Learning from Mistakes
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Posted:Jan 16, 2024 8:55 am
Last Updated:Jan 16, 2024 8:55 am 3066 Views
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Read: 1 Corinthians 10:1
Today's Devotional11
Bible in a Year: Genesis 39–40; Matthew 11
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us. 1 Corinthians 10:11
To help avoid future financial mistakes, such as those in 1929 and 2008 that brought down the world’s economy, the Library of Mistakes was founded in Edinburgh, Scotland. It features a collection of more than two thousand books that can help educate the next generation of economists. And it serves as a perfect example of how, according to the library’s curators, “smart people keep doing stupid things.” The curators believe that the only way to build a strong economy is to learn from prior mistakes.
Paul reminded the Corinthians that one way to avoid yielding to temptation and to have a strong spiritual life is to learn from the mistakes of God’s people in the past. So to make sure they wouldn’t become overconfident with their spiritual privilege, the apostle used ancient Israel’s failures as an example from which to gain wisdom. The Israelites engaged in idolatry, chose to “commit sexual immorality,” grumbled about the plans and purposes of God, and rebelled against His leaders. Due to their sin, they experienced His discipline (1 Corinthians 10.7–10). Paul presented these historical “examples” from Scripture to help believers in Jesus avoid repeating Israel’s mistakes (v. 11).
As God helps us, let’s learn from our mistakes and those made by others so that we might gain a heart of obedience for Him.
What warning should we recall when tempted to sin? How can we learn from our mistakes as well as the mistakes of others?
Dear God, please help me learn from failures so that I might be more obedient to You.
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Serving Others for Jesus
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Posted:Jan 15, 2024 3:59 am
Last Updated:Apr 24, 2024 1:11 pm 3067 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Mark 10:35–45
Bible in a Year: Genesis 36–38; Matthew 10:21–42
Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. Mark 10:43
Actress Nichelle Nichols is best remembered for playing Lieutenant Uhura in the original Star Trek series. Landing the role was a personal win for Nichols, making her one of the first African American women on a major TV show. But a greater win was to come of it.
Nichols had actually resigned from Star Trek after its first season, to return to her theater work. But then she met Martin Luther King Jr., who urged her not to leave. For the first time, he said, African Americans were being seen on TV as intelligent people who could do anything, even go to space. By playing Lieutenant Uhura, Nichols was achieving a greater win—showing Black women and what they could become.
It reminds me of the time James and John asked Jesus for the two best positions in His kingdom (Mark 10:37). What personal wins such positions would be! Jesus not only explained the painful realities of their request (vv. 38–40) but called them to higher goals, saying, “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (v. 43). His followers weren’t to seek personal wins alone but, like Him, use their positions to serve others (v. 45).
Nichelle Nichols stayed with Star Trek for the greater win it provided for African Americans. May we too never be content with a personal win alone but use whatever position we gain to serve others in His name.
What are your current personal and career goals? What doors could you open for others right now?
Dear Jesus, show me how to use my position to serve others in Your name.
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A Gaze Fixed on God
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Posted:Jan 14, 2024 5:46 am
Last Updated:Apr 24, 2024 1:11 pm 3093 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Isaiah 26:3-7
Bible in a Year: Genesis 33-35; Matthew 10:1-20
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you. Isaiah 26:3
Nineteenth-century Scottish pastor, Thomas Chalmers, once told the story of riding in a -drawn carriage in the Highlands region as it hugged a narrow mountain ledge, along a harrowing precipice. One of the horses startled, and the driver, fearing they would plummet to their death, repeatedly flicked his whip. After they made it past the danger, Chalmers asked the driver why he used the whip with such force. “I needed to give the horses something else to think about,” he said. “I needed to get their attention.”
In a world overflowing with threats and dangers all around us, we all need something else to arrest our attention. However, we need more than merely mental distraction—a kind of psychological trick. What we most need is to fasten our minds upon a reality more powerful than all our fears. As Isaiah told God’s people in Judah, what we truly need is to fix our minds on God. “You will keep in perfect peace,” Isaiah promises, “all who trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3 nlt). And we can “trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock” (v. 4 nlt).
Peace—this is the gift for all who fix their gaze on God. And His peace provides far more than only a technique for holding our worst thoughts at bay. For those who will surrender their future, their hopes, and their worries, the Spirit makes an entirely new way of life possible.
Where do you normally fix your attention? How might you renew your gaze on God?
Dear God, my mind can be a scary place, and I fear so much. Please give me Your peace.
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Persevering in Jesus
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Posted:Jan 13, 2024 6:16 am
Last Updated:Jan 13, 2024 6:22 am 3034 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Hebrews 12:1−3
Bible in a Year: Genesis 31−32; Matthew 9:18−38
Consider him who endured . . . so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:3
When I was studying in seminary years ago, we had a weekly chapel service. At one service, while we students were singing “Great Is the Lord,” I spotted three of our well-loved professors singing with fervor. Their faces radiated joy, made possible only by their faith in God. Years later, as each went through terminal illness, it was this faith that enabled them to endure and encourage others.
