We make it our goal to please [Christ]. 2 Corinthians 5:9

Today’s Scripture

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

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Betty is ready. She began following Jesus as a teenager and has taken opportunities her whole life to serve and please Him. She attends Bible studies, worship services, and prayer meetings. She’s taught studies, visited mission fields, worked in the nursery, served alongside her pastor-husband, and she loves being with God’s people every chance she gets. And remarkably she’s 102 years old and is still ready to do whatever pleases God. She’s an inspiration to many who might not feel like gathering with other believers some days. Then they remember, Betty will be there. I certainly can get there! Betty now says she’s eager to get to heaven to be with her Savior. She says, “I’m ready to see Jesus; I love Him so.”

The apostle Paul said he “would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). But he knew God had work for him to do in encouraging believers in many churches (Philippians 1:23-24). So he kept serving and living “by faith” and “not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Paul remained ready and kept serving under God’s direction.

Whatever our age and stage in life, let’s ask God to help us make it our heart’s goal “to please [Christ]” (v. 9) and stay ready. Betty is ready. And if someday she isn’t ready, it’s because she’s already seeing Jesus face-to-face.

Reflect & Pray

In what ways can you practice answering God’s call to service? How can you become more ready for His call to heaven?

Dear God, I love You with all my heart and want to please You in whatever ways You want. I look forward to seeing You soon!

Use this resource to find and follow your God-given calling.

Today’s Insights

In 2 Corinthians 5:6-9, Paul describes the tension of living on earth (“at home in the body,” v. 6) and life after death for believers in Jesus (“at home with the Lord,” v. 8). Metaphors like “jars of clay” (4:7) and “earthly tent” (5:1) point to our mortality. But Paul assures us that “we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself” (v. 1 nlt). We will “put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing” (v. 2 nlt).

As we answer the call to serve Christ, our goal is “to please” Him (v. 9). We’ll receive or suffer the loss of rewards depending on how we’ve lived (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). And by staying ready and serving in God’s strength, we’ll truly live well.

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The prudent give thought to their steps. Proverbs 14:15

Today’s Scripture

Proverbs 14:7-8, 14-15

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Small-town physician Ezdan nurtured a grand dream for his young daughter Eleanor. She has Down syndrome, and he hoped to open a business to provide paid work for her future. Feeling “terrified” to pursue his dream, he took an online course on how to start a business. Then he and his wife launched a family bakery in their Wyoming town, and it’s thriving. “It has become a real business, with a staff,” Ezdan said. Eleanor, now grown, works the cash register and connects with online customers. “Everybody in town knows who she is,” says Ezdan. His leap of faith in planning for Eleanor’s future reflects his choice to be prudent.

It’s a classic biblical virtue. Prudence is an element of wisdom that God ordains for our current and future planning. “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways,” says Proverbs 14:8, “but the folly of fools is deception.” Rather than worry about the future, or do nothing about it, prudent people look to God for wisdom to plan for it.

In fact, prudence comes directly from the Latin word prudentia, meaning “foresight.” “The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps” (v. 15). Foreseeing what could happen, they work sensibly to build a safety net—a strong course of action for the wise!

With clear-eyed faith, may we live prudently, in step with God.

Reflect & Pray

What has God shown you about how to plan in a way that honors Him? By faith, how are you prudently planning for a wise future?

Thank You, Father, for inspiring me to plan prudently.

Today’s Insights

The word translated “prudent” (Proverbs 14:8, 15, 18) can also be translated as “crafty,” “sensible,” or “shrewd.” In Proverbs, the prudent are presented as the opposite of “fools” (14:8). Fools may think rejecting God’s wisdom and the instruction of others gives them power and security (v. 16), but in reality, their refusal to seek the truth is self-destructive (vv. 11-12). They lack knowledge (v. 7), and their advice can only mislead and deceive (v. 8). They’re driven by their whims and tempers (v. 17), while the prudent are guided by reliable knowledge (v. 18). The contrast between the lives of the foolish and the prudent illustrates that “the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death” (v. 27).

Examine the book of Proverbs in its ancient Near Eastern context.

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Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:26

Today’s Scripture

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Today’s Devotional

A seemingly plain table with thirteen simple cups divided across separate panels make up the contemporary painting, “That They May All Be One,” which hangs in Wolfson College at Oxford University. Its simplicity actually emphasizes the significance of the event: Jesus’ last supper with His disciples. The most prominent panel, containing bread and a cup representing Jesus, is surrounded by twelve individual panels to signify the disciples’ presence.

The painting is a beautiful reminder of the meal where Jesus took bread and a cup to start a new celebration for all His followers, the practice of communion. And I appreciate the row of empty panels that complete the picture because the space seems to invite the viewer to join them at the table.

Paul encourages us that “whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). Everyone who believes that Jesus’ death and resurrection provides the way for peace with God has a space waiting for them at the table.

And when we proclaim, or remember, Jesus’ sacrifice when we take communion, we act as one community of believers across the world and throughout time. It is as a beautiful image of the unity of the church.

Reflect & Pray

What is meaningful to you about communion? How does communion point to believers’ unity in Jesus?

Jesus, as we take part of the celebration You gave us, remind me that we do it as one community.

