April 9

Deuteronomy 33:1-29, Luke 13:1-21, Psalm 78:65-72, Proverbs 12:25



Pray: We all have different “tribes” in our lives. A “tribe” is a group of people bound together by a certain identity shared in common. For example, you may have a “tribe” of people you shared high school with, that you currently work with, or that you have been in a life group with. Think through at least 3-5 of your “tribes” and pray a blessing over them. Pray for their lives, their walk with Jesus, and their legacy as Moses models by praying a blessing one-by-one over each of the 12 tribes of Israel.

Read: Ultimately, a desire for others and for yourself is to live a fruitful life for Jesus. But what does it look like to live a fruitful life? Look closely at Moses, Jesus, and David’s desire and example for us in today’s reading.

Edify: In Psalm 78, David was “chosen” by God to be His shepherd over God’s people. The Psalm says that David “cared for them with a true heart and led them with skillful hands” (v.72). David was fruitful in the calling God had prepared him for. Further, Moses acknowledges characteristics, strengths, and preferred futures of each tribe. To shepherd means to call out the gifts in others so that lives may be fruitful in a way that participates in what God is doing in the world throughout the generations. This is why Jesus had such strong words for the Pharisees who were oppressive and even hypocritical in their expectations of others during the Sabbath. Jesus did not see any fruit of the Kingdom in their lives, so they were leading others away from God rather than towards Him. Wherever they went, they did not leave peace, joy, kindness, love, etc. in their wake. Jesus courageously models restoration, and shows them all just how “barren” and fruitless their lives had become.

Practice: God has called you to give far more than frivolous compliments today although “an encouraging word does cheer a person up” (Proverbs 12:25b). Prepare yourself prayerfully to call out the giftedness in someone who is a part of one of your tribes today. Bless them by affirming what God has done in and through their lives. Then call them to more fruit through that gift. Speak boldly today, even if to one person you regularly interact with.

April 8

Deuteronomy 32:28-52, Luke 12:35-59, Psalm 78:56-64, Proverbs 12:24



Pray: CS Lewis gives an image of a proud person looking down on everyone. And one preoccupied with looking down proudly can never look up above himself or herself to see God who is bigger. It is in God’s presence in prayer that we learn humility. Ask God for a reverence of Him as you go to Him in prayer. This is the only effective way to grow in the often elusive virtue of humility.

Read: Prepare your heart for warning. Many times when we see a construction sign warning of a lane or road closure, we know it’s time to adapt our speed, possibly our plans, and to be as alert as possible. Consistently throughout today’s reading, God is communicating a warning and demanding a change in how we are living our lives. Be open to His warning!

Edify: We’re prone to see another weekday, another workday, another weekend as just another day to get through. However, Moses warns as his life is coming to a close that time is urgent, and we must focus on keeping the main thing the main thing. We cannot allow anything to steal our allegiance to God or even our attention, because the Bible consistently portrays time as urgent. You’re life, worship, and choices in the mundane day-to-day matters. Jesus reminds us that you are to live each day as if it is the day you could meet Him face to face. His coming is immediate, so how do you want to be found when He comes? Jesus says that our allegiance to Him may even be divisive, because He must always remain first in our hearts and minds. 

Practice: Work hard to become a leader; be lazy and become a slave. In what area of life are you trying to “get by” or “pull one over” on a family member, employer, or even God Himself? How has God warned you today through His Word? Make one decisive move to slow down or turn around from something that you would not want to be found doing when Jesus returns.

April 7

Deuteronomy 31:1-32:27, Luke 12:8-34, Psalm 78:32-55, Proverbs 12:21-23 



Pray: Spend time confessing to God the relationships, circumstances, and “what if’s” that cause you to worry. Now, spend time telling God how He has provided and protected as a Father to you.

Read: Pay attention as you read today to God’s names and His roles revealed through Moses, Jesus, and David recounting the history of God’s people. In order to “proclaim the name of the Lord” and “how glorious is our God,” lean into whom He reveals Himself to be.

