Connect the sunday message to your week!
These short devotionals help bridge the gap between sunday services. We pray this resource will help you grow in your journey with Jesus! If you'd like to join the New Testament-in-a-year reading, additional scripture for that is provided at the bottom of each section.
Day 1
Love Above All Else
Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Devotional: Without love, our most impressive spiritual achievements become meaningless noise. Paul confronts us with a powerful truth: we can possess extraordinary gifts, perform sacrificial acts, and speak with eloquence, yet if love is absent, we are nothing. This challenges our tendency to measure spiritual maturity by visible accomplishments rather than the condition of our hearts.
Today, consider what motivates your service and spiritual practices. Are you seeking recognition, or are you genuinely expressing love for God and others? The most profound ministry flows from a heart overflowing with divine love. God isn't impressed by our gifts alone; He desires that everything we do springs from authentic love. Let this truth reorient your priorities—love isn't just one option among many; it's the essential foundation for everything else.
New Testament-in-a-Year Reading: Mark 8
Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Devotional: Without love, our most impressive spiritual achievements become meaningless noise. Paul confronts us with a powerful truth: we can possess extraordinary gifts, perform sacrificial acts, and speak with eloquence, yet if love is absent, we are nothing. This challenges our tendency to measure spiritual maturity by visible accomplishments rather than the condition of our hearts.
Today, consider what motivates your service and spiritual practices. Are you seeking recognition, or are you genuinely expressing love for God and others? The most profound ministry flows from a heart overflowing with divine love. God isn't impressed by our gifts alone; He desires that everything we do springs from authentic love. Let this truth reorient your priorities—love isn't just one option among many; it's the essential foundation for everything else.
New Testament-in-a-Year Reading: Mark 8
Day 2
The Character of Love
Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a; Galatians 5:22-23
Devotional: Paul's description of love isn't abstract poetry—it's a practical checklist for daily living. Love is patient in traffic jams and kind to difficult coworkers. It doesn't envy others' success or boast about personal achievements. This love keeps no record of wrongs, which means releasing the mental scorecards we keep against those who've hurt us.
Try this exercise: replace the word "love" in verses 4-7 with your own name. How does it read? "I am patient, I am kind, I do not envy..." This uncomfortable exercise reveals the gap between God's standard and our reality. Yet this isn't meant to discourage us but to point us toward the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit—patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness—are simply love expressed in various situations. As we yield to God's Spirit, His love flows through us naturally.
New Testament-in-a-Year Reading: Mark 9
Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a; Galatians 5:22-23
Devotional: Paul's description of love isn't abstract poetry—it's a practical checklist for daily living. Love is patient in traffic jams and kind to difficult coworkers. It doesn't envy others' success or boast about personal achievements. This love keeps no record of wrongs, which means releasing the mental scorecards we keep against those who've hurt us.
Try this exercise: replace the word "love" in verses 4-7 with your own name. How does it read? "I am patient, I am kind, I do not envy..." This uncomfortable exercise reveals the gap between God's standard and our reality. Yet this isn't meant to discourage us but to point us toward the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit—patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness—are simply love expressed in various situations. As we yield to God's Spirit, His love flows through us naturally.
New Testament-in-a-Year Reading: Mark 9
Day 3
Love That Transcends Differences
Reading: John 13:34-35; Romans 12:9-18
Devotional: Jesus established love as the defining mark of His followers. Not doctrinal precision, not spiritual gifts, not even moral perfection—but love. This love must extend beyond our comfort zones to embrace those with different political views, theological positions, and lifestyle choices. We can love pro-lifers and pro-choicers, Democrats and Republicans, cessationists and charismatics.
Love doesn't require agreement; it requires commitment. You can disagree with someone's opinions while still honoring their dignity as God's image-bearer. You can maintain your convictions while extending grace. As the sermon humorously noted, "You have every right to be wrong"—and so does everyone else. This kind of love transforms our witness in a divided world. When people see Christians loving across differences, they glimpse the reconciling power of the Gospel. Our unity in diversity demonstrates that Christ's love is stronger than human division.
New Testament-in-a-Year Reading: Mark 10
Reading: John 13:34-35; Romans 12:9-18
Devotional: Jesus established love as the defining mark of His followers. Not doctrinal precision, not spiritual gifts, not even moral perfection—but love. This love must extend beyond our comfort zones to embrace those with different political views, theological positions, and lifestyle choices. We can love pro-lifers and pro-choicers, Democrats and Republicans, cessationists and charismatics.
