Daily Devo

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“Pray to your Father, who is unseen.” (Matt. 6:6)

Expanded Passage: Matthew 6:5-6

I closed my Bible and flopped over to say my nightly prayers. My little niece, barely more than a toddler at the time, curled up beside me. She scribbled in her lock-and-key diary, mimicking my journaling from moments before. I didn’t ask her to stop and pray with me; I just offered my thanks and petitions aloud, as I’d always done.

Later, my brother-in-law told me he’d seen a difference in his daughter. “She prays differently,” he said. “When I pray with her before bed, I can tell she’s heard someone else pray. She’s learning to talk to the Lord from her heart, and that’s good.”

I hadn’t prayed to impress. I simply prayed to my unseen Father. The fact that I had a tiny eavesdropper beside me didn’t change my motive or delivery. That she observed a new approach to offering genuine, heartfelt prayers was simply the way God chose to work in her heart that day.

We aren’t called to pray to impress or even teach others. In fact, we’re called to do quite the opposite. God desires that we offer sincere conversations that travel from our heart to his. What a relief! It doesn’t matter what those who happen to hear us think of our delivery. It only matters that we pray with honesty and transparency to him. He may be unseen, but he always hears.

Pray transparently and earnestly to your audience of one.

Bekah Shaffer lives in Kokomo, Indiana, and enjoys endless coffee, scrapbooking, speaking, and planning adventures with her husband, Ryan.

© 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!

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. (Ps. 103:1)

Expanded Passage: Psalm 103:1-5

Standing in the room where John Wesley died, all I could think was, “This is holy ground.” The father of the Methodist movement breathed his last at age eighty-seven, surrounded by friends and fellow ministers who hung on his every word that morning in March of 1791. The popular account of his death reported that Wesley’s last words were, “The best of all is, God is with us”—a beautiful confirmation of the doctrine of assurance that Wesley had championed in his ministry.

It’s true that was the last full thought he expressed, but the last words Wesley spoke were actually lyrics of a song. He was trying to quote a hymn by Isaac Watts. The verse goes, “I’ll praise my Maker while I’ve breath, and when my voice is lost in death, praise shall employ my nobler powers.” In his weakened state, all Wesley could manage was, “I’ll praise . . . I’ll praise.”

That’s not a bad way to go to heaven—offering a sacrifice of praise. It’s not a bad way to live, either. In good times and bad, we can praise the Lord. After all, we already know enough Hebrew to join David in celebrating the goodness of God in Psalm 103, because the Hebrew for “Praise the Lord” is “hallelujah.”

Hallelujah, my soul!

Join David in his “hallelujah!”

Bob Black is a third-generation Wesleyan minister and professor emeritus of religion at Southern Wesleyan University (SC).

© 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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I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. (Eph. 4:1)

Expanded Passage: Ephesians 4:1-16; Titus 2:11-15

Local churches come in all shapes and sizes, don’t they? Some are mega-churches, some micro-churches; some meet in an elaborate sanctuary and some in a private home; some practice traditional worship and some a more contemporary style; some are free to hold a public service and some in other parts of the world are gathering behind locked doors. They’re very different, and yet they’re all “the church.”

God gave the apostle Paul a word for the Ephesian church, but he was not just writing to a single congregation in that letter. For one thing, many scholars believe he meant for it to become a circular letter, passed along to several other Christian congregations in that region of western Asia Minor (modern Turkey). But in a more universal way, the principles that Paul was preaching, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, are God’s design for every congregation as well.

When he called the church to unity (4:1–6), ministry (4:7–13), maturity (4:14–16), and, as the letter continues, purity (4:17—5:20), all in the context of the gospel, he was speaking to us as well as to them. That’s a universal template, one meant to characterize any church anywhere at any time. If it characterizes us, we too can “live a life worthy of the calling” we have received.

In things great and small, live a life worthy of your Lord.

Bob Black is a third-generation Wesleyan minister and professor emeritus of religion at Southern Wesleyan University (SC).

© 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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We wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:13)

Expanded Passage: Titus 2:11-15

Have you ever noticed the choreography of a curtain call? From community theater to Broadway shows, it always follows the same pattern. First come those playing minor roles, followed by the more major characters, and finally by the stars of the show—all taking a bow and enjoying the applause of the audience. That tradition goes back more than 200 years, but its roots lie in ancient Greek and Roman productions.

