Daily Bible with Hunter and Heather

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Friday, November 6th, 2026

Job 30 (NLT)

Psalm 120 (NLT)

Galatians 3–4 (NLT)

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One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE: Don't Trade Your Freedom for Chains

In today's readings, we encounter the depths of human suffering, the longing for peace, and the extraordinary freedom that comes through Jesus Christ.

In Job 30, Job reflects on how dramatically his life has changed. Once respected and honored, he now finds himself mocked, rejected, and overwhelmed by suffering. His honest lament reminds us that faith does not require us to pretend everything is well.

Psalm 120 gives voice to someone longing for deliverance from deceit, hostility, and conflict. The psalmist desires peace while living among those who seem determined to pursue division.

Then, in Galatians 3–4, Paul passionately reminds the Galatian believers of the freedom they have received in Christ. Having begun their journey through faith, they are now being persuaded that they must follow the requirements of the Mosaic law to be fully included among God's people.

Paul challenges this thinking. He reminds them that they are already children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, heirs of the promise, and recipients of the Spirit.

The Christian life is not about earning our belonging through religious performance. It is about discovering who we have become through the self-giving love of God revealed in Jesus.

Today's invitation is to stop striving to establish what Christ has already accomplished and to live in the freedom of being deeply loved.

TODAY'S DEVOTION: Don't Trade Your Freedom for Chains

There's something about Paul's words to the Galatians today that I think we need to hear again and again.

He's writing to people who have experienced something extraordinary.

They've encountered Jesus.

They've discovered forgiveness. They've experienced the transforming power of God's love. Their lives have begun to change.

And it all began with faith.

Not with religious achievement.

Not with keeping a long list of rules.

Not with proving themselves worthy of God's attention.

It began when they heard the good news of Jesus Christ and opened their hearts to what God had already done for them.

And now, something has happened.

There are people telling them that Jesus isn't quite enough.

That if they really want to belong to God's family, they're going to need to do something more.

They're going to need to become circumcised. They're going to need to observe the laws of Moses. They're going to need to adopt the religious practices that mark them as members of the covenant people.

And Paul is deeply concerned.

Because he recognizes what's happening.

These people who have been set free are being invited to return to a life of religious bondage.

They're being told that the gift of God somehow needs to be completed by their own efforts.

And Paul says no.

Absolutely not.

Because the gospel is not about what we can do to make ourselves acceptable to God.

The gospel is the announcement of what God has already done for us in Jesus Christ.

And I wonder how often we find ourselves slipping back into the very thing Paul is warning against.

Maybe we don't worry about circumcision or dietary laws.

But we have our own versions, don't we?

We imagine that if we could just pray more consistently, read our Bibles more faithfully, become more disciplined, or somehow get our lives together, then perhaps God would be more pleased with us.

We begin measuring our relationship with God by our performance.

And before long, the joy we once experienced begins to disappear.

Our relationship with God becomes another responsibility.

Another obligation.

Another place where we're worried about whether we're doing enough.

But Paul wants us to remember something.

How did this journey begin?

It began with faith.

It began when we discovered the gift of God's love revealed in Jesus Christ.

And what makes us think that the journey now depends upon our ability to get everything right?

Paul tells the Galatians that they are no longer slaves.

They are children.

And because they are children, they are heirs.

Think about that.

Not servants desperately trying to earn the master's approval.

Not outsiders hoping to somehow gain admission.

Children.

Beloved sons and daughters who have been welcomed into the life of God.

And Paul tells us that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father."

This is something profoundly beautiful.

Because the Christian life is not simply about changing our behavior.

It's about discovering our identity.

It's about coming to recognize who we are in Christ.

And allowing that truth to transform the way we live.

We don't become generous in order to earn God's love.

We become generous because we've encountered the generosity of God.

We don't extend forgiveness because we're trying to accumulate religious merit.

We forgive because we've discovered that we ourselves are held in the forgiving love of Christ.

We don't seek to love others so that we might finally become acceptable to God.

We love because we have been welcomed into the very life of the God who is love.

And here's something else I want us to see.

In Galatians 3, Paul tells us that in Christ, the old divisions that have separated people no longer determine our belonging.

Jew and Gentile.

Slave and free.

Male and female.

These distinctions can no longer be used to establish who is worthy of inclusion in God's family.

Because in Christ, we are one.

And I think that's an extraordinary declaration.

The grace of God doesn't simply transform our private spiritual lives.

It transforms the way we see one another.

It breaks down the barriers we've constructed.

It challenges the systems we've used to determine who belongs and who doesn't.

And it invites us to recognize the dignity of every person in the light of Jesus Christ.

This is the freedom Paul is defending.

Not freedom to live without love.

But freedom to live from love.

Freedom to stop striving to establish our own worth.

Freedom to stop measuring others according to religious categories.

Freedom to receive the gift of God's life and allow that life to take shape within us.

Maybe today you've been carrying the burden of trying to be a good enough Christian.

Maybe you've become discouraged by your failures.

Maybe you've begun to wonder whether God is disappointed in you.

I want you to hear Paul's invitation.

Remember how this journey began.

It began with Jesus.

And it continues with Jesus.

And it will be completed in Jesus.

You don't have to trade your freedom for chains.

You don't have to return to the exhausting effort of trying to earn what has already been freely given.

You can fix your eyes on Christ.

You can rest in what he has accomplished.

And you can allow his love to continue transforming your heart.

Because the Christian life is not about becoming a better religious performer.

It is about Christ being formed in you.

And perhaps that's the invitation for us today.

To stop looking inward at our own inadequacies and begin looking outward and upward to the One who has given himself for us.

To see his beautiful life.

His compassion.

His mercy.

His self-giving, radically forgiving love.

And to recognize that this is the life into which we've been welcomed.

And that's a prayer I have for my own soul.

That's a prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and for you.

May you discover today the extraordinary freedom that is yours in Jesus Christ.

May you be released from the burden of trying to prove your worth.

May you come to see yourself and others through the eyes of God's grace.

And may you continue fixing your eyes on Jesus, allowing his life and love to transform you from the inside out.

You are seen. You are known. You are loved.

And in Christ, you are free.

Amen.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

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Thursday, November 5th, 2026

Job 28–29 (NLT)

Galatians 1–2 (NLT)

Read all of today's Scripture on Bible Gateway Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE: Discovering the Freedom of God's Grace

In today's readings, we encounter the search for wisdom, the longing for a life that makes sense, and the extraordinary freedom revealed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In Job 28–29, Job reflects on the mystery of wisdom. Humanity has learned to dig deep into the earth and uncover its hidden treasures, yet true wisdom remains beyond our ability to possess or control. Job then remembers the days when life seemed secure, when he experienced God's friendship and found meaning in caring for the vulnerable.

Then, in Galatians 1–2, Paul passionately defends the gospel of grace. He reminds the Galatian believers that the good news of Jesus is not another religious system requiring them to establish their worthiness before God. It is the announcement of what God has accomplished in Christ.

Paul recounts his own encounter with Jesus and challenges the idea that belonging to God's family depends on observing the requirements of the Jewish law.

His declaration in Galatians 2:20 brings us to the heart of the Christian life: Christ lives in him.

Together, these passages invite us to move beyond the exhausting effort to establish our own righteousness and discover the gift of participating in the life of Jesus.

Today's invitation is to rest in the grace of God, to recognize that our belonging is rooted in Christ, and to allow his love to transform how we see ourselves and one another.

TODAY'S DEVOTION: The Grace That Sets Us Free

There's something remarkable about the way Job describes wisdom in today's reading.

He talks about people digging deep into the earth, searching for precious stones and hidden treasures.

Human beings are extraordinarily resourceful.

We can tunnel through mountains. We can uncover things that have been hidden for centuries. We can explore the mysteries of the world around us.

But then Job asks a question.

Where can wisdom be found?

It's a beautiful question.

Because for all our knowledge, all our accomplishments, all our ability to understand and control the world around us, there are still things we simply cannot figure out.

Why do good people suffer?

Why do our lives sometimes unfold in ways we never expected?

How do we find meaning when the things we've depended upon begin to fall apart?

Job is wrestling with these questions.

And I think many of us can relate.

We want to understand our lives. We want answers. We want to know that we're doing the right things and heading in the right direction.

And sometimes we bring that same desire for certainty into our relationship with God.

We imagine that if we could just understand enough, believe enough, or do enough, we might finally find the peace we're looking for.

And then we come to Paul's letter to the Galatians.

And Paul has something extraordinary to tell us.

The gospel is not about our ability to make ourselves right with God.

It's about what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.

Think about Paul's own story.

He was a deeply religious man. He knew the Scriptures. He understood the traditions. He was passionately committed to doing what he believed God required.

And yet, in all his religious certainty, he had failed to recognize the very One who revealed the heart of God.

Then he encountered Jesus.

And everything changed.

Not simply his understanding of religion.

His understanding of God.

His understanding of himself.

His understanding of the whole world.

And now Paul is writing to people who are being told that faith in Christ isn't quite enough.

That they need to add something.

More rules. More requirements. More religious achievements.

And Paul refuses to accept it.

Because he knows what he's discovered in Jesus.

Grace is not something we achieve. Grace is the gift of God's own life, freely given to us in Christ.

And that's the good news.

You don't have to spend your life trying to convince God to love you.

You don't have to earn your place at his table.

You don't have to become someone else before you can receive his embrace.

In Jesus Christ, God has already come all the way to us.

And Paul describes this new life in a beautiful way.

He says that he has been crucified with Christ, and now Christ lives in him.

I love that.

Because the Christian life is not simply an invitation to try harder to imitate Jesus from a distance.

It's an invitation to participate in his life.

To discover that we are being drawn into the love that has always existed between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And that changes how we live.

We don't love others in order to earn God's approval.

We love because we have encountered the God who is love.

We don't extend grace because we've managed to become better than everyone else.

We extend grace because we've discovered that we ourselves are held by it.

We don't have to establish our worth through our accomplishments, our religious performance, or our ability to get everything right.

Our worth is already established in the love of Christ.

And perhaps that's the invitation for us today.

To stop searching for something we can do to make ourselves worthy of God's affection.

To stop carrying the exhausting burden of trying to prove that we belong.

And to begin living from the wonderful truth that in Jesus Christ, we have already been welcomed.

Now, this doesn't mean that our choices don't matter.

Of course they do.

But it means that transformation begins with love, not fear.

It begins with grace, not condemnation.

It begins with the life of Christ taking shape within us.

And that kind of life produces something beautiful.

Freedom.

Freedom to be honest about our weaknesses.

Freedom to acknowledge our mistakes.

Freedom to recognize the dignity and worth of people who are different from us.

Freedom to love without constantly keeping score.

And freedom to rest in the assurance that God's love is not something we're in danger of losing every time we fall short.

Maybe today you've been carrying the weight of trying to be enough.

A good enough parent.

A good enough spouse.

A good enough friend.

A good enough Christian.

And perhaps somewhere along the way, you've begun to imagine that God is looking at you through that same lens of measurement and performance.

I want you to see Jesus.

See the One who welcomes sinners.

The One who touches those others have rejected.

The One who gives himself away for the life of the world.

And recognize that this is the face of God.

This is what God is like.

And his love for you is not waiting on your next achievement.

It is already yours to receive.

That's the gospel of grace.

And that's a prayer I have for my own soul.

That's a prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and for you.

May you discover today the freedom of living in the grace of God.

May you find relief from the exhausting need to prove yourself worthy.

May you come to see that your life is held securely in the love of Christ, and that his life is taking shape within you.

And may the grace you have received become the grace you extend to everyone you encounter.

You are seen. You are known. You are loved.

And in Jesus Christ, you have been welcomed into the life and love of God.

Amen.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

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Wednesday, November 4th, 2026

Job 26–27 (NLT)

Mark 15–16 (NLT)

Read all of today's Scripture on Bible Gateway Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE: The Love That Death Cannot Defeat

In today's readings, we encounter the mystery of God's greatness, the depth of human suffering, and the extraordinary hope revealed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In Job 26–27, Job continues his response to his friends. He speaks of the majesty and mystery of God, describing the wonders of creation and acknowledging that what we understand of God is only a whisper of something far greater. Yet Job refuses to surrender his integrity or accept the accusations of those who insist that his suffering must be the result of wrongdoing.

Then, in Mark 15–16, we arrive at the defining events of the gospel: the crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

We witness Jesus rejected, mocked, and condemned. We see the violence of human power directed against the One who has come to reveal the love of God. And then, on the first day of the week, the women arrive at the tomb and discover that the stone has been rolled away.

The crucified Jesus has been raised.

What appeared to be the final triumph of violence and death becomes the announcement of a new beginning.

Today's invitation is to discover that the love revealed in Jesus Christ is stronger than the forces that threaten to destroy us. The resurrection is God's great declaration that sin, violence, and death will not have the final word.

Love will.

TODAY'S DEVOTION: Love Has the Final Word

There's a moment in today's reading from the Gospel of Mark that I want us to consider.

It's early in the morning.

The Sabbath has ended, and a group of women are making their way to the tomb where Jesus has been buried.

They're carrying spices to anoint his body.

They're coming to do what people do when someone they love has died.

They're coming to grieve.

And along the way, they begin wondering about something.

Who's going to roll away the stone?

It's a practical question.

The stone is large. It's heavy. And they don't know how they're going to move it.

But they keep walking.

And when they arrive, they discover something extraordinary.

The stone has already been rolled away.

I love that.

Because I wonder how often we find ourselves walking through life, worrying about stones that seem too heavy for us to move.

Maybe it's a grief that has settled deep into your soul.

Maybe it's a relationship that seems beyond repair.

Maybe it's a fear about the future, a regret from the past, or a situation that has left you feeling powerless.

And you find yourself wondering, how am I ever going to move this stone?

How am I going to get through this?

How am I going to find my way forward?

And then we come to the empty tomb.

And we hear these remarkable words.

Jesus has been raised.

He's not here.

Now, I don't think the resurrection is simply a promise that all our difficulties will disappear.

The women who came to the tomb had experienced real loss.

The disciples had experienced fear and failure.

The violence of the cross had been real.

And none of that is erased from the story.

But something extraordinary has happened.

God has entered into the deepest darkness of human existence, and through the resurrection of Jesus, a new creation has begun.

The resurrection is God's declaration that death does not have the final word. Love does.

And I think there's something important for us to see here.

Because sometimes we've imagined the cross as the place where an angry God finally receives the punishment required before he can love us.

But when we look at Jesus, we see something very different.

We see the God who has loved us from the beginning.

The God who has entered fully into our humanity.

The God who has come to rescue us from the powers of sin and death, not by participating in the cycle of violence, but by overcoming it through self-giving love.

And the resurrection is the vindication of that love.

The world does its worst.

Religious power condemns him.

Political power executes him.

His friends abandon him.

Death takes him.

But death cannot hold him.

And that changes everything.

Because it means that the deepest truth about our world is not violence.

It's not condemnation.

It's not death.

The deepest truth about our world is the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

A love that refuses to abandon creation.

A love that enters into our suffering.

A love that is determined to make all things new.

And when we place this alongside today's reading from Job, something beautiful begins to emerge.

Job is surrounded by people who are certain they understand God.

They have explanations for his suffering.

They have theological formulas that tell them how everything is supposed to work.

But Job knows that their explanations are inadequate.

He looks at the vastness of creation and recognizes that what we understand of God is only a whisper.

And perhaps that's an invitation for us as well.

To hold our explanations with humility.

To recognize that God is greater than the systems we've constructed to understand him.

And to allow Jesus Christ to become the clearest revelation of who God truly is.

Because in Jesus, we see the face of God.

And what do we see?

We see compassion.

We see forgiveness.

We see a love that gives itself away.

And ultimately, we see resurrection.

We see the promise that God has not abandoned the world to death.

And perhaps today that's something you need to hear.

Whatever you're carrying.

Whatever stone seems too heavy.

Whatever grief or uncertainty has become part of your story.

You are not alone.

And your story is not finished.

The resurrection doesn't mean that every wound will heal overnight or every difficult circumstance will suddenly change.

But it does mean that there is a hope that reaches beyond what we can presently see.

A hope grounded not in our own strength, but in the faithfulness of Jesus.

The One who has entered into death and come through it into life.

And because he lives, we are invited to participate in that resurrection life, even now.

Every time we choose love over fear.

Every time we extend forgiveness instead of retaliation.

Every time we offer compassion to someone who is suffering.

Every time we refuse to surrender to despair.

We are bearing witness to the new creation that has begun in Christ.

And perhaps that's the invitation for us today.

To stop imagining that everything depends on our ability to move the stone.

And to begin looking for the signs of resurrection already breaking into the world around us.

Because Jesus is alive.

And his life is the promise of God's future for all creation.

And that's a prayer I have for my own soul.

That's a prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and for you.

May you come to see the face of God in the face of the risen Christ.

May you discover that the love which raised Jesus from the dead is a love that holds you, even now.

May you find courage in the midst of uncertainty, peace in the midst of grief, and hope in the promise that God is making all things new.

And may your life become a witness to the extraordinary truth that love has the final word.

You are seen. You are known. You are loved.

And the risen Christ holds you in a love that will never let you go.

Amen.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026

Job 25 (NLT)

Mark 13–14 (NLT)

Read all of today's Scripture on Bible Gateway Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE: The Love That Remains Faithful

In today's readings, we encounter the limitations of human understanding and the extraordinary faithfulness of Jesus in the face of suffering, betrayal, and abandonment.

In Job 25, Bildad offers his final argument, emphasizing the greatness of God and the seeming insignificance of humanity. His words reflect a view of God that emphasizes distance, power, and human unworthiness. Yet, when we turn to the Gospel of Mark, we encounter something wonderfully different.

In Mark 13–14, Jesus speaks to his disciples about difficult days ahead, calling them to remain watchful and faithful. We then follow him into the final days before his crucifixion, where he shares a meal with his friends, washes no one's feet in Mark's account but offers them bread and wine, prays in Gethsemane, and experiences betrayal, abandonment, and arrest.

Throughout these events, we discover the remarkable contrast between our human tendency to imagine God as distant and the God revealed in Jesus Christ, who enters fully into our suffering.

Today's invitation is to discover that God's love is not withdrawn when we are weak, confused, or afraid. In Jesus, we encounter the One who remains faithful, even when everyone else walks away.

TODAY'S DEVOTION: The Love That Will Not Let Us Go

There's something deeply moving about today's reading from the Gospel of Mark.

Jesus is approaching the most difficult hours of his earthly life.

He knows that betrayal is coming. He knows that his friends will abandon him. He knows that suffering and death lie ahead.

And yet, what does he do?

He gathers his friends around a table.

He shares a meal with them.

He takes bread, breaks it, and gives it to them.

And in this simple act, Jesus reveals something extraordinary about the heart of God.

Even as betrayal approaches, Jesus continues to give himself away in love.

Think about that.

At the table is Judas, who will betray him.

There's Peter, who will deny knowing him.

And there are the other disciples, who will scatter when things become dangerous.

Jesus knows the fragility of their love.

He knows their limitations.

And still, he welcomes them to the table.

He breaks the bread.

He offers the cup.

He gives himself.

I think there's something profoundly beautiful here.

Because so much of our religious imagination has been shaped by the idea that God's love is conditional.

That we must believe enough, obey enough, understand enough, or somehow prove ourselves worthy of God's attention.

And when we fail, we imagine that God withdraws.

But look at Jesus.

He knows his disciples will fail him.

And he loves them anyway.

The love of God revealed in Jesus Christ is not sustained by our faithfulness. It is sustained by his.

And that's good news.

Because the truth is, we all know what it's like to fall short.

We know what it's like to make promises we struggle to keep.

We know what it's like to become afraid, to lose our courage, to turn away when things become difficult.

And sometimes we carry those failures with us for years.

We replay the moments when we wish we'd acted differently.

We remember the people we've disappointed.

We wonder whether our mistakes have somehow placed us beyond the reach of God's love.

But the story of Jesus tells us something different.

Jesus doesn't wait for his disciples to become faithful before he loves them.

He loves them in the midst of their weakness.

He gives himself to them before they fully understand what he's doing.

And then we follow him into the garden of Gethsemane.

There, we see something else that is deeply human.

Jesus is distressed.

He's overwhelmed with sorrow.

He asks his friends to stay awake with him, but they fall asleep.

And he prays.

I find this moment profoundly important.

Because it reminds us that Jesus doesn't stand at a distance from our humanity.

He knows what it means to experience fear.

He knows what it means to feel alone.

He knows what it means to face a future that brings tremendous suffering.

And yet, he continues in the way of love.

Not because suffering is somehow good.

Not because betrayal and violence are what God desires.

But because God's love refuses to surrender humanity to the powers of sin, death, and destruction.

Jesus enters into the darkest places of our existence, revealing a love that will not abandon us.

And when we place this alongside today's reading from Job, we begin to see something remarkable.

Bildad speaks of a God whose greatness seems to place humanity at an impossible distance.

He wonders how any human being could be considered righteous before such a God.

But in Jesus, we discover the answer to our deepest questions about God's character.

We discover the God who comes near.

The God who shares our humanity.

The God who sits at the table with imperfect people.

The God who continues to love, even when that love is rejected.

And this changes everything.

Because it means our relationship with God is not built on the fragile foundation of our ability to remain faithful.

It is built on the unshakable love of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps today you're carrying the memory of something you wish you could change.

Perhaps you've disappointed someone you love.

Perhaps you've disappointed yourself.

Or perhaps you've been on the receiving end of betrayal, and you're wondering whether you can ever trust again.

I want you to see Jesus at the table.

See him breaking the bread.

See him offering the cup.

See him giving himself to people who don't yet understand the depth of his love.

And remember that this is the God who has come to you.

The God revealed in Jesus is not waiting for you to become perfect.

He has already given himself to you in love.

And that love is stronger than your failures.

Stronger than your fears.

Stronger than the betrayals you've endured.

Even stronger than death itself.

So perhaps today's invitation is simply to receive.

To stop trying to prove that you're worthy of a place at the table.

To recognize that in Jesus Christ, a place has already been made for you.

And to allow that love to shape the way you see yourself and others.

Because when we come to know that we're loved in our weakness, we become free to love others in theirs.

We become less interested in keeping score.

Less interested in assigning blame.

More willing to extend compassion.

More willing to forgive.

More willing to see the dignity of every person we encounter.

And that's what the life of Christ looks like taking shape in us.

Not perfection.

But participation in his love.

And that's a prayer I have for my own soul.

That's a prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and for you.

May you discover today the love of Jesus that remains faithful even when we are not.

May you find freedom from shame, courage in the midst of uncertainty, and peace in knowing that your life is held securely in the embrace of God.

May you come to see that the One who broke bread with his imperfect friends is the very One who welcomes you into his life.

You are seen. You are known. You are loved.

And the love of Christ will never let you go.

Amen.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

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Monday, November 2nd, 2026

Job 23–24 (NLT)

Mark 11–12 (NLT)

Read all of today's Scripture on Bible Gateway Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE: The Way of Love Is the Way of the Kingdom

In today's readings, we encounter the deep longing of the human heart for justice, the unexpected arrival of God's kingdom, and Jesus' revelation of what matters most.

In Job 23–24, Job continues wrestling with the mystery of suffering. He longs to encounter God, to present his case, and to understand why injustice appears to go unanswered. He sees the suffering of the vulnerable and the prosperity of those who exploit them. His questions remind us that faith does not require us to ignore the world's pain or pretend that everything makes sense.

Then, in Mark 11–12, Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a young donkey. His arrival challenges expectations of what a king should look like and how a kingdom should come. Rather than displaying the power of domination, Jesus reveals a kingdom that confronts religious exploitation and calls people back to the heart of God's purposes.

When someone asks Jesus which commandment is the greatest, his answer is beautifully simple: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.

Today's invitation is to discover that the kingdom of God is not ultimately about religious performance, power, or getting everything right. It is about participating in the life and love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

TODAY'S DEVOTION: The King Who Comes in Peace

There's something beautiful about the way Jesus enters Jerusalem in today's reading.

The crowds are gathering. There's excitement in the air. People are shouting, celebrating, and welcoming Jesus as the One they've been waiting for.

But look at how he arrives.

He's riding on a donkey.

Not a warhorse.

Not surrounded by armies.

Not displaying the kind of power the world has come to expect from kings.

He comes in humility.

He comes in peace.

And I think there's something profoundly important for us to see here.

Because so often, our understanding of God has been shaped by the world's understanding of power.

We imagine that power means control. That greatness means being above others. That victory means defeating our enemies.

And sometimes we've carried those same assumptions into our understanding of God.

But then Jesus comes along.

And he shows us something altogether different.

He shows us that the power of God is revealed in self-giving love.

The kingdom of God doesn't arrive through domination.

It arrives in the person of Jesus Christ, the One who comes to give himself for the life of the world.

And then, later in today's reading, someone asks Jesus a question.

Of all the commandments, which one is the most important?

Now, think about that.

There were hundreds of commandments, centuries of religious interpretation, and endless debates about what it meant to be faithful to God.

And Jesus brings it all back to something wonderfully simple.

Love God.

And love your neighbor as yourself.

That's it.

Not because the rest of Scripture doesn't matter.

But because this is what everything has been pointing toward.

Love.

And not just any kind of love.

The love we encounter in Jesus.

A love that comes near.

A love that welcomes the outsider.

A love that confronts injustice and religious hypocrisy.

A love that refuses to abandon us, even when we reject it.

And when we look back at Job, we see why this matters.

Job is desperately searching for God.

He wants answers. He wants justice. He wants to understand why suffering continues and why those who exploit others often seem to prosper.

And those are important questions.

They're questions we still ask today.

Why does suffering happen? Why do the innocent struggle? Why does injustice sometimes seem to prevail?

And I don't think Jesus gives us a neat explanation for all of these things.

Instead, he gives us something far more profound.

He gives us himself.

In Jesus, we discover that God is not standing at a distance from the suffering of the world. God has entered into it, to redeem and restore his creation through love.

And this changes everything.

It changes the way we understand God.

It changes the way we understand ourselves.

And it changes the way we're invited to live in the world.

Because if the kingdom of God is revealed in self-giving love, then our participation in that kingdom looks like love, too.

It looks like compassion for those who are suffering.

It looks like making room for those who have been excluded.

It looks like listening rather than judging.

It looks like forgiveness, generosity, mercy, and the willingness to see the dignity of every person we encounter.

And here's something else I want us to remember.

Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

And that means recognizing that we, too, are worthy of love.

Sometimes we're very good at extending compassion to others while withholding it from ourselves.

We carry our failures, our regrets, our disappointments, and we imagine that somehow we've placed ourselves beyond the reach of God's affection.

But Jesus reveals a God whose love has already come all the way to us.

Before we could get everything right.

Before we understood what grace really meant.

Before we even knew how to ask for it.

God loved us.

And in Jesus, that love has taken on flesh.

So perhaps today the invitation is to reconsider what it means to follow this King.

Not to become more religious.

Not to become more impressive.

Not to prove ourselves worthy of God's attention.

But to open our hearts to the love that has already been given to us.

And then to allow that love to shape the way we see and treat one another.

Because the kingdom of God is breaking into the world through the love of Jesus Christ.

And we're invited to participate in it.

Right here.

Right now.

In the ordinary moments of our lives.

In our homes, our workplaces, our relationships, and the communities where we live.

Every act of kindness.

Every moment of forgiveness.

Every choice to see another person through the eyes of compassion.

These are ways we bear witness to the King who comes in peace.

And that's a prayer I have for my own soul.

That's a prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and for you.

May you come to see the face of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

May you discover that the love of God is not something you have to earn, but a gift you are invited to receive.

May that love take root in your heart, transform your relationships, and overflow into the world around you.

And may you find the freedom to live as someone who is already deeply loved.

You are seen. You are known. You are loved.

And the King who comes in peace has come for you.

Amen.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

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Sunday, November 1st, 2026

Psalm 121 (NLT)

Mark 9–10 (NLT)

Read all of today's Scripture on Bible Gateway Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE: Our Help Comes from the Lord

In today's readings, we encounter the beautiful assurance of God's presence and the invitation to discover what it truly means to trust in Jesus.

Psalm 121 begins with a familiar question: Where does my help come from? The psalmist looks toward the mountains and declares that help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. This is the God who watches over our lives, who neither slumbers nor sleeps, and who remains faithful through every season.

In Mark 9–10, we encounter Jesus revealing the heart of God's kingdom. He welcomes children, restores the suffering, challenges our assumptions about greatness, and invites his disciples to discover a life rooted in humility, trust, and love.

We meet a father who cries out for help with his struggling faith, a wealthy man who finds it difficult to release his possessions, and a blind man named Bartimaeus who calls out to Jesus for mercy.

Throughout these encounters, we discover that faith is not about possessing perfect certainty or achieving religious success. It is about encountering the One who has come near, the One who sees us, knows us, and welcomes us into the life of God.

