Posts with the category “in-focus-devotionals”

The God Who Pursues the DisobedientReading: Jonah 1:17; Luke 15:11-24Devotional: God could have let Jonah drown. He did not. Instead, He prepared a great fish, a strange and sovereign rescue, to prese...  Read More

Disobedience Has a Reach Beyond OurselvesReading: Jonah 1:4-16; Romans 14:7Devotional: When Jonah ran, he did not run alone in his consequences. The sailors on that ship were thrown into terror becaus...  Read More

There Is Nowhere to HideReading: Jonah 1:3; Psalm 139:7-12Devotional: Jonah boarded a ship headed in the exact opposite direction from where God told him to go. He was not confused about the destinati...  Read More

When God Calls, He Means ItReading: Jonah 1:1-2; Matthew 28:19-20Devotional: God's call is never accidental. When He spoke to Jonah, He gave a specific person a specific mission to a specific place. T...  Read More

The Table of Fulfilled HopeReading: Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26Devotional: The Passover meal was itself a promise — a yearly remembrance pointing Israel forward to a deliverance yet to come....  Read More

Living by a Life That Is Not Your OwnReading: Galatians 2:15-21; Acts 28:17-28Devotional: Paul stood before the Jewish leaders in Rome and declared that his chains were worn because of the Hope of Isr...  Read More

Hope Is Not a Wish — It Is a CertaintyReading: Romans 5:1-5; John 14:1-6Devotional: The world uses the word hope to mean uncertainty — a longing for something that may or may not come to pass. Biblica...  Read More

The Servant Who Bore Our GriefReading: Isaiah 53:1-12Devotional: Isaiah painted a portrait of a suffering servant centuries before the cross existed. This servant would be despised, acquainted with gr...  Read More

A Promise That Spans GenerationsReading: Genesis 12:1-3; 2 Samuel 7:12-16Devotional: From the moment God called Abraham, a thread of promise was woven through history. God pledged that through Abraham...  Read More

Training Your Mind to See MercyReading: Philippians 4:8Devotional: Recognizing God's mercy is not automatic. It requires a disciplined and intentional mind. Paul urges believers to fix their thoughts ...  Read More

The Big Picture of God's ProvidenceReading: Romans 8:28Devotional: Looking at any single piece of Paul's journey, the picture appears bleak. Arrested, imprisoned, shipwrecked, and stranded. But the fu...  Read More

Comfort Received, Comfort GivenReading: 2 Corinthians 1:3-4Devotional: Paul received comfort from God in the storm, and then immediately turned and offered that same comfort to everyone around him. Th...  Read More

When God Speaks Into the StormReading: Acts 27:23-25Devotional: Paul was surrounded by chaos. The ship was battered, hope was gone, and fear had gripped every soul on board. Yet in the middle of that ...  Read More

Mercy in the Ordinary MomentsReading: Lamentations 3:22-23Devotional: God's mercies are not reserved for dramatic moments alone. They show up in the small, easily overlooked details of daily life. A k...  Read More

Judgment, Grace, and the Open Door 2 Corinthians 5:10-11, 20-21 Paul's message to Felix included the reality of coming judgment. This was not cruelty on Paul's part. It was the most loving thing he co...  Read More

Self-Control and the Lordship of ChristGalatians 5:16-24 Paul spoke to Felix and Drusilla about self-control, a word that addressed their patterns of lust, unchecked appetite, and moral compromise. Ga...  Read More

The Danger of Delayed Decisions Hebrews 3:7-15 Felix heard the gospel. He felt the weight of it. He was alarmed, perhaps even frightened. And then he said he would deal with it another time. Hebrews 3...  Read More

The Weight of Righteousness Romans 3:21-26 Paul reasoned with Felix about righteousness, the standard God has established for all humanity. Romans 3 makes clear that every person has fallen short of t...  Read More

The Courage to Stand Alone Acts 24:10-21 Paul stood before a corrupt and powerful governor without a lawyer, without political allies, and without any guarantee of safety. Yet he spoke with clarity an...  Read More

Fixing Our Eyes on What Is Eternal 2 Corinthians 4:17-18; Romans 12:1-2Devotional: Paul describes his sufferings as a "light and momentary affliction" producing an eternal weight of glory beyond all c...  Read More

Renewed Day by Day 2 Corinthians 4:16-17; Colossians 3:1-3Devotional: The outer self is wasting away. Paul does not deny this reality — he acknowledges it plainly. Bodies grow weary. Seasons of suffer...  Read More

The Life of Christ on Display 2 Corinthians 4:10-12; Romans 6:8Devotional: Paul writes that he carries the death of Jesus in his body so that the life of Jesus might also be displayed. This is one of ...  Read More

Pressed But Not Crushed 2 Corinthians 4:8-9; Philippians 4:11-13Devotional: Paul does not pretend that suffering is painless. He was afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. He felt every we...  Read More

The Treasure Within 2 Corinthians 4:7; 2 Corinthians 4:6Devotional: It is easy to look at your own life and see only limitations — your failures, your weaknesses, your ordinariness. But Paul reminds u...  Read More

Ready to Speak, Ready to Introduce Acts 22:1-21 and Romans 10:13-15...  Read More

What Christ Has Been Doing Since 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Philippians 1:6...  Read More

The Hope That Demands an Answer 1 Peter 3:13-17...  Read More

The Moment Everything Changed Acts 9:1-9 and John 3:1-8...  Read More

The Life You Lived Before Romans 3:23 and Ephesians 2:1-5...  Read More

The Witness of Unity Reading: Psalm 133; Romans 15:5-7; Acts 2:42-47...  Read More

Learning by Example Reading: Philippians 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 11:1...  Read More

Christ, the Fulfillment of the Law Reading: Colossians 2:16-17; Galatians 4:8-11; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8...  Read More

Freedom Without Stumbling Blocks Reading: Romans 14:13-23; 1 Corinthians 8:9-13...  Read More

Unity Reflects Christ's Love Reading: John 17:20-23; Ephesians 4:1-6...  Read More

Your Final Conversation Acts 20:33-38; 2 Timothy 4:6-8...  Read More

Serving Through Suffering Acts 20:18-21; 2 Corinthians 4:7-12...  Read More

Guarding Against Deception Acts 20:28-31; 1 John 4:1-6...  Read More

Living with Eternal Purpose Acts 20:17-24...  Read More

Meeting Together Matters Reading: Acts 20:7-11; Psalm 122:1...  Read More

Faithful in Encouragement Reading: Acts 20:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 5:11...  Read More