Day 1 - Love
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
We interpret love many different ways. It’s love when someone spends a little time with someone who has lost a loved one. It’s love when people help one another with errands or tasks without expecting reciprocation. It’s love when someone does something out of the ordinary for someone that fits only them, because to know them that much you must love them. It’s love when you see a need and you move on it. Love comes in many different packages, but we can only truly love when we know the author of it within our own spirit.
JK
Day 2 - Redemption
Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
When we think of the word redemption we think about trading or cashing something that represents the value of something else, similar to a coupon or gift card. When we think about the redemption of our lives through Jesus, this illustration comes to life. Jesus sacrifice on the cross was His exchanging His perfection, His righteousness, and His holiness for our sinfulness. Our lives are so valuable to the Father that He would allow us to trade in our unrighteousness to receive His righteousness. We can be thankful for the redemption that Jesus offers us today.
RT
Day 3 - Joy
Joy is the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : DELIGHT: the expression or exhibition of such emotion : GAIETY: a state of happiness or felicity: Bliss: a source or cause of delight
I have often been conflicted and convicted by this word. Years of stress, disappointments, hurts, discouragements, along with lack of examples of how to view this world through this type of lens, makes it complicated to set our minds this way. Yet Paul wrote
Philippians 4:8 (NKJV) “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
And the psalmist wrote
Psalms 51:12 (NKJV) “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”
Let’s pray this, and seek it. Do you remember what it was like when Jesus took your weights, your chains, and your burdens from you. It’s hard to imagine since we tend to add them back to ourselves slowly over time. I guess it’s just more familiar and common to us. Trust Him again, let loose, be open, follow Him, trust Him, do not look around, only on His guidance and His foot print, step where He steps. His light will shine through you, your burdens will be light , and you will remember the Joy of your salvation.
JK
Day 4 - Repentance
Luke 5:32 “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
The term that we read in scripture for repentance means “to turn away from sin.”
Jesus was explaining to His listeners that he did not simply come to teach the Jewish people about God, but instead He came to call out the world for sin and teach the value and joy of repentance. Repentance is more than asking for forgiveness or regretting sin. Repentance is giving our sin to God and allowing Him to set us on a new course. Repentance is an integral part of our sanctification because God calls us out of our old ways and calls us to live a new life with Him. The turning away from our old habits and lifestyle is repentance. It is more than just a one-time choice, but rather a daily commitment to Christ.
RT
Day 5 - Worship
Psalm 96:8-9 “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!”
The word “worship” comes from an old English word that means “worthy” or “to be given honor.”
The idea of worship at its root is to honor because of worthiness.
We worship God because He is worthy of all honor that we can give Him. This means our worship isn’t dependent on how we feel or even our circumstances. God is always worthy of our worship and we honor Him with that worship.
RT
Day 6 - Peace
Peace is the freedom from disturbance; tranquility
It’s hard to find this in the word we are living in. It seems like life is always a struggle. The way we find peace is to know who our God is.
Elohim- “God” the one and only
Yahweh- “The Lord” great I am
Abba- “father” your father
El Elyon- “God most high” reigns supreme
El Roi- “the God who sees” his eye is on you
El Shaddai- “God almighty “
Yahweh Yireh- “the Lord will provide”
Yahweh Nissi- “the Lord is my banner”
Jehovah Rapha-“the Lord who heals you”
Yahweh Shalom-“the Lord is peace”
To know His peace is to know who He is. To truly know, walk in it and live life reflecting your surrender and trust in who He is. Proof is not what we say but in how we live. The evidence of our belief. Then we will know peace because we know what He says is true and He is always faithful to us. We might struggle to find peace in the world around us, but we can have peace in our hearts because of who we are in Christ.
JK
Day 7 - Praise
Psalm 32:1 “Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.”
The Psalmist says “Praise befits the upright” The Hebrew word for befits is:
naw-veh' - which means suitable, or beautiful
In other words, it is beautiful and appropriate for the believer to praise God! Praising God is not for God’s benefit, but for the benefit and blessing of the one who lifts up praise! We don’t praise out of a sense of duty or obligation, but instead praise is the overflow of a thankful heart that recognizes the greatness of God! It is proper and profitable to praise!
