Day 1 He Loves You John 3:16 Romans 5:8 Devotional: God loves us! From the beginning to the end, that is the message of the Bible. It is the greatest message we will ever hear and the ultimate message that we can ever share. This is not just a message of words; it s a message that came at a great personal cost; we know that because God gave his Son for us. He didn't want the power of "perishing" to claim us, so he gave us the power of his love. He sacrificed so we could have life. Know that God loves us! Don't ever let doubt creep in. Don't let satan rob you of this life-giving truth. God loves you and wants to give you life, abundantly! Psalm 143:8 Challenge: Mediate on how much God loves you. Once you have accomplished that; in what areas would you like God to show you the way?
Day 2 He Loves You 1 Corinthians 13:13 1 John 3:1 Devotional: God, the creator of everything, this God who made the stars and knows them all by name, this God who made the parts of the smallest cell in your body, this God who causes everything that exists to work in harmony and with purpose; this God loves you. God is sovereign, God is almighty and God loves you. He knows you in every way, He knows your every act and every motive, and He loves you. Think of the kind of love He has for you; it is the love of a Father. Jesus told the disciples; When you pray say, Our Father. He could have chosen any name to relate God s place of authority over men and women. He could have said, pray to Almighty God, or pray to The Great One, or any other name. He chose to identify Himself with you in the most intimate and powerful and secure manner possible; He chose to be called Father. Psalm 36:7 Challenge: Consider the magnitude of the Father s love that He bestows on you and calls you His child. He even gives you His name, Christian. What can you do today to walk in the light of His love for you?
Day 3 He Loves You Jeremiah 31:3 James 4:8 Devotional: Today as you read these words, consider this: God loves you. And because He loves you, He has drawn you to Himself. Think of the many circumstances of life; the good times, the hard times, the places you have been, the things you have done. For such a time as this, the Sovereign God, the Almighty God, the God we know as Jesus, has brought you to this place for one purpose; so that you will think about His love for you. His love is everlasting. His love is unconditional, you can do nothing to qualify for His love or to cause Him to stop loving you. Through all the events of your life, day by day, moment by moment, His loving kindness, His mercy, and His grace, have been drawing you to Himself. Drawing you, with one motive, that He may lavish His love on you. You are blessed because God loves you. Psalm 100:5 Challenge: Ponder the great love this wonderful God has for you. What can you do today to draw near to the God that loves you unconditionally?
Day 4 He Is Holy Isaiah 6:1-3 Devotional: Scripture teaches that man is made in the image of God. Consider the many ways we see this similarity between God and man. Man can create and invent, man can appreciate beauty, think and plan, man can laugh and cry. Man can love and show mercy and compassion. In many ways man demonstrates the evidence of this kinship with God and His image. Yet it is very apparent that man and God do not share an identical image. There are many attributes that describe God, but one stands above all the others: God is Holy. Of all the attributes that describe man, surely there is one also that stands alone: man is desperately wicked. Jeremiah 17:9 Romans 3:10 Psalm 46:5 Challenge: Today, think about the holiness of God. Holy, Holy, Holy is God. Think also about how Holy He is and consider how unholy you are.
Day 5 He Is Holy 2 Corinthians 6:18 & 7:1 Devotional: It is of great comfort to know that your world is under the care of a God who loves you, and is holy and righteous in every way. It is overwhelming because as you consider Him, you are bound to then consider yourself. You see a huge gap between who He is and who you are. Personal awareness of this difference, He is Holy, you are not, is the first step toward bridging the gap. You began by thinking about the love of God. The Bible even says God is love. Many today think about God being a loving God and do not consider His Holiness. They think because He is a God of love that He will overlook rebellion and sin against Him. However, of all the wonderful attributes you could name, Holiness must be at the top of the list. But through Christ you can enter into His holy place. How awesome is the simple fact that you are invited into the Holy of Holies! Psalm 145:17 Challenge: Today, as you consider His Holiness, rejoice that He is Holy and He wants to receive you as a son or daughter.
