Sermon Recap 

This section is intended to remind your group of the content of the sermon's big ideas.

This week’s sermon focuses on Judges 6:11–40, the story of Gideon. Gideon had been interpreting God through his circumstances: “If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened?”, but God was teaching Gideon to interpret his circumstances through who God is and what God had said.

• Belief and truth are different. We can sincerely believe something that isn’t true.
• What we believe shapes how we live. Especially what we believe about God.
• We can become more committed to our beliefs than to truth. Our beliefs can become tied to our identity and security.
• Gideon learned to see his circumstances through God, rather than seeing God through his circumstances.
• Biblical belief means trusting Jesus, not simply agreeing about Jesus.
• True belief leads to action. What we do reveals what we truly trust.

Read and Pray

With your group, read the passage together. As you read, pay attention to the tension between what Gideon believed about himself, his circumstances, and God and what God said was true.

After reading together, spend some time in silent prayer reflecting on these two questions.

• What from the passage stood out to you? 
• What might the Holy Spirit be pressing into your life from this message?

Group Discussion

1. There is a difference between belief and truth. 

• What is a belief you once held strongly that you later discovered was not true and what helped you recognize the difference?

2. In Judges 6:11–16. Gideon asks, “If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” 

• What does Gideon appear to believe about God, himself, and his circumstances? 
• How does God’s response challenge those beliefs?

3. Gideon had been interpreting God through his circumstances. God was teaching Gideon to interpret his circumstances through God. 

• Where and why are you most tempted to interpret God based on what is happening around you?

4. Our beliefs can become connected to our identity, relationships, security, and sense of belonging. 

• Why can it be difficult to honestly reconsider something we believe? 
• How can we become people who are more committed to truth than simply defending what we already believe?

5. Look at Judges 6:25–27 and 36–40. Gideon clearly struggled with fear and uncertainty, yet he continued responding to God's commands. 

• What do you learn from Gideon about the relationship between faith, doubt, and obedience? 
• Is it possible to obey God while still having questions? Why or why not?

6. Biblical belief is more than intellectual agreement. Think about your own relationship with Jesus. 

• Where is Jesus asking you not merely to believe something about him, but to trust him with your life? 
• What might that look like in practice this week?

This section is action driven, depending on your group you could have people share out loud and/or write down answers to the following questions.

REFLECT

What is one belief you have about God, yourself, or your circumstances that needs to be tested against what is actually true?

RESPOND

What is one thing God is asking you to do that you need to move from belief to action this week?

REACH

Who is someone in your life who needs to see what genuine trust in Jesus looks like, not simply hear what you believe?

PRAYER

• Ask God to give you a heart that is committed to truth.
• Ask Holy Spirit to reveal places where your circumstances, fears, experiences, or assumptions have shaped what you believe about God.
• Thank Jesus that our salvation does not rest on how perfectly we understand, perform, or measure up, but on trusting in him and what he has accomplished for us.
• Ask God for the courage to move from belief to trust, and from trust to obedience in specific areas where you are afraid or uncertain.

Sermon Recap
This section is intended to remind your group of the content of the sermon's big ideas.

This week’s sermon focuses on the nature of God as revealed throughout Scripture. We believe there is one God who eternally exists as three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is not a problem to solve but God's self-revelation and an invitation into communion with him.

• There is one God. Scripture consistently reveals that there is only one God worthy of worship.
• God has revealed himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity is not something the church invented but a way of describing what Scripture reveals.
• The Trinity is a mystery. God has revealed himself truly, but not fully. Scripture gives us enough to trust God without answering every question we might have.
• God has always existed in perfect love. Before creation, the Father, Son, and Spirit existed in relationship and love.
• We are made in the image of a relational God. Because God is relational and loving, we were created for relationship, love, unity, and community.
• The Trinity invites us into communion with God. We receive the Father's love, the grace of Jesus, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit—and are moved from that communion into mission.

Read and Pray
With your group, read Genesis 1:26–27, John 1:1–4, and 2 Corinthians 13:14 together. As you read, pay attention to what these passages reveal about the one God and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

After reading together, spend some time in silent prayer reflecting on these two questions.

• What from the passages stood out to you?
• What might the Holy Spirit be pressing into your life from this message?

