After leaving the synagogue, Jesus goes to Simon’s house. It is a simple, ordinary setting, a home. A family concern. Simon’s mother-in-law is sick with a fever, and they tell Jesus about her.

He goes to her, takes her by the hand, and lifts her up. The fever leaves immediately, and she begins to serve them.

It is a quiet moment, but it reveals something important. Jesus is not only present in public spaces or dramatic situations. He enters into the ordinary places of life and brings restoration there too. Nothing is too small to bring to Him.

By evening, the scene changes. Word has spread, and now the whole city gathers at the door. People are bringing the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits. One by one, Jesus heals and casts out demons. The scale is different, but the pattern is the same.

Jesus sees, He acts, and people are made whole.

Still, He does not let the moment define His mission. Early the next morning, while it is still dark, He goes to a desolate place to pray. When the disciples find Him, they tell Him that everyone is looking for Him. It would have been easy to stay, to continue the momentum, to build something centered on His growing popularity.

Instead, Jesus says,

“Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”

His work is not driven by demand, but by purpose. He has come to bring the good news of God’s kingdom, and He will not be redirected from that. Jesus came not just to relieve temporal suffering, but to save and give eternal life.

Sometimes, we need to be reminded of that as well. We get frustrated when God doesn’t heal us or relieve our temporal suffering. However, Jesus gives something greater. If you are healed sickness will come again. If you have relief, suffering will return. However, Jesus promises a life in Christ which even now has great purpose and joy and, when Jesus’ returns, will end all sickness and suffering forever. Our hope is greater.

Then a man with leprosy comes to Him.

In that time, leprosy was more than a disease. It separated people from community and worship. To be a leper was to live on the outside, cut off and alone. Think back to Covid and you start to get a sense of what they went through, except for them it wasn’t a few months or a couple of years.

The man kneels before Jesus and says,

“If you will, you can make me clean.”

There is no doubt in his words about Jesus’ ability. The question is whether Jesus is willing.

Jesus responds in a way that would have surprised everyone watching. He reaches out and touches him.

That touch matters. It is not required for healing, but it is given anyway. Before the man is restored physically, he is met personally. Then Jesus speaks, and immediately the leprosy is gone.

“I will; be clean.”

This passage shows us something essential about Jesus.

He has power, but it is not distant or detached. His power is joined with compassion. He does not stand far off from those who suffer. He draws near.

At the same time, His mission is larger than any single moment. He heals, but He also moves forward, bringing the good news wherever He goes.

For us, this means we can bring both the ordinary struggles of daily life and the deeper burdens we carry. Nothing is too small, and nothing is too far gone.

And when we wonder whether He is willing to help, this passage gives a clear answer.

He is.

And we can also bring comfort and Christ into the lives of others, both in the big struggles and the small, daily struggles. Jesus is there for your neighbor as well.

Let’s pray…

Lord Jesus,

You see what is broken and You have the power to restore. Help me to trust Your compassion and to bring my needs before You. Keep me rooted in Your Word and Your purpose, knowing that You are both willing and able to help.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

Why do people push back against God?

I’m not just talking about out there in the world. But in here…in us.

We don’t like being told what to do. We don’t like authority over us. We want control. We want freedom on our terms.

Psalm 2 begins with a picture of rebellion.

Nations rage. Peoples plot. Kings take their stand. Rulers gather together. Against whom?

Against the Lord and against His Anointed.

It’s not just political. It’s personal. Humanity doesn’t just drift away from God. We resist Him and rebel. We push back and want to throw off His rule to decide for ourselves what is right.

That hasn’t changed. It started in the Garden of Eden. It’s written about in the Psalms.  You see it today in the world…You also see it in your own heart.

But then the scene in our Psalm shifts.

God is not anxious. He is not pacing, trying to figure out what to do. He sits…and He laughs.

He doesn’t laugh because rebellion is funny, but because it is futile. No amount of resistance will undo what God has already decided.

