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.

Daily Devotions

Sharing the Gospel Boldly 

Acts 8:4 “Forced to leave home base, the followers of Jesus all became missionaries. Wherever they were scattered, they preached the Message about Jesus.”

A farmer once gathered a small group of children and showed them a handful of seeds.
“If I keep these safe in my pocket,” he said, “nothing will grow.” Then he scattered them across the field. To the children it looked careless—almost wasteful. But the farmer smiled and said, “This is how life begins.”

Reflection:

The early church must have felt anything but hopeful as persecution forced believers out of Jerusalem. Homes were lost, friendships broken, plans disrupted. They were scattered—not by choice, but by fear.

Yet Luke tells us something extraordinary: “Those who were scattered went about preaching the word.” What looked like the enemy’s victory became God’s mission strategy. The believers carried the gospel with them, not because they had a programme, but because they had a story—what Jesus had done in their lives.

God often works not only through what he gathers, but through what he scatters. New jobs, new homes, retirement, illness, upheaval, or loss can feel like displacement. Yet in God’s hands, scattering becomes sowing. The gospel travels on the feet and lives of ordinary people, living faithfully where they find themselves.

The church did not shrink when it was scattered—it multiplied.

Lord God,
when the first believers were scattered,
you turned fear into faith
and disruption into mission.

When our lives feel unsettled or our plans undone,
help us to trust that you are still at work.
Where we are scattered—into new places,
new relationships, and unfamiliar routines—
may we carry your good news with humility and love.

Give us courage to speak when the moment is right,
grace to serve without drawing attention to ourselves,
and faith to believe that nothing in your hands is wasted.

Send us out, not as strangers to your kingdom,
but as witnesses to your grace,
for we go in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Challenge: Finding courage to share faith naturally.

Daily Devotions

Integrity in Work and Speech 

Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Reflection

In a small cathedral in Europe, visitors marvel at the soaring arches, stained glass, and intricate stonework. Few, however, ever notice the wooden beams hidden high above the ceiling—supporting the roof, unseen and unnamed.

Centuries ago, a carpenter shaped those beams by hand. He knew they would never be admired or applauded. Yet historical records suggest he carved his initials on the inside of one beam—out of sight. Not for recognition, but as a quiet act of faithfulness.

He worked as though God alone would see.

Paul’s words to the Colossians speak directly into such moments:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters… It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23–24)

Much of our life is lived in the “hidden places”: routine tasks, caring for others, voluntary roles, unseen acts of kindness, faithfulness when no one thanks us. The world may measure worth by visibility or reward, but God measures the heart.

When we work—whether paid or unpaid, public or private—as an offering to Christ, even the most ordinary task becomes holy ground. The reward Paul speaks of is not applause, but inheritance: the deep joy of knowing that our lives, in all their quiet faithfulness, are held and honoured by God.

Prayer

Lord Jesus,
You see the work that others overlook
and the faithfulness that goes unpraised.
Help us to offer all we do—
our labour, our service, our care for others—
as an act of love for you.
When our work feels small or unseen,
remind us that we serve not for approval,
but for your glory and your kingdom.
Amen.

Challenge: Honesty in environments that reward shortcuts.

Daily Devotion

We now move onto the topic, “Faith in Action” focusing on: “Living out discipleship tangibly, as early believers did.”

Today we consider “Acts of Service” – Galatians 5:13-14 “My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don't use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love. All the Law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself.”

Reflection: I read of someone who was once sitting in a café, listening to two people at the next table talking about whether to join a local group. Every suggestion was weighed with the same unspoken question: How much time will it cost me? What will I get out of it? Will it help me feel better, look better, or get ahead?

Nothing they said was unreasonable. In fact, it all sounded very sensible. And yet beneath every sentence ran a quiet refrain: “What’s in it for me?”

That question has become the subtext of so much of modern life. We don’t often say it out loud, but it shapes our choices — relationships, church, work, even faith. We ask it when deciding whether to commit, whether to forgive, whether to serve. If the return on investment looks too small, we step back.

The gospel, of course, turns that question on its head. Jesus rarely asks, “What will you gain?” Instead, he asks, “Whom will you love?” and “Whom will you follow?” Discipleship is not a transaction but a transformation — a move from what’s in it for me to how might God use me for others.

And perhaps that’s the quiet challenge Jesus places before us: not to silence the question entirely, but to let it be reshaped, so that the deeper question becomes, “What’s in it for the kingdom of God?”

Prayer

Father, open my heart to the astounding truth of my freedom in Christ. Holy Spirit, conform my heart to be like Jesus' heart. Open my eyes to how I can serve others and bless them as they seek to walk in the light of their freedom in Christ. In His name, I pray. Amen.

Challenge: Serving others without seeking recognition.

Daily Devotions

Love in Action

Scripture: John 13:34–35

“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Reflection:

Jesus redefines love not as a feeling we fall into, but as a costly commitment we live out, shaped by His self-giving example. This love bears with one another in patience, chooses forgiveness over resentment, and responds with compassion rather than judgment. It is expressed in everyday decisions to serve, to listen, and to place others before ourselves. Such love is the true mark of discipleship. In a world fractured by division, fear, and indifference, Christ-like love becomes a powerful witness—quietly shining, healing wounds, and pointing others toward the transforming grace of God.

Henri J.M. Nouwen once commented, “Prayer for others, therefore, cannot be seen as an extraordinary exercise that must be practiced from time to time. Rather, it is the very beat of the compassionate heart.”

Illustration:

A candle doesn’t diminish by lighting another candle; instead, the light multiplies. Love works the same way—every act we offer increases the light.

Thought / Question:

How can I show Christ-like love to someone today?

Prayer:

Lord, fill my heart with Your love and help me share it freely with others. Amen.

Action Step:

Choose one intentional act of love today—an encouraging message, a small gift, a kind gesture, or a word of forgiveness.