Daily Devo

Listen to today’s devo!

Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean.” (John 13:10)

Expanded Passage: John 13:9-11

My husband and I recently found ourselves preparing for a long-term guest. In less than a week, we cleared out cupboards, closets, and drawers in a bedroom, bathroom, and portion of our kitchen we had given little attention to in years. Between sighs and laughter, we vowed to do better in the future and even started scheduling times to purge and clean the remainder of our home.

There’s nothing wrong with practicing home, personal, or what we even might call spiritual hygiene. That’s why most of us can probably relate more than we care to admit to Peter when he responded to Jesus’ admonition, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me” (John 13:8) by saying, “Then, Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” (v. 9). Although his naivete and zealousness may cause us to laugh, we should be circumspect lest the message be lost on us.

Cleanliness—even in the forms of the spiritual disciplines (e.g., prayer, Bible study, fasting, silence, and solitude)—never should be mistaken for godliness. If so, insecurity will make us fearful and pride will leave us smug. Instead, we should remember that God has already cleansed us and that these disciplines are means to the greater ends of loving and serving him and one another with confidence and abandon.

Ask God to reorient your motives when serving or being served.

Laurie Dashnau is professor of English and writing, and director of the writing center at Houghton University (NY). She regularly teaches Narrative and Personal Essay, and Writing about Spiritual Experience.

© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Listen to today’s devo!

“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” (John 13:8)

Expanded Passage: John 13:6-8

It is a common custom in Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East to remove one’s shoes when entering a home, both to help keep a house clean and show respect for the homeowner. Yet contrary to what we might assume, foot washing in ancient Israel and Palestine was not so much a common courtesy performed by the host as work done by an indentured servant or Gentile slave.

What do we learn from this? First, that serving others is never beneath us. The disciples had been debating who among them was the greatest (Mark 9:34). In contrast, service has nothing to do with rank, privilege, or popularity.

Second, service is not about who the people we serve are. Jesus’ company included Peter, who was about to deny him, and Judas, who was about to betray him. Instead, service is about making ourselves available to serve others and be ministered to by others. Peter understandably felt unworthy to have Jesus, his rabbi, wash his feet. Nevertheless, he opened his heart and mind to the lesson of his teacher, even though he was not yet completely able to realize its gravity and reap its benefits.

God’s kingdom work includes both serving and being served. And it often entails many empowering and humbling lessons that take us a lifetime to fully understand and appreciate.

Let who you are in Christ lead to serving and being served.

Laurie Dashnau is professor of English and writing, and director of the writing center at Houghton University (NY). She regularly teaches Narrative and Personal Essay, and Writing about Spiritual Experience.

© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Listen to today’s devo!

So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. (John 13:4)

Expanded Passage: John 13:2-5

Did you know that our feet can contain up to 10 million bacteria per square centimeter, which is more than any other body part? That each foot has approximately 125,000 sweat glands, producing up to a half pint of sweat each day? That in Jesus’ time, people walked on unpaved roads that not only were dirty and dusty but with the lack of sewer systems sewage ran into the roads?

All of this makes not only what Jesus did, but when he did it, remarkable. Scripture tells us that he washed his disciples’ feet neither before nor after the meal, but in the middle of it!

Scripture also tells us this happened when Jesus knew that “the hour had come” (v. 1)—that the time of his crucifixion was drawing nigh. It wasn’t especially convenient, period, let alone in the middle of his last meal with his disciples. That’s what makes the conjunction “so” in verse 4 especially noteworthy. Jesus got up to wash his disciples’ feet, despite what appeared to be poor timing, in obedience to what his Father had revealed to him and called him to do in the moment.

Acts of service often entail interruptions. They may be unpleasant, too, physically and/or otherwise. Nevertheless, we are to follow Jesus’ example. Rather than asking, “Why now?” and delaying action, we should respond to the Spirit’s leading whatever, wherever, and whenever needed.

Allow God’s prompting to supersede the inconvenient “hows” and “whens” of service.

Laurie Dashnau is professor of English and writing, and director of the writing center at Houghton University (NY). She regularly teaches Narrative and Personal Essay, and Writing about Spiritual Experience.

© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Listen to today’s devo!

Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. . . . He loved them to the end. (John 13:1)

Expanded Passage: John 13:1

As a writing professor, I am fond of bookends. My own are nothing special though. They are leftover plastic office supplies I use as the basis of an object lesson. When talking with my students, I stress that, like bookends, the introductions and conclusions of their essays must be full (weighty) enough and strategically positioned to serve their purpose well. Without these bookends, everything will figuratively crash.

