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. 1d ago

    Beleive or Behave

    Love to hear from and know who is listening I know this may be hard for you to believe but when I was a teen boy I wasn't the best behaved child... I know that is surprising isn't it! Many of us, as we were growing into young adults, had to learn the hard way. Poor choices and poor behavior for teens and college age kids is pretty common. Since the very beginning of time the human race has had difficulty following the rules. Adam and Eve were in the midst of God's perfect creation. God was present with them and walked in the garden with them. Sin had not yet corrupted creation. They were only given 1 rule to follow. God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden and they still misbehaved. Genesis 2: 16-17 ESV And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” God’s moral law requires complete, flawless adherence. Because of the broken human condition, no one can keep the law perfectly. The apostle Paul describes his agony of being torn emotionally between wanting to do good, yet finding the power of sin at work within him that makes him do the exact thing he hates. He cries out in Romans "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Romans 7:15-19 ESV For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. So since the beginning of time no one has be able to perfectly keep God's law. Just over 3,000 years ago God wrote out 10 simple commandments on 2 stone tablets for Moses to deliver to the Isrealites. According to the Book of Exodus, the Israelites broke the Ten Commandments while Moses was still on Mount Sinai receiving them, which was 40 days and 40 nights. If you do a quick Google search on how many laws there are in the United States today you will find that over 30,000 federal statutes have been enacted since 1789. Furthermore, each of the 50 states has its own constitution, state legislature, and massive body of state statutes and administrative codes. And finally, counties, cities, towns, and local municipalities add tens of thousands of local ordinances and codes. And the bible tells us that in addition to God's law we are to follow man's laws. Romans 13: 1-3 ESV Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities, resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval. Still think you can behave well enough to be completely flawless? Because humans cannot bridge the gap through rule-keeping, righteousness is credited to us through faith in Christ, who bore the penalty for for our sins, our bad behavior. So it comes down to this, If you want to spend eternity in Heaven you must believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and arose 3 days later to pay your penalty for your sins. So the choice is yours, “Believe or Behave!” Support the show

  2. 2d ago

    Immediately

    Love to hear from and know who is listening When I was younger my father would give me a chore to do, like clean your room or go pick up your toys. Sometimes when the chore was something that I really didn't like I would tend to procrastinate. On those occasions my father would tell me a second time, I want you to go pick up your toys, “immediately if not sooner!” Many years have passed since my childhood. I am now 60 years old and my father is 80. However, I know that when my father calls and says, “Jeff, when you have time can you come help me work on my lawn mower,” that is not really what he means. I know what my father really wants is for me to drop everything I am doing and come help him work on his lawn mower “immediately if not sooner!” I love my father and he extended a lot of grace to me during my younger years. That grace was also extended to me many times when I was a young parent and I didn't make the best decisions. The bottom line is I know my father would do anything, within his ability, to make my life easier. So when my assistance is needed I respond, “Immediately if not sooner!” The word “immediately” appears about 59 to 87 times, across 7 different books in the bible depending upon the translation your using. The, “immediately” jumps off the pages in the Gospel of Mark. It is used at least 35 times, close to half the occurrences of the word in the entire New Testament. With so many events happening “immediately” in Mark, the Gospel takes on an urgent tone. In the book of Mark the first use of the word immediately appears in the very first chapter.  Mark 1:16-18 ESV Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. Mark wastes no time with lengthy introductions. The very first verse of the book of Mark says: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” He jumps right in, telling his primarily Roman or Gentile audience that he has life-changing, world-altering, news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I can identify with Mark. I have a tendency to jump head first into whatever I am doing. Sometimes things work out for me and sometimes I am like a bull in a china cabinet. I have a high level of energy, but not a lot of focus. I need people like my wife who is a bit more deliberate and focused to rein me in and slow me down before I do more damage than good! Mark’s repeated use of the word “immediately” serves to heighten the urgency of his message. With each repetition of the word, the critical nature of Christ’s mission is reinforced. The message of Mark’s Gospel is presented more through Christ’s actions than His words, taking readers “immediately” from one event to the next.  Mark 1:23-24 ESV And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” Jesus Christ mission, “the spreading of the gospel” demands that believers take “immediate” action! True discipleship does not make excuses or wait for a better more convenient time. For those who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior obedience cannot be postponed! 2 Peter 3:9-10 ESV The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.  Support the show

