Daily Devotional from Mark 3--Verses 34-35And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”Who belongs to your family?The answer is different for different families. Some are born into a family, some are adopted, and others are given “honorary” membership because of some close asso...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Mark 2--Verse 27The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a gift.A day to stop and catch your breath.A day to refresh and repose.A day to regain your rhythm.A day to take a deep breath and relax.It’s a gift from God to mankind. However, what kind of gift is it when it’s obligatory? Under such expectations, it ceases to be a gift entirely and become...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Mark 1—Verse 18And immediately they left their nets and followed him.Imagine you’re working and someone comes up to you and says, “come follow me.” That would be a huge interruption to our day. We’d think of all the reasons we can’t, and we’d even wonder why they’re asking us such a thing.Jesus asks us to drop everything to follow Him. Following Jesus may be inconvenient and ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 28--Verses 18-20Go 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 behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.The Great Commission - Jesus charged His disciples with a task to reach the world with the Good News! This Commiss...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 27--Verse 46About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”Sometimes things happen in life that make us feel as if God has abandoned us. Here in Matthew 27, Jesus is on the cross, the sin of the world is on his shoulders and for the first time—he felt as if God had aban...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 26--Verses 7-9A woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.”An unnamed woman, perhaps someone just like you or me, came up to Jesus while he...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 25--Verse 40As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. Jesus stands in solidarity with the down and outs. He has a special affinity with the needy. I find it interesting that he doesn’t come and personally fix the problem himself but waits for his representatives (the church) to do something about it. He wants the church to see them. He ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 24--Verse 42Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.When I was a young believer, I would read this verse and think, 'What, are we supposed to stay awake 24 hours a day???' No! Jesus is not speaking literally here; he is saying STAY AWAKE SPIRITUALLY.The enemy of our souls tries to sing us a song that will lull us to sleep spiritually...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 23--Verse 37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!Jerusalem has been known for killing prophets and treating them horribly. But God kept sending them. God out of his great love sent more peo...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 22--Verse 3[The King] sent his servants to summon those invited to the banquet, but they didn’t want to come.Getting an invitation to an important event is so exciting (and an incredible honor). In this parable, a King was throwing an extravagant wedding banquet and those invited didn’t want to come! Can you believe it?  Some had more important things to do. Some were...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 21--Verse 18In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry.Jesus was God and man! When we hear or read about Jesus, we often think of His Godly attributes - like His ability to heal disease, forgive sin, raise the dead, or love unconditionally. But the verse above reminds us that He was human as well. He got hungry! Jesus was conceived by the Holy S...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 20--Verse 15Do you begrudge my generosity? When somebody else – less deserving – gets blessed just as much as you, it’s a bit distasteful. We cry, “That’s not fair!” And you’re right. It’s not. And praise God it isn’t. Because if it was, we’d all be punished for eternity. Lost and without hope. That’s fair. So, we don’t want fair. We want grace. So, next time you’re t...  Read More