#youversion devotional

“Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” —John 16:24 (ESV)

“What do you need? Ask Jesus!” By Jeff Wells

“The disciples had asked things of God, but they had not learned to ask in Jesus’s name. This was new for them. Followers of Jesus must learn to pray in Jesus’s name.

To pray in Jesus’s name does not mean to tack his name on to the end of a prayer, like a magic formula to make your prayer valid. Rather, to pray in Jesus’s name is to come to a holy God through the blood of Jesus, and it means we pray the same sorts of things that Jesus would pray.

To pray in Jesus’s name is to pray Christ-centered, Christ-focused, Christ-enthralled prayers. My will means nothing, Christ’s will mean everything. My glory means nothing, Christ’s glory means everything. When we pray this way, in the name of Jesus, then those prayers will be answered.

So ask. Ask freely. Ask without hesitation. Ask. This is Jesus’s repeated call to you: ask, ask, ask. Don’t get to heaven and find out you could have had so much more if only you had asked. “You do not have, because you do not ask.”

And why does Jesus want you to ask? For your joy. That’s how good God is; he is zealous to give you as much joy as you can hold. You must see God as wanting your deepest joy. C.S. Lewis wrote, “The ultimate purpose of God in all his work is to increase joy. Joy is the serious business of heaven.” Similarly, Dorothy Sayers remarked, “The greatest sin of the Christian is to be joyless.” And Julian of Norwich said, “The greatest honor we can give Almighty God is to live gladly because of the knowledge of His love.” God wants you to experience full joy.

So ask. Ask freely. Ask for the glory of Jesus, and the Father will grant it. He will grant it so that you have joy.”

Palm Sunday. One of the most important days in the whole year. So very sad, because we know what Jesus suffered, but He had to do this to save us all. Imagine how much love Jesus had, to do this for us. Who but He would have done such a thing?

“Jesus and his disciples went to Jerusalem. As they were getting close, they came to the village of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two disciples on ahead, telling them, “Go into the village. Right there you'll find a donkey tied up with a colt. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks you what you're doing, just tell them, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and they will send them right away.” This was to fulfill what the prophet said: “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, and rides a donkey, and a colt, the offspring of a donkey.’” The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed. They brought back the donkey and the colt. They placed their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. Many people in the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and laid them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed were all shouting, “Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar. “Who is this?” they were asking. “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee,” the crowds replied.” Matthew 21:1‭-‬11 (FBV)

Holy Week: “Pause. Ponder. Pray.” YouVersion Devotional Day One.

“Would you imagine during this week that you have been transported back in time and it is two thousand years ago? Jesus is preparing to tread the path of Calvary. He comes into Jerusalem on a donkey. The King has arrived!

Who do you see in the crowd shouting, “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the Highest”? Do you recognize your neighbor? Is that you standing there?

The people in the crowd greeted Jesus as the Messiah. When they hailed Him as the Son of David, they acknowledged that He was the Anointed One and the King of Israel, the rightful heir to David’s throne.

I wonder, how would we acknowledge Jesus if He were to come today? How would He be received? Is He Lord of all to you? Do you rest in Him as the Coming King–the One who comes to bring a reign of peace?

When everything seems as though it’s falling apart...When we continually fall short of the mark...When we are accused, rejected, or forgotten...Is He Lord of all to us? Is He our very peace?

...on a donkey?

...on the cross?

...in the tomb?

...at the Resurrection?

...at the Ascension?

...at Pentecost?

...in our hearts?

...in our souls?

...in our minds?

PONDER.

TAKE THE TRUTH TO HEART

During this Holy Week, let us ask our Lord to search our hearts and help us confess our unbelief, our doubts, our fears, our worries, our self-righteousness, and our idolatry. Let us ask Him to be Lord of all in our lives. For His reign means peace.

So let us rest in Him. Let us put our hope in Him alone. Let us rely on what He says rather than what we see. Let us live to please Him rather than living to please

others or ourselves.

He is the reigning King. Let us praise Him. Let us praise Him for His power, for His wisdom, for His guidance, for His protection, and most of all for the rescue of the cross. By His blood we have peace.

Yes, this week let us remember how the One who is Lord of all suffered in our place that He might bring us peace.

[“The Last Arrow” —5-Day Reading Plan by Erwin Raphael McManus - Day 4]

“Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us,” Ephesians 3:20 (AMP)

“Ask of Me, and I will assuredly give [You] the nations as Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth as Your possession.” Psalm 2:8 (AMP)

“KNOW WHAT YOU WANT”

“There is a story in the life of Jesus that has always struck me as odd. Jesus was leaving Jericho and a large crowd began to follow him. In the midst of the commotion two blind men were sitting by the road. “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” they cried out. The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet but they raised their voices even louder. “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. The men responded, “Lord, we want our sight.” (Matt 20:30-33)

Usually when we read a story like this we are primarily struck by the outcome - it’s no small thing that at the end of that story Jesus gave the two blind men their sight. So the question Jesus asked often goes overlooked.

