FOCUS OF THE MONTH (FOM)
IT’S HARVEST TIME
SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK (SOW)
(37) Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few: (38) Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. — Matthew 9:37-38 KJV
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” — Matthew 9:37-38 ESV
MINISTRY RESOURCES
Wednesday Corporate Fasting Scripture – Isaiah 58 (ESV); Isaiah 58 (KJV)
Friday End of Week Scripture – Ephesians 3:20-21 (KJV)
LET’S CELEBRATE YOUR NEW YEAR!
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ESV Translation Philosophy
The ESV is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks as far as possible to reproduce the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such, its emphasis is on “word-for-word” correspondence, at the same time taking full account of differences in grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and exact force of the original.
In contrast to the ESV, some Bible versions have followed a “thought-for-thought” rather than “word-for-word” translation philosophy, emphasizing “dynamic equivalence” rather than the “essentially literal” meaning of the original. A “thought-for-thought” translation is of necessity more inclined to reflect the interpretive views of the translator and the influences of contemporary culture.
Every translation is at many points a trade-off between literal precision and readability, between “formal equivalence” in expression and “functional equivalence” in communication, and the ESV is no exception. Within this framework, we have sought to be “as literal as possible” while maintaining clarity of expression and literary excellence. Therefore, to the extent that plain English permits and the meaning in each case allows, we have sought to use the same English word for important recurring words in the original; and, as far as grammar and syntax allow, we have rendered Old Testament passages cited in the New in ways that show their correspondence. Thus in each of these areas, as well as throughout the Bible as a whole, we have sought to capture all the echoes and overtones of meaning that are so abundantly present in the original texts.
As an essentially literal translation, taking into account grammar and syntax, the ESV thus seeks to carry over every possible nuance of meaning in the original words of Scripture into our own language. As such, the ESV is ideally suited for in-depth study of the Bible. Indeed, with its commitment to literary excellence, the ESV is equally well suited for public reading and preaching, for private reading and reflection, for both academic and devotional study, and for Scripture memorization.
PRAISE & WORSHIP
DAILY DEVOTIONALS
Sunday, September 28, 2025 – GOD’S WAY HOME – Luke 15:11-13, 17-24
Our Daily Bread Focuses: Decision-making; Forgiving others
Today’s Devotional
As I drove down the steep ramp into the parking lot, anxiety swept over me. I’d been in this exact place before—and I’d gotten lost that time. But now, as I began to walk to the door near the elevator, a calm feeling filled my heart. I knew the way! I walked through the door and found the set of elevators I was seeking and soon was where I was supposed to be.
My experience in finding my way through the maze of that parking structure reminds me that getting lost can sometimes help us find our way. Because I had gotten lost during my first visit, I recalled what had gone wrong and remembered the door that led to my destination.
There’s great joy in finding our way—something the “lost son” in today’s parable found to be true (Luke 15:24). “When he finally came to his senses” (v. 17 nlt), the wayward young man knew his way back home after having been lost in the world. He recognized all he had left behind and returned home where he received his father’s “love and compassion” (v. 20 nlt). The story says the father was overjoyed to receive his lost son and welcome him back, saying, “This son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found” (v. 24 nlt).
If we’re lost spiritually, let’s look for the familiar way home God has provided. He points us toward His loving light and to where we’re supposed to be.
Reflect & Pray
How has God shown you where you’re supposed to be? How can you run after His light?
Compassionate God, please help me turn from the darkness of being lost and return to Your light and love.
Today’s Insights
In Luke 15, Jesus tells three parables about something lost—a lost sheep (vv. 1-7), a coin (vv. 8-10), and a son (vv. 11-32). All of us can relate to looking for something valuable that we’ve lost. But the parable of the lost son would’ve been harder for Christ’s audience to understand.
A son requesting his inheritance while his father was still living and a father running to welcome him would have disregarded the cultural norms of that time. That’s just the point. God, like the father in the story, is waiting to do the unexpected—to welcome His lost children home.
Today’s Devotional
Football fans were stunned when Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills collapsed on the field on live television after executing a seemingly routine tackle in January 2023. The twenty-four-year-old was in sudden cardiac arrest. His heart stopped beating but was restored by medical professionals while on the field. Amazingly, three months after dying and being resuscitated on the field, Hamlin was cleared to play football again.
Hamlin has stated that he’s grateful to God and the medical staff for saving his life. He plans to continue being an inspiration to others. In John chapter 11, Lazarus also had a remarkable recovery.
By the time Jesus had arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days. His distraught sisters, Mary and Martha, witnessed Jesus’ power over death and that He is “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). “Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face” (vv. 43-44).