Learn about the importance of having faithful friends by reading this article from Reclaim Today.

Today’s Insights

Paul’s use of the words “on the night [Jesus] was betrayed” (1 Corinthians 11:23) underscores the serious nature of the matter he was addressing. It was Christ who implemented the first Communion (Lord’s Supper), and He did so on the Passover night before His crucifixion. Paul revisits the importance of this ordinance to correct a serious error in the church at Corinth. He leads into this section by saying, “In the following directives I have no praise for you” (v. 17)—stern words to hear from an apostle of Jesus. The apostle pointed out how there were “divisions” among the people (v. 18). Some were eating too much while others went hungry, and some were even getting drunk. Paul found such behavior appalling and warned of God’s judgment on those who were offending in this matter (vv. 27-32). He concluded by appealing for their renewed unity (v. 33)—a unity we can enjoy today with other sisters and brothers in Christ.

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Each of you should give . . . not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

Today’s Scripture

2 Corinthians 8:1-7

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In his 2024 address to 1,200 university graduates, billionaire businessman Robert Hale Jr. said, “These trying times have heightened the need for sharing, caring and giving. [My wife and I] want to give you two gifts: The first is our gift to you, the second is the gift of giving.” His words were followed by the distribution of two envelopes each to the unexpectant graduates—five hundred dollars to keep and five hundred to give away to a person in need.

Though Robert Hale’s wealth has allowed him to share like this on more than one occasion, generosity isn’t reserved for those with great means. Believers in Jesus in ancient Macedonia gave out of their poverty so the needs of believers in Jerusalem could be met. Paul said of the Macedonians, “In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity” (2 Corinthians 8:2). He commends them because “they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people” (vv. 3-4).

Those who recognize that they’ve been given much grace from God through Jesus can respond with generous hands to the needs of others. With God’s help, let’s give after the example of the one who said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

Reflect & Pray

What can you offer generously to someone? How have you been the recipient of another’s generosity?

Heavenly Father, please help me to give generously to others.

Today’s Insights

A fitting label for the “Macedonian churches” (2 Corinthians 8:1)—Thessalonica and Berea—is “Exemplars of Grace.” These churches were planted by Paul on his second missionary journey in Philippi. Second Corinthians 8 describes these believers in Jesus. They weren’t content simply with being recipients of God’s favor (v. 1); they became channels of generosity. Furthermore, they didn’t allow their destitution to excuse them from sharing with others: “In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity” (v. 2). As recipients of God’s grace (v. 1), they viewed their participation not as an obligation but as a “privilege” (v. 4). Finally, the giving of their material possessions was the result of their having given themselves first to Christ (v. 5), who, “though he was rich . . . became poor, so that [we] through his poverty might become rich” (v. 9). As we give sacrificially to others in need, we reflect His giving ways.

Hear more about grace and gratitude in Greco-Roman culture.

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Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her. Genesis 23:2

Today’s Scripture

Genesis 23:1-4, 17-20

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“Tis a fearful thing / to love what death can touch.” That line begins a poem written more than a thousand years ago by the Jewish poet Judah Halevi, translated in the twentieth century. The poet clarifies what’s behind the fear: “to love . . . / And oh, to lose.”

In Genesis, an outpouring of emotion occurred when Abraham lost Sarah in death. “Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her” (23:2). The chapter unfolds the beautiful, grief-heavy story of the loss of one of Scripture’s most memorable characters: Sarah, the faithful wife of Abraham, that old woman who’d laughed at the news she’d be a mother (18:11-12) but had cried in pain as Isaac made his way into this world.

We make much of that crisp, humanity-rich verse in John’s gospel: “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). The Messiah’s tears at the tomb of Lazarus emphasized Jesus’ loss. To love is indeed a fearful thing. The poet Halevi calls it “a thing for fools,” yet he follows by also naming it “a holy thing,” which it is, especially for those whose faith is “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

We love and lose everything from spouses to children to parents to friends to pets, and weeping with “painful joy” is oh so human. Yet for the believer in Jesus, our weeping only lasts for the proverbial night. As David wrote, “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). Our Father hasn’t left us bereft of hope.

Reflect & Pray

What has affected your ability to love? Who is the last person you wept over and why?

Dear Father, please grant me the courage to love.

What does real love look like? Find out more by reading The Marks of Real Love.

Today’s Insights

When we meet Sarah in Genesis 11, she’s introduced as Sarai, the wife of Abram, who “was childless because she was not able to conceive” (v. 30). They lived in Ur of the Chaldeans on the Euphrates River, which archaeologists have discovered was a thriving trade city with a vast library. So, when her father-in-law, Terah, uprooted his family (including his son Nahor and wife and Terah’s grandson Lot) and headed for Canaan, it may have been difficult to leave family and the amenities of a flourishing city. From Ur, they settled in Haran, where Terah died. There God called Abram to continue to Canaan, where He’d make Abram “into a great nation” (12:2). Many mishaps, missteps, and years later, elderly Abram and Sarai (now renamed Abraham and Sarah, 17:5, 15) became the joyful parents of Isaac, the fulfillment of God’s promise (21:1-7). Sarah died at the age of 127, and Abraham “[wept] over her” (23:2). We too will face grief, but God will lovingly provide the hope and comfort we need.

