Daily Devo

Listen to today’s devo!

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior. (Ps. 25:4–5)

Expanded Passage: Psalm 25

In many parts of the world, modern navigation is incredible; with a global positioning system, or GPS, I can input my destination into a smartphone, knowing I will be guided to my stop by the most efficient route. I can even set my GPS to avoid construction, highways, tollways, or anything that might delay my journey. I no longer have to fumble with folding a paper map that doesn’t depict the best routes or road closures. But as amazing as GPS technology is, it isn’t perfect, sometimes due to the error of the person using it, sometimes due to flaws in the technology itself.

In our walk with God, we need direction and guidance. As those called to minister and share the gospel, it’s vital that we take a route focused on the right destination. Our destination is always to know Christ more fully every day.

This psalm reminds me how to choose the right destination for my life every day. When I surrender the desire to make my own path and allow the Lord to teach and guide me instead, I position myself to know God more fully. “Operator error” may occur at times, but you can be sure God will never lose sight of you or lead you down the wrong path. So we pray today and every day, “Lord, show me your ways.”

Pray this verse today in faith.

Ashley Gage is an associate chaplain at a Christian university and contributing writer for This Holy Calling: Daily Wisdom from Women in Ministry (WPH).

excerpt from This Holy Calling, WPH

© 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!

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power . . . to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. (Eph. 3:17–18)

Expanded Passage: Ephesians 3:14-19

There is a rich history passed down from generation to generation, one that will always be around: the art of storytelling. Whether grandparents pass down family memories to grandkids, or locals share origin stories to the next generation, or someone writes a memoir of a life well lived, the telling of these stories changes the hearer. Each story shapes the person receiving the story in a new way.

The same is true of the gospel story: once we step into God’s story and take on the identity of a child of God, our whole life is transformed. God loves you so deeply, and it’s out of that deep love God shows you that you can love God and others. The story of God’s steadfast, transformational love is the story that will never grow old or go out of date. As a child of God, you are invited to participate in God’s story, and oh, what a story you have to tell!

Let God’s story build your identity.

Ashley Gage is an associate chaplain at a Christian university and contributing writer for This Holy Calling: Daily Wisdom from Women in Ministry (WPH).

excerpt from This Holy Calling, WPH

© 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!

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3)

Expanded Passage: 2 Peter 1:3-4

Preparing for a vacation can, ironically, be tiring: ensuring your travel arrangements are secure, packing essential things you will need for the trip, and trying to proactively prepare for any travel interruptions that could unfold. Then, there are arrangements to make for the time you’ll be away from normal activities: making sure your workload is covered, your home attended to—the list could go on and on. It might even feel like the process is not worth the actual vacation! But once you are relaxing and enjoying your rest, you realize it was completely worth the hassle.

Sometimes as we grow in our faith, it’s tempting to create long, exhaustive lists of things we need to complete in order to move closer to God. Maybe you try to plan your walk with Christ just like you might plan a trip away. But if I try to limit my relationship with Christ to a checklist, I will completely miss out on the goodness of God. In his letter, Peter affirmed that everything we need to live a godly life is not found in our own strength and power, but rather through God’s divine power—God, who called us by his own glory and goodness. Today, God invites you to participate in the journey of faith; he provides all you need.

Consider whether you try to control how God works in your life.

Ashley Gage is an associate chaplain at a Christian university and contributing writer for This Holy Calling: Daily Wisdom from Women in Ministry (WPH).

excerpt from This Holy Calling, WPH

© 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!

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Col. 3:12)

Expanded Passage: Colossians 3:12-14

In our current digital age, there is an intriguing fashion trend. On social media, you can find a popular hashtag for “outfit of the day” or #OOTD. Fashion influencers use it to share daily outfits with their followers. Most of us make a daily choice of what we will wear as well. Sometimes you put on clothes and the fit and look are perfect; other times, clothing seems to magically shrink in the closet, and the fit isn’t what you remember. Sometimes an outfit serves a specific purpose, so each item must match that purpose.

