Daily Devo

Listen to today’s devo!

It was fitting that God . . . should make . . . their salvation perfect through what he suffered. (Heb. 2:10)

Expanded Passage: Hebrews 2:10-15

Church leaders in the States sent a letter to church leaders in Sierra Leone. They asked, “How can we pray for you? Do you want us to pray that God will take away the persecution you are facing?” It made sense to American Christians that one would want to pray away persecution.

The Americans were surprised when they read the response of the church leaders in Sierra Leone. “Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we do not ask that you pray that the persecution we are facing will be taken away. Instead, we ask for you to pray that through the persecution we are facing we will become all that God wants us to be. In a country where diamonds are mined, we understand the benefits of pressure. Under immense pressure, coal becomes diamonds. Persecution is like pressure. God can use it to make us sparkling witnesses for him. We do not ask that the pressure be removed from us. Instead, we ask that you pray that we understand the privilege we have been given to be pressed so that we can become more Christlike . . . to become Christian diamonds.”

The way we react to persecution and hard times determines their effect on us. We can either let God use them to make us more like him, or we can allow them to make us bitter.

Allow God to use hard times to produce his character in you.

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®.

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Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord. (Ps. 107:43)

Expanded Passage: Psalm 107:33-43

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” my high school economics teacher lectured us one day. “Everything costs you something.”

Mr. Lombardo, one of the most popular teachers in the school, would tell us students each day about supply and demand, the logic of the free market. And he would always return to his favorite phrase: “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

Over the years, I saw this logic to be true. Seemingly free things—dresses, social media accounts, or, yes, meals—always came at a price, even if it was just my attention. But when I learned about God, I heard a different logic, a radical wisdom.

God places the last first, and the first last. He cares for the poor and condemns the rich who selfishly hoard their wealth. He challenges the religious leaders and lifts up the sinners. As we listen to Christ’s voice, we not only grow in obedience, but also in this wisdom—a wisdom that says, “There is such a thing as a free lunch.” In fact, Christ’s body is itself that meal, offered to us free of charge.

As I think back to high school economics, I remember the useful advice my teacher offered, but I also remember the fundamental shift in values my faith brought just a year later—from the logic of economics to the wisdom of grace.

Trust God, heed his words, and grow in his radical wisdom.

Lindsey Priest is an Indiana Wesleyan University graduate. She likes to read to her kids, play video games with her husband, and refurbish furniture.

© 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 said . . . “I am the gate for the sheep. . . . Whoever enters through me will be saved.” (John 10:7, 9)

Expanded Passage: John 10:1-18

When I first had my son, I knew right away I wanted to give him the best life I could. I spent the following years building play areas for him or teaching him about body parts, animals, and food. I organized a preschool curriculum for him and put together a catechism before he could even say his first word. I spent countless hours preparing the way for the man my child would grow to be.

When Jesus tells us he is the only way—the voice that leads to a full life—we must ask ourselves how we will respond. Inevitably, we all become more than sheep in our lifetimes: we guide our children or friends; we encourage or discourage them. We become the hired hands Jesus references in John 10:13. And hired hands are not bad, as long as they know they are not the true shepherd. I must continually remind myself that my son does not need my voice, but Christ’s voice echoed through me.

It takes time and intentionality to learn when to be sheep, following the beckoning of the shepherd; when to be hired hands, helping other sheep find the way; and when we are being wolves, selfishly feeding on the attention or admiration of others. Luckily, the shepherd’s call will always lead us in the right direction.

Reflect on times you’ve been a sheep, a hired hand, and a wolf.

Lindsey Priest is an Indiana Wesleyan University graduate. She likes to read to her kids, play video games with her husband, and refurbish furniture.

© 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!

“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.” (John 10:17)

Expanded Passage: John 10:16-18

I never thought I could die for another person—make the decision to jump in front of a bullet or to push them off train tracks—until I had children. Suddenly, I felt an almost bodily need to protect these tiny humans. I couldn’t stop giving myself to my kids, sacrificing time and comfort to make them happy. I felt almost like I understood Christ’s sacrifice—that he would die even for disobedient kids.