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He is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Psalm 95:7

Today’s Scripture

Psalm 95:1-7

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When Dianne Dokko Kim and her husband learned that their son’s diagnosis was autism, she struggled with the very real possibility that her cognitively disabled son might outlive her. She cried out to God: What will he do without me to care for him? God surrounded her with a support system of other adults raising children with disabilities. He empowered Dianne to trust Him with her often-unexplainable guilt, feelings of inadequacy, and fear. Eventually, in her book Unbroken Faith, Dianne offered hope for “spiritual recovery” to other adults raising children with disabilities. As her son enters adulthood, Dianne’s faith remains intact. She trusts that God will always care for her and her son.

Uncertainties in life can harden our hearts toward God. We may be tempted to place our faith in other things or people, including ourselves. We can, however, depend on “the Rock of our salvation” (Psalm 95:1)—a phrase that points to the certainty of God’s character. “In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land” (vv. 4-5).

We can live with unbroken faith, worshiping our “Lord our Maker” (v. 6). We can trust Him to be with us and those we love because we’re “the flock under his care” (v. 7).

Reflect & Pray

How has God shown that He cares for you and your loved ones when you’ve felt helpless? How does knowing the certainty of His character help you trust Him as a promise keeper?

Great God, thank You for promising to care for me.

Watch this video to learn how we can count on God’s promises.

Today’s Insights

Psalm 95 together with Psalms 47, 93, 96-99 are known as “enthronement” or “royal psalms” because they use the image of a king to proclaim God’s absolute reign over the entire spiritual and physical realms—over all creation, history, nations, and peoples. The psalmists proclaimed God’s sovereignty and glory, greatness and power, justice and holiness: He is “the Lord Most High . . . the King of all the earth . . . seated on his holy throne” (47:2, 7-8). He’s “robed in majesty and armed with strength . . . . [His] throne was established . . . from all eternity” (93:1-2). “The Lord [Yahweh] is the great God, the great King above all gods” (95:3). “He is holy” (99:3, 5) and will come to “judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness” (96:13). He’s also “a forgiving God” (99:8). Because of who He is, we can trust Him and worship Him even in difficult times.

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Run in such a way as to get the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24

Today’s Scripture

1 Corinthians 9:19-27

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“Not winning is in fact more powerful than winning,” Professor Monica Wadhwa argues. Her research reveals that people tend to be most energized and motivated not when they win but when they almost win. Falling just short of one’s ambitions tends to give people the motivation to keep growing and striving. Easy victories, on the other hand, tend to cripple energy and motivation.

Wadhwa’s perspective gives fresh insight into Paul’s analogy used in two passages that compare following Christ to running a race: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 and Philippians 3:12-14. In both instances, Paul emphasizes that believers ought to give their pursuit of Christ and the gospel their all, “straining toward what is ahead” (Philippians 3:13) and running “in such a way as to get the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24).

The paradoxical truth is that what we’re striving for—faithfully sharing the gospel (v. 23) and knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8)—aren’t things we can ever say we’ve achieved. We’ll always fall short. We’ll never be able to say we’ve “already arrived” (v. 12).

But that’s okay—because it’s the experience of drawing ever closer to Christ that matters. It’s only His strength that empowers and motivates us to pour our whole hearts into pursuing Him—the one who will one day carry us to victory.

Reflect & Pray

How have you experienced growth through falling short? How can falling short encourage you to rely on Christ?

Dear God, thank You that I don’t need to fear falling short, but that You use these moments to continually draw me closer to You.

For further study, read Why Is Confession So Hard?

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Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up. Psalm 69:15

Today’s Scripture

Psalm 69:6-15

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San Fruttuoso Abbey is nestled in a cove off Italy’s northwest coast. Accessible only by boat or foot, it’s a secluded gem. But even more treasure hides in its bay. As divers venture into the sea and descend fifty feet down, the figure of a man starts coming into view. This is Christ of the Abyss, the world’s first underwater statue, placed in 1954. The bronze figure depicts Jesus in the depths, His hands raised to heaven.

The depths. Maybe you’ve experienced them. “I sink in the miry depths,” Psalm 69 says, “I am worn out calling for help” (vv. 2-3). Mocked by his foes and estranged from his family (vv. 4, 7-12), the psalmist found no comfort in others (v. 20) and feared his misery would “swallow” him up (v. 15). Whether it’s sin or sadness that takes us there, the depths are life’s moments of dark despair.

Thankfully this isn’t the last word on the depths. For while they’re cold and lonely, there is one who can be found in them (139:8). And He will rescue us from their chilly waters. “I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths” (30:1).

As that sculpture reminds us, when we’re sinking under the world’s weight, we’re not alone. Jesus by the Spirit is there in the depths, His hands raised high—ready to meet us and lift us out in time.

Reflect & Pray

How have you experienced “the depths” in the past? How might Psalm 69:15 be pivotal in getting through them?

Dear Jesus, thank You for meeting me in the depths. Please lift me out with Your love, grace, and power.

Gain more wisdom from the book of Pslams.

