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Day 1: The Power of Choice

Devotional Sometimes the simplest questions can be the most challenging to answer. When Jesus asked the man at the Pool of Bethesda if he wanted to get well, it wasn’t just about physical healing. It was about choosing a different path. Often, we find ourselves stuck in situations that aren’t healthy for us, yet they’ve become comfortable. We make excuses, rationalize our circumstances, and resist change, even when it could lead to something better. Just like the man who had been ill for 38 years, we might find it easier to stay in our familiar pain than step into unknown healing.

Bible Verse

“When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?'” – John 5:6

Reflection Question

What areas of your life have become comfortable despite being unhealthy, and what’s holding you back from choosing change?

Quote Sometimes we will settle for familiar and we’ll start to choose it over what’s healthy. Because what healthy movement might be might be a little unknown.

Prayer

Lord, give me the courage to be honest about the areas where I’ve become comfortable with dysfunction. Help me to choose healing, even when it means stepping into the unknown. Amen.

Day 2: Breaking Free from Excuses

Devotional We’re masters at rationalizing our situations. When faced with opportunities for change, we often respond like the man at the pool, listing all the reasons why we can’t move forward. It’s easier to blame circumstances or other people than to take responsibility for our own healing. But rationalization is just a way of telling ourselves comfortable lies to avoid uncomfortable truths. Real transformation begins when we stop making excuses and start making choices that align with God’s plan for our lives.

Bible Verse

“The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – John 10:10

Reflection Question

What excuses have you been using to avoid making necessary changes in your life?

Quote When you rationalize something, you’re just telling yourself rational lies.

Prayer

Father, help me recognize when I’m making excuses instead of taking steps toward healing. Give me the strength to face truth and embrace the full life you offer. Amen.

Day 3: The Path to Healing

Devotional God’s invitation to healing often requires action on our part. When Jesus commanded the man to get up, pick up his mat, and walk, He was asking him to participate in his own healing. This command required faith, courage, and immediate action. The same is true for us today. Whether we’re dealing with physical, emotional, or spiritual challenges, healing often involves both divine intervention and our willingness to take steps of faith. God provides the power, but we must choose to get up and walk.

Bible Verse

“After this, Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, ‘See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.'” – John 5:14

Reflection Question

What specific step of faith is God asking you to take toward your healing journey?

Quote Get up, pick up your mat and walk.

Prayer

Jesus, give me the faith to act when you call me to move. Help me trust in your healing power and take the steps you’re asking me to take. Amen.

Day 4: Choosing Life

Devotional Life presents us with daily choices between two paths: God’s way (the Tree of Life) or our way (the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil). One leads to peace, rest, and healthy relationships; the other to stress, anxiety, and fear. Through Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, we have renewed access to the Tree of Life. This isn’t just about making better choices; it’s about choosing a different source of life altogether. When we choose God’s way, we choose life itself.

Bible Verse

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” – John 6:35

Reflection Question

In what areas of your life are you trying to be your own source of wisdom instead of trusting God’s way?

Quote One tree is life and peace and rest and good relationship and everything that you can imagine. And the other tree is stress and anxiety and worry and anger and fear and death.

Prayer

God, help me choose your path of life over my own understanding. Thank you for making the way back to the Tree of Life possible through Jesus. Amen.

Day 5: Sharing Hope with Others

Devotional Once we’ve experienced God’s healing and transformation in our own lives, we have a powerful story to share with others. However, sharing our hope isn’t about forcing our experience on others or judging their journey. Instead, it’s about gently and respectfully pointing to the source of our healing – Jesus Christ. When we share our story with gentleness and respect, we become living testimonies of God’s transformative power.

Bible Verse

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” – 1 Peter 3:15

Reflection Question

How can you share your story of transformation in a way that brings hope to others while showing respect for their journey?

Quote I got some hope to share. But the rest of that verse in 1st Peter 3:15 is what’s like. It says, be ready to share, but do it with gentleness and respect.

Prayer

Lord, help me share the hope I’ve found in you with gentleness and respect. Use my story to bring encouragement and healing to others. Amen.

Join us at Keys Vineyard Church in person or online or connect with our Bible Institute for more sermons, courses, etc.

