First15 Devotional

As we continue to dive deeper into the fullness of life available to us, today we’ll explore what it means to live honestly before man. In a world of facades and striving, God wants to offer us freedom and confidence to be fully who he has made us to be. May you learn to value honesty above all else in dealing with those around you and find joy and peace abundant. Our Scripture for today comes fro...

God’s goodness over our lives far exceeds anything we’ve experienced. We’ve only yet splashed around in the shallows of God’s deep love and mercy. In order to dive deeper into the fullness of life available to us, we must learn how to posture our hearts. May your relationship with God be enriched this week as you position yourself to receive all your loving heavenly Father has to give. Our Scriptu...

As we wrap up our week on the simplicity of love, today we’ll look at the concept of simplicity itself and what it means to have a solitary pursuit. As you fix your eyes on Jesus today, may you find that the weight of the world falls away. And may you choose the path of simplicity and love going forward living out in joy and peace. Our Scripture for today comes from Colossians 3:14 , and today&#39...

God is the perfect parent. He is unlike anyone we’ve ever known, and his love is unlike anything we’ve experienced before. Imagine knowing your parent loved you perfectly, and that their intentions and motives behind giving you direction was literally perfectly loving? That’s how God is with us. His wisdom and direction is something we can trust implicitly because he can trust his heart toward us,...

Most of the time our emotional happiness is based on our life’s circumstances. As we continue our week on the simplicity of love, today we’ll be taking a look at the joy that comes from living a love-based life. Once we know that God’s love is for us always, unconditionally—no matter what, our hope is secure and joy is ours for the taking. May you walk in joy today as you lean into this love-based...

It has been and always will be easy for people, especially religious people, to become focused on the wrong things in life. I constantly find myself making things more difficult or convoluted than they really are. The reality of this life with God is that all he asks of us is love. As we continue this week on the simplicity of love, today we’ll explore God’s heart on the subject. What does God req...

There is nothing in the world more freeing than being loved as you are. Today we’ll be exploring how God’s love has set us free as we continue in our week of the simplicity of love. Having God’s love and affection from the start before giving him anything in return frees us from the burdens and weight of having to earn his love and strive for his affections. Today God wants us to step out in and f...

As we explore the simplicity of love this week, today we’ll look at how God’s love has redeemed us. There is an amazing Brennan Manning quote that says, “In loving me, you made me lovable.” And that is basically the concept we’ll be unpacking today. God’s love has come in and given us meaning, beauty, redemption, and purpose. It is through God loving us that we become sons and daughters; we become...

1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” The greatest of all aspects of the Christian life is love. Love is to be at the foundation of all we do, all we are, and all we hold on to. If we focus on love and allow the Holy Spirit to strip everything else away, what will be left is a life of blessed simplicity rooted in face-to-fac...

As we wrap up our week on God’s heart to meet with man, today we’ll look at the encouraging story of John on the island of Patmos. Right when we think we’re unusable, a season is too dry or we’re past our prime, God comes and speaks fresh life and vision. If you find yourself like John on Patmos today, I pray God brings a new word of courage and life to you despite your season. Our Scripture for t...

As we near the end of our week on God’s heart to meet with man, we look today at Pentecost. The day of Pentecost was a major fulfillment of God’s desire to meet with us. On that day, his Holy Spirit flooded the earth and was poured out on ordinary people, just like you and me. We see God’s desire to dwell with a people satisfied as his Spirit fills them and remains with them forever. May you be en...

Have you ever believed the lie that your sin makes you unlovable to God? I think we all have at one time or another. We will look today at the story of the woman caught in adultery. For some reason, every time I read this story it surprises me again. God is oftentimes different than we expect, much kinder in fact. May today be no different. I pray you’re met by a generous, kind, merciful Savior as...

As we continue our week on God’s heart to meet with man, today we’ll look at the best example I can think of. Many of us doubt the love of God due to all kinds of circumstances, but I pray today you become even a little bit more convinced and sure of his pursuit and unconditional love for you specifically. Open your heart today and allow God to give you a renewed sense of how much you mean to him....

