Daily Devotional
January 17, 2025
Genesis 18: Abraham entertains three divine visitors who predict Sarah's pregnancy; Abraham negotiates with God to spare Sodom if righteous people are found there.
Matthew 17: Jesus is transfigured, revealing His divine nature; He heals a demon-possessed boy and predicts His death again, teaching on faith and spiritual authority.
Nehemiah 7: After Jerusalem's walls are rebuilt, Nehemiah organizes a genealogical registration, emphasizing the return and contributions of the exiles for the city's restoration.
Acts 17: Paul preaches in Thessalonica and Berea, faces opposition, and delivers a profound message about the known God in Athens, converting several, including Dionysius and Damaris.
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Daily Devotional
January 16, 2025
Genesis 17: God establishes his covenant with Abram, renaming him Abraham, promising him numerous descendants, and instituting circumcision as a sign of the covenant.
Matthew 16: Jesus warns of the Pharisees' and Sadducees' teachings, Peter confesses Jesus as the Messiah, and Jesus predicts his death and teaches on taking up one's cross.
Nehemiah 6: Nehemiah faces opposition while rebuilding Jerusalem's walls but completes the task with divine assistance, proving the enemies' conspiracies futile.
Acts 16: Paul recruits Timothy, they spread the Gospel through Macedonia after a divine vision, and a miraculous jail escape underscores their mission, leading to the conversion and baptism of a jailer and his family.
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Daily Devotional
January 15, 2025
Genesis 16: Sarai, unable to bear children, gives her slave Hagar to Abram to conceive an heir. Hagar becomes pregnant, leading to conflict with Sarai, and eventually runs away. An angel instructs Hagar to return and prophesies the birth of her son, Ishmael.
Matthew 15: Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for valuing tradition over God's commandments and teaches that purity comes from the heart. He also heals the daughter of a Canaanite woman because of her great faith and feeds 4,000 people with seven loaves and a few fish.
Nehemiah 5: Nehemiah confronts the wealthy Jews exploiting the poor during a famine by lending money at high interest rates. He calls for justice and the cancellation of debts, which the people agree to, and continues to lead the wall's rebuilding.
Acts 15: The Jerusalem Council addresses whether Gentile converts must observe Jewish law. It concludes that Gentiles should abstain from idolatry and immorality but need not adhere to all Jewish customs.
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In this episode of Sermon Notes, host Jay Strother delves into the profound role of prayer in personal and community life with guests Joe Hudson and Brian Ball, focusing predominantly on the prayer efforts for Brentwood Baptist Church and the divine answers received.
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Daily Devotional
January 14, 2025
Genesis 15: God promises Abram descendants as numerous as the stars and enters into a covenant with him, ensuring his descendants the land from Egypt to the Euphrates.
Matthew 14: Herod beheads John the Baptist. Jesus feeds 5,000 with five loaves and two fish, walks on water, and heals many who touch his robe in Gennesaret.
Nehemiah 4: Despite opposition and mockery, the Jews continue rebuilding Jerusalem's walls. They work with weapons at hand due to threats from surrounding enemies.
Acts 14: In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas face opposition but perform miracles, including healing a lame man in Lystra, which leads locals to mistake them for gods. After being stoned, Paul survives and continues preaching and establishing churches.
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Daily Devotional
January 13, 2025
Genesis 14: Abram rescues Lot after Sodom and Gomorrah are defeated in battle. Melchizedek, king of Salem, blesses Abram, who gives him a tenth of everything.
Matthew 13: Jesus teaches in parables, including the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Weeds, to explain the kingdom of heaven and the varied reception of His message.
Nehemiah 3: The rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls begins with various groups repairing different sections, showing a communal effort to restore the city despite opposition.
Acts 13: Paul and Barnabas are sent by the Holy Spirit to preach. They face opposition but also see great acceptance of their message, particularly among the Gentiles, fulfilling God's promise of salvation to the ends of the earth.