Yet, my mother failed me, and I too will fail my sons. Despite our desire to love our children perfectly, we never can enact that perfect love. We inevitably pick up kids late from practice, lose our temper with them, or fail to provide the perfect home and school experience.

But Christ is different—not only because he desires and enacts perfect love, but because he exercises authority over his own sacrifice. Jesus not only laid down his life for his children, the ultimate sacrifice, but he also took that life back up, and invites us to do the same.

Even if I could love my kids perfectly, I could never save them from death itself—which is exactly what Christ does for us. The question is, how should we children respond to such perfect, infinite love?

Write down ways you can respond to Christ’s perfect love.

Lindsey Priest is an Indiana Wesleyan University graduate. She likes to read to her kids, play video games with her husband, and refurbish furniture.

© 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!

“The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.” (John 10:13)

Expanded Passage: John 10:12-15

When I first became a Christian, a man named Chuck helped shepherd me in my faith. He modeled a life of giving—to those in need, to the church, and to God. Chuck helped me think about every aspect of my life through the new lens of my faith: how I talked to classmates, how I prayed, and even how I exercised.

When I went to college, I quickly learned that Chuck wouldn’t always be around to help. In fact, as I studied more about God and my faith in college, I even started to question some of Chuck’s well-meaning instruction.

Any mentors in our lives—even those who lead us closer to God—are simply employees hired temporarily by the true shepherd, Jesus. As I grew older, I realized that Chuck, who was a godly man, was still only a man. He couldn’t be around my whole life, he couldn’t protect me from the effects of sin, and he couldn’t teach perfect theology.

Once I started college, I realized my trust was misplaced; it was placed in Chuck rather than in God.

Jesus told the Pharisees that they were relying on “hired hands,” or human leaders, who at the end of the day, no matter how they might try, would ultimately fall short of the true shepherd’s protection.

Strive to trust Christ more than your mentor.

Lindsey Priest is an Indiana Wesleyan University graduate. She likes to read to her kids, play video games with her husband, and refurbish furniture.

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

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“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

Expanded Passage: John 10:9-11

One of the first things you learn when playing competitive sports is that everyone on the sidelines has an opinion. I played soccer for four years in high school, and every game would bring parents and fans on both sides yelling, “Defense!” or “That was a foul!” every few minutes.

But the one voice the players listened to belonged to our coach. He knew the game well enough to tell us when to get aggressive and when to fight for a call. Most importantly, he had the whole game—the whole season, really—in mind. He wasn’t concerned with a single goal or a single offside call. He wasn’t concerned with a single player’s performance alone. He was attuned to the big picture: how the offensive and defensive systems were working together, and how focusing less on defense might actually open a shot on offense.

In life, countless voices bombard you, but really it’s only two voices: God’s and someone else’s. The thing is, only God’s perspective, only his voice, can lead you not only to a single goal, but also to a championship.

Jesus says that the championship is about more than a trophy, though. In the game of existence, God’s voice leads to life, and the other voices lead to death. Who are you listening to most—God or everyone watching on the sidelines?

Listen to the voices in your life that lead you toward God.

Lindsey Priest is an Indiana Wesleyan University graduate. She likes to read to her kids, play video games with her husband, and refurbish furniture.

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

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“But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” (John 10:5)

Expanded Passage: John 10:5-8

In elementary school, my mother would pick me up every day at three o’clock. I was supposed to wait outside the front of DuBois Elementary School, balancing on the curb until I saw our little red Grand Prix pull up.

“Do not go home with anyone else,” my mother would say. “Even if they say they know me, always wait for me.”

Even when my mom was running late, even if I was the last kid to be picked up, I would wait for her little red sedan to come around the corner to get me. And if anyone asked me if I wanted a ride, I would just say no.

My mother did not take the time to tell me all the kinds of people to avoid—strangers with candy, adults I did not recognize—she just told me to wait for her. When Jesus said his sheep run from a stranger’s voice, he did not tell them all the types of people to avoid; his sheep simply wait for his voice no matter what.

