Devotionals

“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). Read Zechariah 9:9-12. From the earliest days, those who remembered God’s promises anticipated a coming King—the Messiah promised way back in Genesis 3:15 who would crush the head of the enemy. Genesis 49:10 reveals that the scepter will never depart from His hand. According to 2 Samuel 7:13, His Kingdom will last forever. In Psalm 2, He is anointed King by God the Father Himself (vv. 6-7). In Psalm 72, all other kings bow down before Him (v. 11). In Isaiah 2, He reigns in complete righteousness (vv. 3-4). In Daniel 2, His Kingdom topples all others (v. 44). And in Zechariah 14, He is King over all the earth (v. 9). While the Old Testament offered a rough sketch of the coming King, the New Testament reveals […]

“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, . . .” (Ephesians 1:11). Read Ephesians 1:11-14. The disciple of Jesus must go directly to the Lord Himself in the pages of Scripture to discover the Truth of who He is. And the most foundational Truth about God is that He is sovereign. God accomplishes all things according to the counsel of His will—nothing can thwart His purposes (see Ephesians 1:11; Psalm 135:5-6; Isaiah 14:27; Job 42:2). God’s knowledge, authority, power, and dominion extend to the smallest thing in the whole universe. And this absolute rule is the axle around which all God’s other attributes revolve. People tend to have one of two responses to the idea of God’s sovereignty in the midst of this broken world: Either they don’t believe the Lord is in perfect control of the universe, or they […]

“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:18-19). Many people see the new year as an opportunity to turn over a new leaf, and so the first of the year becomes a time to set goals and make resolutions. Most resolutions focus on the here and now; few address eternal matters. While it is beneficial to give some focus to strengthening our physical bodies, it should not come at the cost of neglecting our eternal souls. We must not create a to-do list of projects to improve our houses while failing to consider how we will sow into our heavenly dwelling places. It is easy to become distracted by earthly concerns. It is easy to […]

Read John 13:34-35. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). “A new command I give you: Love one another” (John 13:34a). At first, we might think, “How is this a new command? Didn’t Jesus already identify the first and second most important commandments as loving God and loving our neighbors?” (see Matthew 22:35-40). Thankfully, Jesus gives us the answer in the very next sentence: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34b). That’s what’s new. No one had ever experienced a love like Jesus’ love. His love is beyond any the world has ever known. Then Jesus teaches them, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples” (v. 35). Friends, we are to love as Jesus loved. We will truly be seen as His disciples when we become like Him. Before Jesus shares this imperative with the disciples, […]

Read Luke 14:25-35. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). In Luke 14, Jesus has large crowds following Him—He often had large crowds following Him. Conventional wisdom would say, “Jesus, get them on Your good side first. Tell them what they want to hear. Jesus, tell them how wonderful they are. Tell them to name whatever they want and then claim it, and then whatever it is will be theirs.” Or maybe we would advise Jesus, “Don’t tell them the true cost of discipleship yet. Maybe start with a short Bible study first. Then, You can work Your way up to the difficult stuff.” But Jesus does nothing of the sort. With Jesus, there are no misleading subtleties. There is no fine print or sugar coating. He spells out exactly what it will cost to be His […]

Read Matthew 28:18-20. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus’ call to make disciples of all nations can sure seem a daunting task. But Jesus promised: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. . . . And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18, 20). In other words, Jesus Himself empowers us for the task. We go with the authority of Jesus Himself with our Savior in our very midst. However, in order to make true disciples of Christ, we must be true disciples of Jesus ourselves. We must obey and imitate Him in every area of life. There are many who claim to be followers of Christ but never reflect His love, mercy, grace, or […]

“He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:5-7). God has been dependable in the past, providing for us in every twist and turn of life. He is trustworthy—and He holds our future in the palm of His hand. There are incredible examples of the faithfulness of God in my life and in the life of this ministry. But I still believe with all my heart that we haven’t seen anything yet. In the life of the Christian, the best is always yet to come. After all, eternity in the new heaven and the new earth awaits us. Just imagine—a restored world, never-ending joy, perfect fellowship with God Himself! As Revelation 21:3-4 promises, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and […]

“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise” (James 5:13). In Psalm 100, the psalmist instructs us: “Shout for joy to the Lord, . . . Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. . . . Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (v.1-2, 4-5). What is it about praise and thanksgiving that brings the Lord and the believer so close together? Praise melts our hearts so that we are no longer hardened by sin or disappointment. The Bible teaches that God is near to those who praise Him (see Psalm 145:18-19). He knows the deepest concerns of our hearts (see Psalm 139). And while He never requires our praise, He certainly desires it because He knows that praise […]

“On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, . . .” (1 Corinthians 16:2). Read 1 Corinthians 16:1-4. Jesus often taught on the subject of money. In His Sermon on the Mount, He said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, . . . But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20). Brothers and sisters, what you give to the Lord will always bear dividends—here and now, and ultimately for all eternity. At the end of his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses the subject of giving. At first this seems a strange place to bring it up. He moves immediately from the triumph of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15 to the triumph of the collection plate in 1 Corinthians 16. But when we understand that our giving is an extension of our faith […]

“Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-28. When the first crop of the season ripens, it’s an exciting day for a farmer. The farmer has diligently prepared the fields, sown the seeds, and tended the seedlings. If the firstfruits are good, then the farmer can have confidence that the rest of the harvest will be good as well. On Easter morning, Jesus became the firstfruits of a much greater harvest. His body had been sown like a seed, but it was then raised new, glorious, and indestructible. What is true of the firstfruits will be true of all who trust in the name of Jesus: One day, all the dead in Christ will be raised to new life in Him. The Corinthian Christians believed that Jesus had been raised from the dead, but they weren’t so sure […]

“The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes” (Psalm 19:8).  Read Psalm 19:7-9. Psalm 19:7-8 tells us the Word of God “is perfect, refreshing the soul, . . . making wise the simple. . . . giving joy to the heart. . . . giving light to the eyes.” That is the power of the Scriptures. The Bible can lift a person out of the degradation of sin, from prostitution and drunkenness, slavery and addiction, greed and self-righteousness, to a victorious life in Jesus Christ. Here’s a famous example: The Word of God transformed the life of a slave trader named John Newton, and he became a preacher of the Gospel and a hymn writer. Newton wrote many songs in his day, but we remember one in particular because it’s his testimony set to music, illustrating the power of the Word of God: “Amazing […]