Today Daily Devotional

By ReFrame Ministries

Today is a daily devotional that helps God's people refresh, refocus and renew their faith through Bible reading, reflection, and prayer.... more

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FAQs about Today Daily Devotional:

How many episodes does Today Daily Devotional have?

The podcast currently has 2,851 episodes available.

Today Daily Devotional episodes:

May 28, 2018 Trouble in the Church
Land
was sold. The money from the sale was brought to the church. People
celebrated: “Thank you, Barnabas! What an encouragement you are!”
Then
Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, crafted a plan. They would also sell
some land. Prompted by the whispers of Satan, they planned to bring
some
of the proceeds to the apostles and then declare before God and his
people that they gave all
of the money to the church.
Why
would they make up such a lie? Did they want the same acclaim that
was given to Barnabas? Did jealousy entangle their hearts? Did greed
convince them that they should keep some of the money for themselves?
At
the end of this story there are two dead bodies and a fearful church.
Though everything seemed to be going well, the church includes people
who still struggle with sins, such as jealousy and greed—and so
much more. What we all need are hearts open to grace from God.
As
Peter confronted the couple, I am sure he did it with great sadness.
He knew what it was like to let God down and to disappoint Jesus
(Luke 22:54-62).
We
don’t have to have a heart filled with Satan’s whispers. There is
another way.
...more
2min
May 27, 2018 “No Needy Persons Among Them”
Churches
can have a certain reputation based on their history, their music,
and the ministries they sponsor. The church in our passage for today
has a reputation. They are a “needs-meeting church.”
People’s
needs were being met because the church had a unified heart, mind,
and testimony—all based in the love of Christ. They had a story to
tell—that Jesus Christ came to live and die for us and rose from
the dead. But they knew they also had to show what this good-news
message meant in their lives with one another.
Rev.
Scott Hoezee, director of the Center for Excellence in Preaching at
Calvin Theological Seminary, has written a book called Actuality:
Real Life Stories for Sermons That Matter, and it includes
a chapter devoted to the topic “Show, Don’t Just Tell.”
Maybe,
as a child, you had times in school for “show and tell.” Students
would take turns bringing a favorite toy or pet and talking about it
to the class. As we grow older, we can tend more toward “telling”
and forget the joy and the power of “showing.”
Our
passage for today ends with a “show” story of a person who sells
land and gives the money to the church to help meet the needs of
others. His generosity and encouragement to others even lead the
apostles to call him Barnabas, meaning “son of encouragement.”
May we join with Barnabas and be “show and tell” people of the
gospel!
...more
2min
May 26, 2018 Enabling Prayer
With
the threats of the religious rulers lingering over them, Peter and
John return to their church family and report what has happened. And
in response to these threats, the community of believers prays
together to God.
I
am always struck by what they did not pray. They did not ask God to
bring destruction on the religious leaders. They did not ask God to
take them out of their time of trouble. Instead, they prayed that God
would consider the threats against them and enable them to speak with
boldness. That prayer was specifically answered as the Holy Spirit
filled them and the place they were in was shaken.
How
could the believers come to pray such a prayer? The prayer itself
gives us the insight that they looked not just to the moment but also
surveyed the history of God’s people. They knew the promises and
prophecies of God. They placed their current situation within the
setting of Scripture. For us, that would be like having the Bible’s
teachings in mind as we sift through the daily news.
What’s
more, at the beginning of their prayer, the believers put all their
troubles and threats in perspective under the umbrella of God’s
sovereignty. They knew that God was still in control. What they
prayed was that they would be able to keep being witnesses to the
Sovereign Lord, who was still at work in the world he so loved.
...more
2min
May 25, 2018 “Been With Jesus”
After
a night in jail, Peter and John are brought before the religious
rulers and teachers of the law. The apostles’ teaching to the
crowds has led to more people coming to faith in Jesus. But now Peter
and John are standing before the religious leaders who oppose Jesus.
These
religious leaders thought they were done with Jesus when they managed
to get him crucified. Now they want to do what they can to silence
Peter and John, so they threaten them. But they also know that a
great healing has taken place. Everyone who goes to the temple knows
the man who was lame—and now he is healed. How can this be?
The
religious leaders do not believe the healing of the lame man is
linked to Jesus, but they do link the courage of Peter and John to
Jesus. The rulers see Peter and John as ordinary, unschooled people.
They are fishermen. Peter and John are used to the Sea of Galilee,
not the Sanhedrin council of rulers.
What
does it mean that the rulers took note that Peter and John “had
been with Jesus”? What did that have to do with their courage? The
apostles now knew that everything Jesus had said and promised was
true. And they trusted that Jesus, by his Spirit, was still with
them. So in everything they were doing it was clear that Peter, John,
and the community of believers in Christ were people who were “with
Jesus.”
...more
2min
May 24, 2018 As You Can See
When
Peter healed the lame man who had been begging, people noticed and
stopped what they were doing so that they could see what was going
on. And why not? They recognized him as the man who was lame from
birth and who had always lain on a mat, begging, but now he was
“jumping, and praising God”! (See Acts 3:1-10.)
When
a crowd gathers in amazement for a healing like that, Peter
knows what to do. He knows that the healing of one person can lead to
the repentance and healing of many others, so he steps up to preach.
In
words that parallel his Pentecost sermon (Acts 2:14-39), Peter urges
his listeners to repent of their sin and believe in Jesus Christ. The
crowd may be amazed by what happened to one lame person, but Peter
sees a greater purpose. This healing is not meant to bring praise for
the lame person or the apostles. It is to lead people to look beyond
the healed person to Jesus Christ, in whose name the healing has
occurred.
We