One day the curtain will fall on human history too, and when it does, theologian Helmut Thielicke has reminded us, there will be one figure standing alone on the stage—the Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone else—warriors and statesmen, heroes and villains, the powerful and the powerless—will be on their faces before him.

In the book of Revelation, Jesus called himself “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 22:13). He was present at creation, when history began, and his second coming will signal its end. Unlike history, eternity has no end, and for the Christian in that day there will be no more omega moments.

Meanwhile, we “wait,” but not passively. As the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30) makes crystal clear, it’s those who are found busy in their work when he comes who will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

“Wait” for his coming by working hard until he comes.

Bob Black is a third-generation Wesleyan minister and professor emeritus of religion at Southern Wesleyan University (SC).

© 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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We all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Eph. 4:13)

Expanded Passage: Ephesians 4:13

Every church wants to grow numerically, or at least it should. Defined biblically, that kind of church growth is certainly a worthy goal. But the Bible has even more to say about a different kind of church growth—the personal growth of individual believers.

Aslan, the great lion who represents Christ in C. S. Lewis’ classic Chronicles of Narnia, leads his small army of the faithful to a momentous victory in The Last Battle, the final book in the series. There is no time for celebrating, though; no one is permitted to rest on their laurels. The battle is won, but not the war. There is more ground to gain, more territory to take. Aslan’s command echoes through the rest of the book, repeated again and again: “Further up and further in!”

“Further up and further in” are Christ’s orders for the new Christian. There’s a lifetime of growth ahead. “Further up and further in,” he says to the mature Christian, and anyone who is truly mature in the faith sees the need to go deeper into the things of God.

When Paul told the Ephesians that the Lord’s goal was for the body of Christ to be built up, he was specifically referring to Christian maturity, not statistics. Evangelism is critically important, but so is discipleship.

Churches that are truly “growing” grow both ways.

Pursue your spiritual growth further up and further in.

Bob Black is a third-generation Wesleyan minister and professor emeritus of religion at Southern Wesleyan University (SC).

© 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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So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service. (Eph. 4:11–12)

Expanded Passage: Ephesians 4:11-13

Football has been defined as 22 people on the field, desperately in need of rest, and 80,000 people in the stands, greatly in need of exercise!

That describes too many churches as well—churches in which the members look to their pastor to carry the ball by himself, spiritually speaking. If Satan succeeds in selling that to the church at large, he will have effectively reduced the Christian “work force” by 95 percent.

But what if a church of 50 saw itself as a ministry team of 50? What if a church of 100 unleashed 100 ministers . . . one coordinating, encouraging, and visionary minister-in-chief plus 99 volunteer ministers . . . into its community? Imagine the impact!

When Paul told the Ephesian church that Christ had tapped some for leadership—apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers—he didn’t say that responsibility for winning the world rested solely on their shoulders. In fact, he said just the opposite. The apostles, prophets, pastors, and teachers were to “equip [Christ’s] people for works of service.” The role of the leaders was an equipping ministry. Works of spiritual ministry? That’s in everybody’s job description. Thank God for the pastoral staff who serve our churches, but thank God as well for the lay “ministers” whom they equip to help reach a spiritually hungry world!

Get off the bench and into the game!

Bob Black is a third-generation Wesleyan minister and professor emeritus of religion at Southern Wesleyan University (SC).

© 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 to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. (Eph. 4:7)

Expanded Passage: Ephesians 4:7-10

The Puritans had a practice of naming their children after religious values or virtues, a custom not so popular in modern times. We don’t see many girls named Patience, Prudence, Temperance, or Chastity these days, but when we name our daughters Faith, Joy, Hope, or Grace, we owe a debt to the Puritans.

In baby name books, “grace” is typically defined as effortless skill, charm, or refinement, but for the Christian, the word has infinitely deeper significance. Grace is the unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor of God toward us. It’s a foundational element of the gospel. In fact, without grace, we would have no faith, hope, or joy!

In his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul highlighted the fact that the gifts God so generously gives his children—gifts to be used in his service—are “grace-gifts.” They equip us to reach the lost and to build up the church. Elsewhere in the New Testament we find more extensive lists of these gifts, but in Ephesians 4 his point is that the unity of the Spirit in the church is enhanced by a diversity of gifts of the Spirit, all of which strengthen the body of Christ.

