Happy Trust
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Posted:Mar 20, 2024 4:55 am
Last Updated:Mar 20, 2024 4:57 am 1007 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Psalm 40:1–5
Bible in a Year: Joshua 4–6; Luke 1:1–20
Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. Psalm 40:4
A woman rescued Rudy from the animal shelter days before he was to be euthanized, and the became her companion. For ten years, Rudy slept calmly beside Linda’s bed, but then he abruptly began to jump next to her and lick her face. Linda scolded him, but every night, Rudy repeated the behavior. “Soon he was jumping on my lap to lick my face every time I sat down,” Linda said.
As she was planning to take Rudy to obedience school, she began to consider how insistent Rudy was and how he always licked her in the same spot on her jaw. Sheepishly, Linda went to a doctor who found a microscopic tumor (bone cancer). The doctor told Linda that if she’d waited longer, it probably would’ve killed her. Linda had trusted Rudy’s instincts, and she was happy she did.
The Scriptures tell us repeatedly that trusting God leads to life and joy. “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,” the psalmist says (40:4). Some translations make the point even starker: “Happy are those who make the Lord their trust” (v. 4 ). Happy in the psalms communicates abundance—an erupting, effervescent joy.
When we trust God, the ultimate result is deep, genuine happiness. This trust may not come easily, and the results may not be everything we envision. But if we trust God, we’ll be so happy we did.
What makes it difficult for you to trust God? How does it alter things if you begin to really believe that trusting Him leads you to happiness?
Dear God, I want the kind of happiness that only You can bring. But it’s hard for me to trust. Will You help me?
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Master In Heaven
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Posted:Mar 19, 2024 4:27 am
Last Updated:Apr 20, 2024 1:14 am 1029 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Colossians 3:22-4:1
Bible in a Year: Joshua 1–3; Mark 16
Masters, treat your servants considerately. Be fair with them. Don’t forget for a minute that you, too, serve a Master—God in heaven. Colossians 4:1
Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower announced in 2022 that all migrant domestic workers must be given at least one rest day a month that employers couldn’t compensate them for instead of giving them the day off. Employers, however, were concerned they wouldn’t have someone to care for their loved ones on those days. While the logistics of caregiving could be solved by making alternative arrangements, their attitude in not seeing the need for rest wasn’t as easy to solve.
Treating others considerately isn’t a new issue. The apostle Paul lived in a time where servants were seen as the property of their masters. Yet, in the last line of his instructions to the church on how Christlike households should operate, he says that masters are to treat their servants “justly” (Colossians 4:1 esv). Another translation says, “Be fair with them” (the message).
Just as Paul tells the servants to work “for the Lord, not for human masters” (3:23), he reminds the masters also of Jesus’ authority over them: “you also have a Master in heaven” (4:1). His purpose was to encourage the Colossian believers to live as those whose ultimate authority is Christ. In our interaction with others—whether as an employer, employee, in our homes or communities—we can ask God to help us do what’s “right and fair” (v. 1).
When haven’t you treated someone fairly? In your work or home, what changes will you make to treat others considerately?
Heavenly Father, please forgive me for times when I don’t treat others fairly. Help me to submit to You as the Master of my life.
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“I AM”
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Posted:Mar 18, 2024 5:32 am
Last Updated:Apr 20, 2024 1:14 am 1064 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Exodus 3:11–15
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 32–34; Mark 15:26–47
God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” Exodus 3:14
Jack, a professor of philosophy and literature, had a brilliant mind. He’d declared himself an atheist at the age of fifteen and in adulthood adamantly defended his “atheistic faith.” Christian friends tried to persuade him. As Jack put it, “Everyone and everything had joined the other side.” But the Bible, he had to admit, was different from other literature and myths. About the Gospels he wrote: “If ever a myth had become fact, had been incarnated, it would be just like this.”
One Bible passage became most influential to Jack—Exodus 3. God was calling Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” (v. 11). God responded, “I am who I am” (v. 14). This passage is a complex play on words and names but reflects God’s eternal presence from the beginning. Interestingly, later Jesus echoed the same when he said, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58.
Jack, better known as C. S. Lewis, was deeply persuaded by this passage. This was all that the one true God should need to say—simply that He is the “I am.” In a life-changing moment, Lewis “gave in, and admitted God was God.” This was the beginning of a journey for Lewis toward accepting Jesus.
Perhaps we struggle with belief, as Lewis did, or maybe with a lukewarm faith. We might ask ourselves if God is truly the “I am” in our lives.
What does it mean to you to hear God say, “I am”? How might it influence your days ahead?
Dear God, I come to You in awe of who You are. You are the “I am” in my life, and there is no other.
