Daily Devotions

Corporate worship rescues us again and again by reminding us that there is only one glory worth giving our lives to the glory of God. Read Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+2&version=NIV Life really is all about what glory attracts your eyes and captures your heart. This is true because, as human beings, we're all glory junkies. We all live for glory in some way. We love the glory of that trophy fish attacking the lure or of those stunning red platform shoes. We like experiencing the glory of a brand-new house or running the fastest mile we have ever run. We love watching mind-bending feats of danger or glorious artistic achievements. We can’t get enough of the beauty of the tiger’s coat or the multihued stripes of the sunset. One bite of chocolate glory is not enough for us and one promotion doesn’t satisfy our hearts. The beautiful watch, the cool car, the best taco, the well-designed golf course, the perfectly appointed kitchen, an...

Today you'll work to deny your sin or you'll receive the Spirit's conviction as grace and run to Christ for rescue and forgiveness. Read 1 Timothy 1:12-17 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+timothy+1%3A12-17&version=NIV The words are direct and humbling, and they are written to believers: This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:5-10) Let’s examine the logic of this ...

Don’t give way to fear today. The Lord almighty is your Saviour, and he is with you in whatever you're facing and wherever you go. Read Isaiah 41:1-20 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+41%3A1-20&version=NIV The apostle Paul is in Athens, waiting to make connections with fellow travelers, and is so moved by what he sees and hears there that he can’t resist injecting God into the conversation. Listen to his words: So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and ...

Faith is living in light of what God has said, resting in what he has done, and entrusting the future to his care. Read Genesis 22 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+22&version=NIV It is an incredible story, a clear case study in what faith is and does: By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. (Heb. 11:17-19) God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be like the stars in the sky and that through his descendants all the nations of the earth would be blessed. But Abraham and his wife, Sarah, didn’t have any children, let alone a clue about how he would pass down the promise to the next generation. They waited and waited. Decade piled up on decade, but no son came. Abra...

What could motivate you more, as you face your weakness, than these words: “My power is made perfect in weakness”? Read Jeremiah 9:23-24 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+9%3A23-24&version=NIV I don’t know about you, but I tend to not like being weak. I don’t enjoy physical or spiritual weakness. I want to be right, strong, able, and in control. I don’t want to feel like I’m not up to a challenge. I don’t want to be confused or unready. I don’t want to feel unqualified for the task at hand. I don’t want to be the one who is keeping things from getting done or is holding others back. I don’t like it when it seems that there are things I should know that I don’t know. I don’t want to look back at situations with regret, wishing that I had had a stronger resolve and the power to follow through. I don’t want to stare failure in the face. I don’t want to let myself or others down. I want to have a track record that I am proud of. I don’t find weakness to be very ...

We don’t seek satisfaction, hoping that God will deliver it. No, we seek God, and the result is satisfaction of heart. Read Psalm 107 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+107&version=NIV It is one of the big ironies of the heart. If you give your heart to seeking satisfaction, satisfaction will be the one thing you'll never find. Your heart will never be satisfied in things. No, your heart will be satisfied only in the Giver of the things. If you seek happiness, happiness will elude you. I have had people say to me, “All I ever wanted was a husband/wife who would make me happy.” Think about the dynamics that this expectation introduces into a relationship. Obviously any person who makes this statement has some definition of what happiness looks like; they have a marital dream, and are loading their dream on the shoulders of their spouse. Who is this husband/wife? Well, they are a flawed human being, living in a fallen world, so it is unlikely that they will ever d...

The gift of eternal life guarantees that I have been and will be forgiven, and that every broken thing inside me will be completely repaired. Read 2 Peter 3:1-13 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+3%3A1-13&version=NIV It really is location, location, location. If you're going to live with peace of heart and with hope and courage, you have to know your place in the work of God. There are two markers of that work that really do locate you, tell you what God is doing, and inform you as to how you should live right here, right now. As I have said before, you live between the “already” and the “not yet.” First, it is vital for you and me to always remember that we live in the “already” of complete forgiveness. Forgiveness is not a “hope it will be” thing. It’s an “accomplished and done” thing. You do not have to hope that you will be forgiven. You do not have to be concerned that the process of forgiveness will somehow fail. Why? Because your complete and final for...