Grace-gifts are a blessing, but the greater blessing—the greater gift—is the gift of grace itself. God’s gifts are wonderful, but God’s grace is amazing.

With God’s help, be grace-ful in all you say and do today.

Bob Black is a third-generation Wesleyan minister and professor emeritus of religion at Southern Wesleyan University (SC).

© 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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Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Eph. 4:3)

Expanded Passage: Ephesians 4:1-6

Sometimes our congregation affirms its faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed, that classic summary of Christian beliefs dating from the early church. As our voices fill the sanctuary, we’re each making a personal declaration (“I believe”), but we’re making it together as a body. It’s singular and plural at the same time.

So is unity in the church. We’re not all of the same mind on every issue, of course, but Paul reminded us in this passage that we can and must be of one Spirit. After all, he wrote, we who are many have one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all.

St. Paul’s Cathedral in London is steeped in history, but it still fulfills its principal purpose as a house of worship. When my wife Judy and I visited years ago, we saw a large portrait of the old church in its narthex. Actually, it turned out to be a mosaic, an image of St. Paul’s created by the arrangement of thousands of tiny photos of individuals. The photographer/artist had composed it from pictures taken of every visitor to the church over a three-day period previously. It was an impressive work of art, but it also symbolized the truth that the “original” St. Paul himself was expressing in this passage. Together—key word, together—we are the church.

“Make every effort” to transform disunity into unity in the Spirit.

Bob Black is a third-generation Wesleyan minister and professor emeritus of religion at Southern Wesleyan University (SC).

© 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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So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem. (Ps. 102:21)

Expanded Passage: Psalm 102:18-28

One of the more remarkable stories of coming to faith in Christ is that of Iranian saint, Dr. Sa’eed. Raised in a strict Muslim home, and himself a cleric, Sa’eed was nonetheless attracted to the gospel by the words and life of an Assyrian pastor. Sa’eed became a medical doctor and with declining financial support from the West, he engaged in witness to Jesus by word and deed. Nearly twenty years after Sa’eed died, a visitor to his home area asked an elderly man if he had known Dr. Sa’eed. His astounding reply was, “Dr. Sa’eed was Christ himself!”

In his sermon “The General Spread of the Gospel,” John Wesley described how many who resist the gospel do so in part because of their observations of the lives of those who profess to believe in Jesus. Wesley went on to describe holiness as a key element in world evangelization. He asserted that if Christians would begin to live sanctified lives, demonstrating God’s holiness, the nations would be drawn to Jesus through the actions as well as words of God’s people. Holiness, after all, isn’t just about us. It is intimately connected with world evangelization. Perhaps all of us can learn from Wesley’s words and Dr. Sa’eed’s example. Do we live a life holy enough that those who know us can see Christ at work?

Assess the impact of your life’s witness on those around you.

Matt Friedman was a professor of global ministry at Kingswood University (NB)and previously served in southern Asia for eighteen years.

© 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!

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Gal. 5:25–26)

Expanded Passage: Galatians 5:13-26; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7

Sherri ended her phone call, contemplating the news she had just received. For months, she had quietly hoped that she would be appointed to the vacant leadership position at her church. She had just discovered, however, that another person, one whom she barely knew, had been chosen—and that woman was right there, across the room, chatting with a mutual friend. Sherri felt the tug of envy in her heart and even thought of something a bit cutting to say. She knew, however, that this was wrong. More than that, she knew she had the resources to avoid falling into this trap. She prayed a silent prayer and began to sense God’s pleasure as she smiled and headed toward her “rival,” hand extended in congratulations—and obedience.

Scripture gives us multiple warnings concerning the sin of envy, and it also gives us the hope that comes from participating in the life of the Spirit. While the temptation toward pride and envy remains a danger, we have an inexhaustible resource in the power of God’s Spirit. He empowers us to overcome temptation to live out the “acts of the sinful nature,” and he enables us to display the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. He enables us to “keep in step” with him.

Walk in obedience wherever the Spirit takes you.

Matt Friedman was a professor of global ministry at Kingswood University (NB)and previously served in southern Asia for eighteen years.

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