Our Devotionals come from Love Worth Finding, the ministry founded by Adrian Rogers who has since graduated to Glory. These are so relevant even today!

Is There Purpose in Pain? TODAY'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL April 24, 2025 “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” ROMANS 5:3-5 PONDER THIS Jesus knows sorrow. He knew it in His flesh while on Earth. The shortest verse in the English Bible is: “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). And when Jesus saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion. Don’t pass over that. He feels with us, and the scars tell us that He knows and understands our pain. Those scars tell us He entered the pain of Man. He entered our suffering because He loves us. Pain has a protecting purpose. If you had the choice and could say, “I’ll have no more pain in my body ever,” that would be a foolish choice. You’d step on a nail and never know it. You’d have an infection and never have a fever. Only God enters our pain with us and gives us purpose in it. He does so because He loves us. When have you felt comforted by God in a time of suffering? How does Jesus’ compassion change how you view the difficult moments of life? PRACTICE THIS Pray for someone who is in a season of suffering. Ask God to show you how you can be His hands and feet to show that person love.

God Took Suffering on Himself TODAY'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL April 23, 2025 “The other disciples therefore said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ So he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’ And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, ‘Peace to you!’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” JOHN 20:25-28 PONDER THIS I’ve spoken to some people who say, “I don’t believe in God anymore.” They say, “I just don’t want to have anything to do with God. I don’t believe in God. I can’t understand this matter of suffering.” They conclude, “If God is a God of love, and He loves me so much, yet He doesn’t do anything to relieve this suffering, then He must not have any power.” On the other hand, they say, “Well, if He has the power to do it but doesn’t do it, maybe He has no love.” Or then, they ask another question: “Maybe He doesn’t have any love. Maybe He doesn’t have any power. Maybe there is no God. Why do people suffer?” But there’s a bigger question than that. The question is not, “Why does God allow humans to suffer?” but “Why does God allow Himself to suffer?” Have you ever thought about God as one who suffers? Have you ever thought about God as One who has pain? How did those scars get into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ? Because of suffering! God has taken on suffering in the most complete and healing way, He has taken it on Himself so that we can be with Him. When have you encountered suffering that made you question God’s goodness? How did you respond? Why is it significant that we worship a suffering savior? What makes this easy to forget or neglect? PRACTICE THIS Discuss with a mentor or pastor how a Christian should navigate the problem of suffering.

We Need Light and Sight TODAY'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL April 22, 2025 “And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.” LUKE 24:14-16 PONDER THIS There are two things the Lord opens for us when we’re confused and discouraged: He opens the Scriptures, and He opens our eyes. Both are absolutely necessary. Light without sight is no good, and sight without light is no good. We need both. Why did God make it that these disciples on the road to Emmaus would not know who Jesus was? That doesn’t necessarily mean His form was changed, but something happened to them. God distorted their vision in some way and did not give them recognition. He put their dependence not upon His physical presence with them but upon the Word of God. He opened their eyes to see Him not after the flesh but to see Him by the Holy Spirit in the Word of God. The written Word brings Jesus Christ to us and makes Jesus Christ real to us. They didn’t say, “Oh yes, we recognize Him. That was really Him. We saw Him.” No. They said, “We knew Him because He opened the Word to us.” That’s how they knew Him—through the Word of God. How have you come to know Jesus more through God’s Word? How can you grow in this area? PRACTICE THIS Read the Word and learn more about who Jesus is.

An Empty Pie Shell and the Runaway Boy TODAY'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL April 21, 2025 “‘When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.’ Then He said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?’” LUKE 24:23-26 PONDER THIS Once, when I was a little boy, I came into the kitchen and my mother was baking a pie. So I stood and waited until she took the pie shell out. I had never been as disappointed and angry in my life. I looked and there was no pie in the shell. I thought either my mother was extremely mean, or she had gone out of her mind. I literally ran away from home. I can remember that I went a whole half-block murmuring to myself. When I returned, I learned the rest of the story: She was not finished with what she was doing. The disciples in today’s passage were very much like that. The work was only half done, and their sadness was rooted in misunderstanding and unbelief. Now they believed part of what the prophets had spoken, but they did not believe or understand it all. They had the discouragement of confused hearts. When we don’t understand the Word of God, that can lead to discouragement. I have met many Christians who get discouraged because they don’t understand the Scriptures. They miss the fulfillment of Jesus because He doesn’t work in the way we would expect. When was a time God worked differently than you expected? What are the areas where you struggle to believe? How do you deal with that? PRACTICE THIS Talk to a trusted Christian friend about the parts of Scripture you have a tough time believing. Ask your friend to pray for you.

