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
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. ()
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.
Good God, you didn’t turn your back on a world plunged up to its neck in physical and spiritual death but set out to rescue it.
We confess that we often and subtly are drawn back into living as though you have not rescued us by your grace and steadfast love.
We worship you for your resolute goodness and wisdom that sought and found us;
We thank you for the blessing that has come to us in Jesus,
And we pray that our lives may be a blessing to others. 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 | Read 2 Corinthians 10
- 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 | Read
- 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:
It seems that the church in Galatia had lost the joy of their salvation. They had received this amazing grace from God, but now they had forgotten how that grace was meant to work its way deep into every crack and crevice of our souls and lives.
Jack Miller used to say, “I relate to [this passage] because many times I have lost my joy. . . . I have forgotten the power of grace, the joy of sonship.” The solution for forgotten joy? Waking up! Being attentive to and remembering what you have heard and received ().
Remembering the gospel should be cause for joy, or as Jack memorably put it: “Cheer up! You are far worse than you think! But God’s grace is greater than you’ve ever dared hope…The best news you ever heard is that original sin is true. And, if original sin (the curse) is true, then the grace is true. The love of God is shallow unless there is depth to which it reaches.”
Take a few minutes today to read . Read it slowly.
Write down everything the passage tells you that is far worse about you than you think.
Then write down everything you can observe in the passage about grace that is “greater than you’ve ever dared hope.” Cheer up! Grace is true! You are more loved in Christ than you realize!
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 my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. ()
