Posts with the category “daily-devotional”

“Then one of the Pharisees invited him to eat with him. He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table” - Luke 7:36 When studying Luke 7, you will see that the entire moment starts with a meal. A Pharisee invites Jesus to eat with him, and Jesus accepts. He shows up to the table knowing who invited Him. He knows the man’s heart. He knows the unspoken pride that fills the room. He knows ...  Read More

"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." - James 4:8 One of the most overlooked truths in the Christian life is that God does not just rule from a distance. He draws near. He wants a relationship. And He does not wait for us to get everything figured out before He starts moving toward us. He meets us in the mess. ...  Read More

"For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." - Romans 8:6-8 There are only two kinds of minds. One leads to life and peace, the other leads to death. It is not complicated, but it is serious. Sc...  Read More

"The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise. The precepts of the Lord are right, making the heart glad; the command of the Lord is radiant, making the eyes light up." - Psalm 19:7–8 Life will wear you down. You feel it in your bones some days. The pressure, the routine, the failures, the questions. We all go ...  Read More

"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" - 2 Corinthians 13:5 We spend a lot of time checking everything but our hearts. We check our bank account. We check our texts. We check the weather, the scoreboard, our emails, and our schedules. But how often...  Read More

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise." - Psalm 19:7 There are days when your faith feels weak. Days when your energy is gone, your spirit feels tired, and your motivation has all but disappeared. You’re not crazy. You’re not broken. You’re just running on empty. And the truth is, we all get there at some point. ...  Read More

“She brought an alabaster jar of perfume and stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears.” - Luke 7:37-38 There’s something powerful that happens when you come into the presence of Jesus. The woman in Luke 7 didn’t come with a speech. She didn’t bring credentials or a resume. She brought her brokenness. And that was enough. Her actions were raw and real. She wa...  Read More

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’” - John 20:21 There are some truths in life that are up for debate, but this isn’t one of them. When you open your Bible and actually read what Jesus says, there’s no way around it. Everyone who is saved is sent. That’s not up for discussion. It’s undeniable. We try to complicate it. We convince ou...  Read More

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” - Psalm 51:12 There are seasons when you are running on empty and barely notice it. You still go through the motions, but underneath the surface, your purpose feels blurry, your hope feels shaky, and your joy feels flat. This is exactly where renewal matters. Not just a better attitude, but a complete refresh of your s...  Read More

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” - Acts 16:25 In Acts 16, we see that Paul and Silas had just been beaten, arrested, and thrown in prison. Their crime? Casting a demon out of a young girl and upsetting the economy of the city. They did something right, and it landed them in a cell, bruised and bleeding. Most of us, if w...  Read More

“But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord” - Jonah 1:3 When God called Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach repentance, Jonah ran. Not just emotionally or spiritually, he literally ran in the opposite direction. God said to go east to Nineveh, and Jonah hopped a ship headed west to Tarshish. Why? Because obedience felt too uncomfortable. Nineveh was dangerous. It was full of p...  Read More

"Everyone who is saved is sent." - John 20:21 There is an uncomfortable truth we have to acknowledge as believers: being sent by God is rarely comfortable. In fact, if you look closely at the Bible, you’ll see a pattern. Every time God sends someone, there is discomfort. Being obedient to His call usually means stepping into the unknown, facing fear, or giving up something you thought you could no...  Read More

"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day might bring." – Proverbs 27:1 It only takes one day for everything to change. One day for the diagnosis. One day for the breakthrough. One day for the phone call that flips your world upside down. Or right-side up. We spend so much time planning, projecting, and assuming, but the truth is, we don’t control any of it. That’s why this prov...  Read More

“They broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts.” – Acts 2:46 Some things never change. From the earliest days of the church all the way back to the tent of Abraham, something sacred has happened around a table. When people sit down to share a meal, walls tend to come down, and something deeper gets stirred in the heart. The Bible shows us that food is oft...  Read More

“As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” – John 20:21 Most of us have no problem going when someone sends us. If your spouse sends you to grab milk, you go. If your boss sends you to a meeting, you show up. If your kids send you for a late-night snack run, you’re in the car before they finish the sentence. When people we care about or respect ask us to do something, we respond. But w...  Read More

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” – Acts 2:42 There is something unexplainably powerful about a shared meal. It has a way of softening hearts, opening conversations, and building relationships in ways that few other things can. That’s why families eat together. It’s why church events usually include food. And it’s why s...  Read More

“I have found the book of the law in the Lord’s temple.” - 2 Kings 22:8 The Word of God had been lost. Let that sink in. The very place where worship and sacrifice were supposed to happen, the temple of the Lord, no longer had His Word at the center of it. Generations of leadership had come and gone, and no one had noticed it was missing.  The high priest Hilkiah finds the book and gives it to Sha...  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 If you belong to Jesus, you have been called out of darkness. That is a beautiful reality. You are no longer stuck in your old life, no longer blind to the truth, no longer chained to the ...  Read More

“When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.” - 2 Kings 22:11 Imagine going to church your whole life, following whatever traditions were handed down to you, and then one day discovering the Bible for the first time. That is what happened in 2 Kings 22. After decades of spiritual darkness and rebellion, the Word of God was found again. When King Josiah heard it read ...  Read More

