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

4.7

2929 ratings

Download on the App Store

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

FAQs about Today Daily Devotional:

How many episodes does Today Daily Devotional have?

The podcast currently has 2,850 episodes available.

Today Daily Devotional episodes:

May 17, 2018 Fire and Calling
As
Ascension Day and (soon) Pentecost Sunday focus the attention of the
church calendar this month, we can make connections from these events
to other Bible passages.
God
has always been at work in developing and redeeming a people. From
the story of Joseph in Egypt (Genesis 50), we see how God protected a
fractured family—Israel—and provided food for them in the midst
of a famine. But after several generations, the tables turned, and
the people of Israel became slaves to the Egyptians. God heard the
cries of his people, however, and would lead them out to the promised
land.
The
unlikely leader for this mission was a murderer, Moses. He killed an
Egyptian to protect someone from getting a beating and then ran away
(Exodus 2:12-15). Then, some years later, out in the wilderness,
Moses received God’s call by way of a bush that was on fire but did
not burn up. As Moses drew closer to this holy ground, God declared
that he had heard the cries of his people and wanted Moses to bring
them out of slavery. Fire and calling.
As
Moses was called into God’s service through holy fire, that event
anticipated the day when the Holy Spirit of God would be poured out,
in tongues like fire (Acts 2:3), on all who would be messengers of
hope and love to a world crying out in despair and anger.
...more
2min
May 16, 2018 The Blessing of Witnesses
As
a former attorney, I dealt a lot with witnesses. I worked in the area
of insurance defense, and slips and falls and car accidents were the
focus of most of my cases. I learned that observant witnesses can be
really hard to find. Inattention leads to many accidents, and that is
also a feature of the way many people live their lives.
As
Peter explains that the believers need to identify one person to
replace Judas, he makes clear that the key qualification for becoming
one of the twelve apostles is that one needs to have been with Jesus
and the disciples throughout Jesus’ ministry on earth. This person
has to be a reliable witness.
What
good is adding another witness? Bible scholars agree that a parallel
is being carried forward—from the twelve tribes of Israel to the
twelve apostles, who will take the good news of Jesus to the whole
world. Adding Matthias will restore the number of apostles to twelve.
Further,
the apostles understand that good witnesses are needed to tell others
about Jesus. Witnesses are needed to bring a message about the
reality of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection to fulfill the
mission that Jesus has given them.
Witnesses
are still needed today as well. We may not be able to give a
first-hand account like Matthias, but we are still called to be
witnesses for Jesus.
...more
2min
May 15, 2018 Understanding the Times
How
do we understand the actions of Judas, who betrayed Jesus? In many
ways, our answer needs to be that we simply do not know. God is the
only one who sees the human heart.
As
the believers gather for prayer, Peter is prompted to speak. He
places the story of Judas within the context of Scripture. Peter puts
history under the arc of promise and fulfillment and even places what
seems so contrary to God’s plan as an event that is still within
God’s ultimate purposes.
I
don’t know how you think about not only Judas’s life but also
your own life. Each of us has chapters of our lives that we wish were
different. We all have regrets for some of the things we have done,
and we may still live under clouds of disappointment. We may even
find it ironic that Peter, who denied Jesus three times, just as
the Lord had predicted, is the one who now stands and speaks. But
maybe it has to be Peter.
Peter
is the one who denied his Lord even though he swore that would never
happen. We can see a picture of grace here as we watch Peter stand
and state that this chapter of the believers’ life together with
Jesus was not outside the plan of God. We may not understand it. We
may even still question it, but we can also have the hope that God
has a plan for each of us.
...more
2min
May 14, 2018 The Foundation of Prayer
Jesus
has ascended to heaven, and a waiting period for his followers has
begun. On the day he ascended, Jesus said, “Do not leave Jerusalem,
but wait for the gift my Father promised” (Acts 1:4). They would
have remembered that this gift would be the power and presence of
God’s Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), but Jesus didn’t say when the
Spirit would come. So, what were they to do while waiting?
A
lot of action transpires in the book of Acts, but one of the first
recorded actions of these believers after Jesus’ ascension is that
they join together in prayer. We are not sure how all this is
organized or what the form of their prayers is, but we do know three
things.
First,
they join together. This group that scattered and fled from the Mount
of Olives when Jesus was arrested are together again as they now walk
back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.
Second,
they are constantly in prayer. There is an everyday consistency that
marks their life before God and one another.
Third,
even the brothers of Jesus who did not join in following him as
disciples now join with this group of believers.
God
is preparing his people, and he does this through prayer.
...more
2min
May 13, 2018 Related by Faith
In
many countries at some time of the year there is a focus of gratitude
and celebration for the life and influence of mothers. Today is such
a day in the United States and Canada as we celebrate Mothers Day.
On
this day we generally celebrate the mothers who gave us birth, or
adopted us, or stood in a mother’s place for us (such as an aunt or
grandmother). We give thanks for and rightly honor the people who
have cared for us and loved us.
In
God’s family the basis of our relationships is love and care as
well. Being part of God’s family is about recognizing the love and
provisions we receive from God, coming to faith by God’s grace, and
then connecting with others who have a similar relationship with
God—and inviting still others whom God wants us to welcome into his
family.
As
we learn about how the early church developed, we see that the mother
of Jesus became part of the household of the disciple John. She also
became a “mother” to John and took care of him. Jesus made sure
that this relationship of mutual adoption framed their future even as
he paid the ultimate price for all our sin.
Let’s
not forget about this important link between Mary and John. The early
church was noted for their love for one another in Christ. May we
