Words of Hope Daily Devotional
All Is Well
Read: John 14:18-31
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (v. 27)
Do you ever feel like your life is a game of Chutes and Ladders? The excitement of climbing the ladder (a happy family, a good job, healthy relationships, good grades) is overtaken by setbacks or failure. Disappointment, rejections, grief, and tragedies can overshadow our accomplishments, success, and happiness.
In his humanity, Jesus faced these moments of instability and uncertainty too. He was rejected by his own (John 1:11), became a refugee in Egypt (Matt. 2:14), was betrayed and denied by his disciples (Matt. 26:48, 74), and then abandoned by God the Father (Matt. 27:46). Paul summed Jesus up this way: “Who, . . . did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage, rather, he made himself nothing . . . he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Phil. 2:6-8 NIV).
Jesus demonstrated how he faced adversity. He continually spent time alone with God (Matt. 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12). And before he left his disciples and returned to heaven, he promised them the Holy Spirit, who would guide and encourage them (John 14:26), and the promise of a life to come that could never be taken away. We cannot escape the challenges of our lives, but we have the resources to overcome them and remain positive and productive.
As you pray, ask God to guide you into his presence and fill you with wisdom and strength for today.
About the Author
SE Asia Ministry Leader
Words of Hope’s South Asia Ministry field leader is based in India and works with more than 70 team members sharing the hope of the gospel in more than 20 languages. Because of security concerns, we have chosen not to share his name.
Love Your Enemy
Read: Matthew 5:38-48 Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (vv. 44-45) In May 2023, violence broke out in the state of Manipur, India. Over the next year, more than 200 Christians were killed, more than 1,000
Under Construction
Read: Philippians 3:12-21 One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (vv. 13-14) One Sunday
A Miracle
Read: Acts 12:1-19 Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. (v. 5) In 1792, cobbler William Carey dared to leave his shoe repair shop in England and move to India.
Spiritual Dryness
Read: John 5:30-47 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. (vv. 39-40)
Danger Within
Read: 2 Timothy 3:1-17 Continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it. (v. 14) We live in a world of spam—junk emails, scam phone calls, and conniving social media messages. Some may
The Value of Silence
Read: James 1:16-27 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. (v. 19) Have you ever regretted a conversation that turned out to be unproductive? Sometimes, I have dropped my