Today’s devotional by Witness Lee draws our attention to a striking image in Genesis 41: Pharaoh places a gold chain around Joseph’s neck—a gesture rich in meaning. In Scripture, the neck often symbolizes the human will. A stiff neck reflects resistance and rebellion, but a chained neck reveals a will that has been lovingly subdued into obedience.

E. Stanley Jones reminds us today that Jesus reserved one title for His followers—the one that denoted self-emptying service, not status. While the world honors titles like “Father,” “Teacher,” or “Leader,” Jesus reframes greatness entirely. Those titles, while honorable in worldly settings, represent self-assertive positions that elevate one above others. But Jesus, who embodied meekness and humility, entrusted His followers with only one identity: servant.

When the Holy Spirit first filled the believers at Pentecost, their devotion to fellowship was not just casual socializing — it was a spiritual necessity. This fellowship wasn’t built around shared hobbies or convenience; it was the Spirit-knit life of believers learning to live as one in Christ. Thousands of new believers from every corner of the known world were suddenly united into one body. They shared meals, shared prayers, and more importantly, shared hearts.

There is a holy difference between Christ being born for us and Christ being formed in us. A.B. Simpson reflects on Paul’s passionate desire for the Galatians—not merely that they had been saved, but that Christ would be fully formed in them. It’s the image of new birth not as a past event but as an ongoing reality. Just as Christ was born into the world once, so He desires to be born into each heart and formed there, day by day, until His character and beauty become visible in us.

Today’s devotional by Bob Hoekstra contrasts two entirely different ways of living and ministering: one rooted in the old covenant of law, the other in the new covenant of grace. The law, though holy and glorious, is described as a “ministry of condemnation” because it demands righteousness without providing the means to produce it. It holds up God's standard but offers no power to meet it. As a result, those who live by it—and those who minister it to others—find themselves burdened under its weight, striving in the flesh and falling short. Even their best efforts are stained with unrighteousness.

Oswald Chambers takes us deep into the passage from Luke 14 where Jesus speaks of building a tower—and counting the cost. At first glance, it may appear Jesus is challenging us to consider what discipleship might cost us. But Oswald wisely turns the focus to what it cost Christ. The full redemptive plan—His thirty hidden years, the three years of opposition and praise, the sweat of Gethsemane, and the agony of the Cross in its totality—was the cost He already counted and paid in full.

Miles Stanford’s reflection for today calls us to wake up to the reality of our present position in Christ—not just that our sins are forgiven, but that we have been raised and seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Many believers stop short at the Cross, gratefully acknowledging forgiveness but failing to step into the full implications of resurrection and ascension life. As a result, they continue to live tethered to the concerns and limitations of the earthly realm rather than enjoying their inheritance and fellowship in heaven.

There is a breathtaking truth woven throughout Scripture—one that reaches beyond religious identity and into the very core of who we are: we are not just believers, we are children of God. And not merely any god, but the God—the King of all creation, the Lord of heaven and earth. This makes us, by spiritual birthright, sons and daughters of the King. Royalty. Heirs.

Today’s devotional by Witness Lee draws a beautiful comparison between Joseph’s promotion in Egypt and Christ’s exaltation after His resurrection. Just as Pharaoh gave Joseph a signet ring—a symbol of delegated authority and identification—so the Father gave Christ the Holy Spirit at His ascension. The ring was used as a seal, marking whatever it touched with the authority of the one who owned it.

In Colossians 3, the Grace and Truth Study Bible presents Paul’s message as a call to embrace a heavenly identity in Christ, one that radically transforms not just our spiritual status but every practical aspect of life. Paul insists that the believer’s real life is already hidden with Christ in God—meaning that even now, from God’s perspective, we are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. That invisible reality calls for a visible change. Believers are to set their minds on things above and live accordingly.

