In her sermon entitled, "One Lord, Jesus Christ," Pastor Milissa invited us to consider who Jesus truly is, what we need saving from, and whether we are trusting him as our only Saving King.
We invite you to spend the next five days reflecting and praying through this devotional based on that message.
We invite you to spend the next five days reflecting and praying through this devotional based on that message.
Day 1: The Name Above All Names
Rest: Take 2 minutes of silence and invite God - Father, Son, and Spirit - to draw near to you in this time.
Read: Matthew 1:18-25
Reflect: The name Jesus was not chosen by his parents out of personal preference or family tradition. It was given directly by God and carries the full weight of divine purpose. The name means "The Lord Saves." Before Jesus ever preached a sermon, healed anyone, or walked to the cross, his name declared his mission. This challenges us to ask: do we treat the name of Jesus as a familiar word we carry around in a small paper bag, or as the declaration of the only one who can truly save? Consider today what you are placing your hope in for salvation.
Pause and talk with the Lord honestly about all of the thoughts and feelings that arise in you as you reflect on this.
Make it Tangible: Write down one area of your life where you have been seeking rescue from something other than Jesus. Bring it before him by name today in prayer.
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Read: Matthew 1:18-25
Reflect: The name Jesus was not chosen by his parents out of personal preference or family tradition. It was given directly by God and carries the full weight of divine purpose. The name means "The Lord Saves." Before Jesus ever preached a sermon, healed anyone, or walked to the cross, his name declared his mission. This challenges us to ask: do we treat the name of Jesus as a familiar word we carry around in a small paper bag, or as the declaration of the only one who can truly save? Consider today what you are placing your hope in for salvation.
Pause and talk with the Lord honestly about all of the thoughts and feelings that arise in you as you reflect on this.
Make it Tangible: Write down one area of your life where you have been seeking rescue from something other than Jesus. Bring it before him by name today in prayer.
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Day 2: In the Beginning Was the Word
Rest: Take 2 minutes of silence and invite God - Father, Son, and Spirit - to draw near to you in this time.
Read: John 1:1-14
Reflect: John opens his Gospel not with a birth narrative but with a declaration that reaches back before time itself. Jesus was not a created being who appeared on the scene at Christmas. He was present at creation, active in creation, and is the very source of light and life. This is the heart of what the Nicene Creed means when it declares Jesus to be "begotten, not made." He was not fashioned by God the Father the way a craftsman shapes clay. He is God, shared out from God. The light you see in Jesus is not a reflection of God. It is God. This is the Jesus who is big enough to save you.
How does knowing that Jesus is the eternal Creator, not merely a great teacher, change the way you relate to him? Pause and talk with the Lord honestly about all of the thoughts and feelings that arise in you as you reflect on this.
Make it Tangible: Spend five minutes in silence today, sitting with the reality that the same Jesus who spoke the universe into existence knows your name and your need. No need to do anything, just be in his presence and give the Spirit time to do His mysterious and beautiful work in you.
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Read: John 1:1-14
Reflect: John opens his Gospel not with a birth narrative but with a declaration that reaches back before time itself. Jesus was not a created being who appeared on the scene at Christmas. He was present at creation, active in creation, and is the very source of light and life. This is the heart of what the Nicene Creed means when it declares Jesus to be "begotten, not made." He was not fashioned by God the Father the way a craftsman shapes clay. He is God, shared out from God. The light you see in Jesus is not a reflection of God. It is God. This is the Jesus who is big enough to save you.
How does knowing that Jesus is the eternal Creator, not merely a great teacher, change the way you relate to him? Pause and talk with the Lord honestly about all of the thoughts and feelings that arise in you as you reflect on this.
Make it Tangible: Spend five minutes in silence today, sitting with the reality that the same Jesus who spoke the universe into existence knows your name and your need. No need to do anything, just be in his presence and give the Spirit time to do His mysterious and beautiful work in you.
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Day 3: There Is No Other Name
Rest: Take 2 minutes of silence and invite God - Father, Son, and Spirit - to draw near to you in this time.
Read: Acts 4:1-12
Reflect: Peter and John had just healed a man and were dragged before the most powerful religious authorities of their day to answer for it. Peter's response is one of the most direct declarations in all of Scripture. He makes clear, as recorded in Acts 4:12, that salvation is found in no one else and that there is no other name under heaven by which people must be saved. This was not a comfortable or culturally acceptable thing to say then, and it remains challenging now. We live in a world that offers many competing saving kings — success, security, approval, comfort. But none of them can do what only Jesus can do.
What voices in your culture or life suggest that Jesus is one option among many rather than the only Saving King? Pause and talk with the Lord honestly about all of the thoughts and feelings that arise in you as you reflect on this.
