Posts with the category “the-beginning-devotionals”
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Day 50: Psalm 19:1
November 21st, 2024
READ PSALM 19:1 I was a science major in college, which resulted in me being surrounded by peers who were highly unmoved by emotion-based reasoning. We wanted facts, things that could be demonstrated ... Read More
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Day 49: Hebrews 3:4
November 21st, 2024
READ HEBREWS 3:4 In early Genesis, God creates things like light and animals by speaking them into existence. God’s subsequent creation of us happens very differently; God creates us through the inti... Read More
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Day 48: Romans 11:36
November 21st, 2024
READ ROMANS 11:36I am amazed by so many things in this world. One of those things is the mutualistic symbiotic relationship between humans and plants. We provide the necessary carbon dioxide for plant... Read More
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Day 47: Amos 9:6
November 21st, 2024
READ AMOS 9:6 Amos was a shepherd and fig tree farmer from the Southern Kingdom, Judah. The book of Amos is a collection sermons, poems, and visions from Amos to the Northern Kingdom of Israel, ruled ... Read More
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Day 46: Psalm 121:1-2
November 21st, 2024
READ Psalm 121:1-2 For many of us, it can be easy to buy into the lie that once we place our faith in Jesus, we’ll be free from trouble. I remember meeting Ken for the first time in a men’s Bible stud... Read More
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Day 45: Psalm 139:13-14
November 14th, 2024
READ PSALM 139:13-14 I’ll never forget the first time I felt those tiny baby flutters inside my stomach. Now, weeks later as I write this devotional, those little kicks keep coming, and the wonder of ... Read More
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Day 44: Psalm 124:8
November 14th, 2024
READ PSALM 124:8Have you ever really stopped to think about everything that’s encompassed in the words “who made heaven and earth”? Our own solar system that lies within the Milky Way Galaxy is immens... Read More
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Day 43: Psalm 33:6
November 14th, 2024
READ PSALM 33:6 Do you have people or circumstances in your life that sometimes feel bigger than God? When we start to feel overwhelmed by all that this world throws at us, we need to immerse ourselve... Read More
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Day 42: Isaiah 42:5
November 14th, 2024
READ ISAIAH 42:5 A few years ago, I went on a hiking trip that left a lasting impression. I remember standing on the top of a mountain, filled with awe as I gazed at the breathtaking scene before me —... Read More
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Day 41: Matthew 6:28-29
November 14th, 2024
READ MATTHEW 6:28-29A few years ago, I was sitting on my balcony, watching the trees breathe. That’s all they were doing. Their leaves were blowing softly, the tallest trees were swaying, and as I thi... Read More
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Day 40: Ecclesiastes 3:11
November 7th, 2024
READ ECCLESIASTES 3:11When Tricia and I moved to Bologna, Italy with Cru (Agape Italia), it was to open a new work at the University of Bologna. It was a campus of 100,000 students with a reputation o... Read More
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Day 39: Isaiah 45:12
November 7th, 2024
READ ISAIAH 45:12Buying a house brought a lot of new things into our lives as a married couple. It gave us a place to host and build a home. It gave us a financial investment to steward well. And it a... Read More
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Day 38: Jeremiah 32:17
November 7th, 2024
READ JEREMIAH 32:17Imagine being stuck in jail, your nation in the throes of war, your city surrounded by an impending and ruthless world superpower. Your first thought may not be that the time is rip... Read More
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Day 37: Romans 1:20
November 7th, 2024
READ ROMANS 1:20 On a family ski trip to Colorado several years ago, I found myself riding the lift alone. During that time in my life, I was a busy mom with three busy teenagers, and moments alone we... Read More
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Day 36: Psalm 119:13-14
November 7th, 2024
READ PSALM 119:13-14 As a kid, I often heard, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” It’s one of the best quotes from the movie Bambi (even though I never actually liked the mov... Read More
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Day 35: Hebrews 11:3
November 1st, 2024
READ HEBREWS 11:3 Have you ever felt stuck? Or unsure of the right answer? Or what about when the answer doesn’t make sense, feels too difficult, or isn’t what you wanted? I often find myself in this ... Read More
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Day 34: Revelation 4:11
November 1st, 2024
READ REVELATION 4:11Revelation 4 reveals an incredible scene. If you haven’t read the whole chapter, I would encourage you to do that right now. It is an amazing picture, and John is trying to describ... Read More
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Day 33: John 1:1-3
November 1st, 2024
READ JOHN 1:1-3Think about the very beginning when there was nothing but God. No turmoil, no brokenness, just His perfect purpose. This was before the world we know now, with its complications and str... Read More
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Day 32: Colossians 1:16
November 1st, 2024
READ COLOSSIANS 1:16We all have those moments when we’re fascinated by creation. We look at the vast world around us and find ourselves amazed by what we see. Maybe you enjoy hiking up in the mounta... Read More
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Day 31: Genesis 3:22-24
November 1st, 2024
READ GENESIS 3:22-24I love technology. I love my tablet, my phone, my laptop. I couldn’t do most of what I do without technology. But when I write, I love to start with pen and paper. There is som... Read More
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Day 30: Genesis 3:20-21
October 24th, 2024
READ GENESIS 3:20-21Has anyone ever shown you grace when you knew you deserved far worse? I'll never forget the soccer game as a teenager when I got into a fistfight, earned a red card, and was ejecte... Read More
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Day 29: Genesis 3:17-19
October 24th, 2024
READ GENESIS 3:17-19 Our kids are at the phase of life where their best excuse when they get into trouble is: “It’s not my fault!” Apparently, that is literally the oldest excuse in the book, and we k... Read More
