Daily Devotion

A Life Woven in Love

Scripture: "In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. ... All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them." – Acts 9:36, 39 (NIV)

Illustration

Think of a lighthouse standing steady on a rocky shore. It doesn’t shine its light to be seen or praised – it simply serves, guiding ships safely through dark waters day after day. Like the lighthouse, Dorcas served quietly, making clothes for the widows without seeking attention. Her faithful service left a lasting impact that was only fully seen when she was gone.

Reflection

Lent calls us to follow Christ’s example of humble service. It’s natural to want recognition for what we do, but true service mirrors Dorcas’ heart – giving of ourselves simply because others are in need. Whether it’s helping a neighbour, caring for family, or supporting our community, every act of service matters to God, even when no one else notices.

Challenge for the Day

Identify one way to serve someone today without expecting any recognition or thanks. This could be a small task like tidying up a shared space, preparing a meal for someone, or helping with a chore without being asked. Do it quietly, with a heart focused on loving others as Christ loves us.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the example of Dorcas, who served with courage and humility. Help us to have the same heart – willing to give of ourselves without seeking praise. Give us eyes to see the needs around us and the courage to act, knowing that every act of service honours you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Daily Devotion

Faithful in Little Things

Scripture: "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?" – Luke 16:10-12 (NIV)

Illustration

Imagine a gardener tending tiny seeds – small and easy to overlook, but with careful care they grow into fruit-bearing plants. The gardener knows faithfulness in the little details leads to a bountiful harvest. In the same way, God watches how we handle life’s small responsibilities, shaping our ability to steward greater things.

Reflection

Lent invites us to examine our actions in all areas of life. It’s easy to focus on big acts of faith while neglecting everyday tasks – being on time, keeping our word, or showing kindness. Jesus reminds us that faithfulness starts small: how we handle the "little things" reveals our hearts and prepares us for what God has in store.

Challenge for the Day

Identify one small responsibility you’ve been overlooking and give it your full attention today. Then, choose one way to be trustworthy with something belonging to others – return a borrowed item, be honest about a small mistake, or care for what’s been entrusted to you.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for showing us faithfulness begins in small things. Help us value every responsibility you’ve given us, and teach us to be trustworthy with what we have and what belongs to others. Prepare us to steward your greater gifts. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Daily Devotions

Keeping the Vision

Scripture: "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." – Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)

Illustration

Imagine a long-distance runner with eyes fixed firmly on the finish line. They don’t look back at the miles they’ve covered or let past stumbles slow them down – their focus is solely on the goal ahead. In our faith journey, God calls us to run with this same single-minded purpose, not letting the past weigh us down or pull us off course.

Reflection

Lent invites us to reset our focus on what matters most. We all carry things from the past – regrets, achievements, or hurts – that can hold us back. Paul reminds us we may not have "arrived" yet, but we can choose to leave what’s behind and press forward toward God’s calling. This isn’t about ignoring our past, but about not letting it define our future.

Challenge for the Day

Identify one thing from your past that’s keeping you from focusing on God’s calling. Write it down and symbolically set it aside. Today, take one small step toward something God has been nudging you to pursue – whether a new ministry, mended relationship, or growth in faith.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the vision You’ve set before us in Christ. Help us release what lies behind and fix our eyes on the goal You’ve called us to. Give us courage to press forward, and guide our steps as we pursue Your purpose for our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Daily Devotion

Joy in Suffering 

Scripture: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." – James 1:2-4 (NIV)

Imagine a silversmith carefully holding a piece of rough silver over a hot flame. The fire blazes, heating the metal until it glows bright red. As the silver melts, impurities rise to the surface and are scraped away. The silversmith doesn’t stop until they can see their own reflection clearly in the refined metal.

In the same way, life’s trials are like the purifying fire. They may feel intense and uncomfortable, melting away the parts of us that hold us back from reflecting Christ’s image. The process is not easy, but through it, God is shaping us to be mature, complete, and more like Him.

Lent calls us to examine our lives and draw closer to God. When we face hardships – whether illness, loss, conflict, or uncertainty – it’s natural to feel sorrow or frustration. But James challenges us to see these trials differently: as opportunities for growth.

The "joy" we’re called to isn’t happiness based on our circumstances. It’s a deep, unshakable confidence that God is at work, refining our faith and building perseverance within us. Just as the silversmith’s goal is to create something beautiful and valuable, God’s purpose is to make us whole and ready for His work.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for reminding us that trials are not without purpose. When the fire of life feels overwhelming, help us to look beyond the pain and see Your loving hand at work. Give us the strength to count it all joy, knowing that You are refining our faith and shaping us into the people You created us to be.

Help us to embrace the process, even when it’s hard, and to trust that perseverance will lead to maturity and completeness. May we reflect Your image more clearly each day, and may our lives bring glory to You.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Would you like me to create additional daily devotionals in this series for the entire Lenten season, each with a unique illustration and prayer focus?

Challenge for the Day:

Choose one current difficulty and reflect on how God might be shaping you through it. Name one quality being strengthened, and offer a simple prayer of thanks for God’s work in you today.

Daily Devotion

Perseverance in Prayer

“Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” (Luke 18:1)

Jesus tells this parable, Luke reminds us, for one reason: so that we would not lose heart. The widow keeps coming, day after day, to an unjust judge who neither fears God nor cares about people. She has no power, no influence, no guarantee that her voice will ever matter. All she has is persistence.

At first, nothing happens.

Many of us recognise that space—the long stretch between prayer and answer. We pray for healing, for reconciliation, for justice, for change. We pray once, twice, a hundred times, and still nothing seems to move. Silence begins to sound like indifference. Delay feels like denial.

