Daily Devo

Listen to today’s devo!

Walk in the light, as he is in the light. (1 John 1:7)

Expanded Passage: 1 John 1:7

Our family has a summer cottage on a lake in Canada. As a child, I remember spending many days swimming, fishing, hunting, and exploring the woods and trails. It was not uncommon for me to be out wandering the dirt roads and fields into the evening hours. Periodically I would encounter wildlife such as deer, raccoons, bears, porcupines, or beavers. My least favorite encounters were with skunks and bees!

In those youthful days, I would often leave the cottage in the morning without my flashlight and as evening set in, I would find myself walking on dark roads, surrounded by eerie sounds and frightening shadows. In those moments, I would long for the comforting light my flashlight could offer.

The apostle John stated that it is entirely possible to “walk in the light.” God’s light is often like the flashlight shining on the dark road. His light illuminates the next step or two but often does not shine far into the distance. Frequently, he provides just enough light for us to have confidence in the next step in our journey but not enough light to see the distant future. Our challenge is to courageously keep in step and be content with the light he shines on our path and avoid wandering off into the darkness.

Today, keep in step with the light God shines on your path.

Stephen Elliott serves as the national superintendent of The Wesleyan Church of Canada and program director of pastoral ministries and church planting degree programs at Kingswood University in New Brunswick. He and his wife, Helen, have three adult children.

© 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 we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. (1 John 1:6)

Expanded Passage: 1 John 1:6

Early in my ministry, I encountered a woman who had lived through some terrible life experiences. Many years earlier she had been the victim of horrific abuse and betrayal. After hearing her story, I asked if she had come to the point of forgiving the person who had wounded her so badly. She professed adamantly and in no uncertain terms that she had forgiven the person.

Yet over the next few months, it became obvious there was a disconnect between what she had said about forgiveness and what was manifested in her life. For the first time, I learned there is a difference between what some people profess and what they actually possess.

John reminds us, “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.” People are capable of proclaiming something but not living up to what they declare. It is one thing to claim to be a disciple of Jesus, to proclaim to know and follow him and his light; yet if our lives are characterized by dark attitudes, behaviors, priorities, language, and reactions that are contrary to the light God has provided in his Word, our claim of following Jesus rings hollow and should be rectified immediately.

Recall your most recent declaration and ensure you possess what you profess.

Stephen Elliott serves as the national superintendent of The Wesleyan Church of Canada and program director of pastoral ministries and church planting degree programs at Kingswood University in New Brunswick. He and his wife, Helen, have three adult children.

© 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!

God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)

Expanded Passage: 1 John 1:5

A few years ago, when my family and I were living in Kentucky, we heard about the Mammoth Cave National Park near Bowling Green. This tourist attraction is reported to be the longest cave system in the world, stretching a little more than four hundred miles of continuous underground passageways. Visitors can take part in short or long tours, and so we opted for the shortest tour of forty-five minutes. The caves were well lit, fascinating, and beautiful.

At one point in the tour, our guide asked the group if we would like to experience total darkness. Shortly thereafter, off went the lights! We were enveloped in an environment devoid of all light. I waved my hands frantically in front of my face but saw nothing. The feelings of disorientation, fear, bewilderment, and anxiety were immediately felt by all of us. After a minute or two, the tour guide turned on a single flashlight: the sense of relief was palpable.

The writer of 1 John reminds us that “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” Wherever God is, there is light, and wherever God is not, there is nothing but darkness. Light tends to bring security and relief; darkness brings fear and anxiety. God illuminates the way of those who welcome his light.

Step into God’s light through repentance.

Stephen Elliott serves as the national superintendent of The Wesleyan Church of Canada and program director of pastoral ministries and church planting degree programs at Kingswood University in New Brunswick. He and his wife, Helen, have three adult children.

© 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!

Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. (Ps. 97:2)

Expanded Passage: Psalm 97

As a young teenager, I once hiked to the summit of a mountain with my family. Slowly, clouds began forming around us on the trek up. Upon reaching our destination, we found ourselves caught in a thunderstorm—inside the clouds! I was already terrified of storms, so this was a nightmare for me. We huddled against a large rock and waited out the storm. I prayed fervently, and felt my fear surrender to peace. Ever since, I have no fear of storms, but have learned an appreciation for their beauty and a reverence for God’s power they display.

The psalmist describes the appearing of King Yahweh as a terrible storm (clouds, thick darkness, fire, lightning). Such awesome power is overwhelming, and chaos accompanies these storms. Yet, amidst that chaos, we find a firm foundation beneath the King’s throne: righteousness and justice. The Hebrew word for “justice” might best be understood as Yahweh’s divine order. Thus, the King has come to restore the world to right order again!