Today’s Insights

Psalm 69’s vivid description of a “servant” (v. 17) of God enduring unjust suffering parallels Isaiah’s description of a suffering servant (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). Although the psalmist refers to personal “guilt” (Psalm 69:5), this could be an indirect way of confessing general innocence—that is, God knows everything the psalmist is guilty of and knows none of it could justify such treatment.

In the New Testament, Psalm 69 is frequently quoted in reference to Jesus. He was hated without cause (Psalm 69:4; John 15:25), consumed by zeal for God’s house (Psalm 69:9; John 2:17), carried insults intended for God (Psalm 69:9; Romans 15:3), and given vinegar to drink as He neared death (Psalm 69:21; Matthew 27:34, 48; Mark 15:36; Luke 23:36; John 19:29). Jesus knew “the depths” as no one else could, and He helps us as we face them.

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Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord . . . . Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel. 2 Timothy 1:8

Today’s Scripture

2 Timothy 1:6-14

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Elliot is passionate about telling others about Jesus. During a week spent teaching from 2 Timothy for church leaders in a South Asian country, he reminded them of Paul’s farewell to Timothy. He urged them not to be ashamed of the good news but instead to embrace suffering and persecution for the gospel’s sake as did Paul (1:8-9). A few days later, Elliot learned that evangelism and Christian conversion had been banned in that country. With deep concern for their welfare, he prayed for these leaders to persevere and to boldly and with urgency continue to proclaim the gospel.

Paul understood the danger inherent in proclaiming the good news. He spent time in prison (vv. 8, 16) and had suffered in many other ways because of his teaching (vv. 11-12)—including being beaten, whipped, and stoned (see 2 Corinthians 11:23-29). But nothing kept Paul from telling others about Jesus. His philosophy? “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). He lived to tell others about Christ, but he knew that if he died, he would be with Jesus. Paul reminded Timothy that the Holy Spirit would empower him (2 Timothy 1:7).

God calls all of us who believe, wherever we are—at home or abroad—to tell others about Jesus. We may suffer, but He is right there with us.

Thank you for being a faithful reader of Our Daily Bread devotions. If you would like to help others connect with God’s Word all across the globe, please consider partnering with us.

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Reflect & Pray

What helps you to tell others about Jesus? How have you suffered for telling someone the good news?

Dear God, I want others to know You as I do! Please empower me through Your Holy Spirt to tell them the great news about You.

Today’s Insights

The Great Fire of Rome occurred in ad 64, around the time that Paul wrote 2 Timothy. Emperor Nero blamed believers in Jesus for it and persecuted them. Paul was in prison and his death imminent when he wrote this letter to encourage Timothy to persevere in preaching the gospel (4:2-8). He wasn’t to be afraid or ashamed but to boldly witness and be prepared to suffer for Christ (1:7-8). Because God had empowered him to live a holy life (v. 9), he didn’t need to fear death because Jesus had destroyed death and would come back again to vindicate his faith (vv. 10-12). And that kind of faith allows us to boldly share our faith with others.

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Now someone greater than Solomon is here. Luke 11:31 nlt

Today’s Scripture

Luke 11:27-32

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“Wow!” was the response of our team members who toured a retreat center—purchased at great cost by a person with a vision for the refreshment and encouragement of people serving in ministry. We were amazed by double-decker, queen-sized bunks and bedroom suites with king-sized beds. The exquisitely equipped kitchen and dining area also generated wide-eyed delight. And, just when you thought that you’d seen it all, there were more surprises—including a full-sized, indoor basketball court. Every “wow” was warranted.

The Queen of Sheba had a similar “wow” response when she visited King Solomon in ancient Jerusalem. When she “saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built . . . she was overwhelmed” (1 Kings 10:4-5). Centuries later, another royal son of David—Jesus—appeared, and He amazed people in other ways. Everywhere He went, people recognized the wonder of His wisdom and works (Luke 4:36), and He urged them to see that “someone greater than Solomon” had stepped onto the scene (11:31 nlt). The stunning ministry of Jesus grants forgiveness of sin—purchased at great cost, His death. He welcomes anyone who will to come to Him. And those who do will experience His beauty and grace and will sing His praises now and throughout eternity. Wow!

Reflect & Pray

What about Jesus compels you to say, “Wow!”? If you haven’t yet experienced the goodness of God through Jesus, what’s keeping you from getting to know Him?

Dear Jesus, please continue to open my eyes and heart to see how amazing You are.

Learn to see the goodness of God, even in the everyday moments of life by reading this prayer from Reclaim Today.

Today’s Insights

In Luke 11:31, Jesus says that “someone greater than Solomon is here” (nlt). The uniqueness of Christ’s words and works inspired faith and wonder in the people of His day. One word that captured their response is amazed, translated from the Greek word thaumazō, which means “wonder, marvel, admire.” After speaking at the synagogue in Nazareth, Luke said of Jesus: “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips” (4:22). Regarding His works, after Christ delivered a boy from demonic power, “everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did” (9:43).

Another word used in reference to Jesus’ awe-inspiring ministry is existēmi, which means “to amaze, astonish, throw into wonderment.” In response to Christ raising a little girl from the dead, “they were completely astonished” (Mark 5:42). The Message renders it: “They . . . were all beside themselves with joy.”

