Grow In Faith

What is your life built on? Pastor Mike Woodruff of Christ Church wraps up a devotional series on Psalm 62 by connecting David's repeated cry, "God is my rock," to Jesus' famous parable of the wise and foolish builders in Matthew 7.

Short answer: Psalm 62 teaches two big ideas. First, the peace we're really after comes from a relationship with God. Second, we need habits and practices like prayer, Bible reading, meditation, and service to keep us focused on God, especially in a world that's constantly pulling our attention elsewhere.

In this devotional, you'll learn:
• Why spiritual habits matter more today than ever
• How the news can "disciple" us, leaving us angry, anxious, and partisan instead of filled with the fruit of the Spirit
• How consumer culture works to convince us we won't be happy until we buy the next thing
• How social media pulls us further away from contentment
• Why everyone, even a king, has problems in a broken world
• The "cancer of comparison," and why gratitude and joy are disciplines we practice
• Why our enemies are only a vapor compared to God
• How Psalm 62 points to Jesus, the ultimate rock and cornerstone
• Jesus' parable of the house built on the rock vs. the house built on the sand (Matthew 7:24–27)

The storms will come to everyone. The question is whether your life is built on the rock. God is our rock and our refuge.

This devotional is part of Christ Church's "Best Of" series, where we revisit favorite devotionals from Pastor Mike. This set focuses on the book of Psalms.

📖 Scripture: Psalm 62; Matthew 7:24–27; Galatians 5:22–23; Ephesians 2:20

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What are you really chasing? Money, a promotion, a bigger boat, a better reputation? Pastor Mike Woodruff of Christ Church continues a devotional series on Psalm 62, looking at verses 9–12, where King David reminds us that true peace and contentment come from God alone.

Short answer: We chase things like wealth, power, and status not because they're ultimate, but because we hope they'll bring us peace and joy. Psalm 62 says that's not how it works. Human life is only a breath, riches are fleeting, and the rest, contentment, and well-being we're truly after are found only in God.

In this devotional, you'll learn:
• Why David calls both the lowborn and the highborn "only a breath" (Psalm 62:9)
• Why we shouldn't set our hearts on riches, even when they increase (Psalm 62:10)
• What David means by "one thing God has spoken, two things I have heard": power belongs to God, and so does unfailing love (Psalm 62:11–12)
• Why we chase money, power, and status, and what we're really looking for underneath
• Why only a fool would choose $100 million and misery over contentment and peace
• What Solomon learned in Ecclesiastes after denying himself nothing
• Paul's advice to Timothy: godliness with contentment is great gain
• How going deeper with God makes us steady, non-anxious people

Whatever you're banking on to bring you joy is fleeting, unless it's God. So ask yourself today: What am I really after?

This devotional is part of Christ Church's "Best Of" series, where we revisit favorite devotionals from Pastor Mike. This set focuses on the book of Psalms.

📖 Scripture: Psalm 62:9–12; Ecclesiastes 2:10–11; Ecclesiastes 12:13; 1 Timothy 6:6–10

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What do you do when life feels like it's falling apart? Pastor Mike Woodruff of Christ Church continues a devotional series on Psalm 62, looking at verses 3–8, where David feels like a leaning wall about to collapse and keeps preaching truth to his own soul.

Short answer: When David was under attack, likely while fleeing his own son Absalom's rebellion, he didn't pretend everything was fine. He kept redirecting his thoughts back to God, over and over: God is my rock, my salvation, my fortress, my refuge. We often want to trust God AND our job, health, finances, or reputation. Psalm 62 reminds us that God alone is the only refuge that truly holds.

In this devotional, you'll learn:
• How David shifts from talking to himself to confronting his enemies (Psalm 62:3–4)
• What David means when he calls himself a "leaning wall" and a "tottering fence"
• The likely backstory: Absalom's coup and David's escape from Jerusalem
• Why success, fame, and wealth don't protect us from misery
• How meditation works in a crisis: reminding yourself of the same truths again and again
• An honest way to pray Philippians 4:6 when you're anxious and know you shouldn't be
• Why Hebrew poetry "rhymes ideas" through repetition
• What it means to "pour out your hearts to Him" (Psalm 62:8)
• Why calling God "my rock" points to His unchanging stability

Your world may be spinning out of control, but God isn't. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. As 1 Samuel says, there is no rock like our God. Ground yourself on Him and find stability and rest today.