We find comfort, first, in God’s sovereign control over everything in the face of wickedness that plagues his creation. Second, hope gives us comfort as we look forward to the day King Jesus will restore right order for eternity. Take heart; fear not, for Yahweh the Great King reigns forever, and he will guard his faithful people until the end. Hallelujah! (Praise Yahweh!)

Spend time thanking and praising King Jesus for his just, righteous rule.

Noah Cromer is, first, God’s child; second, a husband and father. He gladly serves at Southern Wesleyan University in residence life and as an adjunct professor.

© 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 you may be children of your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5:45)

Expanded Passage: Matthew 5:31-46

“If I could only be like them.” How many of us have said this about someone we respect and admire? For me, it was people like my dad and several of my professors. It was enough simply to be like these role models God placed before me.

Similarly, Jesus taught it was enough to be like his Father. Indeed, this is the goal of loving our enemies: to be God’s children—in other words, to be like him. Jesus knows that the Father himself is self-giving love, so Jesus simply does what he sees the Father doing. Jesus models how to be a child of God, by loving as the Father loves and willingly giving himself, even for his enemies. This sums up the heart of all Jesus’ teachings in this sermon: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48).

Christ’s holy, self-giving love always goes first. It does not wait to be sought out but is offered freely and without distinction. Christian love, working through faith, holds fast in fidelity, spurns honor for humility, speaks truth in integrity, and forgives all with equality. If the kingdom of God is also the family of God, then self-giving, boundless love is how we show ourselves to be part of that family, to be children of God—those who bear his image and reflect it to the whole world.

Make “being God’s child” your goal for everything in your life.

Noah Cromer is, first, God’s child; second, a husband and father. He gladly serves at Southern Wesleyan University in residence life and as an adjunct professor.

© 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!

“He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matt. 5:45)

Expanded Passage: Matthew 5:45-46

She faced him, utterly frozen. The man in front of her had worked in the concentration camp where Corrie ten Boom and family had been imprisoned and where her sister had died. Now, having found forgiveness from God and become a Christian, he asked if she also would forgive him! She wrestled deep within her heart, until finally she called upon Jesus for help and cried out to the man, “I forgive you, brother, with all my heart!” She chose to love her enemy and forgive for same reason that Jesus taught in this sermon.

What is that reason? Quite simply, it is God’s own gracious, nondiscriminating love and care for human beings. Humans have no control over sun and rain, essential elements for life and food. To receive life through these is always a gracious gift from the Father. There will indeed be a day when God separates the godly from the ungodly, but that task has been granted to Jesus alone for a future time. Until then, we must trust the perfect Judge to do right. As good children, we must imitate our Father in showing love and grace without distinction.

This principle leads Jesus to say later, “If you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matt. 6:15). In kingdom economics, love and forgiveness do not discriminate. All receive them equally. Corrie ten Boom knew this, and she accepted it in humble obedience. Will we?

Choose love, regardless of the recipient’s “righteousness,” because God did so first.

Noah Cromer is, first, God’s child; second, a husband and father. He gladly serves at Southern Wesleyan University in residence life and as an adjunct professor.

© 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!

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt 5:44)

Expanded Passage: Matthew 5:43-44

They killed him. They killed her husband. Should she not avenge him? Should she not at least wash her hands of them, never to look upon their wretched faces? Perhaps most would think so, but Elizabeth Elliot thought differently. In what seems incredibly backward or upside-down, she boldly and faithfully obeyed Jesus’ command to love. She returned as a missionary to serve the same people that killed her husband.

In Jesus’ sermon, to love one’s enemy and pray for a persecutor was also an upside-down idea for everyone who heard it. The Greeks and Romans perceived love primarily as a selfish act—what could be gained from the other. Love, then, could only be between two mutually-giving parties. Some Jews interpreted texts like Psalm 119:21–22 as grounds to hate “god-haters” (essentially, all Gentiles, in their minds). Contrarily, Jesus establishes the proper extent of love: it reaches even enemies who actively persecute us. According to the early church’s Christian manual, The Didache, in the church’s early days, the disciples encouraged fasting for persecutors as an appropriate application of Jesus’ command!

This command is not radical—it is the minimum requirement. Jesus later suggests that anything less is no better than the tax collectors and pagans, the very enemies and persecutors for whom he calls us to pray. Jesus’ command is proactive. We start with love. We do not merely react lovingly to an enemy if one shows up.

Identify an enemy and choose an act of love to do for them.

