Jesus—The True Peacemaker
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Posted:Apr 23, 2024 6:56 am
Last Updated:Apr 23, 2024 7:05 am 24 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: John 16:25-33
Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 16-18; Luke 17:20-37
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. John 16:33
On December 30, 1862, the US Civil War raged. Union and Confederate troops camped seven hundred yards apart on opposing sides of Tennessee’s Stones River. As they warmed themselves around campfires, Union soldiers picked up their fiddles and harmonicas and began playing “Yankee Doodle.” In reply, the Confederate soldiers offered “Dixie.” Remarkably, both sides joined for a finale, playing “Home, Sweet Home” in unison. Sworn enemies shared music in the dark night, glimmers of an unimagined peace. The melodic truce was short-lived, however. The next morning, they put down their fiddles and picked up their rifles, and 24,645 soldiers died.
Our human efforts to create peace inevitably wear thin. Hostilities cease in one place, only to ignite somewhere else. One relational dispute finds harmony, only to be embroiled in distress again months later. The Scriptures tell us that God is our only trustworthy peacemaker. Jesus said it plainly, “In me you . . . have peace”
(John 16:33). We have peace in Jesus. While we participate in His peacemaking mission, it’s God’s reconciliation and renewal that make real peace possible.
Christ tells us we can’t escape conflict. “In this world [we] will have trouble,” Jesus says. Strife abounds. “But take heart!” He adds, “I have overcome the world” (v. 33). While our efforts often prove futile, our loving God (v. 27) makes peace in this fractious world.
Where do you see humans working for peace? How is God’s peacemaking different?
Dear God, please show me the way of peace.
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Community in Christ
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Posted:Apr 22, 2024 5:17 am
Last Updated:Apr 22, 2024 5:17 am 66 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Ecclesiastes 4.7-12
Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 14-15; Luke 17:1-19
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12
“I knew that the only way to succeed was to forget about home and my wife, , and ,” said Jordon. “I’ve found I can’t do that. They’re woven into the fabric of my heart and soul.” Alone in a remote area, Jordon was participating in a reality show where contestants are asked to survive outdoors with minimal supplies for as long as possible. What forced him to forfeit was not the grizzly bears, freezing temperatures, injury, or hunger, but an overwhelming loneliness and desire to be with his family.
We might have all the survival skills necessary for the wilderness, but separating ourselves from community is a sure way to fail. The wise author of Ecclesiastes said, “Two are better than one, because . . . one can help the other up” (4:9-10). Christ-honoring community, even with all its messiness, is essential to our thriving. We don’t stand a chance against the trials of this world if we try to tackle them on our own. Someone who toils alone, toils in vain (v. 8 Without community, we’re more susceptible to danger (vv. 11-12). Unlike a single thread, “a cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (v. 12). The gift of a loving, Christ-focused community is one that not only provides encouragement, but also gives us strength to thrive despite challenging situations. We need each other.
How can you commit to spending time with the family of believers? Who around you is isolated and in need?
Father, thank You for the gift of community! Open my heart to love and spend time with others today.
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Bitterness of Stolen Sweets
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Posted:Apr 21, 2024 6:25 am
Last Updated:Apr 23, 2024 11:8 pm 96 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Proverbs 20:11-17
Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 12-13; Luke 16
Food gained by fraud tastes sweet, but one ends up with a mouth full of gravel. Proverbs 20:17
Thieves in Germany stole a truck’s refrigerated trailer filled with more than twenty tons of chocolate. The estimated worth of the stolen sweetness was $80,000. Local police asked anyone who was offered large quantities of chocolate via unconventional channels to report it immediately. Surely those who stole the massive amount of sweets will be facing bitter and unsatisfying consequences if they’re caught and prosecuted!
Proverbs confirms this principle: “Food gained by fraud tastes sweet, but one ends up with a mouth full of gravel” (20:17). Things we acquire deceptively or wrongfully may seem to be sweet at first—seasoned with excitement and temporary enjoyment. But the flavor will eventually wear off and our deception will lead to our being left wanting and in trouble. The bitter consequences of guilt, fear, and sin can end up ruining our lives and reputations. “Even small are known by their actions, [if] their conduct [is] really pure and upright” (v. 11). May our words and actions reveal a pure heart for God—not the bitterness of selfish desires.
When we’re tempted, let’s ask God to strengthen us and help us remain faithful to Him. He can help us look behind the short-term “sweetness” of giving in to temptation and guide us to carefully consider the long-term consequences of our choices.
When has temptation led to bitter consequences for you? How can you remain faithful to God?
Dear God, I need Your strength to fight temptation and remain faithful to You.
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Family Matters
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Posted:Apr 20, 2024 6:00 am
Last Updated:Apr 23, 2024 11:8 pm 123 Views
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Today Devotional
Read: Hebrews 12:14-17
Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 9-11; Luke 15:11-32
Make every effort to live in peace with everyone. Hebrews 12:14
My sister, brother, and I flew from our separate states to our uncle’s funeral and stopped to see our ninety-year-old grandmother. She’d been paralyzed by a stroke, had lost the ability to speak, and had only the use of her right hand. As we stood around her bed, she reached out that hand and took each of our hands, placing one atop another over her heart and patted them in place. With this wordless gesture, my grandmother spoke into what had been our somewhat broken and distant sibling relationship. “Family matters.”
