Daily Devotion

August 23

Gloria Denise

Colossians 1:17 NIV

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

God is the connection for all of us!

Sometimes I may have a day or even a whole week when I am feeling alone. (Don’t we all?) I’m very busy with a full calendar and surrounded by people all day, but still feeling lonely. In my heart, I know God is with me and I can talk to Him anytime I want but for me it’s not the same as hearing another person’s voice. Then my head starts to get the better of me, letting the enemy creep in and start poking at me, making me feel worse.

But then…a stranger walks in, someone I have never met. They proceed to tell me that I am special in God’s eyes, created by Him for something great and to continue to let my light shine. In that moment I know God is talking to me, out loud not in my head, reassuring me that I am not alone. He is giving me uplifting hope when I need it the most.

God works through all of us, giving us hope and support, in the way that is just right for our needs. Some do hear God in their head, others hear Him through worship or sermons. I hear God through kind strangers. We are all connected, touching each other’s lives, often without even realizing it.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for taking care of me and talking to me out loud when I need it most. You never fail me and I am so grateful for those little miracles!!

Amen.

August 22

Don Simon

Matthew 6:21 NIV

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

In this passage, Jesus is talking to the disciples about matters of the heart. He’s instructing them to connect their inward beliefs with their outward actions. In verses 19 through 21, He’s instructing them (and us) to place our highest value on the things that matter most, and He’s talking about more than just monetary things. He’s talking to us about anything we value that takes our time and attention.

The word treasure can either mean “a collection of valuable objects that has been hidden away”, or it describes the “actions we take regarding what we consider valuable”. When we treasure something, we deliberately care for it because it gives us pleasure and we consider it special. 

Caring for a treasure takes our time and attention. We return to it, admire it, watch over it, and protect it from damage. Most importantly, we think about it often because we imagine what this treasure will do for us now and in the future.

What does that mean for us today? Jesus is telling us not to spend our time and attention on things that only have value in this world. He wants us to spend our time and attention on things that have eternal value in His world.

What are some of the things that I will leave behind when I go to be with Him – my job, my possessions, my success, my hobbies, my pleasures, my friends, or my family? Compare these to what I will take with me to heaven – every moment I spend with Him, every act of service I do in His name, every verse of scripture I hide in my heart, every prayer I ever utter, every person I lead to Christ, and every moment of fellowship I spend with another believer. Think about it…what do we want to give our time and attention to?

We can have treasures that have incredible value in our future life with God in heaven. Anything that does not have value in His world might just be some junk in our lives we can leave behind.

Prayer: Lord, help us to value You more than anything else in this world. Change us on the inside and show us the incredible value of living for your Kingdom and loving what you love.

Amen.

August 21

Carl Jackson

Romans 5:6-8 NIV

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

I am a sinner saved by God’s grace. Psalm 51:5 says, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me”. My Lord and my Savior Jesus Christ came into my life at the right time. He looked beyond all my faults and saw my needs. He rescued me. It blows my mind thinking about how Jesus died for me. I know how I am and I know how I was. It is hard to comprehend the love He has for me. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. Therefore, I let my light shine everywhere I go. The light is Jesus Christ that is in me. 

It is so important that we stay connected to Jesus Christ, so that we can stay connected to each other. Here at CtK, it is no big I and little you. We are all one in Christ Jesus. God loves us all the same. We are strong when we are connected to one another. The fingers are weak when they are separated, but when the fingers come together and make a fist, they are strong. We have power when we come together as believers. There is nothing we cannot do with the power of God on our side.

We here at CtK are family. We come together on Sundays and throughout the week. We come to worship and praise God. We come to build one another up, to learn, to love and to help one another. We can only do this if we stay connected. Our walk with Jesus is not to be alone, but with one another, hand in hand and arm in arm. When we walk with Jesus, Jesus is walking with us. My brothers and my sisters let’s journey together in Jesus’ Name!

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, We thank you for your love, your mercies, your grace and for dying for us. Make us one in spirit and in Your truth. Let us always acknowledge You and let us not lean on our own understanding. Let us continue to look toward You in good times and bad times. You are our very help in time of trouble. We love you and we magnify your Name. We ask it all in Jesus’ Name. 

