First15 Devotional

What a gift we have in the Christmas season. God himself took on flesh and dwelt among us that we might find eternal relationship in him. His coming serves as a continual reminder of his grace and pursuit of us who are lost without him. As we look to Jesus this week to celebrate who he is and what he’s done, may you find life-giving hope and foundational joy.

Our Scripture for today comes from John 1:29, and today's worship is Gratitude by Brandon Lake

--

Thanks for listening to the First15 Podcast. My name is Ryn, and I’m a part of the First15 Team.  If you haven’t heard, we just launched a brand new First15 app, available now in your app store! One of the new features that you can enjoy when you download the app is our Guided Prayers. We’ve created unique guided prayers that are created specifically to help you connect with God in prayer wherever you are. 

Today, we’re sharing a preview of a Guided Prayer I wrote titled, “Of Repentance.” What a gift it is that our God calls Himself our Father and invites us to bring all the wrongs that we’ve done and lay them down so that they no longer hinder us from the life He calls us to live. Taking inventory of our hearts in God’s presence is one way to experience deeper intimacy and freedom with Him. I pray this guided prayer helps you to do that today, friend. And I pray it serves as a template for your own prayers of repentance so that you can walk in the fullness of the life God has for you to live, free of the weights and chains that keep us bound. 

As we end our week on Jesus’s High Priestly prayer, today we’ll dive into his desire for us to know the Father’s great love. Knowing the love of God for us is essential to healthy Christian living. God’s love is fundamental to our identity as his children and the sacrifice of Jesus. If we aren’t rooted and grounded in the unconditional love of God, we will be like untethered buoys being tossed about in the sea. It may seem elementary that God loves you, but I’d encourage you to open your heart afresh to this reality, that God could reveal his love to you in a real and new way today.

Our Scripture for today comes from John 17:25-26, and today's worship is Goodness of God by Jenn Johnson.

--

The Songs Tell the Story, the 25 day Advent devotional is perfect for starting on December 1st and ending on Christmas Day! 

Each reading only takes a few minutes and the stories behind how these Christmas hymns came to be are sure to make you hear & sing them in a whole new way. You and your family will want to listen to the songs with a newfound appreciation for how God worked to bring such timeless songs into our yearly celebrations of the gift of Christmas. Our hope is that each story reveals more of God’s heart for you in this season and renews your sense of wonder for the birth of our Savior.

So make sure to grab your copy at first15.org/advent while it is still available and to ensure you can begin reading it on December 1!

As we begin to wrap up our week on Jesus’s High Priestly prayer, today we look at what it means to reflect God’s glory. How could man ever look like God? In our broken, fallen state, can we ever reflect his glory? Let’s find out as we explore God’s heart and intention behind filling us with his Holy Spirit and giving us his new nature. May your heart and mind be open to God’s truth and will for your life today as we seek him together..

Our Scripture for today comes from John 17:22-24, and today's worship is Rise Up (Lazarus) by Cain. 

--

The Songs Tell the Story, the 25 day Advent devotional is perfect for starting on December 1st and ending on Christmas Day! 

Each reading only takes a few minutes and the stories behind how these Christmas hymns came to be are sure to make you hear & sing them in a whole new way. You and your family will want to listen to the songs with a newfound appreciation for how God worked to bring such timeless songs into our yearly celebrations of the gift of Christmas. Our hope is that each story reveals more of God’s heart for you in this season and renews your sense of wonder for the birth of our Savior.

So make sure to grab your copy at first15.org/advent while it is still available and to ensure you can begin reading it on December 1!

Today we continue our week on Jesus’s High Priestly prayer by exploring the topic of sanctification. What does it mean to be in the world but not of the world? What does sanctification look like played out in our lives practically? Often the concept of being sanctified is daunting and a bit intimidating. But today God wants to clear up our common misconceptions and help us enter this process with joy. Open your heart to the kindness of Jesus and allow him to give you rest.

Our Scripture for today comes from John 17:14-15, and today's worship is Give Us Clean Hands bt Passion Bsnd.

--

The Songs Tell the Story, the 25 day Advent devotional is perfect for starting on December 1st and ending on Christmas Day! 

Each reading only takes a few minutes and the stories behind how these Christmas hymns came to be are sure to make you hear & sing them in a whole new way. You and your family will want to listen to the songs with a newfound appreciation for how God worked to bring such timeless songs into our yearly celebrations of the gift of Christmas. Our hope is that each story reveals more of God’s heart for you in this season and renews your sense of wonder for the birth of our Savior.

So make sure to grab your copy at first15.org/advent while it is still available and to ensure you can begin reading it on December 1!

Jesus is a joyful King, and we find in his High Priestly Prayer that he desires that his people would be filled with his joy too. We all have a myriad of burdens and things in life that cause us stress and worry. But what does it look like to have deep abiding joy in all circumstances? Today we’ll explore that and more.

Our Scripture for today comes from John 17:13, and today's worship is Joy is Coming by Todd Galberth ( feat. Travis Greene). 

--

The Songs Tell the Story, the 25 day Advent devotional is perfect for starting on December 1st and ending on Christmas Day! 

Each reading only takes a few minutes and the stories behind how these Christmas hymns came to be are sure to make you hear & sing them in a whole new way. You and your family will want to listen to the songs with a newfound appreciation for how God worked to bring such timeless songs into our yearly celebrations of the gift of Christmas. Our hope is that each story reveals more of God’s heart for you in this season and renews your sense of wonder for the birth of our Savior.