Presented to the King TODAY'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL April 20, 2025 “He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” ISAIAH 53:11-12 PONDER THIS Jesus brings us to God. What will sin do? Sin separates us from a holy God. On the cross, Jesus took holy God with one hand, sinful Man with the other hand, and by His blood, He reconciled God and Man. When Scripture says He brings us to God in 1 Peter 3:18 the Greek word bring—prosago—means to take an individual and present him to a king or a dignitary. That’s what Jesus has done. Jesus has taken us by the hand to present us to God the Father. He’s brought us to God. He’s said, “Father these are Mine. I purchased them with My blood on that cross.” Does that excite you? King David had a son named Absalom. Absalom rebelled against his father, and a woman in the kingdom said, “David you need to do something to reconcile your son, to get him back” (2 Sam. 14:13, author’s paraphrase). She said in 2 Samuel 14:14, “For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.” Isn’t that a great Gospel text in the Old Testament? We’re like water spilled on the ground. God has a way of bringing us back. How can we reflect God in the way we reconcile with others? Who is someone you need to reconcile with? What excites you about the way Jesus reconciled you with God? How do you share that excitement with others? PRACTICE THIS Pray and thank God for how He has reconciled you. Ask Him to help you reflect His reconciliation to others.

Once and For All TODAY'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL April 19, 2025 “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” HEBREWS 10:12-14 PONDER THIS There is a phrase we need to remember and hold onto: “For Christ also suffered once for sins.” (See 1 Peter 3:18.) That does not mean once upon a time; it means once for all. When Jesus said, “It is finished” (see John 19:30), He meant the debt had been paid absolutely. In Rome, when a man was found guilty of a crime, he would be locked up and a certificate of debt would be placed on his prison door. And then after he had done his time and had paid the penalty, they would write across the certificate of debt, “Paid in full” and give it to him. The word on the certificate was “Tetelestai”: It is finished; it is paid in full. If they ever arrest him for that crime again, he may say, “Yes, but I have paid.” This is why it matters that Jesus has once suffered for sin. It is blasphemy to say that there needs to be another sacrifice for sin. He is sufficient. What sins trouble you? How can you seek to believe Jesus has paid the price for your debt? How do you feel when a large debt is paid? How should the payment of Christ change the way we live? PRACTICE THIS Confess to an accountability partner the sins that trouble you and pray for one another, thanking Jesus for His complete payment for your debt.

Encountering Jesus TODAY'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL April 18, 2025 “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. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.” ACTS 4:13-14 PONDER THIS How were these fishermen able to stand up to preach and five thousand come to Christ? It’s because Jesus lives, and they were not dependent on their own power of oratory or of logic to bring these people to Christ. There was a living Christ inside of them. Anything I can talk you into, somebody else can talk you out of. We are not preaching facts about a dead Christ of history; we present a living Christ. If eleven apostles who had seen Him with their own eyes could not convince Thomas of the resurrection, I’ll not be able to convince you. Do you know what convinced Thomas? He had an encounter with the living Lord. And when he had an encounter with the living Christ, he was convinced. Do you know what you need today? An encounter with Jesus Christ. Not with the church, not with a pastor, not with a choir. You need to meet the living Christ. These people were brought into contact with the living Christ, and they were totally, absolutely changed. When did you first encounter Jesus? How did it change you? Who is someone you could share the Gospel with? Can you surrender your own efforts and depend on the Holy Spirit to help you do that? PRACTICE THIS Pray and surrender to God, asking Him to allow you to see how He is alive and at work in your life.

Receive What You Did Not Earn TODAY'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL April 17, 2025 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” 1 PETER 3:18 PONDER THIS Suppose someone came up to you and suddenly punched you in the nose. And suppose in an act of compassion, you responded by saying, “I forgive you.” And suppose they said to you, “Oh, there’s no need for you to forgive me. I’ve already forgiven myself.” And then, suppose another person standing by said, “Oh, well neither one of you need to worry about it. I have forgiven both of you.” That would be silly! Why? Because only the one offended can forgive the offensive party. Sin is a clenched fist in the face of God and only God can forgive sin. Jesus endured our suffering on the cross. Jesus the just died for the unjust. He became our substitute. We were the ones that offended God, but He took on our sin and gave us the forgiveness we could not deserve or earn. Where are you in need of God’s forgiveness? How does the Holy Spirit lead us to a regular practice of confession and repentance? PRACTICE THIS Confess to God your sin and ask Him for forgiveness in Jesus.

The Thorns That Belonged to Us TODAY'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL April 16, 2025 “When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.” MATTHEW 27:29-30 PONDER THIS Those who paint and depict the Lord Jesus on the cross are kind. We would not want to see a picture that portrayed Him literally. His face was so brutalized you could not tell whether it was the face of a man or an animal. Remember, with their hands they had snatched the beard from His face. Can you imagine that? With their fists, they had battered that face and loosened His teeth. Blood ran down His nostrils, mingled with the filthy spittle from their mouths. If you think about it, if Adam had not sinned, thorns would never have grown on this Earth. Jesus wore that crown as He bore that curse. The thorns Jesus wore on His head speak of the hardship, sorrow, and death that come with sin. Are you having heartaches? Are you having sorrow? Do you know sickness? This thorny pathway that we walk is because of sin. When Jesus died on the cross, He was crowned with thorns that belong to us. What are the pains of sin you are facing right now? How are you encouraged to remember Jesus has taken sin on for you? How does remembering Jesus’ sacrifice change the way you live for Him? PRACTICE THIS Thank God for taking on the curse of sin so you could be with Him.

