Highrock Church

Why should we be generous? Anything we "should" do implies an obligation but "should" can also describe an opportunity. We should be grateful because it is an incredible opportunity to be enlivened and empowered to truly live, and to share that life with others in the same spirit of sacrificial generosity. But how do we practice this spirit of generosity in a way that sticks?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:2 Corinthians 8:9b "Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich."- Do you consider yourself a generally grateful person? Who or what people, places, and practices have helped you to be more grateful in the past?- Who or what helps you to be more grateful today? Consider sharing a note of thanks with those people. If those people have passed, consider writing the note anyway then sharing it with someone else close to you.

Daily Devo | The Call to Cheerful Generosity (Practicing the Way, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8)The call to cheerful generosity is sandwiched between two larger principles. The first is that your generosity is an investment that will be multiplied, but a very small gift is still small even when multiplied. The second principle is that God will reward you when you give cheerfully, but not so you can have more. Instead, God will reward you with more so that you can give even more, joining God in the joy of being a giver!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Generosity is an act of gratitude and opportunity, not obligation.- Do you tend to view the idea of generosity as an opportunity or an obligation? Why do you think you have that tendency?- How might God be inviting you to see generosity more as an opportunity? Do any of the principles in this passage or in today's devotional help? Is there another idea or experience that you find helpful for being a cheerful giver?

If you suddenly received a large gift, what would you do? How might you celebrate? Who would you bless with some of your windfall? The practice of generosity starts with the realization taht we have received such a gift, that everything we have is a gift. We might be hold onto and trust in money but the true secret to a rich life is to trust in God. By joining in with God's flow of generosity, we can experience true life now and in the future!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:All money minted or printed in the USA reminds us that it is "In God We Trust", but do we?- What are some ways that you have been taught not to trust in money but to trust instead in God? In particular, how might that trust be demonstrated in your actions?- Even today, experts encourage us to imagine our future selves enjoying the benefits of our present-day investments. Imagine yourself in the future (v19), enjoying the benefits of your generosity. What does that enjoyment look like in your mind?

We hustle, compare, worry about not having enough, and quietly hope we’re doing “better than most.” But what if Jesus invites us into a different economy - one where security, joy, and freedom don’t rise and fall with our bank balance?· ·👉🏻 Check out other Highrock sermons: https://tinyurl.com/3rdw4x8n👉🏻 Check out Highrock's 15-min daily devotionals: https://tinyurl.com/38d4aryd

After Elijah ran into the wilderness, God met with him. First came the violent wind, tearing up the rocks. Then came an earthquake and finally, fire. Though we might imagine that God would show up in power, God was not in any of these signs. Finally, there was a moment of silence, a quiet like the eye of a storm, or a gentle whisper. Rather than fill all the moments of silence in our lives, might we also find God revealed in gentle whispers?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Calling down fire was not enough to sustain Elijah's faith. Instead, Elijah finds God in the gentle whisper.- Consider milestone moments in your walk of faith. Do they tend to be moments of power (like the fire, earthquake, and storm) or do they tend to be quiet experiences of God's presence? Describe one of those moments.- Do you have quiet or even silent moments in which you can hear even your own quiet thoughts, let alone the whispers of God's Spirit? How might God be inviting you to create such moments in which you can listen?

Through the prophet Isaiah, God laments to Israel that: "In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it" (v15). Instead, we tenaciously hold onto the illusion that we will be saved by cleverness and activity. In the meantime, God must wait for us to "come to him so he can show you his love and compassion." In the practice of solitude, we return to the God who has been waiting for us all along.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Like wayward children, sometimes we have to experience the failure of our own efforts and plans before we can trust God, "so the Lord must wait for you to come to him" (v18). - Have you ever experienced the "quietness and confidence" that comes from returning and resting in the Lord? What led to that moment and what did you do?- What does it look like for you to return and rest in the Lord? How might God be inviting you to make a more regular practice of spending time alone with God?

