Today Daily Devotional

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
— Philippians 4:6

The Bible urges us not to worry or be anxious. But that is not always easy. We may ask ourselves, “What if some disaster happens?” or, “What if I lose my job?” or, “What if my health fails?” Such questions show our concerns about a future we can’t control.As we learn from experience, there are many things in life that we can’t control. And yet we can also trust that at all times in the future God will be our faithful Lord and Savior. God will always seek our good. So, in him, we can have confidence about the future.When concerns arise, we need to turn to God in prayer, knowing that he has all that we need. God is our Father, and he loves to give good gifts to his children. We can turn to God and remember his faithfulness in the past, to both ourselves and other believers. We know that God has our destiny in his hands and has prepared a place for us in eternity.And we can give thanks. We can thank God because he has provided for our needs in years past. We can thank him for providing for the needs of so many believers throughout the ages. Ultimately we can thank God that through his Son we are saved from death, sin, and futility.Our lives can potentially be full of anxiety. But each day we can bring all our concerns to him, knowing that we are ultimately secure in his hands.

Father, comfort us in our worry and anxiety. You have been faithful in the past; guide us to trust you in the future. Help us know the comfort of your Spirit always. Amen.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
— John 8:32

Sometimes we use polite, little lies to try to be kind or avoid being rude. We might say, “Yes, I can tell you’ve lost some weight.” Or, “You have not aged a bit.” Or, “Wow, you almost scored a goal on that play.” But our passage here is talking about truth and lies at a more profound level than the social niceties we practice.Are you a slave to sin and death, or are you free from them? In John 8:34, Jesus says that “everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” That certainly includes me—and you too. If we wish to be free from that slavery, we must embrace the truth that is Jesus. Only he can liberate us from the sin that enslaves us.Which sins enslave you? Are you a slave to anger, or lust, or greed, or envy, or sports, or beauty, or money? We are all slaves to something. We might tell ourselves that we will be truly happy once we get this or that thing, or when we reach a certain goal. But only faithful followers of Jesus have a real shot at freedom from slavery to sin. All other plans for liberation just end up in a new form of slavery.An example of this is political revolution. In Nicaragua, for example, the Sandinistas overthrew an oppressive oligarchy led by Anastasio Somaza. Now, under the Sandinista leaders Daniel and Rosario Ortega, things are worse than ever before.Let’s not flip from one slave master to another. We can find freedom by following Jesus. Only then will we be free.

Lord, we keep enslaving ourselves. Give us the desire to be free, and free us to live fully in you, we pray. Amen.

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
— John 14:6

Notice that in this passage Jesus does not just say he knows the truth or can teach the truth. He says, “I am the truth.”This means that to know Jesus is to know the truth. The truth is that there is one God, who can be found only through Jesus Christ. The truth is that the God who created the world and filled it with good things is the same God who came to give us salvation and new life. We are made in the image of the one true God, and we find our true selves when we receive full life in him.The counterpoint of Jesus’ statement here is that all other claims to truth are false, including all the other “isms” of the world: consumerism, communism, capitalism, hedonism, nationalism, and so on. If you think that the truth is that we need to make more money, or have more fun, or have your political party succeed, you are telling yourself a lie. Only Jesus is the truth.All truths eventually arrive at Jesus. Some brilliant scientists and philosophers have accepted Jesus because he has greeted them at the end of their investigations. Some addicts have received Jesus because they have discovered that only he can save them from themselves. Some have seen Christians faithfully living out the truth and have learned that Jesus must be the truth who makes that possible.Jesus is the truth. Let’s show it, tell it, and live it today.

Lord and God, help us to seek your truth and to ignore all the false claims that tempt us in our lives. May we be so true to you that others see it and want it too. Amen.

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?
— James 4:1

Desires are thoughts. Sadly, they often begin with the words of our two-year-old selves: “I want that!” We can easily think, for example, “I want a car (or a house) like that.” Or, “I wanted the job he got.” I want, I want, I want.Not all of our desires are bad, but many are. If we want something that belongs to others or if we want something at the expense of others, that is typically wrong. Pleasure and enjoyment are great blessings, but if we seek such things only for selfish reasons, that can be wrong too. We can easily deceive ourselves into thinking, “I should have that . . . and why shouldn’t I?” Our desires can cause battles within us.How do we know if what we want is right or wrong? We can take it to God in prayer. And if we think, “I can’t possibly ask God for that,” it is probably a wrongful desire.We can also have lots of good desires, though. We may want our children to do well in school. We may want our friend’s marriage to be saved. We may want our church to grow. God is pleased when we ask for good things like these with the right motives.As we think about our desires, let’s focus on those that can bring about good for our neighbors, family, and friends. Let’s think about what can bring growth in God’s kingdom throughout the world. Things like these are in line with the desires of God’s heart.

Lord, may you be our hearts’ desire. May we desire your good for ourselves and for others. May we share the joy of having life with you so that others may enjoy that too. Amen.

Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
— Psalm 96:1

Whenever my Aunt Rosemary was working in the kitchen, she would sing. I don’t remember whether the songs were popular tunes, hymns, or made-up melodies, but they were lovely. Whenever I went there to play with my cousins, I could count on hearing her beautiful voice.Singing is a great way to engage the mind with goodness (assuming the song doesn’t celebrate some kind of evil). This is why the Bible calls on us to sing to God and glorify him. The pleasant sounds of our voices give honor and glory to God as we sing biblical songs. Even if the songs we sing are not specifically Christian, our voices glorify our Creator just as the buzzes of bees and the songs of birds do.Not all of us have beautiful voices, but that doesn’t matter. A voice raised to heaven is a voice beautified in heaven.Singing is known to engage our minds at the deepest levels. Even in the last days of her life with Alzheimer’s disease, my mother-in-law could sing old hymns she had learned in her youth. She didn’t know where she was, but she still remembered the words and the tunes of those songs.Our thoughts can be put to good use in song. Composing music and lyrics in honor of the Lord who gives us life and blesses us with all good things, we can apply our whole selves in praise to God. We can lift up our hearts and voices and sing!

“Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise him, all creatures here below; praise him above, you heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” Amen.