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How tightly do you hold on to money?

This Proverb seems backward, doesn’t it?

The most people think, if you want to have more, you should hold on to what you have. Protect it. Save it. Keep it from slipping away.

That’s how the math works.

Yet Proverbs presents a different picture. One person gives generously and somehow flourishes. Another clings tightly to everything they have and ends up poorer for it.

This isn’t a formula for getting rich. Proverbs is not teaching that if you give away ten dollars, God is obligated to send twenty back. That’s not wisdom; that’s a transaction and that’s the lie of the Prosperity Gospel.

Instead, Proverbs is describing something deeper about the human heart.

Have you ever noticed that generosity and gratitude tend to grow together? People who recognize God’s blessings often become more willing to share them. And people who practice generosity frequently discover a joy that money alone cannot provide.

By contrast, a person can spend their entire life accumulating more and still never feel like they have enough.

There is an old story about the wealthy American industrialist John D. Rockefeller. A reporter once asked him,

“How much money is enough?”

Rockefeller supposedly replied,

“Just a little bit more.”

Whether the story is perfectly accurate or not, it captures something true. The desire for more rarely reaches a finish line. If our hope is in what we possess, there will always be another amount to earn, another purchase to make, another level of security to achieve.

Generosity pushes against that mindset. It reminds us that everything we have is ultimately a gift from God. Our time, abilities, possessions, opportunities, and finances are not things we created from nothing. They have been entrusted to us. We are stewards, not owners.

That changes how we view them.

Instead of asking,

“How much can I keep?”

wisdom begins to ask,

“How can I use what God has given me to bless others?”

Sometimes that blessing is financial. Sometimes it’s hospitality. Sometimes it’s sharing your time with someone who needs encouragement. Sometimes it’s a simple act of kindness that costs little but means much.

The point is not the size of the gift. The point is the posture of the heart.

After all, our God is generous. 

I heard someone on the radio today say,

“I’m sure you can think of a time God saved you when you were on the edge: A check at just the right time or a friend that called when you were in a desperate moment, a time when God stepped in miraculously. Our God is faithful.”

You may be able to think of a time like that and certainly God is faithful, but I think that statement misses something about God’s faithfulness and generosity. Rather than thinking of the (probably) few time God provided when you were on the edge, remember that it’s God’s generosity and provision that keeps you off the edge most of your life.

He gives daily bread, family, work, and countless blessings we often overlook. Most of all, He gave His Son for our salvation. The cross is the greatest act of generosity the world has ever seen.

And as we receive His gifts, we learn to become people who give.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Everything I have comes from You. Forgive me for the times I cling too tightly to Your gifts or trust in them more than I trust in You. Create in me a generous heart that reflects Your goodness. Help me see opportunities to bless others with my time, resources, encouragement, and love. Thank You for the countless gifts You have given me, especially the gift of Your Son. Teach me to receive Your generosity with gratitude and to share it with others.

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.

Introduction to the Apostles’ Creed

What do you believe? Where to you place your hope?

After spending ten days in the Ten Commandments, we now come to the Apostles’ Creed.

And the transition is important.

The Commandments teach us what God requires.

The Creed teaches us what God gives.

That’s why Luther arranged the catechism this way. First, God shows us His holy will and exposes our sin. We see our need for a savior. We’re cut to the heart with guilt and shame and left asking the question, “What can I do?”

Then God shows us Himself and all that He has done for our salvation. He shows us that He is our savior.

In other words, the Creed is not primarily about what you do.

It is about what God has done.

When many people hear the word creed, they think of a list of beliefs or doctrines. And it certainly is that. The Creed summarizes the Christian faith and teaches us who God is.

But the Creed is more than information.

It is a confession of trust.

Imagine sitting in a chair. You can believe the chair exists. You can understand how it was built and explain its purpose.

But faith is actually sitting down in it.

In a similar way, Christian faith is not merely knowing facts about God. It is trusting Him.

The writer to the Hebrews describes faith as confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. That doesn’t mean faith is a blind leap into the dark. Faith rests on God’s promises, His actions in history, and above all, His Son.

John says that the things written in Scripture were recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

Notice where faith comes from.

• Not from looking inside yourself.
• Not from trying harder to believe.

Faith comes from hearing what God has done. Romans 10:17 says it this way,

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

That is why the Creed begins, not with us, but with God.