Amen.

August 20

Karen Rodgers

John 1:14 NIV

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

When thinking about connecting to people, in our lives, Christ gives the greatest example of connecting in this verse. There was a gap between humanity and heaven. A gap so large, that we could never close it on our own. When He (The Word) became flesh and dwelt among us, His intent and purpose was to close this gap. Before Him, connecting to God involved blood sacrifices on altars, going to a priest, and following laws laid out in the Old Testament. God knew the only way to bridge that gap was to send Jesus to us, to dwell among us and to die for us. Jesus becoming flesh and paying the ultimate price for our freedom with his life, was the greatest connection ever known. Jesus lived as a human, had friends and family, and developed relationships. He connected with people in His life in such a way that Christianity spread through the entire world! His example of community with His disciples and the people He connected with while on earth, is a perfect model of how we are to connect with people in our lives. Christ was full of grace and truth, not to keep to Himself, but to share with us. We in turn are to share this with others. Encountering Christ should be life changing for us. Shouldn’t that also mean when we encounter others, those moments should also be life changing? 

I have made two friends in the last few months, simply by being “present in the moment”. While I was mountain biking, I noticed a lady looking at directions on her phone. I asked if she was good with the trail, and she said she was a little turned around. I took her on a tour of my favorite route. We exchanged numbers and have ridden together since then, with plans for more adventures. Another time, I was waiting for an oil change. I planned to sit in the lobby, put headphones in to look occupied and write this devotional. Then I realized I was planning to write a devotional on connection, by disconnecting! So, I did not put the headphones in, and instead I made another friend with someone who was new to the area. We exchanged numbers and have connected again since that encounter. I think the times we seek to connect to others, like Christ demonstrated for us, are the times we are honoring His example with our lives.

Prayer: Father, may we always seek to live in grace and truth. Help us to dwell among the people we interact with daily and seek to connect our lives to others, as you sought to connect with us, by sending Jesus to us.

Be the ultimate connection of grace and truth, Amen.

August 19

Peter Kruzan

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 NIV

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Many things make us unique from others. Some distinctions make us feel proud and valued. Sally is such a good artist! Johnny can really sing! However, other distinctions are used to categorize and control. Where one lives or the color of one’s skin far too often determine social standing and opportunity.

I remember a childhood TV show with an educational song, “Which of these things is not like the others?” Various pictures flashed up on the TV screen and you were asked to call out the one that was different. As I remember, the images were harmless categories like birds and fish and such. However, the practice of placing objects into categories is deeply rooted. Mankind seems determined to create and use short-cuts and cheat-sheets to determine who is important and who can be ignored. Fortunately, God provides a better way through Christ that does not ignore us as individuals nor does His way lock us into harmful social constructs!

If you have ever seen a beautiful tapestry and then turned it over to inspect the back, you know that what is beautiful on one side is often messy on the other. God knew that mankind would sin, and He knew that positive differences would become hopelessly intertwined with humans creating and abusing differences for selfish purposes. The passage above demonstrates how He brings together what mankind tried to separate. Within the context of the Body, value is given to those parts that are often ignored and marginalized. Distinctness is not lost but reimagined into something beautiful. What Satan tried to destroy through division, God redeemed and reconnected for His kingdom. We each find wholeness and connection through God’s work to redeem what was broken. Each is valuable and has a special purpose within the Body of Christ, not despite our differences, but because of our differences. Wow, only God can do that!

Prayer: Dear Lord, I praise you for transforming what was hopelessly broken into a picture of your power. Thank you for bringing us together in Christ, each unique and special in your eyes. Show me today how you have uniquely prepared me to be an important part of the church. Help me to see others as you see them and give me opportunity to value those often overlooked.

Amen.

August 18

Mara Burgos

1 John 1:7 NIV

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, purifies us from all sin.

I remember as a little girl in Sunday school singing “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine”. As children full of joy and wonder, it feels easy to shine our lights. We love our parents and family so much. It almost seems like second nature to love Jesus just as intensely. 