God knows us deeply and completely, even better than we know ourselves. In Psalm 139, David asks God to "search me, O God, and know my heart!" In solitude, we can learn not only who God is but who we are, and who we might become. Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:When we are curious about or troubled by what we see in our lives, we can turn to God in solitude.- Can you think of a time when you were confused by how someone else felt or what they were doing? Was there a time when you were similarly confused about yourself?- In that confusing situation, did you eventually come to a better understanding? What did you discover and how?- God can help us to understand ourselves more deeply. Pray Psalm 139:23-24 as your own prayer.

Embedded in the call to solitude is a call to stillness. In the midst of earthshaking events, instead of responding with a flurry of anxious activity, God invites us to “Be still, and know that I am God!" (v10) and to find peace in knowing that the Lord is here, with us (v11). Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:The invitation to stillness is to rest in the security of God's presence.- What are the sources of distress in your work, your relationships, and in the world?- How do you respond to such distress in healthy and unhealthy ways? How might acknowledging God help you to respond in healthier ways?- What might it look like to "be still" and know that Jesus is Lord, and that he is always with us? In other words, how might you practice stillness?

Throughout the Bible, people often experienced God most powerfully in times and places of solitude. Jesus himself often retreated to quiet, wilderness spaces. As valuable as those times and places might be, a dependence on those places leaves spiritual solitude out of reach for most of us. Is there a way to richly connect with God in the moment rather than on the mountain?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Jesus invites us to, "Come, follow me!" (Matthew 4:19). How might Jesus be inviting you into solitude?- Have you ever had a rich experience of solitude, one in which you felt refreshed by the presence of God? What were the details of that experience?- Retreating to the wilderness can be powerful but several more accessible suggestions were offered. We might go for a walk or even transform daily rituals (making coffee, doing dishes, folding laundry, enjoying a moment of beauty, etc.). How might Jesus be inviting you to find time alone with God?

We’re surrounded by noise, pulled in every direction, and still feel strangely empty. In fact, we often feel drained. Jesus experienced the same busyness and franticness, yet he often slipped away to quiet, lonely places - why? Maybe what he found there is the very thing our restless souls are missing.· ·👉🏻 Check out other Highrock sermons: https://tinyurl.com/3rdw4x8n👉🏻 Check out Highrock's 15-min daily devotionals: https://tinyurl.com/38d4aryd

Daniel’s fast was not a quick prayer for instant answers — it was a sustained season of prayer. For twenty-one days, he persisted until he received his answer. Daniel's fast reminds us that our faithful actions often unfold in spiritual dimensions we cannot see. This three-week fast also reveals that answers delayed are not answers denied. Through fasting, we can persevere until that moment finally arrives.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Fasting is not passive waiting — it’s active faith. When we fast and pray, we partner with God’s purposes, even in unseen battles.- Where might you need to persevere in prayer? What situation in your life might require faith that endures even when you don’t see immediate results?- Ask God for endurance in prayer and trust. Pray for greater spiritual awareness, that you might trust what God is doing even in seasons of silence or delay.

Ezra and the Israelites faced a dangerous journey. Instead of seeking human protection that would have compromised their mission, they turned to God in fasting and prayer. Fasting removes distractions and centers our hearts on God’s direction. When you fast, you’re not trying to earn answers -- you’re creating space to hear the One who already knows the way.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Ezra and his companions made every preparation for their journey but they recognized that success would have to come from God.- What decisions or uncertainties do you need clarity from God about right now? How might you quiet your heart to listen more intently to God's direction?- Who might you join with in prayer during your time of seeking direction and protection?- Ask God for discernment and sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit during your fast.