Noah Cromer is, first, God’s child; second, a husband and father. He gladly serves at Southern Wesleyan University in residence life and as an adjunct professor.

© 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 anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” (Matt. 5:39)

Expanded Passage: Matthew 5:38-42

In his sermon “Loving Your Enemies,” Martin Luther King Jr. told this story of President Lincoln: During his campaign, Lincoln was berated, insulted, and degraded relentlessly by Edwin Stanton, a lawyer who hated Lincoln and opposed his presidency. In spite of this, Lincoln never retaliated, and even appointed Stanton to his cabinet after being elected. Lincoln showed a level of respect and even love that was upside-down to all who witnessed it.

In a society obsessed with honor and status, Jesus flipped the cultural narrative with this statement in verse 39. A slap across the cheek was an abominable act of shaming against another person, one punishable in court. Yet, Jesus calls his followers to lay aside their honor for the sake of love, no matter the extent of humiliation. Theologian Craig Keener suggests that indulging the offender to give another strike would communicate two things: a rejection of the value of human honor and a denial of the authority of his opinions regarding one’s own value. Turning the other cheek, therefore, places value and honor in the hands of the true Judge.

Jesus calls for radical self-denial as an act of holy love for God and neighbor. Ask yourself, “Is my concern for self-defense greater than my love for God?” If Jesus willingly laid aside his honor for the sake of love, we’ve no other choice but to do likewise.

Choose trust and humility; it is in God’s hands to vindicate us.

Noah Cromer is, first, God’s child; second, a husband and father. He gladly serves at Southern Wesleyan University in residence life and as an adjunct professor.

© 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!

“All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” (Matt. 5:37)

Expanded Passage: Matthew 5:33-37

“You represent your team, and we all represent God.” Every year I remind resident assistants (RAs) that their integrity will reflect on those around them—whether for ill or for good. As student leaders, they represent the Residence Life team and the university at large. As Christians, we all represent King Jesus. If they are to hold peers accountable to community expectations, they must hold themselves to the same standard diligently. If we claim we are here to serve, we must serve whole-heartedly, unreservedly.

Jesus’ command here directly combats duplicitousness. Oath-swearing was common practice in Jesus’ day, often abused and misused. Oaths might be used to circumvent the law (as the Pharisees did, Matt. 15:3–9), or protect one’s honor (as Peter did, denying Jesus, Matt. 26:72). However, the problem is not the oath but the heart! God reigns over everything: heaven is his throne, earth his footstool. We have no authority nor power over anything, even our lives. Thus, to swear by these things is to assume authority that belongs to the King—perjury. Moreover, through an oath broken, we perhaps even risk making God seem complicit in our falsehood—blasphemy.

There is simply no substitute for integrity. Our integrity reflects God’s integrity. He is consistent with his word, and he witnesses every word from our mouth. If our Father’s “Yes” means “Yes,” how dare we be any different!

Examine your life, heart, and words: are they marked by integrity?

Noah Cromer is, first, God’s child; second, a husband and father. He gladly serves at Southern Wesleyan University in residence life and as an adjunct professor.

© 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!

“But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery.” (Matt. 5:32)

Expanded Passage: Matthew 5:31-32

When facing matters of life and death, we will do almost anything: surpass limits, reorder priorities, or even sacrifice ourselves for another. Jesus teaches that the foundation of God’s inbreaking kingdom is a law of holy, self-giving love. It is a matter of eternal life and death, requiring us to drop everything and give everything.

As Jesus unveils the heart of the law during his sermon, he reveals the intense—even strict—requirement of one’s heart for practicing the holy love befitting of God’s people. A heart filled with Christ’s love considers hatred tantamount to murder; lusting tantamount to adultery. It directs honor to God rather than humans; it is satisfied only with boundless self-giving. Here, godly love esteems the union of marriage so highly that divorce and unfaithfulness are unthinkable, adulterous actually. As such, we must humbly acknowledge that a human construct (divorce) is incapable of sundering a God-ordained union.

Though primary focus here belongs to marriage, we might expand this truth to acknowledge the priority of our marriage to Christ as his bride. Holy love demands that relationship with Christ hold preeminence in all things, to the extent that “divorcing” him is unthinkable, adulterous even. We must be faithful in marriage as an expression of faithfulness to him. We must be faithful to our Bridegroom, who has revealed a love even deeper and stronger than that of marriage.

Honor Jesus, our Bridegroom, with unwavering fidelity.

Noah Cromer is, first, God’s child; second, a husband and father. He gladly serves at Southern Wesleyan University in residence life and as an adjunct professor.

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