Scripture Reading — Philippians 1:3-11 Pastor David Den Haan, pastor of Fairway Christian Reformed Church in Jenison Michigan, shared the following story: “Someday I’ll be sitting in your chair.” That’s what a young man said a few years ago while seated with the leadership of our church as he professed his faith in Jesus Christ. The young father had recently come to faith, and he was pointing all of us to the future. He was looking forward to the continuing experience of God’

Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:31-35 The relative smallness of God’s people and God’s work is a repeating theme in the Bible. In the Old Testament, only a small group of people remain faithful to God—they’re called the remnant. Jesus picks up on that theme when he compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed and to yeast. Reformation includes the transformation of societies and institutions. When reformation occurs, spouses work together to create homes that conform to Go

Scripture Reading — Acts 9:1-28; 2 Timothy 1:8-12 You can witness a story of powerful transforming grace in the movie Les Miserables . Jean Valjean was arrested for stealing a loaf of bread. Finally released after 19 years in prison, he couldn’t find a place to stay until a bishop graciously offered him lodging. The penniless Valjean stole some silver from the bishop’s home and fled. Captured the next day, he was brought back to the bishop. But instead of accusing him, the bi

Day 18 - Bamboo and Gardens Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; John 15:1-11 Bamboo The bamboo plant seems to do almost nothing for the first four years of its life. But sometime during the fifth year, it shoots up 90 feet in 60 days. Would you say that the bamboo grew in two months or five years? Bamboo could not grow so rapidly unless it stored up nutrients for several years. If we put Christ first in our lives and make Him the foundation of our life, we will see gro

Day 17 - Mountains and Trees  Scripture Reading — Habakkuk 3:17-19; Psalm 1; Jeremiah 17:7, 8; Galatians 5:24; Matthew 7:16-18;  Mountains Being a spectator has become a common substitute for the real thing. But transformation never happens unless we climb the mountain ourselves. We have to personally experience the realities of God, not just hear about someone else’s spiritual highs. We must stop being spectators and start climbing.  In God’s strength we can be like a deer t

Scripture Reading — Matthew 6:16-18 Jerry made a commitment to get physically fit, and everyone could tell. He had purchased everything that he thought would be necessary: new shoes, fitness apparel, workout videos, a gym membership, and a notebook to help him track his progress. He regularly made a scene as he left work to go to the gym for a workout during his lunch break. Though everyone noticed a change in Jerry’s routine, no one was able to discern a change in his fitnes

Scripture Reading — Philippians 2:12-15 Myra Brooks Welch wrote a poem titled The Touch of the Master’s Hand . It tells of an auctioneer who is unable to sell an old, battered violin until a master musician plays the instrument with such grace that the selling price jumps to great heights ( to read the full poem, see Appendix DOCUMENT A in the back of this devotional ). The change in perception happened because of performance. When we allow our lives to be a violin played by

Scripture Reading — Acts 15 The early church was struggling to decide how they would welcome new believers who had never been part of the Jewish tradition. The major issue was whether Gentile believers (non Jews) would need to be circumcised. Circumcision had been the sacramental-type sign of being an Israelite (Jew) since the time of Abraham. Some did not think the old sign was necessary, but many argued to maintain the practice. After gathering the church leaders together,

Scripture Reading — Luke 19:1-10; Proverbs 10:16-17 In Luke 19, we read about a man named Zacchaeus who was a wealthy tax collector. In the Jewish society of that day, tax collectors were despised as traitors because they worked for the Roman Empire and took money away from their own people. They also grew rich because they could charge extra fees and keep that money for themselves.  Zacchaeus was small in stature as well as being small in character. But he wanted to see Jesu

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 10:1-11; 1 Peter 1:13-16, 1 Peter 1:10-12 For many years the United States has said children must attend school through age sixteen. Why? Simply because education is a means of transformation! The same is true in our Christian life. We have a part to play in our spiritual transformation. God desires continual, consistent growth, and Christ calls us to keep growing every day. We must keep learning if we are to keep growing. If we don’t put our abil

