Devotionals from Dad

Jeff Ellis
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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. 12 THG 5

    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

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  2. 28 THG 4

    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 phút

  3. 28 THG 4

    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 phút

  4. 17 THG 4

    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 phút

  5. 11 THG 4

    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 phút

  6. 11 THG 4

    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 phút

  7. 24 THG 3

    Heavenly Reunion

    Love to hear from and know who is listening I have been blessed beyond measure to have had a Christian family. Not only have both my parents placed there faith in God, I had Christian grandparents on both my mother and father's side of the family. Additionally all of my many Aunts and Uncles were Christians that professed faith in God and that lived the Christian lifestyle as well. One of the fondest memories of my childhood was standing in a circle with my cousins, aunts and uncles, my parents and grandparents all of us holding each others hand so tightly that sometimes it was a bit painful and then together reciting the “Lords Prayer” before a meal. On my fathers side of the family I had 24 first cousins and that was before any of us got married. Of those 24 cousins I have 5 that either actively preach the word, serve as a deacon in their church congregation, have been a missionary or serve in some other office of the church. I am sure I have many more cousins that serve in some other function that is more behind the scenes. Many of my family members have passed away and are already walking the golden streets of heaven. Our relationships on earth mean more to us than anything else. I love my dad and mom; I love my brother and sister and their family; I love my wife, my daughters, their husbands, and my grandchildren. These relationships are more valuable to me than any other single thing in this world apart from my relationship with Christ. I never want to lose these bonds of love. It doesn’t matter if I lose everything else on earth, I don’t want to lose those dearest to me. I want to be where they are, and I want them to be where I am and so did Jesus. John 14:3 ESV And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. Many people say that the first thing they want to do when they arrive in heaven is see all their friends and loved ones who have passed on before them. That will indeed be a joy filled moment as we have a heavenly reunion, but will finding our loved ones in heaven be the first thing on our mind when we pass through the pearly gates? Ultimately, it is difficult to say the greatest joy of Heaven will be. In my humble opinion, the greatest joy in heaven will be seeing God face to face and knowing God completely. 1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. In heaven we will experience the perfect, sinless love for God and for one another, entirely free from jealousy, envy, or competition. In heaven we will also have perfected bodies, free of pain and disease. Also our knowledge of God will increase forever, meaning our love and joy in Him will continue to grow, making every moment better than the last. 2 Peter 3:18 ESV But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. All though I am looking forward to my heavenly reunion, I believe the greatest joy of heaven will be, being in the presence of God, the eternal expansion of our knowledge of God, and the ever-increasing love, joy, and delight that we will experience in God and in one another. Heaven is not like the steady, placid state of a mountain lake where barely a ripple disturbs the tranquility of its water. Heaven is more like the surging, swelling waves of the ocean!..... And with that I say Come Lord Jesus Come!!! Support the show

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  8. 17 THG 3

    The Measure of Success

    Love to hear from and know who is listening According to Merriam-Webster dictionary success is defined as getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame. According to a Gallup News poll Americans with a lower household income tend to report a lower rate of success than those with a higher household income. It could be said that money is the root of a majority of the problems in our homes and families. The devil's plan is to keep families in financial bondage. For many people money is a god. Credit is another god that promises us things that God has not necessarily supplied. You may think that money can buy you almost anything. Well besides happiness there is one that money can't buy you and that is poverty you need credit cards to attain that. 1 Timothy 6: 5-10 ESV and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. The corporate minds of marketing have done a master full job of using advertising to create in us needs and desires, so that we will go out and buy things. Most Americans want something new, bigger, better and more shiny. The Apple company is so successful at doing this that many people think that having the newest I-Phone is a necessity, somehow the company has convinced many people that a new I-Phone is a need, that you have worked hard and that you deserve this new electronic device when in reality it is only a want. First Timothy 6 verse 8 tells us that we really only have 2 needs, food and clothes. If you are depending upon worldly possessions for your contentment and happiness you will never find any peace. Ecclesiastes 5:10 ESV He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. Imagine this, you have been ship wrecked in the middle of the ocean and your on a raft surrounded by sea water. You have ran out of drinking water, yet your surrounded by water. So you think that maybe just a little drink of saltwater would be better than no water at all, but if you drink saltwater it just makes you thirstier. That is the way money and material possessions are, it is like trying to satisfy your thirst with salt water. To many people try to measure their success by the number things they own or by the size of their bank account. I am sure you have heard this saying before, “He who dies with the most toys wins!” Sooner or later we are all going to die and they are gonna have your funeral. If Jesus doesn't return first, we are all going to die! Now imagine your funeral. Here you lie in your casket. Everybody is lined up and coming by to have a final look at you. What do you want the people  at your funeral to say about you? Do you want them to say, “Well he really did spend long hours at work, he really was a good business manager, he really knew how to invest his money.” Is that what you want people to say about you? What do you want your children, your grand children your wife or husband to say about you. What are you leaving behind in the hearts and lives of your children and grandchildren. Job 1:21 ESV And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed Support the show

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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.

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  • Nhà sáng tạo
    Jeff Ellis
  • Năm hoạt động
    2021 - 2026
  • Tập
    294
  • Xếp hạng
    Sạch
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    © 2026 Devotionals from Dad
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    Devotionals from Dad