We’re also examples of Christ’s resurrection power. We were once dead in our sins, but we’re now alive in Christ (Romans 6:1-11). As believers, the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives inside of us (8:10-11). Be encouraged. While we’ll all die a physical death, that’s not the end of our story. We’re promised eternal life with Jesus.
Reflect & Pray
How does the gift of eternal life give you hope? How does Jesus’ resurrection power encourage you?
Dear God, thank You for Your resurrection power.
Today’s Insights
In John 11:1-2, Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, is sick. Yet, instead of rushing to Bethany and the home of this beloved family, Jesus “stayed where he was two more days” (v. 6). The gospel tells us He waited because He would “be glorified through it” (v. 4).
God is glorified when we acknowledge His sovereignty and power and trust in Him. In our passage today, Christ tells Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (11:40). Jesus was telling her to trust and believe in Him.
Soon she’d see God’s supernatural, transcendent power (His glory) displayed. Martha, Mary, the disciples, and all those gathered at the graveside witnessed the miraculous resurrection of a man dead for four days (vv. 41-44)! We too are recipients of God’s miraculous power. He gives eternal life to all who turn from their sins and follow Him.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025 – A LEAP OF FAITH – Ephesians 2:1-10
Today’s Devotional
A French sailor, along with his cat, was sailing from Dutch Harbor—located on an island south of Alaska—to San Diego, California, when his yacht was capsized by a huge wave. The vessel righted itself, but the mariner lost his rudder and rigging to the violent swells. He reported his dire situation to the Coast Guard, saying he was stranded, had no control, and his boat was “pretty much dead in the water.” Eventually the Coast Guard contacted an oil drilling ship nearby, and they came to the sailor’s rescue. However, he still had to make a literal leap of faith—with his cat tucked under his jacket—from his boat to the rescue vessel.
In Ephesians 2, Paul described the sinful and hopeless condition of humanity—dead in the water spiritually and separated from God (v. 1). Moreover, we were disobedient to all that He desires (v. 2) and depraved—unable to do anything to merit salvation (v. 3). But “by grace,” Jesus made it possible for us to be “saved, through faith,” and this salvation is a “gift of God” (v. 8).
We were all stranded in the raging seas of sin and death, but praise God that we have a Savior who made it possible for us to leap into His saving arms by faith. Christ alone can rescue us and carry us to safety.
Reflect & Pray
What is the means of the rescue Jesus has made possible? How are faith in Him and the salvation He’s made possible linked?
Dear Jesus, Your mercy and grace led me to—by faith—leap into Your saving arms.
For further study, read What’s Wrong with the Sinner’s Prayer.
Today’s Insights
Our need of Christ’s rescue is undeniable, given Paul’s clear teaching in Ephesians 2. Apart from Jesus we “were dead” (v. 1), and the dead can do absolutely nothing on their own behalf. How grateful we should be that God, out “of his great love for us” and His rich mercy (v. 4) has given us life through Christ’s death and resurrection on our behalf. In addition to giving us life, He’s given us a place “in the heavenly realms” (v. 6). All this was done to express God’s “kindness to us” (v. 7). Apart from Jesus (vv. 8-9), we’d be both lost and helpless, but He came and took our place. He’s rescued and brought to safety those who’ve believed in Him!
Wednesday, October 1, 2025 – OUT FROM THE DARK – Isaiah 9:2-7
Today’s Devotional
The tugboat sank twenty miles off the coast of Nigeria, turning upside down as it fell to the sea floor. Eleven crew members drowned, but the ship’s cook, Harrison Odjegba Okene, found an air pocket and waited. He only had one bottle of Coke for provisions, and both of his flashlights died within the first twenty-four hours. For three terrifying days, Okene was trapped alone in darkness at the bottom of the ocean. He’d begun to give up hope when divers on a mission to recover dead bodies found him hunkered and shivering deep in the hull.
The image of Okene alone in the dark for sixty hours is unnerving. He told reporters he still suffers nightmares from the horrifying ordeal. But can you imagine what he felt when he saw the diver’s powerful lamp piercing the darkness? What joy and elation, what hope. The prophet Isaiah foretold how, when the Messiah came, all “the people walking in darkness” would see “a great light” (9:2). Left to our own devices, we live “in the land of deep darkness,” but in Jesus, “a light has dawned” (v. 2).
Christ is “the light of the world,” and in Him we need never again fear the darkness for we “have the light of life” (John 8:12). We may feel trapped or hopeless, alone or in despair, but God illuminates good news. Jesus carries us out of the dark and into His marvelous light.