Today's invitation is to lift our eyes beyond our circumstances and discover that the help we long for is found in the faithful love of Jesus Christ.

TODAY'S DEVOTION: The One Who Never Stops Watching Over You

There's a question at the beginning of today's psalm that I think speaks to something deep within all of us.

The psalmist looks toward the mountains and asks where help will come from.

And I wonder how often we've found ourselves asking that same question.

Maybe not in those exact words.

But perhaps you've been facing something that seems bigger than you know how to handle.

A relationship that's become difficult. A concern about someone you love. A financial burden. An uncertain future.

Or maybe it's simply the quiet exhaustion that comes from trying to hold everything together.

And somewhere along the way, you find yourself wondering, where is my help going to come from?

I love the answer that Psalm 121 gives us.

Our help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

And then the psalm goes on to describe this extraordinary God.

The One who watches over us.

The One who doesn't grow weary.

The One who neither slumbers nor sleeps.

Think about that.

We grow tired.

We become overwhelmed.

We lose perspective. We become anxious. Sometimes we simply run out of strength.

But the love of God doesn't grow tired.

His faithfulness doesn't diminish.

His care for us doesn't depend on our ability to keep everything together.

And then we turn to Mark's Gospel.

And what do we discover?

We discover what this faithful love looks like when it takes on flesh and walks among us.

We see Jesus.

And one of the things I find so beautiful about Jesus is the way he responds to people who are struggling.

There's a father in Mark 9 whose son is suffering terribly.

He's desperate.

He's come looking for help, and he's not entirely sure what to believe.

And in the middle of his conversation with Jesus, he makes this wonderfully honest confession.

He believes.

And he needs help with his unbelief.

I love that.

Because it's such a profoundly human moment.

This father isn't presenting Jesus with a carefully constructed statement of faith.

He's not pretending to possess certainty.

He's simply bringing his whole self.

His hope and his fear.

His faith and his doubt.

His longing for his son to be made well.

And Jesus meets him there.

I think there's something important for us to recognize.

The help of God is not reserved for those who have managed to eliminate all their doubts. God's grace meets us right in the middle of our humanity.

And we see this again in Mark 10.

There's a blind man named Bartimaeus sitting beside the road.

When he hears that Jesus is passing by, he begins to cry out for mercy.

The crowd tries to silence him.

But he keeps calling.

And Jesus stops.

I love those words.

Jesus stops.

In the middle of everything that's happening, surrounded by people and moving toward Jerusalem, Jesus stops for someone the crowd would rather overlook.

And he calls him near.

Now think about the connection with Psalm 121.

The psalmist declares that the Lord watches over us.

And in Jesus, we see the face of that watchful love.

Not a distant observer keeping track of our successes and failures.

But the God who sees the suffering, hears the cry of the overlooked, and comes near in compassion.

This is who God is.

And this is the One who holds your life.

Sometimes we've imagined that trusting God means having all the answers.

That if our faith were strong enough, we wouldn't struggle with anxiety or uncertainty.

But I don't think that's what these passages are inviting us into.

The father in Mark 9 has questions.

Bartimaeus has needs.

The disciples repeatedly misunderstand what Jesus is teaching them.

And yet Jesus continues to welcome them.

He continues to teach.

He continues to heal.

He continues to love.

And perhaps that's the invitation for us today.

To stop imagining that we have to become someone else before we can come to Jesus.

To bring our whole selves.

Our gratitude and our grief.

Our confidence and our uncertainty.

Our strength and our weakness.

And to discover that the One who made heaven and earth is the One who has come near to us in Christ.

You don't have to hold everything together.

You don't have to see the entire road ahead.

You don't have to manufacture certainty.

You can trust the One who sees you.

The One who knows you.

The One whose love never grows weary.

And there's something else I want us to remember.

Psalm 121 doesn't promise that we'll never encounter difficulty.

It doesn't suggest that the road will always be easy.

But it gives us a deeper assurance.

That through every season, every transition, every unexpected turn in the road, our lives remain within the faithful care of God.

And in Jesus Christ, we discover just how far that faithfulness reaches.

It reaches into our suffering.

Into our brokenness.

Into the deepest places of human grief.

Even into death itself.

And through the resurrection of Jesus, we discover that God's love is stronger than everything that threatens to separate us from life.

So perhaps today you can lift your eyes.

Not because all your problems have disappeared.

Not because you've suddenly figured everything out.

But because the One who holds your life is faithful.

And he is near.

And that's a prayer I have for my own soul.

That's a prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and for you.

May you discover today that your help comes from the Lord.

May you find the freedom to bring your whole self before Jesus, your faith and your questions, your hope and your fears.

May you come to recognize the One who watches over your coming and going, who sees you in your suffering, and who welcomes you into his life.

And may you rest in the assurance that you are held in a love that never grows weary.

You are seen. You are known. You are loved.

And the One who watches over you will never let you go.

Amen.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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Saturday, October 31st, 2026

Job 22 (NLT)

Mark 7–8 (NLT)

Read all of today's Scripture on Bible Gateway Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE: Discovering the Bread That Truly Satisfies

In today's readings, we encounter two very different understandings of what it means to know God.

In Job 22, Eliphaz continues to insist that Job's suffering must be the consequence of his wrongdoing. He urges Job to return to God, convinced that if Job simply gets his life right, everything will be restored. But his words reveal the limitations of a faith built on religious certainty rather than compassion.

Then, in Mark 7–8, we encounter Jesus challenging religious traditions that have lost sight of the heart of God. He reminds the religious leaders that what truly matters is not outward appearances or religious performance, but the condition of the human heart.

We also see Jesus responding to the persistent faith of a Gentile woman, healing a man who cannot hear or speak clearly, and feeding thousands of hungry people.

And when the disciples become anxious about having enough bread, Jesus invites them to remember what they've already witnessed.

The One who feeds the multitudes is right there with them.

Today's readings invite us to move beyond a faith focused on getting everything right and discover the life-giving presence of Jesus, the One who nourishes us with grace, restores our hearts, and reminds us that God's love is more than enough.

TODAY'S DEVOTION: The Bread We've Been Looking For

There's a moment in today's reading from Mark that I find both humorous and profoundly revealing.

Jesus is in a boat with his disciples.

They've just witnessed something extraordinary.

Jesus has fed thousands of people with just a few loaves of bread and some fish.

And now, as they're crossing the lake, the disciples realize they've forgotten to bring enough bread.

And they're worried about it.

Think about that.

They're sitting in a boat with the very One who has just fed thousands of people.

And they're worried about bread.

I love that story because I recognize myself in it.

How often have I found myself anxious about something, trying to figure out how I'm going to make everything work, forgetting that the very presence of God is already with me?

We do this, don't we?

We worry about having enough.

Enough money. Enough time. Enough strength. Enough wisdom.

We worry about whether we're doing enough.

Whether we're praying enough, believing enough, accomplishing enough.

And somewhere along the way, we can begin to imagine that our lives depend entirely on our ability to get everything right.

But Jesus invites his disciples to remember.

Remember the bread.

Remember the people who were fed.

Remember the abundance that appeared in the middle of what looked like scarcity.

And perhaps most importantly, remember who is sitting in the boat with you.

Because here's what I think Jesus wants us to discover.

The deepest hunger of our lives is not satisfied by what we can accomplish, accumulate, or control. It is satisfied in the life and love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

And when we look at today's reading from Job, we see a very different understanding of how God works.

Eliphaz has an explanation for everything.

He believes that if Job simply gets his life in order, God will restore him.

It's a transactional understanding of faith.

Do the right things, and God will bless you.

Get something wrong, and God will punish you.

But Job's story challenges that way of thinking.

And Jesus reveals something altogether different.

In Mark 7, Jesus encounters a Gentile woman whose daughter is suffering.

She comes to him seeking mercy.

And although their conversation is challenging, the story ends with her daughter delivered from her affliction.

This woman stands outside the religious boundaries that many would have assumed defined who belonged and who didn't.

And yet, grace reaches her.

And then Jesus feeds thousands of hungry people.

Not because they've earned it.

Not because they've demonstrated perfect understanding.

But because he has compassion for them.

I think there's something beautiful here.

The God revealed in Jesus is not measuring out love according to our religious achievement.

He's giving himself away.

He's feeding the hungry.

He's healing the broken.

He's making room for those who have been excluded.

And he's inviting us to discover that the life we're longing for is found in him.

Perhaps that's why the disciples' anxiety about bread is so revealing.

They've been so focused on what they lack that they've forgotten who is with them.

And I wonder if that's true for some of us today.

Maybe you're looking at your life and seeing all the things that are missing.

The opportunities that haven't materialized.

The relationships that haven't healed.

The questions that remain unanswered.

The ways you wish you were further along in your journey.

And maybe you've begun to wonder whether you have enough.

Whether you are enough.

I want you to hear something today.

The One who is with you is enough.

Not because all your circumstances will suddenly become easy.

Not because every problem will disappear.

But because in Jesus Christ, God has given himself to us.

And that gift is not dependent on our worthiness.

It's not something we have to earn.

It's grace.

And grace is the bread that nourishes our souls.

Grace reminds us that we're loved before we've accomplished anything.

Grace meets us in our weakness.

Grace opens our eyes to the presence of Christ, even when our circumstances remain uncertain.

And grace invites us to become people who share that abundance with others.

People who make room at the table.

People who offer compassion rather than condemnation.

People who recognize that the love of God is not a scarce resource.

There's enough.

Enough grace.

Enough mercy.

Enough love.

And perhaps that's the invitation for today.

To stop living as though everything depends on what you've brought into the boat.

And to remember who is sitting there with you.

Jesus Christ.

The One who gives himself for the life of the world.

The One who feeds us with his own life.

The One whose love will never run out.

And that's a prayer I have for my own soul.

That's a prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and for you.

May you discover today the abundance of God's grace.

May you find freedom from the anxious striving that tells you you're never enough.

May you come to recognize the presence of Christ in the ordinary moments of your life.

And may your heart be nourished by the love that has been given to you freely, completely, and without reservation.

You are seen. You are known. You are loved.

And there is always room for you at the table of God's grace.

Amen.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

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Friday, October 30th, 2026

Job 21 (NLT)

Mark 5–6 (NLT)

Read all of today's Scripture on Bible Gateway Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE: Encountering the Healing Love of Jesus

In today's readings, we encounter the mystery of human suffering and the extraordinary compassion of Jesus Christ.

In Job 21, Job challenges the explanations his friends have offered for his suffering. They insist that the wicked are punished and the righteous are rewarded, yet Job points out that life doesn't always unfold that way. Sometimes the wicked prosper, and sometimes the innocent suffer. His questions invite us to move beyond simplistic explanations and encounter a God whose wisdom is greater than our understanding.

Then, in Mark 5–6, we see Jesus entering into the suffering and brokenness of ordinary human lives. He delivers a man tormented by evil, heals a woman who has suffered for twelve years, raises a young girl from death, and feeds thousands of hungry people.

These encounters reveal something beautiful about the heart of God.

Jesus doesn't turn away from suffering. He moves toward it. He sees those who have been overlooked, touches those who have been excluded, and welcomes those who have lost hope.

Today's invitation is to discover that God's grace is not reserved for those who have everything figured out. It reaches into the most vulnerable places of our lives, bringing healing, restoration, and hope.

TODAY'S DEVOTION: Reaching Out to the One Who Has Already Come Near

There's a beautiful story in today's reading from Mark that I find deeply moving.

It's the story of a woman who has been suffering for twelve years.

Twelve years.

Think about that.

Twelve years of pain. Twelve years of disappointment. Twelve years of searching for answers and hoping that something might finally change.

Mark tells us that she's spent everything she has on doctors, and instead of getting better, she's only grown worse.

And now she hears about Jesus.

She hears that he's coming through town, and something within her begins to stir.

Hope.

Maybe, just maybe, things could be different.

And so she makes her way through the crowd.

She doesn't ask for an audience. She doesn't make a speech. She doesn't even approach Jesus face to face.

She simply reaches out and touches his robe.

And in that moment, everything changes.

She's healed.

But here's what I find especially beautiful about this story.

Jesus stops.

There's a crowd pressing in all around him. People everywhere. He's on his way to the home of Jairus, whose daughter is dying.

There are urgent things happening.

And yet Jesus stops.

He wants to know who touched him.

Now, I don't think this is simply about identifying the person who has received a miracle.

I think Jesus is doing something much more profound.

Because this woman has spent twelve years being defined by her suffering.

Her illness has shaped her relationships, her finances, her place in the community, and perhaps even the way she understands herself.

And Jesus sees her.

Not merely as someone who needs to be healed.

But as a person.

A daughter.

Someone who belongs.

And when she finally comes forward, trembling, Jesus speaks these beautiful words to her.

He calls her daughter.

I love that.

Because Jesus doesn't simply restore her health.

He restores her dignity.

He restores her sense of belonging.

And he sends her away in peace.

This is the heart of the God revealed in Jesus Christ. A God who sees us, knows us, and welcomes us into the embrace of his love.

And when we place this story alongside today's reading from Job, the contrast becomes even more striking.

Job's friends have spent so much time trying to explain his suffering.

They've constructed an entire theological framework that tells them why bad things happen to people.

But their explanations haven't brought healing.

They haven't offered compassion.

They haven't helped Job feel seen or understood.

And then we encounter Jesus.

And what does he do when he meets people who are suffering?

He comes near.

He doesn't begin with an explanation of why they're suffering.

He doesn't ask them to prove that they're worthy of his attention.

He meets them with compassion.

And I wonder if there's something important for us to learn here.

Sometimes we spend so much time trying to understand why things happen that we forget to simply love the people who are hurting.

We want explanations. We want certainty. We want everything to fit neatly into our understanding of how the world works.

But Jesus shows us another way.

The way of presence.

The way of compassion.

The way of grace.

And perhaps that's what we need to hear today.

Maybe you're carrying something that has been with you for a very long time.

A grief that hasn't gone away.

A wound that hasn't healed.

A question that remains unanswered.

Maybe you've exhausted every resource you know, and you're wondering whether anything will ever change.

I want you to see the face of Jesus in this story.

See the way he stops.

See the way he turns toward this woman.

See the tenderness with which he calls her daughter.

And remember that this is the God who has come to us.

The God revealed in Jesus is not indifferent to your suffering.

He is not waiting for you to get everything right before he'll welcome you.

He has already come near.

And his love for you is not dependent on your ability to make yourself whole.

That's the good news.

The healing love of Christ is more than the promise that every circumstance will change exactly as we hope.

It is the assurance that in every circumstance, we are seen, known, and held in the love of God.

And sometimes that love brings a restoration we never imagined possible.

Sometimes it gives us strength to walk through circumstances that remain difficult.

And sometimes it simply reminds us that we are not alone.

But always, it invites us to discover that we belong.

We belong to the One who has taken hold of us in love.

And nothing can separate us from him.

So perhaps today the invitation is simply to reach out.

Not because Jesus is far away.

But because he is already near.

To open our hearts to the grace that has been seeking us all along.

To receive the love that restores our dignity, renews our hope, and reminds us of who we truly are.

Beloved children of God.

And that's a prayer I have for my own soul.

That's a prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and for you.

May you discover today the tender compassion of Jesus.

May you know that your suffering does not define you, your circumstances do not determine your worth, and your life is held securely in the love of Christ.

May you find courage to reach out, grace to receive, and peace in knowing that you have never been forgotten.

You are seen. You are known. You are loved.

And the One who calls you beloved will never let you go.

Amen.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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Thursday, October 29th, 2026

Job 20 (NLT)

Mark 3–4 (NLT)

Read all of today's Scripture on Bible Gateway Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE: Discovering the Life Hidden in the Seed

In today's readings, we encounter two very different ways of understanding God's work in the world.

In Job 20, Zophar continues his argument that the wicked will inevitably suffer and that suffering reveals something about a person's standing before God. His words reflect a rigid understanding of divine justice, one that leaves little room for the mystery of suffering or the compassion Job desperately needs.

Then, in Mark 3–4, we encounter Jesus healing, welcoming the overlooked, calling his disciples, and revealing the mysteries of God's kingdom through parables.

Jesus tells the story of a farmer scattering seed. Some falls on hard ground, some among rocks and thorns, and some on good soil, where it grows and produces a remarkable harvest. He also describes the mysterious growth of the kingdom, something happening beneath the surface, beyond the farmer's ability to control or fully understand.

These stories point us toward the great mystery of God's redeeming love. In Jesus, the seed of new creation is planted in the earth, and through his death and resurrection, life breaks forth for the world.

Today's invitation is to pay attention to the quiet, transforming work of God's grace and to discover that resurrection life is already taking root.

TODAY'S DEVOTION: The Seed That Brings New Life

There's something remarkable about a seed.

You can hold it in your hand. It's small. It looks ordinary. There's nothing particularly impressive about it.

And yet, hidden within that little seed is the possibility of an entirely new life.

You place it in the ground, cover it with soil, and for a while, nothing seems to happen.

The earth looks exactly as it did before.

But beneath the surface, something extraordinary is taking place.

Life is emerging.

And I think this is part of what Jesus wants us to see in today's reading.

He tells a story about a farmer who scatters seed on the ground.

The farmer goes about his life. He sleeps at night. He rises in the morning. And all the while, the seed is growing.

Jesus says the farmer doesn't understand how it happens.

I love that.

Because so much of our lives is spent trying to figure out how everything works.

How do we change? How do we grow? How do we become the people we long to be? How does God take the broken and wounded places in our lives and bring something beautiful out of them?

We want answers. We want a process. We want some assurance that we're making progress.

But Jesus invites us to consider something deeper.

The mystery of life itself.

The seed is planted. And life begins to emerge.

And here's where I think this story becomes especially beautiful.

Because when we read these parables in the light of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, we begin to see something extraordinary.

Jesus himself is the seed.

The One who comes into the world, enters fully into our humanity, and gives his life away in love.

And through his death and resurrection, a whole new creation begins to emerge.

What appears to be the end becomes the beginning.

What appears to be defeat becomes victory.

What appears to be death becomes the doorway into life.

This is the mystery of the kingdom of God. Life is coming forth where we thought only death remained.

And it's not simply a story about something that happened two thousand years ago.

It's a story about what God is doing in us, even now.

Perhaps there are places in your life that feel buried.

A dream that has died. A relationship that has changed. A season of life that has come to an unexpected end.

Maybe you've been looking at those places and wondering whether anything good could ever come from them.

And I don't want to offer you easy answers.

Job's friends were very good at offering explanations. They thought they understood exactly how God worked. But their certainty did little to comfort their suffering friend.

Sometimes life remains mysterious.

Sometimes we don't know why things happen the way they do.

And sometimes all we can see is the bare earth.

But Jesus invites us to pay attention.

Because the kingdom of God is at work in ways we cannot always see or understand.

The seed is growing.

Grace is doing its quiet work.

And resurrection life is breaking through.

That's the hope of the gospel.

Not that we can control every outcome.

Not that we'll always understand the mystery of our suffering.

But that in Jesus Christ, God has entered into the deepest places of human existence and brought forth a life that death itself cannot overcome.

And because we belong to him, we are invited to participate in that life.

To give ourselves away in love.

To become people who offer grace instead of judgment, compassion instead of condemnation, and hope instead of despair.

To trust that even our smallest acts of love can become seeds of something beautiful.

And perhaps that's the invitation for today.

To stop measuring everything by what you can see.

To trust the quiet work of grace.

And to remember that the One who has planted his life in you is faithful.

You don't have to force the growth.

You don't have to manufacture new life.

You are invited to receive it.

And that's a prayer I have for my own soul.

That's a prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and for you.

May you discover the life of Christ taking root in the ordinary soil of your days.

May you trust the mystery of his grace, even when you cannot see what is happening beneath the surface.

And may your life become a place where the love of God bears fruit for the sake of the world.

You are seen. You are known. You are loved.

And the life of the risen Christ is at work in you.

Amen.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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Wednesday, October 28th, 2026

Job 19 (NLT)

Mark 1–2 (NLT)

Read all of today's Scripture on Bible Gateway Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE: The God Who Comes Near

In today's readings, we encounter a beautiful contrast between suffering and healing, abandonment and belonging, despair and hope.

In Job 19, Job cries out from the depths of his suffering. His friends have misunderstood him, his relationships have fallen apart, and he feels utterly alone. Yet in the midst of his anguish, Job makes an extraordinary declaration of hope: his Redeemer lives.

Then, in Mark 1–2, we encounter Jesus entering into the brokenness of human life. He touches a man with leprosy, heals the sick, forgives sins, calls ordinary people to follow him, and shares meals with those whom respectable religious society has pushed aside.

And in all of this, we begin to see the heart of God.

The God Job longs to encounter is revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ. Not a distant God who demands that we somehow overcome our brokenness before approaching him, but a God who comes near, who touches the untouchable, who welcomes the outsider, and who restores what has been lost.

Today's invitation is to discover that the Redeemer Job longed for is the very One who has come to us in Jesus.

TODAY'S DEVOTION: My Redeemer Lives

There's a remarkable moment in today's reading from Job.

Job has lost almost everything.

His health has deteriorated. His relationships have fallen apart. His friends have become his accusers. And the people who once knew and loved him have turned away.

He feels abandoned.

And yet, right there in the middle of his suffering, Job makes this extraordinary declaration.

"I know that my Redeemer lives."

I love that.

Because Job doesn't say these words after everything has been restored.

He doesn't say them when his suffering has ended or when all his questions have been answered.

He says them right there, in the middle of the pain.

And I wonder if there's something for us to discover in that.

Sometimes we imagine that hope is something we arrive at once our circumstances have improved. Once we've received the answers we've been looking for. Once the grief has lifted or the uncertainty has passed.

But Job offers us a glimpse of something deeper.

A hope that exists even when life doesn't make sense.

And then we turn to the Gospel of Mark.

And suddenly, we see the Redeemer.

We see Jesus moving among ordinary people. People who are sick. People who are isolated. People who have been pushed to the margins of their communities.

And what does Jesus do?

He comes near.

There's a man with leprosy who approaches Jesus and says that if Jesus is willing, he can make him clean.

And Jesus reaches out and touches him.

Think about that.

This man has likely spent years being avoided, excluded, and treated as someone who doesn't belong.

And Jesus touches him.

Before we even consider the miracle of healing, there's already something extraordinary happening.

The God of all creation, revealed in Jesus Christ, is reaching out to embrace someone whom the world has rejected.

And this is the good news.

Our Redeemer is not standing at a distance, waiting for us to become worthy of his attention. Our Redeemer has come all the way to us.

In Mark 2, Jesus shares a meal with tax collectors and others considered sinners.

The religious leaders are scandalized.

But Jesus sees something they have failed to recognize.

He sees people who are loved by God.

People who are worthy of dignity, belonging, and welcome.

And isn't that what we're all longing for?

To know that we're seen.

To know that we're not forgotten.

To know that our failures, our suffering, and our circumstances haven't somehow placed us beyond the reach of God's love.

This is what Jesus reveals.

The God Job longed to encounter is the God who has come to us.

And in Jesus, we discover that God's love is not something we have to earn.

It's something we are invited to receive.

Maybe today you're carrying a burden that has left you feeling isolated. Maybe there are things in your life that haven't turned out the way you hoped. Maybe you've been wondering whether God sees you at all.

I want you to hear this.

You are seen.

You are known.

And you are deeply loved.

The Redeemer lives.

And because he lives, your suffering does not have the final word.

Your past does not have the final word.

Your failures do not have the final word.

Jesus does.

And his word to you is love.

So perhaps today the invitation is simply to open your heart to the One who has already come near.

To receive his grace.

To rest in his love.

And to discover that you have never been outside his embrace.

And that's a prayer I have for my own soul.

That's a prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and for you.

May you come to see the face of God in the face of Christ.

May you discover the Redeemer who comes near, who welcomes you, and who holds you in a love that will never let you go.

You are seen. You are known. You are loved.

And your Redeemer lives.

Amen.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

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Tuesday, October 27th, 2026

Job 18 (NLT)

Psalm 114 (NLT)

Acts 27–28 (NLT)

Read all of today's Scripture on Bible Gateway Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE: Finding Peace in the Storm

In today's readings, we encounter the contrast between fear and faith, judgment and grace, and the remarkable faithfulness of God in the midst of life's storms.

In Job 18, Bildad continues to offer Job a harsh explanation for his suffering. He's convinced that suffering must be the consequence of wrongdoing. His certainty leaves little room for compassion, reminding us how easily our religious explanations can become obstacles to love.

Psalm 114 celebrates the God who delivered Israel from Egypt, the God before whom the sea fled and the mountains trembled. It's a beautiful reminder that God's power is revealed in the liberation of his people.

And in Acts 27–28, we follow Paul on a dangerous voyage toward Rome. A violent storm threatens to destroy the ship. The passengers are terrified, and all hope of survival seems lost. Yet Paul becomes a voice of courage and reassurance, pointing to God's faithfulness even as the storm continues.

Together, these passages invite us to remember that God's presence is not dependent on calm seas. The One who delivered Israel, sustained Paul, and revealed his love in Jesus Christ is present with us in every circumstance.

TODAY'S DEVOTION: The One Who Holds Us Through the Storm

There's a moment in today's reading from Acts that I find particularly moving.

Paul is aboard a ship in the middle of a terrible storm.

The winds are fierce. The waves are relentless. The crew has done everything they know to do, and nothing seems to be working.

Luke tells us that eventually all hope of being saved was abandoned.

Think about that.

These were experienced sailors. People who knew the sea. People who knew how to navigate difficult conditions.

But they had reached the end of what they could do.

And I wonder if you've ever been there.

Maybe you've found yourself in circumstances that seem completely beyond your control. You've tried everything you know to do. You've prayed. You've worked. You've done your best to make things right.

And still, the storm continues.

I think sometimes we've been taught to imagine that faith is what keeps us out of the storms.

That if we believe the right things, pray the right prayers, and live the right way, somehow we'll be protected from the difficulties of life.

But that's not the story we find here.

Paul is exactly where he needs to be. He's following the calling of Christ upon his life.

And he's still in the middle of a storm.

And here's what I find so beautiful.

God doesn't immediately calm the sea.

The winds continue. The ship eventually breaks apart. The journey doesn't unfold the way anyone had planned.

But God is present.

And Paul becomes a voice of hope.

Not because he has the power to control the storm.

But because he has encountered the One who holds him, even in the midst of it.

And this is where the gospel speaks so powerfully into our lives.

The good news is not that following Jesus means we'll never face a storm. The good news is that there is no storm we can enter where Christ is not already present with us.

That's a very different kind of hope.

It's not built on the certainty of our circumstances.

It's built on the faithfulness of God.

And when we look at Jesus, we see just how far that faithfulness goes.

He enters into our humanity. He shares our suffering. He knows what it means to be abandoned, rejected, and overwhelmed by the darkness.

And through his death and resurrection, he reveals that even death itself cannot separate us from the love of God.

That's the hope we have.

Not that everything will happen according to our plans.

Not that we'll always understand why things happen the way they do.

But that our lives are held securely in the love of Christ.

And I think about Job's friends in today's reading.

Bildad has an explanation for everything. He's certain that he understands why Job is suffering.

But certainty without compassion can become a terrible burden to someone who is already hurting.

Sometimes what people need most isn't another explanation.

They need someone who will stand beside them in the storm.

Someone who will listen.

Someone who will remind them that they are not alone.

And perhaps that's one of the ways we're invited to participate in the life of Christ.

By becoming people who bring peace into places of fear.

People who offer compassion instead of judgment.

People who bear witness to the love of God, even when the circumstances around us seem uncertain.

So perhaps today the invitation is simple.

You don't have to control the storm.

You don't have to figure everything out.

You don't have to pretend that you're not afraid.

You can rest in the assurance that the One who holds all things together is holding you.

And that's a prayer I have for my own soul.

That's a prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and for you.

May you discover today that even when the winds are fierce and the waters are deep, Christ is with you.

May his peace steady your heart, his love renew your hope, and his presence remind you that you are never alone.

You are seen. You are known. You are loved.

And the One who holds you will never let you go.

Amen.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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Monday, October 26th, 2026

Job 17 (NLT)

Acts 24–26 (NLT)

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One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE: Hope When the Future Is Uncertain

In today's readings, we encounter two very different experiences of suffering, and a hope that reaches beyond our circumstances.

In Job 17, Job is weary, grieving, and struggling to imagine a future beyond his pain. The explanations offered by his friends have done little to comfort him. His words remind us that genuine faith doesn't require us to deny our suffering or pretend that everything is okay.

In Acts 24–26, Paul stands before governors and kings, defending himself against accusations and proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. Though he remains imprisoned, he continues to bear witness to the hope that has transformed his life.

These readings invite us to consider a different kind of hope. Not the certainty that everything will happen as we wish, but the confidence that our lives are held in the love of the risen Christ.

TODAY'S DEVOTION: A Hope That Refuses to Give Up

There's something about Job's words today that I think many of us can recognize.

He's exhausted.