This devotional is part of Christ Church's "Best Of" series, where we revisit favorite devotionals from Pastor Mike. This set focuses on the book of Psalms.

📖 Scripture: Psalm 62:3–8; 2 Samuel 15–18; Philippians 4:6–7; Hebrews 13:8; 1 Samuel 2:2

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Where does your soul find rest? With so much noise around us and inside our own heads, Psalm 62 offers a powerful answer. Pastor Mike Woodruff of Christ Church begins a devotional series on Psalm 62, a psalm of David about contentment, looking at verses 1 and 2.

Short answer: Psalm 62 teaches that our soul only finds true rest in God. That rest isn't a nap or a lazy morning. It's a deep sense of restoration and well-being. Some translations render it "my soul waits in silence," and one puts it this way: only with God does my soul stop chattering. God is our rock, our salvation, and our fortress, the anchor that keeps us from being shaken.

In this devotional, you'll learn:
• A quick history of the book of Psalms: 150 psalms written over about 1,000 years, from Moses to the return from exile
• Why Psalm 62 is a meditation, David coaching his own soul, rather than a prayer
• What the Bible means by "soul," our inner command center
• What it means for your soul to "find rest in God" (Psalm 62:1)
• How to quiet the internal noise and mental chatter that fills our minds
• A simple morning practice: praying the Lord's Prayer, sitting in silence, and writing down your to-do list so your mind can settle
• Why God as our "rock" and "fortress" means we will not be shaken (Psalm 62:2)
• How Hebrew poetry uses repetition to drive a point home

Being anchored in God doesn't mean the storms stop. The wind still blows and the waves still come. But we don't have to drift. In God, we can be secure.

This devotional is part of Christ Church's "Best Of" series, where we revisit favorite devotionals from Pastor Mike. This set focuses on the book of Psalms.

📖 Scripture: Psalm 62:1–2; Matthew 6:9–13; Hebrews 6:19

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It may not be Thanksgiving quite yet, but gratitude is something we can practice any day of the year. You don't have to wait for the turkey and pumpkin pie to start giving thanks.

Does happiness make us grateful, or does gratitude make us happy? Pastor Mike Woodruff of Christ Church looks at what the whole Bible says about thankfulness, from Leviticus to the letters of Paul, and why gratitude may be the most powerful spiritual discipline of all.

Short answer: Gratitude is a choice. It's a discipline we can practice, not just a feeling that comes and goes. And our happiness depends far less on our circumstances than we think. As one Benedictine monk put it, happiness doesn't lead to gratitude; gratitude leads to happiness.

In this devotional, you'll learn:
• How thankfulness runs throughout the Bible: Leviticus, Deuteronomy, the Psalms, and the New Testament
• How King David appointed worship leaders whose full-time job was giving thanks to God (1 Chronicles 16)
• How Paul wrote his letter of joy, Philippians, from prison
• G.K. Chesterton on gratitude as "happiness doubled by wonder"
• John Ortberg on gratitude as the ability to experience life as a gift
• Why gratitude frees us from the prison of self-preoccupation
• How to learn contentment in every circumstance, in plenty and in want
• Jesus' upside-down path to joy: giving instead of getting, serving instead of being served, and the last being first

At the heart of it all is the gospel. God knows the worst about us, and in Christ we are forgiven and loved with an everlasting love we could never earn. Let that truth sink deep into your heart today.

This devotional is part of Christ Church's "Best Of" series, where we revisit favorite devotionals from Pastor Mike. This set focuses on the book of Psalms.

📖 Scripture: Leviticus 7:12; 1 Chronicles 16:4–41; Philippians 4:11–13; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; Mark 10:43–45; Acts 20:35

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#Gratitude #Thankfulness #Thanksgiving #Happiness #Contentment #DailyDevotional #ChristChurch

It may not be Thanksgiving yet, but this message is worth hearing any time of year. Gratitude isn't meant to be saved for one Thursday in November. Psalm 100 invites us to give thanks every day, because God's goodness, love, and faithfulness don't take a day off.