Reflect & Pray
What darkness are you facing? How do you need Jesus to be your light and bring you out of it?
Dear God, I need Your light in my life. Please bring me out of my dark place.
For further study, read Deceived by Disappointment.
Today’s Insights
Oppressed by an Aram-Israel alliance, King Ahaz of Judah turned to Assyria for help (2 Kings 16:7-9; Isaiah 7:1-6). God told Ahaz He’d use Assyria to defeat Israel and Aram (Isaiah 7:7-9; 8:4-7), and because of Ahaz’s unfaithfulness, Judah too would be punished (7:13-25; 8:8). The punishment would be so severe the Israelites would “be thrust into utter darkness” (8:22).
But God promised deliverance and restoration, starting with Zebulun and Naphtali (9:1), lands in Israel’s far north that had been ravaged by the Assyrians. Isaiah prophesied that with the birth of the Messiah, “the people walking in darkness [would see] a great light” (v. 2).
Seven hundred years later, Jesus fulfilled this prophecy as He began His ministry in that region (Matthew 4:12-17). Christ, that “great light,” calls us to follow Him: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Thursday, October 2, 2025 – REMAINING TEACHABLE IN GOD – Proverbs 9:1-6, 13-18
Daily Bread Focuses: Identity in Christ; Service
Scriptures: Luke 2:52; Proverbs 4:7
Today’s Devotional
After Kat learned she was pregnant, she dropped out of high school to care for her daughter. Fifteen years later, Kat was a working mother of three who dreamed of becoming a licensed beautician. With humility and tenacity, she became a student again in a free GED support program. It was humbling to go back to school after so long. “This program changed my life!” Kat said. “My teacher was amazing and offered so much encouragement.”
Remaining teachable may be one of the most difficult things we can do. The Bible speaks of having a teachable heart that’s open to God’s wisdom. The poetry of Proverbs paints a picture of two women calling out to passersby—Wisdom and Folly (Proverbs 9:1-6; 13-18). Those who listen to Wisdom receive correction with grace. They “add to their learning” and become even wiser (v. 9).
They habitually “walk in the way of insight” (v. 6) and seat themselves at Wisdom’s table for instruction. Their obedience leads to a full life (v. 11). In contrast, those who listen to Folly hate being corrected or criticized. They insult anyone who tries to instruct them (vv. 7-8). Humility comes from fearing God—acknowledging that He’s “the Holy One” and we are not (v. 10). It’s not easy to stay teachable, but it also brings freedom to admit we don’t know it all and we still need help. Wisdom calls to us. How will we respond?
Reflect & Pray
What’s your default reaction to criticism? How could a humble response lead to growth and victory?
Receiving instruction doesn’t always come naturally to me, wise Father, but I trust Your ways.
For further study, read An Invitation to Wisdom.
Today’s Insights
“I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses,” Moses told Israel shortly before his death. Then he exhorted them: “Choose life . . . . love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). Proverbs reinforces this prudent counsel to forsake deadly ways and choose life. Chapter 9 is the last of three chapters that contrast folly and wisdom by personifying these concepts as female characters.
In chapter 7, a father urges his son, “Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister’ ” (v. 4) but warns against the adulterous woman: “Do not let your heart turn to her ways” (v. 25). Chapters 7, 8, and 9 all conclude with warnings about the deadly end awaiting those who neglect wisdom (7:26-27; 8:35-36; 9:18). Instead, “Leave your simple ways and you will live” (9:6). By cultivating a teachable heart, fools grow wiser and draw closer to God.
Friday, October 3, 2025 – REPRESENTING JESUS – 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, 14-20
Today’s Devotional
On the first day of a camp where Alan teaches teens entrepreneurial skills, a student said, “You’re a Christian, aren’t you? I can tell.” Before Alan said he was a Christian or wore his favorite socks and ties decorated with Christian symbols, the teen said he saw Jesus through Alan’s words, actions, and attitude. They discussed how they could better represent Jesus wherever they go.
Saying we’re Christian and wearing clothes with Christian messages are good things. However, the Bible teaches that the way we live and love as we share the gospel is the true identifier of those who follow Jesus. The apostle Paul and the other believers in Corinth were compelled, or driven, to please God by living with an eternal perspective while sharing Him with others (2 Corinthians 5:9-14).
When we’re committed to living for Christ instead of for ourselves, the Holy Spirit changes our perspective, character, priorities, and ways of interacting with others (vv. 15-17). Our new life in Jesus is intended to represent Him while we point others to Him, “as though God were making his appeal through us” (v. 20).
