Speaking as God Helps Us
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Posted:Mar 2, 2024 10:24 am
Last Updated:Mar 2, 2024 10:25 am 1583 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Ezekiel 1:22–28
Bible in a Year: Numbers 26–27; Mark 8:1–21
Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. Ezekiel 1:25
One wouldn’t normally think of butterflies as being loud creatures: after all, the flapping of a single Monarch butterfly’s wings is practically inaudible. But in the Mexican rainforest, where many of them begin their short lives, their collective flapping is surprisingly loud. When millions of Monarchs flap their wings at the same time, it sounds like a rushing waterfall.
The same description is made when four very different winged creatures appear in Ezekiel’s vision. Though fewer than the number of butterflies, he likens the sound of their flapping wings to “the roar of rushing waters” (Ezekiel 1:24). When the creatures stood still and lowered their wings, Ezekiel heard the voice of God calling him to “speak [God’s] words to [the Israelites]” (2.7).
Ezekiel, like the other Old Testament prophets, was charged with the task of speaking truth to God’s people. Today, God asks us all to share the truth of His good work in our lives with those He puts around us (1 Peter 3:15). Sometimes we’ll be asked a direct question—an invitation to share that’s as “loud” as a waterfall. Other times, the invitation might be more of a whisper, such as seeing an unspoken need. Whether the invitation to share God’s love is as loud as a million butterflies or as quiet as just one, we must listen, as Ezekiel did, with ears tuned to hear what God wants us to say.
Who’s inviting you to speak into their lives—even if only faintly? How will you respond?
Thank You, Father, for inviting me to share about You.
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Owner or Steward?
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Posted:Mar 1, 2024 5:45 am
Last Updated:Mar 1, 2024 5:46 am 1656 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Psalm 50.7–15
Bible in a Year: Numbers 23–25; Mark 7:14–37
Every animal of the forest is mine. Psalm 50:10
“Am I an owner or a steward?” The CEO of a multibillion-dollar company asked himself that question as he weighed what was best for his family. Concerned about the temptations that can come with vast wealth, he didn’t want to burden his heirs with that challenge. So he gave up ownership of his company and placed 100 percent of the voting stock in a trust. Recognizing that everything he owns belongs to God helped him make the decision to allow his family to earn a living in exchange for work while also using future profits to fund Christian ministry.
In Psalm 50:10, God tells His people, “Every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” As the Creator of all things, God owes us nothing and needs nothing from us. “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens,” He says (v. 9). He generously provides everything that we have and use as well as the strength and the ability to earn a living. Because He does, as the psalm shows us, He’s worthy of our heartfelt worship.
God owns everything. But because of His goodness, He even chose to give Himself, entering into a relationship with any who turn to Him. Jesus “did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). When we value the Giver over the gifts and serve Him with them, we’re blessed to delight in Him forever.
What has God given you that you’re grateful for? How can you serve Him with it?
You made everything, faithful Creator. Please help me to live my life as a gift from You today.
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Even Leviticus
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Posted:Feb 29, 2024 4:42 am
Last Updated:May 1, 2024 4:58 pm 1688 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Leviticus 13:1–8 | Bible in a Year:
You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy. Leviticus 20:26
The topic was Leviticus, and I had a confession to make. “I skipped a lot of the reading,” I told my Bible study group. “I’m not reading about skin diseases again.”
That’s when my friend Dave spoke up. “I know a guy who believed in Jesus because of that passage,” he said. Dave explained that his friend—a doctor—had been an atheist. He decided that before he completely rejected the Bible, he’d better read it for himself. The section on skin diseases in Leviticus fascinated him. It contained surprising details about contagious and noncontagious sores (13:1–46) and how to treat them (14:8–9). He knew this far surpassed the medical knowledge of that day—yet there it was in Leviticus. There’s no way Moses could have known all this, he thought. The doctor began to consider that Moses really did receive his information from God. Eventually he put his faith in Jesus.
If parts of the Bible bore you, well, I’m with you. But everything it says is there for a reason. Leviticus was written so the Israelites would know how to live for and with God. As we learn more about this relationship between God and His people, we learn about God Himself.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” wrote the apostle Paul (2 Timothy 3:16). Let’s read on. Even Leviticus.
What sections of the Bible bore you or seem irrelevant? How can you learn to recognize their value?
Father, teach me how to appreciate the Bible. Let every part speak to me.
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“Help My Unbelief!”
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Posted:Feb 28, 2024 5:49 am
Last Updated:May 1, 2024 4:58 pm 1705 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Mark 9:14–24
Bible in a Year: Numbers 20–22; Mark 7:1–13
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:24
“Where is my Faith?—even deep down right in there is nothing but emptiness & darkness. . . . If there be God—please forgive me.”
The author of those words might surprise you: Mother Teresa. Beloved and renowned as a tireless servant of the poor in Calcutta, India, Mother Teresa quietly waged a desperate war for her faith over five decades. After her death in 1997, that struggle came to light when portions of her journal were published in the book Come Be My Light.