“I believe in God the Father Almighty…”

The focus is not on the strength of our faith. The focus is on the God in whom we believe. It’s not the strength of the faith that saves, it’s the object of the faith…God in Christ Jesus.

This about it with our chair analogy. What important isn’t how confidently or tentatively you lower yourself into the chair. It matters whether the chair is sturdy. God’s promises are as sturdy as they come.

And that is good news.

Because there are days when your faith feels strong and days when it feels weak. There are days when confidence comes easily and days when doubts creep in.

Your salvation does not rest on the strength of your faith.

It rests on the faithfulness of God.

Over the next several days, we will walk through the Creed article by article or part by part. We will see the Father who creates, the Son who redeems, and the Holy Spirit who calls and keeps us in the faith.

But today, begin with this simple truth:

Christianity is not first about what you do for God.

It is about what God has done for you.

And faith receives that gift.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for revealing Yourself to me through Your Word. Strengthen my faith in Your promises and help me to trust not in myself, but in Your faithfulness. As I study the Creed, deepen my confidence in all that You have done for my salvation through Jesus Christ.

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.

Moses is having an ordinary day.

He is tending sheep in the wilderness, doing the work he has done countless times before. There is no indication that he expects anything unusual to happen. No great spiritual experience. No dramatic revelation.

But then he sees it.

A bush is burning, but it is not consumed.

Curious, Moses turns aside to look. And as he approaches, God calls to him from the bush:

“Moses, Moses.”

Everything changes in that moment.

The ground beneath his feet is the same dirt it was a few moments earlier. The mountain is the same mountain. The wilderness is the same wilderness. Yet God tells Moses, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

What made it holy?

God was there.

That is what holiness ultimately means—not merely moral purity or religious feeling, but the presence of the Holy One Himself.

It’s easy to think that God is only present in special places or extraordinary moments. We imagine Him at work in churches, retreats, mission fields, or major life events. And certainly He is.

But Exodus 3 reminds us that God often meets people in the middle of ordinary life.

• A average day at work.
• A Conversation with a neighbor
• An ordinary day that suddenly isn’t ordinary anymore.

Moses did not go looking for God that day. God came looking for Moses.

And that is often the pattern throughout Scripture. God takes the initiative. He calls and reveals Himself. He draws near.

The same is true for us.

We may not encounter a burning bush, but God still comes to us through His Word. He still speaks and makes Himself known. What appears ordinary—a sermon, a Bible reading, a conversation about Christ—becomes extraordinary because God is present and active through His Word.

Moses’ first response is reverence. He hides his face because he knows he stands before the holy God.

Yet the God who is holy is also the God who has come to rescue His people. The burning bush is not merely a display of divine power. It is the beginning of God’s plan to deliver Israel from slavery.

The God who is holy is also the God who saves.

And when God saves you, what does He do to you? Listen to 1 Peter 2:9:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

and 1 Corinthians 6:19:

“do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?”

He makes you holy. How? He dwells in you. You’re still the same human flesh living the same human life, but now you are holy because of God’s presence.

So today, remember that God is not distant. He is not confined to spectacular moments. He is present wherever He chooses to reveal Himself. And through His Word, He continues to call His people by name. And by His Spirit, He makes His people holy.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Help me never lose sight of Your majesty and holiness. Yet thank You that You are also the God who comes near and speaks to Your people. I am not worthy to come near the Holy God; but through Jesus, you have cleansed me and drawn near to me. Open my ears to hear Your Word and my heart to receive it with reverence and faith.

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.

Have you ever been completely desperate?

Life has a way of reminding us that we are not in control.

In this passage, two very different people come to Jesus. One is Jairus, a respected synagogue ruler. The other is a woman who has suffered from a bleeding condition for twelve years. Their circumstances are different, their social standing is different, and their stories are different.

But they have one thing in common.

They are out of options.

Jairus comes because his daughter is dying. The woman comes because years of treatments have failed to help her. Both have reached the point where they can no longer solve their problems themselves.

And both turn to Jesus.

The woman approaches quietly. She believes that if she can even touch His garment, she will be healed. Immediately, she is.

When Jesus stops and asks who touched Him, it is not because He lacks information. He draws her forward so that she might know something more important than healing.

He wants her to know Him.

“Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

Notice the tenderness in that word: daughter. Jesus is not merely dispensing miracles. He is restoring people and drawing them into relationship with Himself.

Meanwhile, Jairus receives the news he feared most.

His daughter has died.

