Devotionals

In Psalm 127, Solomon challenges us to consider wisely where we are placing God within every relationship that we have and in every circumstance that we face. If God is not the Builder of our house (our hearts), our relationships and circumstances are meaningless. With God as the Builder of all things, He watches over all things, and He is the One who gives all things. So, when we try and take over the building, the watching, and/or the giving, we are doing it all for nothing.

Friends, think about how God allows each of our physical systems to operate even while we are sleeping, providing all that is needed to sustain our physical lives. So, why is it that we do not trust Him to provide all that is needed to sustain our physical lives when we are awake? Far too often we attempt to take control, rather than rest in our Builder’s Hands and to trust Him.

As you read Psalm 127, these words were written for the community of Israel as they made their way up to Jerusalem and to the temple, reminding them (and us) of God’s covenant promise to His people and His many blessings. We know from history that we must have faith and trust in God to build, watch, and give us each what we need. Let’s surrender to the Builder today and step back to witness all that He has planned when we rest and trust Him.

Psalm 127 (MSG)

1-2 If God doesn’t build the house,
the builders only build shacks.
If God doesn’t guard the city,
the night watchman might as well nap.
It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late,
and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don’t you know he enjoys
giving rest to those he loves?

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the plans that You have for our lives. Help us, Lord, to submit our own will in order to allow Your will to be done in and through our lives. We want to walk out the plan that You have designed especially for us, because we know that it is the best plan. Please forgive us for not always trusting in Your plan for our lives. Help to bring us closer, each day, to walking out Your plan. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

In the Old Testament, even though Gentiles were often seen by Israel to be outside of God’s covenant, we know that God’s plan from the very beginning was to bless all nations (Gen 12:3 & Isa 49:6). It isn’t until the New Testament, and through the Gospel message of Christ Jesus, that we witness the Gentiles, who were anyone that was not Jewish, being grafted into God’s Family. “And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same Body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus”. (Eph 3:6)

In today’s passage, Paul was urging Gentile believers to no longer live their old Gentile lives, when their minds were filled with darkness, their hearts were hardened, and they wandered far from God. He wants them to recall how within this place they were lustful, shameful, and living impurely for their own selfish desires. Paul encourages them to remember what they learned about Christ Jesus, and how they are to throw off their old sinful nature and former way of living. Instead, Paul points them back to the Holy Spirit, Who lives within them, and Who wants to renew their thoughts and attitudes. Paul tells the Gentile believers to put on their new nature, in Christ Jesus, and to live out their righteous and holy lives.

Friends, we are Gentile believers, and Paul’s message is alive and well today, as it is meant for you and for me! When we feel hopelessly confused, that is NOT because Jesus is causing hopeless confusion within us, that is the work of the enemy stirring within the darkness of our former lives and attempting to disconnect us from Christ Jesus. Remember Paul’s prayer for us, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit”. (Rom 15:13) As believers, we need to ask the Holy Spirit, daily and sometime many times throughout each day, to renew our thoughts and attitudes to come into alignment with the thoughts and attitudes of the Spirit, because that is all a part of our Christ nature, where we are righteous and holy, because He is righteous and holy and we are welcoming Him to live in and through us.

Ephesians 4:17-24 (NLT)

Living as Children of Light

17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for helping each one of us to turn away from our ways of living. Through our salvation in You, our minds, hearts, and lives are renewed. Holy Spirit, help us to reflect Your Truth, as we want to live out Your righteousness and holiness. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

As many of you may know, the Book of Psalms is traditionally divided into five sections or “books”, which mirror the five books of the Torah. Today’s passage is from Psalm 107 which is titled “Book Five” as it begins the final section of Psalms 107 – 150. Let’s not forget that Book Five contains a plethora of praise, thanksgiving, and faithful endurance. We witness God’s love for His people and how His love restores all hope. Within this last book we are blessed with the Hallel Psalms, which are Psalms 113 – 118, these are often sung with praise to the Lord during Passover (Seder), Shavuot, Sukkot, and other Jewish holidays. Psalm 119 is not only an acrostic poem, where each section begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, it is also the longest chapter in the entire Bible, and it points to how God’s Word actively expresses His eternal love through wisdom, strength, and joy when we obediently apply His Word to our lives. Psalms 146 – 150 are knows for beginning and ending with Hallelujah. These five Psalms end Book Five and conclude the Book of Psalms with the most powerful way of celebrating the Lord, which is praising His Holy Name.