RT
Day 8 - Fellowship
1 John 1:7: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
John says that if we have a close relationship with Christ, then we will desire fellowship with one another. Fellowship is different than friendship. We don’t base our fellowship of our outward interest and similarities, but instead our fellowship is based on our desire to be close to God and to celebrate that closeness with others.
The Holy Spirit that dwells with in us draws us together and the closer we are to Christ, the closer we will be to those around us. Believers who do not fellowship with a church family or other Christians in their circle of acquaintances are truly missing out on one of the great blessings that we are given by God. Don’t settle for walking through this life alone! Let the Holy Spirit lead you to a group where you can find fellowship.
RT
Day 9 - Promise
2 Peter 1:3-4: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”
When we come to know Christ as our Savior we understand that we have the promise of forgiveness for our sins, we also have the assurance of a home in Heaven when we pass from this life. There are many more promises in scripture that God has given us. The promise of grace, mercy, peace, and joy just to name a few. These aren’t “hope so” statements from God, they are promised to those who are committed to Him. To say “God is good,” is not just a church-speak statement, it is a promise that can be found in scripture as well as evidenced in the lives of believers everywhere.
RT
Day 10 - Compassion
In a story from Luke 10 after Jesus tells the crowd that they should love their neighbors as themselves, Jesus is asked a question, “who is my neighbor?” Or the question can be understood, who is it that I am supposed to love?
Jesus then tells the story of a Samaritan man who helps a Jewish man who had been robes and beaten and had been ignored by others who should have helped. In the story Jesus says the Samaritan showed compassion for the Jewish man and made sure of his well-fare and that he was safe. The point of the story is that the Samaritan showed compassion to someone who was a different race, religion, and likely social class, than himself.
As Christians we should model the example of Christ and show compassion for others, even if they don’t look like us, live like us, or believe like us. Compassion should not be based in race, religion, or political party. We are all created by God and every human being has a need for Jesus. Let’s pray that we can be compassionate to others in a culture that is always looking to divide.
RT
Day 11 - Grace
Today as you think on God’s grace, it is important to understand the meaning of grace. God’s grace is underserved favor. Grace cannot be earned. It is something that is freely given. Ephesians 2:4-5 say, “But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.”
Our sins separated us from God and He wasn’t ok with this. So Jesus took on our sins; died on a cross and was raised to life. When we put faith in Jesus, we can start to understand the undeserved favor of God. God’s grace doesn’t just stop at saving grace. Paul had some kind of weakness of the flesh - he calls it a thorn in the flesh. Paul prayed three times that it be taken away and the Lord said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). This word sufficient implies endurance, strength, or satisfaction. So not only is God’s grace a saving grace, but it is also a sustaining grace. Today as you think of God’s grace just remember its truly amazing!
KP
Day 12 - Faithfulness
Today as we reflect on the faithfulness of God, I’m reminded though the Old and New Testament of how God was faithful to his people. Providing for them in the wilderness, being with Daniel in the lion's den, being with the three Hebrew boys in the fire. Even in their rebellion, God provided. He never left them. He spoke through all the prophets prophesying of a savior to come and a redeemer to save His people, which we know to be Jesus Christ. I’m reminded of what Paul says in Romans 7:15, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”
2 Timothy 2:13 “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for he cannot deny Himself.”
God cannot and will not change because of His faithfulness. He promised to save us from our sins. 1 John 1:9 tell us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Praise God today for He is Faithful!
KP
Day 13 - Self Control
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” - Matthew 4:1-2 ESV
I am reminded today of Jesus fasting and being tempted in the desert. Jesus showing a perfect example of self-control. When Jesus was exhausted and hungry, Satan came to tempt Him with instant gratification, identity, and power. While Satan used every means to tempt Jesus, even quoting and manipulating scripture, Jesus stood firm. With the word of God, he pushed Satan back and displayed self-control.
Paul reminds Timothy to “fan into flame these gifts that God has given us.” (2Timothy 1:6.). As disciples of Jesus we need the word of God and the meditation of our hearts to build a flame of self-control within us. Today ask the Holy Spirit to help produce the fruit of self-control in your life!
KP
Day 14 - Mercy
This very familiar parable is almost always (rightly) presented as a lesson about spreading the gospel like a seed. We are often exhorted to tell everyone about the saving power of Jesus and allow our words to fall as they may. After all, it is up to the person receiving the gospel to respond to it.
