Today's Devotions

Showcase: Assorted Treats

  • A Dangerous God +

    Scripture Exodus 4:24-26 Read More
  • Everyday Tasks: The Two Marys at the Gravesite +

    Everyday Tasks Read More
  • 1
  • 2

Faith, hope, love, joy and peace—the "magnificent five"—are inseparable from one another and reciprocally support each other. Try to imagine any one without the others! Dallas Willard

These magnificent five form the crosshatching of God’s presence in our lives. They are God’s gifts for the people we work with and encounter each day, testifying to the integration of His Spirit into who we are. The five reflect an ongoing relationship that delivers God’s grace through our submitted lives. When Paul praises the Thessalonians’ work of faith, their labor of love, and their patience of hope in following Christ, we see the dynamics of God’s spirit. In Romans he describes the integration of God’s will into our own when he prays that the God of hope would fill us with all joy and peace as we trust in the Father. Becoming wholly Christ-like is accomplished by opening every aspect of our lives to the work of the Holy Spirit. His magnificent gifts transform me from a prisoner of the world to a freedman whose life can reveal each day the depth and breadth of God’s love for me.

Scripture references
Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you're in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn't just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions. 1 Thessalonians 1:1-3

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Reflections to Consider

  • Warfare Spirituality

    The Trinity function as farmers of our souls, actively caring for God’s creation: an ongoing, radical reclamation of His creation. Read More
  • You are free

    The Jesus who calmed a sea of deadly, stormy waves, whose arrival sent thousands of demons cringing and cowering to Read More
  • 1

Publications

  • 1

Music

  • Magnificent

    Few songs capture the entrancing, humbling, overwhelming awe I experience in the presence of God. Magnificent, a song by U2 Read More
  • I'll Go Crazy

    I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight Every generation gets a chance to change the world - U2 Read More
  • 1

Audio & Video

  • When God Smiles

    Archbishop Desmond Tutu speaks about his abiding faith during years of South African apartheid with 'What Is Enlightenment Magazine's editor Read More
  • Lost in the Wilderness

    Jesus’ parable about the lost sheep has always struck a chord in me. I appreciate the willingness of our Lord Read More
  • 1

Favorites

  • Praise Adonai by Paul Baloche +

    Who is like Him The Lion and the Lamb Seated on the throne Mountains bow down Every ocean roars To the Lord of hosts  Read More
  • An Interview with Paul Washer by Tim Challies +

    You probably know Paul Washer as the man who preached the infamous "Shocking Youth Message," a sermon that has tallied Read More
  • Glorious by Paul Baloche +

    Look inside the mysterySee the empty crossSee the risen SaviorVictorious and strong Read More
  • Paul's Prayers +

    How do we pray? What should we pray for? Yes, there is the Lord's prayer--Jesus teaching his disciples, and us, Read More
  • 1

Hidden Blessings

  • Thinking on Jesus Each Hour, Frank C Laubach +

    Practicing God’s Presence To his followers Jesus said ‘Come with me, walk with me, talk and listen to me, work Read More
  • Just a Little Talk with Jesus, Cleavant Derricks +

    Now let us have a little talk with Jesus. Let us tell Him all about our troubles. He will hear Read More
  • Jesus be the centre +

    Center is a song that speaks of the essence of our life in Christ, and echoes the words the Christ Read More
  • The Community of Jesus +

    What does it mean to be a Christian? Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC, makes a compelling Read More
  • 1