Christian, Jews

The Lost Sheep: A Lesson in God’s Love

1-minute devotional for Thursday, 7/31/25

“What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains, and go and search for the one that is lost?  And if it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that have not gone astray.” Matthew 18:12-13 NASB (emphasis mine)

Note: Whenever Jesus said, “Truly I say to you…”, it means THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT! I love this verse because I know He rejoiced over me!

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Quote of the Week, 7/30/25

Even though it is not Christmas, this quote from J.I. Packer spoke to my heart today. May it speak to you as well.

“The Christmas spirit does not shine out in the Christian snob. For the Christmas spirit is the spirit of those who, like their Master, live their whole lives on the principle of making themselves poor – spending and being spent – to enrich their fellowmen, giving time, trouble, care and concern to do good to others – and not just their own friends – in whatever way there seems need.”
― J.I. Packer, Knowing God

 Jesus said, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matthew 25:35-36

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Embracing God’s Patience

1-minute devotional for Tuesday, 7/29/25

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:8-9 NIV

“The apparent delay in Christ’s return is a gift of mercy, a sign that God is extremely patient. In His great love, He waits, granting people the opportunity to come to repentance and be saved, not wanting anyone to perish.” Jeremiah Study Bible Notes

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Are We Willing to Put Truth Before Consequences?

1-minute devotional for Monday, 7/28/25

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 (emphasis mine)

“It’s costly to be faithful. The early Church feared heresay more than it feared martyrdom. Faithfulness brings difficulty….. May God help us in these sad and bewildering times to be men and women who follow the Lord wherever He would go, who put truth first, who refuse to conform to the times.”

Ian Hamilton, President, Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian

Living as Disciples: Christ’s Call to Love One Another

Sunday’s Memory Verse for 7/27/25

Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

“Christ never contemplated the production of secret Christians, – Christians whose virtues would never be displayed, – pilgrims who would travel to heaven by night, and never be seen by their fellow-pilgrims or anyone else.” Charles Spurgeon

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

The Miraculous Story of Israel: Strength Amid Adversity

“The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” Genesis 17:8

Written by Berel Salomon:

There’s something about Israel that makes people uncomfortable, and it’s not what they say it is.

They’ll point to politics, settlements, borders, and wars. But scratch beneath the outrage, and you’ll find something deeper. A discomfort not with what Israel does, but with what Israel is.

A nation this small should not be this strong. Period.

Israel has no oil. No special natural resources. A population barely the size of a mid-sized American city. They are surrounded by enemies. Hated in the United Nations. Targeted by terror. Condemned by celebrities. Boycotted, slandered, and attacked.

And still, they thrive like there’s no tomorrow.

In military. In medicine. In security. In technology. In agriculture. In intelligence. In morality. In sheer, unbreakable will.

They turn desert into farmland.

They make water from air.

They intercept rockets in mid-air.

They rescue hostages under the nose of the world’s worst regimes.

They survive wars that were supposed to wipe them out, and win.

The world watches this and can’t make sense of it.

So they do what people do when they witness strength they can’t understand.

They assume it must be cheating.

It must be American aid.

It must be foreign lobbying.

It must be oppression.

It must be theft.

It must be some dark trick that gave the Jews this kind of power.

It must be blackmail.

Because heaven forbid it’s something else.

Heaven forbid it’s real.

Heaven forbid it’s earned.

Or worse, destined.

The Jewish people were supposed to disappear a long, long time ago. That’s how the story of exiled, enslaved, hated minorities is supposed to end. But the Jews didn’t disappear. They actually came home, rebuilt their land, revived their language, and brought their dead back to life — in memory, in identity, and in strength.

That’s not normal.

It’s not political.

It’s biblical.

There’s no cheat code that explains how a group of people return to their homeland after 2,000 years.

There is no rational path from gas chambers to global influence.

And there is no historical precedent for surviving the Babylonians, the Romans, the Crusaders, the Inquisition, the pogroms, and the Holocaust, and still showing up to work on Monday in Tel Aviv.

Israel doesn’t make sense.

Unless you believe in something beyond the math.

This is what drives the world crazy. Because if Israel is real, if this improbable, ancient, hated nation is somehow still chosen, protected, and thriving, then maybe God isn’t a myth after all.

Maybe He’s still in the story.

Maybe history isn’t random.

Maybe evil doesn’t get the last word.

Maybe the Jews are not just a people… but a testimony.

That’s what they can’t stand.

Because once you admit that Israel’s survival isn’t just impressive, but divine, everything changes. Your moral compass has to reset. Your assumptions about history, power, and justice collapse. You realize you’re not watching the end of an empire. You’re witnessing the beginning of something eternal.

So they deny it.

They smear it.

And rage against it.

Because it’s easier to call a miracle “cheating” than to face the possibility that God keeps His promises.

And He’s keeping them still!

“The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” Genesis 13:14-17

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian

The Counterfeit Kingdom: A Warning from Revelation

1-minute read for Friday, 7/25/25

“The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast.” Revelation 13:3 Read full chapter

“Satan’s endgame is the establishment of a counterfeit kingdom—a system where he is worshipped, either overtly or covertly. Deception leads people to accept lies that support this structure, preparing hearts to receive the Antichrist and reject the true Christ.” Bruce Cooper from his excellent post, Smoke and Mirrors: Unmasking the Strategy of Deception

Read it here: https://bcooper.ca/2025/03/29/smoke-and-mirrors-unmasking-the-strategy-of-deception/

My advice: Don’t be deceived. Know your Bible inside and out!

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Forgiveness Through Christ: A Promise for All

1-minute devotional for Thursday, 7/24/25

“Blessed are those
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord will never count against them.” Romans 4:7-8

This is the promise of all promises for everyone who is ashamed of their sins and has repented, trusting and following Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Maybe you have walked the straight and narrow path your whole life. Or, maybe, like me, you haven’t. But know this: If you belong to Jesus, you’ve been forgiven.

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Quote of the Week, 7/23/25

Once people stop believing in God, the problem is not that they will believe in nothing; rather, the problem is that they will believe anything.

C.S. Lewis

These lies come from Satan, the deceiver.

Jesus warned the Pharisees, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (emphasis mine)

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Featured image: Drag Queen show for children in a U.S. public library

Christian, Jews

The Days of Noah: A Reflection on Our Times

1-minute devotional for Tuesday, 7/22/25

As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37-39, NIV 1984)

My thoughts: What was it like in the days of Noah? Watch TV.

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.