Today’s devotional from Bob Hoekstra brings us back to Abraham, the man God called righteous not because of what he did but because of whom he trusted. The heart of the message is this: God’s promises are never bound by law-keeping. They are given freely and received through faith. Even before circumcision, before Mount Sinai, and long before the law, Abraham believed, and that belief alone was counted as righteousness.

Today’s devotional from A.B. Simpson centers on Psalm 18:35 and highlights a truth often overlooked: that God’s gentleness, not just His strength, lifts us up. While many of us may be drawn to the power of God to deliver or protect, this passage reminds us that His quiet, patient love is what makes us truly great. We are not transformed by harshness, fear, or force, but by the gentle, personal touch of His Spirit.

In today’s devotional, Oswald Chambers confronts a common misunderstanding: that the Christian life is meant to be free from trouble. In reality, following Jesus does not remove hardship, but transforms its meaning. Troubles are not canceled, but conquered. Jesus Himself said that in this world we would face tribulation. The promise is not the absence of pressure, but His presence in the midst of it.

Today’s reflection from Miles Stanford begins with a direct and sobering word from 1 Peter 4:12. Followers of Jesus are not to think it strange when fiery trials come. Instead, these trials are meant to shape, deepen, and purify the servant of God. The author draws a connection between the visible glory of ministry and the hidden burden it often carries. Just as sowing requires dying, so does reaping. And both are drenched in trust that God is working even when nothing seems to bloom.

At first glance, Jesus' words in Matthew 5:4 seem puzzling. How can mourning be a blessing? Why would those who grieve be called happy? Yet, when seen through the lens of the kingdom within us, this statement becomes a deep encouragement. Those who mourn are not merely sorrowful over personal loss or disappointment. They carry the burden of God’s heart for the brokenness of this world.

Jeremiah 10:23 reminds us that our lives are not our own to direct. Rosalind Rinker builds on this truth with a heartfelt reflection on discerning God's guidance. She shares a story of a woman who was confident that she had heard from God, only to find that things did not unfold as expected. The issue was not just in what she believed she heard, but in how confidently she asserted that God had spoken, even when others could not confirm it.

Ephesians 1:13–14 declares that believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance. In today’s devotional, E. Stanley Jones pauses again on this truth to explore the beauty of this sealing. It is not simply a mark of ownership. It is a deeply transformative act where the Holy Spirit applies the reality of heaven within us even before we step into it physically. This is not a second conversion but a personal and internal sanctifying work that brings our whole being under divine authority and peace.

T. Austin-Sparks opens a window into a reality many believers quietly endure: the feeling of being utterly alone while walking faithfully with God. Whether you are seeking a deeper life with Jesus, pioneering a ministry that few understand, or enduring an inward spiritual trial that cannot be explained to others, the enemy is quick to exploit that loneliness. He whispers lies about abandonment and desertion, twisting your current experience into a false conclusion that God is no longer present.

Ray Stedman’s reflection today from Jeremiah 1:4–5 brings us into the deeply personal heart of God, who speaks tenderly to Jeremiah with an affirmation that reaches into eternity past. Long before Jeremiah was formed in the womb, God knew him. He had already set him apart for a purpose. This is not just a warm sentiment. It is a foundational truth about God’s intimate involvement in shaping our lives before we ever draw breath.

This devotional from Day by Day by Grace explores the distinct but connected purposes of God's law and God's promises. Paul asks two vital questions in Galatians 3. What is the purpose of the law? And does it oppose the promises of God? The answer to both reveals the heart of grace-based living. God did not give the law to replace His promises but to reveal the depth of humanity’s problem—sin. Without the law, we would not see the seriousness of our condition or our desperate need for redemption.

Today’s devotional from A.B. Simpson offers a wise and loving perspective on why God allows His children to experience pressure, conflict, and inward fear. Based on 2 Corinthians 7:5, it reminds us that the trials pressing in from every direction are not signs of God’s absence. Rather, they are His invitations to lean in, to rest more deeply in His provision, and to trust more fully in His power.

Today’s reflection by Oswald Chambers unpacks a deep and often overlooked truth about how God works in our lives. Jesus sends us out, and when we go in obedience, He often stays behind to care for the very people we worried about leaving. When He told the disciples to go, He then personally went to teach and preach in their cities. That same pattern remains. If we hold back out of a misplaced sense of duty or fear, we might be interfering with what Jesus Himself desires to do.

Today’s devotional from Miles Stanford lifts our gaze beyond ourselves and sets it squarely on the glory of God. At the heart of the Christian life is a vertical relationship with the Father, not a horizontal striving to meet our own needs. The call is not just to receive grace, but to respond in praise and rest in the One who gives all things for His glory. The challenge offered is simple yet piercing: are your arrows pointing upward in worship, or downward in self-concern?

Today’s devotional from Witness Lee draws our attention to a beautiful and often overlooked detail. Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.” He does not speak in future tense. He speaks in the present. The kingdom is not something we wait for. It is something we receive the moment we become poor in spirit and receive Jesus as our Lord.

Today’s reflection compiled by Nick Harrison draws from Song of Songs 5:16, “Yea, he is altogether lovely,” and turns our hearts toward the surpassing loveliness of Jesus. His devotional reminds us that no one deserves our love more than the One who loved us first and gave Himself for us. The joy of the saints, both perfected and still being perfected, is found in seeing and savoring the beauty of the Son of God. If heavenly beings delight in praising Him, then surely our hearts here on earth are meant to do the same.

E. Stanley Jones reflects on the truth that the Holy Spirit is only given "in Christ." This is not exclusionary in a rigid sense, but rather, it is a matter of divine necessity. Just as mathematical truth does not change to fit opinions, spiritual truth does not bend to other molds. God gives the Holy Spirit only in Jesus because He is the one and only true pattern of divine life. To place the Spirit into any other form would misrepresent His character.

T. Austin-Sparks invites us to shift our gaze away from the exhausting struggle of trying to live for God, and instead to look through a “window” that reveals what it means to live from God. He contrasts two approaches to the Christian life. The first is a burdensome cycle of striving and failing, marked by rules, regret, and recurring guilt. This is a life powered by conscience and effort, a treadmill existence where any joy is short-lived and fragile.

This closing meditation on Acts reminds us that while the book ends, the story of Christ through His Body does not. Paul’s final recorded setting, confined yet unshaken, highlights the beautiful paradox of the gospel: though messengers may be bound, the message is never chained. From his Roman house arrest, Paul poured out encouragement, clarity, and power through letters that continue to shake the world. Ephesians. Philippians. Colossians. Philemon. These timeless epistles were not born in ease, but through hardship yielded to Christ.

Today’s devotional from Bob Hoekstra draws our hearts back to a central truth: the promises of God are not overridden by the law. Long before the law was given through Moses, God had already made a covenant promise to Abraham and to his Seed, Christ. That promise wasn’t just a shadow or a hint. It was the foundation of the grace we now stand in.

Today’s devotional from A.B. Simpson reflects on the pressures and trials that seem to surround the believer, especially those walking in intimate fellowship with Christ. Drawing from 2 Corinthians 7:5, it highlights Paul’s transparent description of having no rest, facing external conflict, and inner fears. It reminds us that such circumstances are not signs of abandonment but rather divine settings for learning trust and dependence.