The “bookends” to John 13—where Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and predicted both Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial—are equally weighty and well placed. At the very start of the chapter, we are told that everything Jesus said and did during his final days on earth happened because he loved his disciples “to the end” (v. 1), and at the end, Jesus issued the new commandment to love one another (v. 34).

Furthermore, this chapter appears in the middle of the book of John, which begins with love of God being made manifest in the incarnation (John 1:1–18) and ends with Jesus reinstating Peter (John 21:15–19) by repeatedly asking him, “Do you love me?” and telling him to “feed [his] sheep”—i.e., serve him.

In a cultural milieu where mixed motives and fickleness are often the norms rather than the exceptions, it’s a strong, supportive, and sacrificial love we should have from the start and to the end of everything we do.

Bookend your service to God and others with love.

Laurie Dashnau is professor of English and writing, and director of the writing center at Houghton University (NY). She regularly teaches Narrative and Personal Essay, and Writing about Spiritual Experience.

© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Listen to today’s devo!

Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered. (Ps. 108:6)

Expanded Passage: Psalm 108:1-13

As a young man, Hudson Taylor felt that God was calling him to missionary work in China, where the church had yet to be established. Taylor wrote of his early years: “Not many months after my conversion . . . I besought [God] to give me some work to do for him . . . no matter how trying or trivial.” In 1865, Taylor began the China Inland Mission, which eventually sent more than three hundred missionaries into the country over the next twenty-five years. Even after Mao Tse-Tung expelled the missionaries, China’s church continued to flourish, despite intense persecution.

David also sang about God awakening a desire to serve him, no matter where that assignment might lead. David spoke these words in a time of crisis, when his enemies seemed to be stronger than he was. No matter. David was confident in God’s deliverance and eventual testimony to the nations. Until that happened, he would continue to praise God.

As he did for Hudson Taylor, God may have placed something in front of you that seems impossible to accomplish. Humanly speaking, that may very well be true. But what can God accomplish in and through you, if you remain his willing servant? Submit only to him, and soon you will be writing your psalms of praise and thanksgiving for all he has accomplished through you.

Reflect on the past few months and how God has directed you.

D. Schmidt wrote devotionals for earlier editions of Light from the Word. They have been drawn from the archives and reprinted for this publication.

© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Listen to today’s devo!

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. (John 11:38)

Expanded Passage: John 11:38-44

When I first arrived in Zimbabwe, my heart was deeply moved by the beggars I saw walking the city sidewalks, or seated next to buildings, with arms outstretched and hands lifted up, begging for money. During those early years, I often felt my throat tightening with emotion when I saw how poorly some of the beggar children were dressed. However, after being in this African country for a few years, I became immune to the sights of poverty that continued to surround me. Part of the reason I had become this way was due to feeling so overwhelmed with the gravity of the needs of so many poor Zimbabweans. What could I do when the needs were so great? Subconsciously, I retreated into apathy.

When Pastor Benjamin saw what was happening to me, he took me aside and stated, “Umfundisi Jim, don’t allow feelings of being overwhelmed stop you from being moved by the need and plight of others. You may not be able to help everyone, but you should be able to help some. Effective ministry occurs when one is emotionally moved.”

Not only was Jesus’ heart moved, but he did something about the needs he saw around him. When we allow him to open our hearts to the hurting people around us, he will show us how he wants us to respond to their needs.

Allow God to keep your heart soft toward the needs of your neighbor.

Jim “Umfundisi” Lo is an ordained elder in The Wesleyan Church, serving in prayer ministries, as well as Global Partners. He previously served as a pastor, missionary, and campus intercessor for Indiana Wesleyan University. He and his wife, Roxene, have two sons and two granddaughters.

© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Listen to today’s devo!

“I know he will rise again in the resurrection.” (John 11:24)

Expanded Passage: John 11:17-27

Van and her family lived in a house built on stilts over the Mekong River. For over twenty years, Van and her neighbors threw their garbage and waste into the river, causing that section of the river to become clogged and devoid of any fish life. It wasn’t that they preferred to do this. They were forced to, since there was no garbage pick-up in the part of the city where they lived. One man living in this area stated, “Poverty causes us to live in horrific conditions.”

The garbage pile had become so high that one could not see the river water anymore. One day Van’s small child fell into this thick soup of waste and drowned. She grieved for months over the loss of her son. Sometime later a pastor came to visit her. “Van, what I share with you will not be able to take away all the sorrow you are feeling, but it may help you to know that a few weeks ago your son gave his heart to Jesus Christ. Since he was a Christian, we are promised that he will rise again.” His words did help, and soon afterward, Van also gave her heart to Christ. She would then often say, “I look forward to seeing my son again in heaven.”

