information

  • Creator
    Jeff Ellis
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    296
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Devotionals from Dad
  • Show Website
    Devotionals from Dad