Group Discussion

1. Scripture teaches that there is one God, while also revealing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

• Why is it important to hold both of these truths together?
• What questions or thoughts does the Trinity raise for you?

2. Read Genesis 1:26–27 and John 1:1–4.

• What do these passages reveal about God's identity and his relationship to creation?
• What does it mean that humanity was created in the image of God?

3. The Trinity is not a problem to solve, but the God who has invited us into His life.

• Why do you think we can be tempted to reduce mysteries about God into something we can completely understand?
• How can mystery lead us toward wonder and worship rather than frustration?

4. Before creation, God was already perfect love. Love did not begin when God created humanity.

• How does understanding God as eternally relational and loving shape your understanding of who God is?
• How should knowing that we are made in the image of a relational God affect the way we live in community with others?

5. Because God is relational, we were created for relationships. Because God is love, we learn to love. Because Father, Son, and Spirit work in unity, the Church pursues unity.

• Which of these truths is most challenging for you right now?
• Where might God be calling you away from isolation, self-exaltation, or division and toward deeper relationship, humility, love, or unity?

6. Read 2 Corinthians 13:14. Paul speaks of the grace of Jesus, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

• What does it mean for you personally to receive the grace, love, and fellowship of the Triune God?
• How should receiving this love move us toward worship, community, and mission?

This section is action driven, depending on your group you could have people share out loud and/or write down answers to the following questions.

REFLECT
How might your understanding of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit change the way you relate to God and others?

RESPOND
What is one relationship in which God is calling you to practice greater love, humility, unity, or self-giving this week?

REACH
Who is someone you can intentionally invite into deeper relationship or community this week as an expression of God's love?

PRAYER

• Ask God to give you wonder and humility as you seek to know the mystery of who He is.
• Thank the Father for his love, Jesus for his grace and self-giving sacrifice, and the Holy Spirit for his presence and fellowship.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to help you live out the relational nature of God through greater love, humility, and unity.
• Ask God to help our church reflect the unity and self-giving love of the Father, Son, and Spirit.
• Ask God to move us from communion with him into mission, so that others might experience the love of the Triune God.

Sermon Recap
This section is intended to remind your group of the content of the sermon's big ideas.

This week’s sermon focuses on the person and work of Jesus Christ. We believe Jesus is the eternal Son of God who became fully human to save us, now reigns, and will return for us.

• Jesus is the eternal Son of God who became fully human. Before Bethlehem was eternity.
• Jesus died for us. He bore our sins and became the sacrifice for our redemption and forgiveness.
• Jesus lives and ministers for us. He rose from the dead, is at the right hand of the Father, and continually intercedes for us.
• Jesus will come again. His return gives us hope and anticipation.
• The incarnation is a mystery that leads us to worship. God entered our need and humbled himself for us.
• Because of who Jesus is and what he has done, we live differently. We pursue humility, obedience, endurance, holiness, mission, and hope.

Read and Pray
With your group, read John 1:1–14, Romans 3:24–25, and Hebrews 7:25 together. As you read, pay attention to what these passages reveal about who Jesus is, what he has done for us, and what he is doing for us now.

After reading together, spend some time in silent prayer reflecting on these two questions.

• What from the passages stood out to you?
• What might the Holy Spirit be pressing into your life from this message?

Group Discussion

1. Jesus is both fully God and fully human.

• Why is it important to Christian faith that Jesus is both truly God and truly human?
• How does the incarnation change the way you understand Jesus?

2. Read John 1:1–14. John tells us that the Word was God and that the Word became flesh.

• What stands out to you about the truth that the eternal Son of God entered our humanity?
• Why do you think this truth should lead us not only to understanding, but to worship?

3. Incarnation is something to consider with awe. “Some mysteries aren't meant to be solved. They're meant to be adored.”

• What part of Jesus becoming human amazes you most?
• How can embracing the mystery of Christ lead us toward greater worship and trust?

4. Read Hebrews 7:25. Jesus “always lives to intercede” for those who come to God through him.

• How does knowing that Jesus is actively interceding for you affect the way you approach God?
• How might this truth change the way you respond when you fail, struggle, or feel condemned?

5. Because Jesus became human, we enter the lives of others. Because Jesus humbled himself, we choose humility. Because Jesus obeyed the Father, we pursue obedience.

