My Daily Briefing
Daily Devotions

NOVEMBER 30 - Nº 334 Ephesians 1 – 3 While he was confined to a house and chained to a soldier in Rome, Paul never stopped sharing the Gospel.  Many people came to visit him so that they could learn more about Jesus.  Paul also spent much of his time writing letters to the churches he had started in Asia and Greece. These letters became known as his “prison epistles.”  The first letter Paul wrote during this time was to the believers in Ephesus. He had spent three years teach

NOVEMBER 29 - Nº 333 Acts 28:15-31 Some of the believers in Rome heard that Paul was on his way to Rome as a prisoner. So they traveled almost 50 miles to a place called The Three Taverns to meet him. Then they walked with him back to the city. They were a great encouragement to Paul.  When all the prisoners from Caesarea finally arrived in Rome, Julius (the centurion who had treated them so kindly) delivered them to the captain of the Roman guard. Paul was taken to a house w

NOVEMBER 28 - Nº 332 Acts 27:44 – 28:14 Some swam, some floated-on planks and some clung to debris from the ship,  but all 276 men that had been on board the sinking vessel that had been headed for Rome made it safely to shore.   Before long, they realized that the small island they had reached was Malta. This was good news. They had not landed in Africa where they could have been enslaved or killed. Instead, they were on an island ruled by the Romans.  The castaways were dre

NOVEMBER 27 - Nº 331 Acts 27:21-44 It was a disastrous situation on board the ship that was transporting Paul to Rome.  The crew and passengers were caught in a catastrophic storm.  There was no way to steer the ship in the hurricane force winds as it was battered and tossed by tumultuous waves. Most of the supplies had been thrown overboard to lighten the load. And all 276 of the sailors, soldiers, and prisoners had given up hope—except for one! Paul spoke up to encourage th

NOVEMBER 26 - Nº 330 Acts 27:3-20 The first stop on the long journey to Rome was a port called Sidon. Julius, the centurion in charge of the prisoners on the ship, granted Paul permission to go on shore to visit some friends and get supplies.  Julius must have had tremendous respect for Paul to allow him to do this, since letting a prisoner escape could have cost the Roman guard his life.   Strong winds made the next part of the trip difficult, but eventually the ship was abl

NOVEMBER 25 - Nº 329 Acts 26:22 – 27:2 As Paul stood in the great meeting room filled with important people, he summarized his message. “Everything that I teach is a fulfillment of what Moses and the Prophets predicted would happen,” he explained. “They prophesied that the promised Messiah would suffer and die and be raised from the dead. They said that after his resurrection he would bring a message of light to both the Jews and the Gentiles.”  At this point Festus (the new

NOVEMBER 24 - Nº 328 Acts 25:13 – 26:21 When Rome expanded its control along the eastern Mediterranean shores, the Jewish countries previously known as Israel and Judah became part of the Roman Empire (see  #208 - July 27 ). Although these countries (now called provinces) were ruled by Roman governors, the empire allowed them to maintain their own identity and to have their own Jewish puppet kings who reported to Rom.  One of these kings was Herod Agrippa II.  Shortly after F

NOVEMBER 23 - Nº 327 Acts 24:27 – 25:12 Felix, the Roman governor of Judea, was already very unpopular leader (see  #326 - November 22 ). The Jews under his authority despised him. He realized that if he set the apostle Paul free, they would start a riot. Such a disturbance would cause Caesar to think he was a weak ruler who couldn't control his subjects. He would be forced to give up his position and might even be put to death. So, although he found no truth in the allegati

NOVEMBER 22 - Nº 326 Acts 24 Five days after Paul arrived in Caesarea, his accusers showed up to bring charges against him. Among his accusers were Ananias, the high priest of Israel, some of the highest officers in the Sanhedrin, and a skilled lawyer named Tertullus. These were some of the most powerful men in Israel, and  they were determined to get Paul convicted and sentenced to death.  Tertullus began his case against Paul by flattering Felix, the Roman governor. He prai

NOVEMBER 21 - Nº 325 Acts 23:11-35 Following the fiasco in front of the Sanhedrin (see  #324 - November 20 ), Paul was sent back to the Roman barracks. He must have been very discouraged.  He was doing everything God asked him to do, yet he was still a prisoner.   In the darkness that night, Jesus personally visited him. But instead of setting Paul free (as an angel had done before—see  #306 - November 2 ), the Lord stood beside him and comforted him. “Don’t be discouraged,”

NOVEMBER 20 - Nº 324 Acts 22:25 – 23:10 The commander of the Roman troops in Jerusalem was confused. He couldn’t figure out what Paul had done to cause such an uproar in his city. He decided to have Paul chained, flogged, and interrogated until he was willing to confess to whatever crime he had committed.  As Paul was being chained to a pole to receive the brutal beating, he turned to the centurion and asked,  “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t been found

NOVEMBER 19 - Nº 323 Acts 21:27 – 22:24 Paul was constantly being watched while he was in Jerusalem.   The Jews (even many of the Jewish  believers ) did not trust him. They felt that he was a traitor to his Jewish heritage, so they looked for reasons to condemn him.  One day, near the end of his purification ritual (see  #322 - November 18 ), some Jewish men saw Paul walking through the streets of Jerusalem. He was talking to a man from Ephesus named Trophimus.  Later, those

