Featured Devotionals

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ODJ: divine adoption

Adopting two boys from Russia opened Russell Moore’s eyes to the privilege of being a child of God. People would ask, “Are they really brothers?” “Have you met their real mum?” Moore simply replied, “Of course they’re brothers. They’re both in our family. And their real mum is my wife.”Moore’s experience with his sons mirrors h

ODJ: love and holiness

The Bible is full of contrasts. We read that our holy “God is a devouring fire” (Deuteronomy 4:24). But a few chapters later we find that God “lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him” (7:9). John also wrote, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Fire burns and is dangerous. Love delights and protects. So how can God be both holy and love

ODJ: stronger

Five years ago, in a burst of renovating energy, my husband and I decided to install tile flooring in our kitchen. Cold to the feet on winter mornings, hard on the joints year round, but easy to clean, tile was our choice again when we moved a year ago. Enduring the heavy traffic through our house, its strength has proven unyielding—even to the point of being ruthless when anything breakable

ODJ: a different unity

A group of churches in our city came together to do a neighbourhood cleanup. The shared project went so well that they now exchange choirs and praise bands and have multichurch picnics. Oh sure, there are things they disagree on. But to them, Jesus is a reason for unity.What a contrast to the small town where I went to high school! There were only two churches, both with similar denominational tr

ODJ: what love looks like

A couple I know met, fell in love and in time realised they wanted to give their lives to each other in marriage. But there was a catch. Both had been married before and had children from those marriages. The divorces had been bitter, and their children still felt the effects. How would another marriage affect their sons and daughters? Would the two families successfully integrate? Would it a

ODJ: dealing with scepticism

Organised religion is not for me,” a friend said to me recently. I have been praying for this friend’s salvation for more than 15 years, and every time we get together I pray that God will use me to lead her closer to Jesus. But she still seems so sceptical, and I’m afraid of saying anything that might sour our relationship.I wonder, will my friend ever come to believe in Jes

ODJ: our mission

A beekeeper friend recently had an interesting encounter with what he thought was a swarming, hostile hive of bees. The bees were perched outside the opening to their hive enclosure—a wooden structure in which they lived. My friend thought that a swarm was imminent, but upon closer inspection he realised the bees had moved outside of the hive because it had got too hot due to sweltering wea

ODJ: what’s to like?

A spiritual mentor once asked a disheartened young man, “What do you like about yourself?” He looked down and stared at his feet in silence. Minutes later he finally shared a few things he had done. The mentor patiently shifted the focus away from external behaviours to who the young man was as a person.More silence followed.Eventually, the young man, who had been raised in t

ODJ: the front porch

In some hills of America’s mid-South region, much of life is lived on the front porch. Neighbours stop by unannounced for a glass of sweet tea or cup of coffee. No invitation is ever necessary.And then, the stories start getting told. They’re much better heard in person. The tree-lined ridges limit mobile phone coverage anyway, so you may as well walk on over and visit awhile!The measu