Yet Jesus does not compare God to the unjust judge in order to diminish God’s character, but to highlight the contrast. If even a reluctant, self-interested judge can be worn down by persistence, how much more will a loving, faithful God hear the cries of those who belong to him?

Persevering in prayer is not about wearing God out. It is about being shaped while we wait. In the praying, our trust deepens. In the waiting, our dependence grows. Prayer keeps us connected to God’s heart even when circumstances remain unchanged.

Lent teaches us to stay in that place—to keep showing up, to keep asking, to keep trusting—believing that God’s justice, mercy, and timing are surer than our impatience.

In an old stone church, a caretaker once noticed a steady drip of water falling from a cracked gutter onto the steps below. At first, it seemed insignificant—just a quiet, regular tap. Months later, the stone had begun to wear away, leaving a visible hollow.

The drip had not been forceful. It had not been hurried. But it had been faithful.

Prayer often feels like that drip—small, repetitive, easily overlooked. Yet over time, faithful prayer shapes us, changes situations, and opens spaces for God’s work in ways we may only notice later.

A Question to Ponder

Where am I tempted to give up praying because the answer feels delayed—and what might it mean to keep coming to God anyway?

Prayer

Faithful God,
when our prayers seem to echo back in silence,
give us the courage to keep asking.
When waiting feels heavy
and hope begins to fade,
help us not to lose heart.

Teach us to trust your timing
even when we do not understand it.
Shape us through faithful prayer,
and keep us rooted in your love.

May our persistence be not stubbornness,
but deepening faith—
as we wait for your justice,
your mercy,
and your peace.
Amen.

A Simple Lent Practice

Choose one prayer you have been holding for a long time.
Name it again before God today—not with urgency, but with trust—and place it deliberately in God’s care.

Daily Devotion

Out of the Ashes – 

John 21:15 After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”

Ash Wednesday begins not with confidence, but with truth. We come marked with ashes—symbols of repentance, mortality, and human limitation. They remind us that we do not arrive at Lent as spiritual heroes, but as people who know disappointment well: disappointment in others, in circumstances, and often in ourselves.

Peter knows this feeling intimately. Only days before this moment on the beach, he had sworn loyalty to Jesus—and then denied him three times. The crowing of the cock still echoes in his memory. When Jesus appears again after the resurrection, Peter returns to fishing. It is familiar work, perhaps a place to hide, perhaps a sign that he believes his moment as a disciple has passed.

But Jesus does not begin with accusation. He does not rehearse Peter’s failure. Instead, he asks a simple and painful question—three times: “Do you love me?” Each question reopens the wound, yet each one also heals it. Jesus meets Peter exactly where his disappointment lives.

Ash Wednesday invites us into the same space. Lent does not ask us to pretend we have it all together. It asks us to face our failures honestly—and to discover that the risen Christ meets us there, not with condemnation, but with a call.

“Feed my sheep,” Jesus says. Trust is restored. Purpose is renewed. Failure is not the end of Peter’s story, nor is it the end of ours. The God who formed us from dust is also the God who breathes new life into fragile people.

A Question to Ponder

Where am I carrying disappointment—about myself, my faith, or my past—and what might it mean to let Jesus speak into that place rather than hide from it?

Prayer

Lord Jesus,
on this Ash Wednesday we come honestly,
aware of our weakness and our regret.
Like Peter, we remember the moments
when we have failed you—
through fear, silence, or misplaced confidence.

Meet us in our disappointment.
Ask us again the deeper question of love,
and help us to answer not with pride,
but with trust.

When we feel unworthy to begin again,
remind us that you still call us,
still trust us,
and still have work for us to do.

From ashes, bring renewal;
from failure, faithfulness;
from disappointment, hope.
Amen.

A Simple Lent Practice for Today

As you wash your hands or touch your forehead today, quietly pray:
“Lord, you know that I love you.”

Daily Devotion

Preparing Our Hearts, Not Just Our Schedules

As Lent draws near, we often start planning what we’ll give up or add to our daily routines – maybe sweets, social media, or extra prayer time. But true preparation begins not with our to-do lists, but with examining the state of our hearts.

The prophet Joel calls us to "rend your heart and not your garments" (Joel 2:13). This ancient invitation reminds us that outward acts mean little without inward transformation. Lent is a season of turning – turning away from what distracts us from God, and turning toward deeper connection with Him and others.

Why not take a moment today to ask: What in my life is creating distance between me and what matters most? It might be a habit that keeps me focused on myself, a relationship that needs mending, or a fear that holds me back from living generously. Preparation isn’t about perfection; it’s about being honest with ourselves and open to God’s work in us.

As we count down the days to Ash Wednesday, let’s begin by creating space in our hearts – making room for reflection, repentance, and renewal.

Illustration

A wealthy merchant rushed to a tailor’s shop with his expensive cloak – deliberately torn down the front.

"My neighbour’s house burned down," he explained. "Everyone’s wearing torn clothes in mourning, and I didn’t want to look untouched – but I couldn’t ruin my best cloak for real."

The tailor mended the tear so well it was nearly invisible, then handed him a large bill.

"This is too much!" the merchant protested.

"You paid me to fix what you tore to look like you cared," the tailor said. "But true mourning isn’t about our clothes – it’s about what happens in here." He touched his heart. "That work can’t be stitched by any tailor. It has to come from within, and it costs far more than gold."

God doesn’t want symbolic gestures alone. When we "rend our hearts" instead of just our garments, real transformation takes root – changing not only how we look, but how we live.

Prayer

Gracious God,

we return to you with honest hearts.

Tear away what hardens us —

our pride, our fear, our excuses.

Open us to your mercy and reshape us by your love,

for you are gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Amen.

Challenge

Today, choose one place where you will let God work on the inside —

not just changing how you appear,

but how you listen, forgive, pray, or love.

Return to the Lord with your heart,

and trust God to do the restoring.