The #OOTD that children of God are called to wear must also be chosen daily, serving a specific purpose: to reflect the image of God in the world. As God’s dearly loved children, we are called to put on the clothing of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. The fashion for children of God should be a perfect fit, right? Perfectly sized every time you put it on. But sometimes these pieces just don’t fit right: one day, gentleness is hard to put on, or patience seems to shrink on occasion. So what happens when the outfit doesn’t fit quite right?

As we continue to clothe ourselves as God’s dearly loved children, through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in and through us, our spiritual clothing will become the perfect fit for every occasion.

Review the attributes in this verse; are you wearing them today?

Ashley Gage is an associate chaplain at a Christian university and contributing writer for This Holy Calling: Daily Wisdom from Women in Ministry (WPH).

excerpt from This Holy Calling, WPH

© 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!

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? (Gal. 1:10)

Expanded Passage: Galatians 1:10

Chef Megan was a pastry chef trainee learning at a fancy restaurant. Her executive chef tasked her to prepare a special order for a private event. Her job was to make sugar-free chocolate mousse for one hundred people. She completed the tricky dessert very successfully—or so she thought. As she looked across the ingredients she had used, she realized that she had included the wrong sweetening agent. The dessert was not in fact sugar-free. Although the mousse looked and tasted amazing, it had a mistaken identity! Quickly, she whipped up a new batch, ensuring the second batch of mousse could indeed claim the title of sugar-free. (Don’t worry, both batches found their way to grateful recipients; no chocolate mousse was sacrificed in this mistake!)

Just like the accidental sugar in a “sugar-free” dessert, you and I can find ourselves leaning into a false identity when we fall into the trap of wanting or vying for the approval of humans and not God. Those who are called to serve Christ in ministry are not exempt from this trap; in fact, people-pleasing can be one of the biggest causes of a mistaken identity. Paul’s pointed questions to the Galatians should remind us to double-check our sense of identity today. As a servant of Christ, are you living for Christ or for the approval of human beings?

Pray for the courage to live for Christ above everything else.

Ashley Gage is an associate chaplain at a Christian university and contributing writer for This Holy Calling: Daily Wisdom from Women in Ministry (WPH).

excerpt from This Holy Calling, WPH

© 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!

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1)

Expanded Passage: 1 John 3:1-3

Who are you? Has anyone asked lately? This question can be answered in so many ways, depending on what information is wanted. Is it a name, a lineage, a position, a title? Or does the answer require pause and reflection? There are so many ways to answer this simple question; depending on the scenario in which it is asked, all these responses could be technically accurate yet still incomplete.

As followers of Christ, when we are called to respond to the question, “Who are you?” we have a name, lineage, and title that are beyond compare! In this letter, John powerfully urged his readers and us today to remember this name, lineage, and title. In God’s great love for us, he gives us a new name, a new identity, a lineage and a title. We are called children of God!

Not only are we called to remember our identity as God’s children, we are also reminded of who we belong to! And in a world where we are constantly asked to identify ourselves by our accomplishments and roles, it is vital to remember whose we are. As children of God, when you and I remember who we are in Christ, we are able to reflect the lavish love of God to a world full of people that don’t know who they are—or who God is.

Remember who you are in Christ today; reflect on God’s lavish love.

Ashley Gage is an associate chaplain at a Christian university and contributing writer for This Holy Calling: Daily Wisdom from Women in Ministry (WPH).

excerpt from This Holy Calling, WPH

© 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!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Cor. 5:17)

Expanded Passage: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

With many great books, readers can identify a moment that drew them in and captured their attention. Page after page, you find yourself visualizing characters and scenes, sometimes trying to guess where the storyline will go. Then in a way you wouldn’t ever expect, the author takes you down an unforeseen path and it blows your mind completely! It’s a plot twist, and readers are captivated. When an author draws you into a story, you begin to assume you know where the plot is headed, so you settle in, expecting familiar things. But every plot twist moment takes you out of the same old storyline, capturing your imagination for the unexpected places a story can go. It’s transformational.

In this letter to the people of Corinth, Paul reminded his audience then and now of the way Christ transformed the plot of our story. When you and I take on the identity of a follower of Christ—plot twist! We become part of the new creation. This new creation story transforms us daily, and it will continue to transform us as we lean into it.