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Day 28: Genesis 3:16
October 24th, 2024
READ GENESIS 3:16 As I reflect on Genesis 3:16, I can’t help but think about the tension that exists in many relationships today. The struggle for control, misunderstandings, and unmet expectations al... Read More
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Day 27: Genesis 3:14-15
October 24th, 2024
READ GENESIS 3:14-15There’s a tension we all feel—a deep sense that something isn’t right with the world. Whether it’s our own personal struggles, broken relationships, or the evil we witness daily, w... Read More
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Day 26: Genesis 3:12-13
October 24th, 2024
READ GENESIS 3:12-13 “It wasn’t my fault!” As a parent, I hear this all the time. One of my kids will do something they shouldn’t have done, then when I correct them, they immediately explain to me ho... Read More
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Day 25: Genesis 3:9-11
October 16th, 2024
READ GENESIS 3:9-11 I used to navigate life wearing a mask, presenting a façade of strength and composure. “I’m fine, I’m good, life is great.…” These were the rehearsed lines I delivered in conversat... Read More
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Day 24: Genesis 3:7-8
October 16th, 2024
READ GENESIS 3:7-8I remember being asked a simple, yet profound, question years ago while playing disc golf with one of our student leaders: “What is the hardest part about marriage?” My brain quickly... Read More
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Day 23: Genesis 3:6
October 16th, 2024
READ GENESIS 3:6In Genesis 3:6, we read the account of original sin and the fall of mankind. Eve was tempted by the crafty serpent in the Garden of Eden, and she disobeyed God’s command to not eat of ... Read More
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Day 22: Genesis 3:4-5
October 16th, 2024
READ GENESIS 3:4-5 Satan is a liar. Don’t ever forget that truth! Genesis 3:1 describes him as “more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord God had made.” Then, in Gen 3:4-5, the very ... Read More
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Day 21: Genesis 3:2-3
October 16th, 2024
READ GENESIS 3:2-3I am the proud father of two little girls - one six-year-old, and one three-year-old. Naturally, now that I’m a parent, so many passages of scripture have taken on a whole new meanin... Read More
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Day 20: Genesis 3:1
October 10th, 2024
READ GENESIS 3:1 This scene opens with the woman, full of innocence, living her best life in paradise. I imagine the garden suddenly growing silent as ominous music begins to play, signaling the serpe... Read More
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Day 19: Genesis 2:22-25
October 10th, 2024
READ GENESIS 2:22-25Genesis 2:22-25 illustrates the first wedding between man and woman, blessed by God, and it serves as a perfect example of our relationship with Christ.We see the first woman made ... Read More
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Day 18: Genesis 2:21
October 10th, 2024
READ GENESIS 2:21I often forget that I’m reading Bible stories from the comfort of the "cheap seats." I know how these stories end, but the people living them did not. As a result, it’s easy for me to... Read More
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Day 17: Genesis 2:18-20
October 10th, 2024
READ GENESIS 2:18-20 It is not good for man to be alone. God Himself is never alone; as a triune being, Elohim is in constant community with Himself. Relationship is in His very nature. Yet, even thou... Read More
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Day 16: Genesis 2:15-17
October 10th, 2024
READ GENESIS 2:15-17 These verses offer us a profound glimpse into God’s heart in creation. He placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, entrusting him with the responsibility to cultivate and care for it. T... Read More
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Day 15: Genesis 2:10-14
October 3rd, 2024
READ GENESIS 2:10-14I love a good map. In these verses, we get a description of the rivers and lands surrounding and flowing through the Garden. Unfortunately, we do not know anything about two of the... Read More
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Day 14: Genesis 2:8-9
October 3rd, 2024
READ GENESIS 2:8-9Milton, my oldest son, is majoring in French Horn Performance at the University of Alabama. His dream is to play in a symphony orchestra one day. Why go to Alabama to study French Ho... Read More
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Day 13: Genesis 2:7
October 3rd, 2024
READ GENESIS 2:7Does God have hands to form mud, or lungs to breathe life? As a young child, I used to think in these literal terms. However, Genesis 2:7 intends to communicate something infinitely mo... Read More
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Day 12: Genesis 2:4-6
October 3rd, 2024
READ GENESIS 2:4-6 One of my favorite movie tropes is the flashback scene. They give you a scene showing what happened, but then go back and show you the same scene from a different perspective. You... Read More
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Day 11: Genesis 2:1-3
October 3rd, 2024
READ
GENESIS 2:1-3At the beginning of Chapter 2, we witness the conclusion of God’s creation: “the heavens and the earth were completed.” After six days of intentional work--from the creation of light... Read More
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Summer in the Psalms: Psalm 122What Are These Gifts?Why Should We Care?Taking ActionHow Do We Use Our Gifts?When Should I Use My Gifts?UR the Church: PresenceLife-giving PresenceRespectful CuriosityEnriched Life Encouragement PowerGod's PeaceTransformational IdentityNurturing RelationshipsIron Sharpens IronWorth ItDisciple MakingUR the Church: Gifts and ServiceMeet Priscilla HeckmanUR the Church: DiscipleshipBe Prepared to be GenerousDeveloping a Generous MindsetStewardship of What Belongs to GodThe Benefits of Being GenerousResponding to Opportunities to be Generous
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UR the Church: EncouragementSkin in the GamePractice Makes ProgressAll InPay it ForwardPutting In the WorkUR the Church: GenerosityUR The Church: DedicationDay 2: Genesis 1:3-5Day 1: Genesis 1:1–2Day 3: Genesis 1:6-8Day 4: Genesis 1:9-13Day 5: Genesis 1:14-19The Beginning: Genesis 1-2:1Meet Kayla JurekDay 6: Genesis 1:20–23Day 7: Genesis 1:24 – 25Day 8: Genesis 1:26-27Day 10: Genesis 1:29-31Day 9: Genesis 1:28The Beginning: Genesis 1:1-25