  3. Oct 6

    Fair Trade

    Love to hear from and know who is listening A few years ago I had a passion for drag racing, some might even have accused me of having an addiction to drag racing. My first race car I spent a lot of time making it look good. It had a beautiful blue paint job, but it was an all steel car and it didn't take me long to figure out the cheapest way to go fast was to get lighter. I found on the internet a car that had a light weight aftermarket frame, most of the steel had been replaced with fiberglass. It was much lighter, but it was a basket case. I contacted the owner and worked out a deal that we considered a “Fair Trade.” I had to delivery my car to him and we traded even up. The car was a project for sure! More pieces of the car came back in the bed of my pickup than did on my car trailer. I left home with a car that looked like it could have been in a car show and came home with a basket case. When I asked my wife to steer the car while I pushed it into the garage she looked at me and said, “you mean it doesn't run?” I said no, but it is going to run soon and it is going to be fast. I don't think My wife thought I made a very “Fair Trade.” So many people today go to church, they sing songs, they hear sermons, they attend a bible study, they take a class, they are a church member, they have been baptized, check, check, and check! And yet, they are not going to heaven.  Matthew 7:21-23 ESV “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Many people are so wrapped up in religious activities they become like the pharisees of Jesus day. They get focused on all the good things that they do and they never really deal with the sins in their life. Whenever they see something wrong in their life instead or really examining it, instead of really repenting and dealing with it they find something right in their life and they make a “Fair Trade.” You think to yourself, my sins can't be that bad. I know that sometimes I lust, sometimes I am jealous, sometimes I hold a grudge against my brother but, I go to Sunday School and Church, I even serve as a teacher. At least I am not like my neighbor Joe, who gets drunk every night, or like that guy down the street that won't even darken the doors of the church. Instead of really evaluating your life with real integrity you are always trying to trade your good deeds in place of your bad deeds. You believe your good works outweighs your bad works. Your like the fool who built his house on the sand.  Matthew 7: 24-27 ESV “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” There are many people that are fixated on religious activities. They are active members of a church. They even support the church financially. The bottom line is this. All your religious activity. All your good deeds will not make you righteous enough to enter the kingdom of heaven. You must place confess your sins and place your faith in Jesus Christ! Repent don't trade!  Matthew 7: 13-14 ESV Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.  Support the show

  4. Oct 1

    The Candy Dish

    Love to hear from and know who is listening At my church, just outside the sanctuary is everyone's favorite stopping place, the candy dish! It is nearly always filled with a soft peppermint candy. If you have attended my church any time at all you know exactly what I am talking about. The candy dish is visited by all ages, young and old. Every now and then the candy dish does not get refilled. You can always see the disappointment on the faces of those seeking to satisfy their desire for something sweet when they open the dish and it is empty! So my difficult question to you today is, “why do you attend church?” Do you attend because you want to become closer to God? Maybe you attend because your trying to give your children a morel foundation? Are you attending because you want to become a better person? Are you attending because you are looking for comfort during a time of trouble or sorrow? Do you attend because your enjoy the fellowship and friendships you have developed with other members? Simply put, the Bible tells us we need to attend church so we can worship God with other believers and be taught His Word for our spiritual growth. Acts 2:42 ESV And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  The early church had no dedicated church building with a candy dish filled with sweet treats. Acts 2:46 tells us that the early believers meet together every day in the temple courts. They broke bread in each others homes. They ate together with glad and sincere hearts. Church attendance is not just a “good suggestion”; it is God’s will for believers! Hebrews 10:25 ESV not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.  Do a quick search on Google for “the reasons why people do not go to church” and you will find this list of excuses; they prefer to practice their faith independently, they feel judged by members, or they find that the services do not fit their busy routines. Ask any minister and I think you will find, the trend is almost universal. Ever since Covid, fewer people are attending church every year. When a person trusts Jesus Christ for salvation, he or she is made a member of the body of Christ. For a church body to function properly, all of its “body parts” need to be present and working!  1 Corinthians 12: 14-20 ESV For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. We are not to attend church as if we are mere spectators. We are actually part of our church. Not only does our church help equip us for ministry, it is a place where we serve, using the spiritual gifts God has given us. A believer will never reach full spiritual maturity without having that outlet for his gifts, and we all need the assistance and encouragement of other believers. As we serve, worship, and live in community together, the body of Christ reflects who God is. Together, we are the light of the world! Matthew 5:14 ESV You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Support the show