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They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 2 Thessalonians 2:10

Today’s Scripture

2 Thessalonians 2:7-12

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Jack hates school. The lectures on algebra, grammar, and the periodic table bore him. But he loves building houses. His father takes him to work in the summer, and Jack can’t get enough. He’s only sixteen, but he knows about cement, shingles, and how to frame a wall. What’s the difference between school and construction? Love. Jack loves one and not the other. His love fuels knowledge.

As believers in Jesus, we’re to “love the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). Paul says a satanic figure will use “signs and wonders” (v. 9) to deceive “those who are perishing” (v. 10). Why are they perishing? “They refused to love the truth and so be saved” (v. 10). Their failure to love the truth blinds them from knowing it. They’ll be duped (v. 11).

What do we know? That important question depends on a more basic one: What do we love? Our passions incline our heart and direct our mind. We cherish what we love. We protect it and seek more of it. If we love truth and wisdom, we’ll search for them as precious gold (Proverbs 3:13-14; 4:7-9). They’ll guard us. “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you” (4:6).

What is true wisdom? Jesus says it’s Him. “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Our most important question is who do we love? Love Jesus and you’ll learn His way. He’ll guard your life by guiding you into His truth.

Reflect & Pray

Why is it important to love the truth? Why does Jesus say He is the truth?

Dear Father, please fill my heart with love for You and what’s true.

Learn more about the astonishing claims Jesus makes about himself by reading I Am the Way.

Today’s Insights

Embracing the truth is essential for believers in Jesus, for He’s the one who is the truth (see John 14:6). Judas Iscariot is a classic example of one who had the opportunity to fully follow Christ but didn’t. The life of Judas and the teaching of 2 Thessalonians have several things in common. First, Satan is at work in both. Luke 22:3 says that “Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot,” and 2 Thessalonians 2:9 notes that “the coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works.” Furthermore, John 17:12 refers to Judas as “the son of destruction” (esv), a term also found in 2 Thessalonians 2:3: “Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction” (esv). Satan’s agenda is deception that leads to destruction. We can avoid his deceiving ways by loving Jesus and embracing His truth.

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Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. Matthew 16:25

Today’s Scripture

Matthew 16:21-28

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William Temple, a twentieth-century English bishop, once concluded a sermon to Oxford students with the words of the hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” But he cautioned against taking the song lightly. “If you mean [the words] with all your hearts, sing them as loud as you can,” Temple said. “If you don’t mean them at all, keep silent. If you mean them even a little, and want to mean them more, sing them very softly.” The crowd went quiet as everyone eyed the lyrics. Slowly, thousands of voices began to sing in a whisper, mouthing the final lines with gravity: “Love so amazing, so divine / Demands my soul, my life, my all.”

Those Oxford students understood the reality that believing in and following Jesus is a serious choice, because it means saying yes to a radical love that demands everything from us. Following Christ requires our entire life, our whole being. He plainly told His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). No one should make this choice flippantly.

Yet following Jesus is also the way to our deepest joy. Life with Him, we’ll discover, is the life we truly desire. It appears to be a great paradox. However, if we respond to God’s love, believe in Christ, and relinquish our selfish, shortsighted demands, we’ll find the life our soul craves (v. 25).

Reflect & Pray

What will believing in and following Jesus cost you? What will you gain?

Dear God, following You isn’t easy, but I want to give You my life and my all.

For further study, read Keeping the Faith—The Cost of Following Christ

Today’s Insights

After Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), Christ speaks plainly about His imminent suffering, death, burial, and resurrection (v. 21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19; 26:2). Peter rejected a Messiah who would suffer and die, but he was severely rebuked by Jesus (16:22-23). In the wilderness temptations at the start of Christ’s ministry, Satan offered to make Him king without the suffering (4:8-10). Peter’s idea of the kingly Messiah was the same as Satan’s—the crown without the cross. But going to the cross to die for sinful humanity was the primary reason Jesus came. To prevent His crucifixion is what Satan wanted. Jesus recognized that the same satanic source was behind Peter’s rejection of the cross (16:23).

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Do not fear, for I am with you. Isaiah 41:10

Today’s Scripture

Isaiah 41:10-13

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In the aftermath of Turkey’s devastating earthquake in February 2023, a haunting photo came across newswires: a father sitting amid ruins holding a hand extending from the rubble—the hand of his daughter. We see the edge of the mattress where his daughter had been sleeping, and we see her lifeless fingers that he now holds. His face is grim; his grief is profound.

In this father’s gritted face, I see a semblance of our own heavenly Father. Genesis tells us that God was grieved by the devastation of sin in His creation: “It broke his heart” (6:6 nlt). Isaiah, speaking of the future Messiah, says, “He was . . . a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief” (53:3 nlt). God grieves for us, and with us, and sits at the edge of the rubble of our lives, reaching for us: “I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand” (41:13).

Whatever devastation you currently face—a tragic circumstance, the loss of a dear one, or maybe even the effects of your own sin—know that God grieves with you. Whatever earthquake has shaken your life, see that God is reaching for your hand. Whatever your current sorrow, hear the God of love saying to you, “Do not fear; I will help you” (v. 13).

