Description

Bring some Spirit-filled peace into your hectic schedule every weekday morning with this new Daily Devotional.
Épisodes
  • February 9th - 2 Corinthians 8:9
    Feb 9 2026
    2 Corinthians 8:9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. The Christian life is, before anything else, characterised by giving, and the reason for this is that it’s how Jesus lived. As we follow in his footsteps, our lives need to be shaped by giving generously. His generosity was so complete that he gave everything and became totally poor in order to make other people rich. This is a huge challenge to all of us in a society that is deeply acquisitive. The assumption is that life is found in acquiring more and more, but Jesus turns that thinking completely on its head. There is an old proverb which runs: “He who takes but never gives, may last for years but never lives.” That’s a scary thought and should redouble our determination to work out how we should go about our giving. We need to find a deeper understanding of where our money and resources come from. When we realise that it’s all from God’s hands, it becomes obvious that our relationship with our money is that of steward. We brought nothing into this world and we will take nothing out. Our role is to be God’s stewards, so we need to look after our resources in a way that will please him. In the 15th century, Thomas a Kempis wrote [itals]The Imitation of Christ[end itals] in Latin. It has been in print ever since and reminds us of the fundamental responsibility that we all have to use the life of Christ as a pattern for our lives. No one has ever been more fully alive than Jesus, and as we learn how to give generously, we will discover more and more of what it means to be truly alive. Question Jesus is the ultimate example of generous giving, but think of someone in whose life you have seen enormous generosity. What have you learned from them? Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, help me to walk in your footsteps today and to become increasingly generous to others. Amen
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    3 min
  • February 8th - 2 Corinthians 8:7
    Feb 8 2026
    2 Corinthians 8:7 Since you excel in so many ways – in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us – I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. This is a remarkable verse. The two letters that Paul wrote to the church in Corinth lift the lid on a community which was very divided and disorganised in its worship, and in which there were serious disciplinary issues that hadn’t been addressed. However, Paul was able to come up with a long list of their good qualities! I love how encouraging he was to them. It’s easy for any of us to become overwhelmed by the failures of people and churches. It would be a good exercise to think about the most annoying person that you know and write down a list of their positive characteristics. If we concentrate too much on people’s shortcomings, the danger is that we will miss their finer qualities, and our relationship with them will never stand a chance. In just the same way, if we only look at a church’s weaknesses, we may totally overlook the ways in which God has blessed it. Paul drew attention to the Corinthian church’s great qualities because he wanted to encourage them to be great at giving as well. He was eager for them to make a significant contribution to the collection that he was taking up for the Christians in Judea, who had suffered a major famine. He pointed to the example of the believers in Macedonia who, even though they were very poor, had been incredibly generous. He didn’t want the Corinthians to miss out on the blessing of being generous as well. Because of his love for them, he didn’t want them merely to be good at giving – he wanted them to excel. If we love people, we are not going to be content with them merely doing well. We will want them to be and to do the best. Let’s keep that thought alive in our minds today as we meet people. Question What do you learn from the way in which Paul encouraged the Corinthians to give? Prayer Lord God, I thank you that you love me so much that you want me to be the best for you today. Amen
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    3 min
  • February 7th - Proverbs 4:18-19
    Feb 7 2026
    Proverbs 4:18-19 The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over. I have spent most of my life in towns or cities, which means I have had very little experience of darkness. However, when I lived in a village in India, I found out exactly what it was like. I can recall occasions when I would walk around on our compound without a single clue as to what was in front of me. I would reach out my hands in the hope that I would feel a building or tree before I collided with it. Such complete darkness is very threatening, and it isn’t surprising that the Bible often uses it as a picture of living without God. With none of his light to shine on life’s path, it is certain that a person will spend their life stumbling about, lurching from one danger to the next. The contrast couldn’t be sharper for the person who walks in God’s way. The righteous person, who deliberately seeks to live their life in step with God, lives in the light. When a person sets off on a life with God, the first gleam of dawn shines on them, and as they walk with God, the brightness continually grows until they are walking in the full light of day. In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul tells his readers that they are people of the light (Ephesians 5:8). In that passage, he quotes what many scholars think was an early church hymn which might have been sung at a service of baptism: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Because the early Christians lived as a tiny minority amid a sea of immorality and godlessness, they needed to be clear where their light came from. They would face many struggles and difficulties and darkness was never far away, but amid it all, Christ’s light shone on them. Question In what specific ways have you experienced God’s light shining on you? Prayer Lord God, we worship you because you are the source of light. I invite you to shine your light on my life today. Amen
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    3 min
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