Allow the hope of the resurrection to sustain you in your loss.

Jim “Umfundisi” Lo is an ordained elder in The Wesleyan Church, serving in prayer ministries, as well as Global Partners. He previously served as a pastor, missionary, and campus intercessor for Indiana Wesleyan University. He and his wife, Roxene, have two sons and two granddaughters.

© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Listen to today’s devo!

“This sickness . . . is for God’s glory.” (John 11:4)

Expanded Passage: John 11:1-4

In a recent sermon, my pastor asked, “Do you believe God is able to perform miracles today?” His question caused me to remember several years ago when I served as a missionary in southern Africa. Regularly I was a witness to God’s hand at work in supernatural ways. I saw God supply financial needs in ways that were inexplicable. My mouth flew wide open in amazement the first time I saw a sick person healed during a healing service. I also remember how sleep came slowly to me the night I heard the testimony of an old African who claimed that God had instantaneously freed him from the chains of alcoholism.

I was so excited to realize that God is still powerfully ministering in our world even now. The Africans I ministered to did not just talk about miracles; they believed that God is still able to perform them today. When I asked Pastor Elias what he thought the purpose of miracles was, he shared, “Miracles are not given to us for selfish purposes. They are meant to encourage us in our walk with God and to point others to him. Miracles occur for his glory!”

Our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is still accomplishing his purposes through our lives, and sometimes he uses various kinds of miracles to do so.

Believe God will perform miracles in your life for his glory.

Jim “Umfundisi” Lo is an ordained elder in The Wesleyan Church, serving in prayer ministries, as well as Global Partners. He previously served as a pastor, missionary, and campus intercessor for Indiana Wesleyan University. He and his wife, Roxene, have two sons and two granddaughters.

© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Listen to today’s devo!

You were dead in your . . . sins. (Eph. 2:1)

Expanded Passage: Ephesians 2:1-7

Trying to reach Sonny with the message of salvation was a challenge. His argument was, “Why do I need Jesus Christ as my Savior? I am not a bad man. I haven’t killed anyone, robbed anyone, or used bad language. I am not a drunkard. Overall, I am a very good person.” I asked Sonny and his wife, Annie, if I could lead them in a brief Bible study. They consented to meet for three weeks on Tuesday nights.

During one of these studies, we read Ephesians 2, and I explained to them what the word sin that is used in this chapter actually means in the Greek language. “Sonny, to sin is to miss the mark. A man shoots an arrow and misses the target. Sin is the failure to hit the target of life. A crucial factor in that mark-missing, though, is why we all do so, without fail.” I then allowed Sonny time to think about this.

A few days later, Sonny came to me and said, “I think I understand. Killing someone, stealing, and being a drunkard are sinful. So is having a bad attitude, being filled with bitterness, or having an unforgiving spirit. Sin is not being all I can be in God.” Soon afterward Sonny surrendered his life to God and became a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.

Confess your sins and become a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.

Jim “Umfundisi” Lo is an ordained elder in The Wesleyan Church, serving in prayer ministries, as well as Global Partners. He previously served as a pastor, missionary, and campus intercessor for Indiana Wesleyan University. He and his wife, Roxene, have two sons and two granddaughters.

© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Listen to today’s devo!

That . . . which we have looked at . . . (1 John 1:1)

Expanded Passage: 1 John 1:1-3

The Greek word that is translated as “looked at” is theasthai. It means to look at something with more than just a passing glance—to fix one’s eyes on someone or something until its significance is grasped. It is a steadfast, searching gaze that seeks to fully understand.

Will had seen the symbol of the cross most of his life. His parents had taken him to church since the first week he was born. At least once or twice a week he saw the large wooden cross that hung in the front of the sanctuary. However, it was not until he was twenty years old that he began to understand its significance. He shared with me, “For years I only saw the cross as a nice Christian decoration. Now I understand its significance. The cross is what Jesus died on. He died on it to take my punishment for the sins I committed so that I can be saved. It stands empty to show that death could not keep him down. Jesus Christ is alive, and one day, because I have accepted him as my Savior, I will live with him in heaven. I now understand.”

Unlike the disciples, we don’t have the privilege of looking at Jesus face-to-face. However, we can still grasp his significance through prayer and studying his Word.

Don’t let your familiarity with Jesus prevent you from seeing him.

Jim “Umfundisi” Lo is an ordained elder in The Wesleyan Church, serving in prayer ministries, as well as Global Partners. He previously served as a pastor, missionary, and campus intercessor for Indiana Wesleyan University. He and his wife, Roxene, have two sons and two granddaughters.

© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.