Before his ministry began, Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit. For 40 days and nights, Jesus fasted before being tempted -- perhaps the greatest challenge Jesus faced other than the cross itself! Why did the Spirit lead Jesus into this battle in such a weakened state? Though fasting may have left Jesus physically weak, it also left him spiritually strengthened. Fasting and praying before a spiritual challenge or temptation can be a powerful way to draw strength from God.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Fasting didn't weaken Jesus -- it fortified his spirit and focused his attention on God's Word as true nourishment.- Have you ever fasted in a way that strengthened your spirit and your resolve to trust God? Why do you think your fasting had (or did not have) that effect?- Why do you imagine the Spirit might have led Jesus into a battle with the Tempter only after a 40-day fast? How might that fast have been good preparation for such a challenge?- Where are you feeling spiritually weak or tempted? Pray that God's Word and Spirit would be your true nourishment.

Although fasting may have many purposes, one of the most common reasons for fasting in the Bible is for repentance. When we have abandoned God's way and pursued a path of our own desires, fasting can be the start of saying "No!" to our own appetites. In the end, the ultimate reason for repentance is that God eagerly desires reconciliation and is always ready to receive us with grace and love.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:The act of saying "No!" to our appetites in fasting can be a way of saying "No!" to other desires that lead us away from God.- Are there any areas of your life in which you feel yourself drifting from God? How might fasting (or other practices) help you say "yes" to God's invitation to return?- Fasting is always accompanied by prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any areas where you are becoming more distant from God, and pray for God to renew your heart's desire to draw closer to Jesus.

There are many ways to fast and many reasons to fast, which we will explore throughout this week. In today's passage, we see a connection between fasting and compassion for others. So many people lack the things we take for granted. By temporarily denying ourselves these non-essentials, we may grow both to appreciate them more and to have compassion on those who lack them entirely. The fasting that God desires leads to compassion for others! Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:The fasting that God desires leads to compassion for others.- Have you ever fasted before? What did you do and why did you do it? What effect did that experience have on you?- Some of the reasons for fasting that we will explore this week include: compassion, repentance, strength, direction, protection, and vision. Would you be interested in fasting for those (or other) reasons?

What if the very practice you’ve written off as outdated could open the door to real freedom? Isaiah’s ancient words expose why our attempts at change keep looping—and how saying “no” for a moment might lead to the deeper “yes” our hearts are hungry for.· ·👉🏻 Check out other Highrock sermons: https://tinyurl.com/3rdw4x8n👉🏻 Check out Highrock's 15-min daily devotionals: https://tinyurl.com/38d4aryd

The prayer for forgiveness serves as the dramatic climax to the Lord's prayer. We are to pray for forgiveness, as we might expect, but then we are to pray for something unexpected... and dangerous. We are to pray that God would forgive us "as we have forgiven" others. What is Jesus saying? Does God's grace have a limit?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Forgiveness is not optional for followers of Jesus. Instead, forgiving others is the key to unlocking our own experience of God's forgiveness.- Why might our own forgiveness be limited by the forgiveness we extend to others?- Jesus does not tell us to forgive because others somehow deserve forgiveness. Instead, we are to forgive because we have been forgiven. Take some time with God to consider and thank Jesus for the forgiveness you have received.

By teaching us to pray for our "daily bread", Jesus was actually inviting us into something much deeper than just food. Once again, prayer is more a relationship than a ritual. "Daily bread" is a day-by-day relationship with the God who delights in us and eagerly desires for us to draw closer.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:God is not bored by the details of our lives. Instead, we are invited to come to God daily for everything that we need.- How do you understand the idea of "daily bread"? What do you need for today, or any day?- Praying for "daily bread" is also an invitation to not give into worry and "what ifs". Today, all throughout the day, pay attention to what you actually need today and bring it to God.

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he taught them to pray for God's kingdom to come. In other words, Jesus taught us to bring our own priorities into alignment with heaven's. In essence, we are to pray for God's will rather than our own. How well do our prayers reflect a desire for God's will to be done? How different might our lives be if we were to truly put God first?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Christian prayer is ultimately about bringing earth into alignment with heaven. It's more about changing us to do God's will than convincing God to do ours.- What do you typically pray for when you pray? How might Jesus be inviting to change what you ask and desire? - Consider one area of your life where you have been very active or exercising control. It might be your schedule, your ambitions, a particular project, or a relationship. With that area in mind, pray that God's will would be done there.

