Devotion.al

Feed Your Soul

  • Guilty and Free

    Psalm 103, 1 Samuel 4:1-22, Isaiah 43:14-25

    Imagine being someplace you’ve never been and driving down the road only looking at the rear-view mirror. Your peripheral vision would catch some of the more dangerous things, but you would miss a lot. All too often we go through this way. You may not have escaped your past, but you cannot embrace the without looking .

    Much of life is common among people. We live and die. We love and hurt. We fail and succeed. We have regrets and we have .

    For many people, this year has been very hard: huge changes; life-changing events; lives lost; lives gained; big mistakes; new jobs; loss of jobs; moving; being forced to move. There are many that are looking to set aside this year, and so very ready to start the new one, yet many will be filled with fear, unsure of what will come.

    In 1 Samuel, we read of a very bad time. The Ark of the , a Godly object—that many staked their and security on—was lost to a powerful . Their (judge) and his sons have died. All seemed lost. The Israelites were fearfully looking toward the future.

    By the time of Isaiah, the people were again looking to the future with fear. There had just been a declaration of guilt (Isaiah 42) and failure. The so-called People of God had been reminded of their failure to fulfill their role. The judge of the universe had declared their guilt. Just as many are fearfully looking to the new year, so, too, were the People of God fearful of what came after their conviction.

    “Do not the past events, pay no attention to the things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming…” (Isaiah 43:18-19)

    1) Be deeply honest with yourself. What do you fear in regards to the coming year?

    2) One can fear what is coming and still God. It is the type of fear that is the key. How can fear be good or bad?

    3/KD) What is the one thing you are most worried will happen next year? What is the one thing you are most looking forward to next year?

  • Just Breathe

    Just Breathe

    Psalm 104:24–34; Ezekiel 37:1–14; John 20:19–23 In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, there is a simple practice performed by many, where they say, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God…” while breathing in and then “…have mercy on me, a sinner,” while exhaling. The Jesus Prayer (as it is called in the Orthodox tradition) is a prayer…

  • Divided Beauty Multiplied

    Divided Beauty Multiplied

    It is humanity that is divided by language, people, skin color, nation, or ideology. The Holy Spirit speaks through all of God’s people that they can sing praises to God from the depths of their hearts the best way they know how.

  • Little Pieces Together

    Little Pieces Together

    Psalm 104:24–35; Joel 2:18–29; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11 Before churches had stained glass, there were two ways the church would decorate and—more importantly—tell the stories of the Bible (and the church) in pictures. The first was primarily on the wall and ceilings, and that was paintings. The second was primarily on the floor, but also sometimes…

  • Moved To Change It Up

    Moved To Change It Up

    Psalm 104:24–34; Ezekiel 37:1–14; John 15:26–27; John 16:4b–15; Acts 2:1–21 The Christian music artist Mandisa has a song, “Overcomer”. It’s a pretty simple song (and catchy, of course). It talks about “you” (the listener) being an overcomer by the grace and power of God. It’s a cross-genre song (crossing into the pop-commercial genre) where people…