Spending time in God’s Word is life-transforming. Yet sometimes it is difficult to know where to start. I have created these simple devotions to help. Any believer can do this! Read the introduction, look up the verses, and then think about what they mean and how they apply. You will be happy you did!

Day One

You are made to worship. Get your eyes off yourself today and onto God. Take a few minutes to think about who God is. Look up the following verses and write down one reason God is great from each. It won’t take long but it could change your whole day.

1.) Isaiah 40:12
2.) Deuteronomy 32:3,4
3.) 1 Timothy 6:17
4.) James 1:17
5.) Revelation 4:11
6.) Psalm 16:11

Having thought a little about the character of God, commit to delighting yourself in the Lord today. Give praise to God now for who He is. It’s good for you and it brings God glory.

Day Two

It’s going to be hard to get anything right today if you don’t remember who you are. Take a few minutes to think about what you naturally are like apart from God’s grace. Look up the following verses and write down what they say about YOU. Warning! Sometimes we read these verses so generically, as if they were only talking about everybody else. But, you might try to think more carefully about what they say about yourself personally by writing down, I …

1.) Romans 1:21,22,23,25
2.) Romans 6:23
3.) Ephesians 2:3
4.) James 2:10
5.) Titus 3:3
6.) Romans 5:6

Now that you have done that, go just one step further and jot down 5 ways believing that about yourself will make a difference on the way you view God and relate to others.

Day Three

As a believer, the single most important thing you can do today is enjoy how much God loves you. Sometimes this is harder to do than it sounds. We take being loved by God so lightly. So, think about it! There’s no one who loves you more and there’s no one who loves you better than God. But what makes His love for you so special? Take a few minutes and look at the following verses and note how they help you appreciate God’s love for you. You might just say, ‘God’s love for me is… and fill in the blank with the truth from the passage.

1.) Psalm 136:1
2.) Romans 5:8
3.) Romans 8:35-39
4.) 1 John 3:16
5.) 1 John 4:9,10

Now, stop and think, if God loves you like this, what difference will it make on your life today? Write down one way you should think or act or feel differently based on how much God loves you!

Day Four

The moment you became a Christian, some amazing things happened. Unfortunately, we sometimes take them for granted. I want to remind you how much God loves you by having you think about what God did for you when He saved you. But be patient! There is so much, it’s going to take a few days to get through it all. (A lifetime, actually!) But start by looking up the following verses and writing down what God gave you.

1.) Colossians 2:13
2.) John 1:12
3.) Romans 5:5
4.) Romans 8:16,17
5.) Romans 6:6,7 and 14
6.) 1 Corinthians 3:16

Now that you have been reminded what God’s given you, thank Him specifically for each gift!

Day Five

Sometimes when people read the command to give thanks in all circumstances, they get upset. What do I have to give thanks about? Well, if you are a Christian, there is a lot to be thankful for actually. Let me remind you of some of the things you can be grateful for today. Look up the following verses and note what God has given or done for you.

1.) Ephesians 1:3
2.) Ephesians 1:13,14
3.) John 7:38
4.) 1 Peter 1:3,4
5.) 2 Corinthians 5:21

Now, give thanks. It honors God to be grateful for the gifts He has given you. So don’t just think I have this, isn’t this nice. Go to God and appreciate how much He loves you.

Day Six

Do you ever feel hopeless? If you are a Christian you might sometimes feel that way, but that feeling is a lie, because you have been given hope. The reason you may feel hopeless is because you are putting your hope in the wrong things, so take some time to go back to God’s Word and remember all you have to look forward to. Look at the following verses and writes down specifically what they tell you about your future.

1.) Psalm 149:4
2.) 1 Corinthians 3:8
3.) Romans 8:18,19
4.) Philippians 3:20,21
5.) Ephesians 2:7

Now quickly take a moment and think, what difference should having this hope make on the way you think and feel today?

Day Seven

How would you define the good life?

Jesus’ answer is simple. Knowing God.

Not only is knowing God essential to living forever, knowing God is key to really living life well now. It’s important you take time today to think about God. You can begin where God begins. The first thing God tells us is that He is the Creator. This seems obvious, but we often fail to appreciate its significance. Look up the following verses and note what they tell us about God as Creator and how that reality should impact us.

1.) 1 Chronicles 16:25,26
2.) Psalm 89:11,12
3.) Isaiah 45:5,9,10
4.) Jeremiah 32:17
5.) Psalm 121:1,2
6.) Revelation 4:11

Now, what is one way you will think, feel or act differently today in light of what you’ve seen about God?

