Read John 4:23-24 (ESV) “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” Reflect How is living in obedience to God’s Word an act of worship? Barna Group published research in 2017 called “Competing Worldviews Influence Today’s Christians.” As part of that study, they polled practic

Read Acts 16:22-25 (ESV) The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

Read Psalm 100:1-2, 4 (ESV) Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! ... Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! Reflect According to this psalm, how should we worship the Lord? People have a lot of opinions about how worship should be done. Some prefer to crack open hymnals and reverently sing to the Lord with just the piano or even a

Read Ephesians 2:1-5 (ESV) And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which

Read Matthew 15:8-9(ESV) “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Reflect Is it possible to act religious but not be a Christ-follower? Did you know that the word “hypocrite” comes from the Greek word “hypokrites” which means “an actor”? In ancient Greece, it meant a literal stage actor who wore an actual mask. Now, it has a much more figurative meaning. We thi

Read Psalm 100:3, 5 (ESV) Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture…. For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Reflect According to these verses, who is God and what is He like? Let's do a little thought experiment. Imagine that you made a little group of clay figures and had the power to bring them to life. You wanted them to love and

Read Matthew 6:9-13 (ESV) Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Reflect Have you ever wondered if you are praying about the right things? How can today’s verses serve as a guide to your personal prayers? Luke 11:1-4 says that

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV) Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Reflect What do you think it means to “pray without ceasing”? Many religions have set prayer times. Muslims pray 5 times a day—dawn, noon, afternoon, evening, and night. Jewish tradition holds that they should pray three times a day—morning, noon/afternoon, and night. In Psalm 55:17, David wrote that: “Evening and morn

Read Matthew 6:5-7 (ESV) “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Reflect Do you think this verse means that it is never ok to pray in public? Why or

Read 1 John 5:14-15 (ESV) And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. Reflect Why do you think God doesn’t answer all of our prayers with a “yes”? Why do you think He sometimes makes us wait a long time before granting our requests? In the 90s, Garth Brooks topped Billboard’s country charts with a s

Read Hebrews 4:14-16 (ESV) Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Reflect Have you ever felt like God di

Read Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Reflect According to this verse, what is one benefit of prayer for believers in Jesus Christ? Have you ever wondered why prayer is such an important part of a Christian’s life? Why does God command us to pra

Read Psalm 119:130-133 The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name. Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me. Reflect According to this psalm, what are some of the benefits of opening up our Bibles and reading Scripture? Have you ever followed your GPS

Read Psalm 1:1-2 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. Reflect Do you love God’s Word? Is it something you think about often or something you read quickly and move on? Every January, Christians around the world commit to spending more time reading their Bibles. They know it’s God’s Word. They know it

Read Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Reflect How have you been transformed since you became a believer in Christ? If you had before and after pictures

Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. Reflect How has the Bible impacted your life? When you read God’s Word, do you notice a change in your character or behavior? The Bible is an old book. But really, it isn’t just one old book. It is comprised of 66 old books to be exact, the oldest of which are

Read John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” Reflect How do we know if we can trust the Bible? How do we know it is God’s Word? The world, especially the Internet, is rife with people who claim that Christians believe in a storybook rather than a holy book. When Christians counter secular arguments with the truth of Scripture, they often aren’t taken seriously by skeptics, atheists, and sometimes even by people who claim to be Christians. But in today’s v

Read 1 John 4:9-10 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Reflect Why do you think reading the Bible is an important spiritual discipline? If you asked someone “Why should I read the Bible?” you will get a variety of answers. American history tells the story of a skepti

Read James 3:14-16 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. Reflect Has bitter jealousy or envy ever tempted you to sin in other ways as well? It starts right away when we are very young. Our parents set us down on the floor to

Read 1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Reflect What tempts you to sin? What steps are you taking or could you take to limit or eliminate this temptation from your life? In today’s passage, the apostle Peter gave us a vivid picture of the “passions of the flesh”. He said that they “wage war against your soul”. The notes of my MacArthur Study Bible read: “In order to have an imp

Read Psalm 56:3-4 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. What can flesh do to me? Reflect What worries or fears are you wrestling with right now? How are you managing those emotions? Maybe you can relate: While wrestling with a situation, in you head, you know that God is worthy of your complete trust. But your feelings are all over the place. One moment you’re at peace with whatever happens because God is

Read Genesis 2:15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. Reflect What is your attitude concerning work? Do you view it as a blessing or a necessary evil? Did you ever look at the need to work and decide that it’s a consequence of Adam and Eve’s disobedience? That, if they hadn’t sinned, we wouldn’t need to work today. It’s a common enough thought that even kids ask about it in Sunday school. This is probably rooted in thoughts of G

Read Psalm 16:1-2, 5-6, 9-11 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance…Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me th

Read 1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. Reflect Prayerfully consider how much you’ve grown spiritually in the past year. What did you consume that contributed to your spiritual growth the most? What do you think hindered your spiritual growth the most? There has been a lot of research about the benefits of a mother’s milk. According to studies a mother’s

Read James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. Reflect How confident are you when it comes to talking about your faith? What do you think you could do to increase your confidence? When I talk with other people about evangelism and outreach, I often hear the same thing. People say things like, “I just don’t know what to say!” People express feeling unprepared and ill-equipped. Maybe you can r

Read Acts 17:1-4 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ. And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great

Read John 4:35-38 “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” Re

Read 2 Corinthians 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors of Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. Reflect When you think of someone who is an ambassador, what do you think of? What is their role and responsibilities? According to Merriam-Webster, an ambassador is “an official envoy or representative of a government or sovereign, especially in a foreign country.” The primary role of an ambassador or a diplomat is to c

Read Romans 10:14-15 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Reflect Why should believers have a sense of urgency when it comes to sharing the Gospel? The Gotquestions.org podcast (episode 203) once welcomed

Read Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Reflect According to today’s passage, what mission did Jesus give believers? Is that something you are actively participati