Love doesn't require agreement; it requires commitment. You can disagree with someone's opinions while still honoring their dignity as God's image-bearer. You can maintain your convictions while extending grace. As the sermon humorously noted, "You have every right to be wrong"—and so does everyone else. This kind of love transforms our witness in a divided world. When people see Christians loving across differences, they glimpse the reconciling power of the Gospel. Our unity in diversity demonstrates that Christ's love is stronger than human division.
New Testament-in-a-Year Reading: Mark 10
Day 4
Love as Spiritual Maturity
Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:8-12; Ephesians 4:11-16
Devotional: Spiritual maturity isn't measured by how many spiritual gifts you operate in or how much biblical knowledge you possess. True maturity is revealed in your capacity to love consistently and sacrificially. Paul uses the metaphor of childhood versus adulthood to illustrate this progression. Children focus on what benefits them; adults consider others' needs.
Just as we outgrow childhood toys and concerns, we should outgrow spiritual immaturity marked by self-centeredness, jealousy, and division. The Corinthian church was gifted but immature, prioritizing spectacular manifestations over character transformation. Don't make the same mistake. Pursue gifts, yes, but pursue love more earnestly. When you stand before God, He won't ask how many prophecies you delivered or how powerfully you prayed. He'll examine how you loved—your spouse, your children, your neighbors, even your enemies. Love is the metric that matters eternally.
New Testament-in-a-Year Reading: Mark 11
Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:8-12; Ephesians 4:11-16
Devotional: Spiritual maturity isn't measured by how many spiritual gifts you operate in or how much biblical knowledge you possess. True maturity is revealed in your capacity to love consistently and sacrificially. Paul uses the metaphor of childhood versus adulthood to illustrate this progression. Children focus on what benefits them; adults consider others' needs.
Just as we outgrow childhood toys and concerns, we should outgrow spiritual immaturity marked by self-centeredness, jealousy, and division. The Corinthian church was gifted but immature, prioritizing spectacular manifestations over character transformation. Don't make the same mistake. Pursue gifts, yes, but pursue love more earnestly. When you stand before God, He won't ask how many prophecies you delivered or how powerfully you prayed. He'll examine how you loved—your spouse, your children, your neighbors, even your enemies. Love is the metric that matters eternally.
New Testament-in-a-Year Reading: Mark 11
Day 5
Love That Transforms
Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:13; 1 John 4:7-12, 19-21
Devotional: Faith, hope, and love remain—but love is the greatest because love is eternal. Faith will become sight, hope will be fulfilled, but love will continue forever. This is why Jesus summarized all commandments as love for God and love for neighbor. Your love for Jesus is authentically expressed through your love for others.
People may forget your words, but they'll remember how you loved them. When you pause to pray before reacting in anger, when you intentionally encourage someone struggling, when you take costly steps of forgiveness or service—you become Jesus' hands and feet. Pastor Josh mentioned that the believers in Kenya didn't just need financial support; they needed someone to show up and demonstrate that they mattered. Your presence, your sacrifice, your genuine care transforms lives in ways money cannot.
This week, lead with love. Let your love for Jesus overflow into patient kindness toward difficult people, intentional care for one specific person, and sacrificial service that costs you something.
New Testament-in-a-Year Reading: Mark 12
Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:13; 1 John 4:7-12, 19-21
Devotional: Faith, hope, and love remain—but love is the greatest because love is eternal. Faith will become sight, hope will be fulfilled, but love will continue forever. This is why Jesus summarized all commandments as love for God and love for neighbor. Your love for Jesus is authentically expressed through your love for others.
People may forget your words, but they'll remember how you loved them. When you pause to pray before reacting in anger, when you intentionally encourage someone struggling, when you take costly steps of forgiveness or service—you become Jesus' hands and feet. Pastor Josh mentioned that the believers in Kenya didn't just need financial support; they needed someone to show up and demonstrate that they mattered. Your presence, your sacrifice, your genuine care transforms lives in ways money cannot.
This week, lead with love. Let your love for Jesus overflow into patient kindness toward difficult people, intentional care for one specific person, and sacrificial service that costs you something.
New Testament-in-a-Year Reading: Mark 12