Daily Devo

Listen to today’s devo!

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:1)

Expanded Passage: Romans 8:1-17

Tragedy struck, and six children in our community lost their mother by the hand of their father. A cycle of domestic violence had repeated itself over and over, ending in this unbelievably sad situation. Rightfully so, the father was condemned and sent to jail, forever doomed to bear the shame of what he had done. He will never be able to take back what he did. Justice demanded that he be punished. The courts sentenced him to thirty-five years in prison.

Certainly, we are all horrified by the actions of the father mentioned above. We treasure family and try to show love to family and friends, even when they frustrate us. However, we too have done wrong and sinned. According to the Bible, any sin separates us from God and his love, no matter how little. We too will forever be changed due to our choices. According to God’s own righteous law, we owe a debt to God that needs to be paid.

However, God is willing to take away our sins. Through our acceptance of God’s Spirit, we can shed the shame and guilt our sins deserve. We can live a new way with God’s Spirit that is so much better than the old way. With God’s help we can find freedom from addictive habits and spiritual strongholds and live a free and joyful life.

Rejoice in the pardoning of your guilty sentence and commit to live worthy of your freedom today.

Caryl Aukerman is a wife and mother of three and has served with Global Partners for over seventeen years as a missionary in the country of Albania.

© 2024 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 Spirit . . . does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. (Rom. 8:15)

Expanded Passage: Romans 8:14-17

An all-encompassing fear gripped a family that attended our church. The father was prone to jealous, drunken rages that led him to abuse his wife. Their children carefully lived their lives trying to prevent harm to their mother. They were at the mercy of another’s impulses daily, enslaved to fear. Likewise, their father was a slave to his sin.

How quickly we too become slaves to our own sin. Sin we have allowed in our lives soon takes root and grows, making it harder for us to win future battles. When we realize our helpless state to do the good we want to do, this leads to fear.

What a joy to know that we do not have to be slaves to sin! God offers us a way out—salvation! When we accept his Spirit into our lives, we can truly be free from fear and sin as we follow his lead daily. We become part of God’s family, co-heirs in his spiritual kingdom. Sadly, the domestic violence in the family above ended in tragedy. Even so, two daughters from this family have placed their faith in Christ and now rest in God’s hope and strength. They know they are part of a new spiritual family—God’s—and know that God offers them freedom from fear and a kingdom built on loving principles.

Leave your fears behind and rejoice in the freedom God offers you!

Caryl Aukerman is a wife and mother of three and has served with Global Partners for over seventeen years as a missionary in the country of Albania.

© 2024 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, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. (Rom. 8:12)

Expanded Passage: Romans 8:12-13

Whether through war or hardships in life, some Albanian women have lost their husbands. These widows are easy to spot. Most dress in black until the day they die. They might not celebrate special events or even sing for the first year after a husband’s death. Most likely, they will never remarry. They remain in a state of perpetual mourning for the husbands they have lost. Cultural tradition obliges them to honor their husbands in this way.

Spiritually, at one time it was as if we were clothed in black because we lived according to the flesh and were destined to die if we did not choose to live according to the Spirit. Even though we were physically living, we did not know the hope of eternal life that God offers us.

How amazing to realize that God has given us the right to live again! With God’s help, we can throw off those habits and customs of our old fleshly nature! Our obligation is to leave death and our old sinful nature behind to embrace our new spiritual one. We are encouraged to be filled with God’s love and joy. While we may mourn some years we wasted not living for God, God gives us hope of new life now and for eternity.

Throw off the “mourning clothes” of your fleshly nature.

Caryl Aukerman is a wife and mother of three and has served with Global Partners for over seventeen years as a missionary in the country of Albania.

© 2024 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 who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. (Rom. 8:11)

Expanded Passage: Romans 8:9-11

In pre-COVID days, we were so excited for the opportunity to begin studying the Bible with a new family. They are from a Muslim background and had experienced a great deal of damage to their house during an earthquake. After helping them during relief efforts, we were so pleased to offer them spiritual help, as well.

The wife, however, contracted COVID and like many others, had a lot of difficulty breathing. With each gasping breath, the family was very concerned about her health. She desperately needed life-giving treatment in this poor, small country with many who were sick and few hospital beds. Also, Albanians believed that those who went to the hospital with COVID never came back home. This family did not want their beloved wife and mother sent to die in a local hospital. Thankfully, a home nebulizer was found and was enough to allow her to improve and completely recover in her home. Nebulizers and ventilators saved many lives, including hers, during the worst days of that illness.