The situation has moved beyond human help.

But Jesus responds with a simple command:

“Do not fear, only believe.”

That statement captures much of what we have seen throughout Mark so far. Again and again, people encounter situations that are beyond their strength, wisdom, or ability. Again and again, Jesus calls them to trust Him.

When Jesus arrives at the house, He takes the girl by the hand and raises her up.

For Him, even death is not beyond His authority.

These two stories reveal something important about Jesus.

He welcomes those who come to Him in faith, even when that faith feels weak or desperate. And His power extends farther than we can imagine.

Disease, suffering, and even death do not have the final word when Jesus is present.

That does not mean every earthly problem will be solved immediately. Jairus and the woman both endured long periods of suffering before this day arrived. And not every person in Judea were healed. But it does mean that our hope rests in One who has authority over every enemy that threatens us.

These are amazing miracles, but they are also just the tip of the iceberg. This story is heading somewhere even more amazing. The One who raises this little girl will Himself die and rise again. Through His resurrection, He will ultimately defeat the power of death for all who trust in Him. So, all who believe in Jesus will be raised, not just for a few more years or decades, but for life eternal.

That is why Christians can face even life’s darkest moments with hope.

Our faith is not in our strength or even the strength of our faith. It’s not the strength of the faith that matters, it’s the object of the faith.

Our faith is in Jesus.

Let’s pray…

Lord Jesus,

When I am faced with situations beyond my ability to fix or understand, help me to trust You. Strengthen my faith, remind me of Your power over every enemy, and keep me confident in the hope of Your resurrection.

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.

If you could go back and undo one thing you’ve done, what would it be?

Most of us can think of something.

A harsh word spoken in anger. A decision we regret. A relationship we damaged. A sin we wish we could erase from our memory.

One of the reasons Psalm 51 has resonated with believers for thousands of years is because it comes from a real failure and it’s something we can all related to.

After David’s adultery with Bathsheba and his arrangement of Uriah’s death, the prophet Nathan confronted him. David could have denied it. He could have made excuse or blamed someone else.

Instead, he repented.

Psalm 51 is his prayer.

What stands out is that David understands his deepest problem. He doesn’t simply ask God to remove the consequences. He asks for mercy. He knows He doesn’t deserve anything. If he’s going to be forgiven, it’s only because of God’s mercy.

I’d normally say something like, maybe you’ve been there before. But I already know. You have, whether you realized it or not. We all have. None of us deserve forgiveness or to be released from the consequences of our sin. It’s always only by God’s mercy that we are forgiven.

Thankfully, God is a merciful God and loves to forgive those who turn to Him!

And then he asks for something only God can give:

“Create in me a clean heart.”

Notice the word “create.”

David doesn’t ask God to improve his heart or help him clean it up himself. He asks God to create something new.

That’s an important distinction.

We often think of repentance as promising to do better next time. Certainly, a changed life should follow repentance. But repentance begins with recognizing that our problem runs deeper than a bad decision here or there.

Sin has affected us through and through at the heart level.

And if the heart is the problem, then only God can truly fix it.

The good news is that God specializes in creating.

In the beginning, He created the heavens and the earth out of nothing. Through the prophet Ezekiel, He promised to give His people a new heart. And through Jesus, He does exactly that.

When Christ went to the cross, He wasn’t paying only for individual sins. He was making sinners new. Through His forgiveness and the work of the Holy Spirit, He creates faith where there was unbelief and life where there was death.

The God who can create a universe just by speaking creates a new heart in you, one that has faith in Him and is repentant.

That doesn’t mean Christians never struggle with sin again. David certainly did. We do too. Our sinful nature still exists alongside that new heart.

But it does mean that when we repent, we don’t come to God hoping He might give us another chance.

We come to a God who delights in showing mercy.

A God who forgives.

A God who creates clean hearts.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

I confess that my sin runs deeper than my actions. I need Your mercy and forgiveness. Create in me a clean heart and renew my faith through Your Word and Spirit. Thank You for the forgiveness and new life You give me through Jesus Christ.

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.

When you look in the mirror, what do you think?

There are certain places that people treat differently because of what they represent.

A courthouse, a memorial, a cemetery, a church sanctuary. Even people who do not regularly think about such things often recognize that these places have a significance beyond the bricks, wood, or stone from which they are built.

In the Old Testament, the temple in Jerusalem held a unique place among them all. It was the place where God promised to dwell among His people. The temple was holy, not because of its architecture, but because of God’s presence.