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he started by making it clear that prayer is not about a ritual, but a relationship. He highlighted many of the ritualistic ways to pray that we should avoid. Instead, we should begin with the relationship of being children of a loving, heavenly parent, "Our Father".Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/Pastor Dave's sermon on prayer:https://youtu.be/1c-q8ToeTwEFor Reflection:Prayer is a relationship, not a ritual.- What are some of the ways that you have seen people emphasize prayer as a ritual? What was helpful and what was unhelpful in their example?- "Our father in heaven" -- how is this introduction to prayer helpful for you, and how is it challenging?

In this holiday replay from March 12, 2025; Martha, Mary, and Lazarus host a dinner to honor Jesus and to express their love and gratitude. Mary's gratitude is almost embarrassing -- she pours a fortune in perfume over Jesus' feet and mops it up with her hair! Judas questions her extravagance but his practicality is actually a cover for his own selfishness. How do we show our gratitude to God? How much is enough? How much is too much?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Judas and Mary are presented as two very different ways to respond to the invitation to love God.- Mary expressed her love for Jesus with incredible extravagance! Judas questioned the practicality but Jesus told him to "Leave her alone!" (v7). Had Judas not been a thief, would his question have been fair? Are there practical limits to expressing gratitude to God?- Judas tried to appear generous while hiding his own selfishness. Perhaps we don't steal like Judas, but how are we tempted to appear more generous than we truly are?

You can be gifted, passionate, and still running on empty. Many of us are doing good things for God while quietly running out of fuel. What if prayer isn’t another task to master - but the simple, daily way to be refilled with the love and power we’ve been missing?· ·👉🏻 Check out other Highrock sermons: https://tinyurl.com/3rdw4x8n👉🏻 Check out Highrock's 15-min daily devotionals: https://tinyurl.com/38d4aryd

Every Sabbath points us forward to something greater — the eternal rest we will experience with God. One day, all striving will cease. There will be no more stress, no more toil, no more brokenness. The Sabbath is a weekly rehearsal for heaven!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Sabbath looks back to the original week of Creation, re-establishes us in the present moment with God, and calls us into the future hope of what is to come.- Imagine that a child asked you about the encouragement in verse 11: "let us do our best to enter that rest." How might you explain the meaning of that verse?- How does your Sabbath help you look forward to eternity with God?- What practices could you adopt that might increase your anticipation of heaven’s joy and peace?

At the end of a word about true and false worship, God speaks through Isaiah about sabbath. In essence, Sabbath is like a final word on true worship. True worship leads to justice, and sabbath leads to true worship because we make room in our lives to truly invite God in to renew and recalibrate us.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Sabbath is about more than ceasing from work; it is about delighting in God.- What are some of the ways that the world calibrates us to its values and priorities? In other words, where do you feel the push to walk a different path than the way of Christ?- How might sabbath allow for renewal and recalibration to godly priorities?- How might God be inviting you to prepare for a fuller experience of sabbath?

We have already seen that sabbath is founded upon the very rhythm of God in Creation -- that God worked for six days and rested on the seventh. The ten commandments in Deuteronomy brings up another reason for sabbath, that is it given for our freedom. Sabbath was their protection against becoming slaves once again. Sabbath can be our protection as well, reminding us that there are more important things than work, money, status, and control.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:It can be easy to believe that we need to be in control in order to have a good and secure life. Sabbath invites us to relinquish control to God, replacing fear with faith.- Imagine a people filled with fear and the trauma of their past enslavement. How might God's command to practice sabbath have brought both relief and fear? Why might it have been an important protection for them?- What do you fear missing or losing by practicing sabbath? What anxieties push you to continue working when it is time to rest, delight, and worship?