often see and meet people who do things for others in order to draw
attention to themselves. But if we really want to live as the body of
Christ, we need to help people come to know Jesus.
...more
2min
May 23, 2018 What We Have We Give
In
today’s story we see the apostles Peter and John going together to
the temple to pray. This picture of devotion and community is
contrasted with that of a beggar “being carried to the temple gate
called Beautiful” and left to beg for his daily bread from the
people going into the temple courts.
At
busy intersections in cities today, we can sometimes see people
holding signs asking for food or money. Though we may wonder if they
are truthful about their situation, we all know what happens when we
come across them. We usually avoid making eye contact. We avoid
seeing them.
But
the apostles did not avoid making eye contact. Our passage says that
Peter looked straight at the man who was lame and even asked him to
look at him and John. Expecting some coins of silver or gold,
the man looked up.
Peter’s
next words would have been discouraging to a person begging: “Silver
or gold I do not have. . . .” But then came words of
healing “in the name of Jesus Christ,” and, beyond his wildest
dreams, the man was able to walk and jump for joy. So he followed
along with the apostles, praising God in the temple courts. Now that
is Beautiful!
...more
2min
May 22, 2018 Devotion Displayed
Our
passage for today has been used in countless settings not only to
encourage but also to warn. The warning sinks in when we recognize
the distance between this picture of the early church and some of our
own church practices today. The encouragement comes when we
understand that the church is still alive, thanks to the Holy Spirit.
There are principles to be noted, explored, and followed.
The
key element we see in this picture of the church is devotion. We see
devotion toward God and toward building community, in following
Jesus’ teaching and in calling on the Lord in prayer. This devotion
is seen; it is visible. In the Old Testament, God called his people
together to display his blessing and care to the nations (Genesis
12:3; 28:14). This continues in the New Testament.
Then
and now, the church is to display God’s love and grace to a world
that wonders who God is and what God is about. In Acts 2 we see a
church that has open hands, hearts, and homes for others. Their
praise to God and enjoyment of one another is contagious and
attractive.
I
imagine it was also messy. Can you imagine going from 120 people in
fellowship to more than 3,000 in one day? And then growing more and
more as time went on? In the midst of the mess of being together, God
keeps building his church—one life at a time.
...more
2min
May 21, 2018 What Shall We Do?
As
Peter stands before the crowd, the Holy Spirit guides his words.
Jesus promised this guidance when he said, “I will give you words
and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or
contradict” (Luke 21:15), and, “When he, the Spirit of truth,
comes, he will guide you into all the truth . . . and he
will tell you what is yet to come” (John 16:13).
Peter’s
message is therefore rooted in the promises of God and the
fulfillment of those promises in Christ. He recalls the words of the
prophet Joel, which contain not only the promise of God’s Spirit
poured out on all people, but also an invitation to call on the name
of the Lord and be saved.
Who
is this Lord? It is Jesus, whom the people crucified.
By
weaving back and forth from the promises of God and the life of
Jesus, Peter builds his case to this key point: “God has made this
Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” And the people
ask, “What shall we do?”
Peter
then guides these listeners to “repent and be baptized . . .
in the name of Jesus Christ.” And they receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit. Pressing further, he urges and pleads with others to call on
the Lord’s name. And about 3,000 people believe and are baptized!
...more
2min
May 20, 2018 The Holy Spirit at Work
Ten
days have passed since Jesus ascended to heaven and instructed his
disciples to stay in Jerusalem. The day of Pentecost has now arrived.
Pentecost is not just something found in the New Testament, it is
actually an Old Testament holiday tied with the Feast of Harvest, or
the Feast of Weeks, noting the beginning of harvesttime.
This
is also a time when religious pilgrims would travel to Jerusalem from
faraway lands. So “God-fearing Jews from every nation” are
present for this event.
A
blowing, violent wind is followed by what appears to be tongues of
fire separating and resting on the disciples. People from many
nations gather to see what is going on. And something bewildering and
wonderful occurs. Everyone can understand what is being said!
The
words of the disciples find their mark because those who are
listening can hear the message in their own language. The Tower of
Babel (Genesis 11:1-9), where God confused the people’s language,
is reversed by the Holy Spirit so that people can understand one
another. And throughout the crowd, people are wondering, “What does
this mean?”
A
harvest of souls is being gathered. This is an example of what Jesus
meant when he taught his disciples: “Open your eyes and look at the
fields! They are ripe for the harvest” (John 4:35).
...more
2min
May 19, 2018 The Spirit Will Pour Out
On
this Saturday in May, many colleges and seminaries will hold
graduation ceremonies. Congratulations to our graduates! As a
seminary president who stands before men and women who have completed
their education and are ready to commence or continue on their
ministry journey, I will be reminded of this passage in the book of
Joel.
On
Pentecost Sunday, this is the passage the apostle Peter referred to
when he explained the good news of Jesus. There are many Scriptures
to choose from, but if you had to address people who were skeptical,
fearful, and even amazed, which passage would you choose?
Peter
drew from the prophet Joel, who speaks about the outpouring of the
Spirit on all people. This prophecy and its message are not for a
select few, or even a single nation, but for everyone.
In
a moment in time, God pours out his Spirit and inaugurates a new day
for his relationship with his people. Prophecies, visions, and dreams
that were once reserved for a select few are now distributed through
young and old, men and women. A new day has come, and it has one
ultimate purpose: the skeptical, the fearful, and the amazed are
invited to call on the name of the Lord and be saved.
...more
2min

FAQs about Today Daily Devotional:

How many episodes does Today Daily Devotional have?

The podcast currently has 2,851 episodes available.

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