Friends, you and I should “erupt” with great thanks and praise for all that Jesus has done in and through our lives. He is the most loyal Friend that you and I have, and His love goes beyond what our human minds can even begin to comprehend. Jesus has redeemed us from our sins, His steadfast love holds us in times of deep trouble, and we should be giving thanks and erupting in praise for all that He has, is, and will do for each one of us. Let’s praise His Holy Name, JESUS, today for gathering our hearts to connect to Him, and ask that the Holy Spirit continues to stir within the hearts of others who still need Jesus’s eternal love.

Psalm 107 (Voice)

Book Five

1 Erupt with thanks to the Eternal, for He is good
and His loyal love lasts forever.
2 Let all those redeemed by the Eternal—
those rescued from times of deep trouble—join in giving thanks.
3 He has gathered them across the earth,
from east and west,
from [north and south].

Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for redeeming us. We hold firm to You and ask that You continue to fill and surround us with Your unending love. Holy Spirit, burn brightly within us so that more hearts may long to connect to You through Your loving Spirit within us. Guide and use us, today, to share Your love with others. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

In today’s passage, we witness David’s trust and surrender to the Lord as he cries out for the Lord’s help. Within the first 15 verses of Psalm 55, David shared his overwhelming distress with the Lord. Many theologians believe that David wrote Psalm 55 when his third son, Absalom, rebelled against him and attempted to dethrone him with the help of Ahithophel, who was David’s most trusted advisor and who turned on David to join in his son’s rebellion. In verses 16-17 there is a shift from David describing his distress to now expressing his trust in the Lord. In verse 22 there is another shift from David expressing his trust in the Lord to now fully surrendering to the Lord.

Friends, no matter where we find ourselves, we need to allow our faith to lead each and every moment. By his faith, David chose prayer, trust, and submission to Almighty God in his time of distress, and that is a great example for us to follow. We need to remember that we are never alone. When life is too heavy for us to carry, we need to remember to invite God in so that He can carry us through each and every moment until we are reunited with Him in eternity.

Psalm 55:16-17, 22

16 But I will call on God,
and the Lord will rescue me.

17 Morning, noon, and night
I cry out in my distress,
and the Lord hears my voice.

22 Give your burdens to the Lord,
and he will take care of you.
He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

For our prayer today I chose one of my favorite prayers:

Footprints in the Sand Prayer

One night I dreamed I was walking
along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed that
during the low periods of my life, when I was
suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,”You promised me
Lord, that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods
of my life there have only been
one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?”

The Lord replied,
“The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints,
is when I carried you.”

Thank You, Jesus, for carrying each and every one of us. We lift up this devotional time, this prayer, and our lives to You, Jesus. Amen.

Today, we are going to continue with Paul and a part of his message to the Romans. Despite the fact that Paul wrote this message approximately 1,970 years ago, we need to remember that the Word of God is alive; and by the work of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God speaks directly into our hearts today. All we need to do is simply submit to the Holy Spirit and allow God to speak to us so we can follow His path.

Throughout Scripture, Jesus is referred to as the Rock of our salvation, the Cornerstone of our faith, and the Foundation of God’s Church. In today’s passage, we see the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, yet by their faith they were made right with God. At the same time, the people of Israel were trying extremely hard to be seen as right with God by keeping the law, yet their good works caused them to stumble right over the “Rock” in their path, “Jesus”, Who fulfilled the law. We see Paul quotes Isaiah, whose prophetic message, from approximately 700 years earlier, spoke of Jesus and warned Israel not to miss Him.

Friends, God’s righteousness in our lives comes directly from our faith in Christ Jesus, not by our works. Yes, you and I need to be people who are connected to Christ, who are actively growing in our faith, who are operating by the Fruits of the Spirit, and who are proactively sharing the love of Christ and the message of His saving love with others, but none of that is by our own good works. You and I can actually be just like Israel and miss operating by the work of the Spirit in faith. Think about it, we can rely too much on our good deeds to make us look or feel good, we can use our religion to make us sound good, or we can leave Jesus out of conversations and/or actions and become self-righteous. We need to be constantly examining our faith, by ask the Holy Spirit to stir within us Truth, to reveal areas that are secured to Jesus, our Rock, and giving praise for those areas; then, we also need to be asking the Holy Spirit to reveal areas within us that need change and refinement because they are secured to ourselves. We want to be made right with God all of the time.