When Paul writes to the Corinthians, he says something astonishing:

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?”

For Christians who have heard these words many times, it is easy to miss how remarkable they are.

God’s presence is no longer centered in a building in Jerusalem. Through Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, God dwells with His people. Paul is not speaking merely about God’s awareness of you or His ability to be present everywhere. He is speaking about the Spirit’s personal presence within believers. Think about it. You don’t have to go to a particular buildering to be in the presence of God. He’s in you.

That changes how we view ourselves.

Many people live with one of two errors. Some become overly impressed with themselves, treating their bodies as objects of pride and self-glorification. Others move in the opposite direction and begin to view themselves as insignificant, unworthy, or without value.

Paul points us away from both extremes.

Your worth is not determined by your appearance, your abilities, your age, your health, or the opinions of others.

“You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.”

Your value is found in the fact that Christ gave Himself for you.

The cross reveals how seriously God takes your salvation. Jesus did not shed His blood for something worthless. He purchased you at great cost and made you His own.

That truth also shapes how we live. Paul’s concern in this chapter involves how Christians use their bodies. Since our bodies belong to the Lord, our lives are not detached from our faith. What we do, where we go, how we speak, and how we treat others all matter to God.

When I was in high school, I worked in the Disney Store. We had a certain dress code and we were required to be clean shaven. I remember one time I came into work and had forgotten to shave. The manager made a comment. I casually said, “Oh, sorry, I forgot to shave, today.” To me this seemed unimportant until he responded, “They sell razors at the 7/11 on the corner.” In a sense, for the few hours I worked in the store each day, my body was not my own. They only paid me a few dollars and hour.

How much more does my body belong to Christ who paid for me with His life?

So, my appearance matters. How I treat my body matters. What I do with my body matters.

Yet the foundation is not about making us worthy. The foundation is redemption.

Before Paul calls Christians to honor God with their bodies, he reminds them that they have already been purchased by Christ.

The Christian life always begins there.

• You belong to Jesus.
• The Holy Spirit dwells within you.
• And your life has become a place where God Himself is present.

You…and your body…have great value.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for redeeming me through the blood of Your Son and making me Your own. Help me to remember that my worth is not found in what I accomplish or how others see me, but in the price Christ paid for me.

I pray that I would honor You with my body and my life, not out of fear or obligation, but out of gratitude for Your grace. Remind me each day that Your Holy Spirit dwells within me and that I belong to You.

Through Jesus Christ, my Lord.

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 is your truth?

One of the most dangerous mistakes we can make is assuming that because something feels right, it must be right.

We live in a culture that often treats personal feelings and individual judgment as the highest authority. “Follow your heart” is common advice. Trust yourself. Do what feels right for you. Live your truth.

At first glance, that sounds reasonable. After all, who knows your situation better than you do?

Yet Proverbs offers a poignant warning.

“There is a way that seems right to a man…”

Notice that it doesn’t say the way is obviously wrong. It doesn’t appear foolish or look dangerous. In fact, it seems right.

That’s what makes it so deceptive.

Several years ago, researchers discovered that pilots flying through clouds can sometimes become disoriented. Without visual references, their senses may tell them the aircraft is level when it’s actually banking into a turn. If they trust their feelings instead of their instruments, the results can be catastrophic.

The problem isn’t that they aren’t sincere.

The problem is that they’re wrong.

The same thing can happen spiritually. We can convince ourselves that a certain attitude, relationship, priority, or decision is justified because it makes sense to us. We can explain it. Defend it. Rationalize it. It seems right to us.

All the while, we’re relying on our own judgment alone.

People, today, talk about living and speaking their truth. As though truth can be different for you than for me or anyone else. We can have differing opinions, but there’s only one truth.

This proverb is not teaching that every personal desire is evil or that every decision we make is wrong. Rather, it reminds us of something we easily forget: we are not always the best judges of ourselves.

• Our desires can mislead us.
• Our emotions can cloud our thinking.
• Our perspective is limited and corrupted by sin.

That’s why God gives us His Word. It serves as a guide outside of ourselves. When our feelings and God’s wisdom conflict, Proverbs tells us to trust the Lord rather than our own instincts…or…If your truth disagrees with THE truth of God’s Word, your truth is a lie.

That isn’t always easy. Sometimes God’s way challenges what feels natural. It requires humility, repentance, or patience when we’d prefer something else.

