Today Daily Devotional

The nations will walk by [God’s glorious] light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into [the city of God].

— Revelation 21:24

Years ago, my wife and I were a part of a church that had a weekly community meal. Anyone and everyone was invited. The variety of different people who showed up simply because there was good food and good fellowship was amazing. Little babies and gray heads, men and women, people in different income brackets, and people from different countries and ethnic backgrounds. Many of these people brought unique meals to share.

This often reminded me of John’s beautiful vision of life in the city of God: people from all nations and languages flood into God’s renewed city on earth, each one bringing the best of their culture into it, to praise God and to bless others. And because the Spirit of God gives a foretaste of what Christ will do when he returns, I believe we can experience, even now, a bit of what John saw in his vision.

When you gather with other believers for a meal—and perhaps even for the Jesus-meal—are there ways you can honor and identify with the cultures of the people in your church family? For example, different kinds of bread or juice might enrich our sense of welcome. In Kenya, where I live, grape juice is not readily available, so sometimes people have used an orange drink for the Lord’s Supper! Also, let’s remember folks who are not yet a part of God’s family. All are invited to join!

Lord, you have gathered many different people into your body, the church. We praise you in Jesus’ name. Amen.

“All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

— Genesis 12:3

Many years ago a man received a message from God, and God basically adopted this man. Later God gave him the name Abraham, which means “father of many.” And yet Abraham had no children. Then God promised to bless Abraham with many children, and somehow, in some way, through Abraham’s family, God would bless all the peoples of the earth.

God stayed true to his promises to bless the world’s peoples through Abraham, even though Abraham’s descendants were quite dysfunctional. And God surprised everyone by keeping his promises through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, a descendant of Abraham. It turns out that Jesus was the Savior not only for God’s adopted people but also for all other peoples as well. And by faith, by trusting in Jesus, people from all nations, tribes, and languages can be adopted into God’s family.

So when we come to the Lord’s table, it is a family table. Just as we do not get to choose our families and all our relatives, there may well be people in our church family whom we might not have chosen. But God chose them—and us—to be a part of his family together. So we belong to God but also to each other. And at this family table there is grace.

Father, thank you for ­accepting us into your family. Just as you have received us in grace, help us do the same for one another. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.”

— Matthew 26:23

Jesus reminded us that our relationship with God and our relationships with people are connected. So when we approach the Lord’s table, we should be sure to reflect on our relationship with God and with the people in our church family—and beyond.

But what if we are in conflict with a brother or sister, despite our efforts to forgive and/or seek forgiveness? The apostle Paul says in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” But if a conflict with someone is not resolved and they are not interested in forgiveness or reconciliation, what can you do? Can you still participate in the Lord’s Supper with this broken relationship in your life? Generally, I think you can—if you truly have done all you can to try to reconcile with the person and you have kept the door open to deeper reconciliation (since forgiveness can be a long process).

After all, let us remember who was present at Jesus’ final meal. Jesus knew that everyone there would soon abandon him in his hour of greatest need. And one of those disciples would betray him for money. And yet Jesus remained with them, loved them, and served them this sacred meal. The fact that God in Christ loved each of us while we were yet his enemies and sinners (Romans 5:6-11) is very good news for us all.

Lord, we have sinned against you, and yet you forgive us and feed us. Help us to reflect your grace to others. Amen.

“If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you. . . . First go and be reconciled to them. . . .”

— Matthew 5:23-24

When Jesus was asked, “Which is the greatest commandment . . . ?” he quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, saying we should love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind. And he didn’t stop there. He also quoted from Leviticus 19:18: “Love your neighbor as yourself,” saying that this second commandment is like the first. What did he mean by this?

Jesus knew that we humans cannot love God in an isolated relationship. We cannot love God and despise people created in God’s image. In fact, perhaps the clearest way that we can show our love for God is to love other human beings, whom he loves.

And how do we love people well? By coming again and again to God in prayer and in learning from his Word. In the Bible we discover God’s character, and, guided by the Holy Spirit, we can show by our words and actions what we have learned about God’s love.

Jesus also explained that if we are worshiping God and seeking to do his will, and we remember there is something broken in our relationship with another person, we should try to find forgiveness or reconciliation with that person. Then we will be in the right space for loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind.

Father in heaven, as I come to you and seek to serve you, by your love and grace guide me to reconcile with others whom I have wronged. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

— John 6:11

In the Bible we learn that God is especially concerned about a few groups of people. That’s because these people are often taken advantage of: the poor, orphans, widows, and foreigners. And Jesus, the Son of God, who is fully human and fully God, showed the same concern for these groups.

In particular, Jesus fed the poor in abundant and miraculous ways. One of the marks of God’s kingdom is that everyone should have enough, or as John 6:11 says, “as much as they wanted.”

When Jesus gave the Lord’s Supper to his disciples, he did that to feed them physically and spiritually. And we should know that in the early church, this sacred meal was often cele­brated as an actual meal, not just with a small bit of bread and wine (or juice), as many do in their church services today. Perhaps our churches would do well to pass out ample slices of bread, and full cups of juice so that people could truly experience God’s generosity (but I digress).

Because Jesus has been so generous to us, we are empowered and encouraged to be generous to others.

As you receive Christ’s gifts in the Lord’s Supper, try to hold hungry people in your mind and heart—including people you know in your local community and people you don’t know in other parts of the world.

Lord, you clearly love the poor, caring for all who are disadvantaged. Give us the same heart. In your name, Amen.

My brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together.

