Christian Devotional

Has anyone ever sacrificed something for you? Have they sacrificed sleep so you could rest? Have they sacrificed advancing so you could succeed? Have they sacrificed their plans so you could pursue yours? Sometimes we sacrifice, but do so begrudgingly.

Not so with Jesus. Ephesians 5:2 tells us Jesus willingly sacrificed His life for us. “…walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

Not only did Jesus willingly sacrifice His life for us, but He was also the only perfect and completely acceptable sacrifice to God for our sins. Under the law of Moses, high priests were appointed to offer sacrifices in the temple day after day for their own sins and the sins of the people. However, Jesus provided a better way. He became both the perfect Priest and the perfect Sacrifice. 

Jesus is holy, blameless, pure, and set apart. Unlike the earthly priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day for His sins and our sins. He was sinless and sacrificed for our sins once for all when He willingly offered Himself on the cross (Hebrews 7:24-28). When He did, He thought of us, not Himself. He did what we could never do for ourselves. 

Lord Jesus, thank You for willingly giving up Your glory, comfort, and even life for me; for being a SACRIFICE to God on my behalf so that I can be eternally saved. Help me sacrificially fulfill Your commission to tell others about You. 

Discover the joy of praying more purposefully and living passionately for Christ as He equips you to do His work on earth. Get a copy of Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion HERE. The book can be used as a personal study or a 10-week group study.

I’m tired! I’m tired of work. I’m tired of the tension in my life. I’m tired of struggling. I’m tired of taking care of…. How would you finish the sentence? God understands. He gets it.

The Bible makes a point that God rested on the seventh day after creating the world. One of the Ten Commandments is to keep the Sabbath Day as a holy day and to not work on it. 

Jesus’ work of gaining our salvation on the cross resulted in our not working for salvation but rather resting in what Christ accomplished on the cross.

God cares about you being weary. We will one day enter God’s ultimate provision of His presence—an eternal Sabbath rest. Until then, we can thank God that life won’t always be so hard. We can thank Jesus for paving the way for our future rest. And, we can prayerfully ponder and walk daily in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Yes, as promised, “…there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His” (Hebrews 4:9-10). 

Lord, thank You for the SABBATH REST I have in You for eternity. Thank You that I can come to You every day and learn from You and find rest for my soul.  

Do you commute to work and want to listen to some encouraging teachings by Debbie while you drive? Let her podcasts on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify help you set your mind on Christ before you start your day!

Have you ever heard someone say “that stinks” when something awful happens?

If bad things repeatedly happen, they might even say, “Life stinks.” 

Instead of focusing on the foul, though, we have a choice to breathe in what Song of Solomon 2:1 refers to as the Rose of Sharon, a reference to Christ and His splendor, heavenly fragrance, and beauty.

When life stinks, stay extra close to Christ. Breathe in His fragrance. “I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys” (Song of Solomon 2:1).

Lord Jesus, You are the ROSE OF SHARON, the fragrant aroma of heaven. Thank You that I can breathe in the beauty of Your fragrance in the midst of whatever my day brings. 

Stay connected with Debbie beyond the blog! Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

Do you know who your ancestors are? How far back can you trace your family tree? Being able to trace one’s lineage is important to many and is definitely important in Jewish culture. 

Jesus’ human lineage can be traced to Israel’s King David. But Jesus has an even more illustrious lineage as He states in Revelation 22:16: “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” In other words, His roots go further back than David. They go all the way to creation.

Jesus is the bright morning star, heaven’s light. In our often dark and lonely culture, it’s important for us to daily bask in the SonLight. It’s important for us to invite others to the Son.

ROOT AND DESCENDANT OF DAVID, bright morning star, I praise, worship, and love You.

Have you ever struggled to find the right words to pray? In those times, it can help to pray God’s Word. Click HERE to discover prayers for discernment, discouragement, knowing God’s way, and forgiveness. You can also find free printable Scripture-based prayer cards HERE.

Are you concerned about people’s shifting views about the Bible and Jesus? If so, remember that Jesus is who He says He is and you are doing the right thing by building your life on Him and His Word. As a matter of fact, Jesus says in Matthew 7:24-27 that you are wise.

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall” (Matthew 7:24-27).

Notice that both men experienced the same conditions—rain, floods, and wind slamming against their house. But only one house stood. 

Our nation and world are experiencing literal and figurative floods and winds. If you are a Christian, you will stand, not fall, because your life is built on Christ. If you are not a Christian, now is the opportunity to respond to Christ’s invitation to be saved and build your life on Him. Are we wise? Are we building our life on the Rock of our Salvation? 

Lord Jesus, I worship You, ROCK OF SALVATION. Thank You for the assurance You give me that I will stand, not fall, because my life is built on You.

If you enjoyed this content and want to watch video teachings by Debbie, subscribe to her YouTube channel. Go HERE and click the subscribe button to be notified of new teachings.

Do you ever skim through the names and titles of God and think, “Yes, that’s a good one.” Or, “I don’t need that one.”  If so, I encourage you not to skim over “Rock of Israel” (2 Samuel 23:3). Why? The Rock of Israel is Jesus, as Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 10:1, 3-4, “For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; … and all drank from the same spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.” 