• Which of these responses is most challenging for you right now?
• What would it look like to live more like Jesus in that area this week?

6. Jesus is not simply someone who lived. He lives. He is not simply someone who saved. He is saving. He is not simply someone who ascended. He is reigning. He is not simply someone who reigns. He is returning.

• How should the reality that Jesus is alive, reigning, and returning shape the way you live today?
• Where do you need to live with greater holiness, mission, anticipation, or hope?

This section is action driven, depending on your group you could have people share out loud and/or write down answers to the following questions.

REFLECT

What truth about Jesus do you most need to remember in the season of life you are in right now?

RESPOND

Because of who Jesus is and what he has done, what is one way you need to live differently this week?

REACH

Who is someone in your life who needs to experience the presence, humility, compassion, or hope of Jesus through you this week?

PRAYER

• Thank Jesus that he is not simply someone who lived long ago, but that he lives today.
• Thank him for entering our humanity, bearing our sin, dying in our place, and rising from the dead.
• Thank Jesus that he is our advocate and High Priest who continually intercedes for us.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to help you live like Jesus by choosing humility, pursuing obedience, and entering the lives of others.
• Ask God to help you live with greater hope and anticipation because Jesus is reigning and will come again.

Sermon Recap
This section is intended to remind your group of the content of the sermon's big ideas.

This week’s sermon focused on the person and work of the Holy Spirit. We believe the Holy Spirit is not merely a force, feeling, or experience, but the divine Person who dwells in believers, transforms us, empowers us, and points us to Jesus.

• The Holy Spirit is God. He is not merely a force or influence, but a divine Person who can be known, obeyed, resisted, and even lied to.
• The Holy Spirit lives in those who belong to Christ. God’s presence is not merely something we experience from a distance; God himself has chosen to dwell in his people.
• The Holy Spirit is mysterious. We can know what God has revealed about the Spirit without being able to fully explain how the Spirit works.
• The Holy Spirit changes us. His presence should produce conviction, obedience, holiness, love, patience, forgiveness, courage, wisdom, prayer, and the fruit of the Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit fills and empowers us. We are called not simply to possess the Spirit, but to continually yield ourselves to his presence and leading.
• The Holy Spirit points us to Jesus and sends us into God’s mission. He helps us know God, become like Christ, and participate in God’s work in the world.

Read and Pray

With your group, read Acts 5:1–4, John 3:1–8, Romans 8:9–11, and John 16:5–15 together. As you read, pay attention to what these passages reveal about who the Holy Spirit is, where the Holy Spirit is at work, and what difference his presence makes in the life of a believer. After reading together, spend some time in silent prayer reflecting on these two questions.

• What from the passages stood out to you?
• What might the Holy Spirit be pressing into your life from this message?

Group Discussion

1. The Holy Spirit is a person, not simply a force, feeling, or experience.

• Why is it important that Christians understand the Holy Spirit as a Person?
• How might our relationship with the Holy Spirit change if we think of him as someone we know and respond to rather than simply something we experience?

2. Acts 5:1–4. Peter tells Ananias that he has lied to the Holy Spirit and then says that he has lied to God.

• What does this passage teach us about the identity and divinity of the Holy Spirit?
• Why do you think it matters that the Holy Spirit knows our hearts and is concerned with our truthfulness and integrity?

3. John 3:1–8. Jesus compares the work of the Spirit to the wind. Jesus says, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.”

• What about the work of the Holy Spirit is difficult for you to understand?
• How can we embrace the mystery of the Spirit without becoming careless about what Scripture actually teaches?

4. Romans 8:9–11. Paul says that the Spirit of God lives in those who belong to Christ.

• What difference should it make on a Monday morning that the Spirit of God lives in you?
• How should the presence of the Holy Spirit affect the way you think about your identity, your choices, and your struggles?

5. Ephesians 5:18 says, “Be filled with the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit isn’t simply someone we have. He is someone whose presence we are continually learning to yield to.

• Where do you most need to yield to the Holy Spirit right now?
• What might it look like for you to be more fully surrendered to the Spirit in an ordinary part of your day?
• How might the fruit of the Spirit become more visible in that area of your life?

6. The Holy Spirit brings us into communion with God and sends us into the world. Jesus says in John 16 that the Spirit will glorify Christ, and in Acts 1–2 the Spirit empowers the disciples to become witnesses for Jesus.

