WholeLife Daily Reflections

Preparation for Worship on Saturday, January 30

Stewarding the Gospel . . . of Reconciliation

Friday, January 29

Devotional: All That is the Father’s is Ours

Isaiah 25:6-8

In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will spread a wonderful feast for all the people of the world. It will be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat. There he will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The Lord has spoken!

Compassionate Father, you understand your children. Your love runs deeper than any cavern of sin and shame. You run after the broken and embrace the lost. You have given me all I need, and I am reconciled in your grace. Thank you. Amen.

Music: Come to Jesus (Reconciliation Hymn)

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Thursday, January 28

Devotional: I Am Also the Wolf

Psalm 4:6-8

Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let your face smile on us, Lord. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

Healer and Protector, you hold the power over sin and darkness. Your light dissolves the shadows of shame and doubt. You are recklessly in love with those you created. I will rest in your mercy, knowing nothing will separate me from your great love. Amen.

Music: My Advocate

Wednesday, January 27

Devotional: Life Made Livable

Matthew 6:33

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Sovereign Over All, you are holy and pure. The work of your hands creates beauty and peace. You defeated death and have opened the door to a world of honor and grace. Thank you for the gift of salvation and for the kingdom life you invite me to right now. Amen.

Music: Sound of Heaven

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Tuesday, January 26

Devotional: A Spirit of Reconciliation

James 3:13-16

If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

Shub Nephesh, Renewer of Life, your Spirit brings hope and reconciliation. You are a God who holds no good thing back, and you are always striving to be fully seen in your glorious grace. Open my heart to mercy, and show me the ways I hold back or manipulate your Spirit of reconciliation in my life. Amen.

Music: Your Nature

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Monday, January 25

Devotional: Accepting the Story God Gave Us

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Matthew 5:23-24

So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

Powerful Peacemaker, you are strength and gentleness—Lion and Lamb. You embrace the spectrum of justice and mercy—law and grace. You have reconciled your children by the sacrifice of Jesus. Thank you for a love that reunites Creator and creature in a beautiful embrace. Amen.

Music: Confession

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Sunday, January 24

Devotional: Ministry of Reconciliation

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Luke 6:37-38

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.

Self-Giving Sovereign, you hold nothing back. You have given yourself fully in creation, sacrifice, and reconciliation. You are in constant pursuit of those you love, and there is no end to your mercy. I am in need of your grace and ask for your heart of tender compassion toward those from whom I have been divided. Amen.

Music: Reconciliation Song

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Preparation for Worship on Saturday, January 23

Stewarding the Gospel . . . of Equality

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Friday, January 22

Devotional: Personal and Prophetic Grace

John 1:16

From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.

Provider of Grace, your vision of perfection is inclusive of all people. You have opened heaven’s gates to the humble and proud, the strong and weak, knowing no one is deserving, but all are welcome. As I find peace in your mercy, may I live in a way that speaks your grace over everyone I meet. Amen.

Spoken Word: G.R.A.C.E.

Thursday, January 21

Devotional: The Answer to Inequality

John 7:37-38

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”

Welcoming Redeemer, you invite everyone to partake in the feast of your redemptive love. Your arms embrace the entirety of your creation. There are none exempt from the goodness of your mercy. When I feel unworthy and unclean, remind me that you have washed me in your grace and prepared me to share your love. Amen.

Music: I Stand Amazed

Wednesday, January 20

Devotional: 10 Ways Christians Misuse Christianity

Ephesians 4:29-30

Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

Lord of All, your great love brought Jesus to the world. Your enduring mercy commissioned a church of your people. Your extravagant forgiveness equips even the greatest of sinners as your friend. Help me to speak words of encouragement, honoring the mission you have given me to tell others your good news. Amen.

Music: Sing

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Tuesday, January 19

Devotional: Becoming a New Humanity

Psalm 67:3-4

May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. Let the whole world sing for joy, because you govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world.

Holy God, you govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world. No one is left out of your grace. Your mercies are new every day and showered on the people of the whole world. Thank you for including me in your love, and may that assurance release me to love others in the same way. Amen.

Music: You Reign

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Monday, January 18

Devotional: Radical Equality in the Reign of God

Malachi 2:10

Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another?

