Author: Jason Zerbey

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
-Psalm 23:1

God is good and powerful. This devotional is dated to start on January 1st. I’m reading the February 7th scripture on Black Friday and it speaks directly to seeking satisfaction in material possessions.

This is a great challenge for me as I did not plan on any shopping, but the temptations exist all around and I am not immune.

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Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'” So, Samuel went and lay down in his place.
-Samuel 3:9

Listening is an act of love, perhaps the greatest. The Lord is always listening to us and we must strive to listen to Him and those around us. God often speaks through us, revealing truths, comforts, and wisdom.

The better we listen, the better we love.

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Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest.”
-Matthew 9:37-38

In my imperfect and sloppy way, I hope to be one of God’s harvest workers.

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How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?
-Habakkuk 1:2

Listening is hard. We don’t want to hear certain things, so we act like God isn’t speaking to us. The more we open our hearts for difficult truths, the more we are enriched with His wisdom.

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This was [John the Baptist’s] message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I.”
-Mark 1:7

This devotional lesson ends with a prayer, “Father…Give me your strength so that I might love your world.”

Love is a humbling thing. It will put you on your knees to fix your girlfriend’s toilet or get you out of bed to help a friend in the night.

It takes strength to love. That strength can manifest as vulnerability or an attentive ear. It could call for being supportive or critical. Love requires you to find strength that you did not know you had.

I pray for God’s strength to love as Jesus loved.

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“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
-John 1:39

It wasn’t until I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior that I began to see His infinite love. In that love, the verbal and mental commitment became a spiritual one.

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“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
-Mark 8:29

This one is calling me out today. I have a truth I’ve been fearful of sharing with someone. I’m unsure how to communicate it and worried that the wrong words will be damaging.

But it can’t wait any longer. I’m hiding behind assumptions and letting confusion reign.

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Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
-Mark 2:17

I approached Christianity thinking it would relieve me of my sinful ways.

I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart when I realized that the healing I would feel would be through His love for me in spite of my sinful nature.

I’m no less a sinner than I was, but I have a lot more love in my life. As I radiate love into the world, I have fewer opportunities to contribute to its fallen state.

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