Daily Devotion

Following Paul through the book of Acts, we accompany him on three missionary journeys. Paul’s third journey, from AD 53 to 58, focused on strengthening the churches he had founded and addressing false teachings. He traveled through Galatia and Phrygia, stayed in Ephesus for two to three years, and then visited Macedonia and Greece. 

Welcome to a study of Paul’s letter to the Romans!

WEEKEND RECHARGE!
God’s Story in Our Savior

WEEKEND RECHARGE!
God’s Story in Our Savior

From the moment John dipped his reed pen into ink and wrote the first word of his Gospel, he had this purpose in mind.

You made a bold statement. You said, “Lord, I will never desert you. I am willing to die for you.” Then, in a matter of hours, you denied Jesus three times. How do you recover from that? Can you recover from that?

Today, let’s consider Jesus’ interaction with the apostle Peter.

Jesus had been crucified on Friday. Early on Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene claimed to see him alive. Peter and John knew that his body was no longer in the grave. If the Jews had come for Jesus, they would come for the disciples as well. And now, with his body missing, the disciples would surely be accused of stealing it. There were many things to consider. They gathered on Sunday evening to discuss what had happened—and what might happen.

Mary was from a small town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee—a town called Magdala. Jesus met her while he was preaching and teaching in that region. I cannot imagine exactly how she looked, but in my mind, I see a woman with matted hair, a tormented face, and clothes little more than rags. She was possessed—not by one, but by seven demons! (Luke 8:2)

When the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he had many issues to address. But the most important topic was the message of Jesus. Paul wrote, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received” (1 Cor. 15:3). In essence, Paul was saying, “If you miss everything else I’ve written in this letter, don’t miss this. This is of primary importance.” Paul then went on to explain the key points of the Gospel.