Edify: Corrie Ten Boom says, “Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear.” However, when we realize that we have a heavenly Father who is great and who is good, we don’t have to have hearts positioned from a place of fear and desperation. This is Moses’ final prayer before his death. Moses multiple times calls God their “Father” and their “Rock.” It is very rare in the Old Testament for God to be referred to as a Father in the personal nature instead of a Father of the entire nation. This is a groundbreaking name for God in the Old Testament, and something Moses wanted to leave God’s people with since they were about to face great challenges and battles for the Promised Land.  And of course Jesus points to the freedom we can have when we know God as our Father. We no longer have to worry about what we will eat and what we will wear.  We no longer have to be fearful to ask God for things in prayer, because He loves us enough to give us what’s best for us. We no longer have to be fearful with our finances, and we can give freely knowing we have a Father who “owns the cattle on a thousand hills” who will protect and provide for us.

Practice: Be faithful and deliberate in your generosity. Look at your finances and each account from a position of abundance rather than scarcity. Ask God for His provision. Trust God by making a plan to give a certain percentage back to Him right away. And make a plan to increase that percentage until you’re giving a tithe or even above the tithe. Don’t let fear rule your finances. Instead, let faith in a good Father guide your giving.

April 6

Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20, Luke 11:37-12:7, Psalm 78:1-31, Proverbs 12:19-20 



Pray: We face hundreds of choices daily. Some of these choices seem minor like what to order off of a menu or how to respond to a coworker. However even these so called minor choices can have far reaching consequences in health and relationships over time. Pray and ask God for wisdom in how to weigh choices and choose life in all of our thoughts, words, and actions today.

Read: It’s important to compare and contrast the weight of the results of our decisions. Further, contrast God’s revealed intentions for us with our choices. What is it that the Lord wants to do in our lives if we’d only accept it?

Edify: Jesus warns the disciples to beware of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Although they appeared to be making the right choices in the most intensely detailed portions of the law, their heart was far from God. Jesus exposes their hearts by affirming their practice of tithing (This is in the New Testament!) but calling out their hardened heart towards injustice. They gave money while thinking nothing of those who have nothing, because their primary concern was their comfort rather than the comfort of others. The Old Testament reading repeatedly points to who the people were becoming as covenant partners with God, people who worship God purely, and a heart that is changed to love Him. God’s desire is that His people take His instructions to heart instead of testing God with their hearts. “This is the key to your life” (Deut. 30:20).

Practice: The Proverbs connect with Jesus’ warning of lies and deceitful hearts having a day where they will be exposed. Plan peace today as the proverb encourages. Know that you are valuable to God as Jesus emphasizes, so you are free to lift others up. Surprise someone with generosity, a kind word, or an act of service as someone who has discovered the heart of the law instead of being self-absorbed like those trying to keep the letter of the law.

April 5

Deuteronomy 28:1-68, Luke 11:14-36, Psalm 77:1-20, Proverbs 12:18 



Pray: The Lord is faithful. His promises are true. The reading is filled with statements following the consistent declaration that “the Lord will…”. What are the promises in Scripture that you cling to? You’ll know by the few that immediately come to your mind when prompted to think of His promises. Open your prayer by telling God how faithful He is, and thanking Him for some of the specific promises in the Scripture that often give you hope and guidance. 

Read: God speaks so definitively in declaring what He will do in the Old Testament reading, and Jesus, who is God, speaks so definitively about what He will do in the New Testament reading. Consider Moses who is writing (or dictating) the book of Deuteronomy at end of his life about 1400BC. Then consider King David who is God’s King in the Promised Land around 400 years later. Both Moses and David are familiar with God’s great acts and how He follows through in both His promises and His warnings. Allow an honest assessment of your faith in God’s declarations while reading today, and also consider what you can learn from King David’s honest prayer in today’s Psalm.

Edify: Haven’t we seen it so many times in our own lives and the lives of people around us? Being obedient to God brings blessings and being disobedient to God brings curses, heartache, and judgment. Jesus says just as Jonah emerging from the depth after 3 days gives a sign to the Ninevites to repent, so will His emergence from the grave give all people a sign to repent and believe. Repenting and believing is the pattern of the Christian life. Much like Jesus’ teaching with demons, when we simply repent, we create a void that could be filled by a greater evil unless it is filled with belief in the one true God. Notice the example given by David who struggles with doubt and unbelief in God’s promises in verses 1-10. Then, notice a repentance and change of direction of the Psalm in verses 11-20 as David recounts God’s faithfulness at the Red Sea. He has always faithfully done everything He has promised to do. This repentance is partnered with belief and faith in God’s past actions and what He will do in the future.