As we get older, we crave belonging and connection early, starting at school, then work and even church. I remember my parents being intentional in making connections at church after and before service. Of course, it felt super awkward; like trial and error some were instantaneous,  others required true vulnerability and the power of prayer. 

As I reflect on this scripture, I am comforted by knowing that one thing always remains: we are all sons and daughters of God and no matter where we come from or where our paths are going, we all share a passion in getting close to Jesus’s heart, often seeking forgiveness for our sins in hopes of a chance at daily redemption. Even if this was the 100,000th time in our life. 

That’s the beauty of this verse.  It’s short, sweet and to the point: 

1. Walk in the light = Obey the word and let your God given light shine. When we walk in the light, we maintain a God connection. But when we choose to step away from it, our fellowship with God will be interrupted. 

2. Have fellowship = Make friends with people that know the word of God which in turn can uplift and support you in good and bad times.

3. Blood of Jesus purifies us = Sin is the cause of a broken relationship with God. We pray for forgiveness with true repentance, and we are purified. 

Prayer: Jesus, I praise you because you loved me first. Please forgive me of my sins and thank you that with your blood you cleanse me every day. It is your grace and mercy that allows me to walk in your heavenly light. Therefore, help me be a beacon of your light, love and understanding. Help me be a better brother/sister in Christ for my family, neighbors, friends, church congregation and anyone that you send across my path. Grant me the discernment to hear your voice and be guided by your love and light in obedience to your perfect will. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

August 17

Matthew Wilson

1 Corinthians 12:27-28 NIV

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 

Wow, what a body! Paul was very extensive in his list of roles in the body of Christ that work together to make a body work. There were some easily identified ones such as teachers and prophets. But there were also some lesser recognized ones such as helping and guidance. When I think on Ephesians 4:15-16, verse 16 calls out the importance of the supporting ligaments of the body. This connective tissue is so crucial, and I look at helping and guidance as a major part of this “tissue”. The enemy however tries to make us believe that many of us don’t fall in this category, instead thinking we are just bystanders. 

It is more obvious when one has been placed in the church as a prophet or apostle or teacher and thus harder to deny. But being a helper or healer or guide is not as obvious. It is easy for one to dimmish their place in the body when they do “simple tasks” or have a “small” area of service. But Paul is very clear that you are a part of the body of Christ and that God has placed you there. And it is in these areas that connect us like ligaments. Therefore, the body is no longer a group of organs that are thrown together but now one organism.

When we acknowledge and accept our roles, there is no denying the supernatural impact that we have. It is part of what made the church of Acts grow so quickly. It might be what drew you to Christ the King. When we realize our position, it naturally gravitates us to community with one another. That strengthens and grows us. And with that maturity, we go out into the world and make more disciples.

Regardless of whether you perceive your placement in the body of Christ as big or small, you are a vital part of this organism. It is now, more than ever, that we must step up to the calling that God has placed on us to keep us connected as one to achieve our commission. 

Prayer: Oh Lord, my God. Give me less of me and more of you. Show me where I belong in your church. Make my gifts known. Help me not to measure worth with my human eyes, but with your heavenly ruler. Remind me that you know what is best. Lord, connect this church with your all powerful and gentle arms. Let the world see what true connection and community look like and desire to be a part.

Amen.

August 16

Devon Ragoonath 

Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

To spur one another means to encourage each other. Has someone ever needed your shoulder to cry on? Or maybe needed a word of encouragement before a big test, project, meeting or just for life in general? Perhaps someone needed a helping hand to move furniture or couldn’t afford to get their groceries. No matter how big or small the gesture or deed is, we must always encourage each other and care for one another. 

Sometimes it can be tempting to turn down meeting with a friend or a family member. It always seems like someone wants to get coffee or lunch when the time just isn’t right for you. Life is too busy at the moment or work is bogging you down, but we should always consider gathering with each other when the opportunity arises. God works through us each and every day in many unique ways transforming and changing us and we should be sure to encourage and gather with one another through it all. 

