Today Daily Devotional

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. — Acts 8:1 We see Jesus’ words to his disciples fulfilled, in part, in our reading for today: “You will be my witnesses . . . in all Judea and Samaria” (Acts 1:8).But it came at a great cost. The gospel had been spreading through Jerusalem, and that re...

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly. . . . — Acts 6:7 As we saw earlier in the book of Acts, Jesus promised his followers that the Holy Spirit would empower them to become his witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). For the next few days, we will see how Jesus’ words were literally fulfilled in t...

The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. — 1 Thessalonians 1:8 Last year, my favorite baseball team came within inches of winning the World Series. There were a lot of sad faces after the team’s loss. I found myself imagining what the team’s home city would have looked like if they had won. People would have poured out int...

The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. — 1 Thessalonians 1:8 Old Testament scholars will tell us that in Hebrew writing, the main message of a passage is not usually found at the beginning or the end of the passage but at its center. This literary device is called chiasm. We see chiasm at work especially in the Psalms. O...

“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” — Acts 1:8 Picture someone striking a large gong with a mallet, maybe as part of an orchestra or a marching band. The mallet hits the center of the gong, and the sound rings out powerfully. Not many of us have a gong in our homes, but if you have a phone or a computer nearby, take a moment to searc...

“My word . . . will not return to me empty, but will . . . achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” — Isaiah 55:11 On this day of worship let’s return to the words of Isaiah 55 and reflect on the power of the preached Word of God. Human communication is often filled with mistakes and misunderstandings. We are imperfect people who communicate in many imperfect ways. Sometimes the results can be hu...

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. — 1 Corinthians 1:18 One of the leaders in our mission organization visited a women’s Bible study in a local church. She knew that most study groups focus on God’s love, Jesus’ teachings, or a particular book of the Bible. But when she visited this group, she was surprised by h...

“Follow me,” [Jesus] told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. — Matthew 9:9 Where I grew up in Canada, the church youth groups in the area would host an annual play competition. We wrote and performed our own plays, and the winning group received a trophy. To be clear, these were not Shakespearean masterpieces. The plays were often silly, with winding and unrealistic plots performed by teena...

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said . . . “Brothers, what shall we do?’’ — Acts 2:37 After Jesus ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9-11), he did exactly as he had promised his disciples. He had said, “I am going away, but then I will send you the Holy Spirit, who will guide you and be with you” (see John 16:1-15).And as we read in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit came dramatically on t...

[Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. — Luke 24:27 Our theme verse today is from the Emmaus road story once again. We have seen that the two disciples’ hearts burned within them because of their encounter with Jesus, the living Word. Today we see that their hearts resonated with the teaching of the living Jesus. Luke shows that as Jesus explained the Scr...

“Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” — Luke 24:32 Let’s return to the Emmaus road story that we reflected on yesterday. Two disciples, walking home in deep discouragement, are met by the risen Jesus. As they recall this encounter, they speak of their hearts burning within them—and one of the key reasons for that transforming e...

They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us . . . ?” — Luke 24:32 One of the ways we can speak of “resonance” is in terms of human connection. When a person says something that connects with us deeply, we might say, “Yes, that resonates with me,” or maybe, “I feel the same way. I’m totally in sync with you on that.”We can find resonance in spiritual experiences as well. This happ...

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? — Psalm 42:2 The Christian writer C. S. Lewis was a careful thinker. One day he was asked which of the world’s religions gave people the greatest happiness. He thought for a moment and answered, “While it lasts, the religion of worshiping oneself” would do that. He was pointing out that when we focus on our own needs and...

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. — Psalm 19:1 Psalm 19 asserts that the heavens declare the glory of God. I recently learned some things about the Hubble Space Telescope and what it reveals about the known universe. Astronomers describe it in a way like this:Imagine holding up your finger with a grain of sand on it and looking at the patch of sky that...

“Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy. . . .” — Isaiah 54:1 I grew up (and still serve) in a Christian tradition that tends to be reserved in worship. I remember inviting a pastor from a neighboring church to speak in our congregation. He came from a more expressive background, in which people often said “Amen!” and “Yes, Lord,” to statements he made while...

“My word . . . will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” — Isaiah 55:11 The gospel account of John opens with an astonishing declaration: the Word, who is Jesus, the Son of God, has broken into our world. As verse 14 beautifully proclaims, the Word “made his dwelling among us.” If ever there was a moment when the earth could resoun...

“The mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” — Isaiah 55:12 Isaiah 55 captures the deep, joyful relationship between God and the world he has made. This chapter overflows with delight in the connection between Creator and creation. What Isaiah describes is resonance— the voice of God and the voice of the world echoing back and for...

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. — Psalm 96:3 Have you ever experienced a genuine echo? Maybe you shouted “Hello!” into a wide empty space and then heard your own voice return: “Hello! Hello! Hello!” I remember being about seven years old and calling out across a misty lake—and then, with a sense of wonder, hearing my voice come drifting back to me. This...

“If you love me, keep my commands.” — John 14:15 As I’ve been reflecting on the Ten Commandments, an old gospel song keeps running through my mind: “Trust and Obey.” This simple hymn expresses the bedrock faith and action of seeking to live for the Lord. By trusting God and, through his strength, turning to him for support each day, we find joy in the new life we are promised forever in Christ. Th...

“All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” — Matthew 22:40 As boys, my brothers and I often played a Bible trivia game at our grandmother’s house. The game cards helped to hone our knowledge of various facts in the Bible. “Name the twelve tribes of Israel.” “Name the twelve apostles.” “List the Ten Commandments in order.” Today, I’m not sure I could answer any of these question...

If anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. — Philippians 4:8 Some people claim that we can establish a good habit in as little as 21 days. Others say it takes much longer—between 66 and 254 days—to form a good habit. By sheer effort and discipline, can we will ourselves into a habit of keeping the Ten Commandments? No. We can only begin on a new path of living for the Lord w...

I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” — Romans 7:7 Most people agree that the commandments we have been discussing lately—about promoting justice, honesty, respect for others and their property, and more—offer clear, practical boundaries for living together in society. Guidelines like these are found in all kinds of societies around the wor...

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. — Philippians 4:11 If you are bitten by a rattlesnake, the right antidote can neutralize or block the venom that begins spreading into your body. The antidote can prevent death or even sickness. Spiritually speaking, the sin of coveting can also introduce a poison that can lead to committing other sins in our lives. The tenth commandment for...

Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. — Ephesians 4:15 Sometimes hard conversations are necessary. Perhaps you need to discuss a painfully difficult situation with a family member, a neighbor, or a colleague. Maybe you are dreading it, but you know you must do it. The hardest part of a difficult conversation is...

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said. . . . — Genesis 3:4 Sometimes we might hear or even tell little lies in attempts to be polite or to spare someone’s feelings. Though not recommended, those kinds of lies are far different from lies that are told out of callous self-interest for personal gain or even malice to harm others. Of all the lies told in history, the most blatant, malicious l...