He's lost so much. His friends have offered their explanations, but very little comfort. And when he looks toward the future, he struggles to see anything beyond his suffering.

Job isn't trying to impress anyone with his faith. He's simply telling the truth about where he is.

And I think there's something beautiful about that kind of honesty.

Because sometimes we imagine that having faith means always being hopeful, always being strong, always having the right answers.

But Job reminds us that faith can also look like grief. It can look like questions. It can look like the courage to speak honestly when life has become more than we know how to carry.

And then we turn to the book of Acts.

Paul is standing before rulers and authorities. He's been accused, imprisoned, and misunderstood. His future is uncertain.

And yet, something remarkable happens.

Paul doesn't simply defend himself. He tells the story of Jesus.

He tells the story of the One who met him on the road to Damascus, the One whose resurrection changed everything.

And Paul speaks about hope.

Not because everything in his life has worked out.

Not because his circumstances have suddenly become easier.

But because he has encountered the risen Christ.

And that makes all the difference.

I wonder how often we've imagined hope as the belief that things are eventually going to turn out the way we want them to.

That the relationship will be restored. That the diagnosis will change. That the suffering will end. That we'll finally get the answers we've been looking for.

And sometimes those things happen.

But the hope of the gospel is something deeper.

Our hope is not ultimately that our circumstances will change. Our hope is that in Jesus Christ, God has entered into our circumstances and will never abandon us.

That's the good news.

Jesus has entered into the fullness of our humanity. He's known suffering, betrayal, injustice, and death.

And through his resurrection, he has revealed that none of these things has the final word.

Love does.

Life does.

Jesus does.

And that means your story is not finished.

Whatever you're facing today, whatever questions remain unanswered, whatever grief you're carrying, you are not beyond the reach of God's love.

You don't have to manufacture hope.

You don't have to pretend that everything is fine.

You can bring your whole self to the One who knows you and loves you.

Your questions. Your fears. Your disappointments. Your longing for things to be different.

All of it.

Because the love of God revealed in Jesus is not fragile. It doesn't depend on your ability to remain strong.

It's a love that holds you, even when you feel like you can no longer hold on.

And perhaps that's the invitation for us today.

To stop imagining that hope is something we have to produce through our own determination.

And to discover that hope is a person.

Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, who has taken hold of us in love.

And that's a prayer I have for my own soul.

That's a prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and for you.

May you discover today that your life is held in the faithful love of Christ.

May you find the freedom to grieve honestly, to ask your questions, and to trust that the One who has begun a good work in you will carry it through.

You are seen. You are known. You are loved.

And the love that holds you will never let you go.

Amen.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! Click HERE to give! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Sunday, October 25th, 2026

Job 16 (NLT)

Acts 21–23 (NLT)

Read all of today's Scripture on Bible Gateway

These readings match the Life Journal reading plan for October 25th.

TODAY'S EPISODE: Finding Hope When Life Doesn't Make Sense

In today's readings, we encounter two men who know what it's like to be misunderstood, falsely accused, and surrounded by circumstances beyond their control.

In Job 16, Job responds to his friends, who continue offering explanations for his suffering. Rather than bringing comfort, their words only deepen his pain. Job calls them miserable comforters. Yet even in his anguish, he expresses a longing for someone who will stand on his behalf, someone who truly understands his suffering.

In Acts 21–23, Paul faces accusations, violence, and imprisonment as he continues his mission of proclaiming Jesus. His circumstances are uncertain, and his future remains unclear. Yet in Acts 23, the Lord stands beside Paul and encourages him to take courage.

Together, these passages remind us that God's presence is not measured by the absence of suffering. Even when life feels overwhelming, even when we're misunderstood, and even when we cannot see the road ahead, Christ remains near.

TODAY'S DEVOTION: The One Who Stands Beside Us

There's something about today's reading in Job that I think many of us can relate to.

Job is hurting.

He's lost so much. His world has been turned upside down. And the people who should be offering him comfort seem determined to explain away his suffering.

They have answers. They have explanations. They have their theology all worked out.

But what they don't seem to have is compassion.

And Job knows it.

He calls them miserable comforters.

I wonder how many of us have experienced something similar.

We've walked through a season of grief or suffering, and someone has offered us an explanation when what we really needed was someone willing to sit with us in our pain.

Someone to listen.

Someone to understand.

Someone to simply be present.

I think sometimes we imagine that the most important thing we can offer someone who is suffering is an answer.

But perhaps what they need most isn't an answer at all.

Perhaps what they need is presence.

And that brings us to something beautiful in today's reading from Acts.

Paul is in Jerusalem. He's been attacked, arrested, and accused. His future is uncertain.

And then, in Acts 23, we're told that the Lord stood near Paul.

I love that.

The Lord stood near him.

Jesus doesn't begin by explaining everything that's happened. He doesn't offer Paul an elaborate theological explanation for his circumstances.

He comes near.

And he speaks courage into Paul's fear.

Now, I don't think this means that every difficult circumstance is suddenly going to resolve itself.

Paul is still a prisoner.

Job is still suffering.

But there is something profoundly important being revealed to us here.

The presence of God is not the reward we receive after our suffering ends. It is the gift of love that meets us in the very midst of it.

And when we look at Jesus, we discover that this is who God has always been.

The God who comes near.

The God who enters into our humanity.

The God who shares our suffering and carries our grief.

The God who refuses to abandon us.

Sometimes we can become so preoccupied with trying to understand why something has happened that we miss the deeper invitation to discover who is with us in the midst of it.

And perhaps that's the invitation for us today.

To loosen our grip on the need to understand everything.

To stop imagining that we have to make sense of every painful chapter before we can trust that God is good.

And to begin recognizing the One who stands beside us.

Maybe you're walking through something today that you never imagined would become part of your story.

Maybe you're grieving a loss. Maybe you're navigating a relationship that has become painful. Maybe you're carrying questions about your future that seem to have no clear answers.

I want you to hear this.

You are not abandoned.

You are not forgotten.

You are not alone.

The risen Christ is present with you.

Not because you've managed to believe strongly enough.

Not because you've earned his attention.

But because this is who God is.

The God revealed in Jesus Christ is the God who comes near, who stands beside us, and who holds us in love.

And that's a prayer I have for my own soul.

That's a prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and for you.

May you discover today that you don't have to face your suffering alone.

May you find courage in the presence of Christ, comfort in his love, and hope in the promise that nothing can separate you from him.

You are seen. You are known. You are loved.

And the One who stands beside you will never let you go.

Amen.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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Saturday, October 24th, 2026

Job 15 (NLT)

Acts 19–20 (NLT)

Read all of today's Scripture on Bible Gateway Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

TODAY'S DEVOTION: The Grace That Builds Us Up

There's a moment in today's reading from Acts that I find particularly beautiful.

Paul is saying goodbye to people he loves. He knows that difficult days are ahead. There will be challenges, opposition, and uncertainty. And he won't be there to guide them through every step of the journey.

So what does he leave them with?

A list of rules? A strategy for avoiding suffering? A promise that everything will work out exactly as they hope?

No.

He entrusts them to God and to the message of his grace.

I love that.

Because Paul knows something about grace. He's experienced it firsthand. He knows what it's like to be profoundly mistaken about God. He knows what it's like to be consumed by religious certainty and convinced that he's doing God's will, only to discover that the very One he's opposing is the One who has come to rescue him.

And now, having encountered Jesus, Paul understands that grace is not simply where the Christian life begins.

Grace is what carries us all the way through.

I think about how often we approach our relationship with God as though everything depends on us.

We need to pray enough. Believe enough. Understand enough. Be good enough.

And somewhere along the way, our relationship with God begins to feel like an endless performance review.

Have I done enough? Am I measuring up? Is God pleased with me?

It's an exhausting way to live.

And it's not unlike the world that Job's friends have constructed.

They believe they understand exactly how God works. If you're doing well, God must be pleased. If you're suffering, you must have done something wrong.

But the story of Job challenges that way of thinking.

And the gospel of Jesus Christ offers us something altogether different.

In Jesus, we encounter a God whose love is not a reward for our religious achievement.

It's a gift.

A gift that precedes our understanding. A gift that meets us in our weakness. A gift that continues to hold us even when our lives seem to be falling apart.

And here's what I want you to hear today.

You are not the one holding your life together. Christ is holding you.

Paul doesn't tell the Ephesian believers to place their ultimate confidence in their own strength.

He entrusts them to God.

To the God whose grace is able to build them up.

And that same grace is at work in you.

Even in those places where you feel inadequate. Even in the questions you haven't answered. Even in the grief you still carry. Even in the parts of your story you wish you could rewrite.

God's grace is not waiting for you to become someone else before it can begin its work.

It is meeting you right where you are.

And perhaps that's the invitation for today.

To stop measuring your life by what you've accomplished or what you've failed to accomplish.

To loosen your grip on the idea that everything depends on you.

And to rest in the love of the One who has already taken hold of you.

That's the good news of Jesus.

And that's a prayer I have for my own soul.

That's a prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and for you.

May you discover today that the grace of God is not merely sufficient to forgive you.

It is sufficient to sustain you, strengthen you, and build you up in the life of Christ.

You are loved.

And that love is enough.

Amen.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

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Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: October 23rd: Job 13–14; Acts 17–18 | New Living Translation Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

In today's reading, Job refuses to settle for easy answers to difficult questions. His suffering has brought him to a place of profound uncertainty, yet he continues directing his questions toward God. His words remind us that faith doesn't always look like certainty. Sometimes faith looks like the courage to keep speaking, even when heaven seems silent.

In Acts 17, Paul stands before the philosophers of Athens and announces a remarkable truth. The God who created the heavens and the earth is not confined to temples, religious systems, or human understanding.

God is not far from any one of us.

In Acts 18, we see this same God encouraging Paul to continue his work, assuring him of divine presence even amid opposition and uncertainty.

Together, these passages invite us to reconsider what it means to trust God when life remains unresolved.

TODAY'S DEVOTION God Is Not Far From You

There's something deeply moving about Job's honesty.

He's suffering. He's confused. He's frustrated with his friends and their explanations. And he's not afraid to say so.

Job wants an audience with God. He wants answers. He wants to make his case.

And perhaps you've been there.

Maybe you've found yourself asking questions you never imagined you would ask. Maybe something has happened in your life that has disrupted the way you've always understood God.

And suddenly, the familiar answers don't seem to work anymore.

I think there's something important for us to see here.

Job's questions are not evidence of God's absence. And they're not evidence of Job's failure.

They're the honest cries of a human being who longs to know that he has not been abandoned.

And then we come to Acts 17.

Paul is standing in Athens, surrounded by temples and statues, speaking to people who have spent their lives searching for truth.

And he tells them something extraordinary.

God is not far from any one of us.

Think about that.

Not far from the philosopher searching for understanding. Not far from the skeptic wrestling with doubt. Not far from the grieving parent. Not far from the person whose life has taken an unexpected turn.

Not far from Job, sitting in the ashes.

And not far from you.

Sometimes we've been taught to imagine God as distant, waiting for us to find the right words, believe the right things, or somehow make our way back to him.

But Jesus shows us something altogether different.

In Jesus, we discover the God who has come all the way to us.

The God who enters into our suffering. The God who meets us in our humanity. The God who does not stand at a distance from our pain, but who shares in it.

And this changes the way we understand our questions.

You don't have to resolve every mystery before you can rest in God's love.

You don't have to pretend that everything is fine.

You don't have to manufacture certainty.

You can bring your whole self before God. Your faith and your doubt. Your gratitude and your grief. Your hope and your disappointment.

Because the One who holds you is not threatened by your questions.

And his love for you is not dependent on your ability to answer them.

Maybe today the invitation is simply to stop striving to find a God who has never stopped being present with you.

To discover that even here, even now, in this very moment, you are held in the life and love of Christ.

And that's a prayer I have for my own soul.

And that's a prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and for you.

May you come to see that the God you've been searching for has already come near to you in Jesus.

You are not alone.

You have never been beyond the reach of his love.

And you are loved.

Amen.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

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Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Job 11–12; Acts 15–16 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Today, October 22nd, our journey through Scripture takes us into Job 11–12 and Acts 15–16.

In Job, Zophar joins the conversation with a great deal of religious certainty. He believes he understands how God works and assumes that Job's suffering must be the result of something Job has done wrong. But Job pushes back, reminding his friends that wisdom and understanding cannot be reduced to easy religious explanations.

In Acts, the early church gathers in Jerusalem to consider whether Gentile believers must follow the law of Moses in order to be fully welcomed into the community of faith. Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and James help the church recognize that God is already working among the Gentiles. They refuse to place unnecessary religious burdens upon them.

As the story continues, we encounter Lydia, whose heart is opened to receive Paul's message, and a Philippian jailer whose life is transformed through an extraordinary encounter with grace.

Together, these passages invite us to move beyond religious certainty and into the freedom of knowing Jesus. The gospel isn't about our ability to satisfy every religious requirement. It's about the God who has come near, who has embraced our humanity, and who invites us to participate in his life.

TODAY'S DEVOTION

Grace Makes Room for Everyone

There's a fascinating contrast in our reading today.

In the book of Job, we meet Zophar, one of Job's friends. And Zophar is absolutely certain that he understands what's going on.

He has his theology all figured out. He knows how God works. He knows why people suffer. And he's pretty confident that if Job would just get himself straightened out, everything would be fine.

But here's the problem.

Zophar doesn't actually know what he's talking about.

He has a tidy explanation for something that is far more complicated than he understands.

And I think there's something for us to learn here.

Because religious certainty can sometimes become a barrier to actually seeing people. We become so convinced that we have the right answers that we stop listening. We stop being curious. We stop making room for the mystery of another person's life.

And sometimes, we even mistake our certainty for faith.

Now, when we turn to Acts 15, we find the early church wrestling with a similar kind of question.

The good news of Jesus has been spreading. Gentiles are coming to faith. The Holy Spirit is being poured out upon people who weren't part of the traditional religious community.

And some of the believers are concerned.

They believe these new followers of Jesus need to be circumcised and follow the law of Moses.

In other words, before these people can really belong, they need to become like us.

Does that sound familiar?

It's remarkable how often we human beings find ways to make belonging conditional.

We establish our categories. We draw our boundaries. We decide what people need to believe, how they need to behave, and what they need to do before we can fully welcome them.

But then Peter stands up and reminds everyone of something extraordinary.

God has already given these Gentiles the Holy Spirit.

God has already welcomed them.

And Peter asks why they would place a burden upon these people that even their ancestors had not been able to bear.

Then he says that it's through the grace of the Lord Jesus that we are saved.

Grace.

Not religious performance. Not getting every theological question right. Not successfully navigating all the requirements that people have created.

Grace.

Friends, I think this is one of the most liberating truths of the gospel.

God's love is not the reward for successfully becoming the kind of person we think God wants us to be.

God's love is the very source of our transformation.

And when we look at Jesus, we see what that love looks like.

We see the One who welcomes sinners to his table. The One who touches those others refuse to touch. The One who moves toward the people who have been pushed to the margins.

Jesus reveals a Father who is not reluctant to love his children.

He's the One who has come looking for us.

And in Jesus Christ, God has joined himself to our humanity and opened to us the life he shares with the Father and the Spirit.

That's the good news.

Now, this doesn't mean that how we live doesn't matter.

Of course it matters.

But it means that our transformation begins with grace, not with fear.

It begins with the discovery that we are loved, not with the desperate effort to make ourselves lovable.

And I love what happens next in Acts.

Paul and his companions arrive in Philippi, and they meet a woman named Lydia.

The Lord opens her heart, and she welcomes them into her home.

Then later, Paul and Silas are thrown into prison. And in the middle of the night, while they're praying and singing, an earthquake shakes the prison.

The doors open. The chains come loose.

And the jailer, terrified that his prisoners have escaped, prepares to take his own life.

But Paul cries out, telling him not to harm himself. Everyone is still there.

Think about that.

Paul and Silas have been beaten and imprisoned. They've been treated unjustly. And now, when they have an opportunity to escape, their first concern is for the life of the man who has been guarding them.

That's what grace looks like.

It's not simply a theological idea.

It's a way of being human that reflects the life of Jesus.

A life that refuses to treat another person as an enemy to be discarded.

A life that sees the humanity of the person standing in front of us.

A life that makes room for mercy, compassion, and love.

And that night, the jailer and his household discover the good news of Jesus.

The man who had been guarding the prison becomes a brother.

That's the beautiful work of grace.

It changes the way we see God. It changes the way we see ourselves. And it changes the way we see one another.

So I wonder what this might mean for us today.

Perhaps there's someone in your life whom you've been seeing through the lens of a particular label or category.

Perhaps there's someone whose story you don't fully understand.

Or maybe you're the one who's been carrying the burden of trying to earn your place with God.

Maybe you've spent years believing that if you could just pray enough, believe correctly enough, or get your life together, then God would finally be pleased with you.

Well, friends, I want you to look at Jesus.

See the Father's heart revealed in him.

See the One who has come all the way into our humanity to bring us into the joy of his life.

You don't have to persuade God to love you.

You are already loved.

And that love is not an excuse to remain unchanged. It's the very power by which we are made new.

So today, let's lay down the burden of trying to earn what has already been freely given.

Let's be people who listen before we judge.

People who make room for others.

People who are willing to discover that the Spirit of God may already be at work in places we hadn't thought to look.

That's the prayer that I have for my own soul. And that's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife and my daughters. And that's the prayer that I have for you.

May we grow in the freedom of God's grace. May our eyes be opened to the people around us. And may we become living expressions of the welcome, kindness, and love that have been revealed to us in Jesus Christ.

And remember, friends, you are loved.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

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One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Today, October 21st, our journey through Scripture takes us into Job 9–10 and Acts 13–14.

In Job, we encounter a man struggling to make sense of his suffering. He longs to present his case before God, but feels the overwhelming distance between himself and the Almighty. He wishes there were someone who could stand between them, someone who could bring them together.

In Acts, Paul and Barnabas begin their missionary journey, proclaiming the good news of Jesus. They encounter people who joyfully receive the message, but they also face fierce resistance. Paul is even stoned and left for dead. Yet the message of grace continues to spread.

These readings invite us to recognize that faith isn't the absence of questions or hardship. It's learning to discover the presence of Jesus in the middle of them. And in Christ, we see the answer to Job's longing: God himself has come near, joining our humanity to his life and revealing a love that will not let us go.

TODAY'S DEVOTION

Grace Is Still at Work

There's something deeply moving about Job's words in our reading today.

Job is suffering. He's lost nearly everything. His friends have been offering explanations, trying to make sense of what's happened to him. But their answers haven't helped.

And now Job says something that I think gets right to the heart of the human condition.

He wishes there were someone who could stand between him and God. Someone who could bring them together. Someone who could lay a hand on both.

It's a beautiful and heartbreaking longing.

Job feels the distance between himself and God, and he doesn't know how to cross it.

And I wonder how many of us have felt that way.

Maybe you've found yourself in circumstances you simply cannot understand. Maybe you've prayed and prayed, and the answers haven't come. Maybe you've experienced loss, disappointment, or suffering that has caused you to question things you once felt certain about.

And somewhere along the way, you've wondered, where is God in all of this?

I think Job gives us permission to ask those questions. He doesn't hide his pain. He doesn't pretend to be fine. He brings his whole self, his confusion, his frustration, his grief, right into the conversation.

And I think there's something profoundly faithful about that.

But here's what I want us to see today.

Job is longing for someone who can stand between God and humanity, someone who can bring them together.

And when we turn our eyes toward Jesus, we discover something extraordinary.

God himself has come to us.

In Jesus Christ, God has taken hold of our humanity. He's entered into our condition. He's joined himself to us, not as a distant observer, but as one of us.

The One Job longed for has come.

And Jesus doesn't simply stand at a distance, trying to negotiate some kind of peace between a reluctant God and a frightened humanity.

No. Jesus reveals that the Father has always been for us.

He reveals the heart of God, a heart filled with mercy, compassion, and steadfast love.

And in Jesus, we discover that we have been embraced in a love far greater than we could ever imagine.

Now, that doesn't mean all our questions suddenly disappear.

It doesn't mean that suffering becomes easy to understand.

And it certainly doesn't mean that following Jesus will exempt us from difficulty.

Just look at Paul and Barnabas in our reading from Acts.

They're sharing the good news. People are responding. Lives are being transformed. And at the same time, there's opposition, misunderstanding, and even violence.

Paul is stoned and dragged outside the city, left for dead.

And yet, somehow, the story continues.

The message continues.

Grace continues to do its work.

I think sometimes we imagine that if God is really with us, things ought to become easier. The doors should open. The opposition should disappear. The pain should go away.

But the story of Jesus tells us something different.

The cross itself reminds us that the presence of God is not always accompanied by the absence of suffering.

Sometimes the very place where we imagine God is most absent becomes the place where his love is most clearly revealed.

And that's important for us to remember.

Because the circumstances of our lives are not always reliable interpreters of the heart of God.

Jesus is.

If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.

If you want to know how God feels about humanity, look at Jesus.

If you want to know whether God has abandoned you in your suffering, look at Jesus.

See him entering our darkness. See him embracing our humanity. See him giving himself in love. And see him rising again, carrying our humanity into the life of the Father.

That's where we find our hope.

Not in having every question answered, but in discovering that the God who knows us completely has already come near.

Maybe today you're facing something that doesn't make sense.

Maybe you're tired of trying to figure it all out. Maybe you've heard enough religious explanations to last a lifetime, and what you really need is to know that you're not alone.

Well, friends, here's the good news.

You are not alone.

Jesus is with you.

His grace is at work, even in places you cannot yet recognize.

And perhaps today you can give yourself permission to stop trying to make sense of everything and simply rest in the One who holds you.

You don't have to understand everything to be loved.

You don't have to have all the answers to belong.

You don't have to get your life figured out before you can begin to participate in the life that Jesus has already opened to you.

You are included in his love. You are invited to trust him. And you can take the next step, whatever that step may be, knowing that his grace will meet you there.

That's the prayer that I have for my own soul. And that's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife and my daughters. And that's the prayer that I have for you.

May we learn to see Jesus in the middle of our questions. May we discover the presence of God even in the difficult places. And may we find the freedom to rest in the love of the One who has come near and who will never let us go.

And remember, friends, you are loved.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Today, October 20th, our journey through Scripture takes us into Job 6–8 and Acts 12.

In Job, we hear the anguish of a man whose suffering has become almost unbearable. Job doesn't need another explanation for his pain. He needs someone who will listen, someone who will sit with him in his grief. Yet his friends continue to offer answers that only deepen his isolation.

In Acts 12, the early church faces persecution. James is killed, and Peter is imprisoned. The community gathers in prayer, and in an extraordinary moment, Peter is delivered from prison by an angel. Even those praying for him can hardly believe what has happened.

Together, these passages reveal the complexity of suffering, the importance of compassionate presence, and the hope we have in the God who has made himself known in Jesus Christ. Not every prison door opens as we expect. But the risen Jesus is present, and his love remains steadfast even in the darkness.

TODAY'S DEVOTION

The God Who Makes a Way

There's something about the story of Peter in Acts 12 that captures my imagination.

Peter is in prison. He's chained between two soldiers. There are guards at the doors. Herod has every intention of bringing him out for public trial, and the prospects aren't good.

In fact, we're told that James, the brother of John, has already been killed.

So this is no small thing. The church is grieving. The church is afraid. And Peter is sitting in a prison cell, chained up, with seemingly no way out.

But then something extraordinary happens.

An angel appears. A light shines in the darkness. Peter is awakened, and the chains fall from his wrists.

And the angel says, in essence, get up. Get dressed. Put on your sandals. Follow me.

Peter doesn't even seem to know what's happening. He thinks he's having a vision. But he follows. And as he does, the iron gate leading to the city opens before him.

What a remarkable story.

But here's what I want us to notice.

Earlier in the chapter, James is killed. And now Peter is delivered.

Two faithful followers of Jesus. Two very different outcomes.

And I think that's important because sometimes we approach stories like this and imagine that if we just pray hard enough, believe strongly enough, or have enough faith, every prison door will open.

But that's not the story the Scriptures are telling us.

And Job certainly wouldn't recognize that version of the story either.

Job is suffering terribly. He's lost so much. And his friends keep trying to explain it all. They want to make his pain fit into a tidy theological system. If you're good, God blesses you. If you're suffering, there must be something you've done wrong.

But Job knows it's not that simple.

And neither is life.

Friends, I think we can be so quick to search for explanations when what we really need is to encounter the presence of God.

And this is where I want us to look at Jesus.

Because when we look at Jesus, we discover a God who doesn't stand at a distance from human suffering. We see the One who enters into it.

Jesus knows what it's like to be abandoned. He knows what it's like to be misunderstood, rejected, and betrayed. He knows what it's like to face death.

And on the cross, he enters fully into the depths of our human condition.

But that's not the end of the story.

In the resurrection, Jesus reveals that suffering and death do not have the final word. The love of God is stronger. The life of God is greater.

And that is our hope.

Not that every circumstance will turn out the way we want. Not that every prayer will be answered according to our expectations. But that we belong to the One who has overcome death itself.

And because we belong to him, we are never abandoned.

I wonder if there's someone listening today who feels a little like Job. Maybe you've been carrying something for a long time. Maybe people have offered you all kinds of explanations, and none of them have helped.

Or maybe you feel like Peter, sitting in a place where you can't see a way forward.

If that's you, I want you to know that Jesus is with you.

You may not see the open door today. You may not hear the chains falling to the ground. You may still be waiting, still grieving, still wondering what comes next.

But your circumstances are not the measure of God's love for you.

Jesus is.

He is the revelation of the Father's heart. And in him, we see a God who has joined himself to us, who shares our humanity, and who refuses to let suffering and death have the final word.

So perhaps today's invitation is simply this: trust the One who is with you.

And if you know someone who's suffering, maybe resist the temptation to explain it all. Maybe the most Christlike thing you can do is sit beside them, listen, and remind them through your presence that they are not alone.

That's the prayer that I have for my own soul. And that's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife and my daughters. And that's the prayer that I have for you.

May we learn to recognize the presence of Jesus in the middle of our circumstances. May we become people who offer compassion rather than easy answers. And may we rest in the assurance that the love of God, revealed in Jesus Christ, will have the final word.

And remember, friends, you are loved.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

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One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Today, October 19th, our journey through Scripture takes us into Job 5, Psalm 108, and Acts 10–11.

In Job, Eliphaz continues his attempt to explain the suffering of his friend. His words contain familiar religious wisdom, but they also reveal the danger of assuming we understand the reasons behind another person's pain.

Psalm 108 calls us to trust in the steadfast love and faithfulness of God, a love that reaches beyond the heavens.

And in Acts, we encounter one of the most extraordinary moments in the early church. Peter receives a vision that challenges his understanding of who is clean and unclean. When he enters the home of Cornelius, a Gentile, he discovers that the Holy Spirit has already been at work.

What Peter once considered outside the boundaries of God's people, God has already welcomed.

Today's readings invite us to lay down our assumptions, reconsider the boundaries we have inherited, and discover the beautiful freedom of the gospel. God's love is wider than we imagine, and his grace is always moving toward us.

TODAY'S DEVOTION

You Are Already Welcome

There's a wonderful moment in our reading today that I think we need to pay attention to.

Peter has a vision. A sheet is lowered from heaven, filled with animals that Peter has always understood to be unclean. And he hears a voice telling him to get up, kill, and eat.

Peter objects. He knows the rules. He knows the boundaries. He knows what is acceptable and what is not.

And then he hears these words: "Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean."

Now, that's quite a statement.

And as the story unfolds, Peter begins to understand that this vision isn't ultimately about food. It's about people. It's about the way he has learned to see others. It's about the boundaries he's been taught to maintain between himself and those who are different from him.

And suddenly, those boundaries are being challenged by the living God.

Peter goes to the home of Cornelius, a Gentile, someone he would not ordinarily associate with in this way. And as he shares the good news of Jesus, the Holy Spirit falls upon everyone gathered there.

Before Peter can establish a new set of requirements, before he can determine whether these people qualify, before he can decide whether they belong, God has already acted.

And Peter is left with a remarkable discovery.

God shows no favoritism.

Friends, I wonder how often we find ourselves standing where Peter stood.

We have our categories. We have our traditions. We have our convictions about who is in and who is out. And sometimes, without even realizing it, we begin to imagine that the love of God is confined within those boundaries.

But then Jesus comes along and opens our eyes.

And we discover that God's grace has been at work in places we never expected.

I think this is one of the beautiful things about the gospel. Jesus doesn't come to persuade a reluctant Father to love humanity. Jesus comes to reveal the Father who has loved us all along.

In him, we see the heart of God laid bare.

And what do we see?

We see the One who moves toward the outsider. The One who welcomes the stranger. The One who touches the untouchable. The One who sits at tables with people others have decided don't belong.

We see a God whose love is not something we manufacture through religious performance. It's a gift. It's the very life of God, shared with us in Jesus Christ.