Day Eight

It is impossible to appreciate what Jesus has done for you without understanding how desperately you needed him to do it. This means you need to know what the Bible teaches about sin. It is much worse than you think it is. Until you recognize the sinfulness of sin, you will have no comprehension of the remedy God’s provided in Christ. Take some time to look at the following verses and consider what they teach about sin. Some of these verses define sin. Others provide a picture of what sin does. And then others talk about the consequences. It might help to make this personal. You might do that simply by saying, when I sin or my sin…and then filling in the blank from the verse.

1.) 1 John 3:4
2.) Jeremiah 2:13
3.) Romans 1:22
3.) Ezekiel 18:4
4.) Isaiah 55:2
5.) Jeremiah 9:3-6

And, there’s so much more! Before you move on today, think about how this look at sin should impact you. What difference will knowing what sin is really like make on the way you think, feel or act today?

Day Nine

The moment you became a Christian, some amazing things happened. Unfortunately, we sometimes take them for granted. I want to remind you how much God loves you by having you think about what God did for you when He saved you. But be patient! There is so much, it’s going to take a few days to get through it all. (A lifetime, actually!)

But start by looking up the following verses and writing down exactly what God gave you.

1.) Colossians 2:13,14
2.) John 1:12
3.) Romans 5:5
4.) Romans 8:16,17
5.) Romans 6:6,7 and 14
6.) 1 Corinthians 3:16
7.) 2 Corinthians 5:17

Now that you have been reminded what God’s given you, first of all, thank Him specifically for each gift! But secondly, think, if this is what you have been given by God, what is one difference it will make on the way you think, feel or act today?

Day Ten:

Our sin is so much worse than we think it is. It not only creates problems in our lives and brings us shame, God hates it. That’s what makes sin so terrible. He is absolutely holy. And it’s impossible for sinners to live in His presence. How then can any of us hope to come before Him? Forgiveness! I love that word. Do you?

Sometimes we forget how amazing it is to be forgiven. Slow down and think about what it means to be forgiven, how you came to be forgiven, and what difference being forgiven should make in your life today by meditating on the following verses. Note especially the way they describe forgiveness, the other terms they use for forgiveness, how they think forgiveness happens, and what they think we should do as people who have been forgiven.

1.) Psalm 32:1
2.) Micah 7:18,19
3.) Acts 10:43
4.) Hebrews 9:22
5.) Ephesians 1:7
6.) Revelation 1:5
7.) Psalm 130:4
8.) Ephesians 4:32

Now, if you are a believer take a few minutes to evaluate your life. Are you thinking and acting like a person who has been forgiven? Thank God for the way He has forgiven you and ask Him to help you believe it.

Day Eleven:

Becoming a Christian is so much more than just beginning to go to church and trying to be a nice person. It is a supernatural work of God. He gives a person a new heart. He brings them from spiritual death to life. He enables them to trust in Jesus Christ and causes them to hate their sin. To appreciate that, let’s take a little closer look today at what happens when God saves a person.

Read the following verses and see if you can note what it tells you about the process.You might try to look carefully and see what comes first and then what comes next. How do you know someone is born of God? What happens in their life?

1.) 1 John 5:1
2.) Romans 5:1
3.) John 1:12
4.) 1 John 3:14
5.) 1 John 2:29
6.) John 17:3

Now, if you are a Christian, thank the Lord for your salvation! He did it! And He did so much! But if you look at your life and you are missing these marks, please don’t trust in your religious activity. Cry out to God and ask Him to give you the miracle of the new birth!

Day Twelve:

You need to start this day by remembering that God is in control of what happens. He is King! And this King has a plan and will accomplish that plan no matter what. Look up the following verses and note what they teach you about the sovereignty of God. What is He doing? What is He in control of? What difference should that make on your life?

1.) Isaiah 46:9-10
2.) Daniel 4:34,35
3.) Isaiah 14:27
4.) 1 Samuel 2:6-7
5.) Matthew 10:28-31
6.) Proverbs 21:30
7.) Psalm 31:15

While it is not always easy to understand what God is doing, we can never doubt that God is at work and that His plan is good and that absolutely no one can stop Him. Your problems may seem big today, but God is much, much bigger.

Day Thirteen:

Life is busy. But our most important priority is clear. Love God! But what does it mean to love God today? Look up the following verses and note the way the author shows you how to love God.

