Daily Devotionals
Daily readings and reflections to help you grow deeper in your faith.
Share Your Story
God's in the business of changing lives.
September 7
Day 1: The God Who Pursues
Reading: Lamentations 3:19-26
Reading: Lamentations 3:19-26
Lam. 3:19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the LORD’S great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the LORD’S great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
Devotional: There are seasons when we remember our wandering and our souls sink under the weight of it. In sharing his story, Josh read these verses because he had lived them. But also because of the hope they contain. The writer of Lamentations does not stay in the darkness. He calls something to mind that changes everything: the mercies of God are new every morning.
No matter how far you have wandered, God has not stopped pursuing you. His faithfulness is not contingent on your faithfulness. His love and goodness aren't dependent on you. However far you've wandered, whatever darkness you're in, God has never given up on you. Sit with that truth today.
Reflection: What season of wandering do you need to bring before God today? Write down one area of your life where you have been running from God. Surrender it to Him in prayer, trusting that His mercies are new for you this morning.
No matter how far you have wandered, God has not stopped pursuing you. His faithfulness is not contingent on your faithfulness. His love and goodness aren't dependent on you. However far you've wandered, whatever darkness you're in, God has never given up on you. Sit with that truth today.
Reflection: What season of wandering do you need to bring before God today? Write down one area of your life where you have been running from God. Surrender it to Him in prayer, trusting that His mercies are new for you this morning.
September 8
Day 2: Identity in Christ Alone
Reading: Galatians 2:20
Reading: Galatians 2:20
Gal. 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Devotional: In her story, Jenna described years of wearing different masks, becoming whoever the people around her needed her to be. Her identity shifted with every relationship, leaving her empty and without a foundation. This is the quiet devastation of building your life on the approval of others. The gospel interrupts that pattern with a radical declaration: the old self has been crucified with Christ, and the life you now live belongs to Him. Your worth is not determined by who chooses you, who stays, or who walks away. It is settled permanently in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. You are His.
Reflection: Where are you still looking to people to tell you who you are? Identify one relationship or social situation where you tend to wear a mask. Ask God to give you the courage to show up as the person He created you to be.
Reflection: Where are you still looking to people to tell you who you are? Identify one relationship or social situation where you tend to wear a mask. Ask God to give you the courage to show up as the person He created you to be.
September 9
Day 3: God Is Near in the Darkness
Reading: Psalm 118:17
Reading: Psalm 118:17
Psa. 118:17 I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the LORD has done.
and will proclaim what the LORD has done.
Devotional: In his story, Nick described Memorial Day 2024 as the darkest moment of his life. He had planned to end it. And yet, God was there. Not in a dramatic vision or a thundering voice, but in the small, providential details of an ordinary afternoon. A rum and Coke. A surgery. A twelve-year-old cousin who needed watching. God was working before Nick could see it. Nick's confession from Psalm 118:17 "I will not die, but live" was not merely a statement of physical survival. It was a declaration of purpose: his life for God's glory.
You might not see it right now, but God has a purpose for your life. Your story, including the painful parts, is not something to be hidden. It is a weapon against the enemy and a lifeline to someone who is exactly where you once were. You do not need to have everything figured out to share it. God's not done writing your story. So long as you have breath in your lungs, he has something more for you. Only he knows how your struggle today could be the difference for someone else tomorrow.
Reflection: Can you look back at a painful season and identify where God may have been working without your awareness? Spend time today thanking God for one moment in your past where His protection or provision was visible only in hindsight. Thank him for the life you have and choose to use the life he's given you to proclaim his goodness to those around you.
You might not see it right now, but God has a purpose for your life. Your story, including the painful parts, is not something to be hidden. It is a weapon against the enemy and a lifeline to someone who is exactly where you once were. You do not need to have everything figured out to share it. God's not done writing your story. So long as you have breath in your lungs, he has something more for you. Only he knows how your struggle today could be the difference for someone else tomorrow.
Reflection: Can you look back at a painful season and identify where God may have been working without your awareness? Spend time today thanking God for one moment in your past where His protection or provision was visible only in hindsight. Thank him for the life you have and choose to use the life he's given you to proclaim his goodness to those around you.
September 10
Day 4: Community and Confession
Reading: Proverbs 27:17; James 5:16
Reading: Proverbs 27:17; James 5:16
Prov. 27:17 As iron sharpens iron,
so one man sharpens another.
James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
so one man sharpens another.
James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Devotional: All three stories shared a common turning point: community. Josh found it first in college friendships that sharpened him, and later in a recovery group where men were honest about their real struggles. Jenna found it in a program that exposed the deeper issues of her heart. Nick found it when a therapist asked one honest question and he finally told the truth. Scripture is clear that we are not designed to carry our burdens alone. Iron sharpens iron. Confession brings healing. The life-change you are hoping for may be waiting on the other side of one honest conversation with someone you trust.
Reflection: Is there a struggle you have been carrying alone that needs to be brought into the light? What is one step you could take toward community? Maybe it's reaching out to a trusted friend, joining a small group or ReGen, or simply telling one person the truth about where you are. Ask God to give you the courage you need to lean into community, and then take your step. God will meet you there.
Reflection: Is there a struggle you have been carrying alone that needs to be brought into the light? What is one step you could take toward community? Maybe it's reaching out to a trusted friend, joining a small group or ReGen, or simply telling one person the truth about where you are. Ask God to give you the courage you need to lean into community, and then take your step. God will meet you there.
September 11
Day 5: The Story that Changes Everything
Reading: Hebrews 1:1-3; 2:14-15
Reading: Hebrews 1:1-3; 2:14-15
Heb. 1:1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various way, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Heb. 2:14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Heb. 2:14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Devotional: In the opening chapters of Hebrews, the author reflects on the reality of the incarnation--God becoming human. Why? To rescue us in our humanity from the power and fear of sin and death. To die for our sin so that we could experience the life with him we're created for. It's this story--that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son Jesus to save us--that has the power to change our stories and give us the "happily-ever afters" we long for. Life everlasting.
Reflection: What's your story? Is it one being shaped and renewed through your relationship with Jesus? Does it need to be? Today, tell God any parts of your story that still need transformation. Surrender those parts of your life to him. And thank him for how he's changed your story and the "happily-ever after" he's given you through faith in the finished work of Jesus.
Reflection: What's your story? Is it one being shaped and renewed through your relationship with Jesus? Does it need to be? Today, tell God any parts of your story that still need transformation. Surrender those parts of your life to him. And thank him for how he's changed your story and the "happily-ever after" he's given you through faith in the finished work of Jesus.