MORNING DEVOTION

(ENGLISH DAY)
January 11
Today's Scripture & Insight:
John 16:25–33
Escape or Peace?
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have
trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
John 16:33

“ESCAPE.” The billboard shouts the benefits of having a hot tub installed. It gets my attention—
and gets me thinking. My wife and I have talked about getting a hot tub . . . someday. It’d be like
a vacation in our backyard! Except for the cleaning. And the electric bill. And . . . suddenly, the
hoped-for escape starts to sound like something I might need escape from.

Still, that word entices so effectively because it promises something we want: Relief. Comfort.
Security. Escape. It’s something our culture tempts and teases us with in many ways. Now,
there’s nothing wrong with resting or a getaway to someplace beautiful. But there’s a difference
between escaping life’s hardships and trusting God with them.  

In John 16, Jesus tells His disciples that the next chapter of their lives will test their faith. “In this
world you will have trouble,” He summarizes at the end. And then He adds this promise, “But
take heart! I have overcome the world” (v. 33). Jesus didn’t want His disciples to cave in to
despair. Instead, He invited them to trust Him, to know the rest He provides: “I have told you
these things,” he said, “so that in me you may have peace” (v. 33).

Jesus doesn’t promise us a pain-free life. But He does promise that as we trust and rest in Him,
we can experience a peace that’s deeper and more satisfying than any escape the world tries to
sell us.
By:  Adam R. Holz
 January 18
Today's Scripture & Insight:
Isaiah 53:1–6
Love’s Greatest Gift

We all, like sheep, have gone astray.

Isaiah 53:6

My son Geoff was leaving a store when he saw an abandoned walking frame (a mobility aid) on
the ground. I hope there isn’t a person back there who needs help, he thought. He glanced behind
the building and found a homeless man unconscious on the pavement.

Geoff roused him and asked if he was okay. “I’m trying to drink myself to death,” he responded.
“My tent broke in a storm, and I lost everything. I don’t want to live.”

Geoff called a Christian rehabilitation ministry, and while they waited for help, he ran home
briefly and brought the man his own camping tent. “What’s your name?” Geoff asked.
“Geoffrey,” the homeless man answered, “with a G.” Geoff hadn’t mentioned his own name or
its uncommon spelling. “Dad,” he told me later, “that could have been me.”

Geoff once struggled with substance abuse himself, and he helped the man because of the
kindness he’d received from God. Isaiah the prophet used these words to anticipate God’s mercy
to us in Jesus: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and
the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).

Christ, our Savior, didn’t leave us lost, alone, and hopeless in despair. He chose to identify with
us and lift us in love, so that we may be set free to live anew in Him. There’s no greater gift.

By:  James Banks
 January 25
Today's Scripture & Insight:
1 John 4:10–21
Loving God

We know and rely on the love God has for us.

1 John 4:16

The professor ended his online class in one of two ways each time. He’d say, “See you next
time” or “Have a good weekend.” Some students would respond with “Thank you. You too!”
But one day a student responded, “I love you.” Surprised, he replied, “I love you too!” That
evening the classmates agreed to create an “I love you chain” for the next class time in
appreciation for their professor who had to teach to a screen on his computer, not in-person
teaching as he preferred. A few days later when he finished teaching, the professor said, “See
you next time,” and one by one the students replied, “I love you.” They continued this practice
for months. The teacher said this created a strong bond with his students, and he now feels
they’re “family.”

In 1 John 4:10–21, we, as part of God’s family, find several reasons to say “I love you” to Him:
He sent His Son as a sacrifice for our sin (v. 10). He gave us His Spirit to live in us (vv. 13, 15).
His love is always reliable (v. 16), and we never need to fear judgment (v. 17). He enables us to
love Him and others “because he first loved us” (v. 19).

The next time you gather with God’s people, take time to share your reasons for loving Him.
Making an “I love you” chain for God will bring Him praise and bring you closer together.

By:  Anne Cetas