Daily Devo

Listen to today’s devo!

“No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord.” (Lev. 18:6)

Expanded Passage: Leviticus 18:4-6

Design and innovation are intended to make life better. We see a problem and experiment with ways to mitigate or eliminate it. However, due to human sinfulness, what is meant for good is inevitably perverted and used for evil. What is supposed to promote flourishing steals, kills, and destroys instead. For example, rather than meaningful connection through social media, we find ourselves bitterly divided and lonely.

When God designed humans for sex, he gave it as a means to strengthen the marriage relationship and, as a result, lead to thriving families and communities. However, when sin entered the scene, sex became a tool used to abuse, control, and objectify fellow humans made in God’s image, particularly those most vulnerable to victimization. Little destroys a person’s ability to live life abundantly quite like sexual abuse.

There is a crucial motivation underlying God’s design for human sexuality outlined in Leviticus that is easy to overlook. When we remember the Law and Prophets hang on the command to love God with our entire being and our neighbor as ourselves, God’s desire for justice and right relationships comes more clearly into view. The Lord’s instructions to Moses were a shield for those with the least power in the family so God’s people could live fully by obeying his teachings. No greater metric exists for our obedience than how we treat the least of these.

Become a shield of God’s love for the vulnerable in your community.

Shaunna Sturgeon is the pastor of the Watershed Collective, a microchurch movement in rural Kansas. She loves helping people discover God’s purpose for their lives.

© 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 am the Lord your God. You must not do as they do. . . .” (Lev. 18:2–3)

Expanded Passage: Leviticus 18:1-3

As a 7th grader, I made a distinct impression when I transferred from a Christian school in Arkansas to a public school in Kansas. My accent, use of Southern colloquialisms, and sheltered innocence made me an oddity to my peers. This situation was not ideal for a middle school girl desperately wanting to fit in and make friends. However, it did provide ample opportunities for me to share why I was different. It wasn’t just my manner of speaking that made me stand out, but my faith and how it influenced my daily life. My classmates were curious why I wasn’t interested in partying, dating, or casually making out, which opened the door for me to point to Jesus and how his way of love leads us to treat every person with honor and dignity.

Before the Lord presented his teachings to Moses regarding prohibited sexual relationships, he emphasized Israel’s call to be distinct from the surrounding nations. Of all the people groups, Israel was chosen to be God’s treasured possession, a kingdom of priests holy to the Lord (Ex. 19:5–6). This unique role meant they were responsible for representing God’s character and nature. The world would know God by observing his wisdom lived out by his people.

“Do not do as they do!” continues to resound as a call to all believers to be living demonstrations of his love.

Ask God to reveal how you can live differently in the everyday.

Shaunna Sturgeon is the pastor of the Watershed Collective, a microchurch movement in rural Kansas. She loves helping people discover God’s purpose for their lives.

© 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 the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name. (Ps. 86:9)

Expanded Passage: Psalm 86

True worship evangelizes. God has used worship countless times to change me. From huge worship sets at youth rallies to me and my guitar alone in my room, God has worked in me through worship. This is why I have such a huge heart for worship; I truly believe God works through it in a special way.

When nonbelievers see real, true, free worship, the Holy Spirit can begin to work in them and change them. The love of Jesus is showcased through worship. Souls are saved through worship. Worship should be never-ceasing, taking place always in our hearts and in our actions. One day every nation will come before God and worship him, but until that day believers must make worship their lifestyle.

To live a lifestyle of worship is to cry out to the Lord in times of trouble, to trust him with your anxieties. It is to praise the Lord for his goodness, for all that he has done in your life. A lifestyle of worship demonstrates care for the poor and powerless. A lifestyle of worship learns God’s Word and relies on the Holy Spirit. A lifestyle of worship is a life lived in fulfilling the Great Commission, teaching the world Jesus’ name. To live a lifestyle of worship is to love all, and above all, love.

Name one thing you will do to make worship your lifestyle.

Ethan Zent is a Kingswood University graduate and Wesleyan worship pastor at Follow Church in South Carolina. He enjoys exploring the great outdoors and thrifting with his wife Kellie.