follow that example today too and live out that legacy.
...more
2min
May 12, 2018 The Hands of Jesus
Between
Easter Sunday and Ascension Day, there are forty days. We only have
glimpses of what Jesus did during that period, but our reading for
today includes two of those glimpses—one taking place on Easter
Sunday, and the other on Ascension Day.
Jesus’
Easter appearance to his disciples shocks them. They are startled and
frightened. They have fears and doubts. In response, Jesus encourages
his disciples to look at his hands. He even uses his hands to take
some fish and eat it, showing them he is real, having flesh and
bones.
The
crucified hands of Jesus have inspired artists and poets for 2,000
years. And these same hands are later raised over the disciples in
blessing as Jesus parts with them. Luke records that after Jesus is
taken up to heaven, the disciples worship him and return to Jerusalem
“with great joy.”
Sometimes
our understanding of the work of Jesus and our response can come
across as mechanical or even pompous. It should never be. A key
remedy is to focus on the hands of Jesus. His hands were pierced for
you and me. And they still reach out to us, in all our need each day,
and bless us.
...more
2min
May 11, 2018 Instructions and Promises
When
my parents left on a vacation and put me in charge of the family
farm, they wrote out instructions for me to follow.
After
Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciples gathered together and prayed
(Acts 1:14). They also kept in mind all the teachings and
instructions Jesus had given them. It’s clear from the New
Testament gospel accounts, written down some years later, that Jesus’
followers in the early church remembered their identity and mission.
They were disciples of Jesus, and they were to go and make disciples
of Jesus from all nations.
As
the disciples began this next chapter as the people of God, they also
knew they were not alone. They remembered Jesus’ “last words”
telling them that all authority in heaven and earth had been given to
him. They also heard a promise: “I am with you always.” But if
Jesus was in heaven, how could he also be with them—and today with
us?
When
the believers received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2), that would help to
answer some of their questions, but they had to continue in faith,
with other questions unanswered. Some even doubted.
Today
we may also have doubts from time to time. That doesn’t mean we are
no longer believers, and it certainly doesn’t mean Jesus isn’t
keeping his promise to be with us always! But in faith, and with his
Spirit living in our hearts, we can follow his instructions and trust
his promises.
...more
2min
May 10, 2018 “Why You Leave Me?”
I
am old enough to remember when you could walk with people right up to
the departure gates at an airport. Before the 9/11 terror attacks in
2001, you could see your loved ones board a plane and watch their
flight depart. But even if you don’t have that memory, we all know
what it is to have to part with someone we love.
My
daughter has a question that she still uses when I am headed out the
door. She looks at me and says, “Why you leave me?” Her words
echo the phrasing she used as a young child. Then I usually tell her
I am leaving for work and will return soon.
In
a way like children, the disciples who were gathered around Jesus
were focused on what mattered to them. “Lord, are you at this time
going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Their view was limited to
what Jesus would do for their little corner of the world. What Jesus
was about to do was so much more!
Jesus
gave them a promise (power from the Holy Spirit), a mission (to be
his witnesses), and a vision (from Jerusalem to the ends of the
earth). The disciples were on the edge of a new chapter in the
ongoing story of God and his people.
By
ascending, Jesus has gone to work in heaven for us, and he has given
us a task that is both life-challenging and life-giving. In addition,
Jesus has promised to be with us always, by his Spirit. He will never
leave us!
...more
2min
May 09, 2018 The Transfiguration of Jesus
I
remember well the summer of 1977 when my father prepared for heart
surgery. Medical tests were completed. Plans were made on how the
family farm would work during his absence and recovery. But another
type of preparation was also under way. I remember a person visiting
who had recovered from open-heart surgery. That person testified to
what the experience was like, and that encouraged my dad and our
family.
In
our Bible reading today, we see that Jesus receives some unusual
visitors in the dazzling brightness of heaven. We don’t know what
they talk about, but this visit with Moses, Elijah, and God the
Father is surely an encouragement to Jesus on his mission. Both Moses
and Elijah met with God on a mountain at different times many years
earlier, and they were encouraged in their work (see Exodus 33 and
1 Kings 19).
Peter,
James, and John are eyewitnesses to this meeting, and they are
frightened. They can even see
Moses and Elijah. Peter, not knowing what to say or do, suggests
building some shelters, but then God speaks to them urgently: “This
is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Jesus
has already told his disciples that he will be killed and then rise
again (Mark 8:31). And God is urging them to prepare for this change
that is coming for Jesus—and ultimately for them and us. The life,
death, and resurrection of Jesus change everything. Are we listening
too?
...more
2min
May 08, 2018 Taken Up to Heaven
In
our journey to understand Ascension Day, we need to stop and overhear
this exchange between the prophet Elijah and his successor, Elisha.
Three times Elijah notes that he is on a journey.
The
first stop is Bethel, where Jacob had his dream of a ladder
connecting heaven and earth and angels ascending and descending on it
(Genesis 28:10-22). The second stop is Jericho, remembered as the
first place of battle when the people of God entered the promised
land (Joshua 5:13-6:27). The third stop is the Jordan River, which
the people crossed on dry ground to enter the promised land
(Joshua 3:1-17); this was also where John the Baptist would
baptize people, including Jesus (Mathew 3:13-17).
At
each stop Elijah says, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me.” And
Elisha responds, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I
will not leave you.”
The
journey ends, though, when chariots and horses of fire separate
Elisha from his master and Elijah goes up to heaven in a whirlwind.
Elisha not only sees this happen, but he also takes up the cloak of
Elijah, which God allows him to use in parting the waters of the
Jordan River again on his way back to Jericho. Just as Joshua was
appointed to follow Moses, it’s clear that Elisha was appointed to
follow Elijah. The mission of God continues.
...more
2min