• How does the Holy Spirit’s work of pointing us to Jesus shape the way we understand his work in our lives?
• Where might the Holy Spirit be calling you to step out in faith, serve, speak about Jesus, or participate in God’s mission rather than remain comfortable?

This section is action driven, depending on your group you could have people share out loud and/or write down answers to the following questions.

REFLECT

What truth about the Holy Spirit do you most need to remember in the season of life you are in right now?

RESPOND

Because the Holy Spirit lives in you, what is one area where you need to surrender, obey, or become more responsive to his leading this week?

REACH

Who is someone in your life who needs to experience the presence, love, truth, or hope of Jesus through you this week?

PRAYER

• Thank God that the Holy Spirit is not merely a force or feeling, but God himself who lives in his people.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to give you greater awareness of his presence and greater reverence for his work in your life.
• Ask the Spirit to reveal areas where you need to repent, surrender, obey, or grow.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to produce his fruit in you and make you increasingly like Jesus.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to empower you to participate in God’s mission, giving you courage to go where he sends you and trust him with the results.

Sermon Recap

This section is intended to remind your group of the content of the sermon's big ideas.

This week’s sermon focused on the Holy Scriptures and what God intends to do through his Word. We believe the Bible is inspired by God, trustworthy and authoritative, and the divine and only rule for Christian faith and practice. But Scripture is not given simply to fill our minds with information. God gives us his Word to reveal himself, awaken our wonder, form our lives, and bring us into communion with him.

• Scripture is God-breathed. Through the Holy Spirit, God spoke through human authors and gave us his Word.
• Scripture is authoritative and trustworthy. It reveals God’s will and provides the foundation for Christian faith and practice.
• Scripture leads us into wonder. The Bible reveals a God who is greater than our understanding and invites us to respond with humility and worship.
• Scripture is meant to form us. God’s Word teaches, rebukes, corrects, and trains us so that we can live differently.
• Scripture leads us to God. We don’t read the Bible simply to know more about God; we read it to know God and encounter him through his Word.
• Scripture sends us. As God’s Word transforms us, we respond through worship, obedience, repentance, and participation in God’s work in the world.

Read and Pray

With your group, read 2 Timothy 3:14–17, 2 Peter 1:19–21, Psalm 119:9–16, and Luke 24:13–35 together. As you read, pay attention to what these passages reveal about the source, authority, purpose, and power of God’s Word. After reading together, spend some time in silent prayer reflecting on these two questions.

• What from the passages stood out to you?
• What might God be pressing into your life from this message?

Group Discussion

1. Scripture is God’s Word to us. (2 Timothy 3:14–17 and 2 Peter 1:19–21)

• What stands out to you about the way God chose to give us his Word?
• Why does it matter that Scripture is both genuinely God’s Word and written through human authors?

2. Scripture gives us a map, but we aren’t meant to simply study the map. We’re meant to take the journey.

• What is the difference between knowing what the Bible says and allowing the Bible to shape the way you live?
• What are some ways we can become people who know Scripture without actually being formed by Scripture?

3. Scripture reveals a God who is greater than our understanding. The Bible gives us clear truth, but it also introduces us to mysteries such as the Trinity, the incarnation, God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, the resurrection, and the work of the Holy Spirit.

• Why do you think God’s Word includes both things we can understand clearly and things we cannot fully explain?
• How can mystery move us toward worship rather than frustration or the need to have every question answered?

4. Psalm 119:9–16 and Psalm 119:97–105. The psalmist doesn’t treat God’s Word merely as information. He treasures it, meditates on it, delights in it, and allows it to guide his life.

• What competing voices, desires, or distractions most often keep you from allowing God’s Word to guide you?
• What would it look like for God’s Word to become more precious and formative in your everyday life?

5. 2 Timothy 3:16–17. Scripture teaches, rebukes, corrects, and trains us in righteousness.

• Which of these four functions: teaching, rebuking, correcting, or training, is most needed in your life right now?
• Is there an area where you are tempted to read God’s Word for information without allowing it to confront or change you?
• What would it look like to respond differently?

6. Luke 24:13–35. Jesus opens the Scriptures to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and they later say, “Were not our hearts burning within us?”