And here's something else I love about this story.

Peter isn't the one bringing God to Cornelius. God is already there.

Peter is simply discovering what God has already been doing.

That changes the way we see the world, doesn't it?

Perhaps our calling isn't to decide who deserves the grace of God. Perhaps our calling is to recognize where that grace is already at work and to join in.

To become people who see others through the eyes of Jesus.

To become people who open doors rather than close them.

To become people who welcome, because we ourselves have been welcomed.

Maybe you've spent a good portion of your life wondering whether you really belong. Maybe you've been told, directly or indirectly, that there's something about your story, your past, your questions, or your life that places you outside the reach of God's love.

If that's you, I hope you'll hear the good news in today's reading.

Look at Jesus.

See the Father's heart revealed in him.

The God who has made himself known in Jesus is not looking for reasons to keep you at a distance. He has come near. He has embraced our humanity. He has opened the way for us to share in his life.

And as we begin to believe that, something changes.

We become free to extend to others the same generosity, kindness, and love that we've received.

That's the prayer that I have for my own soul. That's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife and my daughters. And that's the prayer that I have for you.

May we have eyes to see what God has already made clean. May we recognize his presence in unexpected people and places. And may we learn to live as people who know that, in Jesus Christ, the welcome of God is wider and more wonderful than we ever imagined.

And remember, friends, you are loved.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

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TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Job 3–4; Acts 8–9

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One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible-in-a-year podcast with 20-minute Scripture readings, Christ-centered devotion, and guided prayer. This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Today, October 18th, our journey through Scripture takes us into Job 3–4 and Acts 8–9. In Job, we hear the cries of a man overwhelmed by suffering. Job doesn't hide his anguish or pretend that everything is fine. His friend Eliphaz begins to offer explanations, but his words remind us how easily we can misunderstand the suffering of others when we're more interested in providing answers than offering our presence.

In Acts, we witness something remarkable. The life of Jesus is spreading beyond the familiar boundaries of Jerusalem. Philip shares the good news with the people of Samaria and an Ethiopian official. Then Saul, a man determined to destroy the followers of Jesus, encounters the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. His eyes are opened, and everything changes.

These passages remind us that God's love is far greater than our expectations. His grace reaches into our suffering, crosses the boundaries we've created, and transforms even those we might consider beyond hope.

TODAY'S DEVOTION

The Grace That Opens Our Eyes

Something remarkable is happening in our reading today. The life of Jesus is spreading. It's moving beyond Jerusalem, beyond the familiar, beyond the people anyone might have expected.

We see Philip bringing the good news to Samaria. We see an Ethiopian official, someone who would have been considered an outsider in so many ways, welcomed into the life of Christ. And then we see Saul. Saul, of all people. A man who has been breathing threats against the followers of Jesus. A man who is absolutely convinced that he's doing the right thing, even as he's doing terrible harm.

And what does Jesus do? He meets him on the road.

I want us to think about that for a moment. Jesus doesn't come to Saul with a message that he is beyond hope. He comes to reveal himself. And the man who had been so certain he could see clearly discovers that he's been blind all along.

That's a powerful picture of grace, isn't it?

Because sometimes the greatest blindness isn't the inability to see. It's being absolutely certain that we already do.

Saul had his convictions. He had his theology. He had his understanding of who was in and who was out. But then he encountered Jesus, and everything he thought he knew had to be reconsidered in the light of the risen Christ.

And here's the beautiful thing. Jesus wasn't simply changing Saul's mind. He was bringing Saul into a whole new way of being human. A life shaped not by hostility and exclusion, but by the self-giving love of God.

Friends, that's what the gospel does. It opens our eyes to a reality that has been true in Jesus all along. That God is for us. That his love is reaching toward us. That the life Jesus shares with his Father and the Spirit is a life into which we have been graciously included.

And this life cannot be contained by the boundaries we create.

It reaches the Samaritan. It reaches the Ethiopian. It reaches the persecutor. It reaches people whose stories are complicated, whose lives are broken, whose hearts are searching. It reaches people like you and me.

Maybe today you're feeling like Job, sitting in the ashes, wondering where God is in the middle of your pain. Or maybe you're more like Saul, moving through life with a great deal of certainty, only to discover that Jesus is inviting you to see things differently.

Wherever you find yourself, the invitation is the same. Open your eyes to Jesus. See the God who has come near. See the love that refuses to give up on his creation. See the life that is being offered to you right here, right now.

And as we begin to see more clearly, we become people through whom that same love can flow into the lives of others.

That's the prayer that I have for my own soul. And that's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife and my daughters. And that's the prayer that I have for you.

May the Spirit open our eyes today. May we see Jesus more clearly, recognize his presence in unexpected places, and become people who carry his kindness, his peace, and his love into the world.

And remember, friends, you are loved.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Today, October 17th, our journey through Scripture takes us into Job 1–2 and Acts 6–7. These passages bring us face to face with suffering, injustice, loss, and the enduring faithfulness of God.

Job's life is turned upside down. He loses his possessions, his children, and eventually his health. His story raises some of life's most difficult questions about suffering and the presence of God. In Acts, we meet Stephen, a man full of grace and the Holy Spirit, whose courageous witness to Jesus leads to his death. Yet even as violence surrounds him, Stephen sees Jesus and responds with extraordinary forgiveness.

Together, these stories invite us to look beyond easy answers and discover something far more important: the God revealed in Jesus Christ is not distant from human suffering. He is the God who enters into it, who bears it with us, and whose love remains even when our world seems to be falling apart.

TODAY'S DEVOTION The God Who Suffers With Us

There's something deeply unsettling about the beginning of Job's story. In a matter of moments, everything that has given shape to his life is taken away. His children, his livelihood, his security, even his health. And Job is left sitting in the ashes, trying to make sense of a world that no longer makes sense.

I think most of us know something about those ashes. Maybe not in the way Job experienced them, but we know what it is to lose something precious. We know grief. We know disappointment. We know those moments when the life we imagined gives way to a life we never would have chosen.

And when those moments come, we often find ourselves looking for explanations. Why did this happen? What did I do wrong? Where is God in all of this?

But here's what I want us to see today. The deepest answer to our suffering isn't an explanation. It's a person. It's Jesus.

When we turn to Acts 7, we find Stephen surrounded by people who are determined to kill him. Yet in the middle of that terrible moment, Stephen looks toward heaven and sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And then, astonishingly, Stephen prays for those who are taking his life.

He's reflecting the very heart of Jesus, the one who, while hanging on the cross, prayed for the forgiveness of those who crucified him.

That's the heart of our God. He's not standing at a safe distance, observing our suffering. In Jesus, he has entered into it. He knows betrayal. He knows rejection. He knows pain, grief, and death. And he has overcome them, not through greater violence, but through the power of self-giving love.

Friends, I don't know what you may be carrying today. I don't know what losses you are grieving or what questions remain unanswered. But I want to remind you of something. You are not alone in the ashes. You are not forgotten in your pain. The risen Jesus is with you, and his love is holding you even now.

We may not always understand the story we're living, but we can come to know the One who is with us in it. And that makes all the difference.

That's the prayer that I have for my own soul. And that's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife and my daughters. And that's the prayer that I have for you.

May you come to see that the God revealed in Jesus is not the author of your destruction but the One who meets you in the midst of it, who carries you through it, and who will never let you go.

And remember, friends, you are loved.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Malachi 3–4; Psalm 148; Acts 5 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 16th, and we're making our way through Malachi 3–4, Psalm 148, and Acts 5. Together, these passages invite us to see the God who is at work renewing his creation and bringing life to his people.

In Acts 5, the apostles find themselves imprisoned for proclaiming Jesus. But prison walls cannot contain the good news. An angel opens the doors and sends them back into the temple with a simple instruction: tell the people about this life. That's the message. That's the gospel. Jesus has come to give us life, and that life is meant to be received, enjoyed, and shared.

TODAY'S DEVOTION

The Message Is Life

There's a beautiful moment in Acts 5 that I don't want us to miss. The apostles have been thrown into prison. The religious authorities are determined to silence them. But during the night, an angel of the Lord opens the prison doors and tells them to go back to the temple and give the people this message of life.

I love that. This message of life.

Not a message of fear. Not a message about who's in and who's out. Not a political platform or a religious agenda. The message is life. And that life has a name. Jesus.

Sometimes I think we've made the gospel so much more complicated than it needs to be. We've turned it into arguments to win, positions to defend, and lines to draw. But the apostles weren't sent into the world to win an argument. They were sent to bear witness to a person. They had encountered the risen Jesus, and in him they had discovered the life that God has always intended for his children.

And here's the wonderful thing. That life isn't simply something waiting for us on the other side of death. It's available to us now. Christ is present with us now. His life is at work in us now, drawing us out of fear and into love, out of isolation and into communion, out of darkness and into light.

So maybe today we can put down some of those things we've been carrying. The need to convince everyone. The need to be right. The need to defend God as though God were somehow threatened by our questions or our doubts.

Instead, we can simply receive the life that Jesus gives. We can become people who bear witness to that life through kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and love.

That's the invitation today. Receive his life. Live in his love. And share that life with the world around you.

And that's a prayer that I have for my own soul. And it's a prayer that I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and everyone who's making their way through the Bible with me.

May we discover again today that the gospel is wonderfully simple.

The message is life. And that life is found in Jesus.

You are loved. No doubt about it.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

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Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 13; Malachi 1–2; Acts 4 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 15th, 2026, day 288 in our journey through the Scriptures.

In Nehemiah 13, we encounter the ongoing struggle of God's people to remain faithful. Even after rebuilding the walls and renewing their covenant, old habits return. Nehemiah calls the people back to a life that reflects their relationship with God. In Malachi 1–2, the prophet challenges a people who have allowed worship to become routine, offering God their leftovers while their hearts have drifted away.

Then, in Acts 4, we witness something extraordinary. Peter and John stand courageously before the religious authorities, proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. When they return to the community, the believers pray together, asking God for boldness. The place where they are gathered is shaken, and they are filled with the Holy Spirit. Their shared life becomes a remarkable picture of generosity, unity, and courage.

These readings invite us to consider what happens when God's Spirit moves beyond our routines and awakens us to the life of Christ within us.

TODAY'S DEVOTION: When the Spirit Shakes Things Up

There's a whole lot of shaking going on.

That's what we see in Acts 4. Peter and John have just been threatened by the religious authorities. They've been told to stop speaking about Jesus. But instead of retreating into fear, they return to their friends, and together they pray.

And what do they pray for? Not protection from difficulty. Not an easier road. They pray for boldness. They ask God to continue working through them, to give them the courage to bear witness to the risen Jesus. And as they pray, the place where they're gathered is shaken.

I love that picture. The Spirit of God is shaking things up. But notice what this shaking produces. It's not simply a dramatic spiritual experience. It's a community of people who begin living differently. They're generous with one another. They're caring for those in need. They're holding their possessions loosely. They're discovering a new way of being human together, a life shaped by the presence of the risen Christ.

And I wonder if that's the kind of shaking we need too.

Sometimes we become so accustomed to our routines, our assumptions, and our ways of seeing the world that we forget what the Spirit is doing among us. We can become preoccupied with getting everything right, with protecting what we've built, or with managing our own little kingdoms. But the Spirit continues to draw us into something larger, something more beautiful, something that looks like Jesus.

The good news is that we don't have to manufacture this life. We don't have to work ourselves into a spiritual frenzy or somehow convince God to show up. In Christ, God has already come near. His Spirit has been poured out. And that same Spirit is at work in us, opening our eyes to the love of God and inviting us to participate in his life.

So maybe our prayer today is simply this: Lord, shake loose whatever keeps me from seeing you. Shake loose my fear, my selfishness, my need to control. Open my heart to the people around me. Give me the courage to love generously, to forgive freely, and to live as someone who knows that Jesus is alive.

Because wherever the Spirit of Christ is at work, love begins to take shape. Fear gives way to courage. Isolation gives way to community. And ordinary people discover that they are participants in the extraordinary life of God.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul, for my family, and for you.

May the Spirit shake things up in us, and through us, for the sake of the world God so deeply loves.

And may it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

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Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 11–12; Psalm 1; Acts 3 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 9–10; Acts 2 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 13th, 2026, day 286 in our journey through the Scriptures.

In Nehemiah 9–10, the people of Israel gather to remember their story. They confess their failures, their stubbornness, and the many ways they've wandered from God. But woven throughout their confession is something even greater: the extraordinary faithfulness of God. Again and again, God has been patient, merciful, and steadfast in his love.

Then, in Acts 2, we arrive at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is poured out upon the followers of Jesus. People from many nations hear the good news in their own languages. Peter announces that the crucified Jesus has been raised and made Lord and Messiah. And a new community begins to take shape, devoted to fellowship, prayer, generosity, and the breaking of bread. The God who has always been faithful is now making his home among his people through the Spirit.

TODAY'S DEVOTION: The Spirit Has Been Poured Out

There's a beautiful contrast between our two readings today. In Nehemiah, the people look back over their history, and they see a pattern. God has been faithful. They have been unfaithful. God has shown mercy. They have wandered away. Again and again, the story seems to repeat itself.

And yet, God never gives up on them.

I love that about this passage. The people are remembering their failures, but they're also remembering something far more important. They're remembering who God is. He's gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in unfailing love. That's the story beneath their story. That's the truth that has carried them all along.

And then we come to Acts 2, and something extraordinary happens. The Spirit of God is poured out. The presence of God is no longer something they must travel to the temple to encounter. God has come to dwell in his people.

And notice what happens. These frightened, uncertain disciples begin to speak with courage. People from different nations and languages hear the good news. Strangers become brothers and sisters. Possessions are shared. Tables are opened. A new kind of community begins to emerge.

This is what the Spirit does. The Spirit draws us into the life of Jesus, a life of love, communion, generosity, and freedom.

And here's what I want us to hear today, my friends. The Christian life is not primarily about trying harder to become the kind of people God might finally accept. It's about waking up to the astonishing reality that, in Christ, God has already come to us. He has given himself to us. His Spirit has been poured out.

We spend so much of our lives trying to close the distance between ourselves and God. We think if we could just pray more, do better, believe more firmly, or finally get our lives together, then perhaps we could draw near to him.

But Pentecost tells us something wonderful. God has crossed that distance. In Jesus Christ, he has come all the way to us. And now, by the Holy Spirit, he invites us to participate in his own life.

That's where transformation begins. Not with our frantic effort to reach God, but with receiving the God who has reached us.

So today, maybe the invitation is simply to open your hands. To stop striving for a moment. To remember that you are not alone. The Spirit of the living God is with you. And that same Spirit is at work, forming Christ's life in you.

You don't have to manufacture that life. You are invited to receive it, to participate in it, and to share it with the world.

And that's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and for you.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 7–8; Acts 1 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 12th, 2026, day 285 in our journey through the Scriptures.

Today we find the people of Israel gathering together after years of exile and rebuilding. The walls of Jerusalem have been restored, but there is something even more important happening. The people are rediscovering the Word of God. As Ezra reads the Scriptures, they begin to weep. But Nehemiah reminds them that this is not a day for sorrow. It is a day for celebration, because the joy of the Lord is their strength.

In Acts 1, we find another community standing at the threshold of something new. Jesus has risen from the dead, and before ascending to the Father, he promises his disciples that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. They are being invited into a life they could never create for themselves, a life shaped by the presence and power of the risen Christ.

TODAY'S DEVOTION: The Joy of Beginning Again

There's something beautiful about a new beginning. But there's also something frightening about it. Especially when we've been through seasons of loss, disappointment, or failure. Sometimes we wonder whether things can really be different. Whether something broken can truly be made whole.

That's where we find the people in Nehemiah today. They've rebuilt the walls, but God is doing something deeper than rebuilding a city. He's restoring a people. As they hear the Scriptures, they begin to recognize just how far they've wandered. And they weep.

But then comes this beautiful invitation: Don't mourn. Don't weep. Celebrate. Because the joy of the Lord is your strength.

I love that. Their strength isn't found in their ability to get everything right. It isn't found in their determination to never fail again. Their strength is found in the joy of the Lord. In God's own gladness, his faithfulness, his delight in the people he has never abandoned.

And then we turn to Acts 1. Jesus is preparing to leave his disciples, but he isn't leaving them alone. He promises them the Holy Spirit. The very life of God will be poured out upon them. They won't have to carry out his mission in their own strength. They will participate in his life and his work.

And that's good news for us today, my friends. Because maybe you're standing at the beginning of something new. Maybe you're rebuilding after a difficult season. Maybe you're carrying some regrets, some disappointments, or the lingering feeling that you should be further along by now.

Hear this today: The risen Christ has not abandoned you. His Spirit is with you. And the joy of the Lord is your strength.

The good news isn't that you've finally figured out how to hold everything together. The good news is that Christ holds you. And he is making all things new.

So today, receive his joy. Trust his presence. And take the next step, knowing that the One who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and for you.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 5–6; Psalm 146; Luke 24 Click HERE to give! Episode Description

Today we continue with Nehemiah as he confronts injustice within his own community and refuses to be distracted from the work God has given him. Psalm 146 reminds us not to put our ultimate trust in human power, but in the God who cares for the oppressed, the hungry, the stranger, and the brokenhearted.

Then Luke 24 brings us to resurrection morning. The tomb is empty, two discouraged disciples walk the road to Emmaus, and the risen Jesus comes alongside them before they even recognize who he is. Their eyes are eventually opened, and they discover that Christ has been with them all along. Today's readings invite us to ask for eyes to see the risen Christ already present on the road we are walking. Apple Podcasts

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TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Nehemiah 5–6; Psalm 146; Luke 24 Apple Podcasts

Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast

Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible-in-a-year podcast with about 20 minutes of Scripture readings, Christ-centered reflection, and guided prayer. This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 11th, and our readings are Nehemiah 5–6, Psalm 146, and Luke 24.

Nehemiah is still rebuilding the wall, but now he discovers that some of the greatest threats are coming from inside the community.

People are taking advantage of one another.

The poor are being crushed by debt.

Families are struggling.

And Nehemiah refuses to look away.

He confronts those who are exploiting their neighbors and reminds them that rebuilding Jerusalem means more than putting stones back into a wall.

A restored city needs restored relationships.

Justice matters.

How we treat one another matters.

Then Psalm 146 tells us where our hope ultimately belongs.

Not in rulers.

Not in human power.

Not in people who promise to fix everything.

Our hope is in the God who keeps his promises, gives justice to the oppressed, feeds the hungry, lifts those who are weighed down, and watches over the stranger.

And then we arrive at Luke 24.

The tomb is empty.

Jesus is alive.

Yet two disciples are walking toward Emmaus with heavy hearts.

They believe the story is over.

Their hopes have collapsed.

And Jesus comes walking right beside them.

They just don't recognize him.

I wonder how often that happens to us.

We think God is absent.

We think the story has ended.

We think hope has died.

And Christ is already walking beside us.

TODAY'S DEVOTION

I love the Emmaus story because these two disciples are not walking toward some great spiritual victory.

They're walking away disappointed.

They had hoped.

Those words say so much.

"We had hoped..."

We had hoped things would turn out differently.

We had hoped the relationship would heal.

We had hoped the diagnosis would be different.

We had hoped the door would open.

We had hoped the prayer would be answered the way we imagined.

We had hoped.

And sometimes the road after disappointment can feel very lonely.

But here is what they don't know.

Jesus is walking with them.

The risen Christ is right there.

They simply cannot see him yet.

And Jesus doesn't scold them for their sadness.

He walks.

He listens.

He asks questions.

Then he begins opening the Scriptures to them.

Later they will say that their hearts were burning within them while he talked with them along the road.

And finally, at the table, he takes bread.

He blesses it.

He breaks it.

And suddenly their eyes are opened.

They recognize him.

I wonder if resurrection sometimes comes to us like that.

Not always as fireworks.

Sometimes as recognition.

A moment when we suddenly realize:

Christ has been here all along.

Present in the conversation.

Present in the stranger.

Present in the Scriptures.

Present at the table.

Present in our grief.

Present even on the road we thought we were walking alone.

The disciples had interpreted Friday as the end of the story.

But God was already writing Sunday.

Maybe there are places in your own life that still feel like Friday.

Something has been lost.

Something hasn't turned out the way you expected.

Something you hoped for has disappeared.

You don't have to pretend it doesn't hurt.

But don't assume the story is finished.

The risen Christ may be closer than you realize.

Ask for eyes to see.

Ask for a heart awake to his presence.

Listen again.

Look again.

Receive the bread.

Receive the grace.

And perhaps you will discover that the One you thought was absent has been walking beside you the entire time.

Christ is risen.

Hope is alive.

And you are loved.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

Listen with Apple Podcast

DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 3–4; Luke 23 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 10th, and our readings are Nehemiah 3–4 and Luke 23.

Nehemiah is rebuilding.

And almost immediately, resistance comes.

People mock the work.

They question whether it can succeed.

Threats begin to grow.

Fear starts spreading among the people.

But Nehemiah keeps calling them back to courage.

They pray.

They organize.

They watch.

They work.

The image is striking. Some are building while others stand guard.

They are learning that rebuilding something broken can require both tenderness and courage.

Then we come to Luke 23.

And there is Jesus.

Accused.

Mocked.

Beaten.

Crucified.

The violence around him is staggering.

And yet Jesus does not become what is being done to him.

He does not answer hatred with hatred.

He does not answer violence with revenge.

He says:

"Father, forgive them."

Even on the cross, love remains love.

That may be one of the most astonishing things about Jesus.

The world does its worst.

And Jesus still reveals the heart of God.

TODAY'S DEVOTION

There are seasons when life feels like rebuilding a wall.

Something has been broken.

A relationship.

A dream.

Trust.

Confidence.

A sense of safety.

Maybe even your understanding of yourself.

And rebuilding can be exhausting.

Nehemiah discovers that almost as soon as the work begins, criticism comes.

People laugh.

They question.

They threaten.

And fear begins whispering:

Maybe this isn't going to work.

Maybe you're not strong enough.

Maybe you should stop.

I think most of us know those voices.

Sometimes they come from other people.

Sometimes they come from inside us.

But Nehemiah keeps reminding the people why they began.

Keep building.

Stay awake.

Don't give up.

And then Luke 23 gives us an even deeper picture of courage.

Jesus is on the cross.

Everything around him seems to say that violence has won.

Empire has won.

Fear has won.

Death has won.

But Jesus refuses to surrender his heart to hatred.

"Father, forgive them."

Think about that.

They can take his clothing.

They can wound his body.

They can mock his dignity.

But they cannot make him stop loving.

That is a different kind of strength.

Maybe we sometimes imagine strength as becoming harder.

More guarded.

More aggressive.

Less vulnerable.

But Jesus shows us something else.

Real strength may be the ability to remain loving when the world gives us every reason not to.

To remain human.

To remain compassionate.

To remain ourselves.

You may be rebuilding something today.

And maybe you're tired.

Maybe criticism has gotten into your head.

Maybe you're wondering whether the work matters.

Keep building.

But don't let the struggle turn your heart to stone.

Let Jesus show you another way.

Courage with compassion.

Strength without domination.

Boundaries without hatred.

Truth without cruelty.

Faithfulness without losing your soul.

The cross tells us that love can enter the darkest place imaginable and still remain love.

And resurrection tells us that this love will have the final word.

So keep building.

Keep loving.

Keep taking the next faithful step.

You are not alone in the work.

And you are loved.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

Listen with Apple Podcast

DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 1–2; Psalm 133; Luke 22 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 9th, and our readings are Nehemiah 1–2, Psalm 133, and Luke 22.

Nehemiah receives news that breaks his heart.

Jerusalem is in ruins. The walls are broken down. The gates have been burned.

And Nehemiah doesn't rush immediately into action.

He sits down.

He weeps.

He mourns.

He fasts.

He prays.

There is something important there.

Before Nehemiah becomes a builder, he becomes someone willing to feel the weight of what is broken.

His action grows out of compassion.

Then Psalm 133 gives us this beautiful picture of unity, of people dwelling together in peace.

And in Luke 22, we enter the upper room.

Jesus breaks bread.

He pours out the cup.

He tells his disciples what is coming.

His body will be given.

His blood will be poured out.

And somehow, in the middle of all this, the disciples begin arguing about which of them is the greatest.

Jesus responds by turning their entire understanding of greatness upside down.

The rulers of this world seek power, position, and recognition.

But Jesus says it will not be that way among you.

The greatest among you must become like the least.

The leader must become like one who serves.

And then Jesus points to himself:

"I am among you as one who serves."

That is our King.

TODAY'S DEVOTION

There is a kind of greatness the world understands very well.

Be important.

Be noticed.

Be influential.

Be the one in charge.

Have the right title.

Build the platform.

Win the argument.

And then there is Jesus.

Sitting at a table.

Breaking bread.

Serving his friends.

Even knowing that one will betray him.

Another will deny him.

And the rest will run away.

Still, he gives himself.

"I am among you as one who serves."

That sentence stops me.

Because Jesus does not simply teach servanthood.

He embodies it.

The King kneels.

The Lord gives.

The One with all authority does not use that authority to protect himself from suffering.

He uses it to love.

And this is where Nehemiah's story connects for me.

Nehemiah sees something broken and allows it to matter to him.

He does not say, "Someone should do something."

He allows compassion to draw him into the story.

He prays.

He listens.

He risks.

He serves.

Maybe that is where kingdom leadership always begins.

Not with ambition.

Not with a need to be important.

But with love.

With a willingness to notice what is broken and ask:

How can I serve here?

Jesus knows Peter will fail him.

And yet he says something remarkable.

"I have prayed for you."

And then he tells Peter that after he has turned back, he is to strengthen his brothers.

Even Peter's failure will not be the end of his story.

Grace will meet him there.

And the mercy Peter receives will become mercy he can offer to others.

Maybe that is true for us too.

We don't serve because we have everything together.

We serve because we have been served.

We forgive because we have been forgiven.

We love because we have first been loved.

The kingdom of God is not built by people climbing over one another to become great.

It is revealed when people kneel beside one another in love.

So maybe the question for today isn't:

How can I become more important?

Maybe the question is:

Who can I serve?

Who needs encouragement?

Who needs to be heard?

Who needs someone to sit with them in what is broken?

Who needs mercy?

This is the way of Jesus.

The King who serves.

And this King has come near to you.

You are loved.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

Listen with Apple Podcast

DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezra 9–10; Psalm 131; Luke 21 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 8th, and our readings are Ezra 9–10, Psalm 131, and Luke 21.

There is a lot happening in these passages.

Ezra is grieving what he sees among his people. There is confession, sorrow, and the painful recognition that something needs to change.

Then Psalm 131 gives us a very different image.

The psalmist says that he has calmed and quieted himself, like a child resting with its mother.

And then we come to Luke 21.

Jesus watches a poor widow place two small coins into the offering.

Others give from their abundance. She gives from her poverty.

Then Jesus begins speaking about the temple, about upheaval, conflict, persecution, and uncertainty.

The world his disciples know will change.

Some of the things they believed were permanent will not remain.

And Jesus tells them:

Don't panic.

Don't be deceived.

Don't allow fear to determine how you live.

Remain faithful.

Endure.

Stay awake.

Maybe Psalm 131 gives us a picture of how that is possible.

A quiet heart does not mean a trouble-free life.

It means discovering where to rest when the world around us is anything but quiet.

TODAY'S DEVOTION

I keep coming back to the image in Psalm 131.

A quieted soul.

The psalmist says,

"I have calmed and quieted myself."

That sounds wonderful.

But it is not always easy.

Our minds can be noisy places.

We rehearse conversations.

We anticipate problems that haven't happened yet.

We imagine outcomes.

We try to predict what other people are thinking.

We attempt to control tomorrow before tomorrow arrives.

And then Jesus says something remarkably simple in Luke 21:

Don't panic.

He isn't saying that nothing difficult will happen.

In fact, he has just told his disciples that difficult things will happen.

Things will change.

Structures they trusted will fall.

There will be conflict.

There will be uncertainty.

There will be moments when they don't know what comes next.

But Jesus seems to be saying:

You don't have to allow the chaos around you to become the chaos within you.

There is another place from which you can live.

Psalm 131 describes it as a child resting with its mother.

No argument.

No explanation.

No certainty about tomorrow.

Just trust.

Maybe faith sometimes looks like that.

Not having all the answers.

Not knowing exactly what will happen.

Not pretending everything is fine.

But learning to rest in the presence of God.

And that brings me back to the widow Jesus notices.

She has almost nothing.

Two small coins.

Yet Jesus sees something in her that others miss.

She opens her hand.

She gives.

She trusts.

Perhaps the invitation today is not to figure everything out.

Perhaps it is simply to unclench our hands.

To loosen our grip on the things we cannot control.

To quiet ourselves in the presence of the One who holds us.

There may be things happening in your life right now that feel uncertain.

There may be decisions you don't know how to make.

There may be circumstances you wish you could change.

