March 2021

WholeLife Daily Reflections

Preparation for Worship on Saturday, March 27

Things to Remember: There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow

Friday, March 26

John 17:3

And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.

Giver of Grace, you have always been. The work of your hands had no beginning, and it will have no end. Your creation has always proclaimed what is eternal—your unconditional love and extravagant mercy. May my words and actions speak of your eternal and constant goodness. Amen.

Music: Wonderful

Thursday, March 25

Devotional: Why We Need Not Fear the Future

James 4:13-15

Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”

God Who Is Trustworthy and True, you established time, yet you are not bound by it. You created the vast universes, and you continue to create beyond measure. Your love is eternal and unbound, yet it lives in the heart of your followers. Help me to measure my days only by the depth and breadth of your grace. Amen.

Music: Your Presence is a Promise

Wednesday, March 24

Devotional: Living Future Tense

2 Peter 3:11-14

Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.

God of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, you never change. You are consistent in grace, forgiveness, goodness, and compassion. Your love never fails, and your mercies are new every day. I will allow the peace you offer to shape who I am in my world. Amen.

Music: The Reason

Tuesday, March 23

Devotional: I’ve Been to Tomorrow

Proverbs 27:1

Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.

Jesus Pantocrator, you rule the universe. You hold all the answers, and no question surprises you. Your love for your creation is unmatched. Your life and sacrifice have cancelled any doubt. No worry will add anything valuable to my life, so help me to focus on you for the peace you promise. Amen.

Music: Find My Peace

Monday, March 22

Devotional: Stop Letting What’s Urgent Get in the Way

Romans 15:13

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Eternal God, you are not bound by time. You inhabit the present as well as all that is before and after. Your Kingdom is full of hope and promise. You revealed Kingdom life when you walked on the earth, and you call your children to travel that journey. Guide my path so that I might see the potential to bring your grace, mercy, and restoration to my world. Amen.

Music: Agnus Dei/King of Kings

Sunday, March 21

Devotional: You Can Loosen Your Grip on the Future

Isaiah 41:10

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Noble King, you reign in grace and compassion. You know the beginning, and you see the future. Nothing is out of your reach, and you sustain all things. Your desire is always for good, and you work continuously for healing and redemption. My life is safe in your hands, and I will rest knowing I am loved by you. Amen.

Music: Something Greater

Preparation for Worship on Saturday, March 20

Things to Remember: Love Each Other and Everybody Else

Friday, March 19

Devotional: Now Is the Time to Love

1 Corinthians 13:1

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

God of Profound Mercy, you put the most precious gift in the most fragile form. You never questioned your plan because your love was greater than any broken thought or action. Sin has never caused you to hesitate in your movement toward your creation; it has only motivated you to compassion and forgiveness. I want to live a life that glorifies my Savior. I ask for strength, humility, and your heart of grace. Amen.

Music: Jesus Happened

Thursday, March 18

Devotional: Love Is Not Weak

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Powerful Sovereign, you are both the Roaring Lion and the Gentle Lamb – and in every aspect of your being is strength and purpose. Your sacrifice is beyond human understand, and the undeserved forgiveness you offer is incomprehensible. Your love brings hope, moves mountains, and heals what is broken; your love is life. Help me to live my life through the filter of your love. Amen.

Music: Our God is Alive

Wednesday, March 17

Devotional: Loving the Hard to Like

1 Peter 4:8

Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.

God of Love, your nature is to love. You live in unity of love, and you created in love. You seek in love, redeem in love, and restore in love. You are a Lover of All, without precondition or price. Your desire is for those you love to also love others. Fill my heart with that kind of love. Amen.

Music: Love Like You Love

Tuesday, March 16

Devotional: The Good Shepherd

Ephesians 2:8-9

For it’s by God’s grace that you have been saved. You receive it through faith. It was not our plan or our effort. It is God’s gift, pure and simple. You didn’t earn it, not one of us did, so don’t go around bragging that you must have done something amazing.

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 this 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, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen. (Prayer of St. Francis)

Music: Mercy Flows Free

Monday, March 15

Devotional: Closing the Book on Vengeance

Numbers 23:19-20

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? Listen, I received a command to bless; God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it!

Proclaimer of Good News, you came to seek and to save. Your actions are always for good, and your intention is to recreate a kingdom of peace. Forgive me when my heart does not show mercy, my words do not show compassion, and my acts do not share your gospel of grace. Amen.

Music: Good God Almighty

Sunday, March 14

Devotional: A Sermon on Jonah

1 John 4:10-11

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.

Miracle Worker, you soften the hearts of those hardened by pride and selfishness. You redeem those who deny you and resist your mercy. Your compassion reaches into the depths of sadness and misery, and you create new life. Help me to love whom you love and rejoice in the salvation of all creation. Amen.