• What difference does it make to know that Scripture is meant to lead you into a deeper relationship with Jesus, not simply greater knowledge about him?
• How can your time in God’s Word move beyond information toward worship, communion, obedience, and mission?

This section is action driven, depending on your group you could have people share out loud and/or write down answers to the following questions.

REFLECT

What truth from God’s Word do you most need to remember in the season of life you are in right now?

RESPOND

What is one truth God has revealed in his Word that you know but need to put into practice this week?

REACH

Who is someone in your life who needs to experience the truth, grace, wisdom, or hope of God’s Word through you this week?

PRAYER

• Thank God for speaking to us through his Word and making himself known to us.
• Ask God to give you humility and reverence as you read Scripture, recognizing it as his authoritative Word.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand God’s Word and recognize where it needs to teach, rebuke, correct, and train you.
• Ask God to move you beyond simply knowing Scripture to allow his Word to shape your character, desires, decisions, and relationships.
• Ask Jesus to open your eyes to see him throughout Scripture and lead you into deeper communion with him.

Sermon Recap

This section is intended to remind your group of the content of the sermon's big ideas.

This week’s sermon focused on what Scripture teaches about humanity. We were created in the image of God with dignity, purpose, and the responsibility to reflect him in the world. Yet sin has broken what God created good, separating us from God and bringing death. Our hope is not found in ourselves but in the grace of God through Jesus Christ, who saves us, makes us his children, and gives us the hope of eternal life with him.

• We are created in the image of God. Every person has dignity, value, and purpose because every person bears God's image.
• We are fallen and sinful. Sin has affected every person and brought both spiritual and physical death into God's good creation.
• We cannot save ourselves. Salvation is a gift of God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not something we can earn through our own goodness or effort.
• We become children of God through Jesus. Our deepest identity is not found in what we accomplish, possess, or prove, but in belonging to God.
• This life is not all there is. Scripture teaches that death does not erase our existence and that there is an eternal destiny for both those who belong to Christ and those who reject him.
• For those who belong to Christ, our future is everlasting life with Jesus. The promise that we will be with the Lord forever gives us hope and should shape how we live today.

Read and Pray

With your group, read Genesis 1:26–27, Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:8–10, John 1:12–13, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 together. As you read, pay attention to what these passages reveal about who we are, what has gone wrong through sin, what God has done through Jesus, and the hope we have for eternity. After reading together, spend some time in silent prayer reflecting on these two questions.

• What from the passages stood out to you?
• What might God be pressing into your life from this message?

Group Discussion

1. We are created in the image of God. Genesis 1:26–27.

• What does it mean to you that you were created in the image and likeness of God?
• How should the image of God shape the way we see ourselves and the way we treat every other person?

2. We were created good, but sin has broken God's good creation. Romans 3:23 and Romans 5:12.

• What are some ways you see the effects of sin and brokenness in the world around you?
• Why is it important to recognize our own sin rather than only seeing the brokenness in other people?
• How should recognizing that everyone falls short of God's glory affect the way we respond to people who are different from us or who have failed us?

3. Our greatest problem cannot be solved by our own effort. Ephesians 2:8–10. Paul says that we are saved by grace through faith and that salvation is “the gift of God.”

• Why do you think we so often try to earn, prove, or achieve what God freely gives us?
• How should receiving salvation as a gift change the way you view yourself?
• How does grace free us to live differently rather than simply trying harder?

4. Through Jesus, we become children of God. John 1:9–13.

• What does it mean to you that through faith in Jesus you can become a child of God?
• How might your life look different if you lived from the security of belonging to God rather than from the need to prove yourself?
• Where are you most tempted to find your identity in something other than your relationship with God?

5. Scripture teaches that this life is not all there is. Luke 16:19–26 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18.

• How should the reality of eternity change the way we think about our priorities, choices, relationships, and use of our time?
• What emotions or questions arise when you think about death and eternity?
• How does the promise that those who belong to Christ will be with the Lord forever give you hope?

6. What we believe about humanity should change how we live. We were created in God's image, broken by sin, saved by grace, adopted as God's children, and given the hope of eternity.

• Which part of that truth do you most need to remember right now?
• How should these truths shape the way you live, love, serve, forgive, and share Jesus with others?
• Where might God be calling you to live with greater purpose because you know this life is not all there is?

