Sunday (9/12)

We are continuing our series about The Whole Armor of God as described by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 6. Throughout the series you are invited to read and study verses from Paul’s letter to the Christians in Ephesus as well as other scripture found in the Bible. You’re also invited to memorize a verse or two each week. Memorizing scripture is a way to equip your mind with messages from the Lord that will speak to you during the challenges of life, as well as help to defend you against the attacks of the Enemy (Matthew 4:1-11).

 

Invite the Lord to speak to you today by praying the prayer below based on Revelation 2:7:

Lord, help me to hear what you are saying to me today

so that I respond according to your will.

 

Read Romans 3:19-31, part of the apostle Paul’s letter to Christians in Rome. What do these verses reveal about righteousness and faith? Which word, phrase, or verse is God using to speak to you today from what you read?

 

Pray in response to the Lord.

 

*Our memory verse this week is Genesis 15:6.

 

Tuesday (9/14)

Invite Jesus to speak to you today by praying the prayer below based on Revelation 2:7:

Jesus, help me to hear what you are saying to me today

so that I respond according to your will.

 

Read Romans 4:1-12 to continue studying Paul’s message to the Christians in Rome. What do these verses reveal about righteousness and faith? Which word, phrase, or verse is God using to speak to you today from what you read?

 

Pray and thank God for the men and women of faith who have come before us. Pray for those who are following in your footsteps of faith.

 

*Our memory verse this week is Genesis 15:6.

 

Wednesday (9/15)

Invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you today by praying the prayer below based on Revelation 2:7:

Spirit of the living God, help me to hear what you are saying to me today so that I can respond and live respond according to your will.

 

Read Romans 4:13-25 to conclude our study of Paul’s letter to Christians in Rome for this week. What do these verses reveal about righteousness and faith? Which word, phrase, or verse is God using to speak to you today from what you read?

 

Pray with thanksgiving to God for what he had done for us in and through Jesus. Pray through your day, praying about all you will do or have already done, as well as for the people you’ll encounter or the ones you encountered.

 

*Our memory verse this week is Genesis 15:6.

 

Thursday (9/16)

Invite God to speak to you today by praying the prayer below based on Revelation 2:7:

Father in heaven, help me to hear what you are saying to me today through scripture and the whisper of your voice within me, so that I live according to your will.

 

Read Ephesians 4:1-16, a very important part of Paul’s letter to Christians in Ephesus. Which word, phrase, or verse is God using to speak to you today from what you read? Notice what maturity looks like within the church. This month we are emphasizing serving as a congregation. Are you serving others within the congregation as well as helping AUMC to serve our surrounding community?

 

Pray for our local congregation, the United Methodist denomination, and the church of Jesus Christ throughout the world, which includes many denominations.

 

*Our memory verse this week is Genesis 15:6.

 

Friday (9/17)

Invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you today by praying the prayer below based on Revelation 2:7:

Spirit of the living God, help me to hear what you are saying to me today

so that I can respond and live according to your will.

 

Read a continuation of Paul’s message from Ephesians 4:17-5:2. What do these verses reveal about righteousness? Which word, phrase, or verse is God using to speak to you today from what you read?

 

Pray to be made new in the attitude of your mind (vs. 23). Pray for the Holy Spirit to continue to transform you from the inside out so that you continue becoming more like Jesus (vs. 24).

 

*Our memory verse this week is Genesis 15:6.

 

Saturday (9/18)

Invite the Lord to speak to you today by praying the prayer below:

Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.

 

Read Isaiah 59:15-17, which is printed below. Notice the imagery the prophet uses and how the apostle Paul borrows this concept for his description of the Armor of God in Ephesians 6:13-17.

 

“The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. He put on righteousness as his breastplate…” – Isaiah 59:15b-17 (NIV)

 

Pray in response to the Lord and for those who are suffering from the injustices within the world.

 

*Our memory verse this week is Genesis 15:6.

 

Consider observing the sabbath either today or tomorrow as a time to rest, reflect, and enjoy recreation. The questions below can be used to help with reflecting:

How did I see, hear, or encounter God during this past week?

Who needs to hear about my experience sometime in the coming days?

 

*If you do not have a Bible, consider downloading the YouVersion Bible App for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play for your smartphone or tablet. You can also use www.BibleGateway.com to look up and read various translations of Bible verses online.