What does it mean to "enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise"? Pastor Mike Woodruff of Christ Church wraps up a Thanksgiving devotional series on Psalm 100 with verses 4 and 5, and a reminder of why Thanksgiving is one of the most biblical holidays we celebrate.

Short answer: Psalm 100:4 pictures worshipers approaching God's temple, and the "password" that opens the gate is thanksgiving and praise. We thank God for what He has done, and we praise Him for who He is. Verse 5 gives the reason: the Lord is good, His love endures forever, and His faithfulness continues through all generations.

In this devotional, you'll learn:
• The temple imagery behind "enter His gates with thanksgiving" (Psalm 100:4)
• The difference between thanksgiving and praise
• What it means that "the Lord is good and His love endures forever" (Psalm 100:5)
• How God binds Himself to us with covenant love in Jesus
• Why we can rest in God's faithfulness, because He never breaks His word
• Why Thanksgiving is a remarkably biblical holiday
• A favorite story about theologian Karl Barth and his "most profound thought"

In the middle of the Thanksgiving rush, the last-minute grocery runs for cranberry sauce and whipped cream, take time to pause and give thanks. And make sure high on your list is this simple truth: Jesus loves you, and the Bible tells you so.

This devotional is part of Christ Church's "Best Of" series, where we revisit favorite devotionals from Pastor Mike. This set focuses on the book of Psalms.

📖 Scripture: Psalm 100:4–5; Psalm 136:1

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Why do Christians sing in church? What does it mean that "the LORD is God"? And why does the Bible call us sheep? Pastor Mike Woodruff of Christ Church continues a Thanksgiving devotional series on Psalm 100, looking at verses 2 and 3.

Short answer: The Bible never tells us to worship, because everyone already worships. We all organize our lives around what we value most. (On fall Sunday afternoons in Chicago, some of the biggest "worship services" happen at Soldier Field.) Instead, Scripture tells us to direct our worship to God. And when Psalm 100 says "Know that the LORD is God," it uses God's personal covenant name, Yahweh: the God who is who He is, not who we want Him to be.

In this devotional, you'll learn:
• Why everyone worships something, and why the real question is what we worship
• What it means to "worship the Lord with gladness" (Psalm 100:2)
• Why the Bible repeatedly commands us to sing, and how singing shapes our hearts
• The difference between "Lord" (Adonai) and "LORD" (Yahweh) in your English Bible
• What God's name revealed at the burning bush means: "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14)
• Why Jewish readers avoided saying God's name out of reverence for the commandment not to misuse it
• Why God doesn't adjust to us; we adjust to Him
• What it means to be "the sheep of His pasture," and why being called sheep isn't a compliment

We are not predators at the top of the food chain. We are dependent, defenseless sheep, and God is our shepherd who owns us, cares for us, and leads us. That is something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

This devotional is part of Christ Church's "Best Of" series, where we revisit favorite devotionals from Pastor Mike. This set focuses on the book of Psalms.

📖 Scripture: Psalm 100:2–3; Exodus 3:13–15; Exodus 20:7; Psalm 23

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#Psalm100 #Thanksgiving #Worship #Yahweh #Psalms #DailyDevotional #ChristChurch

Is gratitude a feeling or a choice? As Thanksgiving approaches, Pastor Mike Woodruff of Christ Church begins a devotional series on Psalm 100, one of the most beloved psalms in the Bible, and what it teaches about thankfulness.

Short answer: In the Bible, thankfulness is a command, not just an emotion. Psalm 100 doesn't tell us we have to feel thankful. It tells us to express thanks and to practice the actions of gratitude, because those actions shape our hearts over time, much like teaching a child to say "please" and "thank you."