Reflect & Pray

In what ways has your life, current or past, been shaken to the core? What does it mean to you that God grieves with you?

Father God, who grieves with me and for me, thank You for Your “righteous right hand.”

Jesus shares our grief. Learn more by reading Crying for Us All.

Today’s Insights

Isaiah 41 starts with God warning “islands” and “nations” (v. 1). He asks a rhetorical question: “Who has stirred up one from the east?” (v. 2). It is God Himself who has stirred up this “one.” He is Cyrus, the great Persian king who wouldn’t be born for another 150 years, yet Isaiah introduces him by name (44:28-45:1). God calls this future Persian monarch “his anointed” (45:1)—anointed in the sense that God will use Cyrus to vanquish those who’d conquered His people. He’ll do this “for the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen” (v. 4).

Isaiah 41:8-20 comprises a shift in tone from the first seven verses of the chapter: “But you, Israel, my servant . . .” (v. 8). God comforts a people long persecuted: “I have chosen you and have not rejected you” (v. 9). And He grieves with us and extends His comfort to us today.

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One can help the other up. Ecclesiastes 4:10

Today’s Scripture

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

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Meggie’s ten years of drug use kept her in and out of jail. Without a life change, she’d soon return. Then she met Hans, a former addict who almost lost his hand when a vein ruptured due to his substance abuse. “That was the first time I cried out to God,” Hans said. God’s answer prepared him to be a peer specialist for an organization that coordinates recovery for jailed addicts.

Called Stone Soup, the program is helping an American jail provide formerly imprisoned people with support to reenter their communities. Through the plan, Meggie moved into a sober-living house and has stayed sober. Hans now helps her and others with job placement, educational options, treatment, and family resources—a coordinated approach.

The Bible describes the strength of wise partnering: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). However, “pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up” (v. 10).

Like the “Stone Soup” folktale, where a hungry traveler invites townspeople to each share one ingredient to make a delicious soup for all, the Bible confirms we’re stronger and better together (v. 12). God’s plan is for us to live in community, helping others and receiving help in return. That’s no fairy tale; it’s truth for life.

Reflect & Pray

How can pooling our resources help us serve people better? What can you give to make a “stone soup” for your community?

Please bless me, dear God, to join others to help well.

Learn how to be a better neighbor by listening to Me and My Neighbor from Discover the Word.

Today’s Insights

Ecclesiastes portrays the sobering realism about life on earth “under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:3; 4:1)—that is, life experienced within the limits of our humanity. “The Teacher” (1:1) exposes the futility of “chasing after the wind” (4:4, 6, 16)—the vapor of what we often assume will bring fulfillment—work, wealth, power, prestige, pleasure, learning, and more. He’s resigned to our powerlessness in the face of oppression, poverty, illness, and death. In today’s passage, the Teacher contrasts the harsh reality of those who are utterly alone in this “meaningless” existence with those who have a helpful companion on life’s journey (4:9-12). On this side of eternity, a true friend can make all the difference. From end to end, the Bible instructs us to care for our neighbor as ourselves, even if that neighbor is someone we don’t know or one we might view as unworthy of our help (Deuteronomy 22:1-3; Luke 10:25-37).

Visit ODBU.org/OT022 to further study in Ecclesiastes.

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The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. Mark 1:1

Today’s Scripture

Mark 1:1-8

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Mark begins his gospel account declaring that Jesus is “the Son of God” (1:1). Then he moves to introducing the Messiah’s promised forerunner, John the Baptist (vv. 2-4). In contrast to the gospel of Matthew, which was written to a Jewish audience and is filled with messianic prophecy, Mark wrote to a gentile audience and offers fewer Old Testament references or allusions. One of the few Old Testament quotes in Mark (1:2-3) is from Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3 and establishes from the outset that Mark’s story of Christ lines up with Israel’s story and how it would find fulfillment in its promised Messiah. Mark also tells the reader up front that John the Baptist wasn’t the Messiah but was preparing the way for one “more powerful” than himself (Mark 1:7). John the Baptist’s self-awareness is fleshed out more fully in the gospel of John (see 1:20; 3:22-36). He knew his role as one pointing to the Messiah who had come—Jesus.

Today’s Devotional

Recently, my brother Scott acquired our dad’s military service records from World War II. As I studied the pages, there was nothing startling or shocking—nothing about who Dad was. There were mere facts. Data. It was interesting to read but ultimately dissatisfying because I didn’t come away feeling like I learned anything new about Dad.

Thankfully, in giving us a record of the life and work of Jesus, the four gospels are much more than just data. They are descriptions that reveal who Jesus was in His time on this earth as well as what He did and said. In Mark’s gospel, that record was for the purpose of proving Mark’s thesis statement: “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (1:1). Immediately, Mark tells us how John the Baptist testified about this Messiah. John said, “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie” (v. 7). Mark’s account makes it clear that Jesus is the Son of God. As John the disciple adds in his own account of Jesus’ life, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

The evidence of Jesus’ life is abundant. These questions remain: What does He mean to you? How has He changed your life?

Reflect & Pray

What do you think of the evidence of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection? How might you tell someone about your response to it?

Father, thank You for the clear record of Your Son’s life.