If your heart isn’t ruled by God’s honour and your life by God’s plan, you may seem religious, but what you’re living isn’t biblical faith. Read Isaiah 29 (especially v. 13) https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isa+29&version=NIV I want to use marriage as a case study for the principle stated above. None of us has lived in a marriage that is completely free of conflict and tension. None of us has been able to escape moments of irritation and impatience. We all have had nasty arguments or extended moments of silence. We all have been disappointed in our marriages in some way. (If you're single, apply everything I’ve said to the relationships in your life.)  Now, you just have to ask, “What is all that tension and conflict about?” If you were to read the average Christian marriage book, you would be led to conclude that all of the fights and quarrels are about the inescapable horizontal issues within every marriage. So the conclusion is that if you are smart enough t...

Change is not found in defending our righteousness, but in admitting our weakness and crying for help. Read Luke 18:9-14 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+18%3A9-14&version=NIV I wish I could say that this is not my struggle. I wish I could say that I've fully accepted the reality of my spiritual battle. I wish I could say that I am always thankful for the help God provides. I wish I could say that I am always open and approachable. I wish I could say all of these things, but sadly, I can’t. When I’m approached about a wrong I’ve committed, I don’t tend to say to the other person: “Thank you so much for confronting me. I know that I suffer from spiritual blindness and don’t see myself accurately. Please keep rebuking me; I know it’s a visible sign of God's love.” No, there are two things that tend to be more natural for me as I feel my ears redden and my chest tighten. I first activate my internal defence system and mount arguments in my mind against the cha...

The grand delusion of every act of sin is that we can be disloyal to God and everything will work out in the end. Read Romans 6:15-23 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+6%3A15-23&version=NIV We all do it sometimes and in some ways. In little and not so little moments of disloyalty to God, we work to excuse ourselves and convince ourselves that it will all be okay in the end. In private moments of moral self-conversation, we say: “I can handle this; it will be okay.” “ll only do it this once.” “really didn’t have much of a choice.” “It’s not really such a big deal.” “Other people do it all the time.” “It’s not really clearly forbidden by the Bible.” “What else could I do?” “I just chose the lesser of two evils.” “God is good; he'll forgive me.” “It’s not like I do this all the time.” “Doesn't God want me to be happy?” Each statement is designed to relieve the burden of conviction. Each is meant to mask the reality that we have chosen to be disloyal to God, r...

You were hardwired to live for God, so even though you may not be aware of it, every good thing or bad thing you do today has verticality to it. Read Romans 1:18-25 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+1%3A18-25&version=NIV In the physical realm, you were hardwired to breathe. You do it constantly, even though you are most often unaware of it. You are always inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide. You don’t have the option of saying, “I’m tired of breathing, I think I'll just stop.” You don’t have the option of denying that you are a breather. You were hardwired to breathe. It is an inescapable part of your physicality. In the same way, you were made for relationship with God. This means that everything you do and say, every choice you make, and every decision that shapes your life is somehow, some way done in reference to God. You may ignore his existence, you may think theologically that there is no God, but you cannot escape that you were crafted in his i...

“But deliver us from evil .. .” (Matt. 6:13b). I admit that it’s the evil inside me that hooks me to the evil outside me, and I seek grace’s rescue. Read Psalm 14 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+14&version=NIV If Billy pushes Suzy, causing her to fall and hit her head, and you come into the room and ask Billy why he did it, he won't talk about himself. He’ll talk about what Suzy did or how he tripped over the toys in the room, but he won't say: “I’ve got sin in my heart that makes me selfish, so I push others when they get in my way. Please pray for me, Mom.” You won't hear that because, even though Billy is only five years old, he has already bought into the heresy that his biggest problems in life exist outside him, not inside him. He wants to believe that the big dangers are all “out there.” Like Billy, we are all very skilled at explaining away our wrong behavior by pointing to the situations, locations, events, and people in our lives. We work ve...

“Lead us not into temptation ....” (Matt. 6:13a). Rest assured that I am loved by a holy God. His will for me is always right, good, and true. Read Psalm 93 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+93&version=NIV “But why, Dad, why can’t I? All the others kids are doing it. I just don’t understand why you have to say no all the time. I don’t get why this is such a big deal. Can’t I do it just this one time?” I can’t tell you how many times we had this conversation. Sometimes it was a quick plea, thankfully followed by acceptance. At other times it disintegrated into a major, volume-raised debate. But each time it was an instructive reminder. It’s a sad but obvious fact—sinners don’t like boundaries. Sinners tend not to esteem rules. Sinners don't like to be told what to do. Sinners don’t tend to love authority. Sinners tend to want to author their own moral codes. So you can’t even pray this prayer, “Lead us not into temptation,” unless grace has visited you. Only pow...

