Posts with the category “daily-devotional”

"Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, he blessed them and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds." - Matthew 14:19 One of the most well-known miracles in Scripture is the feeding of the five thousand. It is the only miracle, outside the resurrection, that is recorded in all four gospels. That tells us something. It mat...  Read More

“For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved.” – 1 Corinthians 1:18 There is something about the cross that just doesn’t make sense to the world. Always has been. Always will be. Think about it. A sinless Savior dying for sinners who didn’t deserve it. A King giving up His crown to carry a cross. A God who could have cru...  Read More

"Jesus answered them, ‘My teaching isn’t mine but is from the one who sent me.’” – John 7:16 Jesus lived every second of His life for the glory of the Father. That was His focus. That was His motivation. He didn’t seek applause or chase popularity. His message and His methods were shaped entirely by the will of God, not the opinions of people. Even though He lived in perfect obedience, people stil...  Read More

“Jesus replied to them, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’” – Luke 5:31-32 Sometimes obedience to God will confuse people. It did when Jesus walked the earth, and it still does now. His way of reaching people didn’t fit inside the boxes religious leaders had built. He healed at the wrong tim...  Read More

"But the Pharisees and scribes were complaining, 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.'" – Luke 15:2 Jesus had a habit of doing things that didn’t make sense to the religious crowd. He healed on the Sabbath. He touched lepers. He ate with tax collectors. He welcomed children. He told stories instead of giving lectures. Time after time, His methods were questioned. And they still are. If y...  Read More

"Then Mary took a pound of perfume, pure and expensive nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped his feet with her hair." – John 12:3 When Mary poured out that expensive perfume on Jesus in John 12, she wasn't trying to be impressive. She wasn’t calculating the cost or concerned about what others would say. She was simply expressing her love for Him in the purest way she knew how. And yet, the moment...  Read More

"This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." – John 11:4 Sometimes God’s plan doesn’t make sense in real time. We pray, we wait, and we watch as the situation gets worse instead of better. Just like Mary and Martha, we wonder why Jesus doesn’t show up when we think He should. Their brother Lazarus was sick, and they believed...  Read More

"Jesus wept. So the Jews said, 'See how he loved him!' But some of them said, 'Couldn’t he who opened the blind man’s eyes also have kept this man from dying?'" – John 11:35-37 Have you ever done something with the right heart, only to have someone question why you really did it? That stings. Maybe you helped someone, and people assumed you had an angle. Maybe you gave generously, and someone thou...  Read More

"The one who says he remains in him should walk just as he walked" – 1 John 2:6 When you really study the life of Jesus, it becomes clear pretty quickly that He didn’t live in a way that made sense to most people. He confused the religious elite, frustrated the powerful, and shocked the crowds. And yet, He lived with purpose, clarity, and compassion every step of the way. The truth is, Jesus lived...  Read More

"Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God" - Romans 12:2 Let’s just say it plain, living for Jesus will not make sense to most people. It never has, and it never will. Following Christ means standing out, not blending in. It means refusing to be shaped by the patterns of this world ...  Read More

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" - 1 Peter 2:9 Following Jesus is not supposed to blend in. It’s meant to stand out. The more broken and self-focused the world becomes, the more our lives should cause people to ask questions. Not becaus...  Read More

"Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven" - Matthew 5:16 Life is full of surprises. Some bring joy. Others bring stress. You find a twenty-dollar bill in an old jacket and smile. You open an unexpected bill, and your stomach sinks. Surprise is just part of life. But have you ever thought about how your life might surprise som...  Read More

"And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread" - Matthew 6:28 There’s a kind of tired that sleep does not fix. The kind where your mind keeps racing even when your body is still. The kind where you wake up more exhausted than when you went to bed. Jesus knew that kind of tired, and He spoke right into it. He used wildflowers to ...  Read More

"Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?" - Matthew 6:25 Most of us do not need someone to tell us life is heavy. We already feel it. The weight of responsibility. The pressure to perform. The constant tug-of-war between what we can control and wha...  Read More

"For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them" - Matthew 6:32 There is a tightness that comes with worry. You feel it in your chest. In your shoulders. In your jaw. It shows up when you are gripping life too hard, convinced that if you just hold on tighter, things will finally come together. But that grip is not strength. It is fear dressed up a...  Read More

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you." - Matthew 6:33 Out in the fields, wildflowers bloom without trying. They do not strain to grow or panic about the weather. They just receive. God provides the sun, the rain, and the soil. Everything they need comes from outside themselves. And Jesus says we should take a good look at that. Tha...  Read More

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things" - Colossians 3:2 Worry does not always start big. It can begin with a glance. A thought. A tiny distraction that slowly grows until it grabs hold of your full attention. The more you stare at it, the bigger it gets. Jesus knew this. That is why when He talked about worry, He did not just say stop it. He told us to change what we are looking a...  Read More

"Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying?" - Matthew 6:27 Sometimes Jesus taught by telling stories. Other times, He taught by asking questions. And in Matthew 6, He fires off a whole bunch of them. Not to confuse us, but to get us thinking. Because worry makes you ask all the wrong questions. What if this happens? What if that falls apart? What if I cannot hold it all together?...  Read More

"Consider the birds of the sky, they don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?" - Matthew 6:26 Most of the time, worry does not come from what is actually happening. It comes from how we see what is happening. That is why Jesus did not just tell folks to stop worrying in Matthew 6. He showed them a better way to see. A new perspec...  Read More

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you" - Matthew 6:33 Everybody wants to feel secure. You want to know that the bills will get paid. That your kids will be alright. That your body will stay healthy. That the people you love will stick around. But the more you try to control everything, the more it slips through your fingers. That is...  Read More

"Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you" - 1 Peter 5:7 Worry has a way of growing in the quiet places. It does not always shout. Sometimes it whispers. A passing thought. A what-if. A small feeling in the pit of your stomach that builds until you cannot sleep at night. Worry creeps in like a weed, and if you do not deal with it, it will take over everything. It started back in th...  Read More

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?" - Matthew 6:25 Worry sneaks up on all of us. It may come in quiet moments or in the middle of a storm, but it always asks the same question. What if? What if things fall apart? What if the money ...  Read More