What do we do with our doubts or feelings of God’s absence? Those moments may plague some believers more than others. But many faithful believers in Jesus may, at some point in their lives, experience moments or seasons of such doubts.
I’m thankful that Scripture has given us a beautiful, paradoxical prayer that expresses both faith and the lack thereof. In Mark 9, Jesus encounters a father whose had been demonically tormented since childhood (v. 21). When Jesus said that the man must have faith—“Everything is possible for one who believes”—the man responded, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (vv. 23-24).
This honest, heartfelt plea invites those of us who struggle with doubt to give it to God, trusting that He can fortify our faith and hold on to us firmly amid the deepest, darkest valleys we’ll ever traverse.
When have you wrestled with doubt in your spiritual journey? What spiritual resources helped you hold on to your faith?
Dear Father, sometimes I doubt. Please help me when I struggle to feel Your presence.
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When Jesus Stops
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Posted:Feb 27, 2024 6:31 am
Last Updated:May 1, 2024 4:58 pm 1750 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Luke 18:35–43
Bible in a Year: Numbers 17–19; Mark 6:30–56
Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. Luke 18:40
For days, the sickly cat cried, huddled in a box near my workplace. Abandoned on the street, the feline went unnoticed by many who passed it by—until Jun came along. The street sweeper carried the animal home, where he lived with two dogs, which were former strays.
“I care for them because they’re the creatures no one notices,” Jun said. “I see myself in them. No one notices a street sweeper, after all.”
As Jesus walked toward Jericho on His way to Jerusalem, a blind man sat begging by the roadside. He felt unnoticed too. And on this day especially—when a crowd was passing through and all eyes were focused on Christ—no one stopped to help the beggar.
No one except Jesus. In the midst of the clamoring crowd, He heard the forgotten man’s cry. “What do you want me to do for you?” Christ asked, and He received the heartfelt reply, “Lord, I want to see.” Then Jesus said, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you” (Luke 18:41–42).
Do we feel unnoticed at times? Are our cries drowned out by people who seem to matter more than us? Our Savior notices those the world doesn’t care to notice. Call to Him for help! While others may pass us by, He’ll stop for us.
How would knowing that Jesus sees you change how you view yourself and your life? Who are those around you who might need to be noticed, and how can you “stop” to encourage them with the Savior’s love?
Dear Jesus, thank You for hearing me when I call to You. Like the blind man who received his sight, help me to follow and praise You all my life.
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Sweet Sleep
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Posted:Feb 26, 2024 5:34 am
Last Updated:May 1, 2024 4:58 pm 1736 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Psalm 3
Bible in a Year: Numbers 15–16; Mark 6:1–29
I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. Psalm 3:5
Bad memories and accusing messages flooded Sal’s mind. Sleep eluded him as fear filled his heart and sweat covered his skin. It was the night before his baptism, and he couldn’t stop the onslaught of dark thoughts. Sal had received salvation in Jesus and knew that his sins had been forgiven, but the spiritual battle continued. It’s then that his wife took his hand and prayed for him. Moments later, peace replaced the fear in Sal’s heart. He got up and wrote the words he would share prior to being baptized—something he hadn’t been able to do. After that, he experienced sweet sleep.
King David also knew what a restless night felt like. Fleeing from his Absalom who wanted to steal his throne (2 Samuel 15–17), he knew that “tens of thousands [assailed him] on every side” (Psalm 3:6). David moaned, “How many are my foes!” (v. 1). Though fear and doubt could have won out, he called out to God, his “shield” (v. 3). Later, he found that he could “lie down and sleep . . . because the Lord sustains [him]” (v. 5).
When fears and struggles grip our mind and rest is replaced by restlessness, hope is found as we pray to God. While we might not experience immediate sweet sleep as Sal and David did, “in peace [we can] lie down and . . . dwell in safety” (4:8. For God is with us and He’ll be our rest.
What things are weighing on your heart and mind? What will it mean for you to truly surrender them to God through prayer?
Dear God, thank You for providing hope and peace as I lift my prayers to You.
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Not Luck, but Christ
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Posted:Feb 25, 2024 7:15 am
Last Updated:May 1, 2024 4:58 pm 1789 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Colossians 1:15–20
Bible in a Year: Numbers 12–14; Mark 5:21–43
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17
Discover magazine suggests that there are around 700 quintillion (7 followed by 20 zeros) planets in the universe, but only one like Earth. Astrophysicist Erik Zackrisson said that one of the requirements for a planet to sustain life is to orbit in the “Goldilocks” zone, where the temperature is just right, and water can exist. Out of 700 quintillion planets, Earth seems to be one planet where conditions are just right. Zackrisson concluded that Earth somehow had been dealt a “fairly lucky hand.”
Paul assured the Colossian believers that the universe existed, not because of Lady Luck, but because of the work of Jesus. The apostle presents Christ as the creator of the world: “For in him all things were created” (Colossians 1:16). Not only was Jesus the powerful creator of the world, but Paul says that “in him all things hold together” (v. 17)—a world that’s not too hot and not too cold, but one that’s just right for human existence. What Jesus created, He’s sustaining with His perfect wisdom and unceasing power.