Music: Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly

Preparation for Worship on Saturday, March 13

Things to Remember: Trust the Gospel

Friday, March 12

Devotional: Taking Back Eden

Psalm 107:1

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

God Made Man, you walked through dry lands and cool gardens. You made your home with the broken and scorned. Holiness and piety were never prerequisites for your acceptance. You love “in spite of,” not “because of.” Sometimes I feel knocked down, and I need your presence to bring me back to my feet and remind me that I am wholly yours. Help me to trust in you. Amen.

Music: Gratitude

Thursday, March 11

Devotional: No Other Gospel

John 14:6

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

Singular Savior, you alone offer redemption from sin. You alone heal hearts and mend souls. You alone are the full embodiment of God. You alone confirm that your grace is sufficient for salvation, and nothing can or should be added. Thank you for your extravagant forgiveness and unfailing love. I accept your mercy as a gift. Amen.

Music: Gospel Song

Wednesday, March 10

Devotional: The Gospel Changes Everything

John 15:9

I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.

God, my Hope, your love is eternal, unconditional, constant, and extravagant; your love never fails. You made the ultimate sacrifice to restore your relationship with your creation and your creatures. You have chosen me, and I am your treasured child. I will trust the promise of your saving grace. Amen.

Music: Jesus Loves Me Remix

Tuesday, March 9

Devotional: One Minute to Address the World

Mark 16:15

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.”

Word Made Flesh, you wasted no time in sharing your message of love. From a feeding trough in a cave, you declared the lengths to which you would go to redeem your beloved. Your message of forgiveness and grace is clear. Inspire my words, and direct my actions as I share your good news with my world. Amen.

Music: OMG

Monday, March 8

Devotional: The Lyric and Music of the Gospel

John 15:11

I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

Mighty Savior, you hung out with fishermen and prostitutes. You were accused of being a drunkard and partier. Your presence disarmed the skeptical and cynical who had walked away from a religion of guilt and shame. You are the Author of joy. Close my heart to the lie that my life with you demands constant solemnity and seriousness. Let me continuously dance with delight in your presence. Amen.

Music: All My Delight

Sunday, March 7

Devotional: Faith Like a Child

Matthew 18:4

So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Lord Who Delivers, you hold the universe in your arms, and you direct its movement with ease. You seek out the willing, those who hunger to learn. You lead with a gentle hand, and provide refreshment for the weary. I try so hard to be independent, but in doing so, I have missed the beauty of your merciful provisions. Help me to trust as a child and lean on your grace to sustain me. Amen.

Music: Wholehearted

Preparation for Worship on Saturday, March 6

Things to Remember: Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

Friday, March 5

Devotional: What “Resting on God” Actually Looks Like

Psalm 127:2

It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.

God of Peace, you offer stillness in the storm and security through trials. You remain constant in every situation, unshaken by any threatening force. Your compassion and grace embrace the grieving and heal the wounded. When I am overwhelmed, help me to find the serenity you offer by focusing on you alone. Amen.

Music: Still/Peace

Thursday, March 4

Devotional: How Can We Stay Focused on Christ?

2 Chronicles 20:15

He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

Gracious Warrior for Good, you fight the good fight. You continuously protect, defend, restore, and redeem. Your skill and strength are unsurpassed, and there is nothing out of your reach. I get so distracted. I lose focus and believe I must carry every weight and fight every battle. Restore the peace of your presence in my life. Amen.

Music: Still

Wednesday, March 3

Devotional: What You See is What You Get

Deuteronomy 30:19

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!

Spirit of Discernment, you make things plain; you separate the wise from the foolish and what builds up from what tears down. You speak clearly to hearts that are open and minds that seek you. Fill me today so that I am consumed with your love, your grace, and your goodness. Amen.

Music: Always Good

Tuesday, March 2

Devotional: Onward, and the Quest for the Father

Isaiah 53:3

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Gentle Jesus, your love is deep and constant. Your willingness to suffer in humanity, to lay down your life to redeem your creation, is an unmatchable act of mercy. You are and always will be present in my life, yet so many times I forget this truth and miss your Spirit. Help me to focus my eyes, my mind, and my heart on you today. Amen.

Music: Nothing Else

Monday, March 1

Devotional: The Power of Testimony

Galatians 4:4-5

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.

Holy Author of Life, you didn’t set your church up as a place for perfect people. You invited the lost and lonely, the sick and weary. You invited everyone into your story so that they would be changed. Help me to tell my story of faith through words and actions of love and grace. Amen.

Music: Year of Victory

Sunday, February 28

Devotional: Chasing vs Following

Deuteronomy 31:8

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.

Or Yisrael, Light of Israel, you have set a path of righteousness. You lead your people through trials and danger. Your way is one of security and peace, even when the journey is difficult. Help me to keep my eyes on you, knowing your yolk is easy, and your burden is light. Amen.

Music: As For Me