Day 6 He Is Holy Zephaniah 3:12 Proverbs 3:5-6 Devotional: He is Holy, and you are not holy. But, you are not without hope. Recognizing that you are not holy and turning to God with an attitude of meekness and humility, is the first step on His holy pathway. This means turning away from self-sufficiency, and self-promotion. This step, in some ways, is the most important step on the journey. You know He loves you. You know He is holy. You know He is ever drawing you to Himself, but you must choose to follow Him. Sadly, not all will go on this holy pathway. Zephaniah says the remnant, a few, will go. Those who follow the path must come by way of meekness and humility, seeking the door of the Cross. Christ Jesus is the way. He said learn of Me, I am meek and humble. The meek He will guide, the meek will inherit the earth. Psalm 62:8 Challenge: Those who trust Him will see His glory and serve Him daily. What ways can you turn to Jesus more today?
Day 7 Let s Get Real John 5:39 Devotional: God has given you a wonderful gift, the gift of prayer. He has given the believer His spirit. By His Spirit and through the atoning work of Christ, He invites you to come into His very presence, into the Holy place. It is amazing; this sinful man can come before this Holy God guided by His Spirit. How often though you come to pray and quickly offer up your needs, your desires, then pass lightly over His Word and you are done. Now you are off to address the issues of the day. Then you wonder if God heard your prayers. Why do my prayers seem so weak? Why do I not have the confidence God will answer my prayers? I fell asleep halfway through- has that ever happened? Let s get real. Can you really call those few words casually thrown up to God a prayer? Did those thoughts come from deep within your heart? Did you allow God an opportunity to speak to you? It s time to get real in your prayers if you are sincere about going on with God. Allow Him to search your heart, listen to what He says. Psalm139:23-24 Challenge: Today, be quiet before the Lord. Let Him speak,and listen for a change. Remember He loves you, but He really needs to talk with you.
Day 8 Getting Real Jeremiah 17:10 Jeremiah 23:24 1 Corinthians 4:5 Devotional: One thing that I am confident in, is that life moves along. You find your pace, your routine, you develop a way to get along. But slowly, many times without realizing it, you have drifted into a way of life that is far removed from the path you should walk. Little indulgences have become habits, sin has come into your life and settled down. Old issues that were not resolved have been boarded over, covered up, and set aside never to be addressed. Then He comes into your house, He looks in every room. You have kept your house pretty well, things are in order and nicely cleaned. But He wants to go to that room upstairs. Oh no Lord, no one goes to that room. That room is not open, it s a private room. But He insists. So, little by little, you have created pockets, rooms of sins that stay with you. For some, listening to God speak as He searches your heart is a very difficult thing. Consequently you never truly open your heart to the Lord, because you know you have hidden things there. Psalm 26:2 Challenge: Will you open your heart to His Spirit and allow Him to work in you? Or, will you stop the journey here?
Day 9 The New Self Ephesians 4:23-24, 27,30 Devotional: I am not a fan of snakes! Who is, really? But I ve always been rather envious of their ability to shed their old skin and start with a new one. Not exactly sure why God created them that way, but it s a cool trait for reptiles as a whole. That somewhat, is the concept that Paul gives us as to what we are able to do with our minds. We are all sinners, we all mess up. Our minds get dirtied and messed up when we act outside of God s plan for our lives. Yet each time we go before God and lay our sins at his feet and confess our sins, it s as if that latest skin is being shed. We are starting anew, perfect and clean. You have been completely forgiven through the sacrifice of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Psalms 51:10 Challenge: Take a moment to ask God to search your heart and bring to your mind any sin that you need to confess to Him and address how to repent. Talk to God about it, and then feel that old skin being shed.
