Devotion Blog

Love Beyond Counting
By: James Banks

I have loved you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” Those words from Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnets from the Portuguese are among the best-known poetry in the English language. She wrote them to Robert Browning before they were married, and he was so moved that he encouraged her to publish her entire collection of poems. But because the language of the sonnets was very tender, out of a desire for personal privacy Barrett published them as if they were translations from a Portuguese writer.

Sometimes we can feel awkward when we openly express affection for others. But the Bible, by contrast, doesn’t hold back on its presentation of God’s love. Jeremiah recounted God’s affection for His people with these tender words: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3). Even though His people had turned from Him, God promised to restore them and personally draw them near. “I will come to give rest to Israel,” He told them (v. 2).

Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s restorative love, giving peace and rest to any who turn to Him. From the manger to the cross to the empty tomb, He’s the personification of God’s desire to call a wayward world to Himself. Read the Bible cover to cover and you’ll “count the ways” of God’s love over and over; but eternal as they are, you’ll never come to their end.

Reflect & Pray:
What are some of the ways God has loved you? How can you return His love today?

Thank You for loving me so fully and personally, Jesus! Help me to love You with my life today.

HOW TO DEVELOP A LIFE PLAN
by Rick Warren

“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”
Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

When you make your life plan, God’s contribution toward its success is far greater than your own—but your contribution is still vital. In the Old Testament, Nehemiah offers a good example of someone who knew that his plan depended on God.

When Nehemiah was cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, he heard his hometown of Jerusalem had been destroyed and lay defenseless. This troubled Nehemiah, so he decided to go home to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls. But he knew he wouldn’t get very far without a plan.

The Bible says, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps” (Proverbs 16:9 (NLT).

Nehemiah’s plan for how he would get to Jerusalem gives you sevens steps in developing a life plan. Here are the first two:

Step 1: Ask God for favor on your life.

Nehemiah knew he couldn’t just impulsively suggest that the king let him go home to rebuild. So he prayed, asking for God’s favor: “O Lord, please hear my prayer! . . . Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me” (Nehemiah 1:11 NLT).

God’s favor is God’s grace, and you need it to make and fulfill your plans. Notice Nehemiah also prayed, “Please grant me success.” Sometimes you might think you shouldn’t ask God for success. But there’s nothing wrong with praying for success when you’re trusting God to do the work.

Step 2: Prepare for an opportunity, and then wait.

Nehemiah had to wait before he was given an opportunity to present his plan to the king. Then one day, “four months later, when Emperor Artaxerxes was dining, [Nehemiah] took the wine to him” (Nehemiah 2:1 GNT). Because Nehemiah had plenty of time to prepare, he knew exactly what he wanted to say to the king.

When you begin praying about a plan, vision, or dream God has given you, he usually doesn’t answer right away. God often waits to see how serious you are about it. Are you going to keep praying and planning while you wait? If so, you’ll be prepared to open the door when opportunity knocks.

Tomorrow we’ll look at three more steps Nehemiah took in developing his plan, all steps that you can use as you make a life plan.

Talk It Over:
📌 Think of a time you made plans without asking for God’s wisdom and grace. What was the result?
📌 What step of faith can you take today as you wait for doors of opportunity to open?
📌 What needs to be rebuilt in your family, your job, your community, your city, or your nation? Pray and ask for God's wisdom, direction, and favor as you develop a plan.

The Love of God
by Kenneth Petersen

Great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Psalm 57:10

In 1917, Frederick Lehman, a California businessman beset by financial setbacks, wrote the lyrics to the hymn, “The Love of God.” His inspiration led him quickly to pen the first two stanzas, but he got stuck on the third. He recalled a poem that had been discovered years earlier, written on the walls of a prison. A prisoner had scratched it there into the stone, expressing a deep awareness of God’s love. The poem happened to be in the same meter as Lehman’s hymn. He made it his third stanza.