This section is action driven, depending on your group you could have people share out loud and/or write down answers to the following questions.

REFLECT

Which truth about who you are: created in God's image, broken by sin, saved by grace, adopted as God's child, or promised eternal life with Jesus, do you most need to remember in the season of life you are in right now?

RESPOND

Because of what God has revealed about who you are and what he has done for you, what is one way you need to live differently this week?

REACH

Who is someone in your life who needs to experience the dignity, grace, compassion, or hope of Jesus through you this week?

PRAYER

• Thank God for creating every person in his image and giving us dignity, purpose, and value.
• Confess the ways sin has affected your thoughts, attitudes, choices, and relationships, and ask God for humility and repentance.
• Thank God that salvation is a gift of grace through faith in Jesus and cannot be earned.
• Thank God that through Jesus we can become his children and live from the security of belonging to him.
• Ask God to help you live with eternity in view, holding firmly to the hope that those who belong to Christ will be with him forever.

Sunday, September 6

Read: John 14:1–14

Reflect: What difference does it make that Jesus claims not merely to teach truth, but to be the Truth?

Pray: Jesus, help me to know You not simply as an idea to believe, but as the Truth to trust and follow. Amen.

Monday, September 7

Read: Mark 9:14–29

Reflect: Where do you find yourself saying, “I believe; help me overcome my unbelief”?

Pray: Lord, You know where my faith is strong and where I struggle. Help my unbelief and teach me to trust You more deeply. Amen.

Tuesday, September 8

Read: Judges 6:11–24

Reflect: What circumstance in your life might you be interpreting incorrectly because you are viewing God through your circumstances rather than your circumstances through God?

Pray: God, when my circumstances cause me to question You, remind me of who You are. Help me see my life through the truth of Your presence and faithfulness. Amen.

Wednesday, September 9

Read: Judges 6:25–40

Reflect: What is one thing you believe God is calling you to do that requires you to take a step of faith?

Pray: God, give me the courage to obey You even when I feel afraid and do not have all the answers. Help me take the next step You place before me. Amen.

Thursday, September 10

Read: James 2:14–26

Reflect: If someone could only observe your actions this week, what would they conclude that you truly believe?

Pray: Lord, may my life reflect what I say I believe. Let my faith move beyond words and shape the way I live, love, and serve others. Amen.

Friday, September 11

Read: Romans 5:1–11

Reflect: Are you more likely to trust in your own ability to be “good enough,” or in what Christ has already done for you?

Pray: Jesus, thank You that my hope rests in what You have done, not in what I can accomplish. Help me rest in Your grace and trust You completely. Amen.

Saturday, September 12

Read: Romans 10:8–13

Reflect: What would it look like for your belief in Jesus to shape your decisions, relationships, priorities, and actions this week?

Pray: Jesus, I believe You are Lord. Help that belief shape every part of my life so that I not only confess You with my words but follow You with my whole life. Amen.

Sunday, September 13

Read: Deuteronomy 6:4–5; Mark 12:28–30

Reflect: What does it mean for you personally that there is one God who alone is worthy of your worship?

Pray: God, you alone are God. Help me to worship you with my whole heart and to place nothing else above you.

Monday, September 14

Read: 2 Corinthians 13:11–14

Reflect: Which do you most need to receive from God today: his love, the grace of Jesus, or the fellowship of the Holy Spirit?

Pray: Father, thank you for your love. Jesus, thank you for your grace. Holy Spirit, thank you for your presence. Help me to receive what you have given me today.

Tuesday, September 15

Read: John 1:1–5, 14

Reflect: What difference does it make to your faith that Jesus is the eternal Son of God who became human?

Pray: Jesus, I cannot fully comprehend the mystery of you becoming flesh. Give me humility to receive what I cannot completely understand and wonder to worship you.

Wednesday, September 16

Read: Genesis 1:26–27

Reflect: Where are you experiencing healthy relationship and community right now? Where might you be settling for isolation?

Pray: God, you created me for relationship. Help me to love others well, receive love from others, and become someone who creates deeper community around me.

Thursday, September 17

Read: Philippians 2:1–11

Reflect: Where is pride or self-protection keeping you from humbly serving or loving someone else?

Pray: Jesus, form your humility in me. Help me to put others before myself, enter the needs of others, and follow you in obedience.

