Daily Devotional

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” John 21:15

The grace of God is truly amazing. Wrapped into our understanding of grace are so many wonderful parts of our life of faith. Grace is God’s presence in our lives. We are not alone as we walk the journey of life. Deuteronomy states, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them: for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Grace is also the forgiveness of our sins. In love, God pardons us from mistakes and wrongdoings and makes lives free from the power of sin. Paul writes in the book of Ephesians, “But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” (Ephesians 2:4-5) This forgiveness and freedom from sin gives us hope for life today and for eternity…

Have you ever received a thank you note for something you did, or a gift you gave? It makes you feel valued. It is nice to know that someone considers you worthy of their time to say thank you. It lifts your spirit when you receive a note that someone took time to write. Notes of gratitude are so important. They are wonderful to receive and important for us to write.

The Apostle Paul wrote both letters of 1 and 2 Thessalonians to a young church that he started with some of his fellow travelers. Their time in Thessalonica was successful in that they were able to share the good news of Jesus and several people were converted to the Christian faith. However, their time was cut short when they were forced to leave town after they stirred up trouble with the local authorities. Paul was disturbed that their presence in this community was not well received and even more concerned that he had so little time to spend with the young Christians that had come to faith under him. This is the backdrop of 1 Thessalonians…

Jason Hardesty is a wonderful example of how we can spend our days looking for moments of beauty and joy. Jason is a driver for UPS. He delivers packages in New Orleans. A few years ago, Jason decided to take a few pictures of dogs along his delivery route. He posted them to his social media account. It made Jason and his friends so happy. Jason soon began taking selfies with pets, while driving his route. He would make posts every Friday.

Soon, Jason’s social media following began to grow…

“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” – Psalm 25:4-5

This past weekend, I watched an inspirational Disney movie with my youngest daughter called, “Onward.” It’s one of our favorites for many reasons. 

It’s set in a once magical land made up of elves, sprites, trolls, and many other mythical creatures. It’s about two elf brothers, Barley and Ian, who lost their dad at a young age. In fact, the youngest brother, Ian, wasn’t born until after his dad passed.

Ian carries around this sadness and fear of letting others close wherever he goes, but Barley isn’t afraid of anything. He has embraced life and is determined to keep dreaming. Ian is extremely embarrassed of Barley’s outgoing nature and is consumed with the fact that he never got to meet his dad.

It’s Ian’s birthday and his dad has left both brothers a special gift…

They had endured the trials of that holy week in Jerusalem. Jesus entered the city to the waving of palms and the shouting of “Hosannah.” Shortly after that, Jesus was betrayed, arrested, brutalized, and killed. This struck fear into the hearts of the ones who followed Jesus so closely. They knew the tomb was empty that Sunday. Some of the disciples had seen the empty tomb for themselves. They were filled with hope that Jesus was alive. They were also filled with fear that they would be arrested and persecuted next.

In John’s Gospel, in the very chapter that tells of the empty tomb, Jesus’ resurrection and His appearance to Mary Magdalene, we find many of the disciples locked in a room, fearing for their lives. I can only imagine what was going through their minds as they hid in fear for their lives…

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

But I trust in your unfailing love;
    my heart rejoices in your salvation.
 I will sing the Lord’s praise,
    for he has been good to me.

This past week the movie company Netflix announced that they will stop their DVD by mail service. Netflix began in 1997. It was a revolutionary idea. People would not have to travel to a store, hope that the movie they wanted to see was available, rent it, and drive home just to watch the movie. With a subscription to Netflix, the movies were delivered right to your home. This new idea changed the way the world watched movies. Before long, stores that rented and sold DVDs began to close. They could not compete with the volume and convenience of Netflix.

Like so many revolutionary ideas, new ideas soon emerged. In 2007, Netflix began streaming their movies directly to homes. You no longer had to wait for the postal service to deliver your DVD. You could watch your movie on demand. Netflix now streams to over 190 countries. The growth of high-speed internet has allowed people to watch movies on demand. In less than two decades the world has moved from VHS to DVD to streaming.

When we experience change, we can react in a few ways…

“As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?” – Psalm 42:1-2
Thirst is a powerful sensation. It tells us when we need to drink water. Thirst is part of God’s wonderful design that helps to keep our bodies healthy and functioning properly. Most sources suggest that the average person drink around six to eight 8-ounce glasses a day. Our bodies have a built-in gage to tell us when we fail to properly hydrate.

I believe that God, who designed our bodies, also designed our souls to know when they are thirsty…