— 1 Corinthians 11:33

As we noted yesterday, the apostle Paul was dealing with a major problem in the Corinthian church. Some people were gorging themselves on the communion bread and wine and leaving others with none. Paul explained that when people did this, they were not “discerning the body of Christ.”

As believers, we need to reflect well on Jesus’ gift of himself to pay for our sins, and we need to share with one another in thanks for all that the Lord has shared with us.

Another way to look at this may be that Paul was also showing particular concern for poorer members of the church. When those who were wealthy consumed most of the bread and wine, the poor, the most vulnerable, were left without. And Paul was saying that the people who were doing that were not participating in the Lord’s Supper. After all, the Lord Jesus always showed concern for the poor—and as followers of Christ, so should we.

So when we come to the Lord’s table, we must recognize that our relationship with God is personal but never private. How we treat the “least of these” (Matthew 25:40) in our church reflects our relationship with God. We must ask, Is everyone in our church being cared for, and built up? If someone is being ignored or overlooked, how can we make things right, for Jesus’ sake?

Lord Jesus, you cared and provided for the poor and built them up. May we, your church, reflect your character. In your name, Amen.

Those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.

— 1 Corinthians 11:29

A major problem the apostle Paul had to deal with in the Corinthian church was this: some members of the church were gorging themselves on the communion bread and getting drunk on the wine, and they were leaving others without any bread or wine to share!

These new believers in Christ needed to learn that this was not what the Lord desired. He wanted them to take the bread and wine with thankfulness and reverence. After all, Jesus called these elements his “body” and his “blood,” and then he offered his life as a sacrifice for his church.

When the Israelites received manna in the desert, they were told to gather not too much or too little, but just what they needed (Exodus 16:16-18). Paul wanted the same for the Corinthian church: receive what you need from God’s generosity and, in turn, be ­generous to others.

Otherwise, said Paul, they were not “discerning the body of Christ,” and they were eating and drinking “judgment on themselves.” In other words, when people do not humbly reflect on the meaning of the bread and wine (Christ’s gracious gift of himself to pay for all our sins), they disrespect both the gift and the giver, “sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.”

So when we come to the table, may we humbly acknowledge the gift of Christ our Savior, and may we be thankful.

Lord Christ, help us to reflect on the meaning and beauty of your sacrifice for us. Give us humility and joy. In your name, Amen.

Is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?

— 1 Corinthians 10:16

Have you heard the expression “You are what you eat”? What does that really mean?

When someone says this, they are generally talking about nutri­tion: if we eat good, nutritious food, our bodies will be healthier than if we eat a lot of non-nutritious junk food.

When he gave us the Lord’s Supper, Jesus taught that this meal was his “body” and his “blood.” So if we follow the ­logic of becoming what we eat, we might say that we become more like him when we eat the Jesus-bread and drink the Jesus-juice. That’s because when we participate in this meal, we reflect on Jesus’ self-giving sacrifice and we seek to live as he calls us to, showing God’s love everywhere and sharing the good news of salvation through Christ.

Another important aspect of this meal is that we eat it together, in community as one body. In its basic practice, the Jesus-meal teaches us the ­basics of how to be a Christian community.

We receive the bread and juice from pastors and elders and perhaps fellow church members. This helps us learn how to receive God’s gift of grace in community. Sharing the food and drink with one another, we learn to share God’s grace with one another. In a real and miraculous sense, then, through this meal we are becoming ever more the body of Christ. We are what we eat.

Lord, by your grace and the power of your Spirit, may we become your feet, hands, mouth, and body to serve the world, that the world may know your love. Amen.

I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.

— Psalm 131:2

Here is an unusual question: What does love taste like?

Maybe you associate love with a special food you enjoy on a particular holiday. Or maybe it has to do with a dish that is made “just right” by a family member or a friend.

As human beings, many of us first learn the concept of love not through someone explaining it to us but through food that we can taste and enjoy.

When a baby is born, one of the first things it learns to expect regularly is milk or a milk substitute. It tastes good, and it makes them feel satisfied, content, and safe. As the child receives this loving gift again and again, their brain develops. In particular, a region of the brain develops that allows them to trust the giver. And when they trust the giver, they learn to love.

When you and I regularly taste the bread and juice of the Jesus-meal, our whole being can learn how to love the Lord our giver. We can feel satisfied, content, and safe. We grow to trust the Lord, and we learn how to love God, our Creator and sustainer, who always takes care of us.

Lord and God, may we always taste and see that you are good. May we continue to grow in faith, hope, and love for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

You are . . . a royal priesthood . . . that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

— 1 Peter 2:9

Here’s a question: What was the main job of a priest in the Bible?

The priest’s role was to serve as a mediator between God and the people, approaching God on behalf of the people and helping the people to receive God’s instruction and blessing.

The priests of God’s people were appointed to teach God’s law, explaining how to live in relationship with the holy God, turning away from sin and seeking to live God’s way. In Exodus 19:6 we read that God called his people to be a whole nation of priests so that they could bring God’s blessings to the nations.

In the New Testament, this same mission is given to the church. The church is made up of all people who follow Jesus, who is both our great high priest (Hebrews 4:14-16) and our Savior from sin (Matthew 1:21). By his death on a cross, he paid the price of our sin to reconcile us with God and to give us new life forever with him.

Through Jesus, God has provided for each one of us the way out of sin to full life.

Heavenly Father, when we eat the Lord’s Supper, recognizing Jesus’ gift of himself for our sake, may we know your justice and mercy so that we, your priests, may be enlivened to share your good news with the world. Amen.