NOVEMBER 18 - Nº 322 Acts 21:1-26 After a tearful goodbye with the elders from Ephesus (see # 321 - November 17 ) Paul re-boarded the ship he had sailed on from Assos. It continued its trip, sailing from Miletus to Patara. There Paul and his traveling companions had to change ships. They were able to find one that was headed to Caesarea--which was the Roman capital of Israel and the closest port to Jerusalem.  The ship had to make several stops along the way, so it was a slow

NOVEMBER 17 - Nº 321 Acts 20 After three months in Corinth, Paul prepared to board a ship that would sail straight back to Antioch in Syria where his third missionary journey had begun. But  he learned that some Jews who opposed him were plotting against him. They would likely attack him on the ship. S o he changed directions and took an overland route through Macedonia. Several of his companions went with him. When they arrived in Philippi, they sailed across the Aegean Sea

NOVEMBER 16 - Nº 320 Romans 9 – 16 After explaining the basic principles of the Gospel and sharing the benefits of accepting God’s incredible gift of eternal life, Paul revealed something to the Roman believers that was breaking his heart. “I have great sorrow and constant anguish for my people, the people of Israel,” he said.  “I’d give up anything—even my own salvation, if I could—for them to experience the blessings of being part of God’s family!”  Paul explained that God

NOVEMBER 15 - Nº 319 Romans 6 – 8 In the first part of his letter to the Romans, Paul explained that no one is righteous enough to enter God’s holy presence. No amount of good works, or obedience to the Law, or performing of rituals can make it possible. The only way that anyone can have a relationship with God is through faith in what Jesus did on the cross. The result of that faith is God’s gracious gift of eternal life. Because of God’s grace, all our sins—past, present, a

NOVEMBER 14 - Nº 318 Acts 20:2-3; Romans 1 – 5; 6:23 Paul was on his way to Jerusalem to give a report about everything that had taken place on his third missionary journey. He also planned to deliver the gifts that various Gentile churches had donated for famine relief in Judea. But before he arrived in Jerusalem, Paul wanted to fulfill his promise to visit the believers in Corinth. So, after encouraging the churches in Macedonia, he headed south to Greece.  Because it was w

NOVEMBER 13 - Nº 317 Acts 19:21; Acts 20:1; 2 Corinthians 1 – 13 When everything in Ephesus had calmed down, Paul gathered the believers together. He wanted to encourage them before he said "goodbye." He knew it was time for him to move on. His plan was to visit the churches in Macedonia and Achaia before returning to Jerusalem. Eventually, he hoped to go to Rome to encourage the believers there.  While he was traveling, Paul heard that the church in Corinth was still struggl

NOVEMBER 12 - Nº 316 Acts 19:10-41 God did wonderful things through Paul while he was in Ephesus. Not only did everyone in the entire region hear God’s Word, but God allowed him to heal the sick and cast out demons.  When some young men saw what Paul was able to do, they tried to cast out demons just like he did. They said, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” A Jewish chief priest named Sceva had seven sons who tried this. But one day an

NOVEMBER 11 Nº 315 1 Corinthians 15 – 16 Near the end of his letter, Paul reviewed the Gospel message that he had first presented to the Corinthian believers five years earlier. It was this:  “ Jesus Christ died for our sins just as the Scriptures prophesied. He was buried, then he rose from the dead on the third day. This too was prophesied in the Scriptures. After that he appeared to many eyewitnesses—whose lives were radically changed when they realized that Jesus was aliv

NOVEMBER 10 Nº 314 1 Corinthians 6:12 – 14:39 After explaining the need for unity among the believers (see  #313 - November 9 ), Paul addressed some other issues that plagued the church in Corinth. The city was known for its wild behavior (see  #309 - November 5 ), and several church members had become engaged in corrupt lifestyles.   Paul emphasized the fact that every believer was a member of the body of Christ, and that Jesus had paid a very high price to make that possibl

NOVEMBER 9 Nº 313 1 Corinthians 1:1 – 6:11 While he was in Ephesus, Paul heard that there were serious problems in the church he had started five years before in Corinth (see  #309 - November 5 ). Not long after getting that report, he received a letter from some of the church leaders that was filled with questions they could not answer on their own.  So, Paul sat down and wrote them a long letter.   His primary goal was to convince the believers that they needed to live in u

NOVEMBER 8 Nº 312 Acts 18:18 – 19:10 When Paul’s work in Corinth was finished, he decided to return to his home church in Antioch. Aquila and Priscilla decided to accompany him as far as Ephesus. During the short time he had in Ephesus, Paul went into the synagogue and taught about Jesus. The Ephesian Jews begged him to spend more time with them, but he couldn’t. As he left, he promised that he would return if God allowed him to. Then he sailed back to Israel.  Before going t

NOVEMBER 7 - Nº 311 2 Thessalonians 1 – 3 A few months after he sent his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul received an update from the church he loved and cared for. Some of the news was good. The believers remained faithful to Christ even though they faced harsh persecution. And even during this difficult time, they continued to grow in their love for the Lord and for each other.  So, Paul began his letter by commending these new believers for their growth. He told the