© 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 when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown. (Lev. 9:24)

Expanded Passage: Leviticus 9:15-24

The first time I was able to lead worship in my church’s main sanctuary was during a team night for my church’s worship ministry participants. As I got on the platform for a sound check, I muttered the words, “Wow, I’ve never performed on this stage before.” I’ve always been a performer, being highly involved in both theater and choir, but it was not until I was called out for what I had said in that moment that I realized the performer in me had taken over the worshiper in me. I realized that my worship to God was plagued with thoughts of performance, putting on a show for my peers, both on the platform and in the congregation. My heart was on myself, not on God.

Worship is not about glorifying ourselves; worship is about glorifying God. The purpose of worship is to give God everything we have, to sacrifice ourselves and the things we hold dear. To worship is to offer ourselves to God that we might be changed. Examine your own worship. Who is receiving the glory when you worship? Is it a performance, or is it true worship? Only through true worship will the mighty presence of God appear. Only through true worship will your life be changed. If the presence of God is not your focus during worship, have you truly worshiped?

Choose to completely glorify God through your worship.

Ethan Zent is a Kingswood University graduate and Wesleyan worship pastor at Follow Church in South Carolina. He enjoys exploring the great outdoors and thrifting with his wife Kellie.

© 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!

When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. (Lev. 9:23)

Expanded Passage: Leviticus 9:23-24

I have left too many times of worship thinking to myself, “That was boring.” There are two problems with that. First, my attitude shows that God did not receive the proper worship he deserves, and the other is that God could not work in me while that thought was in my mind. There is one solution to this problem: the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit in our worship, our presence or posture becomes a mere task; it becomes boring.

When the Holy Spirit is present and welcomed in our worship, things change. We become all-consumed with the presence of the Lord, having no choice but to shout for joy, lift our hands, fall face down, or dance—anything to express the awesome glory of God. When we encounter the Holy Spirit, lives are saved, people are healed, and perfect love is found. There is nothing boring about the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit will always leave us energized.

The Holy Spirit has been moving in worship since the time of Aaron, through the time of Paul, and continuing today. Through the Holy Spirit, supernatural things will be done. The Holy Spirit is both available and needed in the life of every Christian. When the Holy Spirit enters your worship, your joy will be like nothing you have experienced before.

Invite the Holy Spirit into your worship.

Ethan Zent is a Kingswood University graduate and Wesleyan worship pastor at Follow Church in South Carolina. He enjoys exploring the great outdoors and thrifting with his wife Kellie.

© 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!

Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh before the Lord as a wave offering, as Moses commanded. (Lev. 9:21)

Expanded Passage: Leviticus 9:21-22

Some say that there are two types of worshipers: those who raise their hands and those who don’t. Those who do raise their hands might say those who don’t are not truly worshiping. Those who don’t raise their hands might say those who do are really weird. Personally, I admit, I am a hand raiser. While leading worship with my youth group’s worship band, we often became discouraged when we did not see kids raising their hands. My leader would graciously remind us that we do not know how God is working in those people’s hearts.

Hand raising is an outward expression of worship, sometimes seen as an expression of total surrender. Aaron worshiped God by waving the offering before the Lord, as he’d been commanded. We are not commanded to raise our hands during worship. No one should raise their hands only because they feel as if they are supposed to. One’s posture in worship should be personal, inspired by the Holy Spirit moving in the moment. God can still work in you if you don’t raise your hands.

Yet there is also a freedom in worshiping God with your arms raised high, not caring what the people around you are thinking. Who knows? Maybe by taking a new posture in worship—hands up or hands down—God will begin to work in a different way in your life.

Take a new posture during worship.

Ethan Zent is a Kingswood University graduate and Wesleyan worship pastor at Follow Church in South Carolina. He enjoys exploring the great outdoors and thrifting with his wife Kellie.

© 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!

These they laid on the breasts, and then Aaron burned the fat on the altar. (Lev. 9:20)

Expanded Passage: Leviticus 9:19-20

Going into my first year at university, there was a term that was thrown around quite a bit: the freshman fifteen. The freshman fifteen is the concept that a freshman in university can expect to gain about fifteen pounds in their first year. To be honest, I was a little scared of it. Through hard work, I actually achieved the opposite of the freshman fifteen. I lost fifteen pounds in my first semester. The reward for my work was great. I felt better about myself, and people noticed a difference when I went home for Christmas.

In the Old Testament sacrifices, they cut away the fat and burned it, offering it to the Lord. Should we not then cut away the impure intentions from our heart, offering up our sins and struggles to the Lord? This is not to say you cannot worship God if you are struggling with something. Rather, it is to say that there is freedom from those chains that hold us back from pure worship.

