Month: January 2025

They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated.
Isaiah 61:4

Restoration

Daily Devotion – January 31, 2025

Devotion based on Isaiah 61:4


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In April 2019, a fire broke out in the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Firefighters worked valiantly, but by the time the blaze was under control, the cathedral was a ruin. It was a smoking, debris-filled wreck.

The people of France, however, were determined to restore it. The effort required 1,500 trees and 46,000 cubic feet of new limestone. They restored the organ with its 8,000 pipes. They restored the stained-glass windows. They restored the wrought iron railings. They re-tuned the cathedral’s massive bells. They built a new roof. They constructed a new steeple. And while they were at it, they carefully scrubbed 450,000 square feet of surface, cleansing it of centuries of ancient grime. As of December, France has reopened this historic structure to the public. The final result of this restoration is truly breathtaking.

Without question, this restoration effort was impressive. As great as this physical restoration was, however, the restoration of spiritual ruins is something else altogether.

In Isaiah chapter 61, the Lord is speaking to a people in ruins. They have seen their home city, Jerusalem, go up in smoke. An enemy nation has carried them off into captivity. Far worse, however, is the brokenness of their souls. They realize they are the ones responsible for having turned their backs on their God. They realize they are the ones responsible for having brought their lives to ruin.

But their Savior-God is a God who keeps his promises. He’s promised to send a Savior from sin. And when he does, this Savior will wash them clean of their guilt. He will cover them in the holiness of the holy life that he will live on their behalf. And in doing this, he will restore them to himself. They will be in ruins no more.

God has kept that promise for you and me too. Apart from him, our lives are in ruins—ruined by our sin. But Jesus has come. Through the good news of what he has done, his Spirit has restored us. He has cleansed us with his blood. Our lives with him are now fresh and clean and new.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I was in ruins. But you have restored me by your gospel. Thank you. Amen.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
Isaiah 61:3

Witness Trees

Daily Devotion – January 30, 2025

Devotion based on Isaiah 61:3


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One million people visit the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, every year. One million. The draw, of course, is the Gettysburg battlefield—the site of the most famous battle fought during the American Civil War.

If you have even a casual interest in history, a visit to Gettysburg is well worth the trip. Thanks to the foresight of people generations ago, the town and the battlefield are in a remarkable state of preservation (if you look carefully, you can even spot cannon balls still stuck in the sides of buildings). If you want to encounter the past even more, however, ask a Battlefield Guide to show you what’s called a witness tree. A witness tree is a tree that’s old enough and sturdy enough to have witnessed the actual battle. Some are still hiding bullets and shrapnel behind their bark. There’s something powerful about showing a witness tree to a young child. It says to a young boy or girl, “This battle was real. This really happened.”

In Isaiah chapter 61, the Lord was speaking to people who felt frail, defeated, and crushed. They felt this way because the consequences of their sin had made them realize what lost, broken sinners they were. God, however, reminded them that he had made a promise. He had promised to send a Savior from sin—someone who would wash away their guilty stains and renew their relationship with their Creator. When this happened, God promised that “they (would) be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.”

God has fulfilled that promise. He has sent his Son. Jesus Christ has washed away our guilty stains at the cross. Jesus Christ has lived a life of solid, perfect faithfulness on our behalf. Through faith in his Son, God declares us holy. And as he does, he also empowers us to be witness trees for the Lord, “to be oaks of righteousness . . . for the display of his splendor.”

When we are—when we absorb the shrapnel and scars of living as Christians in a fallen world—then you and I can tell the next generation, Be of good courage. Christ is your strength.

Prayer:
Lord, my strength, empower me to stand strong for you. Amen.

[The LORD] has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted . . . to comfort all who mourn.
Isaiah 61:1,2

All Who Mourn

Daily Devotion – January 29, 2025

Devotion based on Isaiah 61:1,2


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Are you in mourning? You certainly are if you are grieving the loss of a loved one. But those who study the subject of grief tell us that the loss of a loved one does not even begin to cover all the circumstances that can put us into a state of mourning. Any profound sense of loss can hurl us into a pit of grief. Examples? I can mourn the loss of a relationship. When I have to move, I can mourn the loss of where I used to live. I can mourn the loss of a job position I sincerely enjoyed. I can mourn my childhood friends because time and distance have separated us. I can mourn the loss of my health. I can mourn the loss of my spouse’s health. I can mourn the loss of my parent’s health. I can even mourn what might have been—grieving a sinful failure from long ago that has had consequences right up to the present.