John 18 draws us into the tension and glory of Jesus’ passion with a portrait of His calm authority, steadfast love, and unwavering purpose. He steps into the darkness of betrayal not as a victim but as a willing sacrifice, fully in control, initiating His own arrest to protect His disciples. John emphasizes Jesus’ divine authority—His very name causing soldiers to fall back—and His commitment to the mission the Father gave Him. While Peter’s fear leads to denial, Jesus’ courage leads to obedience, and John juxtaposes these two responses to suffering for our reflection.

E. Stanley Jones reminds us that the Holy Spirit does not restrict His movement to ecclesiastical structures or apostolic titles. Rather, He often flows most freely through those whose lives are integrated — those who do not divide their days into sacred and secular compartments. The so-called "Seven" in Acts, chosen to serve tables, became vessels of remarkable spiritual influence. Stephen preached with such power that revival swept through Jerusalem, though it cost him his life. Philip’s evangelism reached Samaria and Ethiopia, catalyzing international and cross-cultural missions. Even the earliest recognition of women as prophetic voices appears under his influence.

The question “What shall we do?” echoes across every heart that has come to recognize the truth about Jesus. In Acts 2:38, Peter responds not with ambiguity, but with clarity: there is indeed something to be done. First, a change of mind—repentance—must occur. This isn’t an emotional breakdown, nor a dramatic display of guilt. Rather, repentance is a decisive turning in one’s thinking—a spiritual realignment. You thought Jesus was just a man, a teacher, perhaps a prophet. But now, seeing Him as Lord of all, you align your thoughts with the truth: He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Romans 6:11 calls us to a radical accounting — to consider ourselves not merely trying to resist sin, but to count ourselves already dead to it and fully alive to God in Christ. This is not an invitation to perform or repress ourselves into a better version of Christian living; it's a call to walk in resurrection life — His life.

Today’s reading from Bob Hoekstra presents a striking contrast between two ways of living and ministering: the ministry of death and the ministry of life. Drawing from 2 Corinthians 3, the “ministry of death” refers to the law-based approach that demands righteousness but provides no power to fulfill it. This approach, though originally glorious in its intent, ultimately results in frustration and spiritual deadness when used as a standard for living.

Today’s devotional by Oswald Chambers urges us to reconsider what true spiritual freedom looks like. It isn’t the liberty to form personal opinions or choose theological positions at whim — it’s the liberty of conscience that comes from being ruled by Christ alone. Many search the Scriptures but miss the Person to whom they point. True freedom isn’t found in the accumulation of doctrine but in a surrendered walk with the One the Scriptures reveal.

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” —2 Corinthians 3:18

Theologically, we come to understand that transformation comes not by self-effort, but by beholding Christ. Yet for many believers, this idea seems abstract. What does it actually mean to behold His glory—and how does that become a functional part of daily life?

Today's entry from Miles Stanford traces the believer’s journey from complexity to clarity — from grappling with theological ideas to resting in the radiant simplicity of knowing Christ. At first glance, spiritual truths such as union with Christ, transformation, and divine origin may seem abstract or hard to grasp. But as grace unfolds, these truths become as logically beautiful and experientially real as the gift of justification.

In today’s devotional by Witness Lee, the powerful imagery of Joseph’s sudden elevation from dungeon to throne draws a vivid parallel to Christ’s glorification after His resurrection. Joseph’s story is more than just a tale of reversal; it is a living picture of the One who was rejected, scorned, and seemingly forgotten—only to be lifted up in majesty. The very ones who had once stripped Joseph of honor would later see him clothed in glory, riding in authority under Pharaoh’s commission.

The shadow of spiritual warfare runs quietly beneath the surface of Esther 3. Haman, newly exalted by King Xerxes, steps onto the stage as the antagonist—but he is more than a power-hungry politician. Scripture subtly unveils a deeper hostility: an ancient enmity that stretches back to Genesis 3:15. Haman, a descendant of Agag the Amalekite king, represents the enduring opposition to God’s covenant people. Mordecai, a descendant of King Saul, now refuses to bow before Haman. Whether out of national memory, personal conviction, or divine stirring, Mordecai’s stand reveals a refusal to yield to one who opposes the people of God.