However, I would like to offer another way of viewing this passage because, as in all Jesus’ teachings, there are many different applications for our lives. What if the soil, besides just representing the people “out there” also represents our own hearts? What if there are times in our life when we allow our relationship with Jesus to stagnate, choke, and wither? Are there times in your life (I know there are in mine) when you allow the Enemy to bait you and swerve you off the road by dangling your favorite sin in front of you? Are there times when you allow worry and anxiety to diminish your faith and cause you to take your eyes off Jesus, sinking in the water as Peter did? Do you allow success and having a little bit of money to provide you with security instead of reminding your heart that your only true security comes from the hand of God?
At times, our own hearts go through periods of being like the different soils in the story, and if we had a God who only loved as well as we do, our fickle hearts would cause Him to give up on us and leave us to our own endeavors Thankfully, we serve a God who loves better than us, and is full of mercy toward us. He has given us a gospel that we can preach to ourselves every day, and in His grace, He is continually using that gospel to make us more and more like His Son. Ask God honestly what the state of the “soil” is in your heart, and consider the mercy that God is showing you, even now, through the truth of the gospel. May He help each of us with our unbelief until the power of the Jesus’ sacrifice for us transforms every part of our life for good. Even as Christians, may the gospel continue to take root and bear fruit in our lives.
JR
Day 15 - Forgiveness
What a pregnant word: forgiveness. It is at the very heart of our belief system. Without it, Christianity is just another moral code, a way of trying to be a “good person” so we can get God to like us or give us what we want, but forgiveness: that changes everything.
When I was a teenager, a friend of mine was gunned down in an attempt at cowardly acceptance, a gang initiation. The murderer didn’t know my friend, had never met him or knew what a kind, funny, and compassionate person he was, never knew how close he was to his family; that because of his optimism and cheeriness, he was often the glue that held groups together. At his funeral, everyone was in shock. Grief hung in the room like a fog. No one could believe that this had really happened, and no one quite knew what to do next, but we all came to the church for the funeral. The service began, and his family walked into the sanctuary in tears. His mother clung to his casket and sobbed; her family crowded around her for physical support. Everyone understood; this was unimaginable. Then something happened: a preacher stood and welcomed everyone. A band began to play music. The family never sat down, and as the music played, they raised their hands in worship. Through their tears and in their desperation, they raised their eyes to Heaven and gave thanks to a God who saves, who heals, who forgives.
There were several people who accepted Christ at the pastor's invitation. A funeral altar- call bore actual fruit. The faith shown by the desperate cries and unswerving faith of the family and the forgiveness offered to an unknown sinner who didn’t deserve a bit of it shone a crystal- clear image of Jesus, and it was powerful enough that it drew people to Him and saved their souls.
Romans 2:4 claims that it is God’s kindness that leads to repentance, the kindness shown to each of us; kindness that is beyond comprehension; kindness that flies in the face of our attempts to sin and remain enemies of God. For many of us, we have experiences or people in our life who have caused great pain, and we know we need to forgive them, but it seems impossible. As soon as we think we have plucked them out of the ground, the roots of bitterness and hatred that run deep in our heart begin to grow back, and we find them bearing fruit in our life again. But when we think of the kindness of God, when we take stock of our life and realize how undeserving of His forgiveness each of us are, how He shows us love and reaches out to us even when we swat His hand away, we have an easier time extending that same forgiveness to others, and it is then that we realize that in offering this undeserved reprieve to others, we are truly becoming more like Christ. This is how we truly show the world the truth of the gospel, by loving our enemies as God loved us, even when we were His enemy.
If there is an area in your life where you are not offering forgiveness, to others or to yourself, offer it up to God today. Let the immense and unearned forgiveness and kindness of God lead you to offer that same compassion to others, and pray that God will use it to draw people to salvation. It may be something that you have to do day after day until the Lord heals that part of your life, but the effort is worth it: it was to God, and it should be to us as well.
JR
Day 16 - Gentleness
The story of Jesus calming the storm is usually related as a metaphorical example of Jesus’ ability to calm the storms in our lives; after all, if He has power over literal storms, then He must have power over the winds that toss about our security and peace. But I want you to notice something else in the final verse of this passage. When the disciples saw the awe- inspiring power of Christ’s hand, they didn’t respond by smiling and saying to themselves, “I knew that Jesus had this.” They didn’t sing a hymn and feel all warm and fuzzy inside because they realized that, even in the tempest-tossed boat of life, it is well. When they saw the power of Jesus at work, they were “filled with great fear.” It is the correct reaction. Any time we see a feat of great power-- a building being demolished by explosives, a crane lifting an impossibly- heavy beam, a tornado tearing through a community and bending steel around the trunk of a tall tree— we get that same feeling that the disciples felt: awe mixed with wonder mixed with fear.
