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In Touch Ministries
Daily Devotion

November 7, 2024

Seek the Lord
A close relationship with the Lord is built by dedicating time to spend with Him—day by day, year by year.

Read Related Scripture
Psalm 27:4-8
Psalm 63:1
John 17-19

A close relationship with the Lord doesn’t happen accidentally. It requires continual, deliberate decisions to pursue Him. Intimacy can’t be achieved in an inspiring weekend conference, nor can it be accomplished by reading a chapter or two of the Bible and praying indifferently. Seeking God is a lifetime commitment—day by day, year by year.

Too many believers are satisfied to have a shallow, superficial relationship with the Lord. They’ll approach God for relief from suffering or fulfillment of other needs but are unwilling to sit quietly for an extended period of time just getting to know Him through prayer and His Word. Yet the most important pursuit in a believer’s life is building a relationship with God. (See Ps. 27:4.) To forfeit this great blessing is a tragedy.

God doesn’t need anything from you, but He desires your loving devotion and intimate fellowship. Ask yourself, Is this what I want, too? If your answer is yes, are you willing to make the necessary commitment? Seeking the Lord cannot be something you hurry through or approach casually (Psalm 63:1). It will cost you time and effort, but the rewards are worth any sacrifice.

Jesus, my prayer is that I (we) may always seek You first, my (our) Lord and my (our) God.

In Touch Ministries
Daily Devotion

November 5, 2024

Running the Race of Faith
All believers reach a finish line in life—are you running to receive an eternal prize?

Read Related Scripture
Hebrews 12:1-3
1 Corinthians 3:11-15
John 12-13

Imagine you’re running in a marathon, and one of the athletes decides to pick his own path. He keeps to the 26.2-mile race standard and sets his finish line in the same spot as the official one, but he picks routes with fewer hills and competitors. His plan seems excellent to him, but when he crosses the finish line, there will be no medal or ribbon waiting.

That would certainly be a silly thing to do. Yet we can fall into this very trap when we decide the course for our life instead of running the race God sets. (See Heb. 12:1.) By submitting to His will, we remain on the right path. But the moment we revert to old habits or start making decisions based on our own wisdom, we go far afield.

Whether believers run the race God’s way or their own way, they’ll reach a finish line—but that doesn’t mean it’s the same one. No one wants to look back and realize, I didn’t run the course meant for me. I accomplished nothing of value. The only truly lasting and worthwhile deeds are those done for the Lord in the power of His Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

And thankfully, no matter how far off course we veer, the Holy Spirit is still present. He reminds us of the right path—and gives us the power to get back on it and persevere.

Jesus, help me (us) to run the race You have set before me (us) with endurance and obedience unto You, my Lord and my God.

In Touch Ministries
Daily Devotion

November 3, 2024

Steps of Obedience
The Holy Spirit uses the Bible to guide us—sometimes into the unknown.

Reading Related Scripture
Psalm 119:147-148
Psalm 119:27
John 14:26
John 8-9

Yesterday we studied the importance of trusting and waiting on God. Today, let’s look at three additional requirements:

Meditating. If we want to know the mind of God, we must meditate upon His Word (Psalm 119:27). We do not need to pick the “right” verses in order to know His will. He has the power to direct us from any portion of the Bible. Our part is to pursue wisdom through Scripture over a sustained period of time.

Listening. We must make an effort to learn how to recognize the prompting of the Holy Spirit. If we are studying a passage of Scripture, He will shed light on its meaning so we can understand how God is directing us. Or He will bring to remembrance a passage we have learned and reveal how it applies to our situation (John 14:26).

Walking. One final lesson regarding obedience is that sometimes we must walk even when the way is unclear. Abraham is a good example. The Lord told Him to move out of his homeland but did not specify the destination.

As the week begins, consider the importance of obedience in the life of faith. Then ask God what He wants you to work on first—trusting, waiting, meditating, listening, or walking with Him.

Psalm 139:23-24
23 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Test me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting."

In Touch Ministries
Daily Devotion

November 1, 2024

Responding to God’s Love
Have you accepted God's free gift of salvation?

Read Related Scripture
John 3:16-21
Romans 6:23
Romans 3:23
1 John 4:10
John 4-5


God is love. Most likely, we’ve heard these words, but do we really understand what they mean? John 3:16 tells us: Because the Father deeply loves us, He sent His Son in human flesh to live on earth and to save us by dying. This is no shallow love.

Some people question Jesus’ sacrifice, though. They think, Certainly the Lord could have come up with a different way to offer salvation. He is God, so shouldn’t He be able to do all things? They fail to consider two of His unchangeable attributes.

First, God is holy by nature. This means He cannot look upon sin with approval. Second, He is just. As a result, all wrongdoing—without exception—must be dealt with (Romans 6:23).

We all fall short of God’s perfect holiness (Romans 3:23). But our heavenly Father desires an everlasting relationship with us, so He provided the solution by sending His Son Jesus here to live as a man and then die on the cross. This is the ultimate expression of love. As 1 John 4:10 states, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Have you accepted God’s free gift of salvation? How do you choose to respond to His amazing love?