Sabbath is the fourth commandment but long before it was commanded, it was modeled. The God who needs no rest stopped and rested, and delighted in all that had been made. God's rhythm of work and rest was then made into a rhythm for us to follow. All the other cycles on a calendar -- a day, a month, a year -- are written into the stars, but the weekly rhythm is written into us. Sabbath is an invitation for those who are made in God's image to enter into God's own rhythm of work and rest.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:"And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation." - Genesis 2:3- In his sermon, Pastor Taylor emphasized 3 elements to sabbath - rest, delight, and worship. How has your life been enriched by taking time for delight? How has your life been diminished when time is not set aside for delight?- How might God be inviting you to create room for regular rest, delight, and worship?

It's easy to misunderstand sabbath by rigid rule-keeping on the one hand or disregarding it entirely on the other. When the Pharisees challenged Jesus about the disciples gathering grains to eat on the Sabbath, Jesus reframed the discussion, pointing out that sabbath was meant to be a gift, not a prison. Looking at sabbath as a gift is a fitting place to begin!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:“The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath." - Mark 2:27- What role has sabbath played, if any, in your spiritual history or the spiritual history of your family?- Have you ever experienced sabbath as a gift from God? What challenges and what benefits did you experience?- What questions do you have about practicing sabbath?

What if the life you’re building by working harder is quietly breaking the soul you’re meant to protect? In a world that prizes hustle and productivity, Jesus invites us into a different rhythm—one that redefines success through rest, delight, and trust.· ·👉🏻 Check out other Highrock sermons: https://tinyurl.com/3rdw4x8n👉🏻 Check out Highrock's 15-min daily devotionals: https://tinyurl.com/38d4aryd

No one looks to political powers like Assyria these days, but we certainly look to political power in other forms. God invites Israel to no longer trust in these institutions and implements of political and military power and instead look to the Lord. They are invited to finally return home and to trust in the Lord. And what is the price of return? Nothing but the confession and gratitude that will lead God to heal them of their sin. May God heal us all!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:"The Lord says, 'Then I will heal you of your faithlessness'" - Hosea 11:4- We no longer look to Assyria and warhorses for security but what are our modern equivalents? Where do you see people creating modern idols of false hope and security?- Where are you tempted to look for security and significance other than in God? What relieves your anxieties, and how might God be inviting you to return home and find your security and significance in Jesus?

This section of Hosea begins with an image of God as a loving parent and Israel as a child who chooses to run away. Like a heartbroken parent, God continues to call out but each effort only pushes Israel further away. One day, God will roar like a lion, not out of anger, but in a call for God's children to finally return home once again..Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:"I will bring them home again," says the Lord (Hosea 11:11)- Have you experienced people you love choosing to distance themselves from you? Have you, perhaps in the past, chosen to push away those who have reached out to you? How does your experience help you understand God's heart in this passage?- Do you feel that your life is currently moving closer or further away from God? What might help you to continue to respond to God's call to return home?

What is planted in the ground seems so small and inconsequential, but the harvest it yields can be tremendous. Extending this metaphor even further, God says that those who sow the wind (and what could be more insubstantial than the wind?) will reap the whirlwind (a tornado of destruction). What seeds do we sow today? Are we sowing seeds that will lead to destruction, or seeds that may lead to the promised fruit of the Spirit? Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:“They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind." - Hosea 8:7- Israel's choice of leaders and false gods (golden calf) both centered around what they falsely thought would bring them material comfort and security. Are we in danger of making a similar mistake today? Explain.- Planting the wind seems so small and inconsequential, but wind can become very destructive. Are you wrestling with any seemingly small and inconsequential temptations that could lead to self-destruction if left unchecked?

Contrary to the popular saying, what you do not know can hurt you. In this case, the people did not know God. More than just a lack of head-knowledge, God accuses the people of having no real relationship with God. Knowledge about God can be a great start to real relationship, but it is a terrible substitute for real relationship. For all our knowledge about God, do we truly know God? And if we don't know God in love, how will the world know?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Knowledge about God can be a great start to real intimacy with God, but it is a poor substitute for real relationship.- Have you known people who knew a lot about God but didn't seem to really know God? How did you experience those people? In contrast, what impact did people have on you when you sensed that they truly knew and loved God?- Have you ever thought of yourself as a priest (1 Peter 2:9)? How do you feel about the idea that your relationship with God has an inevitable impact on others?

