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  1 Timothy 4:6-10 Listen to today’s devotional Do your best not to reduce spiritual practices to checklists. Pray. Read the Bible. Go to church. Serve others. These activities, what we would also call means of grace, matter deeply to our growing in grace and faith. But they are not just religious tasks to complete. They are habits that shape your heart. Think of it like this: What you repeatedly do forms what you love, and what you love ultimately shapes who you become. J. Robert Douglass writes that a spiritual habit “perfects what we love.” That helps change the way we think about spiritual practices. In that way, prayer is not only about saying the right words to God. Worship is not only about attending a service. Reflection is not only about quiet moments of thought. These practices slowly train our desires. And, over time, they begin to align our hearts with God's heart. Lately, I've been reflecting on this in relation to church ministry and leadership. In ministry, it is...

  Genesis 6:5-9 Listen to today’s devotional Cain's violence should have been a clue to God. The first generation after Eden already shows us what humanity can become. Brother quickly turned against brother, and there was blood on the ground. Of course, the story didn't stop there. Families grew, and cities got built. Somewhere along the way, the violence of Genesis 4 continued, and what should have shocked the world seemed to become something people learned to live with. By the time we meet Noah in Genesis 6, evil is everywhere. The text says that every inclination of the human heart was only evil continually. If the three most important rules of real estate are location, location, location, then what prompts God's regret is also three-fold: Evil. Evil. Evil. As a result, God is heartbroken. That shows us God's relational attribute. We also don't assume that God is surprised. Instead, because this is God's creation, God is grieved. What humanity lives with, God...

  Proverbs 3:13-18 Listen to today’s devotional I remarked to a men's group recently that the point of the book of Proverbs is simple: Don't be stupid. Well, that's not technically incorrect. But the better way to say it is that the desire of Proverbs is for us to obtain the wisdom of God. Same difference. Proverbs 3 says that wisdom is "a tree of life to those who lay hold of her." I imagine the writer wanted us to think back to the tree of life in the garden depicted in Genesis. That tree is a symbol of life as God intended it to be. Rooted and sustained by God. Sin disrupted that life when the created couple traded walking in step with God for pursuing their own desire. And we continue that story when we try to build life on our own terms, reaching for what looks good and feels right to us. More often than not, we end up wondering why we're so exhausted and disconnected. It's like we're always searching for something deeper. That's why Proverbs ...

  Proverbs 3:5-10 Listen to today’s devotional Let's talk about trust as less of a feeling and more of a transfer of weight. To trust in the Lord isn't to stop thinking or using the reasoning God gave us. That great verse from Proverbs 3 invites us to stop leaning on our own understanding. And that is different. You should use your insight, your experience, and even your instincts. But I'm sure you know you can have all that before you and still be leaning in the wrong direction. Chew on this today. Often, we don't trust God as much as we consult God. We lean on our plans, our timelines, and our need for control, and then ask God to bless what we have already decided. Now, maybe there are times that's all we can do. But trust in God recenters us so that we are prepared to make more faithful decisions. Trust says, “God, I’m not just asking for your input. I’m putting the weight of my life on your wisdom.” Doesn't that kind of trust feel risky? That's because ...

  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...