Daily Devotions - Week 25

June 23 - 29, 2008

Meditate on the cost of our redemption as you read 2 Corinthians 5:21 and 1 Peter 1:18-19. Jesus gave his life that we might have abundant life, today and forever. But do we misunderstand what this means? Do we look for easy lives and temporal blessings, or do we count the cost of true discipleship as joy (James 1:2)? Ponder Jesus’ words in John 15:9-13, 18-21, and reflect on martyred missionary Jim Elliot’s 1949 journal entry: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” In prayer, offer Jesus your heart and your life.

God’s prophets spoke God’s message to God’s people. As you read Jeremiah 1:1-19, consider God’s call on Jeremiah’s life and God’s promises to Jeremiah; notice especially the assurances in 1:8, 18-19 and empowerment in 1:9. What is the message Jeremiah must take to the people, and what is their response (1:14-16; 18:1-12, 18; 20:1-2)? God promises to be with Jeremiah and rescue/deliver him, but God does not tell him that life as God’s servant and spokesman will be without great cost. In what ways does God deliver (Daniel 3:16-18; Matthew 10:39 add insight)? What has your faith and witness cost you? Pray you will trust God’s heart and promises.

Listen to God’s heart for the people as you read Jeremiah 2:11-13; 6:16; 23:3-6; 24:7. But because the people’s hearts are hard and unresponsive to God’s love (see also Romans 2:4), Jeremiah pronounces impending judgment. God, with relentless love, will pursue the people with drastic measures. In all this, God’s messenger suffers physical and verbal abuse, estrangement from the people he loves, and more. In Jeremiah 20:7-13, the prophet pours out his heart, telling God just how he feels. Do you think God can handle this kind of honesty? What evidences do you see of Jeremiah’s faithfulness to God’s call on his life? Be totally honest with God as you pray.

Do you have a passion for sharing God’s Word? Is your love for God so great that you cannot help but testify to God’s amazing love and saving grace? Have you so embraced who God is and what God does that it’s like you have a fire burning in your soul that must be released? Read Isaiah 55:10-11; Jeremiah 20:9; Acts 5:17-42; Romans 10:8-10, 14-15; and Revelation 12:11. Did you notice the promises about the fruitfulness of God’s words; Jeremiah’s inability to refrain from sharing God’s message; and the early disciples’ willingness to suffer for the sheer joy of telling others about Jesus? Pray the Spirit will fill your heart with the passion to share Jesus.

In Jeremiah 20:7-13, we saw the prophet move from lament to praise; if we read on, we would again find Jeremiah in the depths of despair. Sometimes life is like that for us too, but God tells us, as he did the prophet (1:8, 17), not to be afraid. In Matthew 10, Jesus is preparing the disciples for ministry; he has given them authority to preach and heal in his name, and he tells them not to be afraid. Notice how often this message is repeated as you read Matthew 10:24-39. Will their lives be easy? What might be the cost of discipleship? Who must hold first place in our lives? Ask the Spirit to teach you what Jesus is saying to you personally in this text.

Read Matthew 10:24-37. What words of comfort and tender love do you find in the text? What words challenge you? How might the Gospel divide a family? Pray for families that are divided because of belief or unbelief. Rejoice in the wonder of the promise of 10:32; read Acts 7:54-60 to see this promise realized in Stephen’s life. How can giving our lives to and for Jesus be the truest self-fulfillment? Is this what it means to be aligned with the God to whom we witness? In prayer, ask Jesus to mold your heart and use your life as a witness to his love.

Back to Daily Devotions Index