Posts with the category “daily-devotional”

"To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba Father. So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God." - Galatians 4:5-7 Many people think Christianity is about trying harder. Trying to be good enough. Trying to earn favor. Trying to work...  Read More

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." - John 1:14 Most people believe in God on some level, but many picture Him as distant. Powerful, yes. Holy, yes. But close? Personal? Present in the everyday details of life? That is harder to believe. Yet this is exactly what John wants us to see. When he writes that Jesus “dwelt among us,” he uses a word that means to pitch a tent, to set up a home...  Read More

"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John." - John 1:6 Purpose is not something you create. It is something you receive. John the Baptist is a perfect example. Scripture does not simply say that John appeared. It says he was sent. His life was not random or accidental. God formed him, called him, and placed him in a specific moment in history to prepare the way for Jesus. John understood...  Read More

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son." - Galatians 4:4 When God wanted to fulfill His greatest promises, He did not send an angel, a prophet, or a message written in the sky. He sent a Person. He sent His Son. The incarnation is the clearest proof that God keeps His word and that His promises are never distant or detached. They arrive wrapped in the presence of Jesus Chr...  Read More

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:14 In the Old Testament, the glory of God was something people approached with fear and caution. It appeared in clouds, fire, temples, and tabernacles. It was real, but it was distant. People could only catch glimpses of it from afar. They knew God...  Read More

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone." - Isaiah 9:2 Darkness is not just the absence of light. It affects you. Anyone who has spent time in physical darkness knows how quickly it begins to change your thoughts, your senses, and your stability. You lose your sense of direction. You feel unsettled. You struggl...  Read More

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." - Proverbs 19:21 Life can feel unpredictable. Plans change without warning. Circumstances shift in ways you never expected. Moments that felt secure can suddenly become overwhelming. When you look at the world or even your own situation, it can seem like everything is spinning out of control. But Scriptur...  Read More

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son." - Galatians 4:4 Timing affects everything. When something comes too early, you are not ready for it. When something comes too late, you feel forgotten or frustrated. Most of life sits in the tension between what you want right now and what God is preparing for later. That is why Galatians 4:4 is so powerful. It reminds you that the ...  Read More

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:14 There is something powerful about someone choosing to stay close. Anyone can care from a distance. Anyone can send help from far away. But real love moves in. Real love steps into your world. That is what makes the incarnation so incredible. God...  Read More

"Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - John 8:12 Light is essential for life. Without it, nothing grows, nothing thrives, and nothing survives. Darkness is not just the absence of brightness. It suffocates, confuses, and distorts what is real. That is why the Bible uses darkness to describe...  Read More

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son." - Galatians 4:4 We spend a lot of time planning our lives. We dream, prepare, adjust, and try our best to make everything fit the way we imagine it should. But life has a way of reminding us that our plans are fragile. They shift. They collapse. They disappoint us. In those moments, it is easy to feel like everything is falling apar...  Read More

"Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed. All came to pass." - Joshua 21:45 Promises carry weight, but only when the one making the promise can be trusted. Most of us know what broken promises feel like. People change. Circumstances shift. Even with good intentions, we fail each other. But Joshua reminds us of something different. He stood bef...  Read More

“Jesus said to him, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!’” – John 21:22 In John 21, we see that Peter had just been restored by Jesus after denying Him. He was given a mission and a calling. But before he even took a step forward, he looked at John and asked, “What about him?” It’s a moment that feels all too familiar. Jesus had just spoken directly to...  Read More

“And many came to him. And they said, ‘John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.’ And many believed in him there.” – John 10:41-42 Some people are waiting for a miracle before they believe. They think they need a sign, something flashy and undeniable. But in this passage, we see a different kind of faith. The people didn’t see fire from heaven or water turned into wi...  Read More

“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.” – Luke 17:15 Ten men cried out for mercy. All of them were lepers, desperate and unclean, stuck on the outside looking in. When Jesus saw them, He didn’t ignore their need. He spoke healing over them, and they were restored. But only one came back to say thank you. You would think they’d all return. Yo...  Read More

“What God has made clean, do not call common.” – Acts 10:15 Most of us have a category for who we think belongs. We may not say it out loud, but it shows in how we act, who we invite, and how we think about people. Whether it’s because of their past, their appearance, their politics, or their struggles, we decide who feels “in” and who feels “out.” And if we’re not careful, church can start to loo...  Read More

"I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." – John 10:9 You don’t have to look far to find things that steal your peace. Life has a way of pushing in, stirring anxiety, and threatening your sense of safety. Whether it’s fear about the future, wounds from the past, or just the chaos of daily pressures, you probably know what it feels like to li...  Read More

"Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." – Psalm 90:12 Sometimes it takes a brush with death to really start living. In one of Dostoevsky’s stories, a man faces what he believes to be his final moments before execution. But when his life is spared, everything changes. He walks away seeing life with new eyes. The trees are greener, the faces are brighter, and every moment fe...  Read More

"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, and say to them, This is what the Lord God says to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Shouldn’t the shepherds feed their flock?" – Ezekiel 34:2 In Ezekiel 34, God confronts leaders who had forgotten their calling. Instead of feeding the flock, they were feeding themselves. Instead of protecting the ...  Read More

"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms." – John 14:1–2 When most people think about Heaven, they picture a far-off place. Streets of gold. Gates of pearl. Maybe even some reunion with loved ones. But when Jesus talked about “home,” He wasn’t just giving directions to a future location. He was pointing to Himself. The place our hear...  Read More

"Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves." – John 14:11 There is a deep human instinct to want everything to make sense before we commit. We want certainty. We want proof. But Jesus didn’t say, “Understand me and then believe.” He said, “Believe in me.” That distinction is everything. Belief isn’t built on perfect clarity. It’s...  Read More

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." – Luke 15:20 Sometimes resurrection doesn’t look like a miracle from heaven. Sometimes it looks like a quiet decision to turn around. In the story of the prodigal son, we often focus on the father running to meet him, but something else happened first. The son “arose.” He got u...  Read More

"Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." – 1 Peter 2:10 There is a kind of ache most people carry but don’t talk about. It’s the ache of feeling invisible, unworthy, or like you’re on the outside looking in. Some try to numb that ache with busyness or performance, while others bury it beneath shame or bitterness. ...  Read More

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." – John 10:27 It’s hard to hear someone’s voice in a crowded room. Especially when music is playing, people are talking, and distractions are everywhere. But the voice of someone you love cuts through the noise when you’ve learned to recognize it. That’s how it works with Jesus. The more time you spend with Him, the easier it becomes to...  Read More

"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." - John 10:10 Some people treat faith like a security system. They want Jesus to keep them safe, protect them from harm, and help them avoid pain. And yes, He’s a shelter and a refuge. But He’s not just a door that keeps trouble out. He’s a door that invites you into something greater. A life that is full, not just protected. Jesus didn’t com...  Read More

"Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.'" - John 14:9 We all have moments when we ask God to make Himself clearer, to give us a sign, to show up in a way that removes every doubt. Philip was no different. After years of walking with Jesus, watching Him heal the sick and raise the dead, Philip still said, “Sho...  Read More

"Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb... He cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’" – John 11:38, 43 Some people will look at your story and assume it’s over. They see where you’ve been buried. The shame, the failure, the pain, and call it your ending. They roll the stone in front of your purpose and call it final. But they don’t get the last word. Not when Jesus is involved...  Read More

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked" – Ephesians 2:1-2 Just because someone is breathing doesn’t mean they’re alive. You can go to work, scroll your phone, make plans, and even show up at church, yet still be dead where it matters most. That’s what the Bible means when it talks about being spiritually dead. Not lifeless in body but empty in soul. Walking around, ...  Read More

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?" – Luke 15:4 It is easy to believe that if you have wandered, messed up, or drifted away from God, He has moved on without you. Maybe you have convinced yourself that your failure has made you forgettable. But Jesus tells a ...  Read More

"I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." – John 10:9 There is a restlessness that lives in all of us. You have probably felt it in those quiet moments when the noise dies down, but something still feels missing. It is that sense that life is supposed to be fuller than this. Even in success or comfort, there can be a lingering ache underneat...  Read More

"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me." – John 14:1 When life feels uncertain, the first thing we usually reach for is control. We want explanations. We want clarity. We want to know how things will turn out, what the next step should be, and why God hasn’t acted yet. The disciples were no different. In John 14, Jesus had just told them He was going away, and their h...  Read More

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?'" – John 11:25–26 Resurrection isn’t just something that happens after your heart stops beating. Jesus wasn’t only pointing to a future moment in a cemetery. He was talking about right now. There’s a resur...  Read More

"And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice." – John 10:16 Jesus didn’t come for a select few. He didn’t die for the most polished or religious. From the very beginning, His mission has been bigger than any one group. Bigger than cultural norms. Bigger than comfort zones. When He said He had “other sheep not of this fold,” He was maki...  Read More

"To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." – John 10:3 It’s one thing to know about God. It’s another thing to be known by Him. That’s what Jesus is getting at when He calls Himself the Good Shepherd. This isn’t a distant, formal relationship. He knows His sheep. Not as a group. Not as a general category. He knows them personally...  Read More

"Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." – John 14:6 When life gets confusing, our instinct is to ask for directions. We want a clear path, a five-step plan, or a detailed map. Something to help us navigate the unknown. But what if the thing you're really searching for isn’t a roadmap at all? What if what you need is a person? Th...  Read More

“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” – Ephesians 5:14 There’s a scene in the old play Our Town by Thornton Wilder that hits a little too close to home. A character who has died is given a chance to relive one day of her life. She picks an ordinary day, her twelfth birthday, thinking it will be sweet. But as she watches it unfold, something happens. She notices...  Read More

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live... Do you believe this?'" – John 11:25–26 Martha believed in God. She believed in the idea of a future resurrection and had confidence that one day everything would be made right. But when Jesus showed up at her brother's tomb, He challenged her to believe something deeper. Not just th...  Read More

"The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." – John 10:3 There’s a big difference between being in the crowd and being known. You can sit in a room full of people and still feel invisible. You can show up, play your part, smile when expected, and still wonder if anyone really sees you. But Jesus does. Jesus isn’t building a fanbase. He’s not collecting numbers...  Read More

"Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep." – John 10:7 There’s a kind of pain that doesn’t come from sin or suffering; it comes from religion. Maybe you’ve felt it. You tried to walk into a church but felt like you didn’t belong. You asked questions and were met with shame. You wanted to know Jesus but ran into gatekeepers who seemed more interested in guarding traditions than openi...  Read More

"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me." – John 14:1 There are moments when life doesn't make sense. The path is foggy, the timing feels off, and the answers seem delayed or completely missing. In those moments, your heart starts reaching for clarity. You start asking the why, when, and how questions, hoping that if you could just get an explanation, the anxiety would...  Read More