As we continue on each day approaching the day that Jesus returns, negativity and evilness becomes more subtle day in and day out. It becomes more and more difficult every day to decipher what is good and what is bad, or to see what is truth and what is not or what is right and what is wrong. False concepts and deceitful lies that deny the powerful Word of God is present within our society more now than ever. We need to gather together and be with each other throughout these times and share the Good News with each other and share the love that Jesus has for us. We should love one another like Jesus loves us. There is no greater love than the love that God has for us and we must always spur one another toward love and good deeds and never miss the opportunities that allow us to gather with each other and care for one another. 

Prayer: Father, thank you for the opportunity we receive every day to encourage others through love and good deeds. Help me to not neglect meeting together with other believers and paying attention to the fact that the Day is drawing near. We pray that we can be accountable with each other and that we can continue to love one another like you love us God.

In your precious Sons name, Amen.

August 15

Michelle Yorick 

Colossians 3:12-13 NIV

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

These past two years of pandemic, quarantine, and “stay-at-home” orders didn’t do much in the area of connection for this world. It seems we as a people have forgotten how to connect with others. We spent so much time behind computer screens and closed doors, that now while we are “allowed” to go out and interact with others…it seems like a foreign and unknown thing to us. 

Just this past weekend, there was a speaker coming to our area and I really wanted to go and hear her speak. I bought the tickets, invited some friends, scheduled it on my calendar…but then the day came and I almost felt anxiety about being in community with hundreds of people I didn’t know. I felt overwhelmed. I felt worried. It was the oddest thing, especially since people describe me as the most extroverted extrovert they have ever met! It was a strange feeling for me. I wasn’t quite sure how to process how I was feeling. All I did know was that I NEEDED TO GO! Every fiber of my being told me, don’t back out!

In those moments, I remembered the scripture I had been given for 21 Days of Prayer…so I reflected on Colossians 3:12-13 a bit that day and remembered…I am chosen and loved by God, He has a purpose for me. He gives me everything I need to encounter His people with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. He reminded me through these verses that being in community with people isn’t hard and it isn’t a lost art. It is a calling on each of us. 

He reminded me that connecting with people and displaying His characteristics is how I can share Him with others. And to do that, I have to get out there and connect! 

So, I did. I sucked it up. And I am so glad I did. The speaker was amazing. I learned a lot from her in her 45 minute talk. I met new friends. I bumped into old friends I hadn’t seen in over a decade. Had a wonderful time of connecting with my husband and friends. It was amazing. And all the while, I had this message on my heart…wear (clothe myself) in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. And forgive others as I have already been forgiven. 

I’m excited that the world is coming out from behind the closed doors and screens. I am excited for face-to-face connections with people as God designed it. I am excited for the growth and knowledge we experience through connection with people and connection with Jesus. We just need to remember to dress ourselves daily as He does…with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…OH, and don’t forget forgiveness!

So get out there today and every day and connect!

Prayer: Gracious Heavenly Father, I thank you for your gift of connection. I thank you for the people you will bring into our paths each day and I thank you for loving us so much that you trust us to treat your children with these characteristics. Please guide us in our encounters. Guide our words and our actions so that the people we come across see more of you and less of us. We love you and we praise you. 

Amen.

August 14

Pat Odom

I Corinthians 12:18-20 NIV

But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

Chapter12 of I Corinthians talks about how the body of Christ is one body. As members of this body, we have all been given different gifts to use within the body. But it takes all of us to come together with one mind, one body, and with one soul, with likeminded minds of Christ to build the kingdom. With this being said, I have the gift of interceding for the church, of serving, greeting and praying for the church. Others will have different gifts, but we are all important to the body. God wants his people to understand the importance of becoming one body with different members and giftedness in this body. We are not to think of ourselves more highly than others. It’s his grace given to each one of us.

However, I am reminded by God that he gave us these different gifts so that He would be glorified by using these gifts within the body. I am grateful that he chose me to be a part of his body. I want to be pleasing to my father.

He created each one of us with a plan and only God knows the plan he has for us! Obey the word of God and know that we are all needed in the body of Christ. It’s for his glory. Amen 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I am asking you to help us see that you love us, and we are all one in your eyes. You have given all of us different gifts and these gifts belong to you. Forgive us if we thought it was about us only. Help us to unite with one another and to have a mind of Christ so that we can build this kingdom together. May we decrease so that you can increase in us.

In Jesus name, Amen.