Today Daily Devotional

In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ. . . .

— Ephesians 1:4-5

Jorie loved her daughter, Sarah, deeply, but amid the challenges of trauma and poverty she couldn’t care for Sarah in the way that was needed. Sarah’s father was in prison. Lacking the support and tools she needed for raising Sarah, Jorie faced a tough decision.

Enter the Millers. With four biological children, a steady home, and an abundance of love, they became foster parents to Sarah through a foster/adoption agency. Later, after much thought, Jorie made the decision for Sarah to be adopted by the Millers. Although the drop-offs and pick-ups between Jorie and the Millers can sometimes be awkward, all agree that this arrangement is best for Sarah.

Followers of Christ are adopted into a bigger family than the one they are born into, and Sarah has experienced this firsthand. She knows the love of both her birth family and her adoptive family. Recently, on Jorie’s birthday, they all gathered at a Chicago pizzeria. As Sarah left the celebration, she said to her adoptive mother, “I’m so glad my mom didn’t abandon me. She found you, and now my family is even bigger.”

God often expands our families in ways we don’t expect, providing love and support in unexpected forms. I’m so glad that God doesn’t leave us on our own but surrounds us with a bigger family than we could ever have imagined.

Father, thank you for adopting us into your family. Help us embrace all of our brothers and sisters in faith, knowing we are united by your love and grace. Amen.

You are . . . fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household. . . .

— Ephesians 2:19-20

A special group of four or five misfits started coming to church. They were invited by Deacon Watts, who met them at Sunday breakfast and welcomed them into her Sunday school class.

The group’s leader, Clifton, wears an eye patch and is quick to hand out flyers for neighborhood events. They stay in group homes and shelters but come daily for our meal programs. What stands out most is how much they support one another and have each other’s backs. Being homeless in Chicago is dangerous, and trust is rare. Most are loners, constantly on guard, but Clifton and his group share resources and information, looking after one another.

One day Clifton told me that Jeff, a group member, had received a warrant for his arrest and decided to stop running from the law. Talking with the group gave Jeff the strength to face his fear. We prayed together, and we all went with Jeff to the police station so that he could turn himself in. It was bittersweet and a reminder that doing the right thing can often be the hardest.

On the way back, as we rode in the church van, Clifton said, “He came here all alone, and he left with a family.” By God’s Spirit and grace, all of us broken misfits can be transformed into a family.

Loving God, thank you for embracing all who feel like misfits. Help us find belonging in your community, knowing we are cherished and accepted. May your love guide us to discover our purpose in you. Amen.

“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”

— Isaiah 1:17

On January 1, 2004, our neighbor Brenda Smith was shot four times while walking home at night, and I witnessed the aftermath. At that time I was an intern at Roseland Christian Ministries, and I was living near the church with my coworker and friend, Steve Turner. We soon learned that Brenda’s three children—two teenage girls and a 10-year-old boy—were home alone, without family support.

The Bible calls us to care for widows and orphans, and Steve exemplified this teaching. He took it on himself to care for the children, reaching out to relatives and case workers, regularly driving the kids to the hospital where their mom lay in a coma for four months. During that time the children ate at our dinner table four nights a week. Steve made sure they had groceries, and he gave the youngest, Vincent, haircuts, offering stability during their time of need.

Steve wasn’t a blood relative, but he became a protector to these children. Vincent, now grown and a father himself, still calls Steve regularly, a testament to the lasting impact of his care. Steve’s compassion made a difference in that family, stepping in as a father figure when that was needed most. He became a true advocate, reflecting God's heart for the orphaned, abandoned, and vulnerable.

Lord, thank you for advocates who help to support children not their own. Fill them with compassion and strength, reflecting your love as they nurture and guide young ones in need. Amen.

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

— 2 Timothy 1:5

Marlene’s daughter has bounced around the streets for decades. Marlene and her husband, Dwight, have custody of her daughter’s children. To make matters more complicated and beautiful, these grandchildren are not Dwight’s biological grandchildren. Dwight and Marlene found each other later in life. Dwight has cared for these grandchildren as his own. He chauffeurs them around. He also bought a car and fixed it so that the oldest grandson has a vehicle to drive during his college years.

I have never heard Dwight complain, roll his eyes, or shoot an exasperated look to suggest to Marlene, “These are your grandkids.” And as a family they are thriving. Marlene has been an advocate for getting each child into various schools and programs so that they can succeed.

Marlene and Dwight have transitioned from the role of grandparents to parents because that’s what circumstances have called for. It wasn’t their plan, but they have formed a family that is a gift to each other.

Whom has God brought into your life because circumstances have required a different way of being? Where have you been called to be a surrogate parent, brother, sister, child, or friend? May God bless those relationships!

Lord, thank you for grandparents and surrogate families who step in with love, guidance, and care. Bless them as they reflect your grace and compassion. Amen.

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

— Romans 12:13

Ms. Sabrina has raised four children. Her daughters work in medical professions, and her son serves as a police officer in a nearby suburb. Her mom and sister come to church with her, and her extended family gathers regularly for reunions. She has a special family. But her family and her home extend much further.

She calls her house in the Roseland community a “home of refuge.” She has taken in young women who have needed housing, stability, and the wisdom of a woman who has been through some things. She has created her own application process for residents to come and live in her home, including a referral from her pastor. But in her home (which she purchased and rehabbed in partnership with Hope Christian Reformed Church 30 years ago) she has housed young, single moms and their children. She has made room for a sister of hers who was in between jobs. She has rented a room to women who were ready to move out from our shelter for women and children. In the practice of Christian hospitality, bonds form and a family is created.

Where are the places and who are the people who have formed bonds in your community? Which coffee groups, basketball leagues, men’s groups, and shared living spaces have been like Ms. Sabrina’s “home of refuge”?

