Prayers for Workers: Seeking God’s Guidance in Everything
God cares about every part of our work. Therefore, we ask for his guidance in everything related to work.
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Following Jesus Today: Use Your Power Justly
The ministry of John the Baptist in the New Testament teaches us to exercise justice in every part of life. In particular, we should use justly the power given to us, whether we are business owners or managers, teachers or pastors, police officers or mayors, parents or grandparents, soldiers or senators. We who seek to follow Jesus today will use our power in the way of Jesus, seeking God’s justice in all we do.
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Following Jesus Today: Raising Children Together
Whether we have children of our own or not, we all should participate in the crucial task of raising children to be mature disciples of Jesus. Parents bear a primary responsibility, of course. But we who seek to follow Jesus must share with parents in the work of nurturing, teaching, forming, and loving children.
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Following Jesus Today: The Truly Human Jesus
One reason the full humanity of Jesus matters is that it means he understands our experience. He knows what it’s like to skin your knee, hit your thumb with a hammer, be teased by the kids in the neighborhood, and all that other things that can make up ordinary human life. Jesus gets it when our work is tedious or overly demanding. He knows how difficult relationships can be, whether with family members or co-workers. With Jesus, we are following one who understands.
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Following Jesus Today: Affirming All Ages
No matter your age, no matter your gender, no matter your position in life, no matter your socio-economic status, no matter your race or ethnicity, you matter to God and God’s plans. God has called you into relationship with him and into his service. If you offer yourself to God, he will use you and bless you in ways you can only begin to imagine.
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Do You Turn to Jesus Christ?
When we turn to Christ, we must turn away from all the powers and lies and corruption and emptiness of this world.
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And God Saw That It Was Good
All humans are made in the image of God—a God who exists in perfect community. No human can deny that the image of God exists in anyone else. No human can exclude another from God’s beloved community.
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Following Jesus Today: A Moving Example of Vulnerable Leadership
Today’s devotion focuses on a moving and timely example of vulnerable leadership.
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Following Jesus Today: The Vulnerability of Jesus (Part 2)
When you feel vulnerable, Jesus understands. When you feel weak, Jesus gets it. This truth can be especially reassuring in a world infected by a life-threatening, economy-disrupting, relationship-limiting virus. When you talk with Jesus about how you’re doing, his heart is right there with you.
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Following Jesus Today: The Vulnerability of Jesus
In this time of history, when we’re dealing with a pandemic and other major challenges, leadership requires vulnerability. After all, we who lead in this day must take risks. There is no other way, no safe path. We must try things we haven’t tried before. We must acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers. We must learn to be honest with our colleagues so that we might discover together the best ways to move forward in the face of uncertainty. We need to put ourselves, our success, and our reputation on the line. As we do, we will indeed live and lead vulnerably, like Jesus, who is there to help us.
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Following Jesus Today: Weeping Over Our Cities
Grief over injustice and suffering isn’t the end of our response, but just the beginning. As we take our grief to the Lord, we ask what he would have us do. We offer ourselves as instruments of his peace, as seekers of his justice in every part of life, and as people who love in deed and not only in word. Weeping opens us up to feel God’s heart, receive God’s direction, and join in his kingdom mission. What this means for each one of us will be distinctive, given our situation in life and our particular callings. But we can all do something to advance the cause of justice in our part of the world and to stand in solidarity with the African American community in the midst of our current crisis.
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Following Jesus Today: A Humble Beginning
What does it mean to follow one who was born in a manger? It does not mean that we must necessarily sleep on beds of straw. But it does mean that the one we follow will lead us in the way of humility. The same Jesus whose birth was so humble is the one whose death was designed to maximize humiliation. We follow Jesus by surrendering our preoccupation with comfort and honor, choosing instead to give ourselves away in service to God and others.
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Prayers for Workers: The Earth is the Lord’s
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it—including your workplace, tools, plans, products, inventory, colleagues, customers, employees, capital, profits, and influence. Honor and glorify God through your work today since, in the end, it all belongs to him.
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God’s Miracle and Mary’s Work
Why does this matter? Because we often ignore the human part of God’s work in the world. We celebrate the miracles without also celebrating human labor.
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Giving God All That You Are
She said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). The simple phrase “Here am I” echoes the responses of Moses and Isaiah, both of whom answered God’s call by saying, “Here I am” (Exodus 3:4; Isaiah 6:8). Moreover, like these faithful ones from the Old Testament, Mary offered herself fully and freely to God. “Let it be with me according to your word” (Luke 1:38) is the fitting response of one who saw herself as God’s servant.
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