Romans 9:30-10:4 (NLT)

Israel’s Unbelief

30 What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. 31 But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. 32 Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path. 33 God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said,

“I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble,
a rock that makes them fall.
But anyone who trusts in him
will never be disgraced.”

10:1 Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. 4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.

Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for softening our hearts so that each one of us could come to You for our salvation. Holy Spirit, we need Your wisdom and daily guidance, so we operate by faith, and not by our own good deeds. Help us to live by the Fruits of Your Spirit so that we are producing more and more of them within our lives so that we are able to share them with others. We want to be vessels that share Your love and Word with others today, Jesus. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Friends, if you’ve been reading along these past couple of weeks, you know that I love digging into the original meaning of the Biblical text and seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance to apply the meaning to my life (which is called Biblical hermeneutics). At the same time, and as I mentioned in Friday’s devotion, I know that I must hang on to Jesus at all times and in every season of life as I want to witness more of His miraculous work. So, even when I can’t physically see what God is doing in the natural (earthly) realm, I still must trust and have blind faith that He is working all things for good (Rom 8:28). His divine connections are truly miraculous, and I love when He allows me to bear witness to them.

If you’re asking how to trust and have blind faith, for me it comes from truly believing with every fiber of my being that God is everywhere at all times (omnipresent), and that His unlimited power can do absolutely anything (omnipotent), because He has all knowledge of the past, present, and future (omniscient). This belief doesn’t mean that my trust and blind faith are at some heightened level, please know that the enemy seeks to challenge my trust and blind faith in God all of the time. During the sermon that I offered on July 13, 2025, I talked about how faith requires action. If I do not remain in the Word of God and in communion (prayer) with Jesus every single day (and at various times throughout each day) I can begin to feel the enemy’s oppression seeking my soul (my mind, will, and emotions). I know I belong to Jesus, and so when the enemy seeks to try and convince me of anything different, I turn to Jesus (His Word) to validate what I know to be Truth about my existence as an invaluable part of His Creation, that I am His, and that He is my God. You are just as invaluable to God as a one-of-a-kind part of His Creation, He is yours, and you are His.

Friends, God talked about us through the Old Testament prophet, Hosea, and again He reminded us through the New Testament apostle, Paul, that we are all called His people. God is ours and we are His. In Hosea’s message, the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people, were portrayed as a cheating wife and God as the broken hearted yet still ever-loving husband in an effort to reveal that God’s heart (like Hosea’s heart) was shattered by His wife’s unfaithfulness. It is within this passage where we see the prophetic message that we, as Gentiles, will be grafted into God’s Family. In Paul’s message, about 750 years after Hosea’s prophetic message, Paul explains that God’s love is extended to not only the Jews, but to also the Gentiles, and this had to be unbelievable for the first century Jews. Paul used the prophecy from Hosea 2:23 within Romans 9:25 to make sure that humanity understood and will continue to understand that God’s mercy, grace, and love is available to everyone, Jews and Gentiles, and that there are no more boundaries (traditional, racial, religious, lineage, etc.), rather only God’s unending love all and His promise to reclaim and save His people.

Hosea 2:23 (NLT)

23 At that time I will plant a crop of Israelites
and raise them for myself.
I will show love
to those I called ‘Not loved.’
And to those I called ‘Not my people,’
I will say, ‘Now you are my people.’
And they will reply, ‘You are our God!’”

Romans 9:25 (NLT)

25 Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea,
“Those who were not my people,
I will now call my people.
And I will love those
whom I did not love before.”

Today’s prayer is a portion of Peter Talbott’s prayer during yesterday’s time of worship. It goes perfectly with today’s devotion and how we should begin our week. Blessings, dearest brothers and sisters.