Lord, thank you for places of refuge where hurting people can find comfort and peace. Bless people who open their homes and hearts, creating safe havens of your love and healing. Amen.

“Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

— Matthew 12:50

When you hear the word family, what usually comes to mind? Where I grew up, a family was generally made up of a husband and wife and their biological children. Some families also had adopted children. Some couples did not have children, and some parents were divorced. But the most common family in that time and culture was the nuclear family. In the Bible and in today’s world, though, it’s less common to find families fitting that description.

When Jesus’ family tried to get a message to him as crowds gathered around him, he saw an opportunity for a teaching moment and said, “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Jesus was helping his followers to describe a new kind of family, a community bound by something more powerful than the blood in our veins. This is not a rejection of the biological family. It’s an invitation to a bigger, richer family—the family of God, with whom we live in the kingdom of God.

This month you are invited to meet family members in the Roseland community where I work and live, in my biological family, and in other family groups that I am a part of. May God’s Spirit work in us all to recognize the beautiful gift of his family in the relationships and communities we are a part of—no matter how different or diverse they might be.

Father, thank you for the gift of our broader family in Christ. May we keep growing together in faith and grace. Amen.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

— 1 John 4:9-10

James and Tyesha stand at the front of the church sanctuary with their daughters, Brooklyn and Layla, who gaze up at their baby brother, Hakeem, cradled in their father’s arms. Brooklyn stands on tiptoe to peer into the water of the baptismal font; then her eyes look up to meet mine. She is captivated by the mystery, the ritual, and the weight of the promises on this day.

I address the congregation: “If any family would like to join Brooklyn, Layla, James, and Tyesha as we baptize baby Hakeem, you are invited to come forward.” Expecting a few grandparents to join us, I am stunned when the whole congregation steps forward, surrounding them in love.

Together we listen to God’s promises. James and Tyesha make vows, and the congregation promises to stand with Hakeem in Christian community. Then come the words of baptism: “For you, Hakeem, Jesus Christ came into the world; for you, he died; for you, he conquered death. . . . We love because God first loved us. Hakeem Elzy, I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

Hakeem, a child of God, is part of God’s family. And because of Jesus you have the right to be part of God’s family too (John 1:12-13).

Loving God, thank you for making us part of your family through Jesus Christ. Help us to share your gracious love with others faithfully each day. Amen.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

— John 10:10

Identity theft is a growing threat today. Scammers try to steal our personal information and gain access to our financial accounts.

In the spirit world, another identity thief lurks as well. The master deceiver, Satan, tries to rob believers of the assurance of their new identity in Christ. He tries to sow seeds of doubt, despair, confusion, and insecurity within us. If he cannot possess us, the devil wants at least to wear us down and make us feel defeated, limiting our service for God and his kingdom.

But we are not alone. We have the presence of God in our hearts, and we have God’s Word to assure us and strengthen us with the truth. Jesus promises that we will have life to the full, and no one can snatch us out of his hand (John 10:28-30). The Lord and his Word remain our best protection, affirming that we are not defined by past successes or failures but only by our union with Christ. Through faith, we receive his righteousness and become the children of God. We are forgiven, cleansed, and commissioned to be his representatives in the world. As God’s handiwork, we are created to do good works that honor the Lord and bring blessing to others. As God reassures us through his Spirit and his Word, we are redeemed, beloved, and empowered to live out his purposes with confidence and grace each day.

Lord, help us to see that our worth is defined by you, not by the opinions of others. By your Word and Spirit, assure us always that in you we have full life forever. Amen.

In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

— Romans 8:37

In times of uncertainty and seeming chaos, it’s natural for people to seek out a strong leader to restore order and bring resolution. It may be a military hero, a political figure, or a charismatic leader. We often look to our own resources to bring stability to a volatile situation, don’t we? Yet when we discover the ultimate victor and King, Jesus Christ, we learn, as he states in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Through his triumph over sin and death, Jesus declares victory over every force that opposes God and his plan of restoration. His victory brings hope to believers, promising peace and triumph despite the trials and struggles they may endure.

In light of this, Paul boldly proclaims in Romans 8, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” The victory Jesus won through his death and resurrection is now shared with his followers. Our identity in Christ transforms us into victors who have new, full life forever in Christ.

When we align with Jesus, no other power or influence can defeat us or keep us down.

Victorious King, thank you for securing the ultimate triumph for us. Guide us to walk with confidence today, knowing that nothing we encounter can ultimately hold back your good purposes for our lives. Amen.

“This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. . . .”

— Mark 4:26

When Jesus came to live and teach among us, it was common for a farmer to sling a bag of seed over his shoulder and to walk through his fields scattering handfuls of seed onto the freshly tilled soil.

As Jesus explains the process of the seed sprouting and growing in this parable, we can see that the seed symbolizes the good news of salvation, bringing the potential for new life. As Paul explains similarly in Romans 1:16, “The gospel . . . is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” The gospel is a potent force, capable of transforming lives and entire communities. Like seed hidden beneath the surface, its message takes root out-of-sight, deep within the human heart. There it grows and matures, eventually yielding a harvest of righteousness.

Rather than hoarding the seed of the gospel, we are called to scatter it generously as we journey through life. We scatter seed by supporting missionaries or mission organizations, volunteering for a community service project, inviting a neighbor over for coffee, and more. We sow gospel seed when we nurture spiritual conversations with our family members and friends. We sow seed with colleagues at work. When we spread the good news of Jesus, we participate in the process of bringing forth spiritual fruit.

Lord, you have shared the good news with us and have given us new life. Help us to share it with others, knowing you will make it grow and bring forth a bountiful harvest, to your glory. Amen.