Impartial Judge, you sit in ultimate authority. You rule over all that is and will be. There is no power mightier and no love greater than yours. There is no scarcity in your compassion. I have nothing to fear in your presence, and I know that your mercies are only multiplied as they are shared. Help me to live out your extravagant grace today. Amen.

Music: Bleed the Same

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Sunday, January 17

Devotional: When Equality Means Some Are Given More Than Others

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Mark 12:30-31

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.

Lord make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, and it's in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen (Francis of Assisi)

Music: Closer

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Preparation for Worship on Saturday, January 16

Stewarding the Gospel . . . of Others First

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Friday, January 15

Devotional: Christians Should Get Dirty

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1 John 3:17-18           

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

Active Sovereign, you make yourself known in a myriad of ways. You wrote your story in the beauty of creation. You displayed your love as you walked on the Earth. You have chosen to reach humanity through the lives of your children. Speak your goodness and grace through me today. Amen.

Music: Rise Up

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Thursday, January 14

Devotional: Making Room for Others

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Philippians 2:3-4

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Spirit of Grace, you fill in the dark places of life. You enter into sorrow and need, and you open hearts to new depths of understanding. Your presence is felt in the unexpected invitation of community and the warm embrace of a kind word. Work through me today. Amen.

Music: Thin

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Wednesday, January 13

Devotional: Scared Stupid

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Hebrews 12:14

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Creator of Humanity – you are the author of peace. You live in harmony as Father, Son, and Spirit – one, yet complete in individuality. When you birthed the world, there was no fear in humanity, only self-giving mutuality in relationships. Fill my heart with the peace of unity that embraces all people with respect and honor. Amen.

Music: Fearless

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Tuesday, January 12

Devotional: Rescued from the Sea of Self

Romans 12:9-10

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Humble Savior, at creation your love was expressed in the life you made, and for salvation, your love was expressed in the life you gave. As you walked the Earth, your every thought and action was for the benefit of others. Help me to journey through life in the service of those around me. Amen.

Music: Hosanna/For Those Who Are to Come

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Monday, January 11

Devotional: What Would Be Your First Commandment?

John 13:34-35

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Sovereign Example of Love, you set the perfect standard. You showed the world and all universes beyond what it means to love without condition and without limits. Your love changes things – purpose, potential, and people. Fill me with your Spirit of love so that I overflow with it. Mold my heart into one that loves others in the way you love me. Amen.

Music: With Every Act of Love

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Sunday, January 10

Devotional: The First Will Be Last

James 1:17-18

 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

God of Extravagant Grace, you are a shower of rain on parched ground and bright sunshine breaking through the clouds. There is no end to your goodness and no lacking in your love. Help me to leave behind any ideas of scarcity so that my words and actions toward others is always about sharing your kingdom of abundance. Amen.

Music: Overflow

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Preparation for Worship on Saturday, January 9

Stewarding the Gospel . . . of Unfairness

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Friday, January 8

Devotional: We Can’t Handle the Grace

Ecclesiastes 7:20

Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.

Merciful Savior, you gave everything to redeem the relationship you intended with your creation. When accused, you showed compassion; when condemned you offered hope; when murdered, you forgave. You have sealed a covenant for my soul, and I will rest in your amazing grace. Amen.

Music: Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace)

Thursday, January 7

Devotional: That Amazing Unfair Grace Thing

Psalm 103:8-10

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

God of Love, you are perfect and holy. You cannot be fooled or misled because you see only what is true. In spite of the failures of humanity, there are no limits to your affection for those you created. I am thankful for you unmerited grace, knowing it frees me to live out your purpose for me. Amen.

Music: Love Moved First

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Wednesday, January 6

Devotional: Grace is Not Fair

2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Almighty Provider, you give perfect and complete gifts. You offer forgiveness and mercy that redeems and saves. You seek out the lost and the lonely, and you call them good and beautiful. I am broken, yet you call me worthy. I do not deserve your grace, yet you cover me in it. I will simply receive your blessings today with a thankful heart. Amen.

Music: You Are the Lord

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Tuesday, January 5

Devotional: The Fun in Dysfunctional

Colossians 3:15

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Lover of the Church, you exist in relationship and created for relationship. You have great affection and compassion for all living beings, willingly giving your life for their redemption. Every community of believers struggles with the brokenness of frail humanity, yet your love for each one never fails. Help me, as one of those scarred by sin, to not sit as a judge of other’s failures, but to accept and care for my fellow sojourners. Amen.