Friday, September 18

Read: Romans 8:31–39

Reflect: Where do you most need to remember today that you are not alone and that nothing can separate you from God's love?

Pray: Father, thank you for your unfailing love. Jesus, thank you for interceding for me. Holy Spirit, thank you for being present with me. Help me rest in your presence today.

Saturday, September 19

Read: 2 Corinthians 13:14; John 17:20–26

Reflect: How might receiving God's love more deeply change the way you love and serve others?

Pray: Triune God, thank you for inviting me into your life. Help me receive your love, live in your love, and carry your love to others. Make our church a people marked by unity, humility, love, and mission. Amen.

Sunday, September 20
Read: John 1:1–5, 14
Reflect: What difference does it make to your faith that Jesus is the eternal Son of God who became fully human?
Pray: Jesus, thank you for entering our world and becoming one of us. Give me wonder at who you are and help me worship you today.

Monday, September 21
Read: Luke 1:26–35
Reflect: What amazes you most about the truth that the eternal Son of God entered our humanity?
Pray: Jesus, you are fully God and fully human. Help me receive the mystery of your incarnation with humility, wonder, and worship.

Tuesday, September 22
Read: Romans 3:21–26
Reflect: Where are you tempted to think you need to earn God's forgiveness or prove yourself to him?
Pray: Jesus, thank you that I am not made right with God by what I have done, but by what you have done for me. Help me trust your grace and rest in your forgiveness.

Wednesday, September 23
Read: 1 Peter 2:21–25
Reflect: How does knowing that Jesus willingly bore your sin change the way you respond to your own failures?
Pray: Jesus, thank you for bearing my sin on the cross. Help me turn from sin, receive your forgiveness, and follow your example of humility and obedience.

Thursday, September 24
Read: Hebrews 7:23–28
Reflect: How does knowing that Jesus is alive and continually interceding for you change the way you approach God today?
Pray: Jesus, thank you that you are not simply someone who saved me in the past, you are alive and interceding for me today. Help me draw near to God with confidence.

Friday, September 25
Read: Philippians 2:1–11
Reflect: Because Jesus humbled himself and entered our need, where is God asking you to enter someone else's life with humility and love?
Pray: Jesus, form your humility in me. Help me move toward others, put their needs before my own, and live like you today.

Saturday, September 26
Read: Acts 1:6–11; 1 Peter 1:3–5
Reflect: How should the reality that Jesus is alive, reigning, and returning shape the way you live today?
Pray: Jesus, thank you that you live, reign, and will come again. Give me hope for the future, holiness for today, and courage to live on mission until you return. Amen.

Sunday, September 27
Read: Acts 5:1–4
Reflect: What difference does it make to your faith that the Holy Spirit is not merely a force or feeling, but God himself who knows, speaks, and can be lied to?
Pray: Holy Spirit, help me recognize you as the living God who is present with me and in me. Give me reverence for your presence and a desire to know you more deeply.

Monday, September 28
Read: John 3:1–8
Reflect: What about the work of the Holy Spirit do you find difficult to understand, and how can you respond to that mystery with trust rather than needing to explain everything?
Pray: Holy Spirit, thank you that you are at work even when I cannot fully understand how. Give me humility to trust you, wonder at your work, and openness to your leading.

Tuesday, September 29
Read: Romans 8:9–11
Reflect: How should knowing that the Spirit of God lives in you change the way you think about your identity and the way you live today?
Pray: Holy Spirit, thank you that you live in me. Help me remember that I belong to Christ and give me strength to live in the new life you have given me.

Wednesday, September 30
Read: Galatians 5:16–25
Reflect: Where do you most need to yield to the Holy Spirit rather than follow your own desires?
Pray: Holy Spirit, help me walk by you today. Grow your fruit in my life; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Thursday, October 1
Read: Ephesians 5:15–21
Reflect: What would it look like for you to be more fully yielded to the Holy Spirit in an ordinary part of your day?
Pray: Holy Spirit, fill me today. Help me surrender my plans, attitudes, words, and actions to you so that your presence shapes the way I live.

Friday, October 2
Read: John 16:5–15
Reflect: How does knowing that the Holy Spirit works to convict, guide, and point people to Jesus change the way you think about sharing your faith?
Pray: Holy Spirit, thank you for drawing people toward Jesus and making truth known. Give me courage to speak about Jesus and humility to trust you to do the work only you can do.