Daily Devo | Does God Even Like Me? (Prophet & Loss, Hosea 2:17-23)Many believers are rightly convinced that God loves them, while at the same time wondering if God actually likes them. Perhaps God's love is merely a duty and an obligation? After all, God knows exactly who we are when no one else is looking. The beginning of Hosea's ministry shows clearly that God knows exactly who the people are and who we are, and still, God loves us passionately. Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Despite Israel's infidelity, God communicates passion and desire for restoration.- Do you believe that God loves you? Do you believe that God likes you? How would you describe God's feelings for you?- Compare your answer above with how God's passion is described in this passage. In what ways does God's expression of love contrast with your own intuitive sense?- How might God's passion for us (including for you) affect how you feel towards those who have failed you?

Sometimes hope feels like a cruel joke - distant promises when you’re drowning in present pain. But Hosea dares to suggest that God’s love can cure even our chronic unfaithfulness and teach us a new, better way to live.· ·👉🏻 Check out other Highrock sermons: https://tinyurl.com/3rdw4x8n👉🏻 Check out Highrock's 15-min daily devotionals: https://tinyurl.com/38d4aryd

After all the warnings and bad news, Amos lands on a vision of what could be, and because of God's faithfulness, what will be. His message envisions a day of transformed government, renewed creation, and restored relationship with God. It was important then that the people did not lose hope in what God could and would do. It is just as important that we do not lose hope today!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:After so much bad news, Amos shares what is good news. It is a vision of good news that would be fulfilled only in and through the good news about Jesus.- How do you feel about the state of your worlds today? What about your nation, your region, your church, and your home? What reasons do you have for being hopeful? What reasons do you have for concern?- Write out some ideas for what you might pray for in those realms of life. What promises or aspects of God's character might you call upon as you pray?

God shares with Amos a vision for how God will judge Israel for her sins, but Amos twice asks God to relent, and God listens to Amos' request. Amos appears to change God's mind! This amazing moment actually is part of a long tradition of faithful people who appear to change God's mind -- Abraham, Moses, and even Jesus' mother Mary. What is happening? Do these people change God's mind? Is God training us to intercede for others, or inviting us to be part of God's work of redemption?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Amos seems to have no objection when the expressed intent is to rebuild rather than destroy. Perhaps that was God's intent all along?- How does it affect your image of God to see such a long tradition of people arguing with God, bargaining with God, or appearing to change God's mind?- How does it affect your understanding of humans, including you, to see that God desires to have such an interactive relationship with us? How might this understanding affect how you pray?

God warns the people not to go to Bethel, or to Gilgal or Beersheba! Why not? Those places had been key places in their spiritual history, places where their heroes had personal encounters with the living God. They had been key places but in Amos' time, they had been corrupted into places of idolatry. When corruption is that deep and widespread, it can be tempting to just retreat into silence, but God offers a different direction for us all to follow.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba are ancient history! Why should we care about them today? - Imagine you are helping with youth group and a teenager asks you that question -- how might you respond?- What problems do you see today that are rooted in a false religion or worldview? What might a faithful response look like for you?

Most of what we have been hearing from the prophets has been directed toward Israel, the people of God. Here in the opening of Amos, we see that God also has much to say to the other nations as well. We see an overflowing of violence and sin, along with incredible patience from God, a patience that was about to give way to justice. Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:When we are tempted to think that God is slow to address the injustice we face, Peter reminds us that that the Lord is not slow, but patient, wanting to give all the opportunity to repent. (2 Peter 3:9)- When you feel that you are being attacked or treated unfairly, what helps you to be patient, loving, and forgiving? Does it help to remember that God sees and is with you? Does it help to remember how God has been merciful to you? Is there something else that helps you to be patient and trusting in God?

