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
Witnesses
Read: Acts 1:6-11
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (v. 8)
When Christians gather together to worship the living God, they claim staggering things about Jesus. One of those claims is that after his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, and according to another biblical author, “he always lives to make intercession” (Heb. 7:25). How wonderful is that? Jesus Christ is praying for you, and all whom you love right now!
In today’s passage, the writer Luke is challenging us with another aspect of Jesus’s ascension: we must become his witnesses throughout the entire world. Jesus Christ is coming again, and though we do not know the day or the hour of his return, we do know that he has given us an enormous responsibility in the meantime. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,” Jesus explains, “and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (v. 8).
If you know Jesus, you are his witness. This means you have a responsibility with eternal consequences to all whom you meet today to testify to life in Jesus. In the congregation where I worship, our pastors regularly precede the closing benediction with these words of challenge: “You are about to enter every sector of public life to claim it for Christ.” If we don’t, who will?
As you pray, ask God for courage to be his witness today.
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.
In God We Trust
Read: Psalm 56 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. (vv. 3-4) When I first started traveling for work, I had to
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