We serve an almighty God, a God through whose fingers slip the stars of Heaven; a God who calls the sun over the horizon each morning; a God who can merely speak, and entire universes come into existence. He is a powerful God, and yet with us, He is gentle. In Matthew 19, Jesus calls small children to His side, and the children are not afraid to come to Him. They run up to Him and allow Him to place His hand on their shoulder and speak blessings over them. The same man who stayed lightning with his word speaks words of blessing over the most vulnerable group of people there is, and He speaks to our hearts like this even now.
There is a time and place for awe and having the fear of God in your life. After all, God moves and works and sets things into motion, and who can stop Him or change His mind? But have you ever considered the gentleness of God in your life? Have you ever considered that the same strong arm that created and maintains the universe is always waiting to bring you into an embrace or correct you when you start to stray?
Thank God for His gentleness. Thank God that He is the ultimate Father and that He knows when to be stern with us, and when we need Him to be gentle and meek and understanding. It is an amazing thing that God relates to us in this way. Take time today to thank Him specifically for the gentleness He shows us every day, and to ask Him to help that same gentleness to be evident in our relationship with others.
JR
Day 17 - Renewel
“Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” - Psalm 30:4-5 ESV
Every morning driving to work there is a stretch of road where I can see the sun come up in the East. It is a beautiful reminder of this verse. In difficult seasons in our lives where we think our situation is out of control we can feel as though that negative season will never end. However, God gives us these gentle reminders of how good He is and His faithfulness to renew us and our situations. Just like that beautiful, reassuring sunrise, God provides new joy, new hope, and new opportunities with every new day!
MA
Day 18: Meditation
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” - Psalm 46:10 ESV
We had recently been on a trip to Wyoming/South Dakota turkey hunting when I was reminded of this verse. In Turkey hunting it is best to get the highest vantage point to listen for a turkey to gobble and give his location. It’s also important to be at a place where it is quiet and still so you are able to hear. If not it is difficult to decide which direction we need to go to pursue the bird.
In our Christian walk this scripture says to “be still and know that I am God.” So many times in our lives, kids, work, and hobbies consume our time when God clearly tells us in scripture to be still and to get into His word. We need that quiet time in order to draw near to Him. Let’s remind ourselves today that it is ok to stop the race and find that quiet time. Let’s commit ourselves to find a way to “be still” and seek the presence of God.
MA
Day 19 - Patience
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.“ - Galatians 5:22-23
Patience is a virtue. We have all heard this saying before. What does virtue mean? Behavior of the highest moral standards. Patience is one of the fruits of the spirit and we can only have it if we resemble God himself.
What are some areas of our life that require the most patience? Dealing with our kids, our job and coworkers, driving in traffic, the list could go on for pages. Have you ever prayed for patience? I guarantee God will give the opportunity for plenty of practice in patience if you’ve prayed for it. James tells us that we face trials and tribulations to mature our faith. The development of a patient person can change not only our life but the lives of those around us.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faithproduces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” - James 1:2-4
MW
Day 20: Goodness
One of my favorite songs is Goodness of God. It is the first worship time I ever heard my daughter singing. It takes me back to a place of peace and joy. It helps to reset our mindset and focus on God instead of the world around us. How do you describe Gods goodness? The depths of His goodness are truly indescribable but we can try.
His mercy never fails us
All our days, we’ve been held in His hands
He is faithful through all our life
He has led us through the fire
In darkest night He is close like no other. He is our Father and friend.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:8
The greatest aspect of God’s goodness and His love is that he died for us and our sins.
MW
Day 21: Hope
“I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them,and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” - Lamentations 3:19-24
God is Faithful. He will never turn His back on you. He will never forget about you. When you feel like your life is in shambles and the world around you is falling apart what will you think on? Will you let your soul become downcast? No! We must have hope! Our hope is in the love of God, that His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness, He is our portion, our father and our savior.
“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” - 2 Thessalonians 3:3-5
Because of the faithfulness of God, we can live with hope!
MW