Sunday (9/5)

We are beginning a new message series about The Whole Armor of God as described by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 6. During this series you’ll be invited to read and study verses from Paul’s letter to the Christians in Ephesus as well as other scripture found in the Bible. You’ll also be invited to memorize a verse or two each week. Memorizing scripture is a way to equip yourself for the challenges of life and to defend yourself against the attacks of the Enemy.

Sunday (8/29)

Throughout August we have united together as a congregation to focus on a few of the many virtues of Jesus. The first three virtues were “humility,” “compassion,” and “forgiveness”. As we conclude our journey through the Discipleship: Virtuous Life in Christ all-church sermon and small group series, you are invited to use this daily devotional to help you to focus on the virtue of “love” this week. Our hope is that the four virtues will guide us throughout the next few years as the Holy Spirit forms us more and more into the likeness of our Savior as individuals and as a church family.

 

You are encouraged to begin your devotional time with a portion of Psalm 25 or part of the lyrics of the hymn, “The Gift of Love”, by Hal Hopson. With your heart and mind focused on the God of love, then read the daily Bible verses about love and conclude your time praying in response to the Lord.

Throughout August, we are uniting together as a congregation to focus on four of the many virtues of Jesus. Our hope is that these virtues of Christ will guide us throughout the next few years as the Holy Spirit forms us more and more into the likeness of our Savior as individuals and as a church family. As we continue our journey through the Discipleship: Virtuous Life in Christ all-church sermon and small group series, you are invited to use this daily devotional to help you to focus on the virtue of “forgiveness” this week.

 

You are encouraged to begin your devotional time with Psalm 19 or part of the lyrics of the hymn, “Jesus Paid It All”, by Elvina M. Hall. With your heart and mind focused on Christ, then read the daily Bible verses about forgiveness and conclude your time praying in response to our Savior.

This month we are continuing on our journey through our sixth annual all-church sermon and small group series. The series is entitled, “Discipleship: Virtuous Life in Christ.” Throughout August, we are uniting together as a congregation to focus on four of the many virtues of Jesus. Our hope is that these virtues of Christ will guide us throughout the next few years as the Holy Spirit forms us more and more into the likeness of our Savior as individuals and as a church family.

 

This week you are invited to begin each day praying, “I am yours today,” read Psalm 8, read the daily Bible verses about humility, then pray using a portion of the Serenity Prayer written by Reinhold Niebuhr, or using a portion of the hymn lyrics of the hymn “Take My Life, and Let It Be” by Frances R. Havergal, using your own words, or a prayer of your own inspired by Niebuhr’s prayer or Havergal’s lyrics as you seek to grow in your relationship with Christ and to be a person of humility like Jesus.

Sunday (8/1)

During the month of August we are embarking upon a journey through our sixth annual all church sermon and small group series. The series is entitled, “Discipleship: Virtuous Life in Christ.” Throughout August we are uniting together as a congregation to focus on four of the many virtues of Jesus. Our hope is that these virtues of Christ will guide us throughout the next few years as the Holy Spirit forms us more and more into the likeness of our Savior as individuals and as a church family.

This week we are concluding our journey through part of the book of Acts. You’re encouraged to read verses from Acts each day, while also using parts of Psalm 119 and other verses from scripture as part of your daily devotional time.

As the apostle Paul began his second missionary journey, he was accompanied by a believer named Silas. Eventually the two of them were “stripped and beaten with rods,” and then “thrown into prison” (Acts 16:22-23 NIV). Yet God used the horrible situation as an opportunity to transform a family. That night Paul shared his faith and the gospel message with the jailer (Acts 16:31-32). In response to Paul’s message, the jailer and his family believed and were baptized (Acts 16:33-34). God can use what others intend for harm to accomplish the good things he wants done within the world.

What would happen if we trusted in the Lord even when life doesn’t go as we hoped or planned? What would happen if we saw the setbacks of life as “set ups” for sharing our faith and the gospel message about Jesus? For Paul and Silas a family was transformed because the two of them were imprisoned. God can use you to transform the lives of others as well!

The Your Faith Journey daily devotional for this week includes verses describing Paul’s ministry and the work of the Holy Spirit within the lives of the earliest believers that are recorded in the book of Acts from the New Testament. Within the stories there are clashes of cultures including the Jews clashing with the Christians, the message of Christ clashing with other beliefs, as well as the clash between the two cultures of the Jews and Gentiles who had converted to Christianity and were seeking to live together as God’s people within the Church.