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
“God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.” (Ps. 47:5-7)
Prayer of Confession
Creator God, garden my life—turn it over, cultivate it, and make it ready for gospel seeds to take root. And in quiet darkness let the gospel do its work, slow but powerful, stirring up life in my heart, increasing joy, strengthening all your graces until shoots of new life rise and good fruit bursts forth on the branches of my life, a life beautiful for you and a blessing to others. Amen. (Prayer based on the Westminster Larger Catechism, Question 75)
*Prayer borrowed from Philip Reinders’ Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year
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 111 | Read Ephesians 2
- 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 letter to the Ephesians joins together what has been torn apart in our sin-wrecked world. He begins with an exuberant exploration of what Christians believe about God, and then, like a surgeon skillfully setting a compound fracture, “sets” this belief in God into our behavior before God so that the bones—belief and behavior—knit together and heal.” Meditate on the passage, noting a few words or a phrase that stood out. Take them to God in prayer.
Evening Readings:
Pray Psalm 112 | Read Nehemiah 13
- OT Context: “Nehemiah started out as a government worker in the employ of a foreign king. Then he became—and this is the work he tells us of in these memoirs—a building contractor, called in to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. His coworker Ezra was a scholar and teacher, working with the Scriptures. Nehemiah worked with stones and mortar. The stories of the two men are interwoven in a seamless fabric of vocational holiness. Neither job was more or less important or holy than the other. Nehemiah needed Ezra; Ezra needed Nehemiah. God’s people needed the work of both of them. We still do. Reflect on the passage. Who was the original audience, and what was their situation? How is that relevant to you today?
Sermon Devo
We are in our Spring series in Romans 8. Each day we will dig into a different aspect of this incomparable chapter and see how it alters the way we live “in Christ!”
Read: Romans 8:28-30
Ray Ortlund comments on our passage,
“…So amid the perplexities of life, what do we know? We know this: For those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. And this one thing we know breaks down into four parts.
First, we know that ‘all things’. Not some things, not most things, not the nice things, but all things – including evil and tragedy. Ever since Adam fell into sin, God has been taking our sorrows and even our failures and bending them around to serve his own loving intentions. You are at this moment enveloped in the love of God as in an atmosphere, and nothing can touch you without his gracious and wise permission. I will not hesitate to say that even our sins fall within the scope of ‘all things’.
This can be misunderstood, but how could it be otherwise? Can I sin my way out of the saving purpose of God? I can easily sin my way out of a clear conscience, out of the assurance of my salvation, out of my ministry, out of my marriage, my children’s respect, financial solvency, a good reputation, my health. I can easily sin my way into disgrace and heartache and a sexually transmitted disease and bankruptcy and mediocrity and tragic inconsequentiality. But I cannot sin my way out of the purpose of God, because my sin is the very thing his saving purpose most intentionally redeems.
‘All things’ must extend to literally all things in our lives, or else Romans 8:28 loses its force. If there is even one single experience of life falling outside the range of ‘all things’, then we can never rest assured that God’s love employs the worst of life for his loving purpose. But if ‘all things’ means literally all things, then we need never wonder, ‘Is this the moment when God is abandoning me? Have I just stepped outside the scope of his power and his claims and his resources and his care?’ But make no mistake. The boldness of Romans 8:28 does not condone our sins. It does not soften the hard consequences of our sins. It does not give us an excuse to look the other way in denial. God is able to use our sins to sting us into repentance. But that only illustrates the truth of Romans 8:28. Nothing can outmaneuver the mercy of God for us, if God intends mercy for us.”
REFLECT: What are some of the things you are tempted to think fall outside of the “all things” of verse 28? How has today’s reading helped refine this for you?
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
“Go and make disciples of all nations. . . . And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19-20)