“I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”

It’s set. Not just to set someone in place, but like glue sets, to firmly fix it. God’s King is not up for election. He is not waiting for approval. He has already been established.

That King is Jesus. Jesus is God’s anointed.

At first, it didn’t look like it. Jesus was rejected, mocked, and crucified. The rulers of His day did exactly what Psalm 2 describes. They took their stand against Him.

But the cross was not an end, it was a throne.

And in the resurrection, God made it clear. Jesus is King forever. Not one option among many. Not one ruler among others.

Jesus is THE King.

This matters, because it means we are not left to figure life out on our own. It also means we don’t get to define truth for ourselves.

And that’s where this Psalm confronts us.

We don’t just need comfort. We need repentance, because we, too, have resisted God’s rule. We’ve wanted His blessings without His commands.

The Good News is that the King God has set in place is not a tyrant.

He is the One who went to the cross for rebels. Jesus doesn’t crush sinners who turn to Him.

• He forgives them.
• He restores them.
• He brings them into His kingdom.

So the question is not whether Jesus is King. He is. The question is whether we will resist Him or trust Him.

Ironically, trusting Him is not losing freedom. It’s finally finding it.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

You have set Your Son as King over all things. Forgive me for the ways I resist Your rule and try to go my own way. Help me to trust Jesus, my King, who rules with mercy and grace. Teach me to live under His reign with faith and joy.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

There is a way of thinking about the Christian life that sounds right at first, but slowly wears a person down.

It goes something like this: you know you’re forgiven, but now the real work is up to you. Try harder. Do better. Make progress. If you stumble, get back up and keep improving.

At first, that can feel motivating. Over time, though, it becomes exhausting. Because no matter how sincere the effort is, the old patterns are still there. Familiar temptations return. The same sins resurface or new ones show up. And it begins to feel like you are stuck fighting a battle you can never quite win.

In Romans 6, Paul doesn’t begin with what you should do. He begins with what has already happened to you.

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?”

That is not a metaphor meant to inspire you. It is a reality meant to ground you.

In Baptism, you were joined to Christ. His death was not just something done for you, but something you were brought into. Your old self—the one bound to sin, defined by it and unable to escape it and it’s consequences—was crucified with Him.

This means the struggle you feel is not the whole story.

Yes, sin is still present and the fight is real. But you are not who you once were. You are not trying to become a new person through effort. You have already been made new through Christ.

Let me say that again. You have been made new through Christ!

Paul goes on to say that just as Christ was raised from the dead, you too walk in newness of life. That life is not something you are slowly building. It has already begun.

This changes how you see the daily struggle.

You are not fighting as someone still enslaved, hoping to one day be free. You are fighting as someone who has already been set free, learning to live in that freedom.

You are not dragging your old self toward improvement. That old self has been put to death in Christ. And you have been raised with Christ.

So when you find yourself discouraged by the same sins and weaknesses or that every time you think you’ve beaten one sin another replaces it, remember where Paul points you, not first to your effort, but to your Baptism—Not to what you need to accomplish, but to what God has already done.

• You belong to Christ.
• You have died with Him.
• And now, you live through Him.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for joining me to Your Son in Baptism. When I feel stuck in old patterns and discouraged by my sin, remind me that my old self has been crucified with Christ.

Teach me to live each day in the new life You have already given. Strengthen me in the struggle, not by my effort alone, but by the reality that I belong to You.

Help me to trust what You have done and to walk in that newness of life.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

What impactful statements do you remember from years ago?

A man once said a quick, sarcastic comment during a conversation. He didn’t think much of it. It was just a joke.

The other man went quiet. Conversation moved on. The day continued.

Years later, he would still remember that moment.

Words have a way of staying.

We tend to think of them as small. Temporary. Gone as soon as they’re spoken. But Proverbs says otherwise. It tells us that our words carry weight — real weight. They do something. They produce something very significant.