So make sure to grab your copy at first15.org/advent while it is still available and to ensure you can begin reading it on December 1!

As we continue our week on Jesus’s High Priestly prayer, today we’ll explore God’s desire to see his people unified. Why would this be important to him? What good could be in unity for us and others? What is Jesus trying to communicate to the world through us? May our hearts be open to the answers we discover today as we take a deeper dive.

Our Scripture for today comes from John 17:10-11, and today's worship is This is the Kingdom by Elevation Worship feat Pat Parrett.

--

The Songs Tell the Story, the 25 day Advent devotional is perfect for starting on December 1st and ending on Christmas Day! 

Each reading only takes a few minutes and the stories behind how these Christmas hymns came to be are sure to make you hear & sing them in a whole new way. You and your family will want to listen to the songs with a newfound appreciation for how God worked to bring such timeless songs into our yearly celebrations of the gift of Christmas. Our hope is that each story reveals more of God’s heart for you in this season and renews your sense of wonder for the birth of our Savior.

So make sure to grab your copy at first15.org/advent while it is still available and to ensure you can begin reading it on December 1!

As we take a deep dive into Jesus’s High Priestly prayer in John 17 this week, we will discover together the deep desires of the heart of God. Today we explore Jesus’s desire to be known by his people. Isn’t it amazing to think the God of the universe desires to be known intimately by you and me? What a beautiful blessing and gift he desires to give each of us. May we take hold of this gift and experience it fully today as we take a closer look.

Our Scripture for today comes from John 17:3, and today's worship is Out Of Hiding by Steffany Gretzinger.

--

The Songs Tell the Story, the 25 day Advent devotional is perfect for starting on December 1st and ending on Christmas Day! 

Each reading only takes a few minutes and the stories behind how these Christmas hymns came to be are sure to make you hear & sing them in a whole new way. You and your family will want to listen to the songs with a newfound appreciation for how God worked to bring such timeless songs into our yearly celebrations of the gift of Christmas. Our hope is that each story reveals more of God’s heart for you in this season and renews your sense of wonder for the birth of our Savior.

So make sure to grab your copy at first15.org/advent while it is still available and to ensure you can begin reading it on December 1!

We have a great High Priest who constantly intercedes on our behalf. The Son of God and Man loves you more deeply than you can fathom. He prays for you, that you might walk in the abundant life his death affords you. And in John 17 we get a glimpse into the fullness of his desire for all those who would believe in him. As we dive deeply into the riches of Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer this week, may your heart be awakened and your life be transformed by the riches of God’s love.

Our Scripture for today comes from John 17:1-2, and today's worship is King Jesus by Brooke Ligertwood

--

Thanks for listening to today’s First15 Podcast. My name is Ryn, and I’m a part of the First15 Team. If you haven’t downloaded our brand new First15 app, make sure to click the link in today’s show notes to check it out! One of the new features that you can enjoy when you download the app is our Guided Prayers. We are adding new prayers to our library every month, so if you need a moment of peace with God, let these prayers be your guide!

 In today’s First15 Podcast, we wanted to give you a preview of a new Guided Prayer titled “Slowing Down with Jesus”  that our friend Paulina Faundez wrote. In the midst of our busy lives, Jesus is inviting us to slow down and rest in him. We don’t need to fill our agendas to impress God or to deserve his love. He wants us to enjoy his peace and to have a meaningful relationship with him. I pray this Guided Prayer helps you to slow down in his presence.

As we finish our week on vision and boundaries, today we’ll focus on having vision for eternity. The glorious truth is that this world is not the end for us. In fact, through Jesus, we will see a kingdom that has no end. Christ desires his people to be those that live with fresh vision for heaven and eyes fixed upward. May you be newly envisioned and encouraged today as you’re reminded of the world that is to come through Christ our King.

Our Scripture for today comes from Ecclesiastes 3:11, and today's worship is Be Thou My Vision by Brandon Lake.

--

The Songs Tell the Story, the 25 day Advent devotional is perfect for starting on December 1st and ending on Christmas Day! 

Each reading only takes a few minutes and the stories behind how these Christmas hymns came to be are sure to make you hear & sing them in a whole new way. You and your family will want to listen to the songs with a newfound appreciation for how God worked to bring such timeless songs into our yearly celebrations of the gift of Christmas. Our hope is that each story reveals more of God’s heart for you in this season and renews your sense of wonder for the birth of our Savior.

So make sure to grab your copy at first15.org/advent while it is still available and to ensure you can begin reading it on December 1!

As we begin to wrap up our week on boundaries and vision, today we’ll explore having clear vision for community. All of us will likely fall in different places with this topic today. It is my prayer you discover what is healthy and God-ordained for you in regards to community—and that may look completely different than someone else! We all have different capacity, and it’s very important to remember that as we discuss living life with others in community. May our hearts be open today to whatever the Lord might speak.

Our Scripture for today comes from Matthew 18:20, and today's worship is We Love Your Name by Harvest. 

--

The Songs Tell the Story, the 25 day Advent devotional is perfect for starting on December 1st and ending on Christmas Day! 

Each reading only takes a few minutes and the stories behind how these Christmas hymns came to be are sure to make you hear & sing them in a whole new way. You and your family will want to listen to the songs with a newfound appreciation for how God worked to bring such timeless songs into our yearly celebrations of the gift of Christmas. Our hope is that each story reveals more of God’s heart for you in this season and renews your sense of wonder for the birth of our Savior.

So make sure to grab your copy at first15.org/advent while it is still available and to ensure you can begin reading it on December 1!