While oxygen is no help for our spiritual lives, we do need saving! We cannot go on for eternity as we once were, dead in our sins. Thankfully, though, God’s Spirit offers us just the help we need. The life-giving solution to our state of spiritual death is God’s Spirit living in us.

Daily, ask God to fill you with his life-giving Spirit!

Caryl Aukerman is a wife and mother of three and has served with Global Partners for over seventeen years as a missionary in the country of Albania.

© 2024 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!

Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. (Rom. 8:5)

Expanded Passage: Romans 8:5-8

For a couple weeks our tap water became browner each day. We continued to wash our clothes in that water, bathe in it, and even drink it (after it had been filtered). When the water became full of chunks and started looking worse, we stopped using it, unsure of what to do since we obviously required water for daily needs. Weeks later, a neighbor informed us of our landlord’s previous choice to save money by continuing to use old free water lines, causing us to use polluted water.

While this may seem unthinkable to many of us, how many times do we figuratively make a similar choice? How often do we allow condemning, negative, or impure thoughts to permeate our thinking when God wants to renew our minds through the power of his Spirit? How often do we watch a TV show or movie or read a book which has content that pollutes our minds? While God wants us to spend some time with those who do not believe like us, do we sometimes spend too much time with them and not enough with those who understand God’s truth and can build us up in our faith? Also, do we spend enough time reading and soaking in God’s Word to be able to live according to his truth and spirit?

Take time to saturate your mind with God-pleasing thoughts.

Caryl Aukerman is a wife and mother of three and has served with Global Partners for over seventeen years as a missionary in the country of Albania.

© 2024 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!

What the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son . . . to be a sin offering. (Rom. 8:3)

Expanded Passage: Romans 8:1-4

In Albania where we live, animals are commonly sacrificed. Sacrifices are performed at the end of Ramadan (called Ramazan in Albania) and on many other occasions to ward off evil. People here believe a blood sacrifice has power over evil spirits and cleanses people from sin.

Free of charge, God offers us the opportunity to be cleansed of sin and evil. For those of us who believe in Christ, God has done so much more than sacrifice an animal to pay for our sins! Yes, our sin did require a sacrifice—in fact, the punishment of death—to remedy the situation. Yes, God saw the need. But, instead of demanding that we—the ones whose sin had created the problem—pay our debt, he stepped in and offered his own Son’s life to pay for our need for spiritual freedom, atonement, and forgiveness.

As a modern-day, American-born citizen, I cringe inside when I see animal sacrifice in our neighborhood and blood smeared on the faces of those celebrating the holiday of Ramadan. Yet, perhaps those sacrificing understand even better than we do that a blood sacrifice was required to remove the stain of our sin. Our sin was unpardonable without Jesus’ death (and resurrection). Oh, how the world needs to hear how God intervened and did what we could not and did not do for our own salvation!

Share about Jesus’ sacrifice for us with another.

Caryl Aukerman is a wife and mother of three and has served with Global Partners for over seventeen years as a missionary in the country of Albania.

© 2024 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 as for me, it is good to be near God. (Ps. 73:28)

Expanded Passage: Psalm 73:21-28

“I hadn’t been home for two years.” “I didn’t hug my parents for over 800 days.” “We went to different schools and just didn’t see each other.” Do you have a story of a long-distance relationship? Communication technologies provide wonderful tools to meet, collaborate, and converse at a distance, but they are no substitute for proximity. It’s not just true of human relationships. For Asaph, who penned Psalm 73, there was nothing like being close to God. God takes Asaph’s hand, gives him strength, and protects his life.

Long-distance relationships don’t just make relationships difficult. They also bring about change. Perhaps, after a long time apart, you’ve spoken or heard a phrase like, “I hardly recognized you!” or “He didn’t come back the same person.” Once again, it’s not just true in our human relationships. Distance from God had made Asaph less human and more beastly (v. 22). Not just for Asaph but for us all, being away from God means being less and less who we’re made to be.

In a world with fewer travel limits, more employment opportunities, and greater communication technology, many of us have learned to cope with long-distance relationships. But not God. Being at a distance from God means death, destruction, and decay. God won’t settle for a long-distance relationship with us—not because God needs us, but because we need God.

