Daily Archives: November 15, 2026

Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – Persecution in Jerusalem

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Read Acts 12:1–24

In Acts 12, King Herod began to persecute the believers, hoping to satisfy the Jewish leaders. This king, Herod Agrippa I, was the grandson of Herod the Great who had ordered the death of infants after Jesus’ birth (Matt. 2). In Acts 12:2, we read that Herod put to death the apostle James (the brother of John) by sword. Since this pleased the Jewish leaders, he arrested Peter.

The church prayed earnestly for Peter (v. 5). The night before Herod was to bring Peter to trial, an angel delivered him from his prison cell (v. 6). So Peter was rescued, but as we read earlier (v. 2), James had lost his life at Herod’s command. The death of James is mysterious. James was one of the three closest disciples of Jesus: Peter, James, and John. He was part of the inner circle. In most instances, James is named first when John is mentioned with him. James was one of the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1). James was one of the three in the garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33).

It is easy to ask why God allowed this to happen. Is this not a familiar phrase when we encounter troubling circumstances due to no fault of our own? Nothing in Scripture tells us that James died because of poor decisions on his part. In fact, Scripture implies the exact opposite (John 21:19–22). James was fulfilling God’s plan in Jerusalem as one of the leaders of the church.

This should comfort you. Your suffering may be because you are in God’s will and fulfilling His purpose for you. Yet God doesn’t forget those who bring evil upon His children. As this passage shows us, “an angel of the Lord struck [Herod] down, and he was eaten by worms and died” (Acts 12:23).

Go Deeper

Are you suffering today due to no fault of your own? Consider asking the Lord how you might glorify Him in this. Watch this interview as our author Dr. Eric Moore explains why persecution actually helped the early church grow.

Pray with Us

Heavenly Father, You promised that serving You would not be easy: “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). We are thankful You didn’t stop there: “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

The church was earnestly praying to God for him.Acts 12:5

 

 

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Practical Humility

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In humility value others above yourselves, . . . looking . . . to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3-4

Today’s Scripture

Philippians 2:3-11

Listen to Today’s Devotion

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Today’s Devotion

At a public seminar organized by the company I’d just joined, everyone was given a role, such as ushering and logistics. It was a big event and everyone was busy, so no one reacted when a participant spilled a drink. One of the bosses, however, instinctively dropped what he was doing, grabbed a mop, and helped to clean up the spill.

As the main organizer overseeing the event, this man had the authority to order someone else to do it. But he chose to do what some might have seen as a lowly job—and earned my utmost respect.

In Philippians 2:3-4, humility is described in simple and practical terms: “Do nothing out of . . . vain conceit,” “value others above yourselves,” and look “to the interests of the others.”

In responding to a need, my boss didn’t think about his rank. True humility is sometimes shown in words or actions that reflect a giving heart and a selfless attitude concerned about meeting others’ needs and not preserving image or status. It’s a heart that mirrors that of Jesus, who despite His divine status “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (v. 7). Let’s ask God to help us put others above ourselves so we can be more like Christ, our servant Lord.

Reflect & Pray

What concerns do you have about your image or status? How can you practice humility through your words and actions today?

Dear Jesus, please help me to be humble, putting aside my concerns about status and putting on the heart and attitude of a humble servant as You did.

Today’s Insights

This pivotal chapter opens with Paul’s call for a loving unity among God’s people (Philippians 2:1-2). Such a unity can come only from Christ. Unity, however, doesn’t necessarily mean unanimity (always having identical views, or groupthink). Rather, the apostle calls for us to have “the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind” (v. 2). He then ties it directly to our “relationships with one another” and calls for us to “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (v. 5). Elsewhere the apostle deals with the differences we as diverse human beings will inevitably have with each other (see Romans 14:1-23). He saw such differences as no impediment to unity, however. When our focus is on Christ and His example of selfless humility, we’ll inevitably be drawn to emulate Him. Such humility compels us to seek not “[our] own interests but . . . the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:4).

For additional reflection, read: Humble Like God – Philippians 1:12–18.

 

 

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Days of Praise

Days of Praise – Our Umpire in Heaven

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.” (Job 9:32–33)

Job, in his sufferings, was mystified by the complete silence of God, whom he had loved and tried to serve faithfully all his life. He longed somehow to be able to come before the great Judge to plead his case. But this was not possible, for God was not a man like himself. He did not even have a “daysman” to mediate between himself and God.

But we do! A “daysman” is an arbitrator or umpire, or mediator (as this word is usually rendered in modern versions). But how could there be an umpire to mediate disputes between God and man unless such an umpire could somehow be both God and man, able to “lay his hand upon us both”?

There is one perfect umpire, of course. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2:5–6). The ransom He paid was His own blood, with which “he entered in once [for all] into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:12).

Thus, the God-man Christ Jesus is perfectly able to bridge the chasm between God and man. Perhaps an even better understanding of “daysman” is “advocate.” Now, when Satan, “the accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10), accuses us of sin before God, as he did against Job, our great Intercessor defends us. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1), and “he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). HMM

 

 

 

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Don’t Be Afraid to Fail

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For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again…

Proverbs 24:16 (AMP)

It isn’t possible to find out God’s plan for your life without making a few mistakes along the way. The history books are filled with stories of great men and women who did incredible things, but prior to their achievements, they failed along the way.

Thomas Edison tried two thousand experiments before he successfully invented the light bulb. Abraham Lincoln lost several elections before he became president of the United States. We wouldn’t have heard of either of these men if they had quit before they achieved success. God has created us to keep moving toward His plan for our lives. He wants us to face new challenges, try new things, experiment, and be creative. Don’t be afraid when you fail—your success may be right around the corner.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me not fear failure as I pursue Your plan for my life. Give me courage to try new things, and help me rise each time I fall, amen.

 

 

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