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  Exodus 13:17-22 Listen to today’s devotional You would think freedom would travel light. But when God's people began their walk out of Egypt, they carried a few important things with them. They brought jewels and clothing that they plundered from the Egyptians. Commentators link that to what God told Abraham more than 400 years earlier, that his descendants would have "great possessions." And they also brought bones. Like the literal bones of Joseph. In his last days, Joseph made the people of God swear that "when God comes to you, you shall carry up my bones from here." So, more than 300 years later, they did. Now, that may feel like an unnecessary burden. It's certainly extra weight, especially considering the urgency of the situation. But those bones were a witness. Joseph died in Egypt, but his faith reached forward into a future he would never see. So, Israel is walking out of bondage, not just with freedom, but with faith already on their shoulders. ...

  Exodus 3: 9-12 Listen to today’s devotional I imagine most of us have asked the same question Moses did of God. Standing in front of a burning bush, Moses isn't convinced God's plan to confront Pharaoh is well thought out. Maybe this voice didn't really know who it was talking to. So, Moses says, "Who am I?" Who am I to talk to Pharaoh? Who am I to lead a people? The thing is, Moses knew who he was. But we are sure God did, too. What's funny is that the Lord didn't give a pep talk or motivational speech. God didn't really answer the question in a way any of us would probably expect. Moses asks, "Who am I?" and God's response is, "I will be with you," that’s who! If you ever struggle to change the way you see yourself, maybe start by refocusing on what you believe about God. Because the force of God's plan was not Moses' ability or identity. It was God's presence. I wonder how often we wrestle with trying to qualify...

  Acts 6:8-15 Listen to today’s devotional You can imagine the kind of things the Freedmen would post on their social media. We don't know who was in this group. They may have been enslaved people taken by the Romans, or descendants of enslaved people. What is certain is that they did not align with Stephen. He had a reputation of being "full of grace and power" and for doing "great wonders and signs among the people." And when the Freedmen argued with him, they couldn't match his wisdom. They couldn't out-argue him. So what did they do? They didn't dig deeper or refine their thinking. They certainly didn't change their minds. Instead, Acts 6 says they "secretly instigated" others against Stephen. You can see their pattern play out. It begins as a disagreement. Moves with some agitation. Then finishes with conspiracy. The Freedmen bear false witness against Stephen. They did not misunderstand what he was saying. Rather, they chose to ma...

  Matthew 20:20-28 Listen to today’s devotional "It's an honor just to be nominated" doesn't sound like what James and John would have said. They were literally looking for seats of honor. Being a part of Jesus' circle didn't seem to be enough. They wanted a different kind of greatness. Now, it's easy to criticize the request to be at either side of Jesus' throne. But their idea is more familiar to us than we might want to admit. After all, we want to matter, don't we? We want our lives to count. We want to be seen. I can imagine Jesus listening and then looking at them. He doesn't rebuke them. But he does redirect their thinking. Whereas they were imagining thrones, Jesus only saw sacrifice. They considered the recognition that comes with sitting next to the king. But the Lord brings them back to surrender. And there's part of the tension for us. We want purpose, but we often define it in terms of power, visibility, or success when Jesus s...

  Hebrews 13:20-21 Listen to today’s devotional The Hebrews sermon ends with an inspiring benediction that shows resurrection is God’s signature move. So, it’s not only a great reminder that Jesus was raised, but it also reveals how God works. When something looks finished or beyond repair, that’s often the very place where God begins again. With God, endings aren't always conclusions. The Lord often uses them as invitations. And the same power that brought Jesus out of the grave is still at work in the "too far gone" places of our lives. Resurrection, then, isn’t just a past event we celebrate. Through the resurrection of Jesus, we see a pattern of God that we continually experience. Now, here’s the tension many of us feel within that. If God is calling us into that kind of new life, do we have what it takes? Hebrews answers that directly by saying that God equips you with everything good to do God's will. Not some things. Not most things. Everything good to do God...

  Ezekiel 34:17-18 Listen to today’s devotional God's concern is not just whether the sheep are fed. It's whether there's anything left for the others as well. The sheep in Ezekiel 34 aren’t starving or fighting over scraps. In fact, they have enough. Plenty, even. But after they eat, they trample what's left. And after they drink, they muddy the waters they leave behind. The problem, then, for some of God's sheep, God's people, is not hunger, but carelessness or selfishness of others. Now, Ezekiel has already taken the religious leaders to task. But he doesn't stop there because sometimes, too, the problem in the flock is the flock. So, let's think about this careless and selfish faith. It's the kind of attitude and presence that consumes space, it dominates conversations, and leaves little room for anyone else. To be sure, it doesn’t always come across as overly loud or aggressive. It's just that it has a need to be heard that drowns out everyo...