Today, the memory of my teachers singing continues to encourage me to keep going in my trials. To me, they’re a few of the many inspiring stories of people who lived by faith. They’re a reminder of how we can follow the author’s call in Hebrews 12:2−3 to fix our eyes on Jesus who “for the joy set before him . . . endured the cross” (v. 2).
When trials—from persecution or life’s challenges—make it hard to keep going, we have the example of those who took God at His word and trusted in His promises. We can “run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (v. 1), remembering that Jesus—and those who have gone before us—was able to endure. The writer urges us to “consider him . . . so that [we] will not grow weary and lose heart” (v. 3).
My teachers, now happy in heaven, would likely say: “The life of faith is worth it. Keep going.”
Who’s inspired you to keep going in your faith journey? How does their example encourage you to endure in times of trial and hardship?
Dear Jesus, help me to keep fixing my eyes on You. When I’m weary and losing heart, thank You for Your example.
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God’s Worker
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Posted:Jan 12, 2024 6:03 am
Last Updated:Apr 24, 2024 1:11 pm 3031 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Genesis 39:19–23
Bible in a Year: Genesis 29–30; Matthew 9:1–17
The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. Genesis 39:23
In a refugee camp in the Middle East, when Reza received a Bible, he came to know and believe in Jesus. His first prayer in Christ’s name was, “Use me as your worker.” Later, after he left the camp, God answered that prayer when he unexpectedly secured a job with a relief agency, returning to the camp to serve the people he knew and loved. He set up sports clubs, language classes, and legal advice—“anything that can give people hope.” He sees these programs as a way to serve others and to share God’s wisdom and love.
When reading his Bible, Reza felt an instant connection with the story of Joseph from Genesis. He noticed how God used Joseph to further His work while he was in prison. Because God was with Joseph, He showed him kindness and granted him favor. The prison warden put Joseph in charge and didn’t have to pay attention to matters there because God gave Joseph “success in whatever he did”
(Genesis 39:23).
God promises to be with us too. Whether we’re facing imprisonment—literal or figurative—hardship, displacement, heartache, or sorrow, we can trust that He’ll never leave us. Just as He enabled Reza to serve those in the camp and Joseph to run the prison, He’ll stay close to us always.
When have you experienced God’s redeeming action, such as Reza and Joseph did? How does Joseph’s story help you to trust Him more?
Saving God, You never leave me, even when I face the hardest of circumstances. Please give me hope and eyes to see Your work in my life.
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A Simple Request
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Posted:Jan 11, 2024 6:10 am
Last Updated:Apr 24, 2024 1:11 pm 2895 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: John 21:17–24
Bible in a Year: Genesis 27–28; Matthew 8:18–34
If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me. John 21:22
“Please clean the front room before you go to bed,” I said to one of my daughters. Instantly came the reply, “Why doesn’t she have to do it?”
Such mild resistance was frequent in our home when our girls were young. My response was always the same: “Don’t worry about your sisters; I asked you.”
In John 21, we see this human tendency illustrated among the disciples. Jesus had just restored Peter after he’d denied Him three times (see John 18:15–18, 25–27). Now Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me!” (21:19)—a simple but painful command. Jesus explained that Peter would follow Him to the death (vv. 18–19).
Peter barely had time to comprehend Jesus’ words before he asked about the disciple behind them: “What about him?” (v. 21). Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” Then He said, “You must follow me” (v. 22).
How often we’re like Peter! We wonder about the faith journeys of others and not what God is doing with us. Late in his life, when the death Jesus foretold in John 21 was much closer, Peter elaborated on Christ’s simple command: “As obedient , do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do” (1 Peter 1:14–15). That’s enough to keep each of us focused on Jesus and not on those around us.
How are you tempted to compare your faith walk with others? How will you keep your focus on Jesus today?
Heavenly Father, please continue to conform me into the image of Your .
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A call To Prayer
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Posted:Jan 10, 2024 4:32 am
Last Updated:Apr 24, 2024 1:11 pm 3134 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Nehemiah 1:4–11
Bible in a Year: Genesis 25–26; Matthew 8:1–17
I sat down and wept. . . . I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Nehemiah 1:4
Abraham Lincoln confided to a friend, “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.” In the horrific years of the American Civil War, President Lincoln not only spent time in fervent prayer but also called the country to join him. In 1861, he proclaimed a “day of humiliation, prayer and fasting.” And he did so again in 1863, stating, “It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God: to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon.”
