21-DAY PLAN

DAY ONE

Genesis 1:27
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.“

Devotional:
As we strive to grow in our newly-found relationship with God, we must first understand who God is. God is the Creator of all things, and it’s in Him that we are made new. We root ourselves in the reality of who God is, and we trust in His will over our lives. Because God has made us, our character cannot be determined apart from the character of God.

Prayer:
Thank you God for your saving grace. As I step into a new relationship with you, allow me to trust in Your goodness, Your grace, and Your will over my life. Let me be a reflection of Your own characteristics as I seek to follow you. Amen.

DAY TWO

1 John 4:16
“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.
Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.“

Devotional:
Above all else, love is at the very core of who God is. God is love, and because God loved us so much that He sent His son to die for our sins, we also reflect the same love of our Creator back towards others. Our lives are meant to be reflections of His love – in this way, we are reflecting the very nature of God to those around us. Whatever you seek to do, do so in love. After all, if the world doesn’t see love evident in the followers of Christ, where else can they find it?

Prayer:
Let my life be a reflection of Your love. As I go about my day, remind me that I have received love from you that I didn’t deserve, and because of that, show me how to love others just as You have loved me. Amen.

DAY THREE

Deuteronomy 7:9
“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.“

Devotional:
One of the most comforting characteristics of God is that he is forever faithful – faithful to those who have chosen to follow Him, and faithful to the promises He has made over you. God is unfailingly trustworthy and reliable. Because of the faithfulness God has shown us, our response is to be faithful to Him by being obedient to Him. In everything you do, strive to follow God with your mind, your heart, and your entire being, trusting Him with your life and living into the calling He has placed upon you.

Prayer:
Thank you, God, for your faithfulness to me even when I am unfaithful to you. As I have learned of your faithfulness, I pray that I would remain faithful to You in my thoughts and actions, trusting You with my life and recognizing that you hold my future in Your very hands. Amen.

DAY FOUR

Psalm 34:8
“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.“

Devotional:
You may have heard the saying, “Nobody is perfect.” That is most certainly true of all of us, but it isn’t true of God. In fact, God is not only perfect, but He is actually good! The Bible describes God as a Creator who has no evil within Him, and whose love never fails us. God showed us His goodness by saving us, and our response to His saving grace should result in thankfulness towards Him.

Prayer:
I am thankful for your goodness today, God. Allow me to take comfort in Your goodness, even when I face adversity in my life. Whatever the day holds for me, allow me to trust in Your goodness and to act with kindness to all those around me. Amen.

DAY FIVE

Deuteronomy 32:4
“He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A Faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.“

Devotional:
The idea of a ‘just’ God can be difficult to comprehend. But in all ways, God is just – meaning, He is morally right in all ways, and completely virtuous. This means that God’s ways aren’t necessarily our ways. We may struggle to understand why certain things happen in life, but we can’t fully know the mind of God. We live with a skewed perspective, and we can’t expect an all-knowing and all-loving God to operate the same way we would. Even so, we trust in God’s righteousness above our own, and believing that God’s ways are always better than our ways.

Prayer:
Even when I don’t understand it, God, I trust in Your wisdom and justness above all else. When my vision is too short-sighted, give me faith to continue to believe in Your way above my own. Amen.

DAY SIX

Romans 9:15-16
“For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.“

Devotional:
While we often strive to be worthy of the mercy of others, it is not so with God. Since mercy is a defining characteristic of God, we don’t have to rely on our own worthiness or efforts to obtain it. To be merciful means to incorporate love and forgiveness, and recognizing God’s mercy towards us allows us to live out those attributes in our own lives.

Prayer:
Thank You Lord for your mercy upon me. You have given me new life when I have not deserved it, and You continue to love me throughout my own failures and flaws. May the mercy you have shown me transform my heart as I desire to live for You. Amen.

DAY SEVEN

Psalm 145:8
“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.“

Devotional:
Often times we push the limits of what we can get away with, or how much we can push someone’s buttons. We also do this with God – we fail to live up to the standards that God has set for us as a people rooted in love. However, in all of the ways we fall short, God is gracious enough to give us second, third and fourth chances, and even more. While we are quick to judge and quick to anger, God is patient with us as we learn what it means to follow Him.

Prayer:
Lord, I pray that you give me the same patience with others that you have shown me. That even when I assume the worst in others, that you would remind me of Your own patience that I’ve experienced in my relationship with You. May I be slow to anger and move quickly towards compassion in all of my relationships as I seek to embody Your goodness and graciousness in my own life. Amen.

DAY EIGHT

2 Corinthians 5:16-21
“ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.“

Devotional:
Today, you are a new creation in Christ. We have understood that we are called to be reflections of the character of God as we live our own lives, and we must claim the new identity that God has called us into. As we grow in Christ, we must understand what God is calling us towards, and this means letting go of our “old self.” God sees us as His righteous children, as we’ve been adopted into His family. Our calling is to seek after God with all our hearts, minds and souls, recognizing that who we were is not who we are. Our past is forgiven, and God is calling us into His glorious future – will you accept that call and step into your new identity?

Prayer:
Lord, I pray that you give me the same patience with others that you have shown me. That even when I assume the worst in others, that you would remind me of Your own patience that I’ve experienced in my relationship with You. May I be slow to anger and move quickly towards compassion in all of my relationships as I seek to embody Your goodness and graciousness in my own life. Amen.

DAY NINE

Romans 8:38-39
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.“

Devotional:
There have probably been times in your life when you have felt unloved and uncared for. One of the most comforting aspects of knowing God is understanding that God is always with you, and that there is literally nothing that can separate you from the love that God has for you. When you feel like nobody else is there for you, you can rest in the promise of God’s love over your life and take comfort in Him.

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for the love You have shown me in my life. Allow my heart to praise You even when I may not feel Your presence over me, and allow me to rest in Your promises of love over me. May I recognize how You are moving and working, and let me take comfort knowing that You care for me deeply. Amen.

DAY TEN

Joshua 1:9
“ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.“

Devotional:
These comforting words were directed to Joshua at a time when he was facing the seemingly insurmountable task of taking over as the leader of the Israelites as they were attempting to get to the Promised Land. There were many times that Joshua felt alone and afraid, and God constantly reminded him of this phrase: be strong and courageous. Just as God reminded Joshua that He was always there for Him, we can take solace in these words, understanding that we are never alone and that God is always with us. When you are pressed by the stresses of life, you can know that God will never fail you and will never abandon you. Instead, He provides you strength and comfort so you can face whatever lies ahead. You can be certain that you are never alone – God is always with you.

Prayer:
God, thank You for Your continued promises that You are with me, and will not forsake me or leave me abandoned. Give me courage, just as you gave Joshua, to face what lies ahead in my life with boldness, resting in the comfort of Your presence in my life. Amen.

DAY ELEVEN

1 Corinthians 15:56-58
“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. “

Devotional:
Nobody likes to lose. We enjoy rooting for a winning team, beating our friends in a board game, or even getting that big promotion over a colleague. Winning feels good, but it is a fleeting feeling. What we consider victories are pretty small in the grand scheme of things. But consider this – as a Christian, you have already won the most important thing in life because God has won it for us! Jesus Christ has conquered sin and death itself by being resurrected, and we get to partake in that victory as followers of Christ! Even when the world seems like it’s falling apart, we know how the story ends and who is standing victorious at the end of all things. Because of this, we continue to work and give ourselves to the work of God in our lives, knowing that the battle is already won.

Prayer:
Thank you, God, for the resurrection of Your son, Jesus Christ. In Him, I understand that I am victorious in Him, and that You have already conquered death itself. May my understanding lead to conviction to keep pressing forward, doing kingdom work in Your name. Amen.

DAY TWELVE

1 John 2:12
“ I am writing to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.“

Devotional:
A core understanding of who we are in Christ is rooted in the knowledge that we are forgiven. This means that when we accepted Christ into our hearts, we were absolved from our pasts and our previous sins. In fact, any time we go to the Father and ask for forgiveness, He remains faithful to forgive us of those sins. Many of us walk around with guilt in our lives and with shame over our heads because we remember our own sins and feel bad. However, we can take solace in the fact that we are forgiven by God, and we don’t have to walk around with that guilt or shame any longer! As you seek to live into Your new life as a Christian, live into your new identity because your sins have been forgiven!

Prayer:
Lord, I praise You and thank You because You have forgiven my sins even when I didn’t deserve it! I pray that you would allow me to walk in freedom, understanding that since I’ve been forgiven by You, I can forgive others in my life. Amen.

DAY THIRTEEN

Colossians 2:9-10
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. “

Devotional:
We often look for fulfillment in all the wrong places. For some people, they buy new things to try to satisfy the need to be fulfilled. For others, they may find fulfillment in their security, whether financial or personal. For some others, they find fulfillment in their own self-esteem, always looking for praise from others. But the Bible tells us that we are brought to fullness by Christ, and He is our ultimate fulfillment. We have been made whole in Christ, so we are freed up from seeking approval or fulfillment in the wrong places. As you continue in your newly-found walk with God, look for the places where you are still seeking fulfillment apart from Him, and pray about dropping those from your life, understanding that God has made you whole in Him.

Prayer:
God, I ask that you illuminate the areas of my life where I am still seeking fulfillment apart from You. Show me the areas that I need to give over to You, and give me the strength and courage to let those go from my life as I strive to seek after You and to live into my new identity. Amen.

DAY FOURTEEN

John 3:16-21
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. “

Devotional:
Many people struggle with their value and worth in Christ. There are so many folks that struggle with guilt and acceptance even after they’ve given their lives to Christ, simply because they don’t feel they were worthy to be saved by God. But John 3:16 clarifies that God didn’t only love those who He knew would love Him back – God, in fact, loved (and loves) the entire world, including you! He loved the world so much that He gave His son to die on the cross for all of our sins. No matter your past and background, you were worth it to God. In fact, even if it was only You who needed a Savior, God would have still done the same thing. How amazing is that? As you move forward in your faith, you can be confident that you were worthy of being saved, and that God has great things in store for you.

Prayer:
Lord, thank You for Your saving grace, and that You loved me so much, You gave Your only Son to die for me while I was still a sinner. I pray that when I don’t understand my own worth that You would remind me of it. I pray that I always remember what You have done for me as I seek to do for others. Amen.

DAY FIFTEEN

John 1:1-51
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ” Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

Devotional:
Jesus is understood as The Word Made Flesh as the book of John begins. This means that Jesus was prophesied to come into the world as its Redeemer, signaling the beginning of Jesus’ life that would ultimately lead to the cross and end with the resurrection. This is the reality that we, as Christians, live within as we seek to live a life worthy of the calling God has placed on it. Just as God had a plan in place for Jesus’ life, God has a plan for our own lives. We all bring gifts, talents and abilities to God’s kingdom, and He desires for us to use the gifts He has given us to help build His kingdom here on the earth. God has designed you with a purpose and a direction, and it is up to us to discern those gifts through prayer and seeking God.

Prayer:
God, I ask that You would reveal Your will to me and help me to understand what You’ve placed me here to do. I understand and acknowledge that You have given me gifts that You desire me to serve Your kingdom with. Help me to discern Your will for my life as I continue to seek You. Amen.

DAY SIXTEEN

John 2:1-25
“And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: and both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days. And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; and said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.”

Devotional:
Jesus began his ministry with a miraculous sign that marked His presence: turning water to wine at a wedding feast. God has often made His presence known throughout history with signs to show that He is who He said He was. These miraculous signs were performed to reveal God’s glory. In our lives today, Christians are called to live a life that does the same thing – to glorify God. We glorify God through our works, through our attitudes, and even through our obedience to Him. When others look at you, what do they see? Can they see God at work in your life, or do they see something else? The challenge for all believers is to live a life that exemplifies the glory of God. As you continue to follow God, seek to reflect the glory of God in your own life.

Prayer:
God, I pray that my life would be a shining reflection of who You are, and that when others see my life, they see Your glory shining through me. Illuminate the areas of my life that put the attention on myself, and show me how I can glorify You in all I do. Amen.

DAY SEVENTEEN

John 3:1-36
“Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. (This was before John was put in prison.) An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

Devotional:
Within this passage lies one of the most famous exchanges in the Bible – the exchange between Jesus and Nicodemus. Nicodemus didn’t understand how to be born again, and as intelligent as he was, he had a hard time grasping the concept of being born again. Faith often confounds even the most intelligent among us. To have faith isn’t the same as having understanding, as faith often doesn’t make sense to everyone. Through this exchange between Jesus and Nicodemus, we find that following Jesus’ words leads to freedom in our own spiritual lives. We are transformed by accepting Christ into our lives, even in ways that others may not understand. As you continue to understand God’s plan in your life, trust that God has a plan for your life and pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you forward.

Prayer:
God, I ask that you continue to build my faith as I continuously seek after You. I trust in Your sovereignty and plan over my life. I pray that I would learn to trust in the work of Your Spirit within my life, and that I would recognize the way in which You are leading and guiding me. Amen.

DAY EIGHTEEN

John 4:1-54
“Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him. Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” After the two days he left for Galilee. (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there. Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed. This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.”

Devotional:
Another of the more famous passages in Scripture, John 4 begins with the exchange between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. This was a nearly-scandelous exchange since 1) Jesus was a Jew and the woman was a Samaritan, and 2) he was a man and she was a woman. In this time, both of these were problems, yet Jesus engages her in conversation. After discussing her past sins, Jesus offers her living water, which is the spiritual water of accepting Christ’s salvation, so that she would never thirst again. This passage is symbolic and meaningful to us today because it shows how many barriers Jesus was willing to cross (social, economic, marital) to chase after those who would accept Him. Jesus welcomed her with open arms despite her background and history, and this is the Good News of the gospel today. This should compel us to seek after others with mercy, not judging anyone on their merits, but instead offering the saving grace of Christ to all we come across in our lives. We live as examples of the grace God has shown us, and we then extend that grace to others. Let’s seek to love others just as God has first loved us.

Prayer:
God, forgive me for the times I have judged others unworthy of Your love. Just as I have read in this passage from Your Word, may I become an instrument of grace that I can extend to anyone and everyone I meet, showing them Your goodness. Amen.

DAY NINETEEN

John 5:1-47
“Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well. So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true. “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. “I do not accept glory from human beings, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

Devotional:
John 5 begins with the interaction between Jesus and the disabled man at the pool of Bethesda. After Jesus asks him if he wants to get well, he replied that he had no one to help him get in. Jesus then gave one of the clearest commands in Scripture when he responded, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!” When we come to Jesus, we often have the expectation that He will clear up any of our sins, issues, or hurts, but there is a piece that we have to be responsible for ourselves. The same command Jesus gave to the man by the pool is the command He gives to us – to determine that if we want healing, we have to put in some of the work ourselves! We must not only say that we want to get well, but to decide it emphatically and do something about it. This means confessing our sins to one another, and seeking help and accountability.

Prayer:
God, today I ask you to show me the areas of my life that need Your healing. I pray for the strength to confront my own sins and to recognize that even though they may be forgiven, that there is still work that may need to be done. Illuminate those areas of my life and help me to change my mindset about my own sin. Amen.

DAY TWENTY

John 6:1-71
“Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Festival was near. When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?” “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.” From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)”

Devotional:
After Jesus fed the 5,000, people were so impressed with Him that they wanted to make Him king! During this time, people wanted to elevate Jesus as a hero. So what was Jesus’ response? He fled to the mountain by himself (v.15). Jesus was always about fulfilling the mission of God in His own life, and not elevating Himself even though He did wonderful things. The attitude of Jesus is inspiring to us because it is still so counter-cultural. We constantly find ourselves seeking fame or fortune, dreaming of being well-known, well-off and well-liked. Jesus teaches us that fulfilling the tasks God has given us is more rewarding than anything else we could pursue in our lives. Did you know that God has prepared tasks for you? Part of stepping into your calling and identity in Christ is deciding to pursue the things of this life that truly matter – things like making disciples and fulfilling the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20). If you dedicated your life to the things that matter eternally, how different would your life look?

Prayer:
Lord, build in me a desire to seek the things in this life that have eternal value, and to let go of the things that don’t. May I find peace, solace and comfort in You and You alone, and have the courage to let go of the desires of this world as I pursue You with all my heart. Amen.

DAY TWENTY-ONE

John 7:1-52
“After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in him. Therefore Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee. However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “Where is he?” Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders. Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?” Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?” “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?” Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.” At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?” The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him. Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?” On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him. Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?” “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied. “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.” Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?” They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

Devotional:
We often believe that in order to do the things God calls us to, we need more knowledge, education or experience. That was the expectation during Jesus’ life as well. When Jesus was teaching in the tabernacle, he was asked, “how did this man get such learning without having been taught?” Jesus’ response was that God gave Him everything He needed to know through His relationship with the Father. He was qualified by His relational status to God, and not by His pedigree or education. For Christians today, we often assume that we can’t fulfill what God has called us to without learning more or having more experience. But that simply isn’t true – God has given you everything you need to begin serving Him! You have been qualified to serve and called into mission for God simply because of Your relationship with Him! Because of this realization, You can step into Your calling with boldness and purpose, not letting anything or anyone hold you back from fulfilling what God has called you to. In doing so, we can turn and give God the glory for all of the good things He has used you to accomplish. As you move forward in your new Christian life, go with courage and with boldness, recognizing that you have the very power of God within you, and that the Holy Spirit will empower you to do all good things that God has set out for you.

Prayer:
God, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit in my life, and for giving my life a new purpose. I pray that I would grow in confidence through You, and that I would let You work to mold me into who You have called me to be. Thank you for saving me and for using my life to shine Your glory towards everyone I come into contact with. Amen.