In this devotional, you'll learn:
• An introduction to Psalm 100: just five verses, often called one of the most popular psalms after Psalm 23
• Why Psalm 100 is a meditation, words God gives us to speak to ourselves
• Why gratitude is something we can learn and practice
• What it means to "shout for joy to the Lord" and "make a joyful noise" (Psalm 100:1)
• Why God doesn't need our praise, but delights in it like a parent delights in a child's crayon drawing
• Why worship is meant to be joyful
• Why God is worthy of our praise

Thankfulness isn't for God's benefit. It's for ours. Life works better when we're shaped by gratitude, because giving thanks is the right response to all that God has done.

This devotional is part of Christ Church's "Best Of" series, where we revisit favorite devotionals from Pastor Mike. This set focuses on the book of Psalms.

📖 Scripture: Psalm 100; 1 Thessalonians 5:18

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#Psalm100 #Thanksgiving #Gratitude #Thankfulness #Psalms #DailyDevotional #ChristChurch

Why have Christians prayed the Psalms for centuries? And how does Psalm 1 point to Jesus? Pastor Mike Woodruff of Christ Church wraps up a devotional series on Psalm 1 with a few final observations about prayer, the heart, and the One who walked the right path perfectly.

Short answer: The Psalms teach us how to pray. They give us words for praise, thanksgiving, confession, lament, and even anger, so we can speak honestly back to God. And Psalm 1 ultimately points to Jesus, the only one who perfectly delighted in God's law and always chose the right path, yet took the path of the wicked to the cross for us.

In this devotional, you'll learn:
• A recap of Psalm 1: the two paths, deep roots in God's Word, and why our loves matter more than our IQ
• Why praying the Psalms has been central throughout church history
• How the Book of Common Prayer, St. Benedict's monks, and John Calvin built the Psalms into regular rhythms of worship
• Why Jesus likely knew the Psalms by heart
• The many kinds of prayers in the Psalms: praise, thanksgiving, confession, lament, and imprecatory psalms
• How Jesus fulfills Psalm 1 as the truly righteous one
• How Jesus became like "chaff" on the cross so we could be planted and rooted in God

Meditating on Psalm 1 eventually leads us to Jesus. Read it again this week and let God's Word guide your heart and mind.

This devotional is part of Christ Church's "Best Of" series, where we revisit favorite devotionals from Pastor Mike. This set focuses on the book of Psalms.

📖 Scripture: Psalm 1; Matthew 7:13–20; Luke 24:44

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#Psalm1 #PrayThePsalms #Psalms #Prayer #Jesus #DailyDevotional #BibleStudy #ChristChurch

What does it mean to be "like a tree planted by streams of water"? Pastor Mike Woodruff of Christ Church continues a devotional series on Psalm 1, looking at verses 3–6 and the striking contrast between a deeply rooted tree and chaff that blows away in the wind.

Short answer: People who put their roots deep into God's Word can survive and even flourish when hard times come, like a tree near a stream that keeps drawing water even in a drought. The wicked, by contrast, are like chaff: weightless, lifeless, and carried away by the wind. Psalm 1 makes it clear that there is a road that works and a road that doesn't.

In this devotional, you'll learn:
• What it means to be "like a tree planted by streams of water" (Psalm 1:3)
• Why deep roots in Scripture help us withstand difficult seasons
• How the Hebrew word for "planted" may suggest "replanted," a picture of new life and being born again
• What chaff is, and why it's the opposite of a rooted life
• Why "the wicked will not stand" may be better translated "will not withstand"
• Why Psalm 1's clear line between good and evil stands in contrast to today's "anything goes" culture
• Why your suffering is usually not God actively punishing you
• Why sin is so self-destructive that, if we could see clearly, we'd rather touch a hot stove

God isn't just issuing rules. He's lovingly warning us where each path leads. The easy road leads to destruction; the harder road leads to life. Which path are you on?

This devotional is part of Christ Church's "Best Of" series, where we revisit favorite devotionals from Pastor Mike. This set focuses on the book of Psalms.

📖 Scripture: Psalm 1:3–6; Jeremiah 17:7–8; Matthew 7:13–14

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#Psalm1 #Psalms #TreePlantedByWater #BibleStudy #DailyDevotional #Christianity #ChristChurch