- Today's Devotional
Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh
Paul suffers deep agony. Tormented and desperate for relief, he repeatedly pleads with the Lord in an emotionally charged lament. Then comes a subtle shift: “But he said to me…” God responds! Who is this God who answers Paul’s cry? He is a God of power, restoration, and peace. God willingly floods Paul’s weakness with grace so his glory can shine through him. God doesn’t tell Paul what he’s going to do; he tells him who God is!
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For every step of your journey.
- Devotional
Sanctification Will Happen
John is one of Jesus's closest friends. He walks with him, eats with him, lives life with him. Years later, as an older man writing to the early church, John's letters reveal one theme that rises above the rest: love. John teaches that one of the clearest outward signs of sanctification—someone truly growing in following Jesus—is loving God and loving others. Once someone grasps the great love of God, they're able to turn around and love others in return. It flows out of them, not because they're trying hard, but because it's the evidence that they are being sanctified...
- Devotional
Sanctification Is God’s Work and Yours
Paul writes this letter from a prison cell, yet his words overflow with unexpected joy. He thanks God for the Philippians and their partnership in the gospel, even as they face real pressure for their faith in Jesus. Paul points them back to their union with Christ, and then urges them to keep working out their salvation with fear and trembling. He isn't asking them to work for their salvation — Jesus's death and resurrection already secured that gift. Instead, Paul calls them to keep asking God to continue what he's already begun in them, cooperating with his Holy Spirit...
- Devotional
Sanctification Is A Response
Paul writes to the Ephesians to strengthen their faith and help them grasp their new life in Christ. Paul doesn't open with commands, but with their identity in Christ ( Ephesians 1:1–14 ). Before they could learn how to live for Christ, they needed to see how desperate their situation had been without him. They were spiritually dead in their sin. But because of his great love and mercy, God made them alive in Christ. They were already forgiven, already adopted, already chosen. The order matters: their good works aren't the price for what Jesus has done for them—they're the fruit of it. They were saved from sin and saved for good works. That's sanctification: the response to a justification already given...
- Devotional
Sanctification Is About Freedom
Paul opens Romans 6 by reminding his readers what's already true: they're sinners who need a Savior, made right with God through faith, and joined with Christ in his death and resurrection. Then in verse 11 , everything shifts. "In the same way," Paul writes, "count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." From here on, everything flows from that one idea: sin no longer has a hold on them. Later in the passage, Paul pictures this as a change of ownership: set free from sin, they now belong to righteousness ( Romans 6:18 ). They were justified in the past, but they're also being saved right now from sin's ongoing pull...
- Devotional
Sanctification Is About Freedom
Paul opens Romans 6 by reminding his readers what's already true: they're sinners who need a Savior, made right with God through faith, and joined with Christ in his death and resurrection. Then in verse 11 , everything shifts. "In the same way," Paul writes, "count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." From here on, everything flows from that one idea: sin no longer has a hold on them. Later in the passage, Paul pictures this as a change of ownership: set free from sin, they now belong to righteousness ( Romans 6:18 ). They were justified in the past, but they're also being saved right now from sin's ongoing pull...
- Devotional
Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh
Paul suffers deep agony. Tormented and desperate for relief, he repeatedly pleads with the Lord in an emotionally charged lament. Then comes a subtle shift: “But he said to me…” God responds! Who is this God who answers Paul’s cry? He is a God of power, restoration, and peace. God willingly floods Paul’s weakness with grace so his glory can shine through him. God doesn’t tell Paul what he’s going to do; he tells him who God is!
- Devotional
Saved For
Paul provides a beautiful picture of what happens when believers put their faith in Jesus. He calls them God’s handiwork. This points to something carefully made—a work of art, a masterpiece, or something created with great skill and purpose. Like a master artist, God knows what he is creating before the work is finished. He is their Master Designer, and they are his workmanship. He created them on purpose for a purpose.
- Devotional
Saved By
Paul continues to teach the Ephesians about the heart of God. God is loving, merciful, and gracious. In love, he gave himself for them. In mercy, he does not give them the punishment their sin deserves. And in grace, he gives them what they do not deserve—forgiveness, new life, and a place with him forever. Paul reiterates the good news of salvation: they are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Jesus. They cannot earn their way to God by being good, doing more, or trying harder. Salvation is a gift.
