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  Click here to listen to today’s devotional Matthew 21:18-22 Jesus didn’t say faith could move a mountain. He said it could move this mountain. And “this mountain” may have been more than a motivational metaphor. Jesus was nearing Jerusalem, the city built on a mountain and crowned by the temple. Just before this, he had entered that temple looking for prayer and wasn’t happy with what he actually found. Then he left and approached a fig tree covered with leaves but bearing no fruit. The tree becomes a living parable of the religious landscape. It was impressive from a distance, but empty where it mattered. There were plenty of leaves, but no love. Plenty of religion. No righteousness. Then Jesus tells his disciples that prayerful faith can move “this mountain.” Scholars interpret the mountain in different ways, so we should be careful not to claim too much. But within Matthew’s story, Jesus may be pointing beyond a difficult situation to an entire religious system that had stop...

  Genesis 16:1-6 Listen to today’s devotional When you first notice, you can't help but see it more. There's a painful truth of life that the people with the least power often suffer the most from decisions they never made. Remember what happens in Genesis 16. For years, Sarai had endured the cultural shame of barrenness. All the while, she was holding on to a promise that seemed way overdue. Out of her despair, she made a decision that changed another woman's life forever. Sarai gave Hagar, her Egyptian slave, to Abram as a way to make God's promise come to be. Of course, Hagar is never asked to be part of this scheme. You can only imagine what that conversation must've been like. The plan is not hers. The shame is not hers. And when the plan actually works, the resentment is not hers either. As everything begins to unravel, Hagar bears the consequences of someone else's ideas. Sarai's contempt is directed at the one with the least power. From Genesis to to...

  Psalm 89:1–18 Listen to today's devotional I want to reflect on three P's of today's scripture reading. First, the psalmist says, “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever.” That is a choice to begin with praise. Praising God simply for who God is. We'll get get to our circumstances or struggles. But how would our prayers and trust deepen if we started with praising God’s steadfast love and faithfulness? Praise isn’t just something we do when we feel like it. It’s how we remind our hearts of the unchanging truth about God. When we praise, we step into God's bigger redemption story. That's where God’s love is stronger than any struggle we’re facing. Then comes power. God’s greatness is so unmatched the heavens declare it. The seas obey the Lord. The mightiest nations fall before God. The whole earth belongs to God. This is the God we worship. The One who rules with both strength and tenderness. Whose throne is built on righteousness and justice. And remembe...

Listen on Spotify Watch on YouTube Monday: Jesus Among Us Scripture Reading: Luke 8:26-39 Devotional Thought: We often think of Jesus as concerned only with spiritual realms and heavenly matters. Yet, the sermon reminds us that Jesus steps into our worldly experience, confronting not just spiritual darkness but also the real-world issues we face. His presence affirms that he walks with us in our pain and struggles. Reflection Questions: In what ways have you limited your understanding of Jesus' concern to only spiritual matters? How does knowing that Jesus walks with you in real-world struggles change your perspective on your current challenges? Additional Scripture: John 1:14 - Reflect on the significance of the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us. Tuesday: A Collision with Power Scripture Reading: Luke 8:30-33 Devotional Thought: The man possessed by demons shouted, "My name is Legion." This name, a Roman military t...

  Listen on Spotify Watch on YouTube Monday: Listen and Retain Main Thought: Just as the sermon mentioned, it takes time and repetition for truth to resonate. We are reminded that understanding God's truth often requires hearing it multiple times before it truly becomes part of us. Scripture: Romans 10:17 - “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Reflection Questions: How often do I make time in my life to hear God's word? In what areas of my spiritual life do I feel something hasn’t fully “clicked” yet? Prayer Prompt: Ask God to help you remain open and attentive to God's word throughout your week, allowing it to sink into your heart and life. Tuesday: A Moment of Realization Main Thought: Just as the disciples experienced at Pentecost, there can be defining moments in our spiritual journey when truth suddenly becomes clear. Scripture: Acts 2:2-4 - “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent w...

  Acts 16:35-40 Listen to today's devotional Roman citizenship afforded Paul and Silas certain legal protections that were ignored when they were stripped, beaten and put into prison. When they were released, the two could have left well enough alone. Their jail story would have still been a powerful testimony. But they used their privileges to confront the injustice done to them. Now, I probably would have called it a blessing from God. Most of us who don't have a lot of social power know the feeling. If my prison walls suddenly collapsed, I would have thanked the Lord and made my way out. But Paul and Silas stayed put when it happened to them. The next morning, the magistrates who had wrongfully imprisoned the pair decided they could leave. But Paul wasn't having it. The authorities shamed them publicly. And now they wanted to dismiss them quietly? "Certainly not!" Paul said. Their potential jailbreak was a story about God's power. What happened the next day...

  Esther 7 Listen to today's devotional Marin Luther King Jr longed for us to build and become a "Beloved Community." In his final book, W here Do We Go From Here , published just before his assassination in 1968, King reflected on the impact the fight for civil rights had on the nation. There had been victories in the fight for equality. But eliminating racism and hatred would be no easy task. Pursuing such an objective would require us to answer several questions. Will we choose the chaos of violence and hatred or will we choose community? Will we destroy one another or build together the hopeful future we envision? In this pursuit, MLK recognized the relationship between power and love. The connection between the two is often misunderstood. Power is often only seen as evil and love is not, basically. But power and love can work together. They must work together. "Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic," th...

  Daniel 12:1-4 Do you feel the world is broken? If someone sang that in worship, your next response would probably be: We do. That's the opening line to Andrew Peterson's "Is He Worthy?" In that song, not only do worshippers acknowledge the brokenness of the world, we admit the shadows deepen around us as well. Why would that be a song of praise? Because it leads to a confident assurance that Christ is worthy. But it begins with the unquestionable distress of the world. Many Christians find that a strange place to begin our praise of God. We should always start with God's goodness, some would say. Yes, the goodness of God is a worthy starting point. But praise isn't only saying nice things about God. When we face the world's brokenness--the hurt, the injustice, the suffering--our hearts begin to hunger more for God's goodness, to cry out for it and to work for it. How can we fully know the power of God's goodness until we've reckoned with the ...