Surely it would take a special kind of arrogance to presume to speak for God, but Amos does not presume to speak for God. Instead, Amos, a poor shepherd and fig farmer, faithfully says "yes" when God chooses to speak through him - despite his lack of any special religious training. Jesus likewise chose and commissioned his followers to speak for him, bringing his grace and truth to the entire world (Matthew 28:19-20). Are you willing to say "yes" to Jesus?Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Amos has no apparent qualifications other than the fact that God chooses him and Amos says "yes".- Have you ever known someone who turned down an opportunity that was offered to them because they didn't feel qualified? Were they truly unqualified or was there another reason for saying, "No".- Have you ever turned away from a spiritual opportunity or interaction because you didn't feel qualified? Perhaps you stayed silent rather than voice what you believe? Do you find Amos' example encouraging or convicting? Why or why not?

We love the idea of justice - until it interrupts our comfort or costs us something. But what if God isn’t impressed by our worship songs at all unless our lives also flow with justice? Amos’ fiery words push us to face the disconnect we’d rather ignore.· ·👉🏻 Check out other Highrock sermons: https://tinyurl.com/3rdw4x8n👉🏻 Check out Highrock's 15-min daily devotionals: https://tinyurl.com/38d4aryd

Has it ever seemed like God did not, would not, or could not fulfill a promise to you? In such times, it can be vital to remember how God has faithfully kept even "impossible" promises in the past. In today's passage, God repeats an ancient promise that seemed beyond imagining for those in captivity. That promise would one day be fulfilled, not only to them, but to all of us in Jesus!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Remembering God's faithfulness in the past can help us to hold onto hope in the present.- What examples of God's faithfulness in the Bible are especially meaningful to you, and why?- What examples of God's faithfulness in your life are especially meaningful to you, and why?- Is there some way that God may be inviting you to trust in God's faithfulness today? Who are the people, what are the places, and which are the practices that might help you to trust more deeply?

Jeremiah finally switches from 100% bad news to a mixture of good news and bad news. He presents them some good news -- it's time for stability and peace! The bad news is that this stability will take place as exiles in Babylon for 70 years. The good news for us is that God's people have often felt like exiles even in their own homelands and have thus found healing, health, and hope in Jeremiah's instructions.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:The people are not to retreat into their own conclaves and sanctuaries. Neither are they to engage in a cultural war to take control of the levers of power. Instead, they are to flourish and multiply, seeking the "good of the city".- Have you ever found yourself being drawn into a culture war? What advice might Jeremiah have for us? What advice might you have for people caught up in such conflicts?- What might God call you to do to be a blessing to the secular or pagan world around you? How might we together seek the "good of the city"?

As Jeremiah continues to suffer for being faithful to God's calling, he begins to wonder if God has abandoned him. He even compares God's help to a stream that has run dry. God once again answers Jeremiah and reveals that it is Jeremiah who has become distant. Suffering presents us with a choice. We can pull away from God and others, or we can discover God's invitation to draw even closer.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Jeremiah's pain leads him to feel that God has pulled away, but it is actually Jeremiah who has pulled away (v19).- Have you seen suffering lead people to pull away from God? Have you seen suffering draw people even closer to God? How have you seen your own life pulled in either direction?- The fruit of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). How has God used good times or bad to grow these qualities in you?

Have you ever become overwhelmingly frustrated with the injustice you see in the world? Even this week, many of us may be caught up in the firestorm over political violence. Jeremiah was frustrated, too, but rather than bring his complaints into social forums, he brought his complaints to God -- and God answered him! God gave Jeremiah, and us, a new perspective on the injustices that God calls us to face.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Jeremiah was right to react to injustice; he was even more right to bring those complaints to God.- When you notice injustice in the world, how do you tend to react? Where do you take your complaints and frustrations? How is your reaction similar to Jeremiah's? In what ways is it different?- What does Jeremiah learn in God's answer? What might you learn from God's answer? How might your reactions to recent injustices have been handled differently in light of God's answer to Jeremiah?

