Daily Devotional
What You Need the Most Today

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

Acts 4:13


Ponder This

How did these fishermen stand up and preach and see five thousand come to Christ? It was because He lives, and they were not dependent on their power of speech, their logic, or their winsomeness to bring these people to Christ. There was the living Christ inside of them. Anything I can talk you into, somebody else can talk you out of. We are not preaching facts about a dead Christ of history. We present the living Christ to you. Do you know what convinced Thomas? He had an encounter with the living Lord (John 20:24-29). When he had an encounter with the living Christ, he was convinced. Do you know what you need today? An encounter with Jesus Christ. In Acts 4, these people were brought in contact, by the Holy Spirit, with the living Christ, and they were convinced.

You see, other leaders come and go. But Christ is risen. It is an encounter with the living Christ that convinces people. I don’t have to depend on my ability to cause anyone to believe when I preach. My ability, my job, my joy, my responsibility is to bring you to an encounter with Jesus Christ. When you meet Christ, you will never be the same.

  • Who in your life needs the hope of the living Christ?
  • How is Christ different from every other leader people admire?

Practice This

Praise and thank God for the living hope you have in Jesus.

FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY

Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster

WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS

I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.

Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”