“Forgive us . . . as we also have forgiven...” (Matt. 6:12). I must always remember the grace I am daily given and extend that grace to the people in my life. Read Ephesians 4:25-32 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+4%3A25-32&version=NIV It is really true that one of the greatest sins in our relationships is the sin of forgetfulness. Consider the following parable of Jesus: Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants ...

“Give us this day our daily bread . ..” (Matt. 6:11). l am not independent or self-sufficient, but dependent on the goodness of God for my needs. Read 1 Kings 17 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+17&version=NIV It was a very important, street-level warning, and it was given at just the right time: And you shall remember the whole way that the Lor your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lorp. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lozp your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the...

“Your will be done .. .” (Matt. 6:10b). The good life is not found in the success of my will, but in the submission of all things to God’s will. Read Isaiah 26 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+26&version=NIV Here’s what we all need to keep in mind at all times: the One who rules over this world is the ultimate definition of everything that is good, wise, right, loving, faithful, and true. Hope in life is never about doing whatever you need to do to get your way. Hope in life is not found in expending all your resources, time, energy, and gifts to realise your personal dreams. Hope in life is not found in working yourself into as much control as possible over the people and situations in your life. In a word, hope is not found in your will being done. Hope is found in only one place—in the wise and faithful rule of your Father in heaven. With his “before origin to beyond destiny” perspective, he really does know what is best for you and for everything he creat...

“Your kingdom come...” (Matt. 6:10a). I must remember that God didn’t give me grace for my kingdom to work, but to capture me for a better kingdom. Read Matthew 13:44-50 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+13%3A44-50&version=NIV It was one of the sweetest, most precious things Jesus said to his disciples. Remember, they were all really focused on “the kingdom.” Not that they were concerned about the honor of the King or the success of his kingdom; no, what obsessed them was their place in that kingdom. For them, the kingdom was about personal power, prominence, and position. Do you remember the incident recorded in Mark 9:30-37? They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when heis Killed, after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid t...

 “Hallowed be your name...” (Matthew 6:9b). In the little moments of daily life, I must live for a greater honour and glory than my own. Read Isaiah 48:1-11 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+48%3A1-11&version=NIV Imagine a Father speaking to his son and saying, “Sit down; I want to talk to you for a moment.” The son thinks to himself, “I wonder what I’ve done?” He hadn’t done anything wrong. His dad was just preparing him for the next phase of his life. He told him that his job was to get up every day and look for a job until he had found one. Then he said: “Remember, as you're out there, you carry the name of this family with you. What you do that is good will reflect on this family, and the bad things that you do will reflect on this family as well.” It was a crushing burden for him. He thought, “I’m only sixteen years old, and I have to carry the burden of the reputation of this family on my shoulders?” In case you wonder, this is not what the second s...

“Our father in heaven...” (Matt. 6:9a). There is no situation or location where I am ever alone, because my heavenly Father is always with me. Read Psalm 105 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+105&version=NIV It is such an astounding reality that it is almost impossible for us to comprehend the full meaning of it. It assaults the way we so often think about our identity. It confronts our discouragements and fears. It exposes our self-oriented neediness and our addiction to the acceptance of others. It is the only place where we can find security that stays, that doesn’t ride that scary roller-coaster of ever-changing people and situations. It is one of the most amazing, life-altering gifts of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a deeply personal, heart-satisfying recognition that we must carry with us wherever we go. The opening line of Jesus’s model prayer for his disciples (Matt. 6:9-13) teaches this unspeakably marvellous truth: if you're God’s child, y...

God's care for you is secure because it does not depend on your faithfulness, but on his. Read Psalm 89 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+89&version=NIV “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thess. 5:23-24).  You and I live between the “already” and the “not yet.” Already God has set his plan of grace in motion. Already the prophets have spoken. Already Jesus has come. Already he has suffered and died. Already he has risen in victory from the tomb. Already the Spirit has come. Already the Word has been given. But not yet is God’s work in the world finished. Not yet is his work in our hearts done. Not yet is the last enemy under his feet. Not yet is he ready to say: “Beloved, all things are now ready. Enter into my final kingdom.” We are right smack dab in the middle of the world’s ...