Practice: From the lips of the Son of God, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice” (Luke 11:28). What unbelief needs to be cast out? Repent and fill this void with belief in God’s promises. For today, write down one of the promises in today’s reading that your heart needs to believe and be reminded of. The Scripture addresses most ever area of life and has a corresponding promise. For example, if you’re struggling with career or finances, write “your children and your crops will be blessed” when you’re obedient to God. Like David, remember His mighty deeds today and remind yourself of His promise in this area of life throughout the day. 

April 4

Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26, Luke 10:38-11:13, Psalm 76:1-12, Proverbs 12:15-17



Pray: Ask God to allow it to inform and guide your personal prayer life, and then read aloud the prayer that Jesus taught us in Luke 11:2-4 to begin your devotion.

Read: Do you feel restless? Often our hearts become restless when we are first seeking things that are not God. We too often become “distracted” like Martha (Luke 10:40) as we seek to perform or do many things rather than first seeking the company of the Lord in our lives. This leads to exhaustion and burn out as we look for satisfaction and even strength to obey in our doing (performance) rather than God’s being (presence). In the reading, look for how valuable it is to first realize the truth of who God is and what He has done for you before we get to our doing and obeying.

Edify: Sometimes even in the midst of important religious activity and obedience to God in our giving, serving, and loving our neighbor; we need to hear Moses and the priests’ address. They say, O people of God “…be quiet and listen! Today you have become the people of the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 27:9). In other words, make no mistake in this moment who and whose you are. You aren’t doing activity for activity sake, however good that activity may be. All of your doing is as “unto the Lord.” In other words, our obedient activity must be deeply relational. So then knowing who you are, “you must obey the Lord your God by keeping all these commands and decrees that I am giving you today” (Deuteronomy 27:10). Compare these critical verses to the scene where Jesus is with both Mary and Martha. God’s people are not to get busy doing without the relationship with God. Jesus, the Messiah and Savior, was in the house, yet Martha was too busy doing good hospitable things to connect relationally. As Jesus’ teaching about prayer further reinforces, “There is only one thing worth being concerned about” (Luke 10:42), and that one thing is trusting and pursuing Jesus. When we have spent time at His feet and in His presence, obedience in your life flows out of joy and out of the strength of your relationship with Him.

Practice: In the quiet, in-between moments of the day where you routinely spend a couple minutes on your phone, instead start knocking and seeking God in prayer. Your heavenly Father will not withhold His presence, so never tire in persistently going to prayer to spend more time with Him!

April 3

Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19, Luke 10:13-37, Psalm 75:1-10, Proverbs 12:12-14 



Pray: Today we get an intimate look at prayers of Thanksgiving by Jesus as well as by Asaph in Psalm 75. Jesus hears good news from His disciples and is “filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (Luke 10:21). Take a moment to invite the Holy Spirit to guide you but to also fill you with joy. Follow the pattern of prayer by giving God thanks for His wonderful deeds and because He is near (Psalm 75:1)

Read: The Greek dictionary describes joy as a “calm delight; gladness” which affects the state of mind and orientation of the heart. The word calm is intriguing as it alludes to joy having the nature not only of outward exuberance but also of an inward and driving contentment, confidence, and hope that drives our behavior in life. As you read, ask God to show you more of His character and nature that is the source of an unshakable joy. 

Edify: People of joy experience contentment, confidence, and hope in everyday affairs. As Deuteronomy demonstrates, joy should stir up mercy and love shown for others as the “regulations” for worship are listed. Some of God’s commands for His people are to not oppress slaves (23:16), avoid charging interest on loans (23:19), honor your vows (23:23), don’t take advantage of the poor even if they owe you (23:14), care for foreigners and orphans and widows (24:17), and to use honest scales (25:13). God is concerned with a deep rejection of sin and a deep trust in Him. One who walks in this way of righteousness will be concerned for the wellbeing of others because as Jesus sums up the law; “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. And, love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). Those who have a relationship with the Lord have a joy that works itself out in loving others in everyday life.

Practice: In Deuteronomy, God reminds His people multiple times that they were once slaves until He delivered them from Egypt. Today, will you rejoice by remembering your testimony and soaking in the joy of your salvation? Then, Jesus calls us to “be a neighbor” (Luke 10:36) who shows mercy to someone who is struggling. Knowing who you are in Christ, work out your joy today by being ready to “be a neighbor” to someone who has a need.