In God’s family, the church, we can grow apart as well. We might allow bitterness to separate us from each other. The writer of Hebrews references the bitterness that separated Esau from his brother (Hebrews 12:16) and challenges us as brothers and sisters to hold on to each other in God’s family. “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone” (v. 14). Here the words every effort convey a deliberate and decisive investment in peacemaking with our brothers and sisters in God’s family. Every such effort is then applied to everyone. Every. One.
Family matters. Both our earthly families and God’s family of believers. Might we all invest the efforts needed to hold on to each other?
What would it mean for you to “make every effort to live in peace with everyone” in God’s family? Is there a particular person you might need to approach for reconciliation?
Dear God, thank You for drawing me to Yourself. Help me to make every effort to live at peace with everyone in Your family.
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The Valley Of Praise
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Posted:Apr 19, 2024 5:45 am
Last Updated:Apr 19, 2024 5:53 am 178 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: 2 Chronicles 20:21-26
Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 6-8; Luke 15:1-10
On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berakah. 2 Chronicles 20:26
Poet William Cowper struggled with depression much of his life. After a suicide attempt, he was committed to an asylum. But it was there through the care of a Christian physician that Cowper came to a warm, vital faith in Jesus. Soon afterwards, Cowper became acquainted with pastor and hymnwriter John Newton, who encouraged him to collaborate on a hymnal for their church. Among the hymns Cowper wrote was “God Moves in a Mysterious Way,” which contains these words pressed from the crucible of experience: “You fearful saints, fresh courage take; the clouds you so much dread, are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head.”
Like Cowper, the people of Judah also met God’s kindness unexpectedly. As an alliance of armies invaded their nation, King Jehoshaphat gathered the people for prayer. As Judah’s army marched out, men in the front ranks praised God
2 Chronicles 20:21). The invading armies turned on themselves, and “no one . . . escaped. . . . There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it”
(vv. 24-25).
On the fourth day, the very place where a hostile invading force gathered against God’s people was dubbed the Valley of Berakah (v. 26)—literally, “the valley of praise” or “blessing.” What a change! God’s mercy can turn even our most difficult valleys into places of praise as we give them to Him.
How have you seen God bring good out of difficulty in your life? What can you thank Him for today?
I praise You, loving God, that no valley is deeper than Your love.
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God´s Tender Love
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Posted:Apr 18, 2024 5:07 am
Last Updated:Apr 23, 2024 11:8 pm 217 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Hosea 11:1-4
Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 3-5; Luke 14:25-35
To them I was like one who lifts a little to the cheek. Hosea 11:4
A 2017 video of a dad comforting his two-month-old while the baby received his routine vaccinations garnered international attention for the way it captured a dad’s love for his . After the nurse finished administering the vaccinations, the dad tenderly held his close to his cheek, and the boy stopped sobbing within seconds. There’s almost nothing more reassuring than the tender care of a loving parent.
In Scripture, there are many beautiful descriptions of God as a loving parent, images that invoke God’s deep love for His . Old Testament prophet Hosea was given a message to deliver to the Israelites living in the Northern Kingdom during the time of the divided kingdom. He called them to return to a relationship with God. Hosea reminded the Israelites of God’s love for them as he pictured God as a gentle Father: “when Israel was a , I loved him” (Hosea 11:1) and “to them I was like one who lifts a little to the cheek” (v. 4).
This same reassuring promise of God’s loving care is true for us. Whether we seek His tender care after a season where we’ve rejected His love or because of pain and suffering in our lives, He calls us His (1 John 3:1) and His comforting arms are open to receive us (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
How have you experienced the love of God as a caring Father? What concerns might you bring to Him today?
Heavenly Father, thank You that You call me Your and provide tender care when I run to You.
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Choices Matter
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Posted:Apr 17, 2024 6:38 am
Last Updated:Apr 23, 2024 11:8 pm 257 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Proverbs 14:8-12
Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 1-2; Luke 14:1-24
There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.
Proverbs 14:12
Pastor Damian’s schedule included hospital visits to two people nearing death who’d chosen two different life paths. In one hospital was a woman beloved by her family. Her selfless public service had endeared her to many. Other believers in Jesus had gathered around her, and worship, prayer, and hope filled the room. In another hospital, the relative of a member of Pastor Damian’s church was also dying. His hardened heart had led to a hard life, and his disheveled family lived in the wake of his poor decisions and misdeeds. The differences in the two atmospheres reflected the contrasts in how each had lived.