Day 1: Beyond Head Knowledge

Devotional We often think we know Jesus because we know facts about Him. Maybe we grew up in church, attended Sunday school, or can recite Bible verses. But there’s a profound difference between knowing about Jesus and truly knowing Him personally. Just like knowing facts about a person doesn’t mean we have a relationship with them, intellectual knowledge about Jesus isn’t the same as having a living, breathing relationship with Him. True faith goes beyond mental assent to personal trust and commitment.

Bible Verse

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. – John 1:1

Reflection Question

What’s the difference between knowing about someone and truly knowing them? How might this apply to your relationship with Jesus?

Quote It’s not about knowing about Jesus in this life. It’s about knowing Jesus, and that’s a big difference.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, help me move beyond just knowing facts about You to truly knowing You personally. Open my heart to a deeper, more authentic relationship with You. Amen.

Day 2: From Works to Grace

Devotional Many of us fall into the trap of thinking our relationship with God depends on our performance. We create mental checklists of good deeds, thinking if we just do enough, we’ll earn God’s favor. But God’s love doesn’t work that way. He doesn’t deal with us based on our merits but on His grace. Like Nicodemus, we need to understand that no amount of good works can earn our salvation. It’s a gift freely given through faith in Jesus.

Bible Verse

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16

Reflection Question

In what areas of your life are you still trying to earn God’s approval rather than receiving His grace?

Quote God deals with humanity on the basis of grace, no matter what’s going on. And so it’s always about what he’s willing to do for us.

Prayer

Father, help me to fully embrace Your grace and stop trying to earn what You freely give. Thank You for Your unconditional love. Amen.

Day 3: Your True Worth

Devotional Sometimes we let our past mistakes, others’ opinions, or societal labels define our worth. But Jesus sees beyond these surface-level judgments to our true value. Just as He saw the Samaritan woman’s worth despite her social status and past, He sees your inherent value as His beloved creation. Your worth isn’t determined by what you’ve done or what others say about you, but by who God says you are.

Bible Verse

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’ – John 4:7

Reflection Question

What labels or past experiences might be preventing you from embracing your true worth in Christ?

Quote The problem with labeling someone is once you drop a label on someone, you treat them differently. If you don’t treat them, you treat them less than.

Prayer

Jesus, thank You for seeing my true worth. Help me to see myself through Your eyes and live in the freedom of Your love. Amen.

Day 4: Taking the Leap of Faith

Devotional Faith isn’t about having everything figured out or feeling completely certain. It’s about taking that step of trust even when we can’t see the whole path ahead. Like the royal official who believed Jesus’ word without seeing immediate results, we’re called to trust Jesus even when circumstances don’t make sense. Remember, it’s not the size of our faith that matters, but where we place it.

Bible Verse

Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. – John 4:46

Reflection Question

What’s holding you back from fully trusting Jesus with an area of your life right now?

Quote It’s not about how much faith you have, it’s about where your faith is.

Prayer

Lord, increase my trust in You. Help me take that leap of faith, knowing You are trustworthy even when I can’t see the outcome. Amen.

Day 5: Growing in Faith

Devotional The journey of faith is exactly that – a journey. It’s not a one-time decision but a daily walk of growing closer to Jesus. Like any relationship, it requires investment: spending time in God’s Word, asking questions, seeking answers, and being willing to learn. As we press in, Jesus continues to reveal more of Himself to us, deepening our trust and understanding of His character.

Bible Verse

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. – John 20:30-31

Reflection Question

What practical steps can you take this week to deepen your relationship with Jesus?

Quote Keep pressing in, read your Bibles, ask questions. It’s so good that you should read it and have questions and then ask them and then get them answered.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, guide me as I seek to know Jesus more deeply. Help me to be faithful in pursuing this relationship day by day. Amen.

Join us at Keys Vineyard Church in person or online or connect with our Bible Institute for more sermons, courses, etc.

Day 1: From Empty to Overflowing

Devotional Have you ever felt empty, like you’re running on reserves? Just as the wine ran out at the wedding in Cana, we sometimes find ourselves depleted – spiritually, emotionally, or physically. But this is exactly where Jesus loves to work. He doesn’t just provide enough to get by; He provides abundantly. When faced with empty vessels, Jesus didn’t just fill them partially or adequately – He transformed them completely and provided the finest quality wine in abundance. This wasn’t just about solving a practical problem; it was about revealing His character and power to transform our lives completely.

