Today Daily Devotional

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
— Psalm 96:3

Have you ever experienced a genuine echo? Maybe you shouted “Hello!” into a wide empty space and then heard your own voice return: “Hello! Hello! Hello!” I remember being about seven years old and calling out across a misty lake—and then, with a sense of wonder, hearing my voice come drifting back to me.This month let’s explore something that is similar to an echo. Our theme this month is “Resonance,” and the concept of resonance is close to my heart and my work. The agency I serve is called Resonate Global Mission, and this organization focuses on living out and sharing the good news of Jesus so that it resonates, going out in every direction like an expanding, amplifying sound.Resonance is like an echo, yet deeper and more powerful. When we think about resonance in our spiritual lives, it can open us to the wonder of God’s voice speaking through his Word, his Spirit, and his world—reverberating within our lives and all around us.The ringing of a bell or a chime provides another way to experience resonance. As you engage in these devotions, I encourage you to find a small chime (or search “chime sound” on your phone) and play it after each day’s reflection.God is here with us! God speaks his good news and shares his love with us! May our voices echo back with joy and praise for all the great things God has done!

Lord, thank you for your marvelous deeds and the way your love resonates around us. What a privilege to echo back our songs of praise! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

“If you love me, keep my commands.”
— John 14:15

As I’ve been reflecting on the Ten Commandments, an old gospel song keeps running through my mind: “Trust and Obey.” This simple hymn expresses the bedrock faith and action of seeking to live for the Lord. By trusting God and, through his strength, turning to him for support each day, we find joy in the new life we are promised forever in Christ.The Ten Commandments reveal to us and convict us of our sin, our deeply ingrained failure and inability to love God and our neighbors as we are called to do. But through the gracious cleansing and renewing of our hearts, the Holy Spirit sets us on a new path of obedience. And on this new path, God’s commands become a guide for gratefully living in obedience to God.Though we continue to struggle with sin in this life, God still calls us daily to trust him and obey him. The Ten Commandments and other helpful summaries of God’s law—Micah 6:8; Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 13; Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 2:8-10; and more—are faithful guides along the way.When we trust and obey the Lord, as the song puts it, we can expect to be “happy in Jesus.” Actually, a clearer description is that we can be joyful through the inner contentment and wonder grounded in God’s amazing grace and love for us in the Savior, Jesus Christ.In what ways can you share the joy of new life in Christ with others today?

Help us, Lord God, to walk in the light of your Word, trusting and obeying you in all things, so that our lives overflow with your joy. Amen.

“All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
— Matthew 22:40

As boys, my brothers and I often played a Bible trivia game at our grandmother’s house. The game cards helped to hone our knowledge of various facts in the Bible. “Name the twelve tribes of Israel.” “Name the twelve apostles.” “List the Ten Commandments in order.” Today, I’m not sure I could answer any of these questions without stumbling.I can, however, give a basic summary of the Ten Commandments. When tested by a teacher of the law, Jesus did that for us. He summarized God’s two main principles for living in a right relationship with the Lord and with others. Drawing on the foundation of the entire Old Testament, Jesus said, in effect, “You shall love God with your entire being, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (see Matthew 22:37-40).If we distill Jesus’ summary a step further, we also find the essential keyword: love.Tragically, since the fall into sin, our natural inclination is to hate God and others. Only when God has renewed our hearts can we truly love him. We can also begin truly loving others. And when we truly love others, we demonstrate that we truly love God.Though our love for God and others will never be perfect, the perfect love on which the Ten Commandments are based is perfectly revealed in Jesus Christ. There’s nothing trivial about Christ’s perfect love. His perfect love should be our highest aim as we seek to follow him.

Our Father in heaven, remold our hearts to love you truly and to love others as we love ourselves. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
— Philippians 4:8

Some people claim that we can establish a good habit in as little as 21 days. Others say it takes much longer—between 66 and 254 days—to form a good habit. By sheer effort and discipline, can we will ourselves into a habit of keeping the Ten Commandments?No. We can only begin on a new path of living for the Lord when we recognize that we need our sins forgiven through Christ and as the Holy Spirit breathes new, eternal life into us. Then, although initiating and achieving righteousness is not up to us, we are responsible to live as God calls us to do.In our reading for today the apostle Paul offers some helpful instructions for focusing our minds on practical Christian living. “In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God,” he says. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”Paul also urges that we focus on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Then, day by day, as we “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25), we can form holy habits that please God.When we concentrate on what’s pleasing to God while striving, in the Spirit, to obey him in gratitude, we become more loving toward him and others. 

Holy Spirit, thank you for the gift of redeeming love. Renew our hearts and desires in Jesus to focus on pleasing you and loving others. Amen.

I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
— Romans 7:7

Most people agree that the commandments we have been discussing lately—about promoting justice, honesty, respect for others and their property, and more—offer clear, practical boundaries for living together in society. Guidelines like these are found in all kinds of societies around the world.We might even think, like many of God’s people in ancient Israel did, that keeping these commands is possible. But the law doesn’t satisfy God’s requirements for our hearts. The apostle Paul painfully realized this when he wrestled with the darkness in his own heart. Though he thought he had been able to keep these commandments through his actions, he was cut to the heart when he read, “You shall not covet.” God commands that we show love not only through our actions but also with our hearts. By this standard, we are all guilty of failing to love others.Thankfully, our heart problem can be solved. “While we were still sinners,” Paul writes in Romans 5:8, “Christ died for us.” Jesus is the only one who could ever satisfy the demands of God’s law for perfect obedience and love. And since we are forgiven through Jesus’ sacrifice for our sake, the Holy Spirit gives us new hearts directed toward loving God and our neighbors.Our new life in Christ moves us beyond mere outward obedience. By trusting Jesus, our restless hearts find true satisfaction in him alone, so that we can truly love others. 

Jesus, thank you for rescuing us. By your Spirit, fill our hearts so that we can love others as you have loved us. Amen.