Music: Heal Our Land

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Monday, January 4

Devotional: The Utter Recklessness of Grace

Psalm 73:25-26

Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

Extravagant Savior, you have withheld nothing. You spent your life in a dance of grace with the unworthy, the fallen, and the desperate. Your presence brought healing and hope when neither was thought possible. I am one of those desperate for your healing touch. May I remain in a place of understanding of my need so that I find my home in complete dependence on you. Amen.

Music: The Worship Medley

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Sunday, January 3

Devotional: The Scandal of Grace and Don Quixote

John 4:10

Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

God of Scandalous Grace, your compassion and love for your creatures seems unreasonable. You made the ultimate sacrifice, offer the gift of salvation, and continuously seek to convince the broken that they are included in your plan. I want to live as one set free from condemnation, knowing even though I do not deserve your goodness, it is your gift to me nonetheless. Amen.

Music: Scandal of Grace

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Preparation for Worship on Saturday, January 2

Stewarding the Gospel . . . of Worthiness

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Friday, January 1

Devotional: Resolutions, Bodies, and Your Worthiness to Be Loved

Matthew 10:29-31

What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

Holy One, you pronounced your creation good. In all of its frailty, in the potential for sin, you pronounced it good. You are the Giver of Compassion, the Resurrector of the trampled. Help me to see myself as you see me. Fill me with your Spirit of worth and belonging. Amen.

Music: It’s Not Over

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Thursday, December 31

Devotional: A Love that Chases

Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

Prodigal Father, you are extravagant in your love. You run after your children with abandon, seeking to restore a relationship of trust and honor. You do not grow weary in your pursuit. Thank you for loving me, accepting me, and placing on me the value of a child of the Eternal King.  Amen.

Music: Famous For (I Believe)

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Wednesday, December 30

Devotional: God Did

Romans 3:22-24

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

Lord of all, you have existed from before time as Father, Son, and Spirit. In perfect Trinity, you have expressed your love through creation and re-creation, and you offer amazing grace. I have nothing to offer in defense of my human frailty, yet you embrace me as your perfect child. Thank you for such boundless mercy. Amen.

Music: Louder

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Tuesday, December 29

Devotional: Are We Worthy of God’s Love?

Ephesians 2:8-10

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Creator of Beauty, you formed all life. Knowing the end from the beginning, you found delight in the potential of what your hands created. You have placed eternity into the heart of humanity. I believe I am the person whom you already adore. May I walk in your steps today, leaving a path of Kingdom life. Amen.

Music:  Who You Are To Me

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Monday, December 28

Devotional: Presenting Our Lists

Ephesians 3:12

Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.

Consoling Eternal Parent, you love your children. You delight in the wholeness of your creation and are constantly at work to fill the world with your grace. I will never on this earth fulfill the life of holiness for which you created me, yet you embrace me as I am. Fill me with a spirit of surrender to you. Amen.

Music: As I Am

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Sunday, December 27
Devotional: Who are the Tax Collectors?

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1 Timothy 1:15

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 

Friend of Sinners, the forgiveness you offer is because of your great love. You are able to restore relationships broken by sin and remove the stain of shame and humiliation. There is nothing you want more than reconciliation with your creation. Like Paul, I am a great sinner. However, I trust your grace and am lifted by the mercy of your acceptance and assurance of your gift of salvation. Amen.

Music:  God So Loved

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Come all you weary, come all you thirsty

Come to the well that never runs dry

Drink of the Water, come and thirst no more

Come all you sinners, come find His mercy

Come to the table, He will satisfy

Taste of His goodness, find what you’re looking for

For God so loved the world that He gave us

His one and only Son to save us

Whoever believes in Him will live forever

Bring all your failures, bring your addictions

Come lay them down at the foot of the cross

Jesus is waiting there with open arms

For God so loved the world that He gave us

His one and only Son to save us

Whoever believes in Him will live forever

The power of Hell forever defeated

Now it is well, I’m walking in freedom

For God so loved, God so loved the world

Praise God, praise God

From whom all blessings flow     

Praise Him, praise Him

For the wonders of His love     

His amazing love

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