Words of Hope Daily Devotional
START EVERY DAY WITH HOPE
Get the Words of Hope Devotional and get daily encouragement to love God, read His Word, and meet with Him in prayer. Available in print and email.
START EVERY DAY WITH HOPE
Get the Words of Hope Devotional and get daily encouragement to love God, read His Word, and meet with Him in prayer. Available in print and email.
THE DEVOTIONAL IS AVAILABLE IN YOUR EMAIL AND IN PRINT.
The Words of Hope Devotional is a non-profit, donor-supported publication whose goal is to encourage readers to grow in faith through the practice of daily Bible reading and prayer.
DINNER WITH JESUS
Breakfast on the Beach
Stephen: Telling the Truth
Read: Acts 7
You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. (v. 51)
I once heard Eugene Peterson say to a group of pastors, “When people come to church on Sunday morning, they have basically two questions on their mind; is there going to be a story and am I in that story.” Today’s Scripture reading is just what Peterson described to those pastors: “an immense, sprawling, capacious, narrative.” It is the testimony Stephen gave to the religious leaders of Israel, telling them (and telling us) of Abraham’s wandering, Moses’s rise to prominence, Joshua’s conquest, and David’s favor; all of it as a platform for declaring the faithfulness of God from one generation to the next. How did they respond? They ground their teeth in anger and stoned him.
Everything depends on how we respond to the story of God in our lives. He’s shaping us and molding us into vessels to fulfill his redemptive purposes in the world. When you rise up in the morning and ready yourself for the day, you are actually preparing for gospel work. Today you may be the only Bible that some people will read. You may be the only glimpse of Jesus that some people will get.
As Stephen was being mercilessly stoned, he quoted Jesus’s prayer for the world from the cross: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (v. 60). Stephen and Jesus are our models for today and every day.
As you pray, ask God to give you a heart to tell of his goodness to everyone, everywhere!
Dr. Timothy Brown is the Henry Bast Professor of Preaching and President Emeritus at Western Theological Seminary where he served from 1995-2021. Tim continues to actively coach and encourage former students and pastors who seek help in their preaching life and he has become a certified public school substitute teacher so that he can continue investing in the lives of young people. He is married to Nancy and together they have three children and ten grandchildren.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rev. First Last
David Bast is a writer and pastor who served for 23 years as the President and Broadcast Minister for Words of Hope. In his more than 40 years of devotional writing and preaching, he has been encouraging believers around the world to be shaped by God and his Word.
Prior to his ministry and work at Words of Hope, Dave served as a pastor for 18 years in congregations in the Reformed Church in America. A graduate of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, he is the author of nine devotional books and Bible studies, including Why Doesn’t God Act More Like God, Christ in the Psalms, and A Gospel for the World.
Dave and his wife, Betty Jo, have four children and eight grandchildren. Dave enjoys reading, growing tomatoes, and avidly follows the Detroit Tigers.
Stephen: The Face of an Angel
Read: Acts 6:8-15 His face was like the face of an angel. (v. 15) Among the most notable characters in the early church was a champion of the gospel named Stephen. Chosen by the apostles as one of the original
Honesty before God
Read: Acts 5:1-16 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. (v. 12) Today’s Bible reading clearly shows us the best and worst of the early days of the church. The
Holy Boldness
Read: Acts 4:23-31 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. (v. 31) It took courage in the days of the apostles to speak up for the sake of the
The Power of His Name
Read: Acts 3:11-26 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know. (v. 16) Many years ago, during my time at Western Seminary, I was blessed to have an office next to Dr.
A Beautiful Thing!
Read: Acts 3:1-10 In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk! (v. 6) There were twelve entry ways into the ancient Temple Mount in Jerusalem. One of them was called the “Beautiful Gate,” partly because of
When Heaven Breaks Loose
Read: Acts 2:1-13 Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind. (v. 2) I invite you to come with me to Jerusalem for the celebration of Pentecost—the ancient Jewish festival celebrating the giving of the Law