Day 10 Man of Constant Sorrows 2 Corinthians 7:10 John 16:8 Devotional: Whenever somebody accuses you of being wrong or tells you the truth about yourself, it hurts. It can produce one of two reactions, what Paul calls either godly sorrow or worldly sorrow. We all feel hurt, but the question, of course, is, Is it godly sorrow, or is it worldly sorrow? Godly sorrow is the pain of suddenly becoming aware of something about yourself that has been hidden to you. An awareness of something wrong about yourself that you have not been able to see always creates a sense of anger, perhaps, of defensiveness, of injury, and often of tears. It is the moment of self-awareness, or what we call a moment of truth. Have you ever had that happen to you? You were going about your life, thinking you were doing okay, when somebody came along and told you something about yourself. Even as that person said the words, there was a stab in your heart that said, That's right, isn't it? You may be defensive, you may argue, or you may fight back, but deep inside you know that is true. It hurts, but if it is godly hurt, it leads to repentance. It makes you change. You alter your behavior. Once when I was hurt, I decided to act on the basis of what I had learned and say, That's not his fault. He didn't intend to say something offensive. It is I who am feeling it. I'm taking it wrong. I did this, and after several such experiences, I suddenly began to feel a marvelous sense of freedom. The monkey was off my back, and I was free to enjoy things much more than I ever had before. I will never forget the sense of liberation that came when I acknowledged even the painful truth that somebody had unwittingly spoken to me. That is what Paul is talking about. Godly sorrow acknowledges the truth and changes its behavior, and that in turn leads to a sense of freedom and deliverance. Psalm 32:1-2 Challenge: Godly repentance cleanses and liberates us. Do we keep the door of repentance open to God's saving grace in us and through us?
Day 11 Hanging with God Exodus 33:7-11 1 Peter 2:5 Devotional: Can you imagine being Moses? What an incredible opportunity to be in the presence of the Lord! The Israelites must have been both in awe and wonder that Moses got to hang out with God; and he had a special place to do it. You know what is cool though? We have that same access to God today. As 1 Peter 2:5 says, we are the living stones built up to be the temple that God dwells in today. He dwells with us and in us. Now, we just need to take the time to hang out with Him. Talk to Him, listen to Him. Just hang out! I don t know about you, but years ago, I fought to get more disciplined to getting up before the rest of the family every day so that I could just have some me and God time. I grab my coffee and head to my special spot, where I sit in the presence of God. I know that I am the temple of the Lord, but sometimes when you pick a special spot in your home that just becomes that Tabernacle spot, you just feel a little closer to God. When I go to my special spot, sometimes I just sit and be still, sometimes I talk to Him about my day and lay my life at His feet. Sometimes I just read and listen to His words while I read. But it s the spot where I encounter God and sit in his presence. It s the peace in my day, and where I get to just hang out with the God of the universe. Psalms 103:7 Challenge: Pick a spot, a special spot in your home or outside, that can be your special spot to spend time with God.
Day 12 Knowing Him Hebrews 10:22 Romans 10:8 Devotional: We are to draw near to God in full assurance of faith. The author of Hebrews (we aren t sure exactly who that is) devotes chapter 11 to this whole concept of faith. He says there, Without faith it is impossible to please God (11:6). Faith is both God s gift and our responsibility. Faith rests on the promises of God. We are saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8) and we are to walk by faith (Colossians 2:6). Our faith is not a mindless, blind leap in the dark. Full assurance of faith means that you have full confidence in the work of Jesus Christ on that cross and in God s plan of redemption for your life. That confidence and full assurance doesn t come easy. It takes getting to know your Creator, and experiencing His works in this world. The better we know Him as revealed in His Word, the more we will trust Him. The more we trust Him in the difficult matters of our lives, the more we prove His faithfulness and can trust Him the next time. That gives us the confidence to declare to the world the full assurance of our faith in Him. Psalms 73:28 Challenge: Do you have stories of faith from your life? Times when you trusted God when the world would tell you not to? Who needs to hear about the stories, who in you life needs to hear about how God has worked in your life?