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Kingdom-Minded Leadership
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Posted:Mar 17, 2024 4:53 am
Last Updated:Apr 20, 2024 1:14 am 1079 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Numbers 11:16–17, 27–29
in a Year: Deuteronomy 30–31; Mark 15:1–25
I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them! Numbers 11:29
When I joined a group of Christian ’s book authors who prayed for one another and helped spread the word about each other’s books, some people said we were “foolish for working with competitors.” But our group was committed to kingdom-minded leadership and promoting community, not competition. We shared the same goal—spreading the gospel. We served the same King—Jesus. Together, we’re reaching more people with our witness for Christ.
When God asked Moses to choose seventy elders with leadership experience, He said, “I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone” (Numbers 11:16–17). Later, Joshua saw two of the elders prophesying and told Moses to stop them. Moses said, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”
(v. 29).
Any time we focus on competition or comparisons that hinder us from working with others, the Holy Spirit can empower us to shrug off that temptation. When we ask God to nurture kingdom-minded leadership in us, He spreads the gospel around the world and can even lighten our loads as we serve Him together.
How have you teamed up with others to serve God? Who can you support as they serve Him with their unique gifts?
Holy Spirit, please make me a kingdom-minded leader committed to working together to reach more people with the life-saving message of the gospel.
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Share Your Faith
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Posted:Mar 16, 2024 6:04 am
Last Updated:Apr 20, 2024 1:14 am 1076 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Acts 16:1–10
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 28–29; Mark 14:54–72
Come over to Macedonia and help us. Acts 16:9
In 1701, the Church of England founded the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in order to send missionaries around the globe. The motto they chose was transiens adiuva nos—Latin for “Come over and help us!” This has been the call on gospel ambassadors since the first century, as followers of Jesus take the message of His love and forgiveness to a world in desperate need of it.
The phrase “come over and help us” comes from the “Macedonian call” described in Acts 16. Paul and his team had arrived at Troas on the west coast of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey, v. 8. There, “Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us’ ” (v. 9). Having received the vision, Paul and his companions “got ready at once to leave for Macedonia” (v. 10). They understood the vital importance of the call.
Not everyone is called to cross the seas, but we can support those who do with our prayers and finances. And all of us can tell someone, whether across the room, the street, or the community, about the good news of Jesus. Let’s pray that our good God will enable us to cross over and give people the greatest help of all—the opportunity for forgiveness in Jesus’ name.
Where is God calling you to share your faith? How might He empower you to do this today?
Loving Father, You sent Your for our rescue and forgiveness. Equip me to be an agent of Your great good news that forgiveness and freedom are available to whoever will receive Jesus by faith.
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Eternal Legacy
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Posted:Mar 15, 2024 5:27 am
Last Updated:Apr 20, 2024 1:14 am 1090 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Ecclesiastes 5:8–15
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 26–27; Mark 14:27–53
I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners. Ecclesiastes 5:13
As Dust Bowl sandstorms ravaged the United States during the Great Depression, John Millburn Davis, a resident of Hiawatha, Kansas, decided to make a name for himself. A self-made millionaire with no , Davis might have invested in charity or economic development. Instead, at great expense, he commissioned eleven life-size statues of himself and his deceased wife to stand in the local cemetery.
“They hate me in Kansas,” Davis told journalist Ernie Pyle. Local residents wanted him to fund the construction of public facilities like a hospital, swimming pool, or park. Yet all he said was, “It’s my money and I spend it the way I please.”
King Solomon, the wealthiest man of his day, wrote, “Whoever loves money never has enough,” and “as goods increase, so do those who consume them”
(Ecclesiastes 5:10–11). Solomon had grown keenly aware of the corrupting tendencies of wealth.
The apostle Paul also understood the temptation of wealth and chose to invest his life in obedience to Jesus. Awaiting execution in a Roman prison, he wrote triumphantly, “I am already being poured out like a drink offering . . . . I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:6–7).
What lasts isn’t what we chisel in stone or hoard for ourselves. It’s what we give out of love for each other and for Him—the One who shows us how to love.
What will others remember about you? What changes might you need to make as you ponder your eternal legacy?
Heavenly Father, please help me pour out my life for others in some small way today.
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God Alone Can Satisfy
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Posted:Mar 14, 2024 5:24 am
Last Updated:Apr 20, 2024 1:14 am 1158 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Genesis 25:29–34
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 23–25; Mark 14:1–26
When Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in [and] said to Jacob, . . . “I’m famished!” Genesis 25:29–30
A thousand dollars of food—jumbo shrimp, shawarma, salads, and more—was delivered to a homeowner. But the man wasn’t having a party. In fact, he didn’t order the smorgasbord; his six-year-old did. How did this happen? The father let his play with his phone before bedtime, and the boy used it to purchase the expensive bounty from several restaurants. “Why did you do this?” the father asked his , who was hiding under his comforter. The six-year-old replied, “I was hungry.” The boy’s appetite and immaturity led to a costly outcome.
Esau’s appetite cost him a lot more than a thousand dollars. The story in
Genesis 25 finds him exhausted and desperate for food. He said to his brother, “Let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (v. 30). Jacob responded by asking for Esau’s birthright (v. 31). The birthright included Esau’s special place as the firstborn , the blessing of God’s promises, a double portion of the inheritance, and the privilege of being the spiritual leader of the family. Giving in to his appetite, Esau “ate and drank” and “despised his birthright” (v. 34).
