Today Daily Devotional

Jesus declared, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.”
— John 4:13-14

When I meet people and they find out what I do for a living, they sometimes launch into a religious conversation. Before long, they can get surprisingly deep into the differences between religious backgrounds.At the well in Samaria, Jesus and the woman he met got talking about religion. Jesus invited her to wonder about “the gift of God,” about who he (Jesus) was, and about what he had come to offer. Long story short, his grace collided with her shame, her defenses crumbled, and the Lord changed her life. By the end of that day a wave of grace had rolled through her entire town.Christ’s work in our lives is central for us all. Yet it can be surprisingly difficult to discuss that with others, so we tend to play a sort of spiritual hide-and-seek game. Why? Sometimes we’re uncomfortable talking about personal matters, even with close friends. Other times we may honestly feel that we don’t have much to say. We may have heard about God’s salvation so often that it seems commonplace in our lives and sort of “goes without saying.” This can be true for a lot of people who go to church.It can be important to talk about our religious views. But what really counts is sharing with others what Christ is doing in our lives and how he is changing us, making us new.When was the last time you talked about these things?

Lord, help me to share my faith authentically, focusing on what you have done in my life. Give me courage to speak of your work with honesty and love. Amen.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
— Psalm 139:23

Repentance can seem like something we should outgrow. It’s great for spiritual beginners, but it’s hard to imagine Christian role models having to repent very much. Do they?The more I grow in faith, the sillier it sounds to think I could outgrow repentance. I’m not hiding scandals in my life, but I’ve still got plenty to repent of. In fact, I think I’ve probably got more raw material for repentance than I had when I was younger.Lately God has been nudging me to look into my motives behind doing good things. For example, if I’ve been a faithful husband or a responsible pastor, whom have I really done that for? I’ve probably been the one who has benefited most from not wrecking my marriage or my career in ministry. Rather than being motivated by holiness, my actions might just be smart!So where does that lead me? Ultimately, into gratitude. One of the amazing things about grace is that it doesn’t stop when an introductory period has passed. My freedom to waltz into God’s presence like an heir doesn’t depend on my ability to do good; it depends on the amazing, mind-boggling love that God has shown me through Jesus Christ. And that will never change—no matter how much I try to work on my motives. Realizing this today leads me to repent even more freely tomorrow.What about you? In which areas are you getting better at repentance?

God, guide me in examining my motives. Lead me to repent sincerely, not just out of obligation, and to rely fully on your abundant grace. Amen.

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
— Romans 7:15

Sometimes church can get in the way of repentance.Repentance plays a huge part in our becoming followers of Christ. We pivot from our previous direction, turning toward the Savior.But then something happens. We get better. We heal and grow in faith. The Bible calls this sanctification, and this is a good thing.As we grow in faith, it can seem like we have less to repent of. And that makes sense. Our lives should change as we mature in our faith in Christ. But is that the whole story?Personally, I have grown in my resistance to some of the sins of my younger days. But I have to admit that other, quieter temptations can easily line up to take their place—sins like pride or defensiveness. When I see progress in resisting one kind of sin, I soon notice a new one cropping up. In Romans 7, Paul explains that sin grows inside us. I get that.I’m learning to adjust my idea of what spiritual growth looks like. As a boy, I sometimes wondered if grown-ups needed to repent. Now, as a grown-up, I realize that I’ll never move past my need for repentance. But, thanks to the work of God’s Spirit in me, I’m getting better at living faithfully.I hope you have experienced repentance. And, as your faith grows, I hope you keep experiencing that, with God’s help all along the way.

Lord, keep us humble as we grow in faith. Remind us that we always need your grace, and help us continually to turn back to you, realizing we need you always. Amen.

I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.
— Romans 7:23

Repentance isn’t complicated. It can be as simple as saying “I’m sorry.” Yet for all its simplicity, repentance can be surprisingly elusive.When I was a child, my parents taught me the basics of repentance. When I broke a rule or did something hurtful to my brothers, they instructed me to say I was sorry (whether I actually was or not!).If you think of repentance, how do you picture it? Does it show the relief of a reunion with a long-lost friend? Or is it more like the grim resignation of a driver pulled over for speeding in traffic—or, similarly, like an athlete called on a foul by a referee: sorry, not sorry!Actually, repentance is amazing, if we think about it. It gives us the chance to name our sins and have them taken away.Oddly, though, we don’t often think or talk much about repentance. And, perhaps more strangely, we can tend to think about it less and less the more we gain experience as believers. It’s almost as if we think we somehow outgrow our need for repentance. (More about that later.)And so we hide.When was your last experience of repentance? Can you remember it?

God, remind me that true repentance brings freedom. Help me not to shrink from confessing, but to embrace turning toward you with joy and trust in your mercy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
— 1 John 1:9

Shame creates distance from God, just as it did for the woman at the well. Since the fall into sin (Genesis 3), a sense of having spoiled God’s best for us has caused us to keep our distance from him. Even today we carry bad memories, broken expectations, and accumulated regrets. In our shame we subtly back away from God.How do we fix this problem? In the Bible God calls us to repentance for our sin. At its core, repentance involves complete honesty with God: a recognition of not only what we have done but also who we have become. Honest repentance provides a step toward the miracle of having our sins washed away, with our debts charged to Christ’s account. It furthers the process of our sanctification, God’s way of making us new.There is also a relationship side to repentance that is important to remember. Repentance involves more than simply acknowledging that a rule was broken. It involves recognizing that a relationship was damaged. The biblical word for repentance refers to “turning around.” When I repent of a sin, I turn away from that behavior and back toward the way God calls me to live. Repentance involves a new realization that we have in some way left God and are turning back toward him.When was the last time you repented, turning back to God?

Lord, help me to be honest with you. Show me where I have sinned, and help me to turn fully toward you, with my heart open to renewal. Amen.