As we participate in and enjoy the beauty of creation, let’s choose not to point to the random activity of Lady Luck, but to the purposeful, sovereign, powerful and loving One who possesses “all [God’s] fullness” (v. 19).
What does it mean for you to know that Jesus is in control of the natural world and your personal world? How will you show your dependence on Him today?
Dear Jesus, I thank You for graciously and purposefully creating and sustaining Your creation.
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Better Together
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Posted:Feb 24, 2024 5:23 am
Last Updated:May 1, 2024 4:58 pm 1877 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 |
Bible in a Year: Numbers 9–11; Mark 5:1–20
Two are better than one . . . . If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. Ecclesiastes 4:9–10
Søren Solkær spent years photographing starlings and their breathtaking spectacle: murmurations, where hundreds of thousands of starlings move in fluid motion across the sky. Watching this marvel is like sitting underneath an orchestrated, swirling wave or a massive, dark brushstroke flowing into a kaleidoscope of patterns. In Denmark, they call this starling experience Black Sun (also the title of Solkær’s stunning book of photographs). Most remarkable is how starlings instinctively follow their nearest companion, flying so close that if one were to miss a beat, they’d suffer mass calamity. However, starlings use murmurations to protect one another. When a hawk descends, these tiny creatures enter tight formation and move collectively, beating back a predator who’d easily pick them off if they were alone.
We’re better together than we are alone. “Two are better than one,” Ecclesiastes says. “If either . . . falls down, one can help the other up. [And] if two lie down together, they will keep warm” (4:9–11). Alone, we’re isolated and easy prey. We’re exposed without the comfort or protection of others.
But with companions, we give and receive help. “Though one may be overpowered,” Ecclesiastes says, “two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (v. 12). We’re better together as God leads us.
How are you more vulnerable when you’re isolated from others? How can you draw closer to them?
Dear God, please help me commit to being in community and extending Your love.
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Welcome the Stranger
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Posted:Feb 23, 2024 6:16 am
Last Updated:May 1, 2024 4:58 pm 1927 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Ephesians 2:11–22
Bible in a Year: Numbers 7–8; Mark 4:21–41
You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household. Ephesians 2:19
In Everything Sad Is Untrue, Daniel Nayeri describes his harrowing flight with his mother and sister from persecution through a refugee camp to safety in the United States. An elderly couple agreed to sponsor them, though they didn’t know them. Years later, Daniel still can’t get over it. He writes, “Can you believe that? Totally blind, they did that. They’d never even met us. And if we turned out to be villains, they’d have to pay for it. That’s almost as brave, kind, and reckless as I can think of anybody being.”
Yet God desires us to have that level of concern for others. He told Israel to be kind to foreigners. “Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt”
(Leviticus 19:34). He reminds gentile believers in Jesus—that’s many of us—that once we “were separate from Christ . . . and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). So He commands all of us former foreigners, both Jew and gentile, “to show hospitality to strangers” (Hebrews 13:2).
Now grown up with a family of his own, Daniel praises Jim and Jean Dawson, “who were so Christian that they let a family of refugees come live with them until they could find a home.”
God welcomes the stranger and urges us to welcome them too.
Who is an outsider in your world? How might you reach out and welcome them into your space?
Dear Jesus, show me the stranger You want me to love.
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Walking in Jesus’ Shoes
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Posted:Feb 22, 2024 5:11 am
Last Updated:Feb 22, 2024 5:11 am 1972 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Colossians 3:8–17
Bible in a Year: Numbers 4–6; Mark 4:1–20
Clothe yourselves with compassion. Colossians 3:12
What would it be like to walk in the shoes of royalty? Angela Kelly, the of a dockworker and nurse, knows. She was also the official dresser for the late Queen Elizabeth for the last two decades of the monarch’s life. One of her responsibilities was to break-in the aging Queen’s new shoes by walking in them around the palace grounds. There was a reason for it: compassion for an elderly woman who sometimes was required to stand for extended periods at ceremonies. Because they wore the same shoe size, Kelly was able to save her some discomfort.
Kelly’s personal touch in her care for Queen Elizabeth makes me think of Paul’s warm encouragement to the church in Colossae (an area in modern Turkey): “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12). When our lives are “built on” Jesus (2.7 ), we become “God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved” (3:12). He helps us take off our “old self” and “put on the new self” (vv. 9–10)—living out the identity of those who love and forgive others because God has loved and forgiven us (vv. 13–14).
All around us are those who need us to “walk in their shoes” and have compassion for them in the day-to-day challenges of life. When we do, we walk in the shoes (or the sandals) of a humble king—Jesus—who always has compassion for us.
How has God had compassion for you? Who can you show His love to today?
Thank You, Jesus, for Your forgiveness and love. Help me to receive it, and also to give it away.
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