Saturday, October 3

Read: Acts 1:4–8; Acts 2:1–4
Reflect: Where might the Holy Spirit be calling you to step out in faith and participate in God's mission rather than simply remain comfortable?
Pray: Holy Spirit, empower me to live as a witness for Jesus. Help me recognize where you are sending me and give me courage to go, trusting that you are with me. Amen.

Sunday, October 4
Read: 2 Timothy 3:14–17
Reflect: How would your life be different if you approached Scripture not simply as information about God, but as God's Word given to teach, correct, and form you?
Pray: God, thank you for speaking to us through your Word. Give me a heart that listens, receives your truth, and allows your Word to shape the way I live.

Monday, October 5
Read: 2 Peter 1:19–21
Reflect: What does it mean to you that God chose to speak through human authors while the Holy Spirit carried them along?
Pray: God, thank you for making yourself known through Scripture. Help me trust your Word and approach it with humility, confidence, and reverence.

Tuesday, October 6
Read: Psalm 119:9–16
Reflect: What competing voices or desires most often distract you from allowing God's Word to guide your life?
Pray: Lord, make your Word precious to me. Help me treasure it, meditate on it, and hide it in my heart so that it shapes my thoughts and choices.

Wednesday, October 7
Read: Psalm 119:97–105
Reflect: Where do you need God's Word to give you wisdom or direction right now?
Pray: Lord, your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. Give me wisdom to follow what you have revealed and courage to obey even when the path is difficult.

Thursday, October 8
Read: Hebrews 4:12–13
Reflect: Is there an area of your life where you are tempted to read God's Word for information without allowing it to read and confront you?
Pray: God, thank you that your Word is living and active. Give me the humility to let it expose what needs to change and the courage to respond when you confront me.

Friday, October 9
Read: Luke 24:13–35
Reflect: What difference does it make to know that Scripture is meant to lead you into a deeper relationship with Jesus, not simply greater knowledge about him?
Pray: Jesus, open my eyes to see you throughout your Word. Let my heart burn with wonder as I encounter you in Scripture, and draw me closer to you.

Saturday, October 10
Read: James 1:22–25
Reflect: What is one truth God has revealed in his Word that you know but need to put into practice?
Pray: Lord, keep me from being someone who only hears your Word. Help me obey what you have revealed, allowing your truth to transform the way I live. Amen.

Sunday, October 11
Read: Genesis 1:26–31
Reflect: What difference does it make to your identity and purpose that you were created in the image of God?
Pray: God, thank you for creating me in your image. Help me see the dignity you have given every person and live today in a way that reflects you.

Monday, October 12
Read: Genesis 3:1–13
Reflect: Where do you see the effects of sin and brokenness in your own life, and how do you tend to respond when confronted with them?
Pray: God, give me humility to recognize my sin rather than hide or excuse it. Help me turn toward you and trust your grace when I fail.

Tuesday, October 13
Read: Romans 3:9–24
Reflect: How does recognizing that all people fall short of God's glory change the way you view yourself and the people around you?
Pray: God, thank you that I do not have to pretend to be better than I am. Help me see my need for your grace and extend that same grace to others.

Wednesday, October 14
Read: Ephesians 2:1–10
Reflect: What does your salvation being a gift of God's grace, not something you can earn, change about the way you live?
Pray: God, thank you for saving me by grace through faith. Keep me from trying to earn what you have freely given, and help me live out the good works you have prepared for me.

Thursday, October 15
Read: John 1:9–13
Reflect: What does it mean to you that through faith in Jesus you can become a child of God?
Pray: Father, thank you for making me your child through Jesus. Help me live today from the security of belonging to you rather than from the need to prove myself.

Friday, October 16
Read: Luke 16:19–26
Reflect: How should the reality that this life is not all there is change the way you think about your priorities, choices, and relationships today?
Pray: God, help me live with eternity in view. Give me compassion for those around me and wisdom to use the life you have given me for what matters forever.

Saturday, October 17
Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18
Reflect: How does the promise that we will be with the Lord forever give you hope when you think about death and eternity?
Pray: Jesus, thank you that death does not have the final word for those who belong to you. Give me hope, courage, and confidence in your promise that we will be with you forever. Amen.