Listen to Today's Devotion I’m reading from Acts 4:13 (NKJV). “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” What set Peter and John apart was the fact that they had been with Jesus. Could you use some high-octane boldness? Could you use some courage? Are you being criticized, mocked, persecuted? If so, imitate the disciples. Linger long and often in the presence of Christ. Meditate on his grace. Ponder his love. Memorize his words. Gaze into his face. Talk to him. Co ..read more

Listen to Today's Devotion He sat near a gate called Beautiful. The man, however, was anything but. He couldn’t walk but had to drag himself about on his knees. “Peter and John looked straight at him and said, ‘Look at us!’” (Acts 3:4 NCV). The thick, meaty hand of the fisherman reached for the frail, thin one of the beggar. Peter lifted the man toward himself. The cripple stood and began to shout, and passersby began to stop. Peter explained that faith in Christ leads to a clean slate with God. What Jesus did for the legs of the cripple, he does for our souls. Brand new! An honest l ..read more

Listen to Today's Devotion “Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay” (1 Peter 4:9 NLT). The Greek word for hospitality compounds two terms: love and stranger. The word literally means to love a stranger. All of us can welcome a guest we know and love, but can we welcome a stranger? Every morning in America more than 39 million people wake up in poverty. When we provide food stamps, we stave off hunger. But when we invite the hungry to our tables, we address the deeper issues of value and self-worth. God’s secret weapons in the war on poverty include your kitche ..read more

Listen to Today's Devotion Hospitality and hospital come from the same Latin word, for they both lead to the same result: healing. When you open your door to someone, you’re sending this message: “You matter to me and to God.” Do you know people who need this message? Your hospitality can be their hospital. All you need are a few basic practices. Issue a genuine invitation. Let your guests know you want them to come. Make a big deal of their arrival. One of God’s children is coming to your house! Address the needs of your guests. Modern-day hospitality includes the sharing of fo ..read more

Listen to Today's Devotion Our society is set up for isolation. We communicate via e-mail and text messages. Our mantra: “I leave you alone. You leave me alone.” Yet God wants his people to be an exception—people of hospitality. “Every day in the Temple and in people’s homes they continued teaching the people and telling the Good News—that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 5:42 NCV). Even a casual reading of the New Testament unveils the house as the primary tool of the church. The first generation of Christians was a tinderbox of contrasting cultures and backgrounds, united through the clearest of m ..read more

Listen to Today's Devotion What if the missing ingredient for changing the world is teamwork? “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action” (Matthew 18:19 MSG). This is an astounding promise. The Jerusalem church found a way to work together. They found common ground in the death, the burial, and resurrection of Christ. Because they did, lives were changed. And as you and I do, the same will happen. The congregation is a microcosm of God’s plan. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. And when we do, “G ..read more

Listen to Today's Devotion None of us can do what all of us can do. Remember Jesus’ commission to the disciples? “You”—speaking to all of you collectively—”will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8 NIV). Jesus didn’t issue individual assignments. He works in community. “Jesus is the head of the body, which is the church” (Colossians 1:18 NCV). I am not his body; you are not his body. We—together—are his body. But this body has been known to misbehave. The brain discounts the heart – academics discount worshippers. The hands criticize the knees – people of action criticize people of prayer. It is a clear ..read more

Listen to Today's Devotion Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again” (John 6:35 NLT). You know, the grain-to-bread process is a demanding one. Bread is the end result of planting, harvesting, and heating. Jesus endured an identical process. He was born into this world. And then he was cut down, bruised, and beaten on the threshing floor of Calvary. He passed through the fire of God’s wrath, for our sake. Jesus “suffered because of others’ sins…He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18 MSG). Bread of ..read more

Listen to Today's Devotion Reading from Acts chapter 2 (NIV): “Suddenly, a sound like the blowing of a violent wind, came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” What a moment on the Day of Pentecost! Whatever could this mean? Peter responded to that question with a trio of God-given endorsements of Christ. He talked about when Jesus healed bodies and called life out of L ..read more

Listen to Today's Devotion Pentecost was the busiest day of the year in Jerusalem, and Jesus’ followers were gathered in prayer. Not separated from society, but smack-dab in the center of it. Once God had them where he needed them, the Holy Spirit came upon them suddenly. First as wind, then as individual tongues of fire. Individual flames hovering over each person. “And they began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4 NKJV). People from all over the world heard the wonderful works of God. Whatever could this miracle mean? God loves the nations. He has a red ..read more