There may be something you've been carrying around in your mind all night long.

You don't have to solve tomorrow today.

You can be here.

You can breathe.

You can open your hands.

You can allow your soul to become quiet again.

The world may be noisy.

The future may be uncertain.

But you are held.

And you are loved.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

Listen with Apple Podcast

DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezra 7–8; Luke 20 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 7th, and our readings are Ezra 7–8 and Luke 20.

Ezra is preparing for a journey.

He has been given permission to return to Jerusalem, and others will travel with him. There are resources to carry, people to lead, dangers along the road, and plenty that could go wrong.

And yet Ezra keeps returning to one simple phrase.

The gracious hand of God was upon us.

I love that.

Ezra does not pretend there are no risks. He does not ignore the uncertainty of the journey. He simply learns to recognize another reality alongside all of those things.

Grace is present.

God is at work.

He is not alone.

Then in Luke 20, Jesus finds himself surrounded by people asking questions designed to corner him.

"Who gave you this authority?"

"Should we pay taxes to Caesar?"

Questions about resurrection.

Questions intended to expose him, embarrass him, or force him into someone else's categories.

But Jesus remains remarkably free.

He does not allow their anxiety to become his anxiety.

He does not let their hostility determine his posture.

He knows who he is.

And maybe that is part of what it means to live under the gracious hand of God.

We don't have to control every circumstance.

We don't have to have an answer for everyone.

We don't have to be ruled by the fear of what might happen next.

We can walk the road before us knowing that grace is already there.

TODAY'S DEVOTION

There is something beautifully ordinary about Ezra's phrase:

The gracious hand of God was on us.

Ezra says it more than once.

Almost as though he has learned to look back over his life and recognize a pattern.

There were circumstances he could not control.

There were people he depended upon.

There were dangers he could not predict.

And yet, somehow, grace kept meeting him.

I wonder how often we miss that.

We can become so focused on what might go wrong that we stop noticing the grace that is already carrying us.

Sometimes the gracious hand of God looks dramatic.

A door opens.

A prayer is answered.

Something impossible suddenly becomes possible.

But often it is quieter than that.

It is the person who calls at the right moment.

It is strength when you thought you had none left.

It is wisdom that comes slowly.

It is courage to have the conversation you have been avoiding.

It is enough light for the next step.

Grace does not always remove uncertainty.

Sometimes grace simply accompanies us through it.

Ezra still had a journey to make.

There were still miles ahead.

There were still risks.

But he could move forward because he believed that the presence of God was greater than the uncertainty of the road.

Maybe you are standing at the beginning of some journey today.

Something is changing.

Something is ending.

Something new is beginning.

And perhaps you don't know exactly how it is going to unfold.

You don't need to know everything.

You don't have to see the whole road.

Maybe today you simply need to recognize the gracious hand of God.

Look back for a moment.

Notice where you have been carried.

Notice the people who have appeared along the way.

Notice the strength you didn't know you had.

Notice the small mercies.

Notice the grace.

And then take the next step.

The gracious hand of God is still upon you.

You are loved.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

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One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 5th, and our readings are Esther 3–8 and Luke 18.

Today the story of Esther moves into dangerous territory.

Haman's anger toward Mordecai becomes something much larger. His resentment turns into a plan to destroy an entire people. Esther suddenly discovers that her position in the palace is not merely a place of comfort or privilege. It has placed her at the center of a moment that will require courage.

Mordecai sends her those famous words: perhaps she has come to this royal position for such a time as this.

Esther does not know what will happen. She cannot control the king. She cannot guarantee her own safety. She can only decide whether she will step forward.

And she does.

Then Luke 18 gives us people who come to God with empty hands: a persistent widow, a tax collector crying out for mercy, little children being brought to Jesus, and a blind man calling from the roadside.

Again and again, Jesus directs our attention away from status, control, and self-sufficiency and toward trust.

Maybe faith often looks like Esther standing outside the king's door.

We do not know how the story will unfold.

We simply know the next faithful step.

TODAY'S DEVOTION

There are moments in life when we realize that we are standing somewhere we never expected to be.

Esther certainly did.

She did not choose the political crisis unfolding around her. She did not create Haman's hatred. She could not control the king or guarantee how he would respond.

But she could choose what she would do with the moment she had been given.

"For such a time as this."

That phrase can sometimes sound grand, as if every moment of faithfulness must involve something heroic or dramatic. But most of the time, I think it is much quieter than that.

It might mean telling the truth when silence would be easier.

It might mean showing compassion when fear tells us to protect ourselves.

It might mean asking for help.

It might mean forgiving someone.

It might mean speaking when someone else has no voice.

It might simply mean taking one small step toward the life and love of Christ.

And Luke 18 reminds us how we take that step.

Not with clenched fists.

Not by proving ourselves.

Not because we have everything figured out.

We come like the tax collector who simply says, "God, be merciful to me."

We come like a child.

We come like the blind man calling out from the roadside.

We come with empty hands.

Esther could not see the whole story from where she stood. Neither can we.

But God is present in the part of the story we cannot yet see.

You don't have to know how everything will turn out.

You don't have to control the outcome.

You can simply ask:

What does love require of me here?

And then take the next faithful step.

Maybe this moment, ordinary or difficult as it may seem, is your moment to receive courage, extend mercy, tell the truth, or simply trust.

Perhaps you are here for such a time as this.

And remember, whatever this day holds:

You are loved.

TODAY'S PRAYERS

Prayer of Surrender

Lord Jesus, give me courage for the moment before me. Free me from the need to control the outcome. Help me recognize the next faithful step and give me grace to take it. Amen.

Prayer for Mercy

Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me. Open my eyes to your presence. Teach me to receive your kingdom with the trust of a child. Amen.

Prayer for Courage

Father, where fear makes me silent, give me courage. Where pride makes me self-sufficient, make me humble. Where anxiety makes me grasp for control, teach me to trust. May your love shape the way I live today. Amen.

Daily Radio Bible dailyradiobible.com

Scripture readings from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Today 7:33 PM October 6th October 6th, 2026: Esther 9–10; Luke 19: The King Who Comes Near Episode Description

Today's reading brings the book of Esther to its conclusion. The danger facing the Jewish people is reversed, deliverance comes, and the festival of Purim is established as a lasting remembrance of rescue, courage, and providence.

In Luke 19, Jesus meets Zacchaeus, tells the parable of the ten servants, enters Jerusalem to shouts of praise, and weeps over the city. The King has come near, but not everyone recognizes the kind of kingdom he is bringing.

Jesus is not distant from the people others overlook. He sees Zacchaeus in the tree. He receives the praise of the crowd. He weeps over Jerusalem. And he continues moving toward the cross.

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TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Esther 9–10; Luke 19

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Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible-in-a-year podcast with about 20 minutes of Scripture readings, Christ-centered reflection, and guided prayer. This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 6th, and our readings are Esther 9–10 and Luke 19.

The story of Esther closes with reversal.

The plot intended to destroy an entire people is overturned. Mordecai is honored. Esther's courage has helped change the course of events. And the people establish Purim as a way of remembering what happened.

Remembering matters.

We are people who forget. We forget where grace has met us. We forget how frightened we once were. We forget the doors that opened, the people who showed up, the strength we discovered only when we needed it.

Then Luke 19 introduces us to Zacchaeus.

He is wealthy, powerful, and despised.

And Jesus sees him.

Not the reputation. Not the label. Not simply what everyone else thinks about him.

Jesus sees Zacchaeus.

And when Jesus comes near, something begins to change.

Zacchaeus opens his home. He opens his hands. He begins to imagine a different way of living.

Jesus says, "The Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost."

That is the heart of the King who enters Jerusalem.

A King who seeks.

A King who saves.

A King who comes near.

TODAY'S DEVOTION

Zacchaeus climbed a tree because he wanted to see Jesus.

But the surprise of the story is that Jesus was already looking for him.

I love that.

Zacchaeus probably imagined that he was the observer.

He would stay above the crowd, keep some distance, get a look at Jesus, and then go home.

But Jesus stops.

Looks up.

Calls him by name.

And says, in effect, "I'm coming to your house."

Grace has a way of doing that.

We think we are searching for God, only to discover that God has already come looking for us.

And when Jesus comes near, Zacchaeus begins to change.

Jesus does not begin by shaming him.

He does not stand beneath the tree and recite everything Zacchaeus has done wrong.

He offers relationship.

Presence.

Welcome.

And something in Zacchaeus opens.

He starts talking about generosity. Restitution. Repair.

Maybe transformation often begins there.

Not with shame, but with being seen.

Not with condemnation, but with encounter.

Not with someone forcing us to become different, but with love making a different life imaginable.

Then Jesus rides into Jerusalem.

The crowds celebrate.

But Jesus weeps.

He knows how deeply people long for peace and how easily we misunderstand the path that leads to it.

His kingdom will not come through domination.

It will come through self-giving love.

It will come through a cross.

And resurrection.

Maybe that is the invitation for us today.

Allow yourself to be seen by Christ.

Allow yourself to be loved.

Allow that love to reach the places in your life that need repair.

You do not have to climb high enough to get God's attention.

He has already stopped beneath your tree.

He already knows your name.

And he is coming near.

You are loved.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Esther 3–8; Luke 18 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 5th, and our readings are Esther 3–8 and Luke 18.

Today the story of Esther moves into dangerous territory.

Haman's anger toward Mordecai becomes something much larger. His resentment turns into a plan to destroy an entire people. Esther suddenly discovers that her position in the palace is not merely a place of comfort or privilege. It has placed her at the center of a moment that will require courage.

Mordecai sends her those famous words: perhaps she has come to this royal position for such a time as this.

Esther does not know what will happen. She cannot control the king. She cannot guarantee her own safety. She can only decide whether she will step forward.

And she does.

Then Luke 18 gives us people who come to God with empty hands: a persistent widow, a tax collector crying out for mercy, little children being brought to Jesus, and a blind man calling from the roadside.

Again and again, Jesus directs our attention away from status, control, and self-sufficiency and toward trust.

Maybe faith often looks like Esther standing outside the king's door.

We do not know how the story will unfold.

We simply know the next faithful step.

TODAY'S DEVOTION

There are moments in life when we realize that we are standing somewhere we never expected to be.

Esther certainly did.

She did not choose the political crisis unfolding around her. She did not create Haman's hatred. She could not control the king or guarantee how he would respond.

But she could choose what she would do with the moment she had been given.

"For such a time as this."

That phrase can sometimes sound grand, as if every moment of faithfulness must involve something heroic or dramatic. But most of the time, I think it is much quieter than that.

It might mean telling the truth when silence would be easier.

It might mean showing compassion when fear tells us to protect ourselves.

It might mean asking for help.

It might mean forgiving someone.

It might mean speaking when someone else has no voice.

It might simply mean taking one small step toward the life and love of Christ.

And Luke 18 reminds us how we take that step.

Not with clenched fists.

Not by proving ourselves.

Not because we have everything figured out.

We come like the tax collector who simply says, "God, be merciful to me."

We come like a child.

We come like the blind man calling out from the roadside.

We come with empty hands.

Esther could not see the whole story from where she stood. Neither can we.

But God is present in the part of the story we cannot yet see.

You don't have to know how everything will turn out.

You don't have to control the outcome.

You can simply ask:

What does love require of me here?

And then take the next faithful step.

Maybe this moment, ordinary or difficult as it may seem, is your moment to receive courage, extend mercy, tell the truth, or simply trust.

Perhaps you are here for such a time as this.

And remember, whatever this day holds:

You are loved.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

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Esther 1–2; Psalm 150; Luke 17

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One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 4th, and our readings are Esther 1–2, Psalm 150, and Luke 17.

Today we begin the remarkable story of Esther. It's a story where God is never explicitly named. There are no dramatic miracles, no burning bushes, no seas being parted. Instead, we find ordinary human lives unfolding within complicated circumstances.

A king makes foolish decisions. A queen refuses him. A young Jewish woman named Esther finds herself caught up in events far beyond anything she could have imagined. And somewhere within it all, a story of deliverance is beginning.

Psalm 150 calls everything that has breath to praise the Lord. And then in Luke 17, Jesus speaks about forgiveness, faith, gratitude, and the kingdom of God.

When people ask Jesus when the kingdom will come, he tells them they're looking in the wrong way. The kingdom isn't something they can point to and say, "There it is!" Jesus tells them, "The Kingdom of God is already among you."

Maybe that's our invitation today. God may be closer than we realize. The kingdom may be present in ways we haven't yet learned to recognize. And perhaps one day we'll look back and say: Aha. You were there.

TODAY'S DEVOTION There's an Aha Moment Coming

There's an Aha moment coming.

I love those moments when something suddenly becomes clear. You look back and see something you couldn't see while you were living through it. Aha. Now I understand. Now I see.

The book of Esther is filled with those kinds of moments. And one of the most fascinating things about Esther is that God's name is never mentioned. Not once. There are no prophets announcing, "Thus says the Lord." There are no spectacular miracles. God doesn't speak from heaven. There's no pillar of fire. No sea parts. And yet something is happening.

A story is unfolding. And when we reach the end and look backward, we'll begin to recognize things we couldn't see at the beginning.

That's often how life feels to me. Maybe it feels that way to you too. We live our lives forward, but so much of the time, we understand them backward.

In the moment, things can seem confusing, disconnected, sometimes painful, sometimes completely ordinary. We wonder where God is. We wonder what any of it means. We wonder whether anything is happening at all.

And sometimes, looking back, we see things differently. We see the person who showed up at just the right time. The conversation we didn't realize we needed. The door that closed. The unexpected door that opened. The season that felt wasted but formed something in us. The kindness that carried us when we didn't think we could keep going.

And we say: Aha. You were there.

Now, I want to be careful here. I don't think faith requires us to believe that God causes every painful thing that happens to us. There are things in this world that are genuinely evil. People hurt one another. Bodies become sick. Relationships break. Wars happen. Towers fall. People suffer.

Jesus never asks us to call evil good in order to defend God. Instead, Jesus shows us a God who enters into our suffering. A God who refuses to abandon us. A God who can bring resurrection even out of death.

That's different. And that's where I find hope.

God is present even when I can't see it. God is faithful even when I can't explain what is happening. God is at work bringing life and healing and reconciliation into this world. And sometimes we only recognize it later.

Aha. You were there.

But Jesus says something in Luke 17 that pushes this even further. People ask him, "When will the Kingdom of God come?" They want signs. They want a timetable. They want something obvious.

But Jesus tells them, "The Kingdom of God is already among you."

In other words, don't become so obsessed with looking for God somewhere else that you miss the presence of God right here. The kingdom is among you because the King is among you. Jesus is standing right there. God's life has entered the human story. God has drawn near.

And maybe that's the deepest Aha moment of all. Christ is here. Christ has always been closer than we imagined.

That's what faith is learning to trust. Not that we can explain everything. Not that every event has a tidy spiritual explanation. Not that we can trace God's fingerprints on every circumstance. But that nothing can separate us from the love of God revealed in Christ.

And maybe some of us need to hear that today. You may be in the middle of your story, and the middle can be confusing. Esther doesn't yet know how her story will unfold. She doesn't know what lies ahead. Neither do you. Neither do I.

But we know something Esther could not yet see. We know Jesus. We know the One who has entered our story completely. The One who has entered suffering. The One who has entered death. And the One who has risen again.

Resurrection is God's great Aha. Death looked final. It wasn't. Violence looked victorious. It wasn't. The grave looked like the end of the story. It wasn't.

And maybe that's why we can live with hope when our own stories remain unfinished. The kingdom is already among us. Christ is here. And the story isn't over.

So pay attention today. Maybe there are little glimpses of the kingdom all around you. A kindness. A reconciliation. A moment of beauty. Someone choosing forgiveness instead of retaliation. Someone feeding the hungry. Someone sitting beside the lonely. Someone seeing the person everyone else has overlooked. Someone loving their enemy. Someone refusing to give up hope.

Small signs. Mustard seeds. Glimpses.

And maybe someday we'll see what we cannot see now. We'll look back at the whole story, our lives, our joys, our tears, our questions, our losses, our loves. And somehow, in the light of Christ, we'll see more clearly.

And maybe we'll say: Aha. You were here. You were with us. You never let us go.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you.

May we trust Christ in the middle of the unfinished story. May we learn to recognize the kingdom already among us. And may we live with hope for that great Aha when all things are finally seen in the light of God's love.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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Ezra 5–6; Psalm 138; Luke 16

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One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 3rd, and our readings are Ezra 5–6, Psalm 138, and Luke 16.

Ezra brings us back to the rebuilding of the temple.

The work that had stalled begins again. Haggai and Zechariah encourage the people, opposition comes, questions are raised, old records are searched, and eventually King Darius confirms the decree of Cyrus.

The temple is completed.

And God's people celebrate.

Psalm 138 gives us David's song of gratitude:

"I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart."

And then we come to Luke 16, where Jesus speaks about money, faithfulness, and the things that can take possession of our hearts.

"You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money."

Then Jesus tells a story about two men.

One is extraordinarily rich.

The other is desperately poor.

But something strange happens in the telling.

The poor man has a name.

Lazarus.

The rich man doesn't.

One has almost nothing the world values, yet he is known.

The other seems to have everything the world values, yet somehow he has lost sight of who he is.

Maybe that's the question before us today.

What tells you who you are?

Your possessions?

Your accomplishments?

Your reputation?

Your failures?

Or the God who knows you and calls you by name?

TODAY'S DEVOTION The Named and the Nameless

He's a rich man with no name.

I've always found that interesting.

Jesus tells us about a man who lives in luxury.

He dresses in expensive purple and fine linen.

Every day is a feast.

He has wealth.

Status.

Comfort.

Influence.

But Jesus never tells us his name.

Then outside his gate lies another man.

Poor.

Hungry.

Covered with sores.

Longing for scraps from the rich man's table.

And Jesus tells us his name.

Lazarus.

The man whom the world hardly notices is named.

The man everyone probably knows is nameless.

I think Jesus wants us to notice that.

Because the rich man has constructed an identity out of all the things the world tells us matter.

Money.

Possessions.

Status.

Comfort.

Maybe reputation.

But somehow all of it has blinded him.

Lazarus has been lying outside his gate.

Close enough to see.

Close enough to help.

But the rich man doesn't really see him.

And perhaps even more tragically, he doesn't see himself.

He doesn't recognize his own poverty.

His own need.

His own dependence upon grace.

That's one of the dangers of wealth, power, success, and even religion.

They can create the illusion that we are self-sufficient.

That we don't need anything.

That we don't need anyone.

That we can build a life substantial enough to give ourselves an identity.

But Jesus says:

Be careful.

You might gain everything and lose sight of who you actually are.

And even after death, the rich man's blindness seems to continue.

He sees Lazarus beside Abraham, and yet he still seems to imagine Lazarus as someone who should serve him.

Send Lazarus to bring me water.

Send Lazarus to warn my brothers.

He sees Lazarus.

But he still doesn't really see him.

That's what blindness does.

It reduces people to their usefulness to us.

But Jesus gives Lazarus a name.

Lazarus.

It means something like, "God has helped."

And that's exactly what happens.

The one who had nothing is gathered into the embrace of Abraham.

The one who was ignored is seen.

The one who was hungry is brought to the table.

The one who appeared forgotten is known by name.

And maybe that's the good news for us.

God knows your name.

Before your accomplishments.

Before your possessions.

Before your reputation.

Before your failures.

Before all the labels other people have placed upon you.

You are known.

And your life doesn't come from what you possess.

Your life comes from God.

Psalm 138 says:

"Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble."

That's Lazarus.

The world may overlook him.

God does not.

And then Jesus says something at the end of this story that points us toward resurrection.

The rich man wants someone to rise from the dead and warn his brothers.

Abraham tells him that if they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.

And, of course, we know where Luke's Gospel is going.

Someone will rise from the dead.

Jesus.

The truly Named One.

The One who enters our poverty.

The One who identifies himself with the hungry, the poor, the excluded, and the forgotten.

The One who dies.

And the One whom God raises up.

Resurrection tells us where true life is found.

Not in riches.

Not in status.

Not in our ability to secure ourselves.

Life is found in God.

And that life is gift.

So maybe the invitation today is simply to let God call you by name.

Set aside the identities you've been trying to construct.

The successful one.

The failure.

The wealthy one.

The poor one.

The important one.

The forgotten one.

The good Christian.

The disappointment.

Whatever name the world has given you, let Jesus speak something deeper.

You are known.

You are seen.

You are loved.

And then, knowing that we are seen, perhaps we can begin to see the Lazarus lying outside our own gates.

The person we've overlooked.

The person our comfort has allowed us not to notice.

The person who has a name.

Because everyone does.

That's the kingdom Jesus is revealing.

A kingdom where the nameless are named.

Where the unseen are seen.

Where the hungry are brought to the table.

Where the dead are raised.

And where our deepest identity is received from the God who knows us completely and loves us still.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May we know who we are in Christ.

May our eyes be opened to those lying outside our gates.

And may we trust the God who raises the dead and calls each of us by name.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

Zechariah 13–14; Psalm 147; Luke 15

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One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 2nd, and our readings are Zechariah 13–14, Psalm 147, and Luke 15.

Zechariah gives us visions of cleansing, restoration, and God's presence among his people.

Psalm 147 tells us that God heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. He gathers the outcasts and brings them home.

And then we come to Luke 15.

Jesus tells three stories about lost things.

A shepherd loses a sheep.

A woman loses a coin.

And a father loses his sons.

In each story, something precious has been lost.

And in each story, the heart of God is revealed in the finding.

The shepherd searches.

The woman searches.

The father runs toward the younger son and then goes outside looking for the older one.

And when what is lost is found, there's a party.

Jesus is showing us what God is like.

God is not standing at a distance waiting for lost people to somehow find their own way home.

God is the Good Shepherd who goes looking.

God is the Good Father who runs down the road.

And God is the Father who walks out of the party to find the child who is standing just outside the door.

Maybe that's the invitation today.

Let yourself be found.

And come join the party.

TODAY'S DEVOTION The Father Who Finds Lost Things

God has a way of finding lost things.

That's what Luke 15 is about.

A lost sheep.

A lost coin.

And two lost boys.

We usually call this last story the parable of the prodigal son.

And usually our attention goes immediately to the younger brother.

And for good reason.

He is obviously lost.

He asks his father for his inheritance.

He leaves home.

He travels to a distant land.

He wastes everything.

And eventually he finds himself hungry, broken, and feeding pigs.

He's lost.

But then Jesus tells us something beautiful.

He comes to his senses.

Something awakens in him.

He remembers his father's house.

And so he begins the long journey home.

But the younger brother isn't the only lost son in the story.

There's another one.

The older brother.

He's been home the whole time.

He's been working.

He's been responsible.

He's followed the rules.

He's done what was expected of him.

And he's lost too.

The younger brother is lost in his appetites.

The older brother is lost in his pride.

One has wandered into a distant country.

The other has managed to become distant from his father's heart while never leaving the property.

And maybe that's the more dangerous kind of lostness.

Because it's harder to recognize.

You can be in the house and still not know the Father's heart.

You can be religious.

Responsible.

Obedient.

Hardworking.

And still imagine that everything the Father has must somehow be earned.

Listen to the older brother.

"All these years I've slaved for you."

Slaved.

That's how he sees himself.

Not as a son.

As a slave.

And that's exactly how the younger brother planned to return too.

"I'll go home and ask my father to make me one of his hired servants."

Both boys misunderstand their father.

Both imagine their relationship with him in terms of servitude.

One runs away from the Father.

The other works for the Father.

But neither seems to understand what it means simply to be loved by the Father.

And the Father goes after both.

When the younger son is still a long way off, his father sees him.

He runs.

He embraces him.

He kisses him.

Before the boy can finish his speech, the Father is already restoring him.

Bring the robe.

Bring the ring.

Bring the sandals.

Prepare the feast.

My son was lost, and now he is found.

But then the Father notices someone else is missing.

The older brother.

He's standing outside.

Angry.

Refusing to come in.

So what does the Father do?

He goes out to him too.

The Father leaves the party to find another lost son.

And his words are so tender:

"My dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours."

Everything I have is yours.

You don't have to earn this.

You don't have to compete with your brother.

You don't have to prove your worth.

You're my son.

Come inside.

Join the party.

That's the heart of God.

The shepherd goes looking for the sheep.

The woman goes looking for the coin.

The Father goes looking for both sons.

God has a way of finding lost things.

Maybe you identify with the younger brother today.

Maybe you've wandered.

Maybe you've made choices you regret.

Maybe shame has convinced you that you have forfeited your place at the table.

Look down the road.

The Father is running toward you.

Or maybe you're the older brother.

You've tried hard.

You've done the right things.

You've been faithful.

But somewhere along the way, faith became labor.

Relationship became obligation.

And you started thinking like a servant instead of a beloved child.

The Father comes looking for you too.

He's standing outside with you.

"My dear son."

"My dear daughter."

"Everything I have is yours."

Come inside.

Psalm 147 says that God heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

He gathers the outcasts.

That's what Jesus shows us.

This is the Father's heart.

He gathers.

He heals.

He restores.

He finds.

And then he celebrates.

So wherever you are today, let yourself be found.

If you're far away, look toward home.

If you're standing just outside the door, listen for the Father's voice.

The party isn't complete without you.

Come home.

Come inside.

Receive the robe.

Receive the ring.

Receive your place at the table.

You are not a slave.

You are a beloved child.

And the Father has come looking for you.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May we see the Good Father today.

May we see the Good Shepherd.

May we awaken to the God who is always pursuing our hearts.

And may we hear him say:

"My dear son, my dear daughter, all I have is yours. Come, let's join the party."

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

Zechariah 10–12; Psalm 126; Luke 14

Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 1st. A brand-new month is here, and we begin again, right where we are.

Our readings today are Zechariah 10–12, Psalm 126, and Luke 14.

Zechariah speaks of restoration. God gathers his scattered people and brings them home.

Psalm 126 remembers another homecoming:

"When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream!"

Mouths that had been filled with sorrow are filled with laughter. Those who planted in tears are harvesting with shouts of joy.

And then Jesus brings us to a table.

In Luke 14, Jesus tells a story about a great banquet. Invitations have gone out, but those who were originally invited are too preoccupied to come.

They have property to inspect.

Oxen to examine.

Relationships and responsibilities demanding their attention.

They have lives to manage.

So the host does something surprising.

He sends his servant into the streets and alleys and tells him to bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.

"Come. The banquet is ready."

And there is still room.

Maybe that's the good news for us today.

There is still room.

The kingdom of God isn't a prize for those who have managed to make something impressive of themselves.

It's a banquet.

And the invitation is gift.

Come.

Take your place.

Receive the life God has given you in Christ.

There is a place for you at the table.

TODAY'S DEVOTION There's a Place for You at the Table

There's a party going on.

And everybody is invited.

Jesus tells us about a man who prepares a great feast and sends out many invitations.

Everything is ready.

The table has been set.

The food has been prepared.

The invitation has gone out.

"Come, the banquet is ready."

But then the excuses begin.

One person has purchased a field and needs to go inspect it.

Another has bought some oxen and wants to try them out.

Another has just gotten married.

None of those things are bad.

That's worth noticing.

Fields aren't bad.

Oxen aren't bad.

Marriage certainly isn't bad.

The problem isn't that these people are doing terrible things.

The problem is that their lives have become so filled with their own interests that they cannot receive the invitation.

They have things to manage.

Things to protect.

Things to accomplish.

Things that feel more urgent than the banquet.

And so they miss it.

Then the host does something extraordinary.

He says:

Go out into the streets and alleys.

Bring in the poor.

The crippled.

The blind.

The lame.

Bring them in.

And they come.

Why?

Maybe because they don't have much to protect.

They don't have impressive résumés to present.

They don't have fields that need inspecting or investments that need managing.

They simply hear the invitation.

And they receive it.

There's something beautiful about that.

Because grace can only be received.

You can't achieve an invitation.

You can't earn a gift.

You can only open your hands.

And maybe that's why Jesus turns immediately afterward to the crowds following him and says some very difficult things.

He tells them that following him means letting go.

He even uses that shocking language about hating father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, even our own lives.

I don't think Jesus is teaching us to despise ourselves or the people we love.

That would contradict the very love he embodies and teaches.

I think Jesus is exposing the things we cling to as sources of identity and security.

He's saying:

You can't receive the kingdom while insisting on possessing your life on your own terms.

You can't follow me while demanding that everything remain under your control.

You have to let go.

And then Jesus says:

"You cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own."

Maybe there's another way of hearing that.

Give up everything you own, and you might discover freedom from everything that owns you.

Because there is so much that can own us.

Our need to be recognized.

Our success.

Our failures.

Our past.

Our shame.

Our money.

Our reputation.

Our religious identity.

Our need to be right.

Our need to prove ourselves.

Even our image of who we think we're supposed to be.

These things can own us.

But Jesus is setting us free.

He invites us to the table.

Come as you are.

Come empty-handed.

