What is the nc daily devotional?
Join us as we read through the whole Bible in three years beginning January 2025. Each week, we read chapters of the Old and New Testaments and The Psalms, and the daily devotional highlights a scripture to guide and enrich your Bible reading. Written by Missionary Partner Debbie Galyen.
Psalm 7
by: Debbie Galyen
02/16/2025
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“The Lord judges the peoples; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me” (v8). As the psalmist battled accusations that tore his soul apart (v1-2), he entrusted himself to the great Judge of all. Calling on the Lord for help includes bowing before Him and recognizing His power, righteousness, and authority to judge sin – even our own sin (v12-16). God is a “righteous judge” who desires to help us in ways that lead to our i
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Genesis 27-29
by: Lowell Harrup
02/15/2025
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Genesis 27 is one of the most uncomfortable chapters in scripture – watching the integrity of a family, chosen by God to demonstrate His presence in the world, disintegrate through the evils of dishonesty, disloyalty, greed, favoritism and deception – all premeditated. Yet, God kept alive his promises through this family. How could this be?
Romans 4:16 explains God’s answer to our failure and theirs. It tells us God has always blessed according to His nature, not ours. We
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Genesis 26
by: Lowell Harrup
02/14/2025
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Many factors in life may be intergenerational; these may include blessings, wealth, behaviors and patterns of living. Isaac received some of these from Abraham. God extended His promises, given to Abraham, to Isaac, “because Abraham obeyed me and kept my charge,” (26:5). Sadly, Isaac probably learned of his father’s poor judgement in claiming Sarah, his wife, as his sister (20:1-11), and Isaac chose to copy that behavior, (26:6-11).
Just as God had prospered Abraham, he
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Genesis 25
by: Lowell Harrup
02/13/2025
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Genesis 25:1 records almost incidentally the remarriage of Abraham after the death of Sarah and then the death of Abraham himself at the age of 175 years, “an old man, satisfied with life,” (25:1-8). Then the genealogy of Isaac and Ishmael are mentioned. The genealogy of Ishmael ends with, “they settled….east of Egypt….in defiance of all his relatives”, v18.
Actions grow out of values. The defiance and conflict in Ishmael’s family is mirrored in Isaac’s sons, Jacob and
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Matthew 9
by: Debbie Galyen
02/12/2025
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“Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven” (v2). When the paralytic man was carried to Jesus, He saw the sincere, desperate faith of those who had brought their friend. Surprisingly, Jesus offered even more than they asked: forgiveness. The religious leaders knew that offering forgiveness was more radical than healing, and they accused Jesus of blasphemy. But many “harassed and helpless” people recognized their own need, both physical and spiritual, and Jesus answered th
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Matthew 8:18-34
by: Debbie Galyen
02/11/2025
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“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go” (v19). Like any famous Rabbi, Jesus had many who wished to “follow” Him. But Jesus explained that following Him was a radical, life-changing commitment. The One who commanded wind and waves (v27) and cast out demons with a word (v32) called His followers to surrender their whole hearts and futures. “The Son of Man has no where to lay his head” (v20); therefore, His disciples are called to make their home in Him.
“What sort of man
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Matthew 8:1-17
by: Debbie Galyen
02/10/2025
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“When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him ...” (v1). Israel’s most important teacher, prophet, and leader was Moses. But now Jesus, coming down “from the mountain,” surpassed Moses (Heb 3:2). Through the law of Moses, Israel understood holy and unholy, clean and unclean, and lived by those distinctions. But Jesus was Holiness himself. Nothing impure could corrupt Him. He touched and healed the unclean leper (v3) and responded to the Roman centurion.
“
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Psalm 6
by: Lowell Harrup
02/09/2025
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We like battles and struggles to end with banners and celebration, but that is not always our experience. In Psalm 6:1,2 David indicates that whatever he is experiencing, he is at least partially to blame. It is the darkest night of his soul, “Do not rebuke me in your wrath … I am pining away.” His description of his distress, (v 2-7) suggests a multiplicity of problems for which he has no solution. His health is gone, he weeps instead of sleeping. The stress has affe
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Genesis 23-24
by: Debbie Galyen
02/08/2025
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“See to it that you do not take my son back there” (24:6). After Sarah’s death (ch 23), the future of Abraham’s family lay with the next generation. Abraham commissioned his servant to go back to Mesopotamia – “my country and my kindred” (24:4) – to find Isaac a wife and bring her to Canaan. Abraham was committed to God’s call (to multiply his family in Canaan) and was not willing to compromise. Rebekah was God’s provision.
“The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send hi
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Genesis 22
by: Debbie Galyen
02/07/2025
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“God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (v8). Isaac was the child of divine promise, and he was also Abraham’s earthly hope for a family line, generational wealth, help in his old age, and public honor in a family-centric society. God asked Abraham to put all this on the altar as a test. In an unimaginable act of faith, Abraham obeyed. God immediately provided a ram in place of Isaac, demonstrating that He did not want bloodshed. Instead, He wa
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Genesis 21
by: Debbie Galyen
02/06/2025
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“The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised” (v21). Sarah, who had not born children when she was young, gave birth in her old age. The gift of Isaac was “laughter” (v6); he symbolized grace and favor not just for her and Abraham, but ultimately for the whole world. God did not forget Abraham’s son Ishmael (he would become “a great nation” v18), yet Isaac was the miracle child of promise, foretaste of another promised Child to come.
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Genesis 20
by: Debbie Galyen
02/05/2025
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“In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this” (v5). Although God was working out His plan of salvation through Abraham, Abimelech’s integrity and conversation with “the Lord” revealed that God cared for and spoke to others in the land. Abimelech’s righteous intentions, in fact, contrast with Abraham’s self-serving lies about Sarah (v11-13). When Abraham’s lack of faith nearly resulted in disaster for Sarah and their descendants, God interven
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Matthew 7:14-29
by: Debbie Galyen
02/04/2025
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“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father” (v21). Jesus rejected the idea that one could claim His name without loving and following His kingdom ways. Those who did “mighty works” in His name but had no interest in heart change would hear the terrible words, “I never knew you” (v23). He warned against “false prophets” who claimed faith but lived ungodly lives (v15-20).
“Everyone then who hears th
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Matthew 7:1-13
by: Debbie Galyen
02/03/2025
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“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (v3). According to Jesus, human religion focuses on criticizing others and ignoring our own wrongdoing. Even worse, we may justify great sin in ourselves while pointing out someone’s smaller error (v4). Jesus taught his followers to deal with their own hearts first (v5) and to humbly ask for what we need (v7-10). Instead of imitating the world’s cruelty, Jesus calls
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Psalm 5
by: Debbie Galyen
02/02/2025
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“For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you” (v4). The psalmist was convinced that God was not just a divine force of power; instead, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had revealed Himself as holy. He hates lies and violence (v6); He is against those who harm others by manipulation and threats (v9-10). The psalmist asked this God of “steadfast love” to lead him not in the ways of wicked men, but in the way of righteousness (v7-8).
“I wi
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