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” - Acts 2:42 Sometimes the simplest moments carry the most weight. Sharing a meal might seem like an ordinary thing, but when done with purpose, it becomes something holy. One of the easiest and most powerful ways to build meaningful relationships is to sit down and eat with someone. That...  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 We have all been sent by someone. Maybe your boss sent you to run an errand. Maybe your kids sent you to the store. Maybe your spouse sent you to grab something they forgot. You did not vo...  Read More

"But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect." - 1 Peter 3:15 You do not need a seminary degree to share Jesus, but you do need to know Him. That is the heartbeat behind today’s message. If someone asked you to explain quantum physics, you would proba...  Read More

"They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts." - Acts 2:46 Eating is one of the most common things we do. It is so essential that if we stop, we die. Everyone you know eats. They may not like the same music you do, watch the same sports you enjoy, or live the same lifestyle you live, but every single person you know shares this one thing: they eat. That reality ma...  Read More

"I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me." - John 15:5 We live in a world that praises self-sufficiency. We are taught from a young age to stand on our own two feet, to work hard, and to prove ourselves. So it is no surprise that many of us struggle to grasp what true spiritual dependence looks like. Yet...  Read More

"But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded." - 2 Chronicles 15:7 There is something inspiring about watching someone push through when everything tells them to quit. You can see it in athletes who keep training through injuries. You see it in marriages that have weathered decades of storms. And you see it in believers who keep walking by faith even when the answe...  Read More

"Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires." - Psalm 37:4 There is something powerful about desire when it is anchored in the right place. The promise in Psalm 37 is clear. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. But don’t miss that first part. The order matters. Delight in Him first, then He gives. Not the other way around. We live i...  Read More

"Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ And the blind man said to him, ‘Rabbi, let me recover my sight.’" - Mark 10:51 When Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus in Mark 10, the crowd tried to silence him. But he just got louder. He knew what he wanted, and when Jesus asked him directly, “What do you want me to do for you?” He did not hesitate. He had a clear desire, and he was not afraid...  Read More

“Then Jesus answered him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Rabboni,’ the blind man said to him, ‘I want to see.’” – Mark 10:51 Every now and then in life, we get the chance to make a bold request. A shot at asking for something big. But even then, most people play it safe. We ask for things that seem possible, things that feel reasonable, things we think we might deserve. Bartimaeus didn’t pl...  Read More

"For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." – John 3:16 We have looked at all kinds of exchanges lately. We have talked about trading comfort for the cross, selfishness for the Savior, and judgment for joy. But none of those matter without the one exchange that makes them all possible. The exchange...  Read More

"For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each according to what he has done." – Matthew 16:27 There is something strange about judgment. None of us likes to be on the receiving end of it, but somehow, we often feel justified when we are the ones handing it out. We may not say it out loud, but our thoughts can be quick to assume, quick...  Read More

"For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life?" – Matthew 16:26 There is a story about Lord Castlereagh, who once owned one of the most beautiful castles in all of Ireland. After years of abandonment, he returned to find the walls of his castle picked apart by locals who had scavenged the stones to build with. Ho...  Read More

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it." – Matthew 16:25 If we’re honest, most of us like control. We like to steer the ship, manage the schedule, and call the shots. We build our routines around predictability and comfort, and the moment something feels uncertain, we tighten our grip even more. But Jesus challenges us with something...  Read More

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." - Matthew 16:24 There is something brutal about a cross. It is not made for comfort. The wood is raw, the edges are splintered, and the weight is not just physical but emotional and spiritual too. It is not built for relaxation or ease. It is built for death. Jesus did no...  Read More

"If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself…" – Matthew 16:24 You do not have to teach a child to be selfish. It just comes naturally. Maybe that is why a story like this hits home. A mom was making pancakes for her two young boys, Tom and Ryan, when a fight broke out over who would get the first one. Seizing the moment, she said, “If Jesus were here, He would say, ‘Let my brother ha...  Read More

"For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life?" – Matthew 16:26 Jesus never asked empty questions. Every word He spoke was purposeful, meant to cut through the noise and reach the heart. In Matthew 16, He asks one of the most piercing questions of all. What does it really profit a person if they gain the world, b...  Read More

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” – Psalm 127:1 Years ago in Ireland, a man named Castlereagh inherited a beautiful but abandoned family castle. To protect it from being dismantled by the locals, he hired a mason to build a protective wall around it. He gave the plans and paid the price, expecting the castle to be preserved. But when he returned years later, the...  Read More

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:21 There’s an old story about a man named Castlereagh, heir to a once-great estate in Ireland. After generations of influence and wealth, the family castle sat abandoned, its stones being stolen piece by piece by the locals. Hoping to protect what remained, Castlereagh hired a mason to build a wall around the property. Years ...  Read More

“He blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.” – Matthew 14:19 Most of us love the idea of being a blessing. We want to be used by God, to make a difference in someone’s life, to offer something that matters. But the part we usually overlook is that our blessings often have to be broken before they can be multiplied. That truth shows up...  Read More

“Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up twelve baskets full of leftover pieces.” – Matthew 14:19-20 It’s one of the most familiar miracles in all of Scripture, but sometimes we’re so used to it that we forget just how staggering it really is. Thousands of people sitting on a hillside, hungry and tired after fol...  Read More

“And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’” – Luke 5:4–5 Sometimes God asks you to do something that just doesn’t make sense. In Luke 5, we read about a group of professional fishermen who had spent the entire night do...  Read More