Come hungry.

Come knowing that you need grace.

Come knowing that life is gift.

Psalm 126 says that when God's people came home from exile, it felt like a dream.

They laughed again.

They sang again.

Those who had planted with tears harvested with joy.

That's what grace feels like.

Homecoming.

And maybe that's what the banquet is too.

It's coming home.

It's discovering that the seat at the table wasn't something you had to earn.

It was prepared for you.

It's discovering that your identity isn't something you have to manufacture.

Your life is hidden with Christ in God.

It's discovering that the things you thought would save you never could.

But Jesus can.

So bring your empty hands.

Bring your hunger.

Bring the parts of your life that have been owned by fear, shame, ambition, or regret.

Bring them to the table.

There's a place for you.

The feast is ready.

The invitation has gone out.

Come.

And maybe as we sit at that table, we will discover that the things that once owned us don't have the same power anymore.

Because we know where we belong.

We belong with him.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May we release what owns us.

May we receive the invitation with gratitude.

And may we discover who we truly are in Christ, seated at the table of grace.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

Listen with Apple Podcast

DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Zechariah 7–9; Luke 13 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 30th, and our readings are Zechariah 7–9 and Luke 13.

Zechariah speaks to people trying to rebuild their lives after exile.

They have questions about religion, fasting, and what faithfulness should look like now.

And God's response is remarkably practical:

Judge fairly.

Show mercy and kindness to one another.

Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor.

Don't scheme against one another.

And then Zechariah gives us a beautiful vision of restoration.

Old men and women will once again sit in the streets of Jerusalem.

Children will play there.

God's people will come home.

And their king will come to them, righteous and victorious, yet humble, riding on a donkey.

Then in Luke 13, Jesus confronts some of the hardest realities of life.

People have been murdered by Pilate.

A tower has collapsed and killed eighteen people.

A woman has lived bent over for eighteen years.

The world is falling down.

But Jesus refuses to let tragedy tell us what God is like.

Instead, he shows us the kingdom.

A gardener tends patiently to a tree.

A woman who has been bent over is lifted up.

A mustard seed grows.

Yeast quietly works through the dough.

Something is happening.

The kingdom of God is rising up.

TODAY'S DEVOTION When the World Is Falling Down

The world is falling down.

Those are the headlines.

They were the headlines in Jesus' day too.

Violence.

Tragedy.

Disaster.

Death.

People come to Jesus with news that Pilate has killed some Galileans while they were offering sacrifices.

It's horrifying.

And behind their report seems to be a question.

Why?

Why did this happen to them?

Did they somehow deserve it?

Was God judging them?

Were they worse than everyone else?

Jesus says no.

Then he brings up another tragedy.

A tower in Siloam collapsed and killed eighteen people.

Were they worse sinners than everyone else in Jerusalem?

Again, Jesus says no.

I think that's important.

Because human beings have a long history of trying to make sense of suffering by assigning blame.

Something terrible happens, and we want to know whose fault it was.

Sometimes religious people take it even further.

They tell us that tragedy is God's punishment.

That suffering tells us something about the moral worth of the person who suffers.

Jesus refuses that explanation.

Towers fall.

Violence happens.

Bodies break.

People die.

We live in a world that groans.

And Jesus doesn't give us an easy explanation for all of it.

Instead, he gives us himself.

And he announces something new.

The kingdom of God is rising up.

Look at what happens next.

Jesus encounters a woman who has been bent over for eighteen years.

Eighteen years.

Imagine seeing the world that way for eighteen years.

Unable to stand straight.

Unable to lift your face.

And Jesus sees her.

That's important.

He sees her.

He calls her over.

And he says:

"Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!"

Then he touches her.

And immediately she stands up straight.

The world has been pushing her down for eighteen years.

Jesus raises her up.

That's the kingdom.

And when the religious leader objects because Jesus has healed her on the Sabbath, Jesus calls her a daughter of Abraham.

He restores more than her body.

He restores her place.

Her dignity.

Her belonging.

The world bends people down.

The kingdom raises them up.

The world says some people don't matter.

Jesus sees them.

The world creates categories of insiders and outsiders.

Jesus calls her daughter.

The world is falling down.

The kingdom is rising up.

And Jesus says the kingdom is like a mustard seed.

Tiny.

Easy to overlook.

But alive.

Growing.

Becoming a place where birds can find shelter.

The kingdom is like yeast hidden in flour.

You can't always see it working.

But slowly, quietly, it changes everything.

I need that word.

Because sometimes I look at the world and I see everything that's falling down.

War.

Violence.

Fear.

Division.

Loneliness.

Grief.

People bent beneath burdens they've carried for years.

And it can seem overwhelming.

Maybe you feel that too.

But Jesus invites us to look again.

Look for the mustard seed.

Look for the yeast.

Look for the woman standing up straight.

Look for mercy.

Look for healing.

Look for forgiveness.

Look for people crossing boundaries to love one another.

Look for the quiet work of the Spirit.

The kingdom is rising.

And Zechariah gives us the same hope.

He sees a king coming.

But this king doesn't arrive on a war horse.

He comes humbly.

Riding on a donkey.

And Zechariah says this king will bring an end to war.

That's the king Jesus chooses to be.

He doesn't save the world by becoming more violent than the violent.

He doesn't conquer the world by becoming a greater version of Caesar.

He comes in humility.

He comes in peace.

He comes in self-giving love.

He comes to raise up those who have been bent down.

And ultimately, he enters into the world's death and rises from it.

That's our hope.

The world is falling down.

But death doesn't get the last word.

Violence doesn't get the last word.

Fear doesn't get the last word.

The kingdom of God is rising up.

And Jesus invites us to participate in it.

To show mercy.

To pursue justice.

To lift up those who have been bent down.

To make room for those who have been pushed aside.

To become little mustard seeds of hope.

To let the life and love of Christ work through us like yeast in the dough.

So don't lose heart.

The headlines aren't the whole story.

There is another story unfolding.

The kingdom is rising.

Christ is making all things new.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May we see the kingdom rising in the midst of a world that seems to be falling down.

And may we join Jesus in his work of healing, mercy, justice, peace, and love.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

Listen with Apple Podcast

DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Zechariah 4–6; Luke 12 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 29th, and our readings are Zechariah 4–6 and Luke 12.

Zechariah continues his strange and beautiful visions.

God's people have returned from exile. The temple lies unfinished. The task before Zerubbabel must have seemed enormous.

And into that uncertainty comes one of Scripture's great words:

"It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies."

Not by might.

Not by power.

But by my Spirit.

Then we come to Luke 12, where Jesus warns us about another kind of power.

The power of possessions.

The illusion of control.

The anxiety that tells us we must accumulate enough, protect enough, and plan enough to make ourselves secure.

Jesus tells the story of a rich man who has so much that he decides to tear down his barns and build bigger ones.

But Jesus reminds us that life cannot be secured in a barn.

And then he turns toward his disciples and says:

"Don't be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom."

Maybe that's the word for us today.

Not by might.

Not by power.

Not by bigger barns.

Not by controlling everything around us.

But by the Spirit.

And by trusting the heart of the Father who delights in giving us the kingdom.

TODAY'S DEVOTION Not by Might, Not by Power

We like big barns.

Maybe we don't call them barns anymore.

But we like them.

We like bank accounts.

Retirement accounts.

Houses.

Careers.

Platforms.

Reputations.

Plans.

We like whatever gives us the feeling that we've finally managed to secure our lives.

And to be clear, there's nothing wrong with planning.

There's nothing wrong with saving.

There's nothing wrong with being responsible.

But Jesus knows how easily these good things can become something else.

They can become the place where we look for life.

Jesus tells a story about a man whose land produces an enormous harvest.

The man looks at everything he has and says:

What am I going to do?

I don't have room for all this.

And then he comes up with a plan.

"I know! I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones."

Bigger barns.

More storage.

More security.

More control.

And then he says something revealing.

He tells himself that once he has enough stored away, he can finally relax.

Now I'll be safe.

Now I'll be secure.

Now I can live.

But Jesus says:

That's an illusion.

Because your life isn't stored in your barns.

Your life isn't stored in your bank account.

Your life isn't stored in your reputation.

Your life isn't stored in how much control you can exercise over the future.

Your life is in God.

And that brings me back to Zechariah.

Zerubbabel has been given an enormous task.

The temple must be rebuilt.

The mountain in front of him looks overwhelming.

And God's word to him is:

"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit."

I need to hear that.

Because I can spend a lot of energy trying to make things happen.

Trying to manage outcomes.

Trying to get everything lined up just right.

Trying to build a big enough barn so that nothing unexpected can hurt me.

Maybe you know that feeling too.

If I can just get enough money.

If I can just get the right job.

If I can just get everyone to understand me.

If I can just fix this relationship.

If I can just get my health under control.

If I can just make sure my children are okay.

If I can just figure out what's coming next.

Then I can breathe.

Then I'll be safe.

Then I'll have peace.

But Jesus doesn't point us toward bigger barns.

He points us toward the Father.

And then he says something so tender:

"Don't be afraid, little flock."

I love that.

Don't be afraid, little flock.

Why?

Because you've figured everything out?

No.

Because you've accumulated enough?

No.

Because you've protected yourself from every possible loss?

No.

"Because it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom."

There it is.

Gift.

The kingdom is gift.

Life is gift.

Grace is gift.

God himself is gift.

And the Spirit is at work in us and around us in ways we cannot manufacture or control.

Not by might.

Not by power.

But by my Spirit.

Maybe that's the invitation today.

Open your hands.

Release your grip.

Let go of the illusion that everything depends on you.

You don't have to build a barn big enough to hold your future.

You don't have to possess enough to become secure.

You don't have to control everyone and everything around you.

You have a Father who delights to give you the kingdom.

And maybe the Spirit is whispering to us today:

You can breathe.

You can trust.

You can let go.

You are held.

Jesus tells us to look at the ravens.

Look at the lilies.

Look at creation itself.

God is present.

God is giving.

God is sustaining.

And you are worth far more to him than birds and flowers.

So maybe today we can stop measuring our lives by what we've managed to accumulate, achieve, or control.

Maybe we can open our hands.

Not by might.

Not by power.

Not by bigger barns.

But by the Spirit.

And maybe we'll discover that the life we've been trying so hard to secure has been gift all along.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May we loosen our grip.

May we trust the Spirit.

May we hear Jesus say again, "Don't be afraid, little flock."

And may we discover the joy of receiving the kingdom as gift.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Zechariah 1–3; Luke 11 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 28th, and our readings are Zechariah 1–3 and Luke 11.

Zechariah brings us into a series of strange and beautiful visions given to a people who have returned from exile.

Jerusalem has been devastated. The temple is being rebuilt. God's people are trying to imagine what restoration might look like.

And into that uncertainty comes a word of hope.

God has not abandoned them.

God is returning.

God is restoring.

God is removing shame.

God is bringing his people into something new.

Then in Luke 11, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray.

He tells them to ask, seek, and knock.

He confronts religious systems that have become preoccupied with appearances while neglecting justice and the love of God.

And then Jesus says something that deserves our attention:

"Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness."

That's a sobering invitation.

Because not everything we call light is light.

Religion can call something light that produces fear.

Tradition can call something light that keeps people in bondage.

Self-righteousness can feel like light while preventing us from seeing ourselves or our neighbor clearly.

Jesus invites us to turn our eyes toward the true light.

The light of God's love.

And when that light fills us, Jesus says our whole lives can become radiant.

So today, let's step out of the shadows.

Bring on the floodlights.

TODAY'S DEVOTION Bring on the Floodlights

If all the world's a stage, then I want better lighting.

I remember hearing an actor say something like that once.

And I understand it.

When you're on a stage, you learn pretty quickly to find your light.

You can have the best lines.

You can give the best performance.

But if you're standing in the shadows, nobody can see what's happening.

So you find the light.

And maybe that's a good image for the spiritual life too.

Find the light.

Or perhaps more importantly, make sure the light you've found is actually light.

Because Jesus says something rather startling in Luke 11:

"Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness."

That's worth sitting with.

Because apparently it's possible to become accustomed to darkness and call it light.

It's possible for religious traditions to become so familiar that we stop asking whether they actually look like Jesus.

It's possible to confuse certainty with light.

It's possible to confuse being right with light.

It's possible to confuse fear with light.

It's possible to imagine that a theology that leaves us frightened of God is somehow illuminating God.

And Jesus says:

Check the light.

Look again.

Because Jesus himself is the light by which everything else is seen.

He is the one who shows us what God is like.

And when we look at Jesus, what do we see?

We see him moving toward people.

We see him touching those others avoid.

We see him eating with those religion has excluded.

We see him forgiving.

Healing.

Restoring.

Setting people free.

We see him telling us to love our enemies.

We see him laying down his life rather than taking the lives of his enemies.

We see self-giving love.

This is the light.

And Jesus is confronting religious leaders in Luke 11 who have become very good at managing appearances.

Everything looks clean on the outside.

But Jesus says the inside tells another story.

They carefully tithe even the herbs from their gardens, but they ignore justice and the love of God.

That's darkness masquerading as light.

And I don't think Jesus confronts them because he hates them.

I think he confronts them because he loves them.

He wants them to see.

He wants them to wake up.

He wants the light to break through.

Zechariah gives us another beautiful picture today.

Joshua the high priest stands before God in filthy clothes.

And the Accuser is there.

Ready to accuse.

Ready to condemn.

Ready to define Joshua by what he is wearing.

But God rebukes the Accuser.

And then God says:

"Take off his filthy clothes."

And Joshua is given new clothes.

A new identity.

A new beginning.

That's light.

The Accuser says, "Look at him."

God says, "I have taken away your sins."

The Accuser points toward shame.

God moves toward restoration.

And Jesus shows us that this is the heart of God.

Maybe there are some dark corners in us today.

Fear.

Shame.

Resentment.

Religious ideas that have taught us to hide from God instead of running toward him.

Maybe we've mistaken some of those things for light.

Jesus invites us to open the curtains.

Bring on the floodlights.

Let the light of Christ shine into every corner.

Let him show us what God is really like.

Let him expose the false lights that have kept us afraid.

And let his love illuminate our lives.

Jesus says that when we're filled with light, our whole life becomes radiant, as though a floodlight were filling us with light.

I love that.

God isn't inviting us to spend our lives hiding in the shadows.

He's drawing us into the light.

Into freedom.

Into grace.

Into love.

And as our eyes become filled with the light of Christ, maybe we begin to reflect that light into the world around us.

So turn your face toward Jesus today.

Look at him.

Keep looking.

Let him show you the Father.

Let his love expose every false light.

Let his grace illuminate every shadow.

His light has come into our darkness.

And the darkness cannot overcome it.

Bring on the floodlights.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May our eyes be filled with the light of Christ.

And may our whole lives become radiant with the love of God.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Haggai 1–2; Psalm 129; Luke 10 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 27th, and our readings are Haggai 1–2, Psalm 129, and Luke 10.

Haggai speaks to a people who have returned from exile but have lost their way. They are busy building their own lives while the temple remains in ruins.

So Haggai calls them back to their center.

Consider how things are going for you.

Pay attention.

Remember what matters.

And God tells them something they desperately need to hear:

"I am with you."

Psalm 129 is the prayer of people who have suffered and yet remain standing.

Then in Luke 10, Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples with a message of peace and healing. He rejoices that God's kingdom is being revealed, not simply to the powerful and learned, but to those who receive it like children.

And then a religious expert asks Jesus a question:

"Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?"

That conversation leads Jesus into one of his most familiar stories, the story we call the Good Samaritan.

But perhaps we've been standing in the wrong place in the story.

Before asking whether we're being good enough neighbors, maybe we need to recognize the Neighbor who has already come looking for us.

Jesus meets us in the ditch.

He sees us.

He comes near.

He binds our wounds.

He carries us.

He brings us home.

He is the neighbor we've all been waiting for.

TODAY'S DEVOTION The Neighbor We've All Been Waiting For

Who is the hero of the story?

That's an important question.

Because when we read the story of the Good Samaritan, I think most of us immediately put ourselves in the role of the Samaritan.

Be a good neighbor.

Help people who are hurting.

Show mercy.

Cross the road toward the person in need.

And, of course, Jesus does invite us to become people of mercy.

He ends the story by saying, "Now go and do the same."

But before we rush too quickly to make ourselves the hero of the story, maybe we need to see something else.

Maybe we're the one in the ditch.

Maybe that's where the gospel begins.

Jesus says a man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when robbers attacked him.

They stripped him.

Beat him.

And left him half dead beside the road.

A priest comes by.

He passes him.

A Levite comes by.

He passes him too.

Religion sees him lying there, but religion doesn't save him.

And then someone unexpected comes along.

A Samaritan.

Jesus says that when he sees the wounded man, he has compassion.

He moves toward him.

He kneels down.

He tends his wounds with oil and wine.

He lifts him onto his own animal.

He takes him somewhere safe.

He pays the cost.

And he promises to return.

Who does that sound like?

Jesus.

Jesus is the neighbor we've all been waiting for.

He's the one who finds us lying in the ditch.

He's the one who sees us.

He's the one who has compassion.

He's the one who comes near.

He's the one who binds up our wounds.

He's the one who carries us when we cannot carry ourselves.

He's the one who pays the cost.

He's the one who brings us home.

And that changes the way we hear this story.

Because the gospel isn't first about our ability to become the hero.

It's about discovering that we have been rescued.

It's about receiving mercy before we try to give it.

It's about being loved before we try to love.

It's about allowing Jesus to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

And maybe that's why the story of Mary and Martha follows immediately afterward.

Martha is busy.

She's working.

She's serving.

She's doing all the things that need to be done.

But Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet.

Listening.

Receiving.

And Jesus says Mary has chosen what is better.

That doesn't mean serving doesn't matter.

Of course it matters.

But we can become so busy trying to do something for Jesus that we forget what Jesus has come to do for us.

We need to sit at his feet.

We need to receive.

We need to let ourselves be loved.

We need to let him bind our wounds.

We need to remember that he is the Savior.

Not us.

Haggai speaks to people who have been busy building their own lives.

And God calls them back to the center.

"Consider your ways."

Maybe that's a good word for us today.

Consider your ways.

What are you building?

What are you striving to prove?

What are you trying to accomplish so that you can finally feel secure, loved, or whole?

Maybe Jesus is inviting us back to the center.

Back to his feet.

Back to the ditch where we first discovered mercy.

Back to the realization that before we ever became the neighbor to someone else, Christ became the neighbor to us.

He saw us.

He came near.

He had compassion.

And he loved us back to life.

And once we know that kind of mercy, something begins to happen in us.

We become merciful.

We cross the road.

We notice the wounded.

We stop.

We listen.

We bind wounds.

We make room.

Not because we're trying to become the hero.

But because we've encountered the One who is.

We love because we have been loved.

We show mercy because mercy found us.

We become neighbors because Jesus first became our neighbor.

He's the neighbor we've all been waiting for.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May we see ourselves clearly.

May we see Jesus clearly.

And having received his limitless mercy and love, may that same mercy begin to flow through us toward the world.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezra 4; Psalms 113 & 127; Luke 9 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 26th, and our readings are Ezra 4, Psalms 113 and 127, and Luke 9.

Ezra tells us that the work of rebuilding has run into opposition. God's people have returned from exile and begun rebuilding the temple, but now resistance comes. The work becomes difficult, and eventually it comes to a halt.

Psalm 113 reminds us that God lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump.

Then Psalm 127 gives us an important word about all our building:

"Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted."

And then we come to Luke 9.

Jesus sends the twelve out with very little to rely upon except God. He feeds a hungry multitude. Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is transfigured before his disciples.

But running through it all is a surprising description of what it means to follow him.

"If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me."

Jesus is showing us another kind of life.

The world tells us to acquire, achieve, protect, and succeed.

Jesus says there is another way.

We find our lives by giving them away.

TODAY'S DEVOTION Losing to Gain: The Way of the Cross

If you hang on to your life, making it about you, insisting on your own way, Jesus says you will eventually lose the very thing you're trying so hard to save.

That's a strange word for us.

Because the world tells us almost exactly the opposite.

Hold on.

Build more.

Achieve more.

Become more important.

Protect what you've accumulated.

Win.

Success becomes one of the great siren songs of our world.

And if we're not careful, it can become the siren song of the church too.

Big bank accounts.

Big churches.

Big platforms.

Big egos.

We can baptize all of it and call it blessing.

But Jesus points in another direction.

He says:

"What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?"

You can gain everything and somehow lose yourself.

Then Jesus says that if we want to follow him, we must take up our cross daily.

That's not exactly a winning strategy by the world's standards.

People carrying crosses aren't climbing ladders.

They're dying.

And yet Jesus tells us that this is somehow the road to life.

That's the great paradox of the kingdom.

We find our lives by giving them away.

Jesus said elsewhere that unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone.

But when it dies, something happens.

Life emerges.

A harvest comes.

The life released in death becomes resurrection life.

And resurrection life is different from the power of the flesh.

The flesh has to protect itself.

Prove itself.

Advance itself.

Resurrection life is free.

Free to love.

Free to serve.

Free to give.

Free to lose without being lost.

Because our life is already hidden with Christ in God.

Psalm 127 says:

"Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted."

That's a good word for me.

Because we can spend our whole lives building.

Building careers.

Building ministries.

Building reputations.

Building security.

Building an image of ourselves that we desperately hope everyone else will believe.

And Jesus asks:

What if you gained all of it?

What if you actually succeeded at everything the world told you mattered?

Would you have found life?

Jesus doesn't come merely to make us more successful at the world's game.

He comes to set us free from the game.

He comes to awaken us to the life that is already ours in him.

That's resurrection.

That's freedom.

That's abundance.

So maybe today we need to turn down the siren song of this world.

Turn down the voices telling us that our lives are measured by what we accumulate, accomplish, or prove.

And turn up the music of heaven.

Listen again to Jesus.

"Follow me."

Follow me into the way of love.

Follow me into generosity.

Follow me into forgiveness.

Follow me into self-giving.

Follow me through the cross and into resurrection.

Because the life you're trying so hard to secure is already waiting for you in him.

Lose your life in his.

And discover that you haven't lost at all.

You've finally begun to live.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May we turn away from the siren songs of this world and hear instead the song of our Lord and Christ:

"Follow me, and you will truly live."

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezra 2–3; Luke 8 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 25th, and our readings are Ezra 2–3 and Luke 8.

Ezra brings us into the story of a people coming home.

After years of exile, families return to Jerusalem. They rebuild the altar and begin laying the foundation of the temple.

And when that foundation is laid, something remarkable happens.

Some people shout for joy.

Others weep.

The sounds mingle together until no one can distinguish the shouting from the weeping.

Maybe that's an honest picture of life.

Joy and sorrow often occupy the same space.

Hope and grief can live together.

Then Luke 8 brings us several stories of people encountering Jesus in places of fear and desperation.

A storm threatens to overwhelm the disciples.

A man tormented and isolated among the tombs is restored.

A woman who has suffered for twelve years reaches through a crowd just to touch Jesus.

And Jairus comes pleading for the life of his daughter.

Then, while Jesus is still on the way, the news arrives:

"Your daughter is dead. There's no use troubling the Teacher now."

But Jesus has another word.

"Don't be afraid. Just have faith."

Today we are reminded that fear, despair, suffering, and even death do not get to speak the final word.

Jesus does.

TODAY'S DEVOTION Fear Will Not Have the Last Word

"Why trouble the teacher?"

That's essentially what Jairus is told.

"Your daughter is dead. There's no use troubling the Teacher now."

Those are words of despair.

Words of hopelessness.

Words that say the story is over.

Jairus had reached out in faith.

He had come looking for Jesus because his little girl was dying.

He believed Jesus could help.

And Jesus was coming.

But then there was a delay.

Another person needed Jesus.

A woman who had been suffering for twelve years reached out through the crowd and touched him.

Jesus stopped.

He saw her.

He spoke with her.

And all the while, Jairus was waiting.

I wonder what that waiting felt like.

Every second mattered.

And then the message arrived.

Too late.

Your daughter is dead.

Don't bother Jesus anymore.

Fear and despair always want to have the last word.

They tell us:

It's over.

There's no hope.

Don't bother praying.

Don't bother hoping.

Don't bother reaching for Jesus.

Nothing can change now.

But Jesus hears the message too.

And he turns toward Jairus and says:

"Don't be afraid. Just have faith."

Jesus does not deny what has happened.

He doesn't pretend death isn't real.

He simply refuses to let death have the final word.

And then something beautiful happens.

Jesus enters the house.

But he doesn't turn this family's grief into a public spectacle.

He brings Peter, James, and John with him, along with the girl's father and mother.

And there, in that quiet and deeply personal place of grief, Jesus comes close.

I love that.

Because some pain is very private.

There are valleys in our lives that very few people ever see.

There are fears we carry quietly.

Losses we don't know how to explain.

Places where we wonder whether hope is even possible anymore.

And Jesus enters those places.

He comes near.

He takes the little girl by the hand.

And he says:

"My child, get up!"

Life speaks into death.

Hope speaks into despair.

Jesus has the final word.

Maybe that's what you need to remember today.

Your circumstances do not get the final word.

Your fear does not get the final word.

Your loss does not get the final word.

Your diagnosis does not get the final word.

Your failure does not get the final word.

Even death does not get the final word.

Jesus does.

Ezra gives us a picture of people standing among ruins and laying a new foundation.

Some are shouting.

Some are weeping.

And somehow both responses belong.

Maybe that's where you are today.

You can grieve what has been lost and still believe that something new can rise.

You can weep and hope at the same time.

You can stand among the ruins and listen for the voice of Jesus.

"Don't be afraid."

"Just have faith."

"My child, get up."

The hope we have is not that we will avoid every valley.

The hope is that Jesus meets us there.

He takes us by the hand.

And the One who is Resurrection and Life will have the final word.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May we meet Jesus in the valley.

May we trust him when fear and despair surround us.

And may we receive from him the hope of resurrection.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezra 1; Psalms 84–85; Luke 7 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 24th, and our readings are Ezra 1, Psalms 84 and 85, and Luke 7.

Ezra begins with an unexpected announcement.

God's people have lived in exile, far from home, but now Cyrus, king of Persia, announces that they may return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.

After years of displacement, the journey home begins.

Psalm 84 gives voice to that longing:

"How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven's Armies."

The psalmist longs to be home in the presence of God.

Then Psalm 85 gives us another beautiful picture of restoration. Unfailing love and truth meet together. Righteousness and peace kiss.

And then we come to Luke 7.

Jesus encounters a Roman officer whose faith amazes him. He meets a grieving widow and restores her son to life. He reassures John the Baptist that God's kingdom really is breaking into the world.

And finally, Jesus sits at a table where an unexpected guest arrives.

A woman known in the community as a sinner kneels at his feet.

She weeps.

She washes his feet with her tears.

She dries them with her hair.

And she pours perfume over them.

Everyone in the room seems to know who this woman is.

But Jesus sees her differently.

He sees love.

He sees faith.

He sees a daughter who has been forgiven.

And he tells her:

"Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

That's where today's readings seem to bring us.

Out of exile.

Toward home.

Out of shame.

Into peace.

God is singing a new song over his people.

And we are invited to sing along.

TODAY'S DEVOTION Go in Peace

Everybody knew who she was.

At least they thought they did.

Luke tells us that a woman from the city heard that Jesus was eating at the home of Simon the Pharisee.

And Luke tells us that she was a sinful woman.

That's her introduction.

That's her label.

That's apparently what everybody knows about her.

She enters the house carrying a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume.

And then she kneels behind Jesus at his feet.

She begins to weep.

Her tears fall on his feet.

She wipes them with her hair.

She kisses his feet.

And she pours perfume over them.

It's an extraordinary scene.

And Simon watches all of this.

But Simon doesn't really see her.

He sees her label.

He thinks to himself that if Jesus were really a prophet, he would know what kind of woman was touching him.

But Jesus does know.

He knows exactly who is touching him.

And he sees something Simon cannot see.

He sees her.

Not merely her past.

Not merely her failures.

Not merely the story the town has told about her.

He sees her.

And I think that's beautiful.

Because shame has a way of convincing us that the worst thing about us is the truest thing about us.

Shame says:

That's who you are.

Your failure is who you are.

Your mistake is who you are.

Your addiction is who you are.

Your divorce is who you are.

Your past is who you are.

Whatever people have whispered about you, that's who you are.

But Jesus doesn't see us that way.

He sees deeper.

He sees a beloved child.

He sees the image of God.

He sees someone worth receiving.

Someone worth defending.

Someone worth restoring.

And then Jesus says something remarkable.

He turns toward the woman and speaks to Simon.

"Do you see this woman?"

That's the question.

Do you see her?

Simon sees a category.

Jesus sees a person.

Simon sees contamination.

Jesus sees love.

Simon sees someone who doesn't belong at the table.

Jesus sees someone who has already found her way home.

And perhaps that's what forgiveness really is.

It's coming home.