Jesus took the sin in our lives to the cross that we might be able to experience freedom. Jesus has already done the work; we need only to work with his power. When we begin to worship God with all that we have to give, holding nothing back, real life change can begin.

Identify an area where you need freedom, and pray for it.

Ethan Zent is a Kingswood University graduate and Wesleyan worship pastor at Follow Church in South Carolina. He enjoys exploring the great outdoors and thrifting with his wife Kellie.

© 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 sons handed him the blood, and he splashed it against the sides of the altar. (Lev. 9:18)

Expanded Passage: Leviticus 9:17-18

I stood there with tears in my eyes as a row of children stood in front of the congregation singing “I love you, Jesus.” There was nothing more precious than the faith of these children, so pure and humble. I began to wonder when I lost that childlike faith to anxiety, doubts, and sin. How do we get this childlike faith back into our churches, back into our hearts?

Like Aaron’s older sons who were involved with the sacrifice, the children of our churches should be involved in our worship. Examples of this could come in a multitude of different ways, from having the children be actively involved in a worship service to having the congregation be actively involved in the children’s worship. Oftentimes we may think only we adults should teach children, but there is so much that children are able to teach us. Jesus speaks on multiple occasions of this childlike faith, to trust God completely and fully.

Childlike faith will revitalize our worship, helping us realize what is truly important: Jesus. The worries and anxieties of the world become second as we give our complete trust over to God. Humble yourselves; no matter how old you are, no matter the experience you have, realize your one true identity. You are a child of God.

Invest in the lives of the children and learn from them.

Ethan Zent is a Kingswood University graduate and Wesleyan worship pastor at Follow Church in South Carolina. He enjoys exploring the great outdoors and thrifting with his wife Kellie.

© 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!

Aaron then brought the offering that was for the people. (Lev. 9:15)

Expanded Passage: Leviticus 9:15-16

Have you ever stood in a church service and wished you could sing or play as well as the people who were on the platform? I know I have. Have you ever felt like you were unworthy to sing because the worship leaders could do it with so much more excellence? I know I have. God has blessed me with many musical talents, and still I find myself with these thoughts stuck in my mind. The fact of the matter is this doubt, insecurity, and negativity is only a distraction from what God might be trying to do in and through you during worship.

It is true that God has anointed certain people with the musical talent necessary for leading worship. Like Aaron, who brought the offering for the people, these leaders are there to bring people into the presence of God. The purpose of a worship leader is simply this: to lead us into worship. Not everyone is called to be a worship leader, to sing and play with excellence from a platform, but we are all called to be worshipers.

Don’t worry about whether or not your voice compares to those equipped by God to usher his church into his presence. Rather, follow the heart of the leader to become closer to Jesus, giving God all you have to give him.

Worship God with all of your heart, no matter your skill.

Ethan Zent is a Kingswood University graduate and Wesleyan worship pastor at Follow Church in South Carolina. He enjoys exploring the great outdoors and thrifting with his wife Kellie.

© 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!

Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps. (Ps. 85:13)

Expanded Passage: Psalm 85:4-13

After two years working as an office manager, a new director was hired. Sue quickly revealed herself to be self-serving and ambitious—and proud of it. She had the compulsion to draw everyone into schemes. When Sue invited me to be her partner in crime against a coworker, I politely declined. Unfortunately, I became her next target.

For the next year, she tried to trap me in compromising circumstances. No matter her attempts, I responded only out of biblical direction and wisdom. This season was one of the most grueling times in my life. Daily, my integrity was called into question. There was constant clamoring to have me fired, but every time no evidence existed against me. Every time, Sue’s plans were thwarted. The staff began to question me about why I didn’t retaliate. I gave them biblical answers. In increasing numbers, they began to ask about this faith that sustained me.

To many, I was justified to deploy counterattacks, but staying true to God’s Word meant walking in God’s righteousness. A way was prepared for me to evangelize my teammates.

When we press through our difficult situations with godly wisdom, we offer ourselves to be used by God so that his path is established and blessings can flow. Sometimes we are battered in the process. We must never lose sight that standing firm with God produces important kingdom opportunities.

Let righteousness protect you and provide for you.

C. Renee Miller is the founder of CRM Spiritual Care Services and is passionate about assisting believers to unleash and electrify their relationship with Christ.

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