Daily Devotion for June 20, 2025

Devotion:

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Read Mark 1:16-17.

Jesus still calls anyone who will listen to follow him and learn to “fish for people.” Fishing was a major industry around the Sea of Galilee. Fishing with nets was the most common method. Jesus called the disciples to fish for people with the same energy they had used to fish for food. The gospel would be like a net, lifting people from dark waters into the light of day and transforming their lives.  

How can God use you to fish for people? The gospel makes missionaries of all God’s people. Where are you casting your net?

Personal Worship Option:

Take some time to listen for God’s direction. How can you make a difference today?

Daily Devotion for June 19, 2025

Devotion:

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Read John 2:1-11.

Jesus' first miracle has often baffled me because it seemed unnecessary from a purely human point of view. Yes, I can understand that Jesus saved the wedding host from embarrassment, but that seems so frivolous and unimportant compared to other things that could have used a miracle. But this miracle reveals that Jesus came not only to help us with our greatest problems, but also to spread the joy of full, abundant living with God.

Through his life and death, Jesus redeemed believers from the weight of sin in their lives and in the world. When this burden is removed from us, we can see the true character of God and all the blessings he wants for us in life. The gospel of John reports that as a result of this first miracle, Jesus revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. This miracle reminds us that Jesus meets us in our moments of need. He takes what is ordinary and makes it extraordinary.  He can transform our lives into something beautiful and full of purpose. 

Personal Worship Option:

Dear God, every life is a miracle from you. It shows your glory in all the creation and the work that you do through people. Thank you for the love that you sent us, using Jesus to show us the miracles you have for us. Amen.

Daily Devotion for June 18, 2025

Devotion:

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Read Acts 1:6-8.

Even after the resurrection, the disciples were still asking the wrong question: “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” They wanted clarity, closure, and control. But Jesus redirects them—not with a timeline, but with a mission.

He tells them they will receive power, not political power or certainty, but the power of the Holy Spirit—a power not for comfort, but for courage. And then He gives them their task: be my witnesses. Not just in the familiar streets of Jerusalem, but out into Judea, then Samaria (home of their cultural rivals), and finally “to the ends of the earth.”

This is still the mission: to bear witness—not just to doctrines, but to the living Christ who transforms lives, communities, and even enemies. The call to witness stretches us beyond our comfort zones. It starts at home, but it never ends there.

Personal Worship Option:

Ask yourself, Where is your “Jerusalem”—the place God has already planted you to be a witness? And where might God be nudging you next—across a boundary, a fear, or an assumption?

Then pray this prayer or one of your choosing: God of mission and movement, breathe Your Spirit into us again. Give us courage to speak truth, humility to listen well, and boldness to go wherever You send us. Let us be faithful witnesses—near and far. Amen.

Daily Devotion for June 17, 2025

Devotion:

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Read Matthew 8:5-13.

Even though he was an outsider, this Roman centurion knew that Jesus could help his servant. In a world defined by boundaries—political, religious, ethnic—this moment is a powerful reminder that faith transcends all barriers. The centurion wasn’t a Jew. He wasn’t part of God’s covenant people. He was a Roman officer, a symbol of the very empire that oppressed Israel. And yet, he approached Jesus with humility, compassion, and stunning faith.

This passage is remarkable for many reasons. First, the centurion’s concern wasn’t for himself, but for his servant—someone considered low in status. His heart revealed a love that was both sincere and sacrificial. Second, his faith wasn’t based on religious knowledge or tradition but on a simple, profound belief in Jesus’ authority. “Only say the word,” he said. He understood something many of Jesus’ own people didn’t grasp: that Christ’s power was not limited by proximity or ritual.

Jesus was astonished. He said, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.” Think about that. This Roman soldier—an outsider—had greater faith than the people who had grown up with the Scriptures. Jesus goes on to say that many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, revealing that God’s kingdom welcomes all who believe, regardless of background.  

Personal Worship Option:

Lord Jesus, give us faith like the centurion. Help us to trust in Your authority completely, even when we don’t see how things will work out. Teach us to love others deeply, especially those who are hurting. And remind us that Your grace is for all people—no matter who they are or where they come from. Amen.

Daily Devotion for June 16, 2025

Devotion:

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Read John 12:20-32.

This passage is packed with things for us to see, to understand, and to incorporate into our lives. Some Greeks were drawn to Jesus upon his triumphal entry into Jerusalem and asked to see him. Philip took them to Andrew, who went with him to tell Jesus; and we are reminded how we are not meant to turn people away but rather to bring them to Jesus. Then Jesus spoke about how a single kernel of wheat is just that, a single seed. But when it dies into the soil, it produces a harvest of many seeds. When we keep our lives to ourselves, serving our own interests, we are just one. But when we give our lives unselfishly to serving Christ, others will be drawn to him. 

Jesus refers in verse 32 to the time when he will be “lifted up,” referring to his coming death on the cross, but the Greek word for this also means “exalted.” Through his death and resurrection, Jesus would be exalted above every name on earth, and many people would be drawn to him. We are not so much called to die for Christ as we are called to live for him, lifting up his name by our everyday witness in word and deed.      

Personal Worship Option:

Give thanks today that someone or perhaps several people lived before you a life focused on Christ and spoke to you about his influence on their lives. Through their witness, you came to know Christ. Now it is our turn to lift up Christ to those around us. 

Daily Devotion for June 15, 2025

Devotion:

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Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

“This is my body (and blood), given for you.” Jesus Christ gave the ultimate sacrifice to show you and me and everybody else the depth of God’s love for all of us. His whole life was “a living sacrifice” that showed us what it means to live as his people. And in the end, he told us that he wanted to be remembered by this meal.  In Communion, we meet Jesus again and are reminded that his way is the way of sacrificial love. Every time we receive the bread and cup, we get to experience his presence again. We experience the Spirit of Christ with us and are reminded that this same Spirit goes with us back out into the world. We also get the tangible experience of taking the bread and juice into our body, a physical reminder that this is what sacrificial love looks like.  

So, anytime you receive this meal, let it be more than just remembering what Jesus did a long time ago on behalf of you and the whole world. Let it be a time to be with Jesus right then. Seek his presence in that moment and renew your commitment to seek his presence out there in the real world, where sacrificial love is still so desperately needed.  

Personal Worship Option:

Two verses from Isaac Watts hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” are most fitting for this focus today:

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ, my God; all the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to his blood.

Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small; love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.

Daily Devotion for June 14, 2025

Devotion:

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Read John 3:16.

 “God so loved the world that he gave…” Think about all the people in your life who have given you something significant simply because they loved you. I think especially of my parents. They raised me in a loving home and provided for my needs throughout my childhood and teenage years. When my sister started school, Mom took on a job outside our home to help provide for us. I am sure there were many times that she and Dad both sacrificed having things or experiences they would have liked to have in order to see their children prosper. There is no doubt in my mind that I would not be where I am today if I did not have the foundation my parents provided for me in many ways in those early years.

Sacrifice is “part of the package” of love. When we truly love someone or some cause, we are willing to make sacrifices for them. We want the best for them and willingly give what we have to help them. This is not done out of a sense of duty, but desire.

God gave us Jesus because “God so loved the world.” God gave you Jesus because God so loved you.

Personal Worship Option:

Pray this prayer or one in your own words: God of life and love, I am amazed at the depth of your love for me and all the world. Help me live my life to show you the depth of my gratitude. In Jesus’ name, Amen.