Our words produce life or death.

That sounds strong, but if you’ve lived long enough, you’ve seen it.

• A harsh word spoken in anger that lingers in a marriage.
• An offhand comment, positive or negative, that shapes how a child sees themselves.
• A sentence of encouragement that someone carries with them for years.

Words don’t just pass through the air. They land somewhere.

That’s why wisdom pays attention to them.

Not in a tense, anxious way, as if we have to get every sentence perfect. Rather, the wise person is aware of what they are saying. They are thoughtful with their words. Wisdom slows things down just enough to recognize what’s happening in the moment.

“I’m about to respond. What will this do?”

Sometimes the wise thing is to hold back. Not every thought needs to be spoken. Not every reaction needs to be expressed.

Sometimes the wise thing is to speak. To encourage. To tell the truth. To say the thing that needs to be said with care and clarity.

Both matter.

And over time, those moments add up. They form patterns and shape relationships. Those words bear fruit…of life or death.

This reminds me of an interaction between Jesus and His disciples in the Gospel of John. Jesus had been teaching some things that were hard to hear. Many people who had been following Jesus left. Then, Jesus turned to His disciples and asked if they were going to leave to.

Peter responds,

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69)

God’s Word gives life. When we share God’s Word faithfully, we speak God’s words of life, eternal life.

So today, pay attention to your words.

• Notice if the words you are about to say may hurt or kill.
• Notice when you have the opportunity to encourage and speak life.
• Notice the small moments — because sometimes they aren’t as small as they seem.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

That means your words matter.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

You hear every word I speak. You know how quickly they come and how often I don’t think before I speak. May I use my words to confess today. Please forgive me for the times my words have caused harm. Slow me down today. Give me wisdom in the moment — when to speak and when to be silent. Help me use my words to encourage, to tell the truth, and to reflect Your love and share Your Word. Let my words bear good fruit.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

The First Commandment

In our previous devotion, we heard how God begins—not with rules, but with relationship.

Today, we hear the first command that flows from that relationship:

“You shall have no other gods.”

At first, that might sound simple. Most people don’t bow down to statues or build altars in their homes. It’s easy to think, “I’m doing fine with this one.”

But the we need to press deeper.

What does it mean to have a god?

It means to fear, love, and trust in something above all else. That’s where this commandment reaches into everyday life.

• What do you worry about most?
• What do you rely on when things feel uncertain?
• What do you think will finally make you secure or satisfied?

That’s your god.

Sometimes it’s obvious: Money. Health. Success. Control. Sometimes it’s more subtle: Being liked. Being right. Having a plan that works out.

None of those things are bad in themselves. But when they become the thing we trust most, they quietly take God’s place. And they can’t carry that weight.

Jesus says,

“You cannot serve two masters.”

One will always win. And the things we turn into gods tend to demand more than they give. They promise security but leave us anxious. They promise control but leave us exhausted.

This commandment exposes something uncomfortable: left on our own, we don’t just break God’s Law—we replace Him.

The Law of God doesn’t just guide us, it shows us our sin…and this one hits us right between the eyes.

None of us come away clean even from the First Commandment 

Thankfully, God doesn’t stop there.

The same God who says, “You shall have no other gods,” is the God who already claimed you as His own. Remember, that God started the Ten Commandments by telling Israel how He saved them and made them His people. He is calling you back to the only One who actually saves. He is calling you away from the false gods that do not and cannot save.

In Jesus, you see what kind of God He is.

Not distant. Not competing for your attention like everything else. He gives Himself for you.

He becomes your security. Your forgiveness. Your future. And God never fails to deliver.

So the First Commandment is not just a warning.

It’s an invitation.

Let God be your God.

Not because you’ve perfectly trusted Him—but because in Christ, He has already chosen you.