Paul reminded the early Christians that the old storyline is gone and the new one is here. Do you need a reminder today of God’s plot twists in your life? Remember to abide in the fullness of your identity in the new creation.

Prayerfully reflect on God’s grace in your story, plot twists and all.

Ashley Gage is an associate chaplain at a Christian university and contributing writer for This Holy Calling: Daily Wisdom from Women in Ministry (WPH).

excerpt from This Holy Calling, WPH

© 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!

May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord. (Ps. 104:34)

Expanded Passage: Psalm 104:33-35

Joy is upbeat, a constant ray of sunshine; her character is the emotion of joy personified. In the movie Inside Out, Joy is constantly optimistic. She is beaming with confidence. Her goal is to make sure that Riley’s life is filled with happiness. Therefore, Joy does all she can to keep a smile on Riley’s face, even in the face of difficult situations.

Psalm 104 speaks to the creativity, power, and sovereignty of our God from a place of deep adoration. In verse 34, the psalmist speaks to the goal of meditating on God. During our times of meditation, we should intentionally seek to put a smile on God’s face. These personal, intimate moments captivate the heart and mind of God as we intentionally place all our attention on who he is. We tune out all distractions and give him our full attention. We rejoice in him as he basks in such pleasurable moments. Our God is deserving of all our praise, glory, and honor. Our love and devotion to God has nothing to do with us; it’s all about him. As we reflect on his character, we should constantly anticipate those moments when we get to lavish him with our praise. We, like Joy, should strive to put a smile on God’s face, even though we may face difficult situations.

Take time in sweet meditation on our God.

Iona Halliday-Simmonds is a wife, mother, and member of The Wesleyan Church who finds great pleasure in serving in community outreach and youth and family ministries.

© 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!

Was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? (James 2:25)

Expanded Passage: Matthew 6:1-4, 19-21; James 2:14-26

I read a story about a girl who had good reason for running away from home. Although she was not completely innocent, I understand why she ran from her abusive father! She hid in an abandoned church knowing her life would be in danger if her father found her. Hiding was the only way to protect her life.

In this excerpt from James, Rahab’s faith led her to secret rebellion. The spies’ lives hung in the balance. But Rahab believed deep down that her only hope was trusting in the God of Israel. So, she bargained with the spies. In return for assisting them, Rahab was promised protection for her and her family.

Rahab’s act of betrayal against the Canaanite’s god testified to her faith in Israel's God. She did not do what she did to boast, but rather from conviction. Rahab willingly laid her future and that of her family on the altar of sacrifice. She courageously trusted Israel's God, which demonstrated her faith in action.

Follow Rahab’s example of putting faith into action.

Iona Halliday-Simmonds is a wife, mother, and member of The Wesleyan Church who finds great pleasure in serving in community outreach and youth and family ministries.

© 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 see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. (James 2:22)

Expanded Passage: James 2:20-24

James unpacks this teaching beautifully by demonstrating the synergy between faith and works. Which one of us, if God asked us to give up a child, would do so willingly? Just the thought of not seeing that loved one again is enough to shut down the very thought. We would even go as far as saying that this could not be God speaking to me. He would never ask me to do such a thing. Not my God of love.

As James retells the story of Abraham and Isaac, we are reminded of Abraham’s willing obedience to God. Abraham both loved his son and trusted God—a powerful combination! Wow! Genuine faith is never passive, it moves the individual into action notwithstanding the cost. Abraham’s faith was perfected through his sacrificial act of obedience, and through this he gained the title “God’s friend.” What an honor to have the creator of the universe call you his friend. Can God call us his friends? Does our professed faith align with our expressed faith? From this passage we are reminded that faith and work are cohesive. Where faith and actions come together, our faith is made complete. Like Abraham, we can put our faith into action by listening for God’s instructions.

Let your love for God supersede that of anyone or anything else.

Iona Halliday-Simmonds is a wife, mother, and member of The Wesleyan Church who finds great pleasure in serving in community outreach and youth and family ministries.

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