  5. Sep 17

    Just Do It

    Love to hear from and know who is listening In 1988 Nike launched, “Just Do It” a marketing campaign that became more than just a slogan; it was a motivational message that inspired people to overcome their limitations. The very first commercial featured 80-year-old runner Walt Stack jogging across the Golden Gate Bridge while talking about running 17 miles every morning. Instead of focusing strictly on technical product specs, the campaign focused on raw human emotion and determination. My difficult question for you is this, has the church became a destination rather than a staging ground. Weekly, millions of Christians gather inside beautiful buildings, sit in comfortable pews or chairs, listen to excellent music, and absorb a message and we call this "going to church." But the New Testament never views the Church as a place you go to. It views the Church as a body of people sent out.  Matthew 28: 19-20 ESV Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. The comfort of the pew can easily become a spiritual narcotic. We can begin to substitute attendance for obedience. We sit, we consume, and we leave feeling fulfilled, yet the neighborhood surrounding our building remains entirely unchanged by our presence. Jesus did not say, Invite the world to sit in your pews. He said, Go into all the world. Getting out of the pew requires a shift in how we view our everyday lives. Your community, your workplace, your gym, the local grocery store, and your neighborhood is your mission field. Being a missionary doesn't require you to leave your local community and travel to some third world country, it can begin right in your own back yard, your local coffee shop or the grocery store. Sharing the gospel doesn’t always require a microphone or a stage; it requires a willing heart, an open mouth, and a life that reflects the love of Christ. Romans 10:14 NLT But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? When we get off the padded seats and step into our communities, we transition from being consumers of the faith, to partners in the Gospel. People out there are hurting, broken, and searching for hope. They won't always walk through the doors of a church building, so the Church must walk out to them. Mark 16:15 ESV And he said to them, Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. So here is my challenge to you. This week, intentionally "break the huddle." Get out of your favorite pew where you feel comfortable and choose one specific location in your community, a local coffee shop, a park, or even your front yard and pray for the people there. Look for one practical opportunity to serve someone or initiate a spiritual conversation. Commit to being the hands and feet of Jesus where you live. It's not enough to know God's word in your own heart you must share it with those around you. You must apply it in your daily life! Is your relationship with church more about what you consume on Sunday or what you give during the week? What fears or hesitations are currently keeping you attached to the safety of the pew? What will it take to get you motivated enough to share the gospel? What will it take to get you to “Just Do It?” Support the show

  6. Sep 16

    Some Day

    Love to hear from and know who is listening I think all of humanity, even those of us who are devoted Christians, have at one point in our lives faced a difficult trial and struggled with why is this happening to me or even why is this happening to my loved one? My wife is currently in one of those moments in her life and the most difficult part of the trial is the fact that there doesn't seem to be an end or a solution anytime in the near future. Her father passed away 5 years ago from pancreatic cancer. He only lived a few months from the time of his formal diagnosis until the day of his death. Near the end he was placed on hospice and he did suffer a bit but in the big scheme of things it did not last long. Just before he passed he told Joyce and her sister your going to have to care for your mother, she has dementia. Her mother lived on her own for a little more than one year before she moved in with us. While she was living with us we made sure she took her medicines, got to her doctors appointments and had good meals and company. Recently the amount of care and time that her mother needed began to take a toll on our relationship and her mothers personality began to change. We made the difficult decision to place her in a nursing home. I can say without a doubt, the day of her admission was the most difficult day my wife and her sister have ever faced in their lives. Her mother simply does not understand why she can't just go home. Doctors have told us that her mother has angry dementia with major depression, but physically she is pretty good health and she could live this way for many years. 1 Peter 1: 6-7 ESV In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Peter tells us sorrow is very real. However, the anticipation of eternal joy, does not negate the hardships this life, but it does make them bearable. We misunderstand God's word, if we believe the Bible is telling us to ignore pain or pretend that it is less agonizing than it is! God can reach down into what otherwise would seem like a terrible situation and wrench out of it good for us and glory for Himself. That being said, there is no inherent goodness in disability, disease, or deformity, but we are promised, in Romans 8:28 that all things, work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. What is the good that comes from watching someone you love suffer! Honestly, I wish I had a good answer to that question but I don't. But “Some Day I will know!” 1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV For 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. We may never know this side of heaven why we must face difficult trials or how God can be honored and glorified in the midst of the suffering! There is one thing that I do know without a doubt! For those of us who have placed out faith in Jesus Christ, no matter how difficult the trial we may face may be, this is as bad as it will ever get and one day we will be made whole, live in a heavenly mansion and walk the streets of gold with our heavenly father. No matter how painful, broken, or difficult life on Earth can get, a believer's future is anchored in an eternity free of sorrow, pain, and death. For those who reject God, this life is the closest they will ever come to heaven, enjoying the good gifts of God's creation now, and then facing eternal separation from God in Hell, where the soul is completely cut off from God's divine love, goodness, and light. Where there will be ending torment in fire, total darkness, weeping and nashing of teeth and the unending pain of regret. Their souls will remember their past choices and realize they brought this fate upon themselves. Support the show