Let’s pray…

Lord God,

Please forgive me for the ways I have trusted other things more than You. You alone are worthy of my fear, love, and trust. Turn my heart back to You, and teach me to rely on You in all things. Through Jesus Christ, my Savior.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

How do you respond when you realize you messed up?

Genesis 3 contains one of the saddest scenes in Scripture.

Adam and Eve have eaten from the tree. The world has changed. Sin has entered and corrupted. Shame follows quickly behind. And then they hear it—the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden.

What do they do?

And they hide.

That’s the instinct of the sinner. Not to run toward God, but away from Him. Not to fess up, but to cover up. They sew fig leaves. They stay in the shadows behind trees. They try, somehow, to avoid the One who made them.

As a parent, I’ve seen this many times. I caught one of my children disobeying in some way and they ran or lied or did something to cover it up. But let’s be fair, I’ve done exactly that myself…as an adult. I’m no better.

As a parent, though, I don’t ignore the problem or let my children stay hidden. I don’t do this out of anger (most of the time), but out of love. I want to teach them and, more than that, I want to forgive them and free them from their guilt.

That’s exactly what God does. Even though they hide…God comes anyway.

He walks in the garden. He draws near. And then He speaks:

“Where are you?”

It’s not that God doesn’t know. He knows exactly where they are. But He asks the question anyway. Because this is what God does. He seeks.

Even after sin enters the world, even after rebellion and failure, God does not withdraw and leave humanity to figure it out alone and die in their misery. He comes into the very place where sin has happened. He calls out to the ones who are hiding.

“Where are you?”

That question still echoes.

Not as an accusation meant to crush, but as a call to come out of hiding. A call to step out from behind the excuses, the fear, the shame. A call to be honest before God.

Because hiding doesn’t heal anything.

We still do it, of course. We avoid prayer when we feel guilty. We distract ourselves rather than face what’s going on inside. We try to manage our image instead of bringing our sin into the light.

But God still comes.

• He still speaks.
• He still calls.
• He still seeks.

And ultimately, He doesn’t just walk in a garden. He enters our broken world in the flesh. He comes all the way into our sin and shame to bring us out of it.

• He forgives.

So when you hear that question—“Where are you?”—don’t run from it.

It means God is near.

I mentioned my children before. One of the practices we put in place in our family is that not only do we fully explain what they did and why it was wrong, but they apologize, we forgive them, we pray and ask God for forgiveness, then we quote 1 John 1:9 so they know they are forgiven by us and by God. That frees and heals.

God seeks you and calls you out of the darkness of you sin so you can confess and be forgiven, healed, and freed.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

I am often quick to hide—behind excuses, distractions, and fear. Yet You come looking for me. You call me out of hiding and into Your presence. Please forgive me for my sins. Give me honesty to stand before You, and trust to know that You seek me in mercy. In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

What does it mean to have authority?

When Jesus begins His public ministry, He doesn’t start with a long explanation. He makes an announcement:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

That sentence carries a sense of urgency. Something has changed. What God had promised is no longer distant or future. It has arrived.

When Jesus speaks about the kingdom of God, He is not talking about a place you can locate on a map. He is talking about God actively ruling—God stepping in to act, to restore, to reclaim what is broken. And in this moment, that kingdom is present because Jesus Himself has come.

So the call to repent and believe is not simply moral advice. It is a response to reality. If God is drawing near, then turning away from sin and trusting Him is the only thing that makes sense.

We see that same authority when Jesus calls His first disciples.

Simon and Andrew are at work when Jesus tells them to follow Him. Mark doesn’t slow down to explain their thought process. He simply tells us that they leave their nets and go. The same happens with James and John.

That may feel abrupt to us, but it highlights something important. Jesus does not present Himself as one option among many. He calls, and His call carries weight. Following Him is not an add-on to life as it already is. It reshapes everything.

That authority becomes even clearer in the synagogue.

As Jesus teaches, people notice immediately that something is different. He is not relying on the authority of other teachers. He speaks as if He Himself stands behind what He says.