But His wisdom sees farther and truer than ours.

And that’s good news, because left to ourselves, we would absolutely wander off course. In fact, this proverb tells us our way leads to death. Thankfully, God lovingly calls us back. He speaks through His Word. He places fellow believers in our lives.

Most importantly, He sent His Son to rescue us from the deadly paths we choose and to lead us into life. In fact, the Bible tells us Jesus, who is the Word made flesh, is the way, the truth, and the life. Where our way and our truth leads to death, God’s way and God’s truth, Jesus, is life.

So today, when you’re making decisions, rather than asking, “What feels right?”

Ask a deeper and better question:

“What does God say?”

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

I confess that I often trust my own judgment more than I trust Your wisdom. Forgive me for the times I have followed my own way instead of Yours. Help me to recognize when my feelings, desires, or assumptions are leading me astray. Give me humility to listen to Your Word and courage to follow where You lead. Guide my steps today, and keep me on the path that leads to life through Jesus Christ.

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 Ninth and Tenth Commandments

As you lie in bed thinking about your life, what do you wish you had?

Imagine walking through a neighborhood and seeing a beautiful house.

At first, you simply admire it.

Then a thought creeps in.

I wish I had a house like that.

A few moments later, admiration turns into dissatisfaction.

“Why don’t I have what they have?” you think.

That is how coveting often begins; not with an action, with a desire.

The Ninth and Tenth Commandments are unique because they deal almost entirely with what happens inside us. They expose something the other commandments have been revealing all along: sin is not merely about what we do. It begins in the heart.

God says not to covet our neighbor’s house, spouse, workers, possessions, or anything that belongs to them.

Why?

Because He knows what coveting does.

It poisons contentment. It turns blessings into disappointments. It causes us to compare our lives to everyone else’s. Instead of thanking God for His gifts, we become consumed with what He has given someone else.

And in our age of social media, that temptation is stronger than ever.

We see carefully edited snapshots of other people’s lives. Their vacations. Their homes. Their families. Their successes.

Soon we can begin measuring our lives against theirs.

The result is rarely gratitude. More often, it is resentment.

The Ninth and Tenth Commandments remind us that God not only cares about our actions. He cares about our desires, motives, and attitudes.

And that is where these commandments leave us without excuses.

Perhaps we have not stolen,…but have we wanted what wasn’t ours?

Perhaps we have not harmed our neighbor,…but have we envied them?

The commandments have brought us to the same conclusion again and again:

We need a Savior.

The Law reaches all the way into our hearts and shows us that we cannot make ourselves righteous before God.

But Jesus came for hearts like ours.

Throughout His earthly life, He was perfectly content in His Father’s will. He never envied. Never coveted. Never grasped for what was not His. In fact, He emptied Himself and became servant to all.

And then He went to the cross for those who do envy and covet.

• For people who are dissatisfied.
• For people who compare.
• For people who always want more.
• For us.

In Christ, there is forgiveness for covetous hearts. And through His Spirit, God begins teaching us a different way to live.

• A life of gratitude.
• A life of trust.
• A life that finds its greatest treasure not in what it possesses, but in the One who possesses it.

Let’s pray…

Lord God,

Forgive me for the times I have been dissatisfied with Your gifts and desired what belongs to others. Give me a thankful heart and teach me to trust in Your provision. Help me to find my contentment in Christ, who has given me forgiveness, life, and salvation.

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.

At first glance, this seems like a small story.

A baby is placed in a basket among the reeds of the Nile. Pharaoh’s daughter comes to bathe. She discovers the child. His mother is brought in to care for him. The boy grows up in Pharaoh’s household.

It’s a bit unusual. Certainly, you don’t find a baby floating down the river every day. It’s also notable that Pharaoh’s daughter chose to keep a Hebrew baby, however still it seems relatively small.

But behind the scenes, God is at work.

The backdrop to this story is one of fear and oppression. Pharaoh has ordered that Hebrew baby boys be thrown into the Nile. Israel is suffering under slavery. The future looks bleak.

And yet, in the middle of that darkness, God preserves one child.

He didn’t perform a miracle that parts the heavens, nor did He send fire or thunder. Instead, God worked through a mother’s courage, a sister’s watchful eye, and even the compassion of an Egyptian princess.

God’s hand is present in every detail, even though His name is never mentioned in these verses.