When Jesus asks them “What do you want me to do for you?” he wasn’t asking because he didn’t know, but because he needed them to declare what they wanted God to do on their behalf.

The Psalms tell us that we are to delight ourselves in the Lord and he will give us the desires of our heart (Ps 37:4). This means we need to know our hearts, we need to know our desires, and we must allow those desires to be informed and then formed by our love and worship of God.

If you don’t know what you want, then God trying to give you what he wants is a wasted effort. You have to want what God wants in order to receive what God wants to give you. There are times in life when it is not within the scope of God’s intention for our life to give us certain things we ask for. But wouldn’t you rather err by asking for too much than too little?

What do you want from God? Is that a question you typically ask yourself? Is there anything you want that you’re afraid to ask for?”

[Verses with this day (day 4) of the plan: Matthew 20:30-33; Psalm 37:4; 2 Kings 4:1-7; Ephesians 3:20; Psalm 2:8]

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NIV)

Daily Devotional: BECAUSE HE ROSE, I AM FREE

“God is faithful. What He says He will do, He always fulfils. Every time Jesus made a statement about who He is he followed through. Everything He said He was, He proved to be. The “I am…” statements that Jesus made were not just inspirational phrases, they are transformational for any person who receives them and believes them.

Jesus is the Son of God who declared God’s Word and carried it out. And the great news for you and I is that everything that He said He was, He still is! Jesus continues to say, “I am…”

When Mary Magdalene found that tomb to be empty and then encountered the risen saviour she experienced the miracle of the resurrection that has since impacted and changed the lives of billions of people. Because Jesus rose victorious over death, we no longer have to live under the shame, guilt and condemnation of sin.

Because He is risen, I am free; and because He is alive forevermore, I can experience the fullness of life on earth and eternal life with Him in heaven.

QUESTION TO CONSIDER: What does the empty tomb and risen King Jesus mean to you?

PRAYER: Thank you Jesus that you won the victory for me! Thank you that you paid the price for my sins and because of that, I have been set free. Today I receive your love and forgiveness and enter in to the freedom that you have won for me.

[“God is in the Small Stuff” —YouVersion Devotional by Bruce & Stan - Day 2]

“We pray that you would walk in the ways of true righteousness, pleasing God in every good thing you do. Then you’ll become fruit-bearing branches, yielding to his life, and maturing in the rich experience of knowing God in his fullness!” Colossians 1:10 (TPT)

“Get to Know God Better”

“Does God seem distant? Is He detached from you? Maybe that’s because you are waiting for God to come to you. If so, then you’ve got things backward. God has given us His Word, His Son, and His Spirit. That is more than we will ever need in order to understand God (and certainly more than we can absorb in a lifetime). But the next step belongs to each of us. It’s up to us to read God’s Word, to believe in His Son, and to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

You see, God is a perfect gentleman. He never forces Himself on anyone. He anxiously desires a deep and meaningful personal relationship with you, but He won’t force the issue. It must be voluntary on your part. So, if you want to get to know God better, you must approach Him. When Jesus taught about this principle, He presented the relationship as an invitation:

“Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends.” Revelation 3:20 (NLT)

God makes Himself available, but you must respond to His invitation. Take Him at His Word. Go to Him. Open the door of your heart to Him.

You don’t have to move to a monastery to know God better. You don’t have to learn ancient Hebrew or memorize the names of the twelve disciples in alphabetical order. All it takes is your time and attention—reading His Word and talking to Him. Start with a few minutes each day, and grow from there. You don’t have to call to schedule an appointment. He has already extended the invitation, and He’s waiting for you to respond.”

[“God is in the Small Stuff” —YouVersion Devotional by Bruce & Stan - Day 1]

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is an eternal God, the Creator of the whole Earth. He does not get tired or weary; there is no limit to His wisdom.” Isaiah 40:28 (NET)

“Understand the Nature of God.”

“You definitely believe in God, but you don’t know Him. You don’t understand His nature—in other words, His personality. You aren’t alone. For many people—even those who claim to be religious—the nature of God is a mystery. It’s like God is behind some dark cloud, occasionally speaking in a deep voice to prophets and such (you know, like He spoke to Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments). Other people think God wants to prevent them from having a good time. If they get close to God, they’re afraid they’ll have to give up their freedom. 