Day 13 No Longer Servants John 15:15-17 Devotional: What is lasting fruit? In this context, Jesus wants his disciples to know that lasting fruit is loving one another. It is the Theme that He repeatedly emphasizes in his last words with his disciples. While many other things are important, they will vanish, decay or die. Love, however, remains it abides, it lasts. Death cannot separate us from God's love. Love is stronger than death. So Jesus beckons his disciples to this deeper relationship. They are no longer his servants, but his friends. As his friends, they know what is on the Father's heart and they are committed to displaying the Father's priority in their own lives. They will love each other! Psalms 27:10 Challenge: To whom in your life do you need to show love? Jesus calls us friends. Who do you need to be a friend to today?
Day 14 Knowing Him 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 Devotional: Pockets are useful things. Sometimes we keep things in our pockets for safe keeping. Other times it is just for convenience. As the mother of 3 boys, I know my wife is constantly finding stuff like Legos, crayons and toys in their pockets when she does the laundry. It doesn t matter the size of the pockets, something is going to be left in there. I wonder what we d find in our pockets if we looked closely. You know those hidden places in our lives that we keep safe from everyone else, those deep places that no one can see but us and God. I know I need to evaluate the things that I carry around with me. Perhaps I need to pretend it is laundry day and check my pockets. I want to go through life hanging on a little tighter to the things that are important. Maybe there are even some things I need to let go. It s so easy to get off course and allow things to filter in that just don t make a difference when it comes to eternity. I need to hold fast to the things that are good, and abstain from everything that is evil. Psalms 32:8-9 Challenge: Think through the things in your life that are kept in your secret, hidden pockets. Is there anything in your life that you need to take out of your pockets?
Day 15 Forgiveness Ephesians 1:7 Isaiah 43 Devotional: Could there be a sweeter word in any language than that word "forgiveness," when it sounds in a guilty sinner's ear? All of us deserve eternal separation from God, our sin separates us from His perfection. There is no way getting around it. Yet, as my 5th grade son said in his baptism video last year, Jesus died for us, even though we don t deserve it. I replay his baptism video all the time (and cry every time) because of the innocent and pure way that he understood this. He was almost crying as he said it, and the conviction in his voice made me realize how often I forget just how amazing it is that God chose to forgive me by sacrificing His son, especially when we didn t deserve that sacrifice. I don t ever want to lose my awe of God s forgiveness. I never want to forget how amazing His choice to redeem us really is. Psalms 108:13 Challenge: Take a moment today to sit in God s presence and ponder how amazing and powerful His forgiveness truly is.
Day 16 When You Pray Luke 11:1-4 Devotional: 60 percent of Americans claim they pray daily. Another nearly 20 percent claim to pray weekly. Those stats suggest a significant amount of praying is going on. Yet there is also evidence that what we call prayer doesn t fit God s definition or expectations. Dig a little deeper and we find that many are going through the motions, and feel frustrated about prayer even as they try to practice it. Some people pray without actually addressing God. Many who do voice their prayers are talking to someone they don t even know. To them, God is a complete stranger they might turn to for help if things get bad enough. How sad and empty prayer must feel for so many including many of us. As we develop the core disciplines of a sincere faith, we must include work on prayer. Even those of us who have grown up around praying people need instruction. And who better to learn from than Jesus Christ... The twelve disciples spent three years hanging out with Jesus. They watched Him, traveled with Him, listened to Him. Even though He was a Master Teacher, there is no record they ever asked Him, Lord, teach us to teach. And not once did they say, Lord, teach us how to do miracles, though we know He worked awesome wonders. As far as we know, the disciples only request for instruction was, Lord, teach us to pray. Before He even gave them the pattern of The Lord s Prayer, Jesus graciously encouraged them with the words, When you pray. Not if you pray but when you pray Jesus expected the disciples to pray. Driven by circumstances or as a spiritual discipline, He knew His own would turn to the Father in prayer. Psalms 103:11-12 Challenge: Today, pray the Lord s prayer. Pray it a few times and think about the words that Jesus gave the disciples.