That’s one of the beautiful things about this passage. It reminds us that God is often working in ways we do not immediately recognize.

We tend to look for dramatic interventions. We want obvious signs. We look for miraculous healings or an audible voice from God. But much of God’s work happens in ways that are hidden.

• A conversation.
• A seemingly chance encounter.
• A door that opens unexpectedly.
• A person who arrives at just the right time.
• The delay that prevented an accident we’ll never know could have happened.

Martin Luther described this as the “masks of God”. We see a person or a medicine or check, but it’s God working behind those masks.

Looking back, we sometimes realize that God was arranging far more than we understood in the moment.

Moses certainly did not know what lay ahead. Neither did his mother. None of them could see that this rescued child would one day stand before Pharaoh, lead Israel out of Egypt, and become one of the greatest figures in biblical history.

But God knew.

The child floating in a basket was already part of God’s plan to deliver His people.

And that same truth can comfort us today.

There are moments when life feels uncertain and God’s purposes seem hidden. We cannot see where the story is going. We wonder if anything meaningful is happening at all. There are also moments that seem perfectly ordinary. We don’t even realize a story is being told.

Yet God is never absent from the details.

He is working through circumstances, people, and events that may seem ordinary today. The threads He is weaving may not become clear until much later.

For now, faith trusts what sight cannot see: the God who preserved Moses is still guiding history, still caring for His people, and still accomplishing His purposes.

Faith also creates a heart of gratitude. For even though something may seem ordinary or human, we know God is at work, caring, providing, healing, and working all things for good.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank You that You are at work even when I cannot see it. Help me trust You in the ordinary moments of life and remember that Your plans are greater than my understanding. Give me confidence that You are guiding my path and caring for me day by day. I pray that I would always be thankful even when I can’t see through the masks. 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.

How do you respond to power?

The disciples had already seen Jesus teach, heal, and cast out demons. They had watched crowds gather around Him and listened as He spoke about the Kingdom of God.

But knowing about Jesus and trusting Jesus are not always the same thing.

As they cross the Sea of Galilee, a violent storm arises. Experienced fishermen suddenly find themselves overwhelmed. Waves crash into the boat and water fills it. Meanwhile, Jesus is asleep.

The disciples wake Him with a question that reveals both their fear and their doubt:

“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

Jesus speaks, rebuking the wind and the sea, and immediately there is calm.

Then He asks them a question of His own:

“Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

Notice that Jesus does not ask whether the storm was real. It was. Nor does He ask whether the danger was serious. It was. Instead, He asks whether they trust Him in the middle of it.

The disciples are left asking,

“Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

That question is answered in the very next account.

When they arrive on the other side of the lake, they are met by a man possessed by many demons. This poor man is completely captive. No one can restrain him. No one can help him. Human strength has failed.

Yet when Jesus arrives, the demons recognize Him immediately.

The storm had obeyed His voice.

Now the demons do as well.

What no one else could accomplish, Jesus does with a word. These two accounts together reveal something important about Jesus.

There is no force in creation beyond His authority.

The disciples feared the storm because it was stronger than they were. The people feared the demons because they were stronger than they were.

But neither was stronger than Christ.

And that is still true today.

The things that frighten us may be real. The struggles we face may be larger than our own strength. But the answer to fear is not finding more strength within ourselves. It is recognizing who Jesus is.

• The One who commands the wind and waves.
• The One who sets captives free.
• The One who is present with His people even in the middle of the storm.

I asked at the beginning how you respond to power. The key to this is realizing the character of the one who is holding the power and their disposition towards you.

Storms can be frightening because they damage without regard for who is in their way. Tyrants can be frightening because they do evil and prey on the innocent. God can be frightening because He is holy and we are sinners. But Jesus, who is God, changes things.

The people from the land of the demon-possessed man pleaded with Jesus to leave them. They were afraid when they saw His power. However, Jesus had come for their salvation, just as He came for your salvation.

Don’t send Jesus away. Instead, draw close to Him. The Holy God is frightening for sinners, but Jesus takes away your sin and makes you holy. So, you know the character of God, He is love, and you know His disposition towards in you Christ. He died for you. So, you have nothing to fear.

Let’s pray…

Lord Jesus,

When fear overwhelms me, help me remember who You are. You rule over all things and nothing is beyond Your authority. Strengthen my faith to trust You in every trial and keep me secure in Your care. Help me to not run from your power, but look to You for my protection, care, and salvation.

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.