Day 21 – Daily Devotional – January 25, 2025 – Staying Power

READ

Matt 11:28-30   “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

EXAMINE

Hello, Bethel   When we get frustrated with life, it’s easy to feel frustrated with God. We wonder why things are going wrong and feel angry in our circumstances. But oftentimes, our frustrations and fruitlessness come from a lack of abiding in the Lord’s presence and listening to His teachings. But there’s a remedy for this! In these verses, Jesus is reminding us that by getting away with Him, walking with Him and working with Him brings a lightness to our lives. He calls it the “unforced rhythms of grace.” No striving, no resisting, no stretching. Without Him we can do nothing, but with Him we are blessed beyond measure.

APPLY

YOU DID IT! You’ve come to the last day of our 21 Day Fast. To whatever degree you participated, you did it.  Be proud of that. These days have been set aside to draw near to God; to ask for a greater release of His Spirit into our lives. We’ve taken greater time to pray, read His word, listen to His voice, and ultimately, to draw closer to Jesus. Let’s build on this time by putting increased effort to incorporate these practices into our lives on a greater basis. Every single day we must wake up and choose to spend time with Jesus, to dwell in His presence, and learn from His Word. When we learn to maintain this habit of walking with Christ, our passage says we’ll “learn to live freely and lightly.”

PRAY

Thank God for helping you during these 21 days. Thank Him for revealing Himself to you in a greater way. Ask Him to help you continue in this increased level of fellowship and make this a “launching pad” for the days to come. Remember, our “word” for 2025 is GREATER. You’re well on the path to making that happen. Again, CONGRATULATIONS!