Day 17 Get Your Game On Luke 11:13 Galatians 5:25 Devotional: My first job out of college was as a head tennis pro at a swim and racket club in the Bay Area. When I was there, one of the guys that I worked with told me a story about the great tennis champion Boris Becker. He had everything: talent, money, fame and every other worldly pleasure one could want, yet he still struggled with depression and frequent thoughts of suicide. "I had won Wimbledon twice before," he said, "once as the youngest player. I was rich. I had all the material possessions I needed... It's the old song of movie stars and pop stars who commit suicide. They have everything, and yet they are so unhappy. I had no inner peace. I was a puppet on a string. When we're not fully submitted to the Lord, we are puppets on a string in the hands of the enemy. We will never be satisfied. We will never have peace. We will never be accomplishing the purposes for which we were divinely created. D.L. Moody said, "I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God's law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled. Psalms 142 :3 Challenge: Ask God to empty you of the things that are taking the place of the Holy Spirit. Then allow the Holy Spirit to fill you and bring that pure joy as only He can provide.
Day 18 A New Perspective Galatians 2:20-21 Galatians 5:24 Devotional: What does it mean to be crucified with Christ? How do we crucify flesh? Christ died a horrific death on the cross many years ago and many of us cannot imagine what that must have been like. The great news is that we do not have to experience that type of crucifixion. Christ suffered on the cross for us so we didn t have to! We do, however, need to acknowledge that we are to die to the ways of the world and its teachings and follow Christ in all we do, all we say, and how we act. Our passions should not be for the desires of this world, but to follow Him and His ways! When Christ lives in us we have a new perspective on life and living! Psalm 20:2-7 Challenge: Has your perspective changed since following Christ? How? How can you help others understand the importance of Christ s sacrifice and change their perspective also?
Day 19 Faith in your Walk Hebrews 11:6 Colossians 2:6-7 Devotional: Faith is an interesting concept. Faith is believing in something that you cannot really see with the physical eye. However, we know that our faith in Christ Jesus is pleasing to Him. We know that our faith in Christ is what saves us from our sins. We need only to believe in Jesus! Our reward is an eternity in heaven with God and all who believe. We are called to be firmly rooted in our faith and overflowing with the gratitude of the gift of salvation. God loves us and wants us to have faith that He has a plan for us! He wants us to be able to stand on that faith and weather the storms that blow and try to shake it. God wants to be our anchor! Psalm 62:5 Challenge: Do you sometimes feel that your faith is wavering? How do you get back on track? Meditate on the Colossians scripture above and ask yourself, Am I firmly rooted in my faith? What steps can you take be more faithful? Faithful to God s word, faithful to God s promise, and faithful to telling more people about Him?
Day 20 Abide in Christ John 15:4 Devotional: What does it mean to abide in something? The dictionary says, accept or act in accordance with (a rule, decision, or recommendation). This scripture literally means to accept and to act in accordance with Christ and His teachings. It is one thing to accept, but yet another to act in accordance with. Our actions allow us to bear fruit. When we talk of being Christ-like we are, in effect individual spin-offs of Jesus. He is the vine and we are the branches just like the scripture states. We cannot bear fruit on our own, just like we cannot be saved on our own. We must rely on the vine for salvation that is only found through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Psalm 27:14 Challenge: Do you accept AND act in accordance to the teachings of Jesus? How have you struggled in this area? How should you pray for God to come to your rescue so that you can act in accordance? Pray that God will help you identify scripture and people that can allow you to be more fruitful in your walk.
Day 21 Abide in Christ John 15:5 Devotional: Do you know we are called to be extensions of Jesus and His Holy spirit? We are connected in our relationship like the vine is connected to the branches. Doesn t that offer hope? Knowing that you are connected to the vine, which is Jesus Christ is an important component to our faith and walk. Without that connection we are missing out on His love, grace and mercy. That attachment is the lifeline for the Christian believer. Who do you lean into when you need some extra support? Who do you allow to lean into you? Psalm 102:12 Challenge: Discipleship is a very confusing word sometimes, but can have huge ramifications. Jesus calls the believer to stay connected to Him and his teachings. We also are to be intentional in helping others come to faith and to grow in that faith. Who do you know that needs to connect to the vine of Jesus Christ? How can you help those that are connected branches bear more fruit? Pray, meditate, and ask God to reveal these people to you!