Daily Devotion for April 23, 2026

Devotion:

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Read Jeremiah 30:17.

At the time in history of this verse, God’s people were in exile for rebelling against God. They had followed other gods and had refused to honor the Lord, who had made them into a great nation. God had disciplined them by sending them into exile.

Their conquerors had brutally enslaved them and carried them away after destroying their land. And when God’s people cried out in their distress, the Lord heard them. God is powerful enough to overwhelm all evil. The people needed God to save them from this enemy that had exploited them. God promised to bring them honor again, saying, “So you will be my people, and I will be your God.”

This verse was spoken to people described as "outcasts" whom no one cared for. The Message translation suggests God is "curing the incurable". No matter how hopeless a situation seems—a broken relationship, a physical illness, or emotional trauma—it is not beyond God's power to redeem.

Personal Worship Option:

God, your ­power is greater than any other. Thank you for being merciful and just. Help us to honor you above all and to serve you faithfully. Amen

Daily Devotion for April 22, 2026

Devotion:

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Read Lamentations 3:22-23.

Sometimes there are no words. The writer of Lamentations (traditionally Jeremiah) is literally lamenting the crisis he is living through. The Babylonian Empire has just destroyed Jerusalem (586 B.C.E.) and Jeremiah is in the unenviable position of seeing his warnings and prophecies all come to fruition. He looks around and sees his land ravaged and his city destroyed and the people going into exile. And yet - in the midst of all this devastation Jeremiah pauses and writes, “But this I call to mind and therefore I have hope.” (v. 3:1 NRSV). He goes on then to lay out the anguish and humiliation and defeat that he is experiencing and then says: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (3:22-23). For Jeremiah, even in the midst of ruin and destruction, God is still present and faithful. That is not an easy lesson to learn. And not one that we can glibly teach others. Sometimes, like Jeremiah, you have to go through hard times to realize how present God is. When in your life has God been most present to you?

Personal Worship Option:

Lord, great is your faithfulness. Help us to look for you at all times. Amen

Daily Devotion for April 21, 2026

Devotion:

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Read Titus 3:5-7.

There is something deeply freeing about knowing our salvation does not rest on our performance. Epistle to Titus reminds us that God’s rescue plan was never about our ability to earn His favor. It is rooted entirely in His mercy.

We often live as though we must prove ourselves worthy striving to be good enough, do enough, or fix enough. But this passage gently dismantles that mindset. God didn’t save us because we had it all together. He saved us because He is merciful. That truth humbles us and lifts us at the same time.

“…through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit…”

Salvation is not just forgiveness—it is transformation. The imagery of washing speaks of cleansing, a fresh start. The Holy Spirit doesn’t merely patch up our old life; He renews us from the inside out. What we could never change in ourselves, God begins to reshape through His Spirit.

This means your past does not define you. Your failures are not final. In Christ, you are continually being made new.

“…so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

Because of grace, we are not only forgiven—we are justified, declared right with God. Even more, we are adopted as heirs. That means we belong. We have a future secured not by our effort, but by His promise.

This hope is not wishful thinking; it is a confident assurance anchored in God’s faithfulness.   

Personal Worship Option:

Lord, thank You for saving me not because of anything I have done, but because of Your mercy. Wash me, renew me, and continue to shape my heart through Your Spirit. Help me to live in the freedom of Your grace and the hope of eternal life. Amen.

Daily Devotion for April 20, 2026

Devotion:

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Read Psalm 103:2-5.

This psalm, like so many, is credited to David, and it appears he may have written this later in life. It is a psalm of praise, thanking God for the many ways God renews us. It is God who forgives our sins, heals our illnesses, and satisfies our desires with good things. It is easy to get caught up in living our days and forget to give thanks to God for the love and compassion God pours out on us. I invite you to read this passage again and see in it how God renews us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

I love the last part of verse 5 that declares how God renews our youth like that of the eagle. I have heard some of my older friends (certainly not me!) complain of their aches and pains as they age. Muscles become stiff, and joints don’t seem to move as well as they once did. Eagles molt each year, allowing them to soar on fresh feathers. We can exercise regularly, rub on the aspercream, and rest; but God renews us and gives us fresh feathers to soar, no matter what age we happen to be.    

Personal Worship Option:

Thank you, God of love and compassion. When we turn to you and ask for strength and energy, you renew us. You lift us up and heal us. And when we confess, you forgive us. All of this is grace, and I am grateful to you. Help me submit more fully to you. Amen.

Daily Devotion for April 19, 2026

Devotion:

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Read Romans 12:1-2.

This is a call to nonconformity, to living in accordance with the teachings of Christ instead of the ways of the world. This is not something we just decide to do through our human will and then go for it. Paul calls us to let Christ renew our minds and transform us.

Some years ago, I worked for a company that periodically brought in a psychologist who would interview us, give us all kinds of tests, and then recommend ways to improve our performance as leaders. In one of those sessions, the psychologist told me that I was way too altruistic in order to do well in my new position as head of project management. I was confused, because I thought altruism was a good thing, being unselfish, caring for the rights and welfare of others. Back at my office, I looked up the definition and confirmed my understanding of altruism. The psychologist was recommending that I act more aggressively and selfishly to get my way over that of others…in other words, that I “conform to the pattern of the world.” I decided two things: 1) that I needed to be more altruistic in the way I treated others, and 2) this guy was a quack!

Personal Worship Option:

Give some thought today on how and when you push back on the ways and expectations of the world when they are not the way of Christ. Pray for the courage to be different from the world, even if that causes some people in the world to see you as weird.

Daily Devotion for April 18, 2026

Devotion:

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Read John 17:13-18.

As we read this passage, we could see it as simply Jesus’ prayer for his apostles and those who were closest to him in his earthly ministry. However, through the church, Jesus’ teachings, expectations, and promises transcend time and apply equally to us as his current followers.

When Jesus says they and we are not of the world, he is saying that we no longer base our values on the world, and the world is not our center.  Christ is our center. But unlike the Children of Israel, who were initially kept apart from the world in order to purify them, we are sent into the world. Some of our greatest theological writings were penned by hermits who withdrew from the world to live in seclusion. For most of us, however, that is not how we are to live. Jesus sends us into the world, to be with people, and in particular, to be with people who do not yet know Christ. When we live faithfully as Christians, enmeshed in the world and surrounded by people, they will see that we are different and yes, perhaps even weird. They will be curious and open to our witness to them in love. 

Personal Worship Option:

Gracious God, send me where you would have me go. Give me friends and acquaintances who do not yet know you. Let me be as weird as I need to be as I reject the ways of the world and live for you. Amen.

Daily Devotion for April 17, 2026

Devotion:

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Read Matthew 5:21-22.

This is just one example of the many times Jesus calls us to go beyond the Old Testament moral laws as we live our lives of faith. Jesus wasn’t discounting the law or giving his opinion. Rather He was giving a fuller understanding of why God made the law in the first place. We miss the intent of God’s Word when we read his rules for living without trying to understand why he made them. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with everything and the next greatest is to love others. All the Law hinges on these two commandments. Love is the foundation of God’s relationship with us and so it should be our guide in relationships with others.  

Personal Worship Option:

When do you keep God’s rules, but close your eyes to his intent? Does love provide direction in all of your relationships? Open your heart to hear what God has to say to you.