Empowered by the Spirit, we’re given the joy and responsibility of representing Christ wherever we go.
Reflect & Pray
How have others pointed you to Jesus by the way they lived? How has God’s transforming work in your life helped you become a better ambassador for Christ?
Life-transforming Jesus, please change me by Your Spirit so that I can better represent You wherever You send me.
For further study, read Paul’s Pain and His Passion.
Today’s Insights
Paul says that the goal for believers in Jesus should be “to please him” (2 Corinthians 5:9). As we share the gospel with others, how we live and love identifies true believers. The pattern Christ established with the twelve disciples is also valid for today. Before witnessing for Him through their words and actions, they looked, listened, and learned from Him.
Of two of the twelve it was said, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Those who represent Christ best are those who’ve been drawn to Him, forgiven by Him, and empowered by the Spirit to bear witness to His love and grace.
Saturday, October 4, 2025 – A MIGRATING SAVIOR – Matthew 2:13-15
Our Daily Bread Focuses: Christ, life/teaching; Injustice
Today’s Devotional
In 1947, with the dissolution of the British Indian Empire, more than 15 million people migrated for religious reasons. The upheaval was worsened by monsoon flooding and the spread of disease. More than a million refugees died.
Throughout history, people have migrated—seeking freedom, safety, or a better life. The urge to move is ingrained in the human experience. The most famous example in Scripture is the exodus story of the Hebrews to the promised land. Migration wasn’t foreign to Jesus either. As a young baby, His parents fled to Egypt to protect His life from the murderous Herod. It’s ironic that, just as the Israelites fled to the promised land (Exodus 3:17) to get away from a king who killed young boys (1:16), Joseph is told to take Jesus “and his mother and escape to Egypt” to flee a tyrant who did the same (Matthew 2:13; see vv. 16-18).
Matthew tells us this journey was to fulfill the prophecy in Hosea 11:1 that “out of Egypt I called my son” (Matthew 2:15). But it’s also a reminder that Christ understands the human experience (Hebrews 4:15). We have a Savior who knows us and has experienced the same kinds of trials and tribulations we have. We can seek Him in our difficult moments. He listens and intercedes on our behalf (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Reflect & Pray
How has migration impacted you personally? How might the story of Jesus be an encouragement to those who’ve had to flee for freedom or safety?
Dear Father, please protect those who are forced to migrate for safety.
For further study, read The God Who Is with Us—The Difference the Incarnation Makes.
Today’s Insights
Matthew’s gospel account emphasizes the parallels between the coming of Jesus and God’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt. In Exodus, a tyrannical pharaoh paranoid about perceived threats to his reign ordered that male Jewish babies be killed (1:16, 22). In an unlikely series of events, Moses’ life was spared (2:1-10). In Matthew, King Herod, fearing prophecies of a new king (2:2-3), sought to find the prophesied child through the magi (vv. 7-8).
When this plot failed (v. 12), Herod made another attempt to kill the prophesied king by ordering the slaughter of all boys under two years of age in Bethlehem (vv. 16-18). Through fleeing to Egypt, Jesus and His family found safety (vv. 13-15). These parallels between the events of Exodus and Christ’s birth reveal Him to be the new Moses, who understands what it’s like to need to flee to safety. He understands the human experience, and we can trust Him during our times of difficulty.
THIS WEEK’S INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT BY SISTER CLOVIA
I AM AN AMBASSADOR OF CHRIST
I am an ambassador of Christ, Wherever I am and wherever I go.
And I am not ashamed of the Gospel -The power of God to save,
I am Christ-inside minded
Because He lives in me.
Although I am in this world, I am not of this world.
Therefore, as an ambassador,
I show forth the glory of He who has called
me out of darkness into His marvelous light.
I display the beauty, the majesty, the power,
the excellence of God in my community,
my workplace, my church, my business, my world.
I refuse to be shaped into the mould of the world,
but I show that His presence makes a difference.
I dare to be different and dare to make a difference.
I am a light in my world called to dispel the darkness.
I shine in the darkness. My light shines ever brighter
to the full light of day. I refuse to compromise my standards
and God’s standards. I am a city on a hill that cannot be hidden.
I am a salt of the earth and called to be medicinal, inspirational
and disinfectant, sanctifying my environment.
I represent the Kingdom of God-the Kingdom of righteousness,
integrity, goodness, godliness, and the supernatural.
Christ in me is my hope of glory!
—Fenny West 2020
CHRISTIAN-BASED MOVIE FOR THE MONTH
***The Daily Devotionals are taken from Our Daily Bread Ministries and the Scriptures are from the BibleGateway.***
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