There are times when we face difficult setbacks as did Lehman and the poet in the prison cell. In times of despair, we do well to echo the psalmist David’s words and “take refuge in the shadow of [God’s] wings” (Psalm 57:1). It’s okay to “cry out to God” with our troubles (v. 2), to speak to Him of our current ordeal and the fears we have when “in the midst of lions” (v. 4). We’re soon reminded of the reality of God’s provision in times past, and join David who says, “I will sing and make music. . . . I will awaken the dawn” (vv. 7–8).

“The love of God is greater far,” this hymn proclaims, adding “it goes beyond the highest star.” It’s precisely in our time of greatest need when we’re to embrace how great God’s love really is—indeed “reaching to the heavens” (v. 10).

Reflect & Pray:
What are the difficulties you face today? How has God provided for you in times past?

Loving God, I am facing difficult matters, but I am reminded of Your love for me and Your provision throughout my life. Thank You.

Small Kindnesses
by Alyson Kieda

Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12

Amanda works as a visiting nurse who rotates among several nursing homes—often bringing her eleven-year-old daughter Ruby to work. For something to do, Ruby began asking residents, “If you could have any three things, what would you want?” and recording their answers in her notebook. Surprisingly, many of their wishes were for little things—Vienna sausages, chocolate pie, cheese, avocados. So Ruby set up a GoFundMe to help her provide for their simple wishes. And when she delivers the goodies, she doles out hugs. She says, “It lifts you. It really does.”

When we show compassion and kindness like Ruby’s, we reflect our God who “is gracious and compassionate . . . and rich in love” (Psalm 145:8). That’s why the apostle Paul urged us, as God’s people, to “clothe [our]selves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12). Because God has shown great compassion to us, we naturally long to share His compassion with others. And as we do so intentionally, we “clothe” ourselves in it.

Paul goes on to tell us: “over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (v. 14). And he reminds us that we are to “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (v. 17), remembering that all good things come from God. When we’re kind to others, our spirits are lifted.

Reflect & Pray:
When have you been the benefactor of someone’s kindness? How can you show kindness to another?

Jesus, thank You for showing me overflowing, unlimited kindness. Help me to find joy in doing kind acts for others.

sharing:

Bigger, Greater, and More Powerful

Today’s Scripture:
1 John 4:4, NIV
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Today’s Word:
We all have times when we feel like we're surrounded by difficulties, surrounded by a sickness, or surrounded by debt. When you're in a difficult time, the enemy will do a lot of talking. He'll tell you, "I have you surrounded. You're never going to get well. You've had this addiction for so long that you'll never break it. You're never getting out of debt. No matter how hard you work, you'll never get the promotion. You're stuck." Don't believe those lies. The enemy thinks he has you surrounded, but the Most High God has him surrounded. God knows every attack, every difficulty, every unfair situation that's going to happen.

When you feel like you're surrounded, come back to the place of peace and say, "I know my God is still on the throne, and He is surrounding what's surrounding me. He's bigger than this opposition, greater than this sickness, and more powerful than these enemies. I will not be discouraged or worried. The forces for me are greater than the forces against me."

Prayer for Today:
Father, thank You that You know everything that the enemy brings against me and surrounds me with. Thank You that You are bigger, greater, and more powerful than any of these enemies. I believe that the forces for me are greater than any that are against me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

sharing:

Stir it Up

Today’s Scripture
2 Timothy 1:6, NKJV
Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Today’s Word
One of the saddest things would be to come to the end of life and wonder what we could have become. "What if I hadn't neglected to use the gift that God gave me? What if I had broken away from the people who were causing me to compromise? What if I had controlled my temper and treated my spouse with respect? What if I had taken that step of faith in my career and not played it safe all the time?"

You don't have to wonder. You can start today. You can still become who God created you to be. The question is, do you want it badly enough? You have to go after what God has for you. Being passive and indifferent will keep you from your destiny. Stir your passion up and make the decision, "I'm going to pursue God and all that He has put in my heart. I'm going to take steps to grow the gift He gave me. I'm going to come up higher."

Prayer for Today
Father, thank You for entrusting me with gifts and talents. Thank You that I have greatness in me because You put it there. Help me stir up my faith and let the passion become a flame. I'm going to take steps to grow the gift You gave me. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I'm going to come up higher. In Jesus' Name, Amen.