Isn’t that exciting? The pre-incarnate Christ is the Rock of Israel who followed the Israelites in their wilderness wanderings and provided water for them. He is the same LORD who lived among men and cried out offering, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink,” John 7:37, offering eternal life. 

The Rock of Israel, Jesus, who sustained the Israelites in the wilderness day by day is the One who sustains us day by day. 

Are you spiritually thirsty? Are you dry? Rather than discount the Rock of Israel, go to Him. Worship Him. Drink deeply of Him for eternal life. Drink deeply of Him for daily life.

ROCK OF ISRAEL, Lord Jesus Christ, I praise You—the well-spring of eternal life. You quench the thirst of my soul. You invigorate me for daily life. Thank You for not only being present with the Jews in their wilderness wanderings, but for also being present with me. I love You. 

Want to learn more about the living water offered by Jesus in John 4? Watch Debbie’s teaching on John 4 HERE or listen to it HERE.

Have you ever had a conversation start out one way and then, before you knew it, either you weren’t explaining your point clearly or the other person wasn’t hearing it in the way you meant?

That happened to me the other day. I was complimenting someone, then somehow the conversation went south. They thought I was saying something I didn’t intend to say. It’s easy to misunderstand one another because we come from different backgrounds and hear from different points of view.

One thing our Heavenly Father doesn’t want us to misunderstand is how much He loves us. If it’s been a while since you’ve heard the words in John 3:16, let them soak into your heart and mind today. “God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not die, but have eternal life.”

Those are good words. God couldn’t state His love for us more clearly.

Several years ago, the world was sickened by the confirmation that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi had been confirmed dead after being tortured in a Saudi consulate. Can you, would you, expect to see him walking around and eating with family and friends after his death was confirmed? No, of course not. Does that help us better grasp why people didn’t believe that Jesus was alive after they witnessed His torturous scourging and crucifixion?

Matthew 28:6 gives the shocking angelic announcement to Mary as she stood outside Jesus’ empty tomb. “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.” In addition to Mary and the disciples seeing the resurrected Christ, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 says that more than 500 eyewitnesses saw Jesus after His resurrection.

The grave couldn’t hold Jesus because He is life. He gives eternal life to everyone who acknowledges they are a sinner and asks forgiveness in His name. People are dying every day because of natural causes, disease, and senseless evil random shootings. None of us know when the life of our family, friends, and neighbors will end. It is time for us to be bold and lovingly ask those who are unsaved, “Do you know where you will be when you die?” “Gentle Boldness” is the title of one of my chapters in Discovering His Passion. Prepare yourself to share Christ with others.

Jesus, RISEN LORD, I celebrate You—the giver of eternal life. Help me gently, but boldly share You with others. 

Debbie taught about Jesus’ resurrection and how He appeared to Mary Magdalene and His disciples in her teaching on John 20. To watch the full teaching, click HERE. To listen to it, click HERE. 

Tragic. Frightening. Unreal. Evil. Infuriating. Senseless. What words well up in you when you think about the blatant lawlessness occurring today? We can evacuate cities when hurricanes are predicted, but we can’t predict when evil will raise its ugly head. People are asking, “What can we do?” and “To what can we cling?”

As Christians, we don’t need to be overcome by emotions of worry and fear when we see what’s happening in the world around us. Instead, we can seek refuge in our Heavenly Father and find encouragement and comfort in the words of Isaiah 41:10. 

“Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” 

In the midst of evil, terror, and natural disasters, God promises to strengthen us and help us. He will hold us up with His powerful, righteous right hand. Knowing that God is righteous should provide us with even greater comfort. God is the only One who is completely perfect, upright, holy, just, and faithful. He is the only One in whom we can place our absolute trust, knowing that He loves us. Rather than dwelling in fear, let’s turn to Him and pray for our nation and world. 

Heavenly Father, thank You that in these evil times You are RIGHTEOUS. Help me to seek You, knowing that You will strengthen me and uphold me in every circumstance. 

Our key verse today, Isaiah 41:10, is a beautiful reminder that God upholds us in difficult times. Upholder is just one of 26 character traits of God that Debbie covers in her book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion. Click HERE to order a copy for yourself or as a thoughtful gift for a friend.

I’m the richest woman in the world. Why would I say that and why can you if you are a believer? We can say that because of Jesus, who has given us riches beyond our comprehension. Consider the following blessings that you have because of Christ. 

1. I am rich in mercy. Ephesians 2:4 says, “God, being rich in mercy, … made us alive together with Christ.” We were poor and pitiful before Jesus saved us. Now, we are blessed with His rich mercy.
2. I am rich in faith; an heir of God’s kingdom. James 2:5 says, “Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom…” Meditate on the richness of God’s kingdom awaiting you.
3. I am the rich bride of the King and His brilliant eternal city. Revelation 21:2, 11 says, “I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband …having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.” Because of Christ’s rich mercy, you are headed to the brilliance of the new Jerusalem.

Believer, walk with a humble heart but your head lifted. God has extended His rich mercy to you. Christ and the brilliance of the New Jerusalem await you.

Lord Jesus, RICH IN MERCY, thank You for all I have in You. Open my eyes to people with whom I can share Your rich mercy. 

Go deeper into God’s Word with one of Debbie’s Bible studies. You can purchase printed Bible studies in our shop by clicking HERE. You can also complete free online Bible studies by clicking HERE.