1.) Psalm 27:4
2.) Psalm 63:1,2
3.) Psalm 119:97,103
4.) John 14:15,23
5.) 1 John 4:20,21
6.) Psalm 31:6,14

Which of these verses stood out to you? How specifically do you need to grow in your love for God? Having seen some different ways to love God, how will you do these today?

Day Fourteen:

There is no one as important as God. And there is nothing more important than knowing Him. Let’s seek to grow in our knowledge of God by thinking about what He is like. Specifically take some time to read the following passages and note what God cannot do. What do these verses say is missing in God or that He cannot do?

1.) Psalm 92:15
2.) Romans 9:14
3.) James 1:13
4.) Job 37:23
5.) Habakkuk 1:13

How does knowing this about God impact you? In what does it change the way you think or feel? If God is like this and you say you love Him, what should you hate and avoid?

Day Fifteen:

It is hard to do anything well if you don’t know it’s purpose. Imagine trying to play a game but not knowing the point. Or going to work but no one tells you what your job is. Unfortunately, many people are trying to live life that way. They don’t know their purpose. How about you? Why are you on the planet today? What are you here for? The Bible’s answer to this question is very clear. Look up the following verses and see if you can spot what they tell you about your purpose.

1.) Romans 11:36
2.) 1 Corinthians 6:20
3.) 1 Corinthians 10:31

Once you have identified your purpose, you have to think what that means and how you can do that today. What does glorifying God actually mean? Write down a definition. The following three verses give at least three ways you can glorify God today. See if you can spot them.

1.) Romans 4:20
2.) 1 Peter 4:10-11
3.) 2 Thessalonians 1:10 (Hint: Look at the word that is a synonym to glorify here.)

Now that you have thought about why you exist, and what it means, and how to do it, what difference is it going to make on the way you live your life today? Knowing your purpose is a privilege, but it won’t do much good to know it, if you don’t intentionally seek to live your life on purpose.

Day Sixteen:

What does it mean to trust God?

Go ahead and take a moment and define it. I will wait.

Whatever it means, it certainly is more than just saying the words. Let’s take a few minutes and think through several characteristics of a person who is truly trusting God. What is the person in these verses doing or not doing that demonstrates he trusts God?

1.) Psalm 18:4-6
2.) Psalm 3:4-6
3.) Psalm 13:5-6
4.) Psalm 138:3
5.) Psalm 16:2-3
6.) Psalm 20:7
7.) Psalm 27:1-3
8.) Psalm 40:4
9.) Psalm 52:8-9

Now look back over this list and evaluate your own heart. Do you trust God? What evidence is there in your life that you are trusting God? How can you show you trust God today? What will you do to grow in your trust in God?

Day Seventeen:

What image comes into your mind when you think about God? While the Bible gives us many descriptions of God, one of the most important is that of judge. But what does it mean that God is a judge? What kind of judge is he? How does he judge? And what difference does it make? Look up the following verses and note what they tell you about God the judge.

1.) Genesis 18:25
2.) Nahum 1:2,3
3.) Ecclesiastes 3:17
4.) Ecclesiastes 12:14
5.) Romans 2:6,16
6.) Psalm 5:4-6
7.) Psalm 96:13
8.) Acts 17:31
9.) Hebrew 9:27

Slow down now and reflect on what you have learned. Why is it good that God is judge? Why is it scary? What difference does it make on your attitude toward sin? How does it impact your view of Jesus?

Day Eighteen:

If you say you want to be with God in heaven in the future, you must be committed to living for God in earth in the present. To claim to be a Christian without having a desire to be holy is nonsense talk. Let’s take a few minutes and think more carefully about why holiness is important, what it means to be holy, and how we can pursue it.

Look up the following verses and summarize what they teach about being holy.

1.) 1 Peter 1:14-16
2.) 2 Corinthians 5:17
3.) Romans 6:6
4.) Romans 12:1,2
5.) 2 Corinthians 3:18
6.) Hebrews 12:14
7.) Hebrews 13:20,21
8.) Colossians 3:5
9.) 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7
10.) Philippians 2:12,13

Now, you’ve seen many verses about holiness but what difference will they make in your life today? What is one way you can think or feel or believe differently based on what you have studied?

Day Nineteen:

You grow as a Christian by looking at Jesus. Seeing Jesus starts with listening to what God says about Him and thinking hard about what that means and praying God helps you see how amazing He is. Let’s seek to do that even now by looking at what the following verses say about Him. Write down at least one thing the following verses say about Jesus.