Don’t settle for a long-distance relationship with God.

Aaron Perry serves as director of Wesleyan academic initiatives for Education and Clergy Development of The Wesleyan Church.

© 2024 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 law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. (Rom. 8:2)

Expanded Passage: Romans 7:14—8:2

Tummy aches are a normal part of raising children. No, not the ones that parents have when their child goes to school, rides without training wheels, or steps onto the field, stage, or mat to perform and compete. I mean the aches that come from too much candy, too little protein, or ice cream consumed too quickly.

But what about when the tummy aches come when there is a properly balanced diet? That was the question my wife and I were asking when the tummy aches became a bit too common and even predictable for one of our children. The results of some blood tests confirmed our suspicions: our son had food allergies, leading to a search for gluten-free bread.

Food allergies also bring a different kind of tummy ache: a nagging bit of anxiety that gnaws at your stomach with the slightest suspicion that the wrong ingredient has been consumed. We had to search hard to find good-tasting, gluten-free substitutes for our son’s unique needs. Only then could we experience the freedom of eating without anxiety.

When we live in the power of the Spirit, then we live without the anxiety and condemnation of sin. We live a truly free life. Far from limiting us, the law of the Spirit sets us free to live without worry!

Live by the law of the Spirit to live in freedom from sin!

Aaron Perry serves as director of Wesleyan academic initiatives for Education and Clergy Development of The Wesleyan Church.

© 2024 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, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:1)

Expanded Passage: Romans 8:1

“Les, Pete Rose played left field.” Herb Tarleck, fictional sales manager from sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, used the line to inspire his less-than-enthusiastic and less-than-athletic coworker to play the position in a softball game. Les Nessman, the reluctant leftfielder, considered it a meaningless position. Tarleck’s words changed his mind. Why? Because of association. If Pete Rose played leftfield, then leftfield must be important. Shift to real life: Major League Baseball has a lifetime ban on Pete Rose despite Rose being the league’s lifetime hit leader with over 4,200 career hits. Having admitted to gambling on the game as a player and manager, Rose landed on the permanently ineligible list and cannot enter the Hall of Fame. Whereas Nessman wanted to be associated with Rose, Major League Baseball would prefer to keep their distance.

We are known by our associations, aren’t we? Young people are encouraged to be around the right people and to avoid spending time with the wrong crowd. Paul uses a similar picture by proclaiming the glory of being associated with Christ—of being in Christ. Swiss theologian Karl Barth affirmed that humankind’s greatest dignity is that God became human in Jesus Christ. God has associated with us in Jesus Christ, providing a way for our salvation. If you are associating with Jesus by faith, then, rather than being guilty by association, you are exonerated by it!

Show and share the dignity that comes with being associated with Christ.

Aaron Perry serves as director of Wesleyan academic initiatives for Education and Clergy Development of The Wesleyan Church.

© 2024 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!

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Rom. 7:24–25)

Expanded Passage: Romans 7:21-25

The raft was wrecked. The riders were stranded. The gawking crowd was helpless. A group of college students had built a raft to navigate a nearby river after the spring thaw. Everything was fine . . . until it wasn’t. The raft, having picked up a bit more speed than anyone had anticipated, collided with the large pillar supporting a bridge and began to crumple, pushed by the pressure of the river’s steady flow. “River Raft Rescue” ran the headline in the local paper. And what a relief the rescue was! Firefighters lowered ladders to retrieve the stranded would-be sailors, helping them back to solid ground.

Paul’s bleak picture now reaches its sobering depth. The body, animated by sin through the sinful nature, is a body of death. Jesus called the Pharisees and teachers of the law “whitewashed tombs,” filled with death (Matt. 23:27). Such a desperate state surpasses even a stranded raft. The whole life is stuck in death and decay and needs a rescue. Just as the rescuers sparked cheers and applause from the onlookers and brought great relief to the rescued, Paul erupts in exuberant praise. Why? Because his question has been answered! Who will rescue the life caught in death? Jesus Christ our Lord! The wretched man is rescued by the crucified Savior. Thanks be to God!

Pause and praise God for the rescue of Jesus Christ our Lord!

Aaron Perry serves as director of Wesleyan academic initiatives for Education and Clergy Development of The Wesleyan Church.

© 2024 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.