In our Bible reading today, the prophet Isaiah says that the Savior is coming “to comfort all who mourn.” In the immediate context, the people to whom Isaiah is speaking are not mourning the loss of loved ones. Rather, they are mourning the disastrous consequences of their sins and unfaithfulness.

And this is one of the reasons Jesus came. He came so that mourning and grief in your life and mine do not have the last word. Where you and I have been unfaithful, Jesus has lived a life of perfect faithfulness on our behalf. Where you and I have done things—or not done things—that have created for us years of regret, Jesus has taken those sinful failures and washed them away at the cross. And because he has, not only do you and I stand forgiven through faith in him; he also displaces our mourning with his comfort—a comfort that goes beyond words, a comfort that surrounds us in security and contentment and joy and peace. The peace of God that surpasses all understanding.

Prayer:
Lord, I know there are times when I will mourn and grieve. When I do, remind me that my mourning does not have the last word. You do. Amen.

[The LORD] has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim . . . release from darkness for the prisoners.
Isaiah 61:1

Darkness

Daily Devotion – January 28, 2025

Devotion based on Isaiah 61:1


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Some years ago, Smithsonian Magazine published an article about the effects of prolonged darkness and how the lack of sunlight can impact people. It’s a compelling piece. For example, prolonged darkness prevents our bodies from producing vitamin D. This, in turn, can trigger a whole host of problems: Weaker bones, weaker tissues, a weaker immune system, and even weaker teeth.

On the other hand, studies about the impact of sunlight have suggested many benefits. They include reducing the risk of stroke or heart attack, reducing the risk of diabetes and lower blood pressure. Then, there is the impact of sunlight on our brains. It produces chemicals that improve our mood and prevent loss of energy, lack of interest, oversleeping, and feelings of depression.

All of this, of course, comes as no surprise. Thousands of years of shared experience have taught us to associate positive things with light and negative things with darkness.

Of all the kinds of darkness in this dark world, however—the worst kind of darkness is the darkness of sin. Your sin and mine. It separates us from the light of the goodness of God. It isolates us from the Lord and each other. It surrounds us with anxiety. It saturates us in fear. It weighs us down in hopelessness. It crushes us in guilt. It smothers us in despair. It tells us we are trapped, helpless, and alone.

But the light has come—Jesus has arrived. And on his arrival, he has pierced the darkness. Not only has he pierced the darkness, but he has destroyed the very source of the darkness: our sin. In place of our deeds of darkness, Jesus has lived a sinless life of light. And as our substitute, Jesus endured the darkness of eternal death—all to pay our debt of sin in full.

And now he lives. And because he does, the light of his gospel now shines to bathe our dark souls in his brightness. Through faith in him, you and I now bask in his light. He has released us from the darkness. We now live to praise him, who has brought us into his wonderful light.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, move me to bask in your light. Every day. Amen.

[The LORD] has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives.
Isaiah 61:1

Captive

Daily Devotion – January 27, 2025

Devotion based on Isaiah 61:1


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Jose Pereira [pronounced Pah-RAY-rah] was ready to retire. He had worked in the oil business for 35 years. He was a chief executive. He lived with his wife in a beautiful home in Texas. Shortly before his retirement, he had to attend a corporate meeting in another part of the world. Jose thought nothing of it.

Immediately after the meeting, however, guards appeared. They accused him of all kinds of wrongdoing against their government and placed him under arrest. For the next five years, Jose Pereira was a captive. The conditions were often horrific. He sometimes did not eat for days. There were long stretches of solitary confinement. His physical and emotional health began to break down.

You and I were captives, too. We may not have had Jose’s experience. However, in a very real sense, our captivity was just as serious—even more so. Instead of an underground cell with iron doors and concrete walls, ours was a dungeon of our own making: a spiritual one. So toxic was our rebellion against God that we chose to pile up our sins, brick by brick, to isolate ourselves from the only One who can give us goodness, love, life, and light. And there we sat, captives in our own darkness.

But then came the promised Savior. In our place, Jesus lived a life of perfect good—the life you and I have failed to live. On our behalf, Jesus went to the cross and endured the punishment for our every sin—the punishment you and I have deserved. And now, through faith in what our rescuer has done, we are captive no more. We are free.