Ezra begins today with exiles being told that they can go home.

The long exile is ending.

And Luke ends with another exile ending.

A woman who has been living beneath the weight of shame hears Jesus say:

"Your sins are forgiven."

And then:

"Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

Go in peace.

Not go in shame.

Not go and spend the rest of your life trying to make up for everything you've done.

Not go and prove that you're worthy.

Go in peace.

Because forgiveness isn't something she has managed to extract from a reluctant God.

Forgiveness is the heart she discovers when she encounters Jesus.

And maybe some of us need to hear that today.

Maybe you've been carrying a name that Jesus never gave you.

Failure.

Unworthy.

Unclean.

Rejected.

Too much.

Not enough.

Maybe you've spent years imagining that God looks at you the way Simon looked at this woman.

But Jesus shows us the Father's face.

And Jesus looks at her with love.

He receives her.

He defends her.

He restores her.

And he sends her away in peace.

That's the new song.

The exile is ending.

You're being called home.

You are forgiven.

You are loved.

You belong.

Go in peace.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May we hear the voice of Jesus calling us out of shame and into the freedom of his love.

And may we go in peace.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Daniel 11–12; Luke 6 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 23rd, and today is a special day for me and for this community.

Thirteen years ago today, the Daily Radio Bible began.

What started with a microphone and a simple desire to read through the Scriptures together has become a daily gathering of people around the world.

And through all these years, the invitation has remained remarkably simple:

Come to the Scriptures.

Listen for the voice of Jesus.

Allow the Spirit to reveal the love of God.

And then go live that love in the world.

So thank you.

Thank you to everyone who has walked this road with me, whether you've been here for thirteen years or this is your first day.

Today our readings are Daniel 11–12 and Luke 6.

Daniel sees kingdoms rising and falling, conflict and upheaval, and things that are difficult to understand. Yet beneath all the turmoil is the promise that God remains faithful and that death itself will not have the final word.

Then Jesus brings us down to bedrock.

Love your enemies.

Do good to those who hate you.

Bless those who curse you.

Give without expecting anything in return.

Forgive.

Do not condemn.

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

These aren't merely beautiful ideas.

Jesus says they are a foundation upon which we can actually build a life.

And after thirteen years of gathering around these Scriptures together, perhaps the invitation is still exactly the same:

Dig deep.

Find the Rock.

Build your life there.

TODAY'S DEVOTION Dig Deep

Go deep.

That's the invitation Jesus offers us today.

And after thirteen years of doing this together, I think it's still the invitation.

Go deep.

Jesus tells a story about two people building houses.

One person builds on the surface.

The other digs.

And digs.

And digs.

Until finally he reaches bedrock.

Then he builds his house there.

And when the storms come and the floodwaters rise, that house stands.

Not because the storm wasn't powerful.

Not because the person living in the house had everything figured out.

The house stands because of what is underneath it.

Jesus says this is what it looks like to hear his words and put them into practice.

And notice the words Jesus has just spoken.

Love your enemies.

Do good to those who hate you.

Bless those who curse you.

Pray for those who hurt you.

Give.

Forgive.

Be merciful.

Don't condemn.

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

That's the bedrock.

And sometimes I think we want something more complicated.

We want the right theology.

The right answers.

The right religious system.

The right arguments.

And those things can have their place.

But Jesus keeps taking us deeper.

Down beneath the words.

Down beneath appearances.

Down beneath religion.

Until we encounter him.

The Rock.

Paul says our life is hidden with Christ in God.

That's deep.

Deeper than our fear.

Deeper than our failure.

Deeper than our shame.

Deeper than the labels people have placed upon us.

Deeper even than the stories we sometimes tell ourselves about who we are.

There is Christ.

And our life is hidden in him.

Jesus looks at the poor, the hungry, the sorrowful, and the rejected, and he calls them blessed.

Why?

Because there is something deeper than their circumstances.

There is Someone underneath it all.

Christ.

Present.

Faithful.

Steadfast.

Love himself.

And thirteen years into this journey, that's what I keep discovering.

The point isn't simply to get through the Bible.

The point is to let the Bible bring us to Jesus.

To hear his voice.

To discover our life in him.

To allow his love to become the bedrock underneath everything else.

Because storms do come.

Floodwaters rise.

Things we thought were secure sometimes shake.

But there is a foundation beneath us that cannot be shaken.

The deep, deep love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

So today, on this anniversary, I want to say thank you.

Thank you for digging with me.

Thank you for showing up day after day.

Thank you for being part of this community.

And let's keep going.

Let's keep digging.

Past the easy answers.

Past fear.

Past shame.

Past religion that tells us we have to earn what God has already freely given.

Let's dig until we find the Rock.

And then let's build our lives there.

In his love.

In his mercy.

In his forgiveness.

In his life.

Because Christ himself is our foundation.

And he is enough to hold us.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May we go deep.

And may we discover again that underneath it all, holding us, surrounding us, and sustaining us, is the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Daniel 9–11; Psalm 123; Luke 5 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 22nd, day 265 of our journey through the Scriptures, and there are just 100 days left in the year.

Our readings today are Daniel 9–11, Psalm 123, and Luke 5.

Daniel is carrying a tremendous weight. He looks back upon the ruins of his people and forward into visions of things he can barely comprehend. At one point, the sheer weight of it all leaves him without strength.

And then God meets him.

Daniel receives another touch.

"Don't be afraid," he is told. "You are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!"

And Daniel says that as these words are spoken, his strength returns.

Psalm 123 gives us another picture of dependence. The psalmist lifts his eyes toward God, looking for mercy.

Then in Luke 5, people come to Jesus carrying their own burdens.

There are exhausted fishermen with empty nets.

There is a man covered with leprosy.

There is a paralyzed man whose friends carry him through a roof.

There is Levi, the tax collector, sitting at his booth.

Again and again, Jesus meets people where they are and gives them something they cannot manufacture for themselves.

Healing.

Forgiveness.

Calling.

Belonging.

Strength.

Maybe that's the invitation for us today.

We don't have to manufacture what we don't have.

We can open our hands and receive another touch.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

He Gives Us a Second Touch

Daniel was overwhelmed by what he saw.

The vision God had given him.

The enormity of what was behind him.

The uncertainty of what was ahead.

The ruins of the past.

The challenges of the present.

All of it left Daniel saying:

"My strength is gone. I can hardly breathe."

Have you ever felt that way?

You look ahead at something that seems impossible.

Or maybe you look behind you at something painful, something broken, something you wish had gone differently.

And you feel paralyzed.

Frightened.

Unable to move.

Maybe you can hardly catch your breath.

If you've ever been there, you're not alone.

Daniel was there too.

But then something beautiful happens.

Daniel says:

"Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning."

He touched me again.

A second touch.

And then Daniel hears these words:

"Don't be afraid. You are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!"

And as Daniel listens, his strength returns.

I love that.

Daniel doesn't find the strength somewhere inside himself.

He doesn't grit his teeth and try harder.

He doesn't give himself a motivational speech.

Strength comes to him.

It is received.

God meets him in his weakness.

And maybe that's what some of us need today.

Another touch.

Maybe you've been walking with God for years.

Maybe you've experienced grace before.

Maybe you know what it is to be carried by love.

But today you're tired again.

That's okay.

Sometimes we need another touch.

Sometimes we need to hear again what we've heard before.

Don't be afraid.

You are precious to God.

Peace.

Be encouraged.

Be strong.

And when I turn to Luke 5, I see Jesus doing this everywhere he goes.

He meets Peter after a night of empty nets.

He touches the man with leprosy.

He speaks forgiveness to the paralyzed man.

He looks at Levi sitting at the tax collector's booth and says, "Follow me."

Jesus keeps moving toward people.

Touching.

Healing.

Forgiving.

Calling.

Restoring.

Giving people what they cannot give themselves.

Maybe you need that today.

Maybe the road ahead looks daunting.

Maybe the road behind carries shame or regret.

Maybe you're simply tired.

Open your hands.

You don't have to manufacture strength.

You can receive it.

Let Jesus meet you where you are.

Let him touch the place that is tired.

Let him speak again:

Don't be afraid.

You are precious to God.

Peace.

Be encouraged.

Be strong.

And maybe your prayer today can be very simple:

"Yes, Lord.

Thank you.

I receive your love.

I receive your peace.

I receive your strength."

Sometimes we need a second touch.

And sometimes a third.

And a fourth.

Grace keeps coming.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

Listen with Apple Podcast

DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Daniel 7–8; Psalm 137; Luke 4 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 21st, and our readings are Daniel 7–8, Psalm 137, and Luke 4.

Daniel sees strange and unsettling visions of kingdoms, beasts, violence, and earthly powers rising and falling. Yet in the middle of these visions, Daniel sees another figure, one "like a son of man," coming with the clouds of heaven. To him is given an everlasting kingdom, one that will never be destroyed.

Psalm 137 gives voice to the anguish of people living in exile. They sit beside the rivers of Babylon and weep as they remember Jerusalem. Their grief is raw, and so is their anger.

Then Luke takes us into the wilderness.

Jesus has just heard the Father declare, "You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy."

Now that beloved Son is tempted.

The temptation is about far more than bread. Jesus is offered power, spectacle, and control. He is offered the kingdoms of the world if only he will bow to another way.

But Jesus refuses.

He will not build his kingdom through domination.

He emerges from the wilderness and returns to Nazareth, where he tells us exactly what his kingdom will look like:

Good news for the poor.

Freedom for captives.

Sight for the blind.

Freedom for the oppressed.

The time of the Lord's favor has come.

Daniel saw kingdoms rise and fall.

Jesus announces the kingdom that will remain.

And he shows us what that kingdom looks like.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

Another Kind of Kingdom

Jesus is offered the kingdoms of the world.

That caught my attention today.

The devil takes Jesus up and shows him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

And then comes the offer:

"I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them."

Just bow down.

Just play the game.

Use power the way power has always been used.

Dominate.

Control.

Take the throne.

Make people comply.

And Jesus says no.

That's important.

Because Daniel has just given us these strange visions of kingdoms that look like beasts.

They devour.

They crush.

They destroy.

That's what kingdoms can become.

And then Jesus walks into the wilderness.

The true Son of Man has come.

And he is offered the opportunity to become another beast.

He refuses.

Jesus will have a kingdom.

But it will not look like the kingdoms of this world.

And Luke doesn't leave us wondering what Jesus' kingdom will look like.

Jesus walks into the synagogue, opens the scroll of Isaiah, and tells us:

Good news for the poor.

Freedom for the captives.

Sight for the blind.

Freedom for the oppressed.

The Lord's favor.

That's his kingdom.

Jesus doesn't conquer by becoming a bigger beast.

He conquers by remaining human.

Fully human.

The true human.

The Son who lives in communion with the Father and refuses to turn power into domination.

And I think that's good news for us because we are constantly being invited to play the old game.

Win.

Control.

Prove yourself.

Get the upper hand.

Protect what's yours.

Make sure you're the one on top.

But Jesus shows us another way.

The way of the kingdom is not domination.

It is love.

It is liberation.

It is healing.

It is mercy.

It is good news for people who have spent their lives receiving bad news.

And notice where all of this begins.

Before the wilderness.

Before the temptation.

Before the ministry.

Before Jesus does anything.

The Father has already said:

"You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy."

Jesus enters the wilderness from belovedness.

He doesn't have to prove who he is.

He doesn't need the kingdoms of the world to validate him.

He already knows whose he is.

Maybe that's part of the invitation for us today.

The powers of this world will always offer us identities.

Successful.

Important.

Powerful.

Right.

Victorious.

But Jesus invites us into something deeper.

Beloved.

And when we know that we are beloved, we don't have to turn ourselves into beasts to survive.

We can follow Jesus.

We can choose love over domination.

Mercy over vengeance.

Service over control.

We can live as citizens of another kingdom.

A kingdom that Daniel says will never be destroyed.

A kingdom embodied in Jesus.

So when the kingdoms around you roar, remember who you are.

And remember whose kingdom you belong to.

You are beloved.

Follow the Son.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Daniel 5–6; Psalm 130; Luke 3 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 47–48; Luke 2 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 19th, and our readings are Ezekiel 47–48 and Luke 2.

Ezekiel gives us a beautiful vision of a river flowing from the temple. Everywhere the river goes, life appears. Trees grow along its banks, fruit comes month after month, and even the waters of the Dead Sea become fresh. It is a picture of the life of God flowing outward, bringing healing and restoration wherever it goes.

Then Luke brings us to Bethlehem.

Jesus is born. Angels announce good news of great joy. Shepherds hurry to see the child and then tell everyone what they have seen and heard.

And amid all this activity, Luke tells us something quietly beautiful about Mary.

She treasured these things and pondered them in her heart.

Mary doesn't understand everything that is happening to her. She cannot possibly know where this story will lead. Yet she makes room within herself for mystery.

She stores these things in her heart.

Today we are invited to do the same.

There are things in our lives we cannot yet understand. There are hopes still unfulfilled, questions still unanswered, wounds still healing, and stories whose endings we cannot yet see.

We don't have to solve them all today.

We can hold them before God.

We can treasure what we have been given.

And we can trust that the God who sees us, knows us, and loves us is still at work in our story.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

She Stored These Things in Her Heart

She stored it in her heart.

That's what Luke tells us Mary did in the midst of miracle, mystery, and uncertainty.

There was the promise.

There was the fear.

There was the joy.

And there were things that simply didn't make sense.

Mary didn't explain them away.

She didn't deny them.

She didn't pretend to understand what she couldn't understand.

She held them.

She treasured them.

She stored them in her heart.

And I think there is something here for us.

God doesn't always give us explanations.

There are things in life that simply don't make sense.

Things that cause us to wonder.

Things that cause us to worry.

Things that hurt.

There are prayers that seem unanswered.

Dreams that haven't come to pass.

Losses we don't understand.

Relationships that haven't turned out the way we hoped.

Questions about our future.

Questions about ourselves.

Questions about God.

And maybe faith isn't always about finding an explanation.

Maybe sometimes faith looks like Mary.

We simply hold these things before God.

We store them in our hearts.

Mary did that when shepherds showed up with stories about angels declaring that her child was the Messiah.

She stored it away.

She did it again when Simeon spoke over Jesus in the temple and then told Mary that a sword would pierce her own soul.

She held that too.

And years later, when twelve-year-old Jesus remained behind in his Father's house, Luke tells us that Mary didn't understand what Jesus meant.

But again, she stored these things in her heart.

There was a willingness in Mary to let the story unfold.

She didn't have to know everything.

She didn't have to control everything.

She didn't have to understand everything.

She trusted that God was present.

She trusted that she was seen.

She trusted that she was known.

She trusted that she was loved.

And she trusted that somehow God's purpose was still unfolding.

Maybe that's where you are today.

What are you storing in your heart?

An unfulfilled hope?

A disappointment?

A loss?

A question?

Something beautiful that you don't yet understand?

Something painful that you wish you could understand?

You don't have to solve it today.

You can hold it.

You can bring it before God.

You can allow your heart to become a vessel for mystery, hope, pain, memory, promise, and faith.

And you can remember this:

You are seen.

You are known.

You are loved.

Paul says that we are God's workmanship. The Greek word is poiēma. We are God's workmanship, God's handiwork, God's poem.

Your story isn't finished.

God is still at work.

So perhaps today we can learn something from Mary.

Be willing.

Be available.

Hold the mystery.

Store these things in your heart.

And trust that the One who loves you is still writing the story.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May we, like Mary, store these things in our hearts, trusting that in God's time and through God's love, the story will be revealed.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 45–46; Luke 1 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 18th, and our readings are Ezekiel 45–46 and Luke 1.

In Ezekiel, we continue through the prophet's vision of restoration. Land is divided, honest measurements are commanded, offerings are described, and provision is made for worship among God's people. Running through these detailed instructions is a concern for justice, faithfulness, and a people being restored.

Then we turn the page to Luke, and suddenly we find ourselves standing at the dawn of something new.

An angel appears to Zechariah with news that Elizabeth will have a son. His name will be John, and he will prepare the way for the Lord.

Then Gabriel visits a young woman named Mary with an even more astonishing announcement. She will bear a son named Jesus, and his kingdom will never end.

Both Zechariah and Mary eventually find themselves singing.

Mary sings of the God who notices the lowly, fills the hungry, and remembers his mercy.

Zechariah sings of the tender mercy of God, through which the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us.

That is our invitation today.

Whatever darkness we may find ourselves sitting in, the morning light is coming.

God has not forgotten us.

His mercy is new.

His light is breaking through.

And we are invited to join the song.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

God's New Morning Light

Because of God's tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us.

I love that image.

Every morning, the light breaks through the darkness of night.

And maybe every new morning is a kind of rehearsal.

A reminder of that great morning when the light of God's Son breaks fully upon us.

Zechariah sings:

"Because of God's tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us."

And what will this light do?

It will give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

And it will guide us to the path of peace.

Zechariah has a song.

And it is a song worth singing.

But Mary has a song too.

She says, "How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl."

God took notice of her.

This young woman.

This lowly servant girl.

Someone the powerful people of the world might easily overlook.

But God sees her.

God's light shines upon the lowly.

His light breaks upon the humble.

It shines upon those willing to let God be God in them.

Those willing to believe that what God says he will do, he will do.

And something happens when our humble faith meets God's merciful morning light.

A song begins to rise.

That's what happened to Zechariah.

That's what happened to Mary.

And I think it can happen to us too.

Maybe you're feeling lowly today.

Maybe you're hungry.

Maybe you're carrying shame.

Maybe you're sitting in a darkness that seems reluctant to give way.

Maybe you feel unseen.

But the morning light from heaven is breaking upon us.

God sees you.

God has not forgotten you.

And when we begin to encounter this God of love, this God who sees us and meets us in our lowliness, a song can begin to rise within us.

Not because everything has suddenly become easy.

Not because all our questions have been answered.

But because the light has come.

Because God is with us.

Because his mercy is tender.

Because darkness does not get the final word.

So join Zechariah.

Join Mary.

Join all those who have dared to believe that God is good enough to take notice of the lowly and big enough to do what he has promised.

Let faith rise.

Let the morning light break through.

And let your song rise with it.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 42–44; Revelation 22 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 17th, and our readings are Ezekiel 42–44 and Revelation 22.

Today we come to the final chapter of Revelation and one of the most beautiful images in all of Scripture.

Ezekiel continues his vision of the restored temple. He sees the glory of God returning, filling the temple with God's presence. The prophet falls facedown before the glory of the Lord.

Then Revelation 22 carries us beyond the temple into John's final vision of the new creation.

John sees a river.

It is the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. The tree of life grows beside it, bearing fruit, and its leaves are for the healing of the nations.

The curse is gone.

Night is gone.

And then comes perhaps the most astonishing promise of all:

"They will see his face."

The story that began in Genesis with humanity hiding from the face of God ends with humanity looking upon God's face without fear.

Today's devotion invites us to begin living into that reality now. As we look toward Jesus, the veils that distort our understanding of God and ourselves begin to fall away.

We see God more clearly.

And in seeing him, we begin to discover who we truly are.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

With Unveiled Face

John sees a river called life.

It is crystal clear, radiant and transparent, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

And I love this image.

Because there is nothing murky here.

Nothing obscured.

Nothing hidden.

John invites us to look into those crystal waters and see something marvelous.

The glory of God.

And perhaps, reflected there, we begin to see something else too.

Ourselves.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians that as we behold the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are being transformed into his image, from glory to glory.

I think that's part of what John is showing us here.

For so much of our lives, there are veils.

Things that obscure our vision of God.

Fear can be a veil.

Shame can be a veil.

Religion can become a veil.

Our wounds can become a veil.

Even distorted ideas about God can become veils that keep us from seeing clearly.

And when our vision of God becomes distorted, our vision of ourselves becomes distorted too.

We imagine God as distant, angry, disappointed, or reluctant to receive us.

And then we begin to imagine ourselves as unwanted, unacceptable, or unworthy of love.

But John says a day is coming when all the veils are gone.

"They will see his face."

Think about that.

The Bible begins with humanity hiding from the face of God.

And it ends with humanity looking into the face of God.

No hiding.

No shame.

No fear.

Just communion.

And when we finally see him clearly, I think we will discover something we have spent our whole lives learning to believe.

We belong.

We bear the family resemblance.

We are his.

But this isn't only a promise for some distant future.

Even now, the veil can begin to lift.

Every time we look toward Jesus, we see the Father more clearly.

Every time we sit with the Scriptures and allow Christ to open them to us, the water becomes a little clearer.

Every time we receive his love instead of hiding in our shame, we begin to see ourselves differently.

And slowly, sometimes almost imperceptibly, we are changed.

From glory to glory.

That's the beautiful mystery of transformation.

We don't become like Jesus primarily by staring harder at ourselves and trying to repair everything we think is wrong.

We become like him by beholding him.

By seeing the face of Jesus.

By discovering again and again that the face looking back at us is the face of love.

So come to the river.

Look into those crystal waters.

Let the veils fall.

See him.

And as you see him, may you also begin to see yourself as you truly are.

Loved.

Cherished.

A child of God.

Bearing the family resemblance.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

May I see with unveiled face.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May we come to the river and see, and know, and reflect the glory of the Lord.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 40–41; Psalm 128; Revelation 21 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 16th, and our readings are Ezekiel 40–41, Psalm 128, and Revelation 21.

In Ezekiel, we are given a detailed vision of a restored temple. The prophet is led through gates, courtyards, rooms, walls, and sacred spaces. Everything is measured with care.

This temple represented the place where heaven and earth met, where God dwelt among his people, and where humanity approached the presence of God through sacrifice.

Psalm 128 offers a picture of blessing, flourishing, family, and peace.

Then Revelation 21 carries us into an entirely new vision.

John sees a new heaven and a new earth. The holy city descends from God, and a voice announces that God's home is now among his people.

There will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain.

And remarkably, John sees no temple in the city.

There is no longer a separate sacred building because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. There is no need for sun or moon because the glory of God illuminates everything, and the Lamb is its light.

The sacred space toward which the temple always pointed has opened wide.

God is making his home with humanity.

Today's readings invite us to trust God through seasons of change. Buildings change. Institutions change. Familiar patterns pass away. But the presence and faithfulness of God remain.

The Lamb is our temple.

The Lamb is our light.

And the One seated upon the throne declares, "Look, I am making everything new."

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

The Lamb Is Our Temple

The story of sacrifice is finished.

That is what stands out to me in today's readings.

In Ezekiel, we are given a painstaking description of a temple.

There are gates, rooms, walls, courtyards, and exact measurements.

This is sacred space.

This is the place where heaven and earth meet.

This is where the presence of God dwells among the people and where broken humanity approaches God through sacrifice.

Every room matters.

Every measurement matters.

Every altar and sacred space belongs to a much larger story.

But it is a story that is always pointing beyond itself.

It is pointing toward Jesus.

Then John sees something entirely new.

A new heaven.

A new earth.

A new Jerusalem.

And he says, "I saw no temple in the city."

No temple.

No altar.

No sacred building separating the holy from the ordinary.

Why?

Because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

Everything the old temple represented has been fulfilled in Christ.

The place where heaven and earth meet is Jesus.

The sacrifice is Jesus.

The presence of God among humanity is Jesus.

The light of the city is Jesus.

Even the sun and moon are no longer needed because the glory of God fills everything, and the Lamb is its light.

The old structures have served their purpose.

The signs have given way to the reality.

The symbols have given way to the One they were always pointing toward.

And this can be hard for us because we often become attached to the structures.

We become attached to the familiar.

We find comfort in the way things have always been.

But life changes.

Seasons change.

Our families change.

Our bodies change.

Churches and institutions change.

Sometimes the things that once gave us stability disappear.

But the faithfulness of God does not disappear with them.

God is not contained within the old structures.

God is making all things new.

And we are being invited to live in that newness.

Our life is not secured by holding tightly to everything that once was.

Our life is found in Christ.

The Lamb is our temple.

The Lamb is our light.

The Lamb is our life.

And your life has been woven into his.

Your story has been gathered into his story.

Your name is written in the life of the Lamb.

So when seasons change and familiar things pass away, we do not have to be afraid.

The One who held us in the last season will hold us in the next.

The One who was faithful yesterday will be faithful tomorrow.

The Lamb remains.

And he is making all things new.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 38–39; Psalm 145; Revelation 20 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 15th, and our readings are Ezekiel 38–39, Psalm 145, and Revelation 20.

Today we encounter some of the Bible's most mysterious and dramatic imagery.

Ezekiel tells of Gog and Magog, armies gathering for battle, and the defeat of forces that threaten God's people. Revelation 20 returns to Gog and Magog and gives us visions of the great serpent, final judgment, and the lake of fire.

These passages have generated centuries of interpretation, speculation, and debate. It can be tempting to approach them as puzzles to solve or timelines to master.

But Revelation tells us from the beginning that it is an unveiling of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the heart of the story.

So rather than allowing fear, vengeance, or fascination with hidden details to dominate our reading, we are invited to look for the One who reveals the true nature of God.

Psalm 145 helps bring us back to that center. The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and filled with unfailing love. He is close to all who call upon him, and his kingdom is everlasting.

Today we approach these mysterious passages with humility. We do not come pretending to understand everything. We come as listeners, seeking the voice of Jesus and trusting that all Scripture ultimately finds its meaning and fulfillment in him.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

Finding the Heart of the Story

Let's get the story straight.

Today we have read some mysterious passages.

Gog and Magog.

Armies and battles.

The great serpent.

Judgment.

The lake of fire.

These images are thick with mystery, symbolism, and sometimes confusion.

And it can be easy to lose sight of what the real story is.

When we read language about wrath and judgment, we can begin to focus on retribution. We see injustice and suffering in the world, and understandably, we want wrongs to be made right.

We want evil to end.

But if we are not careful, we can allow our own desire for vengeance to shape the way we imagine God.

We can take mysterious passages and load them with our anger, our fear, and our need to see someone punished.

And before long, we have made God in our own image.

But that is not the real plot.

John tells us that Revelation is an apocalypse, an unveiling of Jesus Christ.

The story is about him.

Jesus is the living Word.

He is the One who has the words of life.

He is the clearest and fullest revelation of who God is.

So even when Scripture feels mysterious or cryptic, we keep looking toward Jesus.

He is the key.

He is the center.

He is the heart of the story.

That means we approach passages like these with humility.

We do not come as people who have mastered every symbol or solved every riddle.

Even the early church treated Revelation with caution. They recognized that its imagery was mysterious and warned against using uncertain interpretations to construct rigid doctrines.

We come instead with open hands.

We listen.

We ask the Spirit to help us hear the voice of Jesus.

Paul described himself as a servant of Christ and a steward of the mysteries of God.

Not a master of the mysteries.

A steward.

And perhaps that is our invitation too.

We are not trying to win an argument or solve a mathematical code.

We are seeking a living Savior.

We are walking with our Rabbi.

We are listening for the One who set the hearts of the disciples on fire as he opened the Scriptures on the road to Emmaus.

Jesus is the unveiling of God.

He is the heart and hope of the story.

When we hold fast to him as the center, both the clear passages and the confusing passages begin to take on a different light.

We begin to see that the final word is not fear.

It is not violence.

It is not death.

The final word is Jesus.

The One who conquers through self-giving love.

The One who defeats death by entering into it.

The One who makes all things new.

That is the story I want to hold on to.

That is the voice I want to hear.

That is the Rabbi I want to follow.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

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Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 36–37; Psalm 110; Revelation 19 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 14th, and our readings are Ezekiel 36–37, Psalm 110, and Revelation 19.

Today we are given one of Scripture's most extraordinary pictures of restoration and hope: Ezekiel standing in a valley filled with dry, scattered bones.

God asks Ezekiel a remarkable question: "Son of man, can these bones become living people again?"

Humanly speaking, the answer seems obvious. These bones are beyond repair. There is no life here. There is no future here.

But God sees something Ezekiel cannot yet see.

At God's word, bones begin coming together. Tendons and flesh appear. Breath enters them. What had been dead stands alive.

Ezekiel also speaks of God giving his people a new heart and a new spirit, replacing hearts of stone with hearts that are alive to God.

Psalm 110 looks toward God's victorious King, and Revelation 19 gives us another sweeping vision of that victory, culminating in the appearing of Christ.

Through all these images, we are being invited to see beyond appearances.

Death does not have the final word.

Failure does not have the final word.

Exile does not have the final word.

God is the God who brings life out of death. And in Jesus, the One who is Resurrection and Life, we discover that this new life is not something we achieve.

It is gift.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

Can These Bones Live?

People can get the wrong impression about God.

That's part of what I hear in Ezekiel today.

When people look at suffering, hardship, exile, and loss, they can begin to wonder whether God is really good.

Or perhaps whether God is good but simply isn't powerful enough to help when we really need him.

Ezekiel's people had plenty of reasons to wonder.

Their world had fallen apart.

They had lost their land, their city, their temple, their security.

Everything that once seemed permanent was gone.