Learn more here: ODB.org/personal-relationship-with-god.

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I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Today’s Scripture

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

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Paul doesn’t explicitly name what “thorn” (2 Corinthians 12:7) plagued him, but we know it caused distress, even though it didn’t prevent him from preaching and traveling. New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III has argued that an eye disease is a plausible candidate for what afflicted him. In Galatians 4:13-15, Paul describes the onset of an illness that the Galatians responded to with such kindness that, if they could, they “would have torn out [their] eyes and given them to [him]” (v. 15). Whatever his condition was, he experienced “Christ’s power” through his weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). By God’s grace, we can do the same.

Today’s Devotional

Medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas endured much to dedicate himself to a life of seeking God. His family imprisoned him for a year in an attempt to discourage him from joining the Dominican Order, a monastic group dedicated to a life of simplicity, study, and preaching. After a lifetime of studying Scripture and creation, and writing nearly one hundred volumes, Aquinas had such an intense experience of God that he wrote, “I can no longer write, for God has given me such glorious knowledge that all contained in my works are as straw.” He died only three months later.

The apostle Paul also described an experience from God so overwhelming that it was impossible to put into words, when he was “caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell” (2 Corinthians 12:4). “Because of these surpassingly great revelations,” Paul was given an unidentified “thorn in [his] flesh” (v. 7) to keep him humble and reliant on God. He was told, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (v. 9).

The more we understand about God, the more we understand how impossible it is for us to capture who He is in words. Yet in our weakness and in our loss for what to say, Christ’s grace and beauty shines clearly through.

Reflect & Pray

What experiences from God do you find impossible to put into words? How have these experiences changed you?

Thank You, God, for Your beauty and the way it changes me. Please help me humbly rest in You.

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Hezekiah received the letter . . . and spread it out before the Lord. 2 Kings 19:14

Today’s Scripture

2 Kings 19:14-20

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We learn much about Hezekiah from 2 Kings 18. At age twenty-five, Hezekiah, son of Ahaz and Abijah (daughter of Zechariah), began his reign as king of Judah (the Southern Kingdom) during Hoshea’s third year as king of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) (vv. 1-2). Hezekiah reigned twenty-nine years, and during this time he “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” (v. 3). This included removing the high places where the people offered sacrifices to pagan gods; cutting down Asherah poles used in the worship of the pagan goddess Asherah; and destroying the bronze snake made by Moses, which the people had begun to worship (v. 4; see Numbers 21:4-9). He “trusted in” and “held fast” to God and kept His commandments (2 Kings 18:5-6). He revolted against the king of Assyria and conquered the Philistines (18:7-8). And he sought God in prayer (19:14-19). God also invites us to spread out our concerns before Him in prayer.

Today’s Devotional

Brian had been with the heart specialist for more than an hour. His friend remained in the waiting room, praying for wisdom and healing for his ailing friend. When Brian finally returned to the waiting room, he showed him the pile of papers he’d received. As he spread them out on a table, he discussed the various options being considered to treat his threatening condition. The two discussed the need to pray and ask God for wisdom for next steps. And then Brian said, “Whatever lies ahead, I’m in God’s hands.”

King Hezekiah “spread [a letter] out before the Lord” (2 Kings 19:14). The words in the letter didn’t address a threatening medical condition but the threat of a powerful enemy—Assyria—that had seized all the fortified cities of Judah and was preparing to attack Jerusalem, its capital. Hezekiah prayed, “You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. . . . Now, Lord our God, deliver us” (vv. 15, 19). Soon the prophet Isaiah sent a message to Hezekiah, telling him, “The Lord . . . says: I have heard your prayer” (v. 20). And “that night” God destroyed the Assyrian army (v. 35).

Whatever you face today, spread it out before God. As you “present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6), He hears you and is with you. You can rest in His hands as you experience His wisdom, love, and hope.

Reflect & Pray

What will it mean for you to spread out before God the concerns on your heart today? How can you choose to rest in His power and presence?

Loving God, thank You for hearing me when I bring my concerns to You.

We can depend on God as our good shepherd. Learn more by reading The Wolf and the Shepherd.

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Help [the poor] as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you. Leviticus 25:35

Today’s Scripture

Leviticus 25:35-38

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Every seven years, the people of Israel and all who lived with them were to stop their agricultural pursuits and live off only what the ground yielded (Leviticus 25:1-7). This was called the Sabbath Year. They let the land rest and enjoyed the fruit of that rest for a full year as they depended on God to provide for them.

In addition, every fifty years (after the seventh sabbath year), they observed the Year of Jubilee (vv. 8-55). Not only were the people to let the land rest, but they were also to cancel all debts across the nation and return all ancestral property to the families and tribes to whom it originally belonged. The Year of Jubilee compassionately prevented families from getting stuck in cycles of poverty so that all God’s people could enjoy the blessings of the land that He alone had given them.

Today’s Devotional

In the early 1900s, laws restricted Black people and immigrants in the United States from renting or buying property in Coronado, California. A Black man named Gus Thompson (who’d been born into slavery) had purchased land earlier and built a boarding home in Coronado before the discriminating laws were passed. In 1939, Gus rented to an Asian family, and eventually sold the land to them. Nearly eighty-five years later, after selling the property, some members of the Asian family are donating their proceeds from the sale to help Black college students. They’re also working to name a center at San Diego State University after Gus and his wife, Emma.

