Romans 5:8 NIV
[8] But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.5.8.NIV

DAY #3 Discipleship Begins With Humility

Do you doubt that God could greatly use you to make disciples? Don’t be afraid. He prefers the underdog over the top dog. He often recruits the poor over the rich. The undignified over the amplified. The least and the last. The most underwhelming and unlikely of all (1 Cor. 1:26–31).

Why? Because they are more humble and more teachable. More grateful and willing to serve. More likely to give God the credit instead of basking in their own glory.

God chose fearful Gideon, washed-up Moses, little brother David, and humble Mary. He picked the least likely woman in Samaria to evangelize her village (John 4:39–42) and a once-naked, homeless, demon-possessed guy to take the gospel back to his hometown (Luke 8:38–39). Go figure.

The very last option to us may be God’s very first choice. But He will always choose available disciples who are willing to obey His Great Commission. To make disciples.

The first part of making disciples is being a humble disciple yourself. You can’t challenge people to be ALL-IN for Jesus if you’re half-hearted and only half-interested in Him yourself. True disciple-making is more than having words to say but providing an example to follow. You don’t need to be perfect. Nobody’s perfect! But are you living with hidden sin? Are you resisting His Word? Are you not really convinced the gospel can change people’s lives?

Before jumping into a teaching role, you may first need to ask someone to help disciple you. That’s okay. There’s so much to be gained by humbling yourself to learn under someone whose example can consistently keep pointing you to Jesus.

But when you’re ready, the Lord will prompt you to become the one who mentors someone else, sharing rich conversations with them and teaching them to read and obey God’s Word.

What an incredible honor it would be to walk with someone through their entire discipleship journey, all the way from the start, from the moment when God first cracked open the hardened soil of their hearts. Jesus did this. He stuck with His disciples until He knew they were ready to go make disciples themselves. Paul did it with Timothy.

But often, these discipleship relationships are just for a season. You’re there for only a part of their journey. Maybe a year. Maybe a decade. Watering. Planting. Trusting God to give them (and you!) a time of real growth as you walk together (1 Cor. 3:7).

Please pray specifically right now for God to place one or more people in your path so that you can help them take their next step. Ask God to make it clear as you pray.

DAY #1: What Is Discipleship?

A disciple is a devoted follower. A loyal apprentice. One who intentionally follows closely behind and imitates their teacher, their rabbi. When their rabbi takes a step, his disciple steps into the footprint left behind. It’s a step-in-step relationship. A disciple’s feet should be covered with the dust of their rabbi’s sandals.

Jesus perfectly modeled the teacher and rabbi role for His disciples. He didn’t just invite them to follow His words. His invitation was, “Come, follow Me.” Walk with Me. Follow what I say and what I do. Learn and grow as you step in My steps.

Think about how this simple understanding of discipleship sheds light on Jesus' entire ministry. Now, His invitations make even more sense. What steps had Jesus taken that He was later asking His disciples to take?

First, as the Son of God in heaven, Jesus willingly laid down His eternal rights (Phil. 2:5–8), His divine glory (John 17:5), His beloved relationship with His Father (v. 23), and all His heavenly possessions (2 Cor. 8:9), so that He could obey His Father, come to earth, and lay down His life for us. He gave up everything to do the will of His Father. All out of faithful love for Him and us.

What did Jesus then invite His disciples to do? The same.

Near the end of His time with them, when He knew He had loved them to the end and was soon to return to His Father, Jesus humbly washed His disciples’ feet, saying, “If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you” (John 13:14–15).

Then He shifted gears. Having cleaned His rabbi dust off their feet, He revealed something new to them. They could not take the next step with Him. “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later” (John 13:36). The one place they (and we) couldn’t follow Him was in doing what He alone could do—to lay down His life as our substitute—to represent us in His role as high priest.

Yet He was still discipling these disciples. In His horrific suffering, Jesus showed how to glorify God even during seasons of great pain and persecution.

After His resurrection, Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, I also send you” (John 20:21). They followed His example and went, imitating His ministry—lovingly preaching the gospel from city to city by the power of the Holy Spirit, praying in faith, baptizing believers, serving genuine needs, performing miracles, and teaching the Word of God.

During this five-day devotional, we’ll explore Jesus’ words of the Great Commission, what they mean for His followers, and how you can begin discipling others.

Numbers 6:25 NIV
[25] the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

https://bible.com/bible/111/num.6.25.NIV

Day 1- Provision For My Work
God’s Word
The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Genesis 39:2 (NLT)
Today’s Thought
With the highs and lows of the economy, job losses, and inflation, our jobs, businesses, and careers can feel uncertain at times and can place additional stress on our lives. It is easy to feel discouraged and overwhelmed by the pressures and expectations that our work has on us and the toll it can have on our marriage and family. As a business owner or manager responsible for your employees, the pressure and weight you carry for the success and provision of your business and employees can be overwhelming at times.

Like Joseph, even though he had experienced unexpected setbacks and disappointments in his life, “the Lord was with Joseph,” and He continued to show Joseph favor and provision by protecting him and even elevating him. This is our prayer for you. Just like God was kind and gracious to Joseph, our prayer is that the “Lord will be with you.” His hand of provision and protection will shine favorably upon you and even elevate you in ways that cannot even be explained apart from the hand of God at work in your life.

As we continue to pray this prayer of blessing over family, friends, and our future, let's pray God will provide and bless us with supernatural favor in our work.

My Prayer
May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace. Numbers 6:24-26 (NLT)
Lord, thank you for your continued kindness and blessings in my life. Today, I ask that you be with me as you were with Joseph and grant me favor, provision, and protection over my life and career. Just like you did for Joseph, I ask that you give me success in everything I do and that you would elevate me in ways that allow me to shine your light as a testimony of your unfailing love and kindness to me. No matter what, I place my trust in you as my sustainer and provider. In Jesus' name, Amen!