And then God takes Ezekiel into a valley.

A valley filled with dry bones.

Not dying people.

Not sick people.

Bones.

Dry, scattered, dismembered bones.

There is no fixing this.

There is no program for making these bones try harder.

There is no religious technique that can restore them.

They are dead.

And God asks Ezekiel:

"Can these bones live?"

Ezekiel gives the only answer he can.

"O Sovereign Lord, you alone know the answer to that."

And then God speaks.

The bones begin to move.

They come together.

Flesh appears.

And finally the breath of God enters them.

They live.

Maybe this is what God wants us to see.

God's intention toward us is life.

And ultimately, if we want to know what God is like, we look at Jesus.

Jesus stands before the grave of Lazarus and says, "I am the resurrection and the life."

Jesus enters death itself.

And on Easter morning, death discovers that it cannot hold him.

This is who God is.

The One who brings life out of death.

The One who breathes into dry bones.

The One who replaces hearts of stone with hearts of flesh.

The One who meets us in the places where we've concluded that nothing can possibly change and says, "Watch what I can do."

And here's the beautiful thing.

The bones don't resurrect themselves.

They don't earn resurrection.

They don't prove that they're worthy of another chance.

They're bones.

God gives them life because God is the giver of life.

And that's grace.

Maybe there are places in your life today that feel like that valley.

Something has died.

Something has been lost.

Something looks beyond repair.

Don't confuse what you can see with everything God can see.

The valley of dry bones is not the end of the story.

Jesus is.

Resurrection is.

Life is.

So today, hear the question again:

"Can these bones live?"

Yes.

Because the One who is Resurrection and Life is here.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 33–35; Revelation 18 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 13th, and together we continue our journey through the Scriptures with Ezekiel 33–35 and Revelation 18.

In Ezekiel, we encounter the prophet as a watchman, called to speak truth and invite God's people to turn toward life. We also hear a sharp word for Israel's shepherds, leaders who have cared for themselves rather than the people entrusted to them.

But God does not abandon the sheep.

God says he himself will search for them. He will rescue them, gather them, feed them, bind up the injured, and strengthen the weak. Ultimately, God promises a shepherd from the line of David who will care for his people.

Then Revelation 18 takes us back into John's vision of Babylon.

Babylon appears powerful, wealthy, and secure. Yet John announces that Babylon has fallen.

The systems of domination, exploitation, violence, and greed that appear so permanent are not permanent at all.

Today's readings offer us a striking contrast between two ways of being in the world.

Babylon consumes. The Shepherd gives himself for the sheep.

Babylon accumulates. The Shepherd provides.

Babylon uses people. The Shepherd searches for the lost, binds up the wounded, and carries them home.

And we are invited again to decide which kingdom will shape our lives.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

The Shepherd in Babylon

Babylon always looks impressive.

That's part of its power.

Revelation describes merchants, wealth, luxury, commerce, ships, kings, and people who have become rich from everything Babylon has to offer.

And then suddenly John says:

"Babylon is fallen."

It turns out that what looked permanent wasn't permanent at all.

And I think that's important for us to remember because Babylon isn't only an ancient city.

Babylon is a way of organizing the world.

It is a way of seeing people.

It measures human beings by what they can produce, what they possess, what they can contribute, and what can be extracted from them.

And Ezekiel tells us that even God's shepherds can begin behaving like Babylon.

Instead of feeding the sheep, they feed themselves.

Instead of strengthening the weak, caring for the sick, binding up the injured, and searching for the lost, they use the flock for themselves.

And God says, "Enough."

Then comes this beautiful promise:

"I myself will search and find my sheep."

I love that.

God doesn't simply send better instructions.

He comes looking for us.

And when we finally see Jesus, we discover what this Shepherd looks like.

Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd."

The Shepherd doesn't exploit the sheep.

He lays down his life for them.

That's the difference between Babylon and Jesus.

Babylon asks, "What can I take?"

Jesus asks, "What can I give?"

Babylon climbs upward.

Jesus descends.

Babylon protects itself through power.

Jesus gives himself away in love.

And perhaps that's one of the invitations in today's reading.

We live in Babylon, too.

We're surrounded by systems that constantly tell us what matters, what success looks like, who is valuable, and what we should pursue.

But we belong to another kingdom.

And we follow another King.

A Shepherd King.

One who searches for the lost.

One who binds up the wounded.

One who strengthens the weak.

One who lays down his life for the sheep.

So don't be afraid when Babylon shakes.

Don't be surprised when things that looked permanent turn out not to be.

Listen instead for the voice of the Shepherd.

He knows your name.

He has come looking for you.

And he is leading us home.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 12th, and together we continue our journey through the Scriptures with Ezra 1, Psalms 84 and 85, and Luke 7.

Today's readings are filled with the possibility of restoration.

Ezra opens with God's people being invited home after years of exile. Cyrus, king of Persia, announces that the people can return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. What seemed lost is being restored. A new chapter is beginning.

The Psalms give voice to that longing for home. "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven's Armies." And Psalm 85 speaks of restoration, forgiveness, peace, and the hope that God's glory will once again fill the land.

Then in Luke 7, we encounter Jesus moving toward people with extraordinary compassion. He heals the servant of a Roman centurion. He meets a grieving widow and raises her son. And finally, while eating in the home of a Pharisee, Jesus receives the extravagant love of a woman whose life has been marked by sin and shame.

Again and again, Jesus moves toward those others might overlook or keep at a distance.

The sick are welcomed.

The grieving are seen.

The outsider is honored.

And the sinner hears the words, "Your sins are forgiven."

Today we are invited to hear those words for ourselves and to discover the freedom that comes when forgiveness becomes more than an idea and we actually begin to live as people who know that we are loved.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Singing a New Song

There is this extraordinary moment at the end of Luke 7.

Jesus is eating at the home of Simon the Pharisee when a woman enters the room.

Everyone seems to know who she is.

And everyone seems to know what she has done.

She comes to Jesus weeping. Her tears fall on his feet. She wipes them with her hair, kisses his feet, and pours perfume over them.

Simon watches all of this and thinks to himself, "If this man were really a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him."

But Jesus does know.

He knows her story.

He knows her pain.

He knows her sin.

And he doesn't move away.

That's important.

Because Simon sees a category.

Jesus sees a person.

Simon sees her past.

Jesus sees her.

And then Jesus tells Simon a story about two people whose debts have been forgiven. One owes a little. The other owes an enormous amount.

Neither can pay.

So the creditor forgives them both.

"Who do you suppose loved him more?" Jesus asks.

Simon knows the answer.

The one who had been forgiven much.

And suddenly we understand what is happening in this room.

This woman's tears aren't an attempt to earn forgiveness.

They're the response of someone who has encountered mercy.

She is singing a new song with her whole life.

The old song said, "You are what you've done."

The old song said, "You are your shame."

The old song said, "People like you don't belong here."

But Jesus gives her another song.

"You are forgiven."

"Your faith has saved you."

"Go in peace."

Maybe some of us need to hear that song today.

Because shame has a way of keeping us in exile long after God has opened the door and told us we can come home.

Ezra tells us it's time to come home.

The Psalms tell us that God's dwelling place is beautiful and that righteousness and peace have kissed.

And Jesus shows us what that homecoming looks like.

The outsider is welcomed.

The grieving are comforted.

The sick are healed.

And the sinner is forgiven.

So maybe today it's time to stop singing the old song.

The song of shame.

The song of fear.

The song that says you have to somehow earn your way back.

Listen instead to the voice of Jesus.

You are forgiven.

You are loved.

Go in peace.

And let that become the new song of your life.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May it be so.

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Daniel 1–2; Revelation 16 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 11th, and together we continue our journey through the Scriptures with Daniel 1 and 2 and Revelation 16.

Daniel and his friends find themselves living in Babylon, far from home and surrounded by a culture that wants to reshape their identity. They are given new names, new expectations, and a new way of life. Yet Daniel quietly resolves to remain faithful.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar has a troubling dream. None of Babylon's wise men can tell the king what he has dreamed or what it means. Daniel cannot do it either, at least not by his own wisdom. So he turns to God.

And the mystery is revealed.

Daniel's response is not self-congratulation. It is worship. Wisdom and power belong to God. God reveals what is hidden. God knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.

The vision itself points beyond Babylon and beyond every human empire. Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall, but Daniel sees a kingdom established by God that will endure.

Revelation 16 brings us again into the strange and sometimes frightening imagery of John's apocalypse, where the powers of this world are exposed and judged.

Through both Daniel and Revelation, we are reminded that empire does not have the final word.

God does.

And even when we cannot see what God is doing, we can trust the One who sees what is hidden and whose kingdom will not pass away.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

The Revealer of Mysteries

Daniel is living in a world he did not choose.

His home is gone. His country has been conquered. He has been carried into Babylon, given a Babylonian name, educated in Babylonian ways, and expected to serve a Babylonian king.

And then suddenly his life is threatened because the king demands the impossible.

Tell me my dream.

And then tell me what it means.

Daniel knows he cannot do this.

And I think that may be one of the most important things about Daniel.

He knows he doesn't have what it takes.

So Daniel gathers his friends and they pray.

And God reveals the mystery.

Daniel then stands before the king and says, essentially, "This isn't happening because I'm wiser than everybody else."

God is the revealer of mysteries.

I love that.

Because so much of life is a mystery.

We don't know what tomorrow holds.

We don't always understand what is happening around us.

We certainly don't understand everything that is happening inside of us.

And sometimes, like Daniel, we find ourselves living in circumstances we never would have chosen.

But Daniel reminds us that we don't have to understand everything in order to trust God.

And then comes this extraordinary vision.

Daniel sees the kingdoms of the world rising and falling. Gold gives way to silver, silver to bronze, bronze to iron.

Every empire looks permanent when you're living inside of it.

But none of them are.

Then Daniel sees a stone that is not cut by human hands.

And eventually that stone fills the whole earth.

The kingdom of God.

A kingdom that doesn't arise from human violence, human ingenuity, or human power.

It comes from God.

And Revelation is telling us something very similar.

Babylon will not last.

The kingdoms of this world will not last.

Fear will not last.

Violence will not last.

Death will not last.

But the kingdom of our God will.

So perhaps today you find yourself facing something you don't understand.

You don't know how it's going to work out.

You don't know what comes next.

You don't have the answer.

Daniel didn't either.

But he knew the One who did.

So we can loosen our grip on our need to understand everything.

We can pray.

We can trust.

And we can remember that behind all the kingdoms that rise and fall, behind all the confusion and uncertainty of our lives, there is a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

And there is a King.

Jesus.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

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One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible, where each day we journey through the pages of Scripture, seeking to encounter the living Word of God together.

Today we read Lamentations chapters 3, 4, and 5, along with Revelation chapter 15.

These are difficult passages. Lamentations gives voice to anguish, loss, confusion, and even questions about the character of God. Jeremiah speaks from within the devastation of Jerusalem, trying to understand what has happened to his people and where God is in the midst of it all.

But right there, in the middle of lament, we hear some of the most beautiful words in all of Scripture:

"The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning."

Today we wrestle honestly with the difficult images of God we encounter in Scripture while remembering that Jesus is the fullest revelation of who God is.

When our understanding of God becomes clouded by fear, suffering, or even difficult passages in the Bible, we look again toward Christ.

And there we discover the God whose faithful love never ends.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

What Is God Like?

What is God like?

The words we've read today in Lamentations are sobering. Disturbing, even.

The depth of pain and sorrow expressed by Jeremiah raises profound questions about God's nature.

Is God a capricious deity, much like the gods of Mount Olympus, inflicting suffering upon his people, making them eat gravel, leaving them devastated, and shutting out their prayers?

These descriptions can create uncertainty and fear in our hearts if we're not sure how to read them.

But Scripture invites us deeper.

It invites us to wrestle honestly with these raw emotions.

Jeremiah is telling God's story from within the devastation of siege and loss. He is describing what it feels like to stand among the ruins and believe that your suffering has come from the very hand of God.

And then something happens.

Jeremiah remembers.

"Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

I say to myself, 'The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!'"

And this is where we need to keep looking.

Because if we want to know what God is truly like, ultimately we look to Jesus.

Jesus is the fullest revelation of the Father.

When we wonder whether God is against us, we look at Jesus.

When suffering causes us to question whether God is good, we look at Jesus.

When even the Scriptures seem to present us with images of God that leave us afraid or confused, we look at Jesus.

Because in him we see the face of the Father.

God does not come in Christ to crush us or leave us abandoned in darkness.

He comes to deliver us from evil.

To heal.

To restore.

To reconcile.

To redeem.

Jesus is our lens. He is the one through whom we come to understand the character and heart of God.

So we don't have to deny the lament.

We don't have to pretend suffering isn't real.

Jeremiah certainly doesn't.

But neither do we stop there.

We keep looking until, beyond the ruins and through the tears, we see the face of Christ.

And there we discover the God whose faithful love never ends.

Whose mercies never cease.

Whose faithfulness is great.

And whose mercies are new every morning.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

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One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 9th, and this is day 252 of our journey through the Scriptures.

Today we enter into some difficult and powerful passages.

In Lamentations 1 and 2, we sit alongside Jerusalem in her grief. The city that once overflowed with life now sits alone, mourning all that has been lost. These chapters don't rush us past sorrow. They give grief a voice.

Obadiah turns our attention toward Edom and the consequences of pride, violence, and taking advantage of another's suffering.

Then Revelation 14 pulls back the curtain and gives us another vision. The Lamb stands on Mount Zion. Babylon, the great symbol of human empire, violence, exploitation, and domination, is declared fallen.

And suddenly lament gives way to hope.

The kingdoms we build do not last forever. The systems of violence, domination, and death do not get the final word. God's kingdom is coming, and the Lamb is making all things new.

So wherever you find yourself today, whether you are standing among the ruins of something you've lost or beginning to see signs of something new, there is hope.

Babylon falls.

The Lamb remains.

And the kingdom of God is coming.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

Out of the Ashes

Babylon has fallen.

And out of the ashes comes hope.

Today's readings give us images of terrible loss. Jerusalem sits alone. The city that had once been filled with people is grieving. Her beauty is gone. Her people have been scattered.

Lamentations doesn't try to clean this up.

It lets people grieve.

Sometimes that's what faith looks like. Sometimes faith isn't pretending everything is okay. Sometimes faith is sitting among the ruins and telling the truth about what has been lost.

But then John gives us another picture.

"Babylon is fallen."

Babylon represents that old human way of organizing the world. Power. Domination. Violence. Exploitation. The endless attempt to secure ourselves at the expense of someone else.

John says that world is passing away.

And standing on Mount Zion is the Lamb.

That's where our hope is.

Our hope isn't that we can somehow repair Babylon well enough to make it last forever. Our hope is that God is making something new.

A new city.

A new creation.

A world where God dwells with humanity and every tear is wiped away.

Sometimes we look around at our lives, our families, our churches, or our world and see nothing but ruins.

But ruins are not the end of the story.

God brings resurrection out of death.

God brings reconciliation out of alienation.

God brings life out of places where we thought life could never grow again.

So don't be afraid of the ashes.

And don't let the ruins convince you that God has abandoned the world.

Lift your eyes.

The Lamb is standing.

Babylon is falling.

And the kingdom of God is coming.

May we learn to live even now as citizens of that kingdom. May we become people of peace, forgiveness, mercy, generosity, and love.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul.

That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that's the prayer I have for you.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! Today is September 8th, and our journey through the Scriptures takes us into Jeremiah 42–44, Psalm 48, and Revelation 13.

In Jeremiah, the people ask the prophet to seek God's direction for them. They promise to obey whatever God says, whether they like the answer or not. Yet when Jeremiah tells them not to flee to Egypt, they reject the word they had asked to receive. Fear persuades them that they must secure their own future, even if doing so means abandoning the way God has placed before them.

In Revelation 13, John describes beasts, deception, coercive power, and the mysterious number 666. These images warn us about what happens when human power is magnified, worshiped, and treated as ultimate.

Psalm 48 gives us a different vision. God is our fortress and our security. We are invited to meditate on his unfailing love and to remember that God has not abandoned or separated himself from us.

Today's readings confront the ancient lie that we are alone and must save ourselves. They invite us to trust Emmanuel, the God who is with us, and to align our hearts with his kingdom of love rather than the fearful kingdoms we create for ourselves.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

God Is with You

We are told that 666 is the number of a man.

A great deal has been written about this mysterious number. Three sixes. A trinity of numbers, but an unholy trinity. It is humanity magnified, exalted, and worshiped. It is a beastly imitation standing in stark contrast to the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We are told that wisdom is required to understand its meaning, and I do not pretend to possess that kind of wisdom.

But it seems to me that whether we are looking at the queen of heaven confronted by Jeremiah or the many-headed beast described by John, the result is much the same.

When humanity believes the serpent's lie of separation, destruction follows.

The people in Jeremiah's day refused to trust that God was with them. They would not believe that he would protect them, rescue them, and give them life. Believing themselves to be alone, they separated themselves from God's will and fled to Egypt, another land of exile.

The same pattern begins in the garden.

Adam and Eve believe the suggestion that God is withholding himself from them. They imagine that he is not truly with them or for them. They hide from the God who has never stopped seeking them, and they experience exile in the very garden where God desires to dwell with them.

This tragic pattern repeats itself through history.

In our blindness, we fail to recognize the presence of the Triune God of life. We believe ourselves to be alone, so we rely on the gods of our own making. We worship human strength, political power, control, violence, wealth, or whatever else promises to secure us.

And the result is always the same.

The serpent's strategy has not really changed. Seeds of doubt are planted:

God is not present. God is not with you. God is not for you.

Believing that we are alone and that God is indifferent, we attempt to construct a life apart from him, apart from the Triune life of love and flourishing that has always been offered to us.

But the psalmist tells us another story:

"O God, we meditate on your unfailing love."

Our God is like a fortified wall, a citadel, and a beacon. This is the story we will continue to tell to future generations.

God is not separate from you.

God is with you.

That is the truth.

So align your heart with his will, his purposes, and his kingdom rather than your own. Renounce the lie of separation embodied in the number 666, and worship Emmanuel, the God who is with us, the God who is love.

That is the prayer I have for my own soul. That is the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.

And that is the prayer I have for you.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

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DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 40–41; Revelation 12 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! On this September 7th episode, Hunter guides us through 2 Kings 25, 2 Chronicles 36, Jeremiah 40–41, and Revelation 12.

Today we stand among the ruins of Jerusalem. The city has fallen. The temple is destroyed. The walls have been torn down. The people are killed, scattered, or carried into exile. Everything that once seemed secure has collapsed.

And yet Jeremiah remains.

The prophet who had warned of what was coming is still there among the broken walls and shattered lives. He does not seize the moment to gain power. He remains as a faithful witness to God.

Jeremiah shows us something about our own calling. When the world around us feels fractured, our task is not to join the struggle for domination. Jesus has shown us another way. The kingdom of God does not tear others down in order to rise. It enters the ruins, lifts up those who have fallen, and bears faithful witness to the love of God.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

Their worst nightmare has come true.

Everything they feared has happened.

Jerusalem has fallen. The temple is destroyed. The palace is gone. The walls have been torn down. People have been killed, scattered, and carried away.

They are living among the ruins.

And yet Jeremiah is still there.

His name carries the idea of one appointed or raised up by God.

Jeremiah had been thrown into a cistern and left for dead. He had been ignored, rejected, mocked, and imprisoned. He had warned the people about where their path was leading, but they refused to listen.

And now everything he warned them about has happened.

Jerusalem lies in ruins.

Yet Jeremiah remains.

That strikes me today.

Jeremiah does not remain so that he can say, "I told you so."

He does not stand over the ruins congratulating himself for being right.

He remains because God has appointed him to be there.

He remains as a witness.

And perhaps there is something here for us.

We live in a world that can sometimes feel as though the walls are coming down.

We see war.

We see division.

We see political fear and anger.

We see loneliness, addiction, poverty, injustice, and violence.

And sometimes we experience ruins much closer to home.

A marriage falls apart.

A diagnosis comes.

Someone we love dies.

A dream disappears.

A relationship breaks.

A future we imagined for ourselves suddenly seems impossible.

What are we supposed to do among the ruins?

The temptation is often to grab whatever power we can.

That is what Ishmael son of Nethaniah does in Jeremiah's story. In the instability following Jerusalem's destruction, he reaches for power through violence.

That is the way of the world.

When everything feels uncertain, seize control.

Protect yourself.

Defeat your enemies.

Make sure you come out on top.

But Jesus has shown us another way.

The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of this world.

The world tears people down in order to lift itself up.

The kingdom of God lifts up those who have been torn down.

That is our calling.

We are not called to conquer the ruins.

We are called to remain faithfully within them.

To love.

To serve.

To listen.

To forgive.

To bind wounds.

To proclaim hope.

To bear witness to a kingdom that cannot be destroyed.

Revelation pulls back the curtain and shows us that there is a larger story unfolding. The dragon rages. The powers of accusation and violence do their worst.

But they do not win.

The Lamb wins.

And those who belong to the Lamb overcome not by becoming dragons themselves, but through the life and self-giving love of Christ.

So perhaps Jeremiah has something important to teach us today.

Remain.

Remain faithful.

Remain loving.

Remain present.

When others are scrambling for power, kneel beside the wounded.

When others are tearing people down, lift someone up.

When fear tells you to protect yourself at all costs, remember the One who gave himself away in love.

You have been appointed for such a time as this.

Not necessarily to rebuild everything yourself.

Not to control history.

Not to win every argument.

But to faithfully bear witness to Jesus right where you are.

Even among the ruins.

Especially among the ruins.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

Listen with Apple Podcast

DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 33–35; Revelation 12 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! On this September 6th episode, Hunter guides us through Ezekiel 33–35 and Revelation 12.

In Ezekiel, the prophet is called to be a watchman. His responsibility is to listen for the Word of the Lord and faithfully sound the warning. But Ezekiel cannot control what others do with what they hear. His calling is faithfulness, not control.

We also hear something remarkable about the heart of God. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. His desire is that people turn from paths of destruction and live. Even in passages filled with judgment, we are invited to see the God who desires life.

Then Revelation 12 pulls back the curtain on the conflict beneath the surface of history. We see the woman, the child, the dragon, Michael and his angels, and the great accuser cast down.

But how is the enemy overcome?

Not through greater violence. Not through domination or fear.

"They have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony."

Today's devotion reminds us that accusation is not the voice that gets the final word over our lives. The Lamb has overcome. In Christ, we are invited to step out from under shame and accusation and bear witness to the love that has set us free.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

There is an accuser.

And there is a Lamb.

Revelation 12 gives us a picture of the spiritual conflict beneath the surface of the world.

John sees a dragon, the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan.

And John gives him another name.

The accuser.

He is the one who accuses God's people day and night.

That voice is familiar to many of us.

It is the voice that tells you that you are your worst failure.

It reminds you of what you did.

What you should have done.

What you said.

What you should have said.

It tells you that you are unworthy, unwanted, disqualified, and alone.

Accusation has a way of reducing us to the worst thing about us.

But Revelation tells us something astonishing.

The accuser has been thrown down.

And how is he overcome?

John tells us:

"They have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony."

The Lamb has overcome the accuser.

Jesus does not overcome through accusation of his own.

He does not defeat violence by becoming more violent.

He does not conquer evil by becoming evil.

The Lamb conquers by giving himself away in love.

The cross exposes the lie of the accuser because there we see what God actually thinks about humanity.

God does not abandon us.

God comes for us.

God enters our violence, our shame, our sin, and our death.

And he forgives.

He heals.

He restores.

He raises the dead.

This is why Ezekiel's words matter so much today.

God says, "As surely as I live, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live."

God desires life.

That is the heart revealed in Jesus.

The watchman sounds the warning because destruction is real. The paths we choose matter. Violence, pride, greed, hatred, and self-deception have consequences.

But warning is not the same as condemnation.

The warning is an invitation.

Turn and live.

Come home.

Step away from the road that is destroying you.

There is another way.

And this is where our testimony comes in.

"They have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony."

Our testimony is not simply the story of everything we have done right.

Quite the opposite.

Our testimony is that the Lamb has loved us.

The Lamb has found us.

The Lamb has forgiven us.

The Lamb has brought us out from underneath accusation and shame and given us a new identity.

We belong to him.

So when the accusing voice tells you that your failures define you, look to the Lamb.

When shame tells you that you should hide, look to the Lamb.

When fear tells you that God has abandoned you, look to the Lamb.

When your own heart condemns you, remember the testimony you have been given.

You are loved.

You are forgiven.

You belong.

The accuser does not get the final word.

Jesus does.

And his word over you is life.

So let us be faithful watchmen today.

Not angry people shouting condemnation at the world, but people who have seen the Lamb and can bear witness to another way.

Let our lives say:

Turn and live.

There is mercy.

There is forgiveness.

There is healing.

There is a God who desires life for his creation.

The Lamb has overcome.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

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Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 29–32; Revelation 11 Click HERE to give!

One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.

TODAY'S EPISODE:

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! On this September 5th episode, Hunter guides us through Ezekiel 29–32 and Revelation 11.

Ezekiel speaks into a world dominated by powerful empires. Egypt appears strong and permanent, but the prophet reminds us that nations built upon violence, conquest, and human pride eventually pass away. Assyria, Egypt, Tyre, Ethiopia, and the other great powers all seemed invincible in their day. None of them were.

Against this backdrop, Ezekiel repeatedly marks time according to the captivity of King Jehoiachin. His very name carries a reminder that God upholds. Even while Jehoiachin remains imprisoned and God's people live in exile, God has not forgotten them.

Revelation 11 widens the horizon even further. The kingdoms that appear to rule the world do not possess the future. John hears the declaration that the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever.

Today's devotion is an invitation for anyone who feels trapped in a season of waiting, loss, or captivity. The circumstances that seem permanent are not permanent. Empires fall. Seasons end. Prison doors open. But the steadfast love of God endures forever.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

He is steadfast.

Ezekiel is marking time.

Again and again, he tells us where he is in the story by measuring the years, months, and days of King Jehoiachin's captivity.

Jehoiachin has been taken away to Babylon.

The king is in prison.

Jerusalem is broken.

God's people are scattered.

And Ezekiel is counting the days.

Maybe you know what that feels like.

Sometimes we measure our lives according to our own captivity.

It has been six months since the diagnosis.

Three years since the relationship ended.

Five years since the loss.

Ten years since the dream disappeared.

We remember when life changed, and without realizing it, we begin measuring everything from that moment.

Ezekiel does something like that.

But there is something fascinating about the name of this captive king.

Jehoiachin means something like, "The Lord will uphold."

Imagine that.

Every time Ezekiel marks another year of captivity, he speaks the name of a man whose very name bears witness to the steadfastness of God.

The Lord will uphold.

The circumstances seem to say otherwise.

Babylon appears to have won.

The great empires seem permanent.

Egypt looks powerful.

The gods of war appear to rule the world.

But Ezekiel looks across history and reminds us that these empires come and go.

Assyria comes and goes.

Egypt comes and goes.

Tyre comes and goes.

Babylon itself will come and go.

The kingdoms built through violence, fear, conquest, and domination eventually find their way into the grave.

But God remains.

He is steadfast.

He upholds.

And Revelation 11 gives us an extraordinary picture of where all of this is heading.

John hears loud voices in heaven declaring that the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.

And he will reign forever.

That is the direction of history.

Not toward the endless reign of Babylon.

Not toward the endless reign of Egypt.

Not toward the endless reign of violence, fear, greed, or death.

History is moving toward Christ.

The kingdoms of this world will give way to the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ.

And his kingdom is unlike the kingdoms we build.

Jesus does not conquer through violence.

He conquers through self-giving love.

He does not climb over others to seize a throne.

He empties himself.

He kneels.

He serves.

He gives his life.

This is our King.

And this King is steadfast.

Maybe you're going through a hard time today.

Maybe you're measuring time according to the days of your captivity.

If so, remember Jehoiachin.

For more than thirty years he lived as a prisoner in Babylon.

Thirty years is a long time to wait.

But his story wasn't over.

Eventually a new king came to the throne of Babylon. Jehoiachin was released from prison. His prison clothes were removed. He was given new clothes, and a permanent place was prepared for him at the king's table.

What a picture of grace.

The prisoner is brought out.

He is clothed.

He is given a seat at the table.

That sounds a lot like the gospel to me.

God has not forgotten you in your captivity.

He is steadfast.

He will uphold you.

The circumstances you see today are not the whole story.

The powers that frighten us are temporary.

The grave is not permanent.

Death does not get the final word.

Christ does.

So live today in the light of the steadfast God of your salvation.

Trust his heart even when you cannot understand his timing.

Remember that he is holding you even when you feel like you are barely holding on.

His faithful love endures forever.

That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you.

May it be so.

TODAY'S PRAYERS:

Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.

Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen

And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.

OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible

Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured

OTHER PODCASTS:

Listen with Apple Podcast

DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL