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Today’s devotion is from the InTouch Ministries website. In Touch Ministries was founded by Charles Stanley (1932-2023), an American pastor and writer.

Navigating loss is a complex process; there is no straightforward path through grief. Yet Nehemiah’s journey from lamenting the broken walls of Jerusalem to rebuilding them offers us insight as we partner with God to put life’s shattered places back together. After grieving the destruction of Jerusalem’s fortifications, Nehemiah asked King Artaxerxes for permission to return to that city and rebuild its protective wall. Taking stock of what remains after loss is an important step as we move from grieving to rebuilding. It can be difficult to find glimmers of hope while surveying the ruins of broken lives, dreams, or relationships, but we are never without the one thing that matters most—God’s presence. Nehemiah knew this to be true, which is why he toured Jerusalem to inspect its walls and learn what was needed to repair the damage. In doing so, he oriented himself towards hope—that is, he looked for what could be accomplished with God’s help. As the Lord did with Nehemiah, He also invites us to view rubble in our life with eyes of faith. So let’s dare to look beyond our present circumstances toward the joy of future restoration.

You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach. [Nehimiah 2:18]

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Written by Victoria Riollano, a contemporary professor and writer.

Lord, I thank you for who you are in my life today. I thank you for the testimonies I have seen of your goodness. I do not take the peace, healing, and provision you have given me over the years for granted. Lord, help me to remember what you have done and teach me how to share it with people of all ages. I pray for spiritual boldness to speak and proclaim my testimony and the truth of the gospel. Lord, help me never to shy away from sharing or be ashamed of the gospel. Show me, Lord, the times when I haven’t been bold. Teach me how to proudly tell people who you are. Amen.

He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. [2 Thessalonians 2:14].

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Today’s devotion is from the “He Gets Us” website, an organization with a diverse group of Jesus followers who help people rediscover the love story of Jesus.

We were looking at the life of Jesus to see who he really was, and we noticed something peculiar: he spent a lot of time around the dinner table. Many of his most frequently quoted messages and standout stories happened while sharing a meal with others. As we looked closer, we noticed that his company around the table was a remarkably diverse cast. He shared meals with outcasts. He spent time with the
self-righteous religious elite. He cared for people who had broken every rule and were seen as unclean. He dined at the tables of the wealthy men whose riches were won with lies and corruption. Some of those men gave up comfortable lifestyles to follow him. He crossed racial boundaries to the shock of many around him. He invited everyone to the table. When asked why he did so, he replied, “… I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” It was radical at the time. No one was that inclusive. The religious do-gooders began to whisper behind his back. They called him a friend of sinners. It was supposed to be an insult, but Jesus wore it proudly. He was a friend to everyone. And what do friends do? They eat dinner together and share in each other’s lives. Strangers eating together and becoming friends. What a simple concept, and yet, we’re pretty sure it would turn our own modern world upside down the same way Jesus turned his around 2,000 years ago. .. We see division and broken relationships everywhere. We see judgment and hypocrisy on the rise. We see people who claim to be followers of Jesus taking his open invite and turning it into an exclusive club. The name of Jesus has been used to harm and divide, but if you look at how he lived, you see how backward that really is. Jesus was not exclusive. He was radically inclusive. What would our world look like if that were the norm? If strangers became friends over the dinner table as they did around Jesus?

While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him
eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” [Mark 2:15-17]

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Written by Joel Caldwell, a contemporary clinical psychologist, counselor, and writer.

I used to pass him everyday on my way to work.  He stood at the corner of one of the busiest intersections in the city.  He always held a sign about a desire to work for food.  On my best days, I would give him a few dollars.  Every other day, I would just drive on by pretending not to notice him.  I always felt a twinge of guilt. Steve was a successful chef in that same city.  He was known for his innovative cuisine and in-demand restaurant. Steve passed through that same intersection each day.  Occasionally, he would bring the man food.  But over time, Steve had other ideas.  He wanted to make a real difference in not only this man’s life, but also in the lives of those like this man. So Steve took the dramatic step of leaving his restaurant to open a non-profit cafe that catered to the homeless.  He also used this cafe to introduce Jesus to those who did not know Him.  While I was busy feeling guilty over someone’s suffering, Steve wanted to utilize his own gifts to help change someone’s life.  Steve understood that investing in people is the best kind of investment.  It can change the lives of those we help, but also our own in the process. Steve decided to change his own life significantly in order to best help those who needed it.  He understood the concept in 2 Corinthians 9:6 about sowing and reaping.  Steve sowed heavily in the lives of others and he reaped many rewards. Steve’s cafe attracted the homeless in the city but also those in more fortunate situations.  On any given weekday, you could find professionals dining in the presence of those who struggled with the basics of life.  They were all drawn to Steve’s food but even more so to his heart. His generosity was returned in spades. 

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. [2 Corinthians 9:6]

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Written by Billy Graham (1918-2018), an American evangelist, minister, author, and broadcaster.

To appreciate art, one must either be born with an artistic sense or develop it by training. Only a relatively few people have an innate sense of color, form, and harmony. To such, a love for art comes naturally. Without an artistic appreciation in one’s soul, visiting an art gallery can be a boring affair. Likewise, to appreciate good music one must have music “in him” or develop it. Without a sense of music appreciation, it is possible to sleep through a symphony concert or a performance of the Metropolitan Opera. So it is with the things of God. Talk about God can become dreary and lackluster if God isn’t in you. Church can become a drab thing and the Bible an irksome Book if the Holy Spirit does not illuminate your soul with His indwelling presence. The wonderful thing about it all is that God has planned life so that if our hearts are dead to spiritual things, something can be done about it.