Make it Tangible: Identify one cultural narrative you have accepted that subtly competes with Jesus as Lord. Write it down and pray for clarity and courage to reorient your trust.
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Read: Acts 4:1-12
Reflect: Peter and John had just healed a man and were dragged before the most powerful religious authorities of their day to answer for it. Peter's response is one of the most direct declarations in all of Scripture. He makes clear, as recorded in Acts 4:12, that salvation is found in no one else and that there is no other name under heaven by which people must be saved. This was not a comfortable or culturally acceptable thing to say then, and it remains challenging now. We live in a world that offers many competing saving kings — success, security, approval, comfort. But none of them can do what only Jesus can do.
What voices in your culture or life suggest that Jesus is one option among many rather than the only Saving King? Pause and talk with the Lord honestly about all of the thoughts and feelings that arise in you as you reflect on this.
Make it Tangible: Identify one cultural narrative you have accepted that subtly competes with Jesus as Lord. Write it down and pray for clarity and courage to reorient your trust.
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Day 4: He Died and Was Buried
Rest: Take 2 minutes of silence and invite God - Father, Son, and Spirit - to draw near to you in this time.
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Reflect: The Nicene Creed does not simply say Jesus was crucified. It says he was crucified, he suffered death, and he was buried. The repetition is deliberate. There is no softening of what happened. Jesus did not merely appear to die or pass through death without fully entering it. He went all the way in. Paul, writing in 1 Corinthians 15, frames this as a matter of first importance: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised. The burial matters because it confirms the death was real. And the death matters because our sin is real. Jesus did not look at the weight of human sin and keep his distance. He absorbed it entirely.
What does it mean to you personally that Jesus did not minimize or avoid the full weight of death on your behalf? Pause and talk with the Lord honestly about all of the thoughts and feelings that arise in you as you reflect on this.
Make it Tangible: Take time today to honestly name before God the specific sins or burdens you carry. Receive the declaration that Jesus bore those things completely and was buried under them so you would not have to be.
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Reflect: The Nicene Creed does not simply say Jesus was crucified. It says he was crucified, he suffered death, and he was buried. The repetition is deliberate. There is no softening of what happened. Jesus did not merely appear to die or pass through death without fully entering it. He went all the way in. Paul, writing in 1 Corinthians 15, frames this as a matter of first importance: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised. The burial matters because it confirms the death was real. And the death matters because our sin is real. Jesus did not look at the weight of human sin and keep his distance. He absorbed it entirely.
What does it mean to you personally that Jesus did not minimize or avoid the full weight of death on your behalf? Pause and talk with the Lord honestly about all of the thoughts and feelings that arise in you as you reflect on this.
Make it Tangible: Take time today to honestly name before God the specific sins or burdens you carry. Receive the declaration that Jesus bore those things completely and was buried under them so you would not have to be.
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Day 5: Repent and Receive
Rest: Take 2 minutes of silence and invite God - Father, Son, and Spirit - to draw near to you in this time.
Read: Acts 2:22-41
Reflect: After Peter preached the resurrection of Jesus and declared him to be both Lord and Messiah, the crowd was cut to the heart and asked what they should do. The answer was not complicated. Repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This remains the response today. Repentance is not self-improvement or trying harder. It is a turning. It is turning away from every other saving king you have trusted, and toward Jesus. It is acknowledging that you cannot save yourself and that he already has. Whatever has held the throne of your life, Jesus is the only one worthy and able to hold it.
What does repentance look like in your life right now — not as a one-time event, but as an ongoing posture toward Jesus as your only Saving King? Pause and talk with the Lord honestly about all of the thoughts and feelings that arise in you as you reflect on this.
Make it Tangible: Before the day ends, pray a simple prayer of repentance. Name what you are turning away from. Name Jesus as Lord. Ask for the Holy Spirit to empower you to live in that reality tomorrow.
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".
Read: Acts 2:22-41
Reflect: After Peter preached the resurrection of Jesus and declared him to be both Lord and Messiah, the crowd was cut to the heart and asked what they should do. The answer was not complicated. Repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This remains the response today. Repentance is not self-improvement or trying harder. It is a turning. It is turning away from every other saving king you have trusted, and toward Jesus. It is acknowledging that you cannot save yourself and that he already has. Whatever has held the throne of your life, Jesus is the only one worthy and able to hold it.
What does repentance look like in your life right now — not as a one-time event, but as an ongoing posture toward Jesus as your only Saving King? Pause and talk with the Lord honestly about all of the thoughts and feelings that arise in you as you reflect on this.
Make it Tangible: Before the day ends, pray a simple prayer of repentance. Name what you are turning away from. Name Jesus as Lord. Ask for the Holy Spirit to empower you to live in that reality tomorrow.
Respond: Spend a moment thanking God for this time, invite Him to continue to speak throughout this day, and close by praying the "Our Father".