He Drank it Down. We Drink it In. TODAY'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL April 15, 2025 “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’” LUKE 22:17-20 PONDER THIS God will never overlook sin. He cannot. God is holy and by His holiness He has sworn that sin will be punished. No sin goes unpunished. If God were to let one half of one sin go unpunished, God would no longer be holy. The cross is God’s way to punish sin and forgive the sinner at the same time—having an innocent, sinless sin-bearer take that sin on the cross. The Lord’s Supper reminds us of this. Jesus drank the cup of sin that we might have the cup of redemption. We drink the cup of communion to be reminded of what Jesus did for us. He took my sin. He drank it down. I take His righteousness. I drink it in. Isn’t that wonderful? Wherever we are in our faith, whether we are baby Christians or have grown old in this faith, we need to be reminded of what Jesus has done for us. This is why we regularly take communion. We need to be constantly reminded of the seriousness of our sin and the graciousness of our God. In what ways are you challenged to remember how seriously God takes your sin? Why do we need the regular reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice in communion? PRACTICE THIS Pray and thank Jesus for His sacrifice. Share with someone why taking communion is important to you.

Have You Said “I Do”? TODAY'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL April 14, 2025 “. . . that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” EPHESIANS 2:12-13 PONDER THIS We share a story with Ruth. Think about it: Your past was as an alien. Your present was as a stranger to the covenants of promise. Your future was without hope. But there is a Boaz, a kinsman redeemer. He is legally worthy. He is lavishly wealthy. He is lovingly willing. And He says, “I want to give you a family. I want to give you a fortune. I want to give you fruitfulness. I want to give you fame. I want to give you a future.” And that’s what Jesus is saying to you today. “I gave My life to redeem you. I want you to be My bride.” That’s what the Church is, the bride of Jesus. Can you imagine Ruth saying, “Boaz, I really would like to be married to you, but I don’t want anybody to know it. Could we just do this in secret?” At a wedding, all watch as the bride comes down the aisle. She’s not hoping that no one sees her. She’s hoping everybody sees her. Don’t be ashamed of the One who died in agony and blood on the cross for you. He is your Kinsman Redeemer: legally worthy, lavishly wealthy, and lovingly willing. And He has said “I do” to you. It’s time you said “I do” to Him. What is your testimony? How do you relate with Ruth, who was a foreigner but brought into the family of God? What are some ways you live out daily love and commitment to Jesus? PRACTICE THIS Pray for someone who has not made the decision to follow Jesus yet.

The Most Sacred Place TODAY'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL April 13, 2025 “Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.” JOHN 7:16-18 PONDER THIS Can you have an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ if you’re not fully committed to Him? The answer is no. The ultimate question we must answer is, “Is Christ Lord? Have I placed myself at the feet of my Redeemer?” It was Mary in the New Testament who had the habit of sitting at the feet of Jesus. The most sacred place on earth is not in the pew, not at the altar, not behind the pulpit, and not in a temple somewhere. The most sacred place on earth is at the feet of Jesus, fully committed to Him. We are not only to be fully committed but also faithfully compliant. Do you want to be near Him without obeying Him? Do you think somehow that you can take your place at His feet without hearing His Word? Do you want the Lord Jesus to be a bright, living reality to you? If you surrender your will to the Lord, God will teach you. It’s not, “Lord, You show me what You want me to do, and I’ll tell You whether I’ll do it or not.” No. You say, “Lord, I’ll do it. What is it?” What are some things God has prompted you to do? Where have you obeyed? Where have you neglected or avoided His prompting? What are some things God has laid on your heart recently that you need to obey now? PRACTICE THIS Spend time in the Word, asking God if there is anything He would have you do, then do it.

Is Your Life a Sweet-Smelling Fragrance? TODAY'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL April 12, 2025 “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.” 1 JOHN 2:27 PONDER THIS In the Old Testament, the anointing of the priest meant consecration. Christ came as the Anointed One, and we carry that designation today. It means we have been set aside and set apart. Your anointing is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us the fragrance of Christ. Do you want to be near? Do you want to have an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Be anointed. Be surrendered to the Holy Spirit of God so that He can make you a sweet-smelling fragrance, and your very life will be like incense to Him. You know people like that. When they walk in the room you can just smell the incense. This can be our spiritual aroma; wherever we go in our days, the fragrance of God’s presence goes with us to tell the world who He is. When have you recognized a godly “spiritual fragrance” in someone else? Why must this transformation come from God rather than from something we can do on our own? PRACTICE THIS Encourage someone you know who carries a godly “fragrance.” Ask how that person seeks to walk in step with the Holy Spirit.