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Daily Devotional
January 12, 2025
Genesis 13: Abram and Lot separate due to their vast wealth causing strife among their herdsmen. Lot chooses the fertile Jordan plain, while Abram remains in Canaan, where God reiterates His promise of land and descendants.
Matthew 12: Jesus addresses controversies over Sabbath observance, heals a man with a shriveled hand, and discusses the kingdom of God. He criticizes the Pharisees' unbelief and stresses the importance of true kinship in doing God's will.
Nehemiah 2: Nehemiah gains the king's permission to rebuild Jerusalem's walls. Despite opposition, he inspires the Jews to commence rebuilding, asserting their right to the city backed by divine support.
Acts 12: James is martyred, and Peter is imprisoned but miraculously escapes with an angel's help. Herod fails to find Peter, speaks arrogantly to the people of Tyre and Sidon, and is struck down by an angel for not giving glory to God.
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Daily Devotional
January 11, 2025
Genesis 12: God calls Abram to move to a new land, promising to make him a great nation; Abram travels to Canaan, builds altars, and experiences a famine, leading him to Egypt where his wife Sarai is taken by Pharaoh, only to be returned after divine intervention.
Matthew 11: Jesus commends John the Baptist and critiques the unresponsiveness of the current generation to His works; He invites the weary to find rest in Him, emphasizing His role as a teacher and savior.
Nehemiah 1: Nehemiah learns of Jerusalem's dire state and prays to God, confessing Israel's sins and asking for success in his mission as cupbearer to the king, setting the stage for his journey to rebuild the city.
Acts 11: Peter defends his association with Gentiles, recounting his vision that led to the baptism of Cornelius’s household, marking the Holy Spirit's acceptance of Gentiles and the subsequent spread of the Gospel in Antioch.
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Daily Devotional
January 10, 2025
Genesis 11: Humans build a tower to the sky in Babylon, prompting God to confuse their language and scatter them.
Matthew 10: Jesus empowers the twelve apostles to heal and preach, warns of persecution, and emphasizes reliance on God.
Ezra 10: Ezra leads a renewal of commitment to the Law by ending unlawful intermarriages among the people.
Acts 10: Cornelius's and Peter's visions lead to the realization that the Gospel is for all, culminating in the baptism of Gentiles.
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Daily Devotional
January 9, 2025
Genesis 9-10: God makes a covenant with Noah, symbolized by a rainbow, promising never to flood the earth again; the chapters also detail the genealogies of Noah's sons, describing the origins of various nations and languages.
Matthew 9: Jesus performs various miracles, including healing a paralytic and calling Matthew as a disciple, challenging societal and religious norms and demonstrating his divine authority.
Ezra 9: Ezra confronts the issue of Israelites intermarrying with non-Israelites, which leads to a communal confession of sin and a plea for mercy based on God's past acts of forgiveness despite Israel's repeated unfaithfulness.
Acts 9: Saul's dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus marks the beginning of his mission as Paul; he starts preaching that Jesus is the Son of God, which astonishes those who know his former life and leads to both acceptance and threats.
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At our church, we’re passionate about sparking a disciple-making movement in Middle Tennessee and beyond. This year, we’ve had the joy of partnering with families to include their children in this mission. We firmly believe that the gospel is central to our lives, and that “Gospel First and Always” has no age limit (1 Timothy 4:12).
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Daily Devotional
January 8, 2025
Genesis 8: God remembers Noah, causing the floodwaters to recede; Noah sends a dove, which returns with an olive leaf, signaling dry land.
Matthew 8: Jesus heals a leper and a paralytic, showcases his authority over nature, and emphasizes the cost of discipleship.
Ezra 8: Ezra leads Israelites back to Jerusalem, secures royal support and donations for temple services, and ensures religious practices are re-established.
Acts 8: Early church faces persecution; Philip evangelizes in Samaria and converts an Ethiopian official who is baptized.
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