The Holy Spirit Is With Us and in Us

... let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. Galatians 5:16 NLT
For the last six days, we’ve been pursuing attitudes shaped by gratitude, humility, grace, honesty, hope, and trust. But our attitudes can quickly change and is influenced by so many things, including some that are completely out of our control.

We are imperfect humans trying to live out our lives in ways which honor God. But we still get grumpy, envy others, fear the future, and fail to extend grace. So how can we conform to Christ, the one who followed God perfectly? Not only do we have the perfect example in the life and teachings of Jesus, but we also have access to His Spirit living in us, as He promised.

The Holy Spirit dwells in every follower of Jesus, guiding us and forming in us the mind of Christ. We are not alone in this journey. The word Jesus uses in John 14 to describe the Spirit isparaclete, a word that means comforter, advocate, and one who stands beside.

The Spirit is not only with us, but in us.

This doesn’t mean you’ll never have difficult feelings or forget about God at a significant moment and respond with a damaging attitude. It means He’s on our side, working in us and with us every day.

Pray:God, as I go about my life, help my attitude reflect the Spirit of Christ in me. Help me listen to the Holy Spirit as You guide me every day. Thank You for loving me and entrusting me with Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Why is pleasing the Lord essential for the salvation of others?

August 17

“Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord Gᴏᴅ, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” —Ezekiel 33:11


Ezekiel was among those in the Northern Tribes of Israel who were taken captive by the Assyrians. During those years of captivity, he was called to bring a prophetic message to those he lived among. It was likely not a message they wanted to hear or believe, but it was God’s message.



God told Ezekiel to tell his Jewish kinsmen, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” The Assyrians were the hated enemies of Israel. They had invaded the “promised land” and taken it as their own. They had harmed, and even killed, many of God’s children. Yet God wanted those who had been enslaved to understand that he didn’t want the Assyrians to die. Instead, God wanted them to live. God wanted the Assyrians to be changed through knowing the one true God.



Rather than condemning the enemies of Israel, God disciplined those who were supposed to live as his children with his wisdom. God told the Jewish people, “Turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” God wanted to bless his people once again, but they would have to repent of their attitude toward their enemies.



What do the words of God to the prophet Ezekiel say to us, God’s children, today?



We cannot walk through this life choosing to honor God’s word as truth and not incur a few enemies along the way. Do we pray for those enemies with their salvation as our goal? Do we care more about their eternal lives than we do their earthly opinions or actions?



God’s word to Ezekiel was his word for his children. He told Israel, “Turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” God wanted his children to treat their enemies well, not wanting their deaths. Our enemies are likely on a wide path that will lead to a life without God’s blessings and could lead to their eternal death if unchanged.



God wants everyone to become his child through faith in his Son. God still needs his children to repent and understand what matters most. If God doesn’t want the death of our enemies, we shouldn’t either.



Pleasing God is wisdom. Whom will you care about, pray for, and help? Their eternal life might be your great joy and reward as a result.

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” —Hebrews 13:16


Some of the most important sacrifices we make as Christians are simply the results of walking through our lives as led by God’s Holy Spirit. Some of the best opportunities we have to serve Christ come about simply because we are living our daily lives in tune with his leadership.



Each day we see people we can share something with. They might need our help in a significant way, but usually it’s just providing the help someone needs at any given moment. God gives us chances every day to “do good” in some way. You might hold the door for an older person and allow them to go ahead of you in a line. You might stop to pick up something a person has dropped and return it to them. If you find yourself in a conversation with someone, you can ask God for his words to speak to them.



Sometimes “sharing what we have” is a financial decision, but often it’s just the decision to care about another person ahead of our own agendas. A tired mom in the store might need a word of encouragement or just a smile from another mom who gets it. Someone might be running late and need to push ahead to stay on time. We can get angry, feel slighted, or offer grace instead of criticism. Truthfully, we have all been that stressed, tired, or frantic person at some point.

The author of Hebrews said we shouldn’t “neglect” our opportunities to do good in this world, sharing what we have and living with the attitudes, choices, and compassion that honor Christ and please the Lord.



Most of the rewards we receive in heaven won’t be for what we perceive to be significant or great. Instead, the vast majority of our heavenly reward will be earned by living our daily lives in such a way that we please God. Pleasing God is wisdom. What opportunities will the Lord give you tomorrow to serve others and wisely please God? Live aware, live for God, and live for his good pleasure.

1. Meditate on the importance of honesty. May Scripture help you make honesty a core value.

“Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.” 1 Peter 3:10

“For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

“If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” James 1:26

2. Assess your heart. In what ways do you value appearance above reality? Where are you working to try and appear as something you’re not. Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate any ways in which you need to live more honestly.

3. Ask God to reveal his love for you even in your imperfections. Allow his love to fill you with the courage to be honest today. Rest in his unconditional love for you.

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Ecclesiastes 4:9 NIV
[9] Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:

https://bible.com/bible/111/ecc.4.9.NIV

Dear God, thank You for another day. Thank You for guiding me through every obstacle. There’s nothing in this world that is able to stand against You. Even though this world is filled with so much darkness, the truth is that I have nothing to fear. The devil may try to attack me with everything that he has, but when I put on the full armor of God and walk by faith, I cannot lose. You promised me that You will fight my battles. I stand in faith knowing that no weapon formed against me will prosper. I walk by faith and not by sight. I trust You with all of my heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings from the wicked who are out to destroy me, from my mortal enemies who surround me. -Psalm 17:8-9

1 Corinthians 13:7 NIV
[7] It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

https://bible.com/bible/111/1co.13.7.NIV