Prayer: Lord, help us start this week with You by our side. Stir in us a deep desire to come into further connection with You. Remind us that it is not solely by going to Sunday service that we worship and come before you; rather, it is through our daily prayers and reading Your Word that allows us to form a deep relationship with You. We ask all of this within Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Friends, when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances, I think we can all agree that it is often tough to see God’s bigger picture. I’m sure we’ve all gone through a time that felt terrible, but later we were able to see there were blessings in the midst of the difficulties. Or maybe we thought we missed out on something that seemed like the perfect plan for our lives, only to later see that we avoided what ended up being a disaster, and/or we gained something even better than we expected. As Christ’s Family, we are called to pause and trust in God’s perfect plan for our lives and for His eternal Kingdom. Miracles still happen when we can’t seem to figure out what God is doing, but we remain pressed into our relationship with Jesus, with immense blind-faith, and fully trusting in Him to bring His goodness to us, other, and the circumstance.

The greatest miracle was when Jesus died on the cross. Yet, the disciples who walked with Him didn’t see it as a miracle at first. Think about it, they found themselves in the midst of what seemed like the most difficult and painful time of their lives, and what did they initially do, they scattered. Even after the empty tomb was found, Peter and John could not believe it and had to see it for themselves; and Thomas had to put his fingers into Jesus’ wounds. The disciples came to the realization that the cross was not the bad circumstance they initially perceived it to be, but rather it was the greatest gift of all time and for all of humanity.

Think about their walk through all of that for a moment. Their worst day of witnessing the death of the Messiah on a cross ended up translating to the best day for all of humanity, and so they eventually allow the Spirit to reveal the worst circumstance they walked were absolutely necessary for humanity’s relationship with Jesus. David’s words (v.25–28) end up coming to life for the disciples. We have the same opportunity, in every circumstance there is potential for us to grow with Jesus, we just have to want it and to choose to allow Him to help us grow. God wants to release us from sin, from dead living, and from all that is painful, so that He can bring us back to life in Him. Keep holding onto Jesus and hang on through all that seems difficult to witness more of His miraculous work.

Acts 2:22-28 (NLT)

22 “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. 25 King David said this about him:

‘I see that the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
26 No wonder my heart is glad,
and my tongue shouts his praises!
My body rests in hope.
27 For you will not leave my soul among the dead
or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.
28 You have shown me the way of life,
and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Your miraculous life, death, and resurrection. Even in our pain, we want to hold onto You so that You can bring us through it and bring more blessings and testimonies out of it. Holy Spirit, please keep flaming the light of our spirit. Bring us joy in Your presence today, as we cling to You in trust, faith, and hope. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Years ago, in a devotion about Psalm 138, Pastor Mary quoted the first line I’m sharing with you from Thomas Merton’s “Thoughts in Solitude” (1956), page 33, and I want to reshare that line and a few more: “To be grateful is to recognize the love of God is everything He has given us – and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is grace, for it brings with us immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder, and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.”

Friends, it is not enough for you and I to simply acknowledge what God has done for us through some quick routine that over time becomes meaningless and is simply a part of our daily checklist. True gratitude is a state of spiritual oneness through the most personal relationship with Jesus where we recognize that every single thing, person, action, moment, and even breath, is all thanks to Jesus and His love for us. You might be thinking that your current circumstance is tough, or your past circumstances were tough, or something coming up is looking like it’s going to be really tough, and you may be asking how on earth do I thank Jesus for these tough places? Well, you get in the most comfortable place you know, you close your eyes, quiet your soul (your mind, will, and emotions), extend your hand out and ask Jesus to hold it as you bring His hand back towards your chest and place it against your heart. In this place of solitude with Jesus, you P.R.A.Y: first P-Praise, thank Jesus for everything good in your life, and if you can’t think of something good, well, thank Him for the breath in your lungs right now. Next, R-Repent, ask Jesus to forgive those places within your heart, those hidden places, that need His love to permeate and renew. A-Ask, ask Jesus to surround your troubles, like we see David did within today’s passage, because we know God wants to protect us. Finally, Y-Yield, this sometimes is the most difficult place as it requires us to fully trust and wait on the Lord. While we trust and wait, we must believe that the Lord has not, will not, and will never forsake us because we are a part of His beautiful creation and plan, which means that His faithful love will endure in us for all eternity, and He will never abandon us.

Psalm 138

A psalm of David.

