In this devotional, Bob Hoekstra points us to the simple yet life-giving truth that grace flows from relationship, not ritual. It is not a formula, a checklist, or a religious performance that fills us with the grace of God. Rather, it is the continual coming to Jesus, moment by moment, in humility and trust. This is how grace becomes more than a doctrine—it becomes our daily experience.

The devotional today paints a picture of God’s presence not as always clear skies and gentle breezes, but sometimes as clouds and darkness that veil His throne. A.B. Simpson reminds us that these clouds are not signs of His absence, but proof of His nearness. Just as the disciples stepped into the cloud on the Mount of Transfiguration and beheld the glory of Jesus, we too may be called into seasons where vision is dim and the path feels uncertain, only to discover that His majesty is there, hidden from the casual glance but revealed to the trusting heart.

The message today from Oswald Chambers urges us to live in such constant fellowship with God that the faintest prompting of the Holy Spirit is noticed and welcomed. He reminds us that the Spirit’s voice is not loud or forceful, but as delicate as a soft breeze. If we are inattentive or distracted, we may miss His guidance altogether, and in doing so, we quench His work in our hearts.

Miles Stanford’s writing today invites us to grow from early spiritual infatuation into a mature, bridal love for Jesus. He reminds us that the heart of the bride is naturally drawn upward toward her Bridegroom. In the same way, our Father orders our lives so that we are continually drawn away from the temporary and bound to the eternal. Every gift He gives is meant to loosen our grip on the world and lift our gaze toward the place where His love is fully known.

In Matthew 5:14-15, Jesus describes His kingdom people as the light of the world, a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. Witness Lee points out that our light can be obscured if we allow the “bushel” of life’s anxieties to cover it. In biblical times, a bushel measured grain and was directly tied to daily provision. The Lord chose this image deliberately, showing that anxiety over our livelihood can dim the testimony of His life in us.

The foundation of our faith and the church is not a man-made structure, nor is it built on the reputation of apostles or prophets as human authorities. In today’s devotional, E. Stanley Jones points to Paul’s clear teaching that while the apostles and prophets played an essential role in delivering God’s message, the only true foundation is Jesus Himself. Apostles and prophets were living stones in the spiritual house, but they were not the foundation on which it all rests. That place belongs to Jesus alone.

There is a deep joy in beginning each day knowing that I belong fully to the Lord and that my role is to live as His servant. In this devotional compiled by Nick Harrison, G. H. Knight reminds us that to be a servant of Jesus means His will directs every step, not our own. Such a servant does not belong to sin or the opinions of men but is under the orders of the Master in heaven. This service is marked by holiness, humility, and readiness to meet the needs of others, just as Jesus did.

Familiarity with a truth can be a gift, but it can also dull our wonder if we are not careful. T. Austin-Sparks reminds us that Ephesians 1:3 is not a theological phrase to memorize but a living reality to enjoy. God has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ. This is not a future promise or an abstract doctrine. It is our present inheritance, accessible and experiential for those who will receive it by faith.

The message in today’s devotional from Ray Stedman brings us face to face with one of Scripture’s most unflinching truths: the natural human heart is not simply flawed, it is incurably corrupt. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us it is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. That means it cannot be reformed, improved, or made respectable. The life we inherited in Adam will never deliver the goodness we might expect from it.

The invitation Jesus gives in Matthew 11:28-30 is one of the most tender and liberating calls in all of Scripture. It is an open door for every soul weighed down by guilt, shame, or the exhausting effort of self-made righteousness. He promises two distinct rests: the first for the guilty heart seeking forgiveness, the second for the weary believer longing for freedom from self-effort.

When Paul declared that we do not proclaim ourselves but Jesus as Lord, he revealed a subtle but dangerous obstacle to the life of abiding in Him: the self-life. It can take the form of self-importance, self-interest, self-confidence, or the quiet desire to maintain our own standing before others. Even when these things seem small, they can quietly compete with Jesus for our trust and attention.

In today’s devotional, Oswald Chambers points us to a truth that cuts through our tendency toward panic in life’s storms. He reminds us that Jesus has every right to expect His followers to rest in perfect confidence in Him, no matter how fierce the winds may be. Chambers contrasts two ways of responding when fear grips our hearts: the reaction of those who do not know God, and the steady trust of those who know Him intimately.

In today’s reading from Miles Stanford, the focus shifts from the idea of simply doing for God to living from the indwelling life of Jesus. There is a difference between compulsive activity and Spirit-led fruitfulness. Many in the body of Christ might assume that the believer who seeks to grow in grace is passive, but Scripture shows that the life of abiding in Jesus produces genuine, Spirit-initiated action. True service flows from His life within, not from our own effort to prove ourselves or keep up with the expectations of others.

Today’s devotional from Witness Lee draws from Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:13, where He calls His followers the salt of the earth. Salt’s purpose is clear—it preserves, protects, and keeps things from decay. In a fallen and corrupted world, God’s people are meant to carry His preserving influence. Just as salt slows decay and wards off corruption in food, believers are called to live in such a way that the presence of Jesus in them pushes back spiritual decay around them.

When T. Austin-Sparks speaks of “opening a window,” he invites us to look into something infinitely greater than ourselves. The focus is not on theological curiosities, but on the surpassing greatness of Jesus. Everything God intended in creating mankind, the world, and the universe is bound up in knowing Jesus. Our growth, transformation, and joy are tied to Him—not as an abstract figure, but as a living Person who embodies the eternal order of God’s kingdom.

Jeremiah’s heartfelt plea for Israel is as raw as it is reverent. He prays not only for mercy, but for the sake of God’s name. His argument is not based on Israel’s worthiness—he readily confesses their sin—but on God’s character as the One who heals, restores, and keeps covenant. He reminds God that His glory is at stake among the nations, urging Him to act in a way consistent with His own nature. This is prayer at its highest level: appealing to God’s own faithfulness rather than human merit.

The promises of God are described as “exceedingly great and precious” because they are far beyond human imagining and worth more than any earthly treasure. These are not ordinary assurances. The Greek root behind “exceedingly great” gives us our English prefix “mega,” underscoring their unmatched scale. And they are “precious” because they are priceless, beyond anything this world can secure.

When God opens our eyes to His promises, He is not teasing us with visions of something we will never experience. Just as He gave the migratory bird both the instinct to travel and the conditions to welcome it when it arrives, so He provides for the journey and the destination. The God who stirs your heart with hope is the same God who brings that hope to fulfillment in His perfect time.

In today’s devotional, Oswald Chambers speaks to the moment when God removes the guiding presence of a trusted mentor, spiritual parent, or close companion, not as a loss to grieve endlessly, but as a divine step into a new season of direct dependence upon Him. Just as Elisha had to stand without Elijah, we too face moments when the person we leaned on is no longer there to hold our hand. That absence is not abandonment; it is God’s invitation to lean on Him alone.

When many think of the Cross, they stop at its most visible truth: Jesus died for our sins. That truth is essential, but it is not the whole story. The Scriptures reveal another dimension, an internal work, where we are always delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake so that His life might be made manifest in our mortal bodies. This is not simply about pardon for sin but deliverance from the very power of sin itself.