Devotions

This is one of those passages we would rather avoid than think about.

Jesus is present when we worship God.

“Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and mind.”

Read Job 1:1-2:10. The story of Job challenges the idea that good things happen to good people and bad things… Read more: Why?

How does ego, pride, and insecurity figure into the kingdom of God?

In this reading, we find the hallmarks of a grace-filled community of faith: prayer, confession, healing, and restoration.

What signs help you to trust God’s promise of presence?

All of us are called to make small sacrifices for the well-being of the people around us.

The disciples’ inability to grasp Jesus’ teaching is almost comical.

It takes work and commitment to slow down long enough to consider the source and the motivation of what we say and do.

The scriptures are meant to be life-giving and nurturing.

Maybe it is because this woman takes time to rest in God and to recharge her spirit that she accomplishes so much.

“If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

How intentional are you about the words you choose to speak or write?

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

Who have been the wise counsels in your life?

Jesus pushes people to claim their worthiness.

Good works are the outflow of our faith.

If it had not been for the Lord on your side, where would you be?

We all come from the same Creator and source of life.

Jesus insists it’s what’s inside that matters.

We, as a culture, have become bad at listening to each other.

When you pray for our local, national, and international leaders, for what do you ask?

Love and belonging is a universal need.

With which teachings of Jesus do you struggle?

This is an invitation to trust God to equip us for every task.

We all have times when our souls feel parched and sun-scorched.

Solomon knows that God will not be contained.

“I am the living bread.”

How wisely do we spend our time?

God’s praise endures forever!

What qualities in a leader do you respect?

When Jesus says, “I am the bread of life,” what does that mean to you?

Here, Paul advises kindness, tenderheartedness, forgiveness, and living a life of sacrificial love like Jesus did.

Often, sin feels like a dark hole, a pit, a void.

The story of David and his son Absalom paints a picture of family dysfunction at its worst.

There are times when what we want is not necessarily what we need.

The express purpose of the gifts each has been given is for building up a healthy, whole body rather than elevating one over another.

Before we can open ourselves before God, we must take an honest look at our own hearts.

What role does trust have in a mutually accountable relationship?

There are times we may be tempted to think of our relationship with Jesus as transactional.

Being rooted and grounded in love is an answer to any prayer.

As humans, it is our tendency to define the world in terms of “us” and “them”.

Unrepentant sin has a way of spiraling.

How do you balance responding to needs and responsibilities in your life with your need for rest?

Through Jesus, we are joined together as members of one body.

Sin has real consequences in life and God, perhaps the first to practice “tough love”, doesn’t promise to protect us from that.

We are never outside the bounds of God’s love and God’s ability to redeem.

When you see injustice or wrongdoing, how readily to you call it out?

We have been chosen by the One who is the embodiment of love.

Which aspects of nature compel you to offer praise to the Creator?

Bringing the ark to Jerusalem, the entire company danced before the Lord with all their might, celebrating God’s presence.

This lesson holds two words against each other: fear and faith.

No one gives a gift with the expectation that it will be left in the box and hidden away on the top shelf.

Negativity has the potential to weigh us down.

Each of us has moments in life when we are called to be brave and daring.

Read Mark 4:26-34. A prayer by John van de Laar: We may not be able to confront queens, or challenge… Read more: Small Acts, Big Impact

To experience love, acceptance, and belonging in this way is transformative.

May God guide every leader in ways that lead to peace and unity and the common good.

In what ways do you find yourself judging others only by what is visible?

In the face of opposition, Jesus takes this on as a teaching moment.

A big part of faith in Jesus is trusting that God is continually at work.

“I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart.”

Despite the warnings, Israel persisted in asking for a king and that’s what they were given.

We can almost imagine a group of Pharisees trailing behind Jesus with little notebooks, giving him a little checkmark every time he breaks the rules.

“We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives.” ~Eugene Peterson

How might you keep your heart and mind centered on praise and thanksgiving?

In what situations might God be calling you to be a helper?

To truly experience God at work in the world, one must lay oneself open before God.

By nature, adoption is about being chosen, included, and loved.

Shalom isn’t just about the absence of war or conflict, but about the interconnectedness of creation.

What can we learn from Isaiah’s response, “Here am I; send me”?

How might we humbly go about proclaiming the kingdom about which Jesus spoke?

In every season, the earth gives thanks for God’s presence and provision.

There are no prerequisites for receiving the Gospel.

How can a time of waiting – of anticipation – of hopeful expectation – become a gift?

Knowing God more fully allows us to find hope in the mystery of grace.

It is God who ordered the universe in the first place and who actively works to bring it back into balance.

Once he has ascended, Jesus’ disciples stand there staring at the sky, waiting for him to do something else.

Here, Jesus is talking about the sacrificial nature of his love for his friends.

Because we have been loved fully by God through Jesus, we, too, can love.

All of creation gives God glory.

Part of the Holy Spirit’s work is to heal the divisions we humans tend to create.

How do you measure fruitfulness?

John reminds us that the best way to experience that love is to express it.

No matter how bad life gets, we can trust that we are not alone.

This story speaks to the cross-cultural nature of the gospel.

When Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd,” he is making a promise.

When we become saturated with God’s love, there is nowhere else for it to go, but to the people around us.

Today is a good day to spend some time with this familiar psalm.

Where does pride prevent you from being humble?

Despite any fear or reservation, the disciples gave Jesus a piece of fish.

When we inevitably sin, we have an advocate in Jesus, freeing us to begin again with a clean slate.

What keeps you awake at night?

In the freshness of each new morning is the opportunity to live and love as God intends.

Before he dares to believe, dares to hope, Thomas needs some evidence besides just the testimony of his friends.

From the earliest days of the church, Christian community has been a vital expression of faith.

What God has done in Christ is worth celebrating!

It is sometimes uncomfortable to sit in the mystery of the unknown.

“It is finished.”