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  [Ephesians 3:19]

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Written by Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), an English preacher and author.

Famine pinched all the nations, and it seemed inevitable that Jacob and his family should suffer great want; but the God of providence, who never forgets the objects of electing love, had stored a granary for his people by giving the Egyptians warning of the scarcity, and leading them to treasure up the grain of the years of plenty. Little did Jacob expect deliverance from Egypt, but there was the corn in store for him. Believer, though all things are apparently against thee, rest assured that God has made a reservation on thy behalf; in the roll of thy griefs there is a saving clause. Somehow, he will deliver thee, and somewhere he will provide for thee. The quarter from which thy rescue shall arise may be a very unexpected one, but help will assuredly come in thine extremity, and thou shalt magnify the name of the Lord. If men do not feed thee, ravens shall; and if earth yield not wheat, heaven shall drop with manna. Therefore, be of good courage, and rest quietly in the Lord. God can make the sun rise in the west if he pleases and make the source of distress the channel of delight. The corn in Egypt was all in the hands of the beloved Joseph; he opened or closed the granaries at will. And so, the riches of providence are all in the absolute power of our Lord Jesus, who will dispense them liberally to his people. Joseph was abundantly ready to succor his own family; and Jesus is unceasing in his faithful care for his brethren. Our business is to go after the help which is provided for us: we must not sit still in despondency but bestir ourselves. Prayer will bear us soon into the presence of our royal Brother: once before his throne we have only to ask and have: his stores are not exhausted; there is corn still: his heart is not hard, he will give the corn to us. Lord, forgive our unbelief, and this evening constrain us to draw largely from thy fulness and receive grace for grace.

I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die. [Genesis 42:2]

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Written by Jim Coakley, a contemporary professor and author.

If you’ve ever gone on a hike through a state park, you know that the way can sometimes be unclear. You come to a fork in the trail and wonder if you should head left or right. Maybe you consult your trail guide or look for a marker that will indicate the right direction. As we come to the end of Matthew’s Gospel, we see the resurrected Jesus gather His disciples on a mountain in Galilee. Here He delivers what has been called the Great Commission. This was a significant crossroad for the disciples, and they would rely on Jesus to help them with their next steps. Jesus challenges them to step out of their comfort zone, to “go and make disciples of all nations,”, and then, He gives them the assurance they need. He promises His presence…Jesus’ promise brings both comfort and strength to His disciples. He assures them, and us by extension, that no matter what challenges we face in following Him, we are not alone. Matthew at the beginning of the Gospel stated that Jesus is Immanuel, “God with us.” Now in the last verse we come full circle. This last chapter about Jesus’ death and resurrection echoes many of the themes that were introduced in Jesus’ birth narrative—not only that God is with us, but that Gentiles would be included in God’s plan. As Christ’s followers, we are to venture out into the world, to make disciples and to baptize in His name, all with the comfort of the Lord’s unending presence. As we step out in obedience, let us take to heart the blessing of the Lord’s presence “with us” not only for today but for all our tomorrows as well.

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. [Matthew 28:20]

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Written by the Lead Like Jesus team, an organization founded by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges that promotes a transformational leadership model based on following Jesus.

Jesus, I hear You ask me the same question You asked Simon Peter, “Do you love me?” Let Your love be my heartbeat, so transforming me that I willingly pour myself out for the benefit of others. I pray in Your name today, amen.

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love
you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep. [John 21:16]

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Written by Travis Greene, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from his book “Are You Praying for the Wrong Thing?”

We’re all heroes of our own stories. We’re the stars of our own lifelong movies. When something happens, it happens to us. And when people hurt us, they’re the villains, right? But here’s the thing we forget:  Our stories — as much as it might seem like they revolve around us — are actually part of a much, much bigger story. We’re all characters in God’s own book. And each one of us plays a part in that book. That includes you. And me. And the guy who cut you off in traffic. And the friend who stopped calling. And the son or daughter who cut off all contact with you. They might’ve done terrible things. They might even seem, right now, to be terrible people. But God still loves them — loves them in ways you can’t even imagine. And He still has a place for them in His story — a part that He wants them to play… Peter, who denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed twice, became the leader of the early church — the “rock” that Jesus said he’d become (Matthew 16:18)…Christian tradition tells us that, outside Judas, all of Jesus’ disciples made mighty contributions to the Kingdom of God. They might’ve failed Jesus at a crucial moment. But God wasn’t done with them. God used them. And He can do the same for the people in our lives. The people who walk away. The people who leave us. The people who hurt us. God’s not done with them either.

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and
pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. [Matthew 5:44–45].

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Written by L.B. Cowman (1870-1960), an American writer and author.

Pressed out of measure and pressed to all length;
Pressed so intensely it seems, beyond strength;
Pressed in the body and pressed in the soul,
Pressed in the mind till the dark surges roll.

Pressure by foes, and a pressure from friends.
Pressure on pressure, till life nearly ends.Pressed into knowing no helper but God;
Pressed into loving the staff and the rod.
Pressed into liberty where nothing clings;
Pressed into faith for impossible things.
Pressed into living a life in the Lord,
Pressed into living a Christ-life outpoured.

I was crushed…so much so that I despaired even of life, but that was to make me rely not on myself,
but on the God who raises the dead. [2 Corinthians 1:8-9]

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