When we’re tempted and desire something, instead of letting our appetites lead us to costly mistakes and sin, let’s reach out to our heavenly Father—the One who alone satisfies the hungry soul “with good things” (Psalm 107:9).
When have you allowed temptation to cost you a great deal? Why can only God satisfy your deepest longings?
Dear God, please help me to remember my spiritual birthright when I’m tempted to sin.
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Cries Of Distress
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Posted:Mar 13, 2024 5:35 am
Last Updated:Apr 20, 2024 1:14 am 1140 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Psalm 118:1–9
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 20–22; Mark 13:21–37
When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place.
Psalm 118:5
Trapped under two floors of collapsed rubble caused by an earthquake, five-year-old Jinan, a Syrian girl, called out to rescuers as she shielded her little brother from the debris surrounding them. “Get me out of here; I’ll do anything for you,” she called heartbreakingly. “I’ll be your servant.”
Cries of distress are found throughout the Psalms: “When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord” (118:5). While we may never experience the crushing weight of earthquake-collapsed buildings, we all recognize the suffocating fears from a challenging medical diagnosis, economic hardship, uncertainty about the future, or relational loss.
In those moments we may offer bargains to God for deliverance. But God doesn’t need to be persuaded to help. He promises to answer, and while it may not be relief from our situation, He’ll be with us and on our side. Nor do we need to fear any other peril—including death. We can say with the psalmist, “The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies” (v. 7).
We’re not promised as dramatic a rescue as Jinan and her brother experienced, but we can trust our faithful God, who brought the psalmist “into a spacious place”
(v. 5). He knows our situation and He’ll never abandon us, even in death.
How has God shown Himself faithful when you’re in distress? How have you recognized His presence during difficult times?
Heavenly Father, I call to You knowing that You hear me. Thank You for being faithful and loving.
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Courage in Christ
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Posted:Mar 12, 2024 4:57 am
Last Updated:Apr 20, 2024 1:14 am 1121 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Esther 4:10–17
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 17–19; Mark 13:1–20
I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.
4:16
Near the dawn of the twentieth century, Mary McDowell lived worlds apart from the brutal stockyards of Chicago. Although her home was just twenty miles away, she knew little about the horrific labor conditions that prompted workers in the stockyards to strike. Once she learned of the difficulties faced by them and their families, McDowell moved in and lived among them—advocating for better conditions. She ministered to their needs, including teaching at a school in the back of a small shop.
Standing up for better conditions for others—even when not directly impacted—is something Esther did as well. She was the queen of Persia (Esther 2:17) and had a different set of privileges than her Israelite people who’d been dispersed throughout Persia as exiles. Yet Esther took up the cause of the Israelites in Persia and risked her life for them, saying, “I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish” (4:16). She could have remained silent, for her husband, the king, didn’t know she was Jewish (2:10). But, choosing not to ignore her relatives’ pleas for help, she worked courageously to reveal an evil plot to destroy the Jews.
We may not be able to take on massive causes like Mary McDowell or Queen Esther, but may we choose to see the needs of others and use what God has provided to help them.
How are you using what you possess to help others? What role can you play in providing for those who may not live near you?
Dear God, please give me the wisdom and courage to serve those in need.
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Remember the Creator
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Posted:Mar 11, 2024 4:15 am
Last Updated:Mar 11, 2024 4:18 am 1114 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Ecclesiastes 9.7–10
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 14–16; Mark 12:28–44
Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. Ecclesiastes 9.7
I recently read a novel about a woman who refuses to acknowledge she has terminal cancer. When Nicola’s exasperated friends force her to face the truth, the reason for her avoidance emerges. “I’ve wasted my life,” she tells them. Though born with talents and wealth, “I made nothing of my life. I was sloppy. I never stuck at anything.” The prospect of leaving the world now, feeling she’d achieved little, was too painful for Nicola to contemplate.
I was reading Ecclesiastes around the same time and found the contrast stark. Its Teacher won’t let us avoid the reality of the grave, “the realm of the dead, where you are going” (9:10). And while this is hard to face (v. 2), it can lead us to value every moment we have now (v. 4), intentionally enjoying our food and families
(vv. 7–9), working purposefully (v. 10), taking adventures and risks (11:1, 6), and doing it all before the God we’ll one day answer to (v. 9; 12:13–14).
Nicola’s friends point out that her faithfulness and generosity to them proves her life hasn’t been a waste. But maybe the Teacher’s advice can save us all from such a crisis at the end of our lives: remember our Creator (12:1), follow His ways, and embrace every opportunity to live and love that today He provides.
How will you take delight in today’s simple, God-honoring joys? What one good thing have you yet to do or attempt?
Loving God, thank You for today and the gifts it holds. I’ll enjoy its simple joys and embrace its opportunities as an act of worship to You.
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