When God calls Jeremiah into service as a prophet, Jeremiah is not enthusiastic. He tells God that he can't do what God asks because he is too [fill in the blank]. For Jeremiah, he claims he is too young. How might we fill in that blank? Too busy? Too scared? Too unqualified? God not only addresses Jeremiah's lack of qualifications, God also addresses the underlying fear. Like Jeremiah, we do not need to be afraid because God's calling to service comes with the promise that God will be with us. Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:Jeremiah does not feel qualified because of his youth, though God's answer implies that Jeremiah's real concern might be his fear of the people.- "God, I can't do it because I am too [fill in the blank]." If God were to call you to greater service, how might you fill in the blank? - Is there a deeper fear hiding underneath our reluctance to step up? Apparently, Jeremiah was (quite reasonably) afraid of being rejected by the people. What fears might be hiding behind your reluctance in such a situation?

We all want comfort from God, but what happens when He gives us confrontation instead? Jeremiah’s unpopular message calls out the false securities we hide behind and calls us back to justice & compassion. What if the challenge you least want to hear is the truth you most need?· ·👉🏻 Check out other Highrock sermons: https://tinyurl.com/3rdw4x8n👉🏻 Check out Highrock's 15-min daily devotionals: https://tinyurl.com/38d4aryd

At the conclusion of a vision of a renewed Temple, Ezekiel is shown a river that starts out as a virtual trickle as it flows from the Temple, only to grow to a mighty river that brings life to everything it touches. This river is the Spirit of God. However desolate we may feel, the flow of the Spirit brings life, hope, and healing.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:"Life will flourish wherever this water flows." - Ezekiel 47:9- Rivers surround Eden, a river flows from the Temple here in Ezekiel, and a river runs through the center of the heavenly Jerusalem in Revelation 22. Why do you think God chooses to use a river to symbolize abundant life, especially life through the Holy Spirit?- In what ways do you desire to experience life more richly and deeply? Take some time to pray for God's Spirit to fill you.

After extensively presenting the evidence of Israel's unfaithfulness to God, Ezekiel is now led to presenting an even greater vision of hope based in God's faithfulness. What could be more hopeless than a valley full of bones? God can breathe hope and life even into such a place. This word is not a prediction but a promise -- that God will bring real hope even into places that feel utterly hopeless.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:"Son of man, can these bones rise again?"- Think of a time when you struggled to find hope. In those dark valleys, it is difficult to see beyond our own struggles. How did you find hope? Who were the people, where were the places, and what were the practices that helped you take hold of the hope we have in Christ?- Are there areas of your life where you currently struggle to find hope? What can you learn from the past (scripture or personal experience) that might help you to find a stronger foundation for hope even now?

It seems that God's people have always been tempted to put their hopes in politics and political leaders. In Ezekiel's day, they were having a difficult time listening to God because they trusted that their leader, a "son of David", must be God's chosen. Instead, God was going to take away the crown until one appeared who was not only a son of David, but the Son of God.Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:The people had trouble believing Ezekiel partly because they thought they knew what God had to say. Their king was God's chosen, wasn't he?- In what ways is politics sometimes like a religion for some, then and now?- Political leaders often use religion to sway people to do or to excuse ungodly things. How was Jesus different from and better than the leaders we typically follow (cf. Jeremiah 22:13-17)?

After God's extensive case against Israel, God sends Ezekiel to remind the people that they have not been abandoned. God is still with them in their captivity and God will honor the promise to return them to their homeland one day. Even better, God will one day give them a new spirit and a new heart so that they will finally be able to remain in faith and love. That is God's promise to us as well!Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here:https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/For Reflection:After a centuries-long pattern of unfaithfulness, will the people ever be able to remain in God's love? Yes, but God will have to change them first.- Have you ever known someone who was able to break free from a long-running addiction or other destructive pattern of behavior or thinking? In the end, what was it that helped them break free?- What are some of the ways that God has changed you? What is perhaps one way that you are still hoping to be changed by God?