  7. Sep 9

    Distracted Driving

    Love to hear from and know who is listening Modern cars today are filled with devices that can cause distracted driving. Built-in touchscreens, digital dashboard displays, and GPS navigation systems are the primary devices that can cause dangerous driver distraction. Infotainment touchscreens are like small computers that light up the dashboard. The large center screens control the radio, climate, and vehicle settings, just to name a few things. Drivers take their eyes off the road to hunt through digital menus instead of feeling physical buttons. Research shows that using a touchscreen causes drivers to drift from their lane 42% of the time. Programming a destination into an onboard navigation screen takes about 40 seconds on average. At 25 miles per hour, this visual and manual distraction covers a distance longer than four football fields and that is at 25 miles per hour, we all know we are going much faster than that while driving down the road. Many drivers assume built-in voice commands are entirely safe. However, cognitive distraction remains high. Drivers can experience "inattention blindness," missing up to 50 percent of visual cues like pedestrians and stop signs while talking. I tell you all this information just to make a point. Distraction is Satan's greatest tool to get believers to not do what they should be doing! Luke 8:14 ESV And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. The thorns, represent everyday preoccupations, anxieties, and material desires rather than outright evil. I feel confident that if the Satan himself stood beside any person of faith and said, “Hey you know that guy the other week that really got under your skin, you should kill him!” or “You know, you and your wife have not had a good relationship now for years and that gal at work, you have so much more in common with her and such a better friendship, you should have an affair with her!” I am pretty confident we could all resist doing such out right evil things. All that being said it is much easier for Satan to just distract you from doing what would bring glory to God. I call it the choking effect. Just as thorns and weeds crowd out a plant from getting sunlight and water, constant busyness and worldly desires crowd God out of a person's daily focus. We all know what can happen if you get distracted for to long while driving, you will have an accident and you end up off the straight and narrow road and in the weeds. Matthew 7: 13-14 ESV Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. So what are some ways that Satan can distract or discourage you from worshiping God? For a lot of us he just keeps us busy. When Sunday morning worship service rolls around he will tell you, “You know even God rested on the seventh day, He will understand if you sleep in and don't make it to church today.” Another way Satan can distract us is by doing good things, such as following your children and grandchildren to their extra circular activities, rather than worshiping God! Nothing evil in that! If Satan cannot be successful in causing you to reject God, maybe he can just get you to ignore God. It is a subtle but powerful strategy. Satan wants you to be so preoccupied with the details and the delights of everyday life that you neglect your relationship with God. Satan's subtle way of hindering your from becoming all God would have you be is by introducing even more distraction into your life! Support the show

  8. Sep 4

    Pretty Please

    Love to hear from and know who is listening When my daughters were still young girls I could always tell exactly when they wanted something from me. First of all they would become suddenly very obedient. They would clean their rooms without being told to, they would volunteer to do the dishes and they might even help clean the house without me nagging at them about it over and over again. However the number one way I knew they wanted something was they would come to me with the most innocent look you have ever seen and with a soft voice, that had just a little bit of a whine to it they would say “Daddy can I pretty please... followed by the big request for that something special.” Sometimes I would take advantage of the situation and tell them if they would just do a few more chores for me than I grant them their request.” I have to tell you sometimes it was very difficult to tell my sweet little charming girls no when I knew that the thing they were asking for was not really in their best interest. The Bible calls Satan the "ruler of this world" and the "god of this world", meaning he has great spiritual power over human systems and people who do not follow God. However, his power is limited, temporary, and completely under God's control. 1 John 4:4 ESV Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. Satan is also called the “prince of the power of the air” in Ephesians 2:2. He is the “ruler of this world” in John 12:31. These titles and many more signify Satan’s capabilities. He wields a certain amount of authority and power in this world. He is not a king, but a prince, a ruler of some sort. In some way he rules over the world and the people in it. The Bible calls Satan “the god of this world” not because he owns the earth, but because he influences world systems: media, entertainment, culture. That’s why Scripture warns us to be careful what we see and what we hear. What enters the eyes and ears affects the soul. Luke 8:18 ESV Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away. As the god of this world, Satan puts forward his agenda, and the unbelievers in the world follow. Thankfully, our Lord is greater than the god of this world. Satan had to ask God permission before touching Job. The bible tells us that Satan roams the earth, he accuses God's children before the throne both day and night. He destroys those who have not placed their faith in God. But before he could touch Job's life he had to stand before God and receive permission. As the god of this world, Satan has spread his lies far and wide. Many of his lies have been successful in taking root and deceiving millions. Here are a few of his more popular ones; God doesn’t exist, God doesn’t care, God cannot be trusted, Jesus did not rise from the dead, and maybe his most successful lie is You can go to heaven you’re not good enough! But think about this,... Satan may posses some power but never more than what God permits! Job 1:12 ESV And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. All Satan's power is by permission. He has no authority to do anything God does not permit for His infinitely wise purposes. Satan may roam the earth but he still has to report to the throne of God the same throne that he rebelled against! 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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  • Creator
    Jeff Ellis
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    317
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Devotionals from Dad
  • Show Website
    Devotionals from Dad