While it’s true there are things about God we’ll never know (after all, He is God), there are many things we can know. For example, when we look at our universe—whether it’s through a microscope, a telescope, or the naked eye—we observe incredible design and order and beauty. That means the Designer (that would be God) must be a being of design and order and beauty. And He must be pretty powerful. 

When we look at ourselves and see that we all have some idea about God (even when you deny God exists, you have to think about Him), that means the Creator (God again) put that idea in us. Yet God is more than an idea. He is more than a symbol for good or an impersonal “higher being.” God is a very real spirit Being who has always existed in the past, who exists now, and will always exist in the future. God is personal. God is involved in our world. And God has revealed His nature to us. All we have to do is stop, look, and listen.”

[“God is in the Small Stuff” —YouVersion Devotional by Bruce & Stan - Day 3]

“This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” 1 John 4:10 (NLT)

“Realize That God Loves You.”

“Love is a powerful emotion, perhaps the strongest of human emotions. People will go to great lengths to express love, and they will do almost anything to get love. So if love is in such demand, why does it seem in such short supply? To paraphrase the song, “Why is love the only thing that there’s just too little of?” The problem with human love is that it’s usually self-centered. Much of the so-called love we feel could be summarized by the phrase, “What’s in it for me?” We may think we love someone, but in reality we may simply love what he or she does for us.

The great writer C. S. Lewis identified four different kinds of love, all but one of which are basically self-centered. First, there’s affection, which is the kind of love we can have for something other than people, such as a dog or a home or a car. Then there’s friendship, a valuable love in the sense that it’s the basis of most human relationships. And there’s erotic love, which is beautiful between a husband and wife but a mess outside of married love. All of these are wonderful and necessary loves, but each of them depends on the object of our affection for complete fulfillment.

The only love that is completely other-centered is called agape love. This is love of the highest order. It’s what Lewis called “Divine Gift-Love.” When we love with agape love we desire the best for the people we love. We are even able to love those who are unlovable.

We are capable of agape love only to the extent that we give the details of our lives over to God and allow Him to work in us. But even before that can happen, we must realize that God loves us, and that He can only love us with this kind of love. God’s love is never self-centered, and God’s love is always sacrificial. While we were enemies of God, He loved us. When we ran from God, He loved us. And He loved us so much that He sacrificed the Son He loved most so that we could experience eternal life.

“The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.” Psalm 33:5 (NIV)

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord ; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13‭-‬14 (NIV)

Daily Devotional: The ten miracles of Gods goodness. DAY 1 — “The Goodness of God Explains AND Surrounds Everything.” —By Gregory Dickow

In the next three days, I want to share with you ten miracles of God's goodness that we can expect to experience, starting today. We can expect them because God promises these things. God is love, and His true nature is good. He doesn’t promise to be good to us because we are good. He promises to be good to us because HE IS GOOD. God’s goodness is miraculous and He wants to cover our lives with it as the waters cover the sea!

Psalm 33:5 says, "The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.”

The world may be full of bad, but the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. And what we focus on and look for is what really matters most, because it affects the health of our soul.

We need to focus on the good. We need to look for the good. We need to expect the good! Let's take a look at the first few miracles of God’s goodness.

1. The Goodness of God explains everything

When we face difficulties, we need a bit of explanation sometimes. And it is God's goodness that explains everything.

The book of Genesis teaches us that, when Joseph revealed himself to his brothers after their betrayal, he said to them, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good."

You see, God's goodness brought explanation to a very bad experience and circumstance. When we understand that God’s goodness explains the unexplainable, it empowers us to trust Him. It frees us from becoming bitter at what has been done to us.

Remember this truth:

What the enemy sends to defeat us… God bends to complete us.

2. The Goodness of God surrounds everything

Psalm 23:6 says: “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life.”

His goodness goes before us and is behind us. His goodness is on our right and on our left. We are surrounded by the goodness of God! Psalm 5:12 tells us that His favor (unmerited goodness) surrounds us like a shield!

Everywhere we go and every step we take, God’s goodness will be there as our shield. It will lead us. It will follow us! And it will be a shield of defense for whatever comes against us.

3. The Goodness of God frees us from everything

Psalm 27:13 is one of my life verses.

“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” (NASB)

Notice David says: “I would have despaired” (“despair” is a combination of emotions such as sadness, discouragement, feelings of depression, and the feeling to quit). He said he would have despaired UNLESS he believed that he would SEE God’s goodness in this life. When we believe we are going to see His goodness, it frees us from toxic emotions. It frees us from despair—from giving up, feeling beat, defeated, and utterly at loss. His goodness frees us from anxiety. It frees us from fear. His goodness frees us from all of those things because we believe we are going to see His goodness in the land of the living.