1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will sing your praises before the gods.
2 I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.
I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;
for your promises are backed
by all the honor of your name.
3 As soon as I pray, you answer me;
you encourage me by giving me strength.

4 Every king in all the earth will thank you, Lord,
for all of them will hear your words.
5 Yes, they will sing about the Lord’s ways,
for the glory of the Lord is very great.
6 Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble,
but he keeps his distance from the proud.

7 Though I am surrounded by troubles,
you will protect me from the anger of my enemies.
You reach out your hand,
and the power of your right hand saves me.
8 The Lord will work out his plans for my life—
for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.
Don’t abandon me, for you made me.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for hearing each one of our hearts when we cry out to You for strength. We are grateful for absolutely everything, as we know You are the One Who blesses us and protects us in every moment and within our times of trouble. Please continue to hold our hands as we walk out each step of our journeys with You, Jesus. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

In John 6, prior to today’s passage, Jesus miraculously fed the five thousand, He miraculously walked on water, and the crowed followed Him seeking more miraculous works. Jesus said to the crowd, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.” (v. 35) Jesus declared Himself the living bread (as represented by His physical sacrifice on the cross so that we can have eternal life), Who came down from heaven, and we see that the crowd struggled to accept this concept.

Friends, how often does Jesus miraculously show up and do something for you and me, our families, our friends, our spiritual family, our coworkers, etc., and we struggle to wrap our small human minds around what He miraculously has done in the Spirit? If we are being completely honest, sometimes we can struggle to the point of wondering if it was even God? Well, the Jewish leaders, when Jesus spoke these Words, could not wrap their heads around how He could be the divine Son of God and the human Son of Joseph and Mary.

As bread sustains our physical bodies, Jesus is the One Who nourishes our spirits. He points the crowd, the Jewish leaders, you, and me to focus beyond our physical realm of needs and understanding and to dig deeper with Him into our spiritual reality of eternity with Him. Paul reminds us that we are to not copy the behavior and customs of this world but rather allow God to transform us into a new person by changing the way we think. Only then can we begin to learn and know God’s will for our lives, which is good and perfect (Rom 12:2).

John 6:41-51 (NLT)

41 Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

43 But Jesus replied, “Stop complaining about what I said. 44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. 45 As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)

47 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. 48 Yes, I am the bread of life! 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50 Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for being the Bread of Life for each one of us. Holy Spirit, help us to hunger for You, because we know that You alone offer the nourishment that satisfies our souls and points us to eternal living. We want to feast on You, Jesus, our Bread of Life. So, please draw us closer to You, and provide us with an awareness of when you are satisfying our souls. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Friends, as Christians, we chose to be set apart by the defining mark of our salvation in Christ Jesus on each one of our hearts. So, how we live our lives should reflect His righteousness.

In John’s letter, he wants believers to understand, very simply, that there is a right way and a wrong way to live. His use of contrasting parallelism throughout his letter is an attempt to make it very easy for believers to see that we either choose Christ or Satan, Truth or falsehood, light or darkness, righteousness or sin, love of the Father or love of this world, and his list goes on.

John’s intended purpose, within today’s passage, is so that you and I, as believers, will not sin. Even though we walk in the likeness of Christ Jesus, you and I stumble at times. So, “when” we sin, not “if” we sin, because none of us are perfect, we need to very quickly turn from our sin, ask Jesus for forgiveness, and align our hearts back with the Holy Spirit (our Advocate) for guidance away from further sin and once again into oneness with Christ Jesus. We must praise and thank Jesus for being perfect, when we fall short, as He stands in our defense against Satan, darkness, sin, etc.

Friends, John is reminding us that through Jesus’s life and sacrifice, atonement has been made for our sins. This Truth should stir the deepest love within our hearts for Almighty God; and that love should help us to live a life that is walked out in the greatest relationship with Jesus and with a desire to get further and further away from sinful living.

1 John 2:1-6 (NLT)

1 My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

3 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. 4 If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. 5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. 6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for setting the example for us of how we are called to live our lives without sin. Holy Spirit, we need Your daily help, and sometimes minute to minute help, to be able to walk righteously and in the likeness of Christ Jesus. Please keep stirring our hearts towards You, Who is the Truth, and further away from the lies of this world and Satan. We love You, Jesus, and lift all of this up to You. Amen.