FAQs about Today Daily Devotional:

How many episodes does Today Daily Devotional have?

The podcast currently has 2,850 episodes available.

More shows like Today Daily Devotional

Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life by Tim Keller

Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life

16,102 Listeners

Renewing Your Mind by Ligonier Ministries

Renewing Your Mind

5,241 Listeners

Elevation with Steven Furtick by iHeartPodcasts

Elevation with Steven Furtick

15,786 Listeners

Our Daily Bread Podcast by Our Daily Bread Ministries

Our Daily Bread Podcast

976 Listeners

The WallBuilders Show by Tim Barton, David Barton & Rick Green

The WallBuilders Show

2,192 Listeners

Motley Fool Money by The Motley Fool

Motley Fool Money

3,226 Listeners

Exchanges by Goldman Sachs

Exchanges

981 Listeners

Ultimately with R.C. Sproul by Ligonier Ministries

Ultimately with R.C. Sproul

1,328 Listeners

Dante Gebel Live by Dante Gebel

Dante Gebel Live

1,131 Listeners

The Five by FOX News Podcasts

The Five

4,065 Listeners

Your Daily Prayer by Your Daily Prayer

Your Daily Prayer

2,033 Listeners

The Bible Recap by Tara-Leigh Cobble

The Bible Recap

36,804 Listeners

Morning Wire by The Daily Wire

Morning Wire

26,658 Listeners

In Touch Ministries Daily Devotions by Dr. Charles Stanley

In Touch Ministries Daily Devotions

291 Listeners

Things Unseen with Sinclair B. Ferguson by Ligonier Ministries

Things Unseen with Sinclair B. Ferguson

1,577 Listeners