First15 Devotional

One of my favorite stories is the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector. Through this story, Jesus makes it abundantly clear how we’re to come before God. May we today begin a fresh revival of humility in the church as we humble ourselves before God today in prayer and honest worship. I want to encourage you to be open and vulnerable as you approach the Lord today. More from First15 Read today...

As we continue to look at the profound, life-transforming concepts Jesus shared through parables, today we’ll focus on the parable of the lamp on a stand. May what might’ve once been a concept that caused many of us to feel pressure, now bring forth peace, purpose and freedom in God’s love and identity for us. More from First15 Read today's devotional or listen to today's worship song at  ...

Continuing our week on Jesus’s parables, we’ll look today at the parable of the mustard seed. As we dig into this rich, beautiful parable, may our hearts and minds be enlightened. Take a moment even now to ask God to give you fresh revelation. More from First15 Read today's devotional or listen to today's worship song at   First15.org/today Download the   First15 app Donate to First15 at  ...

As we continue this week allowing the parables of Jesus to speak directly to our situations, mindsets, and core beliefs about who God is, today we’ll dive into the parables of the hidden treasure and valuable pearl. Upon learning about God forsaking everything to find us, we’ll assess our own hearts and see what they value most in this life. Open your heart today and choose to take an honest look....

Jesus loved to use stories to illustrate profound, life-transforming concepts. He loved to use real and genuine settings, characters, and ideas that apply to all of us to reveal God’s heart of pursuit and love. This week we’re going to spend time allowing the parables of Jesus to speak directly to our situations, mindsets, and core beliefs about who God is. Open your heart and mind to be transform...

As we wrap up this week looking at the longings of the human heart we all share, we’re going to look today at the longing to make a deep and lasting impact. God has a plan to use you in ways far beyond what you could ask or imagine, a plan for you to make a deep and lasting impact in the world. As we make space for God to speak and lead today, may he give us a deeper sense of purpose and calling i...

In today’s First15, we’re going to explore the longing we all share to be wholehearted. Everyone of us desires to give our lives to something, our passion to something that truly matters. And God has given us all that desire with a perfect plan to satisfy it in a unique way, a way he’s perfectly wired each of us for. May each of us get a greater sense of how we can live more wholeheartedly in him...

In today’s First15 we’re going to look at the longing we all share for intimacy without shame. You and I were made to be fully known, and fully loved. And pursuing that sense of knowledge and love from the world has left so many of us wounded. But the good news is that God has a path for healing, relationship, and love that’s void of shame, and wants to guide us down that path today as we create s...

Today as we continue our series looking at 7 longings of the human heart, we’re going to take time to recognize and satisfy our longing for greatness. The longing for greatness within the heart of man has produced tremendous and terrible things. It’s produced peace and war, advancement and destruction. And as we look at this longing today, I pray that God reveals the purity and power of it as well...

As we continue our week-long focus on 7 longings of the human heart, today we’re going to look at the longing we all share for beauty. God has created beauty all around us, beauty we can see and beauty we can feel. And in a world so inundated with false notions of beauty, today my prayer is that God reveals the purity within this longing that resides within each of our hearts, and his perfect plan...

In today’s First15, we’re going to look at the longing we all share for fascination. We serve an absolutely fascinating God – a God who has created a whole world to fascinate us. May we set our eyes on him today by the power of the Holy Spirit, that our longing for fascination would be satisfied in relationship with our powerful and good God. Get your copy of  Waiting for Christmas  with your dona...

All of us have insatiable longings that can only be satisfied in communion with our heavenly Father. The longing to be enjoyed, fascinated, to gaze upon beauty, and to be someone great are driving forces within each of us. The longing to experience intimacy without shame, to be wholehearted, and to make a deep and lasting impact resound within each of us at the foundation of who we are. God create...