Those who fail to consider where they’re headed in life often find themselves stuck in uncomfortable, undesirable, and lonely places. Proverbs 14:12 notes that “there is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” Young or old, sick or well, wealthy or impoverished—it’s not too late to reexamine our path. Where will it lead? Does it honor God? Does it help or disrupt others? Is it the best path for a believer in Jesus?
Choices do matter. And the God of heaven will help us make the best choices as we turn to Him through His , Jesus, who said, “Come to me, . . . and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28.
What about your path of life needs reexamination or correction? What’s keeping you from asking for God’s help and courage to make corrections?
Dear Jesus, You’re the source of life. Please give me the courage and strength to surrender my life to You and do what honors You.
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Ready to Go for God
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Posted:Apr 16, 2024 5:15 am
Last Updated:Apr 23, 2024 11:8 pm 301 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16
Bible in a Year: 1 Samuel 30-31; Luke 13:23-35
I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Ephesians 4:1
The book Hidden Figures recounts preparations for John Glenn’s flight into space. Computers were newfangled inventions in 1962, subject to glitches. Glenn didn’t trust them and worried about calculations for the launch. He knew one brainy woman in the back room could run the numbers. He trusted her. “If she says the numbers are good,” Glenn said, “I’m ready to go.”
Katherine Johnson was a teacher and mother of three. She loved Jesus and served in her church. God had blessed Katherine with a remarkable mind. NASA tapped her in the late 1950s to help with the space program. She was Glenn’s “brainy woman,” one of the “human computers” they hired at the time.
We may not be called to be brilliant mathematicians, but God calls us to other things: “To each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it”
(Ephesians 4.7). We’re to “live a life worthy of the calling” we’ve received (v. 1). We’re part of one body, in which “each part does its work” (v. 16).
Katherine Johnson’s calculations confirmed the course trajectory. Glenn’s launch into orbit was like “hitting a bull’s-eye.” But this was just one of Katherine’s callings. Remember, she was called also to be a mother, teacher, and church worker. We might ask ourselves what God has called us to, whether big or small. Are we “ready to go,” exercising the grace-gifts He’s bestowed, living “a life worthy of [our] calling” (v. 1)?
What has God called you to do? How has He gifted you?
Dear God, please help me embrace what You’ve given me and live a life worthy of Your calling.
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At Home In Jesùs
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Posted:Apr 15, 2024 6:00 am
Last Updated:Apr 23, 2024 11:8 pm 332 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: John 14:1-7
Bible in a Year: 1 Samuel 27-29; Luke 13:1-22
If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me. John 14:3
“There’s no place like home,” says Dorothy, clicking the heels of her ruby slippers. In The Wizard of Oz, that was all it took to magically transport Dorothy and Toto from Oz back to their home in Kansas.
Unfortunately, there aren’t enough ruby slippers for everyone. Although many share Dorothy’s longing for home, finding that home—a place to belong—is sometimes easier said than done.
One of the consequences of living in a highly mobile, transient world is a sense of detachment—wondering if we’ll ever find a place where we truly belong. This feeling may also reflect a deeper reality, expressed by C. S. Lewis: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
The night before the cross, Jesus assured His friends of that home, saying, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” (John 14:2). A home where we are welcomed and loved.
Yet we can be at home now too. We’re part of a family—God’s church, and we live in community with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Until the day Jesus takes us to the home our hearts long for, we can live in His peace and joy. We’re always home with Him.
What makes you feel at home and why? How does knowing Jesus will take you to be with Him forever help you live here on earth?
God of love and grace, help me look forward to being at home with You, in Your presence, forever.
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God Knows Our Needs
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Posted:Apr 14, 2024 6:05 am
Last Updated:Apr 23, 2024 11:8 pm 371 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Matthew 6:25-34
Bible in a Year: 1 Samuel 25-26; Luke 12:32-59
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else. Matthew 6:33
Lando, a jeepney (a form of public transport in the Philippines) driver in Manila, gulped down coffee at a roadside stall. Daily commuters were back again after the Covid-19 lockdowns. And the sports event today means more passengers, he thought. I’ll get back lost income. Finally, I can stop worrying.
He was about to start driving when he spotted Ronnie on a bench nearby. The street sweeper looked troubled, like he needed to talk. But every minute counts, Lando thought. The more passengers, the more income. I can’t linger. But he sensed that God wanted him to approach Ronnie, so he did.
Jesus understood how difficult it is not to worry (Matthew 6:25-27), so He assures us that our heavenly Father knows exactly what we need (v. 32). We’re reminded not to be anxious, but to trust Him and devote ourselves to doing what He wants us to do (vv. 31-33). As we embrace and obey His purposes, we can have confidence that our Father who “clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire” will provide for us according to His will—just as He provides for all creation (v. 30).
Because of Lando’s conversation with Ronnie, the street sweeper eventually prayed to become a believer in Christ. “And God still provided enough passengers that day,” Lando shared. “He reminded me my needs were His concern, mine was simply to follow Him.”
What anxieties weigh on your heart? What steps can you take to surrender your cares to God?
Dear God, I don’t need to worry because You’ve promised to care and provide for me.
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