Today Daily Devotional

“The more they were called, the more they went away from me.”
— Hosea 11:2

This month we’re reflecting on hide and seek—the game about wanting and not wanting to be found.We’ve been playing that game with God for a long time. Think of Adam and Eve hiding in Eden, as God called, in effect, “Come out, come out, wherever you are!” (See Genesis 3.) Or think about God chasing down Jacob as he ran from the brother he had cheated. Jacob hid in the wilderness, only to hear God calling out, in effect, from a stairway to heaven, “I found you!” (See Genesis 28.)Or think of Israel in exile. They had rebelled against God for so long that the Lord had finally given them what they wanted: a life without him. Hosea shared God’s haunting words: “The more they were called, the more they went away from me.” God’s people had become experts at hiding.So it’s not surprising that when God the Son came, he joined in the game personally. Jesus came “to seek and to save the lost,” he said (Luke 19:10). He offered forgiveness and healing to people like us who couldn’t do forgiveness and healing very well on our own. And yet we tried our best to avoid what he was offering. Why do we keep doing that?Jesus called all kinds of people to follow him, and they did. Yet even his closest followers had their own agendas and often tried to keep going their own way (see Mark 10:35-45).When you hear Jesus calling you, what is your response?

Faithful God, thank you for never giving up on us. When we drift or resist, pursue us with patient love and teach us to trust in your grace. Amen.

“Will you give me a drink?”
— John 4:7

Have you ever played hide and seek? Each person in the game tries to hide, and they all hope they won’t be found. The first person who is found gets to be “it” on the next round, and then that person has to seek out whoever is hiding.It’s a curious game. Our granddaughter doesn’t really grasp how it works. She’ll micromanage things, telling us where to hide so that she can cheer triumphantly when she somehow “finds” us. She has fun. So do we. But she misses the point entirely.Hide and seek is about wanting and not wanting at the same time. You have fun playing together by trying to hide and not be together. And when you’re found and you’re together again, you protest: “Aw, you found me!”The seeker makes the game work. If that person quits, the whole game fizzles. Crouching behind the sofa or in a closet isn’t much fun if no one comes looking.I think God likes that game. At least he seems to, because he ends up playing it a lot. So often we, his people, want to be with him but also not with him. So he continues to seek us.This month we’ll keep this in mind as we focus on John 4 and some other passages to reflect on a Samaritan woman who meets Jesus. If, like me, you’ve ever found yourself both wanting and resisting God, I think you’ll find we all have a lot in common.

Lord, when I hide from you, please keep seeking me. Draw me into your presence and help me to welcome your persistent love. Amen.

“Look, I am coming soon! . . . I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
— Revelation 22:12-13

We have explored many names for Jesus this month. There are also many names we haven’t reflected on: Lord, Rock, Redeemer, Cornerstone, Morning Star, and more.The name Alpha and Omega can help us think of the great span of Jesus’ qualities, works, and abilities (many of which are described in his names)— and much more. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the last. And, as our text for today suggests, this name helps us to think of Jesus as “the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” In other words, Jesus is the A and the Z, the starting block and the finish line, the source of creation and the goal to which all things head. He gives meaning to each point and experience along the way, and we’ll never exhaust all there is to say about Jesus.At the close of these devotions, we also encounter, as we have found at other times, an invitation and a warning.First, the warning. Because Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, it is impossible to be neutral. He is the ultimate dividing line. We can either come to him and enter his life of peace, reward, and rest, or we can say “no thanks” and be separated from him.But with the gift of his invitation, we can come to Jesus, be forgiven and reconciled with God, and enter a new, full life with him forever. Real life begins and ends with, and hinges on, Jesus Christ!

Lord Jesus, you invite us to “Come! . . . and . . . take the free gift of the water of life.” Draw us to yourself, we pray. Amen.

Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
— Hebrews 12:1-2

Our reading today invites us to reflect on the life of faith as a race marked out for us.And who has gone before us to mark it out? Jesus, the pioneer (or trailblazer) of faith.He did it all, providing this great gift for us. He paved the way when we were so lost in our sin that we were like dead people walking in darkness (Isaiah 9:2; Ephesians 2:1-5). He made us alive to faith. He justified us, he sanctified us, and he sustains us through every trial. Jesus lights the way for us, and he will bring us safely through to where he is. As the apostle Paul describes it in Philippians 1:6, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.”Some Bible translations describe Jesus’ role here as the “author and finisher” of faith, and that reminds me of some treasured gifts that grace our family’s home. My mother-inlaw and late sister-in-law gifted us with beautiful, handmade quilts. They “authored” these treasures, designing them on graph paper, choosing colors, cutting pieces of fabric, and quilting them together. They also “finished” these artworks beautifully, down to the last binding stitch. I benefit from these gifts of grace, resting under someone else’s finished work.In our life of faith, we depend on Jesus’ accomplished work. From start to finish, we can fix our eyes on him, following his lead and relying on his guidance and finished work every step of the way.

Pioneer and Perfecter of faith, where would we be without you? Lead and guide us, Lord, and may we rest in you. Amen.

“You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
— Matthew 1:21

The name Jesus means “the Lord saves.” That’s the whole purpose of his birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and reign. He came to “save his people.” From what? Scripture is clear: “from their sins.”Notice what this does not say. It does not say Jesus came to save us from trouble, pain, or ignorance. It does not say he came to save us from bad governments, health problems, or family breakdowns. As real and hard as these things are (and Jesus cares about them), they do not represent our deepest or most pressing need.Our greatest problem is sin. Sin is killing us. Sin is the root of brokenness. Unaddressed, sin separates us from God— forever.But—praise God!—there is a Savior: Jesus! And he is the only one. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”Jesus took the punishment for our sin; his rescue brings us back to God. Even “while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10).So, when we say Jesus’ name, in faith, we confess our need for him and why he came. More than just a helper, a good example, or a guide, “He is able to save completely those who come to God through him” (Hebrews 7:25).

Jesus, you are the only Savior from sin. We need you. Help us to recognize our sin and that you are the only One who saves. In your saving name we pray. Amen.