Use this devo as you are able, in whole or in part. Don’t feel compelled to read it all. Simply read and meditate upon whatever catches your attention. The goal is enjoying time with God through His Word and in prayer. Questions about the devotional elements?
Call to Prayer
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:14)
Prayer of Confession
Confession is formative. It trains us to recognize the ways our hearts have become de-formed and how Christ is at work bringing redemption in our lives. Pray with this in mind.
Gracious Father, we confess that we have longed too much for the comforts and treasures of this world rather than for your enduring Kingdom.
We have loved the gifts more than the Giver.
In your mercy, help us to see that the things we strive for are shadows, but you are the substance; that they are quicksand, but you are a mighty rock; that they are shifting, but you are an anchor.
Thank you for forgiving us through the riches of Christ and freeing us to live a new life, faithfully devoted to him.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Take a moment to confess your sins, knowing that he hears you.
Reading Plan
This reading plan will help you to develop the habit of being in God’s Word each morning and evening. Come to this time with expectation. Expect God to reveal himself to you. Expect that he delights in you being there, even when you’ve wandered away. Growing a spiritual habit is a slow, patient process. So be kind to yourself as you grow!
Readings are hyperlinked. Simply hover over the passage or click Morning/Evening Reading (email version).
Morning Readings:
Pray Psalm 14 | Read 2 Corinthians 4
- Praying the Psalms: Read slowly. Take note of words and phrases. Bring them before the Lord in prayer and personalize the passage as you pray.
- NT Context: “Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians was written during a difficult period in his relation with the church at Corinth. Some members of the church had evidently made strong attacks against Paul, but he shows his deep longing for reconciliation and expresses his great joy when this is brought about.” Meditate on the passage, noting a few words or a phrase that stood out. Take them to God in prayer.
Evening Readings:
Pray Psalm 15 | Read Deuteronomy 1
- OT Context: “The book of Deuteronomy is organized as a series of addresses given by Moses to the people of Israel in the land of Moab, where they had stopped at the end of the long wilderness journey and were about to enter and occupy Canaan…The great theme of the book is that God has saved and blessed his chosen people, whom he loves; so his people are to remember this, and love and obey him, so that they may have life and continued blessing. The key verses of the book are 6:4–6, and contain the words that Jesus called the greatest of all commandments, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
Reflect on the passage. Who was the original audience, and what was their situation? How is that relevant to you today?
Sermon Devo
Over the next few months our sermon series will explore who God is and what it means for us as His Creation to know Him. Each day this devo will tread along a variety of paths connected to the week’s theme in Knowing God. Consider this your invitation to come along for the ride as we head into the wilds of coming to know and experience God’s person and grace.
Read: 1 John 4:7-8
David Powlison wrote, “We are simple people. We can truly learn, believe, and do only one thing at a time.” Our devotional today from Jack Miller’s Saving Grace invites us to do just that: take in this one, life-altering truth about God, who is love.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. —1 John 4:7–8
The high point of the Bible is in three simple words: God is love. Love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God. If we love, we have moved from a natural state into a spiritual state—we have been born of God. When we’ve been born of God, we look like God and God is love.
Do you love people because God loves you? Those who do not love—those who hate—their brother will not have a part in the things of God, a part in his aggressive love. In other words, if you don’t love one another, then you don’t belong to God. Ignoring people and being indifferent or callous to them is not neutral; it’s hatred.
We can’t pretend we don’t know what real love looks like because God showed us love by sending his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. He identified with us in order to bring us redemption. And since God loved us, let us also love one another. Because our sins have been forgiven, we can give of ourselves to others. We have the Spirit of God, we are children of God, and we are free to love.
Reflect: If there is one thing that Jesus would want you to walk away believing and receiving as a result of this passage of Scripture, what is that thing?
Evening Prayer of Examen
- Where did you move with or feel close to Jesus today?
- Where did you resist or feel far from Jesus today?
- Where is Jesus leading you tomorrow? Ask for joy as you follow him.
Benediction
May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands. (Psalm 90:17)