Then a man with an unclean spirit interrupts, and suddenly the question of authority is no longer theoretical. The spirit recognizes Jesus before the crowd fully does. With a simple command, Jesus silences it and drives it out.

There is no struggle. No uncertainty. What He says happens.

The people are left asking,

“What is this? A new teaching with authority!”

That question sits at the center of this passage, and really at the center of the whole Gospel: Who is Jesus?

He is not only someone who teaches about God. He speaks and acts with God’s authority, because He is God. His words do not just inform—they accomplish something. They confront what is broken and begin to set it right.

That is still true today.

When Jesus speaks, He is not offering suggestions for improvement. He is announcing what God is doing and calling us into it. His Word still carries authority—to expose, to forgive, and to restore.

Let’s pray…

Lord Jesus,

You have brought Your kingdom near and called me to follow You. Help me to trust Your Word and to recognize Your authority in my life. Lead me to turn from what is broken and to believe the good news You have come to bring. May Your authority not only guide how I live, but assure me of my salvation because You have the authority to declare me right before God.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

It doesn’t take much for the past to come back.

Sometimes it’s a mistake you made, a moment you wish you could take back. Other times it’s a memory that surfaces or a pattern you thought you had moved beyond that shows up again. And before long, your thoughts begin to turn inward.

• You start measuring yourself.
• You start questioning where you stand.
• You start wondering if God is as patient as you hope He is.

That quiet shift is familiar for many Christians. Even when we know the Gospel, it’s easy to slip back into thinking that our standing with God rises and falls with how we’re doing.

That’s why Paul’s words in Romans 8 are not just comforting—they are decisive.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

He does not say that condemnation is less likely. He does not say condemnation depends on how your day went. He says there is none. And he anchors it in the present: now.

This is not because sin no longer matters, but because Christ has already dealt with it. What the Law could not accomplish in us—because we are weak—God has accomplished by sending His Son.

In other words, no one will justify themselves before God by following God’s commands, not because God’s Law is not good or is ineffective, but because we are too weak to resist our sinful nature. So, we don’t follow God’s Law perfectly. Thankfully, Jesus entered into our world, carried our sin, and bore the full weight of it’s consequences.

The verdict has already been given, and it is not waiting to be finalized later. It stands.

If you are in Christ, then your relationship with God is not hanging in the balance nor do you have to work your way back into His favor after every failure.

My father used to lead Vacation Bible School for kids. I remember one time he asked a group of kids, “How many of you have been baptized and believe in Jesus?” Everyone’s hand went up. Then, he asked, “How many of your are 100% sure you are going to heaven?” A few hands went up, but others didn’t. He then told them, “Every one of you should raise your hand because your salvation isn’t based in how good you are. Rather, in your baptism God claimed you as His own and saved you. So, you can know for sure that you are going to heaven.”

The same is true for you. You are in His Son.

And that’s all that matters.

When the accusing thoughts come, they often sound convincing because they are not entirely wrong about our sin. But they are wrong about the conclusion. They assume that your failures still have the authority to define your standing before God.

They don’t. Christ does. And Christ has already spoken for you.

This doesn’t mean we can continue in a life of sin. How can we if we are in Christ? It means God’s grace is greater than your sin.

So today, when your conscience reminds you of what you’ve done, let it also be redirected to what Jesus has done. When you are tempted to evaluate yourself based on your performance, remember that your standing rests on something far more stable.

You belong to Christ. And in Him, there is no condemnation.

Let’s Pray…

Heavenly Father,

I confess that I often measure myself by my failures and lose sight of what You have done for me. When my conscience accuses me, remind me of Jesus’ finished work.

Keep me from sin and lead me repentance when I fall. Help me to trust that my standing with You is secure, not because of what I have done, but because of what Christ have done for me.

Teach me to live today in the freedom You have given, resting in Your grace.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.