1.) John 5:21-23
2.) Revelation 1:17,18
3.) Colossians 1:16
4.) Colossians 2:9
5.) Romans 9:5 and 2 Peter 1:1
6.) Ephesians 1:20-23
7.) Philippians 1:9-11
8.) John 10:27,28
9.) Revelation 19:11-16

Now, I know that’s a lot of verses but believe me, there are so many more! We have focused our attention on one aspect of Jesus, He is God. But let me ask you, do you believe that? And if you do, what difference does believing that make on the way you think and act and feel today?

Day Twenty:

Which is harder for you to believe: that Jesus is fully God or that He became fully man? (And, what’s more, to make it even more amazing, that He did this without stopping being fully God!)

This is a miracle above miracles.

And honestly, it is one that is hard for us to understand. Either we think of Jesus as man and forget that He is God or we focus on Jesus as God and neglect His humanity. To think that the same person can have two natures so distinct as God and man is a concept that is far above our abilities to comprehend. But still, it’s important through faith we take the time to meditate and enjoy who Christ is.

In previous devotions, we’ve looked at the deity of Jesus. Today, let’s look at some passages that help us think about his humanity. Read the following verses and write down what they tell you about Jesus. (I know, some may seem obvious, but take note of what they say anyway!)

1.) Luke 2:7
2.) Luke 2:40,52
3.) John 4:6
4.) John 19:28
5.) Matthew 26:38,39
6.) John 6:38
7.) Hebrews 2:17,18
8.) Hebrews 4:15,16

Now, walk your way back through those obvious statements you made about Jesus, remembering that He is also fully God!

How much does God love you! He … (fill in the blank) for you!

Can you think of any specific ways seeing Jesus like this should change the way you think, feel or act today?

Day Twenty One:

What do you do when you grow cold spiritually?

If someone grows cold physically, we know exactly what they should do. They need to get themselves near something hot, like a fire, in order to heat themselves up. The same of course is true spiritually. If you want to heat up spiritually, you need to get yourself as near as you can and stay as long as you can with, Jesus Christ who is the fire that can heat up the coldest person.

In order to help you do that, we are looking at some passages that show us Jesus. Today, we are going to examine some verses in the Old Testament that prepare us to appreciate Him. As you read these verses, I want you to start by just noting what is happening and who exactly is doing it. You might just say in this verse God is _.

1.) Job 9:8
2.) Psalm 89:8-9
3.) Psalm 146:6-8
4.) Amos 4:13
5.) Psalm 78:19,20 (What are they asking if God can do?)
6.) 2 Kings 5:6-7; Deuteronomy 32:39
7.) Daniel 9:9

After looking at all those verses, I suppose you might be a bit confused. “I thought we were going to talk about Jesus? But all those verses are about what only God can do.” Exactly! Think! Where in the gospels do you find a story about Jesus doing what those verses describe God as doing and what does that tell us about Him? If anyone ever asks you where in the Bible does it teach that Jesus is God, one place you might point them is His miracles. His miracles were not random. They were signs! And those signs clearly demonstrated Jesus wasn’t just another ordinary human. He is God become man. Worship Him!

Day Twenty Two:

I have a hope of glory.

And if you are a Christian, so do you. Paul actually says that this part of the glorious mystery that is revealed in the gospel, Christ in you, the hope of glory.

But what does that mean?

Glory is a big biblical word. It actually takes a number of words to define it.

Glory has to do with repute and honor. It has to do with importance.

There’s even this element in the New Testament of beauty, radiance. It is something that is impressive, even awe-inspiring which means Christians have the hope of repute, honor, importance, being beautiful, impressive, awe-inspiring, and majestic. I realize that sounds like almost too much. But it’s not my idea. It is God’s. When you start chasing this word glory around the New Testament, you see there’s a lot of talk not only about believers glorifying God, but also about God glorifying believers. Let’s look at several passages and note what they tell you about this future hope. (Just make simple observations about what the verse tells you about being glorified.)

1.) Romans 8:15-17
2.) 1 Peter 5:10
3.) Romans 8:28
4.) 2 Corinthians 4:17
5.) Romans 9:22,23
6.) Hebrews 2:10
7.)Philippians 3:21
8.) 1 Corinthians 15:42,43
9.) Romans 8:18-19

Now, it is easier to think about Christ being glorified than us being glorified along with Him. Believing that definitely takes a supernatural work of the Spirit of God, because the kind of glory we are talking about is not something small. It’s not something we deserve. It’s a gift. But it’s a gift that’s real and that should change the direction of our entire lives. Does it? God wants you to be sure about your future glory. Do you believe God is going to glorify you? What difference should knowing that make on your life today?