Oftentimes we look at Old Testament stories of man’s encounters with God and grow jealous. We question why God doesn’t show up in the way he did with Moses for us now. There is a portion of relationship, encounter and intimacy available to us with God today that men of the Old Testament could have never dreamed of. It is my hope and prayer that you leave today having experienced the richness, unit...

Have you ever felt incompetent for the work God sets before you? The mission and call of God on our lives can seem daunting and impossible. Know that Gideon felt that way, and it’s okay if you do too. But God wants to speak courage and empowerment to our hearts today that he will be with us, moving through us every step of our journey. Open your heart today that God may fill it with fresh fire and...

Throughout Scripture we see countless examples of God meeting with man and countless lives being transformed as the result. These examples are in Scripture to stir our faith and fill us with a desire to meet with our Creator. May your heart be filled with a wholehearted desire to pursue meeting with God this week. Our Scripture for today comes from Psalm 84:1-2 , and today's worship is Your Lo...

People are messy. We are difficult and challenging. And because of that no church is perfect. But there must be some reason Jesus desires for us to be unified and be one. Today we’ll explore how and why it’s important to encounter God through other people. May your wounds be healed, and your heart be opened to how God wants to use others to lead you to him. Our Scripture for today comes from Matth...

Many of us know God’s presence is always available to us, but rarely do we take a second to become aware of how near he truly is. Today we’ll explore what it means to encounter God through receiving his presence. This simple concept has radically changed my life, and it is my prayer it changes yours too. May we learn to practice God’s presence on a regular basis and see his goodness flood our live...

In this world, it’s not difficult to become disheartened, visionless and confused about the direction of our lives or our circumstances. But God has given us a priceless gift to ground and root us in truth and vision for life—his word. If you’re feeling purposeless or lost today, look no further than the wisdom God has graciously provided through the Bible. Today we’ll dive into how we can encount...

Worship is essential to a vibrant, thriving Christian life. In worship, much like thanksgiving, we are reminded of who our God is, and who we are. Worshipping Jesus grounds us in our identity because it reminds us whose we are and all that he has done on our behalf. Jesus is worthy of all our worship, and it’s my prayer today that you have a fresh encounter with him through this transformative ave...

Expressing gratitude and thanks to God has a miraculous way of opening and changing our hearts. Today we’ll explore the discipline of thanksgiving, and encounter God in response. May you take away from our time today, timeless principles that quickly get your heart in the right place despite your season or circumstances. Our Scripture for today comes from Psalm 100:4 , and today's worship is G...

Prayer is so simple, but often times our minds convolute and complicate it. Today we’re exploring how to encounter God through prayer, and I pray you take away a simplified, childlike approach to spending time with your heavenly Father. May your heart and mind be at peace today as you encounter the living God. Our Scripture for today comes from Jeremiah 33:3 , and today's worship is Find Me  b...

Having consistent and transformational encounters with God while on earth is meant to be foundational to the Christian life. Our God has not left us. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we’ve been filled with the very Spirit of God who longs to reveal to us daily the nearness and love of our heavenly Father. We are never alone. There is nowhere we can flee from the presence of our God. May this week b...

As we finish this week on living an abundant life, today we’ll explore where we’re placing our priorities, hopes, fears, and affections. God doesn’t want us to spend our days waiting for heaven, but instead wants to shift our perspective to see that eternity has already begun. Though we spend our days on earth, they matter immensely. And nothing is wasted or pointless in the eyes of God. So how wo...

Living an abundant life means letting go of lies and past sin patterns that hinder us. These lies and bad habits can often feel comfortable, but they are truly keeping you from experiencing abundant life every single day. The best truth of all is that they have no power or authority in your life anymore through the power of Jesus. Once we release the lies and old patterns of thinking and acting, w...