Leviticus also speaks of what it means to treat others well. God instructed His people, “Help [the poor] as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you” (25:35). He instructed the people to treat each other well and fairly, especially those in need. Out of reverent “fear” (v. 36) for Him, they were to help those who’d fallen on hard times and weren’t able to take care of themselves. They were to treat them just as they would treat a “foreigner and stranger” (v. 35)—with hospitality and love.

Gus Thompson and his wife helped a family that didn’t look like them. In return, that family is blessing many other people. Let’s extend God’s compassion to those in need as He helps us reveal His love for them.

Reflect & Pray

Who needs help in your community? How can you extend care to them?

Caring Father, please open my eyes so I can see how to help others.

For further study, read Going the Extra Mile: Learning to Serve Like Jesus.

Bible in a Year

2 Kings 17-18; John 3:19-36

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You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Luke 12:20

Today’s Scripture

Luke 12:13-21

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Today’s Insights

Jesus’ warnings against “all kinds of greed” (Luke 12:15) connect to a broader emphasis in Luke’s gospel on the dangers of wealth, as well as God’s concern for the poor. In Mary’s song in Luke 1:46-55, she praises God as the one who “filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty” (v. 53). In chapter 6, Christ says, “Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry” (vv. 24-25).

In Jesus’ parable of a wealthy farmer building larger barns to store excess produce, we’re given a look into the man’s inner thoughts (12:18-19). There we find someone with no concern for those around him who were in need; his only plans were for himself—to “take life easy; eat, drink and be merry” (v. 19). God can help us live wisely without regret.

Today’s Devotional

There was no mention made of the stuff we often spend our lives chasing. That’s what palliative care nurse Bronnie Ware discovered as she sat with the dying. She intentionally questioned them: “Would you do anything differently if you could do it again?” Common themes surfaced, and she compiled a list of the top five regrets of the dying: (1) I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself. (2) I wish I hadn’t worked so hard. (3) I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings. (4) I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. And (5) I wish I’d let myself be happier.

Ware’s list brings to mind the parable Jesus tells in Luke 12. A rich man decides to build bigger barns to store his great harvest, after which he tells himself he’ll retire in style, sit back and relax, and live until he dies (vv. 18-19). But in that moment, God demands his life with a rather harsh address: “You fool!”—followed by a haunting question: in essence, “And what will become of all your stuff?” (v. 20).

Is it possible to die with zero regrets? That’s hard to know for certain. But what we do know is clearly expressed in Scripture—storing up stuff for ourselves is a dead end. True riches come from a life invested in God.

Reflect & Pray

What if your life was demanded of you today? Would wise or foolish be applied to you? Why?

Dear Jesus, when the time comes, I want to have as few regrets as possible. Please help me to live wisely, building a life rich in You.

For further study, read Die First, Then Comes the End.

Learn to store up heavenly treasures instead of earthly treasures by reading The Fool’s Greed and God’s Generosity.

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I have seen the Lord! John 20:18

Today’s Scripture

John 20:11-18

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Today’s Insights

Each of the gospel writers tell the story of Jesus’ resurrection with varying details. Mary Magdalene is the only woman who’s named in all four gospels (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10; John 20:1). When she saw Christ standing outside the tomb, she thought He was a gardener (John 19:41; 20:15). But He surprised her when He called her by name (20:16); she then knew she was in His presence and embraced Him (v. 17; see Matthew 28:8-10). Yet Jesus told her, “Do not hold on [or cling] to me” (John 20:17). She was to tell His disciples Christ said He was “ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (v. 17). One commentator notes that she “had a task to perform—to inform [Jesus’ disciples] (cf. 20:18) that he was now returning to the Father. This was not a time to [hold] him; there was a job to do.”

Today’s Devotional

In the classic sports fantasy film Field of Dreams, the character Ray Kinsella encounters his late father as an athletic younger man. Upon seeing him for the first time, Ray comments to his wife, Annie, “I only saw him years later when he was worn down by life. Look at him. . . . What do I say to him?” The scene raises a question: What would it be like to see someone we have loved—but now has died—vital and strong again?

Mary Magdalene had that experience when she first met Jesus after He rose from the dead. Mary was weeping beside the empty tomb when she turned “and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus” (John 20:14). Why didn’t she recognize Him? Perhaps because of the tears in her eyes or because it “was still dark” (v. 1). More likely, it was because when she last saw Him, He’d been bloodied and beaten and tortured to death. She never expected to see Him alive again; He was so alive that it took time for the magnificent truth to sink in.

Yet there Jesus stood, “raised imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:42)! And the moment He called her by name, Mary recognized Him, not only as her faithful friend and “Teacher” (John 20:16), but also as the risen Lord of life. God always has ways of astounding us with His wonders. His conquering death for us is the greatest surprise of all.

Reflect & Pray

How has God surprised you? How can you share His kindness to you with someone today?

Abba, Father, I praise You for raising Jesus from the dead! Please help me live in the life You give today!

Learn more about the appearances Jesus made after the resurrection.

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