Scripture Reading — Philippians 1:3-11; Rom. 8:28; James 1:2-5; Ephesians 4:22-24 A few years ago, Jackie took on a remodeling project. She wanted to create an office space that would both inspire her to write and create. She recruited our son Jackson to help her rip up the laminate flooring. As strips of flooring were removed, they noticed big blotches of paint and wood filler all over the original wood floors.  Later that week, Jackie called her cousin over to take a look a

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 4:17-32; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 Do you ever wish you could have a "do-over," a chance to go back and do something differently, to avoid a big mistake you made? Most of us can recall times when we did something foolish or sinful. We wish we could take back that one conversation or email, that one deed that remains imprinted on our minds. Perhaps some of us wonder whether God could ever accept us with these blemishes in our past. The good news of Je

Scripture Reading — Colossians 1:24-27 To be transformed, we have to become spiritually alive. But what does this mean and how does it happen?  A man asked a monk what it meant to be spiritual. He imagined that this quiet man would talk about being holy in body, soul, and spirit, about living in the presence of Christ every minute of the day, about being completely separated unto the work of God, about being free of all selfishness and impurity.  But the monk’s simple reply w

Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 How many of us actually want to be renewed? Researcher George Barna conducted a survey and discovered that 3 out of 5 Christians are not involved in an effort to grow spiritually. “Why should I change?” The answer is simple—because God is continually involved in a change project that is centered in you. He wants to take us from “glory to glory.” We should want to change because the crucified and risen Lord is changing us. It should no

Scripture Reading — Leviticus 20:22-26 Have you ever tried to define the word holy? Most people have an idea that this word tells us something about God. If you look up the word holy in a dictionary, you will find other words like sacred, divine, and righteous in the definition, but that doesn’t make the meaning much clearer. Whatever we imagine when we hear the word “holy,” we are probably not bold enough to proclaim that we consider ourselves holy. We know our own flaws and

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 18:1-6; John 14:15-31; 2 Peter 1:3-8 If you visit a secular bookstore and ask for a book on personal growth, you will be pointed to the self-help section. But human expertise cannot produce qualities that reflect divine character. We have to be mentored and shaped by the Master so that God’s thoughts become our thoughts, and Christ’s character becomes ours. The Spirit has many mentoring roles in the lives of believers. Among other things, the Spir

Scripture Reading —Luke 18:9-14; Matthew 25 In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees defined their spiritual stature by their disciplines. They believed they were superior because of their spiritual habits, such as fasting. That kind of mindset leads lots of people to believe that spiritual disciplines are only for the “spiritual elite.” But when Jesus tells his followers the traits he is looking for, he does not mention disciplines such as prayer, fasting, or confession. He indicates th

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 4:6-10; Ephesians 2:4-7; Romans 12:1-3; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Philippians 3:12-16 Very few people are able to sit at a piano and play beautiful music without having had any training. A gifted musician who is recognized for her ability has undoubtedly spent hours practicing her craft. With enough practice and time, she can do something with a piano that seems natural. In reality, it has become second nature through time, practice, and training. A

Scripture Reading — Romans 5:6-8 The most powerful motivator in the world is love—not force, not fear, not guilt, not money, but love. We will do almost anything for love. Indeed, if we know we are loved unconditionally, we will do anything for the one who loves us that way. Knowing that you are loved is transformative! The power of the cross and the unconditional love that the cross demonstrates affects the believer in very powerful and personal ways. Remember that all who b

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 11:14-21; Ezekiel 36:25-27; Matthew 7:13-14 In Ezekiel’s prophecy, God is not pleased with the people’s character or behavior. He compares their rebellion to having a “heart of stone.” A “heart of stone” is cold, hard, stubborn, and unrepentant. God sent Ezekiel to speak to the people about changing their ways, about examining their attitudes and priorities. Yet, right in the middle of a harsh judgment toward the people, Ezekiel shares this promise