After the Israelites had been captives in Babylon for seventy years, King Cyrus decreed that any Israelite who wanted to return to Jerusalem could return. When Nehemiah, an Israelite (Nehemiah 1:6) and cupbearer to the king of Babylon (v. 11), learned that those who had returned were “in great trouble and disgrace” (v. 3), he “sat down and wept” and spent days mourning, fasting and praying (v. 4). He wrestled in prayer for his nation (vv. 5–11). And later, he too called his people to fast and pray (9:1–37).
Centuries later, in the days of the Roman Empire, the apostle Paul similarly urged his readers to pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1–2). Our God still hears our prayers about matters that affect the lives of others.
Why do you think God calls His people to pray for everyone? Who beyond your own circle can you pray for?
Dear Father, we’re in trouble. Please help and heal us.
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Love Beyond Counting
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Posted:Jan 9, 2024 7:43 am
Last Updated:Apr 24, 2024 1:11 pm 5068 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Jeremiah 31:1–6
Bible in a Year: Genesis 23–24; Matthew 7
I have loved you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” Those words from Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnets from the Portuguese are among the best-known poetry in the English language. She wrote them to Robert Browning before they were married, and he was so moved that he encouraged her to publish her entire collection of poems. But because the language of the sonnets was very tender, out of a desire for personal privacy Barrett published them as if they were translations from a Portuguese writer.
Sometimes we can feel awkward when we openly express affection for others. But the Bible, by contrast, doesn’t hold back on its presentation of God’s love. Jeremiah recounted God’s affection for His people with these tender words: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3). Even though His people had turned from Him, God promised to restore them and personally draw them near. “I will come to give rest to Israel,” He told them (v. 2).
Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s restorative love, giving peace and rest to any who turn to Him. From the manger to the cross to the empty tomb, He’s the personification of God’s desire to call a wayward world to Himself. Read the Bible cover to cover and you’ll “count the ways” of God’s love over and over; but eternal as they are, you’ll never come to their end.
What are some of the ways God has loved you? How can you return His love today?
Thank You for loving me so fully and personally, Jesus! Help me to love You with my life today.
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Willing Savior
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Posted:Jan 8, 2024 2:10 am
Last Updated:Apr 24, 2024 1:11 pm 20514 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Romans 5:6–8
Bible in a Year: Genesis 20–22; Matthew 6:19–34
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
While driving late at night, Nicholas saw a house on fire. He parked in the driveway, rushed into the burning home, and led four to safety. When the teenage babysitter realized one of the siblings was still inside, she told Nicholas. Without hesitation, he reentered the inferno. Trapped on the second floor with the six-year-old girl, Nicholas broke a window. He jumped to safety with the in his arms, just as emergency teams arrived at the scene. Choosing concern for others over himself, he rescued all the .
Nicholas demonstrated heroism by his willingness to sacrifice his safety for the sake of others. This powerful act of love reflects the kind of sacrificial love shown by another willing rescuer who gave His life to deliver us from sin and death—Jesus. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). The apostle Paul emphasized that Jesus—fully God in the flesh and fully man—chose to lay His life down and pay the price for our sins, a price we could never pay on our own. “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (v. 8.
As we thank and trust Jesus, our willing Savior, He can empower us to love others sacrificially with our words and actions.
How do you feel when you consider the price Jesus willingly paid because He loves you? How can you put the needs of others before yourself this week?
Dear Jesus, help me trust in Your provision as I place others first today.
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Ripe for God’s Restoration
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Posted:Jan 7, 2024 6:47 am
Last Updated:Apr 24, 2024 1:11 pm 21340 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Psalm 80:1, 7–14, 19
Bible in a Year: Genesis 18–19; Matthew 6:1–18
Restore us, God Almighty; . . . that we may be saved. Psalm 80.7
The pictures coming from a friend’s text stream were stunning! Photos of a surprise gift for his wife revealed a restored 1965 Ford Mustang: brilliant, dark blue exterior; sparkling chrome rims; reupholstered black interior; and a motor to match the other upgrades. There were also “before” pictures of the same vehicle—a dull, worn, unimpressive yellow version. While it may be difficult to envision, it’s likely that when the vehicle rolled off the assembly line, it was also an eye-catcher. But time, wear and tear, and other factors had made it ripe for restoration.
Ripe for restoration! Such was the condition of God’s people in Psalm 80 and thus the repeated prayer: “Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved” (v. 3; see vv. 7, 19). Though their history had included rescue from Egypt and being planted in a land of plenty (vv. 8–11), the good times had come and gone. Because of rebellion, they were experiencing the hand of God’s judgment
(vv. 12–13). Thus, their plea: “Return to us, God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see!” (v. 14).
Do you ever feel dull, distant, or disconnected from God? Is joyful soul-satisfaction missing? Is it because alignment with Jesus and His purposes is missing? God hears our prayers for restoration (v. 1). What’s keeping you from asking?
When have you experienced the restorative, reviving work of God? What areas of your life need restoration now?
Father, I long for Your restoration. Help me to see my need for it and to receive it.
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