Bible Verse

When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ – John 2:9-10

Reflection Question

What areas of your life feel empty right now, and how might Jesus want to fill them with His abundance?

Quote Jesus doesn’t just supply enough wine to save the groom’s reputation, to save them from a social blunder, he provides an overabundance.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you that you see our empty places and desire to fill them abundantly. Help us trust you with our areas of lack, believing that you can transform them into something beautiful. Fill us with your presence and power today. Amen.

Day 2: Beyond Religious Rituals

Devotional Religion often feels like a set of rules to follow, a checklist to complete. But Jesus came to offer something radically different. At the wedding in Cana, He deliberately chose the stone water jars used for religious washing to demonstrate His point. These vessels represented the old way of doing things – rigid traditions and ceremonial cleansing. By turning water into wine in these specific jars, Jesus wasn’t just performing a miracle; He was making a profound statement about His mission to transform our relationship with God from one of rules to one of grace.

Bible Verse

Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. – John 2:6

Reflection Question

What religious rituals or rules might be preventing you from experiencing the full joy of relationship with Jesus?

Quote Jesus didn’t come to bring religion. He came to bring revolution. He came to bring dramatic change.

Prayer

Father, help us move beyond empty religious practices to experience the fullness of relationship with you. Show us where we’re stuck in ritual and lead us into true transformation. Amen.

Day 3: From Shame to Honor

Devotional Running out of wine at a wedding in ancient times wasn’t just inconvenient – it was deeply shameful for the host family. Yet in this moment of potential social disaster, Jesus stepped in. He didn’t just solve the problem; He turned it into an opportunity for glory. This is what Jesus does – He takes our moments of shame and transforms them into occasions for honor. He doesn’t merely patch over our embarrassments; He completely transforms them into testimonies of His grace and power.

Bible Verse

Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come. – John 2:4

Reflection Question

What shame are you carrying that you need to surrender to Jesus for transformation?

Quote He came to replace shame with honor. He came to replace scarcity with abundance. And he came to replace rigid tradition with joy filled life giving grace.

Prayer

Jesus, thank you that you specialize in taking our shame and turning it into honor. Help us trust you with our deepest embarrassments and failures, believing that you can transform them. Amen.

Day 4: The Best is Yet to Come

Devotional At the wedding in Cana, Jesus saved the best wine for last – contrary to common practice. This wasn’t just about wine; it was a picture of how God works in our lives. While the world’s pleasures often start strong but fade quickly, Jesus offers joy that grows richer and deeper over time. His blessings don’t diminish; they increase. This miracle points to the ultimate feast in God’s kingdom, where joy will be complete and celebration eternal.

Bible Verse

This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. – John 2:11

Reflection Question

How have you experienced God’s timing in your life, and what helps you trust that His best is yet to come?

Quote He’s the true master of the banquet, offering a joy that will never run out and a feast that will never end.

Prayer

Lord, help us trust your timing and believe that you’re always working for our good. Give us patience to wait for your best rather than settling for less. Amen.

Day 5: Living the Abundant Life

Devotional The miracle at Cana wasn’t just about providing wine – it was about revealing Jesus’s purpose to bring abundant life. This abundance isn’t measured in material wealth but in the richness of relationship with Him. Jesus demonstrated that He cares about every aspect of our lives, from the seemingly mundane to the deeply spiritual. He came to give us not just life, but life overflowing with purpose, joy, and meaning.

Bible Verse

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. – John 10:10

Reflection Question

What does living an abundant life in Christ mean to you, and how can you embrace it more fully today?

Quote Jesus is there to give us this amazing and abundant life. He came to take away our shame. He came to take away our embarrassment from our lives.

Prayer

Jesus, thank you for offering us abundant life. Help us to live fully in the freedom and joy you provide, trusting you with every aspect of our lives. Amen.

Join us at Keys Vineyard Church in person or online or connect with our Bible Institute for more sermons, courses, etc.