As we wrap up this week focusing on tilling the soil of our hearts, today we’re going to look at the role of hearing God’s voice in living open and responsive to God. I know for a lot of us the idea of hearing God speak can be a confusing, sometimes too far out there subject. But as God’s children, he wants us to live in communication with him. And through the Holy Spirit, you and I have the abili...

In today’s First15, we’re going to continue our week long focus on tilling the soil of the heart by looking at the power of prayer. There is no better way to soften our hearts towards God than making space to have a real conversation with him. His voice breaks down our walls. His answers give us the peace and direction we need. And his presence, simply resting in him, builds a solid foundation of...

As we near the end of our week focusing on tilling the soil of the heart, today we’re going to look at the role of community in positioning ourselves to receive all that God longs to give. God is calling us into a deeper commitment to love others, and be loved by others. He wants to use us and those he’s placed around us to guide us deeper into fullness of life. So as we set our eyes on him, may h...

As we reach the middle of our week-long focus on tilling the soil of our hearts, today we’re going to look at the power of Scripture in receiving all that God longs to give us. Within the pages of Scripture there is a wealth of stories all conveying how God has met with and restored his people from the beginning of civilization. And these stories are powerful resources in softening our hearts towa...

As we continue this week-long focus on tilling the soil of our hearts, today we’re going to look at the power of worship in opening our hearts to receive all that God longs to give. For most of us, worship is something we engage in in a corporate setting. It’s a collective expression of adoration and relationship. But worship can be so much more than the songs we sing together. It’s a powerful ave...

As we continue this week focusing on tilling the soil of our hearts, today we’re going to look at the role of thankfulness in opening our hearts to receive all that God longs to give. While Scripture is filled with encouragements to be thankful, I think our own lived experience tells us that being thankful is essential in the pursuit of an abundant life. So may God remind us of all we have to be t...

This week we'll look at a vital spiritual practice to all those seeking to grow in God: tilling the soil of the heart. Jesus spoke in Matthew 13 of two different types of soil—hard and soft. God longs for us to till the soil of our hearts that we might be receptive to the seed of his word and bear fruit. May your heart become more responsive to the presence, will, and love of God this week as...

As we conclude our week on living for heaven, today we’ll explore the return of Christ and what that means for us. How can you be best prepared for the return of Jesus? What does God expect of you as his child? May your heart only grow in anticipation and joy at the thought of his return after today. More from First15 Read today's devotional or listen to today's worship song at   First15.o...

As we begin to wrap up our week on living for heaven, today we’re going to explore what it means to have our perspectives shift toward the things of God rather than the things of earth. We are so easily bogged down by the weight of the world, and today God wants to lift our chin and point our eyes upward to things unseen, the things of heaven. More from First15 Read today's devotional or liste...

As we continue in our week on living for heaven, today we’ll explore what it means to see Jesus’s prayer that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven fulfilled. God desires his kingdom to invade the earth, and he wants to do it through us, his people. Open your heart and mind to God’s will for your life, and allow him to fill you with excitement and joy today. Get your copy of Waiting...

Every single one of us has an innate need to know we’re loved. And yet, so many of us go too many days wondering or unsure of the love our heavenly Father has for us. Today as we continue our week on living for heaven, we’re going to dive into our need to be loved and to love others deeply in order to be successful in this pursuit toward heaven. God doesn’t want you to even go one day without know...

What would it be like to have unhindered, abundant joy in the midst of all circumstances? The beauty of the joy God longs to give is that it’s not fleeting or temporary. It is sustaining, strong and true. As we continue to discover what it means to live for heaven, today we look at what it means for us to be marked by joy. More from First15 Read today's devotional or listen to today's wors...

As we continue our week on living for heaven, today we look at the concept of hope. Hope is a necessity in this day, and God wants to restore your sense of hope and give you a fresh dose today. May the hope of eternal life be an anchor for you all of your days. More from First15 Read today's devotional or listen to today's worship song at   First15.org/today Download the   First15 app Dona...