Jose Pereira is free, too. Yes, his physical captivity came to an end after five years. But he is free in an even greater way. Through those terrible years, the Holy Spirit refreshed him wth a message he had grown up hearing a long time ago. In his cell, the good news of Jesus set him free from the walls of his own sin. “Now,” he says, “Everything I do is for God.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you have set me free. Move me, now, to live for you. Amen.

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove [Jesus] out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
Luke 4:28-30

The Power to Walk Away

Daily Devotion – January 26, 2025

Devotion based on Luke 4:28-30


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Jesus had gone to Nazareth, his hometown, and went into the synagogue to worship. The people invited Jesus to preach, so Jesus opened to a part of the book of Isaiah which reads, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” This is a beautiful segment of the Bible which reminds us that God is full of forgiving love! It also teaches that God doesn’t like to deal with us in judgment (Though he will do that if we stubbornly rebel against him.) Rather, he loves to deal with us in mercy and love. Jesus identified himself as the fulfillment of this prophecy, as the promised Messiah.

Unfortunately, the people reacted with unbelief, and Jesus confronted them about it. This made them furious, and they tried to kill him.

How did Jesus deal with that? He walked away. He simply left, and there was nothing the people could do to stop him.

That’s very valuable for us to see. Why? Because later another group of people tried to put Jesus to death. It happened in Jerusalem, and Jesus didn’t walk away. He could have, but he didn’t.

This shows us that when Jesus died, he did so willingly. When Jesus died, he did so because he loved you. He wasn’t forced into it. He had the power to walk away from the cross just as he had walked away from the hill in Nazareth. But he didn’t.

So, we rejoice! We rejoice that Jesus had the power to walk away from the crowd in Nazareth. And we rejoice even more that Jesus didn’t walk away from the cross in Jerusalem.

Prayer:
O Savior, remind me that your love for me is a willing love so that I might know for sure that you love me forever. Amen.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23

A Daily Number One Goal

Daily Devotion – January 25, 2024

Devotion based on Proverbs 4:23


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What is your number one goal on the schedule today? Is it visiting or calling someone in need? Is it completing a task at work? Is it paying off a bill online? Is it simply making it through the day with your head attached to your neck?

We have to-do lists that seem to get longer and longer by the hour. It can be our number one goal to accomplish everything on the list. But try a different number one goal for today. “Above all else, guard your heart” was Solomon’s encouragement in Proverbs chapter 4. Why? Because your heart is where it all begins.

The heart that says, “I have too many things to do and no time for God today,” is already allowing impatience and sin to seep inside. Frustration, lost tempers, and angry words are just around the corner. But the heart that takes the time to admit every day, “I need my Savior desperately as I complete as much on my to-do list as I can” will be at rest. The peace of Christ will guard that humble heart, keeping the wellspring of life, joy, and love on the inside and banning frustration and bitterness to the outside.

Want to have peace and joy as you complete your to-do lists? Make it your number one goal to guard your heart with Christ today. You will be amazed at the difference it makes!

Prayer:
O Holy Spirit, fill my heart with a love for you that keeps you as my number one priority every day. Amen.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20,21

More Than All We Ask or Imagine

Daily Devotion – January 24, 2025

Devotion based on Ephesians 3:20,21


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In an iconic scene from the classic movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, George and Mary playfully walk, talk, and sing together under the romantic light of a full moon. They stop and face each other as George asks, “What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word, and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey, that’s a pretty good idea. I’ll give you the moon, Mary.” She replies, “I’ll take it. Then what?”

In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul had dared to pray boldly on their behalf. He asked that God would powerfully strengthen these believers through the Holy Spirit so that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith. What’s more, the apostle asked that they would be given the power to know the unknowable—how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ—to the point that these Christians would come to be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. He might as well have asked for the moon!

But Paul knew the God to whom he was praying. He is the God who does the impossible, the unimaginable. Jesus assured his disciples, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” They never could have imagined that Christ would die for them, the holy and righteous Son of God, punished in the place of sinners. But he did and saved them and us from hell before we could even think to ask.

What is it you want? Be bold in your prayers in Jesus’ name. Your Father loves you more than you can ever know. He has filled you with everything you could ever need. Your God is able to do immeasurably more than all you ask or imagine.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for taking care of all my needs—and so much more. Increase my faith in you so that my prayers might become bolder and more confident. Amen.