Day Twenty Three:

It is one thing to know what God is going to do in the future, it is another to have that knowledge change your entire way of looking at the world. We have been given hope as Christians but we need to hope in our hope.

What does it look like to fix your hope on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ? Throughout the following passages you find several characteristics of the person whose knowledge of the future is making a difference in their life. Read these verses and identify what difference is the future making or supposed to make on the way we live?

1.) 1 Peter 1:6
2.) 1 Corinthians 15:58
3.) Matthew 6:1,6
4.) Matthew 6:19-21
5.) 2 Peter 3:10-14, 1 John 3:3
6.) Luke 6:22,23
7.) James 5:7-9
8.) 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

And that’s just the New Testament! Imagine if we took time to look at the Old. All this stuff the Bible tells us about the return of Jesus Christ and what He is going to do when He returns is supposed to make a difference in our lives right now. But does it? Are you really hoping in your hope? Use these Scriptures to evaluate yourself. What is one way knowing the future is changing the way you are living today? How will it change you today?

Day Twenty Four:

We all have needs. There are so many things we depend on every day just to survive. But not God. Think about that! He has no needs. He is not dependent on anyone else for his existence and he doesn’t need anything in the world for his happiness. It is hard for us to even imagine someone that independent. But the Bible helps us!

Look up the following verses and note what they teach us about God.

1.) John 5:26
2.) Job 41:11
3.) Romans 11:33-35
4.) Acts 17:24,25
5.) Psalm 102:25-27
6.) Isaiah 40:28-31

While I know at first this truth about God might seem deep, it is also very practical. You depend on God who does not depend on you. God never grows lonely. God never gets tired. God never gets weaker. God doesn’t need help. He is the only one in the universe who is completely self-sufficient! What difference does this make in your life today? How does this make His love for you sweeter? How does it make your confidence in Him greater? How does it make the gospel more amazing?

Day Twenty Five:

What does God want from you today?

One thing we know He wants is for you to experience joy. Stop and think about that. God wants you to be joyful. What a good God!

Unfortunately we are not always very smart about what it means to be joyful or how to pursue joy the right way. So let’s go to God’s Word and let Him teach us more about it.

Look up the following verses and try to observe all you can learn about pursuing joy today.

1.) Philippians 4:4
2.) Galatians 5:22,23
3.) 1 Thessalonians 1:6
4.) Psalm 4:6,7
5.) Romans 15:13
6.) Psalm 19:8
7.) James 1:2-4
8.) 1 Peter 1:6
9.) John 16:22

In one way or another you are going to look for joy today. But don’t be foolish about it! Let God guide you. What have you learned about joy and how is it going to impact what you do next?

Day Twenty Six:

Who has it really good?

We all know the kind of people unbelievers would look at and say they are blessed. But who are the kind of people God looks at and says they are blessed?

The Psalmist describes them in the following passages.

Note who is blessed according to these verses.

1.) Psalm 1:1,2
2.) Psalm 2:12
3.) Psalm 106:3
4.) Psalm 32:1.2
5.) Psalm 34:8
6.) Psalm 41:1,2
7.) Psalm 84:4,5
8.) Psalm 112:1
9.) Psalm 94:12
10.) Psalm 119:1,2
11.) Psalm 146:5

Now, I know that’s a lot of verses but I really want you to enjoy the good life. If these things are true of you, you are blessed! Are they? Then stop envying others and be thankful! So maybe you don’t look blessed according to the world’s standards but what does the world know? If these qualities aren’t true of you, make pursuing these qualities a priority in your life today. Which one do you need to work on the most? How can you work on that quality today?

Day Twenty Seven:

You will have many things going on in your life today. They will feel important and sometimes even urgent. But what is really necessary? If you stripped life down to its bare minimum, what is it that really matters most to God?

One way to begin to answer that question is to look at Jesus. Look at the following verses and identify what He said was necessary.

1. Luke 2:49
2. Luke 4:43
3. Luke 9:22, 24:7, 24:26
4. Luke 11:42, 13:16
5. Luke 15:32
6. Luke 18:1
7. Luke 19:5
8. Luke 21:9
9. Luke 22:36,37, 24:44

Now review what was necessary for Jesus and try to summarize what you saw in a more general way. For example, it was necessary for Jesus to be in his Father’s house – it is necessary to commune with God. How does Jesus perspective on what takes priority shape your priorities? Obviously you are not Jesus so there are some things that are different but you are His follower so much will be the same. You have many demands on your life today, but don’t let the world cause you to lose sight of what really matters in this life. Look to Jesus and learn!