In today’s devotional, T. Austin-Sparks reminds us that bondage can hide under a religious covering just as much as in the old Mosaic law. It is possible to take the Bible itself, treat it as an external rulebook, and find ourselves just as weighed down by “you must” and “you must not” as those who lived under the Law of Moses. This kind of Christianity is exhausting because it shifts the focus from the living Person of Jesus to our own efforts to meet His standard. We might begin with zeal, but when we try to fulfill God’s commands in our own strength, we end in frustration and disappointment.

The Lord gave Jeremiah a living picture of His ways by sending him to the potter’s house. In the original vision, the clay was shaped on the potter’s wheel, responding to the steady guidance of skilled hands. Ray Stedman draws from this scene to remind us that, like the clay, our lives are in God’s care and purpose. The turning wheel represents our daily circumstances, which keep bringing us under the Potter’s touch so He can shape us into vessels that please Him.

When Bob Hoekstra reflects on this passage from 1 Peter 2, he draws our attention to Jesus as the “living stone” who is both solid and tender, steadfast and responsive. This is not a picture of lifeless religion or cold doctrinal correctness. It is an invitation to continual relationship, where we come to Him again and again for the grace that not only sustains but builds us into what He has already declared us to be.

When A. B. Simpson warns that speaking against God’s servants is more dangerous than handling live wires, he is not using hyperbole to entertain. His words carry the weight of lived experience and biblical truth. To criticize, gossip, or slander another believer is not just careless talk; it is an act that wounds the Body of Christ and, in doing so, harms our own souls. What we send out in bitterness or contempt eventually returns to us, often in ways we never expected.

When Oswald Chambers speaks of discipline, he is not painting a cold, punitive picture of God’s dealings with us. Instead, he points us to the loving heart of a Father who will not let His children settle for less than His best. The passage in Hebrews 12:5 reminds us that discipline is not to be taken lightly or resented. It is an expression of God’s commitment to us, even when it comes wrapped in rebuke or correction.

In today’s devotional, Miles Stanford reminds us that spiritual growth begins personally but matures into something far greater. At first, our longing to grow in Jesus is centered on our own transformation. This is natural. We need to be anchored in Him before we can pour into others. But as we walk the path of maturity, our focus shifts. The hunger for Jesus in our own life blossoms into a sacrificial love for His Body, the Church.

The teaching today reminds us that kingdom people do not shine by trying harder but by living in the reality of Jesus within them. Witness Lee shows us that when our hearts are at rest in the Lord, free from anxiety and worldly distraction, the light of His life naturally shines. This is not a performance but an overflow. Just as a city set on a hill cannot be hidden, those who belong to Jesus will stand out in a world wrapped in worry.

Today’s devotional, featuring the insights of Jessie Penn-Lewis and Hudson Taylor, reminds us that the work God desires from us always begins with the life He first puts in us. It is never about forcing ourselves to meet His commands through sheer determination, but about allowing His Spirit to produce in us what He has already planted. God does not command us to bring forth something we do not possess; instead, He fills us with His Spirit so that obedience becomes the natural outflow of His life within.

E. Stanley Jones reminds us that the church’s unity and permanence rest entirely in Jesus, not in any human leader or system. Using Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:21–22, he draws our eyes to the fact that we are built together into a holy temple in the Lord. It is not the apostles, prophets, or teachers who hold the church together, but Jesus Himself. When the foundation is shifted to people, even good ones, division and instability follow. When He is the center, the whole structure is joined together in harmony.

T. Austin-Sparks writes with piercing clarity that the life Jesus offers is not an improved version of our old life, nor is He a spiritual booster to make us into “better” Christians. His words uncover a subtle but widespread misunderstanding: the belief that Christ came to reinforce us, to make us more effective versions of ourselves. Instead, Scripture presents an entirely different reality—Jesus does not exist to make us something. He is the Something, and He lives His life through us so that He might be all in all.

In this reflection, Ray Stedman draws our eyes to God’s true meaning for the Sabbath. It was never about rules and rituals, but about learning to live in His rest. From the very beginning, God rested from His work, not because He was weary, but to establish a picture of how we are meant to live. The Sabbath points us to a life that stops striving in our own strength and instead depends on God to work in and through us.

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.