As we mature in our faith, Christ reminds us that we do not need to be familiar with everything that could distract us from him. Instead, he tells us to wait, to have faith, and to run away from any voice that is not his.

Listen for God’s voice and run from voices that want to lead you away from him.

Lindsey Priest is an Indiana Wesleyan University graduate. She likes to read to her kids, play video games with her husband, and refurbish furniture.

© 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!

“The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” (John 10:3)

Expanded Passage: John 10:1-4

One of my earliest memories is of getting lost in a department store. I let go of my mother’s hand and wandered toward a shelf of snow globes. When I turned around, I realized I was alone, caught between a bright linoleum floor and cold fluorescent lights. The store was like a maze, each shelf towering above my little head, each aisle a long, lonely walk.

But then, nearby, I heard a voice I recognized—my mother’s! She was suddenly close, and she was calling me by name. The feeling of being lost for what seems like hours is a lot like what a sheep feels when it has wandered from its flock. But a familiar voice in an unfamiliar place is exactly what God offers us when we’re lost in the world.

When I heard my mother’s voice, I immediately recognized it from Thanksgiving dinners, from bedtime stories, from the edge of the park when I was getting a little too confident on the monkey bars. But God’s voice can be a little harder to hear sometimes. Fortunately, he gave us the Bible, one of the clearest examples of his voice. Every time we read it, he leads us into closer relationship with him. But if we don’t read the Bible, then how will we recognize his call when we get lost?

Read the Bible to know God’s voice.

Lindsey Priest is an Indiana Wesleyan University graduate. She likes to read to her kids, play video games with her husband, and refurbish furniture.

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

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They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. (Ps. 107:30)

Expanded Passage: Psalm 107:23-32

I work with college students, and I would never want to be one again. The highs are so high: they fall in love, they get accepted to grad school or get a new job, they find some new direction for their lives. Sometimes I envy that energy! But the lows are so low—romantic breakups, classroom failures, and personal social drama make life so complicated. I would never want to go back to that; I am thankful for the stability that middle age affords.

This psalm talks about raging storms like my students experience. Verse 26 talks about how the sailors mount up to the heavens and plunge to the depths. But God smooths this out in verse 29: “He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.” The constant up and down finally slows down, the peaks and valleys are leveled, and a peaceful life is the result. In those peaceful moments, we can finally breathe, remember who we are, and be gathered to ourselves and to God again.

As you review your life, you no doubt can see turbulent storms and times of peace. If you are in a time of peace, give thanks; and if you are in a storm, remember that God has been faithful before, and will be faithful again.

Take heart in the midst of whatever storm you face today.

J. Michael Jordan is associate professor of theology at Houghton University, and the author of Worship in an Age of Anxiety (IVP, 2024).

© 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!

“If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” (John 9:33)

Expanded Passage: John 9:1-12, 28-41

The fallout from the healing of the blind man was intense: it drove the healed man to his knees in worship, profoundly grateful for the gift of sight. On the other hand, the religious leaders twisted themselves up in knots to argue that Jesus wasn’t from God, even though this healing seemed to be something divine. They knew that their powerful positions were in danger if Jesus was who he said he was, and so they could not acknowledge what was obviously true: Jesus was from God, and the miracles proved it.

A few chapters later, in John 14, Jesus told his disciples that they would do “greater things” even than he did, because the same Holy Spirit lives in them. When we operate with the Spirit’s power, we can expect that controversy will arise too. Some people—even some Christians—may look at the Spirit’s work and feel threatened, fearing upheaval. Others, though, will take courage at the work of the Spirit to bring new life in a dying world.

When there is controversy, it’s always tempting to defend ourselves. But however others feel, let’s not be overly worried about our reputations; let us only be concerned with living out the Spirit’s call until others recognize that we are what we are because we, too, are from God.

Follow Jesus with joyful confidence so that others see Christ in you.

J. Michael Jordan is associate professor of theology at Houghton University, and the author of Worship in an Age of Anxiety (IVP, 2024).

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