Good Morning Devoted, Persistent, Clothed in Christ, Co-Laborers! Amen! God is a God that specializes in bringing His shalom--His peace--to the chaos around us. I am in the midst of a chaotic morning that could lead to all kinds of stress. In the past I would have been very stressed by now--BUT GOD! He hears my prayers and invites to be the Lord of me and my day and to bring His shalom. When we ask and make Him Lord, we have confidence that everything is filtered through His hands. He knows what's going on in our lives, what's needed or not, and where He's leading us. Knowing that helps to exhale the junk and receive His peace. Breathe out the junk and take a deep breath of the Spirit right now. Do it again and again until you have cast all your anxiety on God and invited Him to take control. He is the GOOD Shepherd! He has plans for you--plans for good and not harm. Receive His shalom and step into this day refreshed and with the Good Shepherd as the Lord of your day. Amen!
TWFYT is in day 2 of helping with stress relief. Check it out and our other devos below. The Upper Room is a reminder of our call to team up and be better in Christ and ODB reminds us that we are clothed in Christ. How do these tie together? Talk to God about that and schedule a time to discuss what you are hearing with some friends. I'm praying for us all to know and follow God's peace and to do so more earnestly together. I'm praying that we discover His plans for us this summer at our Vision team meeting tonight and begin working on His plans to get out and make Christ known. I'm praying for the chaos to disappear as we trust God and allow His shalom to overflow from us. Thanks Lord! Hear our prayers and be the Lord and Shepherd of this day and Your people. Thanks! Amen! Shalom!
UR: Ten People Prayed
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. - Acts 2:42 (NIV)
A few years ago, I felt like something was missing from my life. My days lacked meaning and purpose. However, instead of bringing my concern to God, I looked for fulfillment in lots of wrong places — which only left me feeling emptier. I struggled to change my ways and turn to God.
My church group was focusing on spiritual health and encouraged members to share their struggles. At first I was hesitant to discuss my emptiness. Most people value strength, independence, and success, not fragility or need. But I finally opened up to the group and asked for help.
After that meeting, ten people started praying for me. Soon after, I sensed God’s presence and power in the circumstances around me, steering me away from distractions. Sermons, devotionals, and Bible verses reminded me of God’s provision. Together, these factors helped me find new life in God.
Being vulnerable wasn’t easy. But when I asked, I found that others were glad to help. Group members checked in on me regularly and offered encouragement. Their prayers and God’s responses gave me hope that God would give me new purpose and supply what was missing from my life.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank you, God, for responding to the prayers of our church family. Help us to ask for support when we need it. Amen.ODB:
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I was so excited to put on my new glasses for the first time, but after just a few hours I wanted to throw them away. My eyes ached and head throbbed from adjusting to the new prescription. My ears were sore from the unfamiliar frames. The next day I groaned when I remembered I had to wear them. I had to repeatedly choose to use my glasses each day in order for my body to adjust. It took several weeks, but after that, I hardly noticed I was wearing them.
Putting on something new requires an adjustment, but over time we grow into it, and it suits us better. We may even see things we didn’t see before. In Romans 13, the apostle Paul instructed Christ followers to “put on the armor of light” (v. 12) and practice right living. They had already believed in Jesus, but it seems they had fallen into “slumber” and become more complacent; they needed to “wake up” and take action, behave decently and let go of all sin (vv. 11-13). Paul encouraged them to be clothed with Jesus and become more like Him in their thoughts and deeds (v. 14).
We don’t begin to reflect the loving, gentle, kind, grace-filled, and faithful ways of Jesus overnight. It’s a long process of choosing to “put on the armor of light” every day, even when we don’t want to because it’s uncomfortable. Over time, He changes us for the better.
By Karen Pimpo
REFLECT & PRAY
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What does it look like to “put on” Jesus today? How does practicing Christlikeness become more comfortable over time?
Dear Jesus, thank You that You’re transforming me day by day.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
At the end of Romans 13, Paul contrasts darkness and light. The interplay between the two is symbolic for the life that people lived before believing in Christ and the life they now live in Him. This contrast is seen in several of the apostle’s letters. Before coming to Jesus, we “were once darkness” (Ephesians 5:8), performed “deeds of darkness” (v. 11), and belonged to “the dominion of darkness” (Colossians 1:13) and “to the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:5).
After coming to Christ, however, we’re not to have fellowship with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14), should “live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8), and have nothing to do with the “fruitless deeds of darkness” (v. 11). We’ve been rescued “from the dominion of darkness” (Colossians 1:13) and are “children of the light and children of the day” (1 Thessalonians 5:5).
J.R. Hudberg |
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