Carter Conlon | Daily Devotionals

I can tell you from personal experience that there are times when distance grows between a father and a son, not from anger, but from pride and misunderstanding. Yet mercy is able to find a way through pain.  Sometimes God uses hardship to soften hearts that comfort could never reach. Suffering becomes a mercy when it opens the door to eternity, as it did for my father. That is how love works. It...

After World War II, my father came home to a broken world and an empty wallet. There was no money for university and no chance to chase the dream he once had. So he took a humble job in a mine and began saving what little he earned for my future.  He gave up his own dream so that I could have one. That quiet sacrifice reminds me of God the Father, who gave us His Son while we were still ungrateful...

I want to remind you one more time today that God’s Word is His bond. When He makes a promise, He fulfills it. As a matter of fact, He told us, “Do not worry about what you will wear, what you will eat, or where you will live.”   Everyone who lives outside the kingdom of God worries all day about these things. But He told us, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these thin...

You know, you never know where the voice of God will lead you when you begin to obey it. I know from experience it will lead into a life that you never, ever dreamed was possible.  Each step of obedience strengthens your heart, fills you with new wisdom, and the Holy Spirit’s promptings may not always make sense at first, but they always, always lead to life. God rewards those who seek Him with a...

2 Corinthians 1:20   For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.   God’s Word is His bond. What He says, He will do. He is never late, and He never fails.  Now, we may grow impatient, but He arrives just on time. His promises are not empty words written just to fill the pages of Scripture. They are, in fact, the living declarations of a faithful God...

My father used to tell me that a man is only as good as his word. He used to say, “If a man’s word can’t be trusted, then the man himself cannot be trusted.” Those words ring true because they echo the very heart of God.  His Word defines who He is. If we say we follow Him, then our words should carry weight as well. Keep your promises. Let your yes be yes, and let your no be no, because character...

When I think about my father’s life, I see what it means to live for a cause that is greater than yourself. He had dreams of being an architect, a builder, an inventor, but he laid it all down in World War II as a volunteer to fight for the freedom of others.  His sacrifice reminds me of Christ, who left heaven to redeem those who could not save themselves. There is an enemy who still seeks to ste...

You know, you and I do not fully appreciate the cross at times. We speak of it, we sing of it, yet we rarely fully grasp the cost. Christ took our sin, our shame, our separation, and bore it all so that we could live.  And even when we fail to appreciate that love, He keeps saving, He keeps restoring, and He keeps forgiving. His love never stops reaching for us. Thank God that Jesus does not grow...

God gives us strength when we choose to live our lives to serve Him. His word becomes a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. He directs us where we ought to go and then goes before us.   There are a future and a life eternal that's abundant on this side of eternity. That's a promise for every heart that turns to God. God is powerful and God is faithful. And he is raising a generation in thi...

True Christianity is not found in living for ourselves. It is actually found in laying down our lives for the benefit of others. That is what we teach at our Bible school.  God calls each of us to do something that might seem small to us, but it is precious and important in His sight. We cannot fix the whole world, but we can love one person, pray for one captive, encourage one broken heart.  My f...

Psalm 40:1–3   I waited patiently for the Lord,   And He inclined to me, and heard my cry.   He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,   Out of the miry clay,   And set my feet upon a rock,   And established my steps.   He has put a new song in my mouth—   Praise to our God;   Many will see it and fear,   And will trust in the Lord.   This is my prayer for you this coming new year: that God wou...

The Lord said, “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them.” Exodus 3:7–8   On this New Year’s Day, let’s look at the moment we’re now living in. The increasing downward spiral is very troubling indeed. We all see this spewing of hatred, violence, and division....

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:27–28   God is faithful. He calls us to a place of obedience and gratitude, even when life has not gone as we had planned. Some today are living with bitterness, unaware that it’s eating away at your very being.  But toni...

“Honor your father and your mother, which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.” Ephesians 6:2–3   Honoring your father and mother is not optional. It’s actually a commandment of the Lord. God didn’t attach an asterisk or give it a condition. He didn’t say, “Honor them if they’ve been good to you.” He simply said, honor .  Now,...

“Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.” Proverbs 8:30   Proverbs 8 gives us a glimpse into that divine fellowship between the Father and the Son before creation. It was a perfect unity, a relationship of delight and purpose. I think about that and realize that love always has been costly.  It cost the Father to send the Son, just as...

Luke 2:11–12 “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”   At Christmastime, we realize once again that we have great reasons to rejoice. The Son of God, who could have come to us as a full-grown man, instead came as a baby, clothed in weakness and lyi...

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10   There’s an enemy who seeks to destroy what God has built, but you and I are not powerless. God has given us His Word, and even our prayers can travel farther than our feet ever could. Battles are won by those who refuse to stay silent....

God desires to give His people a song of confidence, not just for our sakes, but for the sake of those all around us. In a world that’s now filled with uncertainty and fear, people need to see unwavering trust in God.  They need to witness faith that stands strong even when circumstances are difficult. This song is not about words. It’s about a deep-rooted confidence in God that carries you throug...

On the day of Pentecost, when the early church encountered the Holy Spirit, they didn’t have strength, no high-tech, no instruments, they didn’t have a lot of structure, but the Holy Spirit led them.  Through those early believers, the Holy Spirit moved in such a powerful way that even the Roman Empire eventually bent its knees to the presence of God. The Roman society thought they could impose th...

If you’ve reached the point where singing now feels impossible, now it’s God’s turn to put a song within you. It’s not one that’s found on a screen. It’s not a temporary melody that fades away by Monday afternoon.  No, this song stays. It doesn’t leave when circumstances shift. This song walks with you. This is a worship that doesn’t require words. It’s a worship that exudes from your life, the wa...

The journey to confidence in God is not always easy. It passes through valleys of sorrow, through seasons of difficulty, but it’s in those very places that God writes a song on your heart.  This is not a song learned from lyrics on a page. It’s a song actually written by God Himself, a song that remains even when the ground beneath you gives way. A song that carries you when your own thoughts falt...

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself… Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:3–5   True humility is not weakness. It is strength under the control of love. My father returned from the war to find his own dreams gone, but then he began to save for mine. He wanted me to have what...

When you’re going through difficult times and feel like you’re sinking, remember that God is always ready to lift you up. This isn’t a vague promise but it’s a reality. God’s power can keep you, even when others around might be falling apart.  As you allow Him to lift you, He will plant a song of trust deep within your heart. This song will testify to others that God’s presence is real and that He...

Reminding you today that the gospel of Jesus Christ is all about dead people living. It’s not only about being forgiven, it’s about living. You and I can be raised out of death in areas where relationships have died, hope has died, and even where abilities have died.  We are raised out of darkness, raised out of weakness, raised out of places that we could never have gotten out of in our own stren...

Think today of all that God has done for you. During your present troubles, He’s still at work. You may feel overwhelmed or hopeless, but God promises to give you a new song, a song of confidence and trust in His strength.  This song is not just for you. It’s a song that’s meant to be seen by others around you. As they observe the strength God has placed within you, they too will turn toward Him....