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
Loving God
Read: Acts 1:1-5
In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach. (v. 1)
I have a friend that I have known since college days. I was once his pastor before leaving to teach preaching at Western Theological Seminary. He was concerned that the academic life would dull my love for God—which is actually a legitimate concern. If you spend most of your time talking about God rather than talking to him, it can have a dulling effect. So out of this concern my friend would regularly call or text me to simply ask, “Tim, do you still love Jesus?” Sometimes his question annoyed me, but I knew all along it was the right question.
Do you remember the Shema Israel? God’s people carried these words deep in their souls from the time of the exodus and were commanded to recite them to their children every day and to themselves every time they left their homes or returned to them; “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart . . .” (Deut. 6:4-5).
That’s the primary resource for our journey through the book of Acts, and it is hidden in the name to whom the writer Luke addressed Acts—Theophilus! Theophilus quite literally means “lover of God.” Loving God, with all our heart, soul and mind as the Shema Israel commands us is critical. Loving God is the minimum pre-condition for a long obedient journey. Welcome to the journey!
As you pray, confess your love for God and ask him to help you love him more.
About the Author
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.
Look Up
Read: Psalm 71 For you, O Lord, are my hope. (v. 5) There’s an expression that refers to being between a rock and a hard place. When I was younger and my parents used this expression, I didn’t quite understand
Not Alone
Read: Psalm 34 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted. (v. 18) When I was 21, I was diagnosed with a mental illness. The diagnosis stung. I knew God created me, yet I was ashamed. I prayed, but I couldn’t
The God Who Keeps Us
Read: Psalm 121 My help comes from the LORD. (v. 2) When my son was eight weeks old, he stopped breathing. After dozens of hospitalizations and through the passing years, I still find myself afraid for him. I still find
The Silence and Salvation of God
Read: Psalm 22 Remember and turn to the LORD. (v. 27) When I was seven years old, my father abandoned me after my parents divorced, but I couldn’t stop loving him or longing for him. Many of us feel similarly
How Long, O Lord?
Read: Psalm 13 I have trusted in your steadfast love. (v. 5) There have been times in my life when I felt deep despair. It felt like the world was crushing me, like everything was more difficult than it should
Joy to the World
Read: Psalm 98 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! (v. 4) Every year at Christmas, we sing the lyrics “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” Two