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Daily Devotion: The Most Important Question

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Scott Walker

“Lord, make me to know… the measure of my days.…” Psalm 39:4

I am increasingly aware of how fast the years are passing. Just last week, while sitting with my family around the dinner table, we celebrated my mother’s ninetieth birthday and I turned sixty-one.

We smiled at each other, eyes moist, grateful for the years shared together. And yet, I was keenly aware we will not live forever.

In my current freshman class at Mercer University titled “Composing the Self,” my students spend a semester reviewing the first eighteen years of their lives. Yesterday, we read a poem by Mary Oliver, “The Summer Day,” which depicts a young woman resting in a lush green pasture as she encounters a small grasshopper attached to her sweater. Holding the small insect tenderly in her hand, she gazes into its “enormous and complicated eyes” and realizes that the insect will live only a few more weeks until summer turns to fall. As the grasshopper snaps her wings and floats away, the girl whispers, “Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

This is the most important question for us all: my ninety-year-old mother, her sixty-one-year-old son, my twenty-three-year-old daughter, my college freshman students.

Sometimes a singer has only one song, a preacher one sermon, a writer one book and a prophet one vision. Life is drawn into narrow and intense focus. Now I know that my one question for each person I meet is “What is your dream for your one precious life?” Each answer will shape the course of history.

Father, inspire me to know how to live the years that are before me. Amen.

Daily Devotion: Let Go of Grudges

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Sharon Hinck

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18:21–22 (NIV)

A coworker had made some choices that made my job ten times harder. Again. In the past year, I’d had ample opportunities to practice forgiveness because of her actions. Some issues could be resolved, but many times I was left with problems she wouldn’t take responsibility for, problems I had to untangle. Each time I prayed and asked for the grace to forgive and find a way to have a healthy work situation.

A new e-mail from her dumped yet another unnecessary problem into my lap. I pushed away from my desk, letting my righteous indignation take over my thoughts. I’d tried to understand, worked to negotiate. But now I’d had it.

I pictured myself as a poor pack mule, loaded down with hassles and unneeded problems placed on me by the irresponsible coworker. Rubbing my throbbing temples, I glanced upward. “Lord, this is the last straw.”

Have you been collecting those straws? The gentle voice of Jesus interrupted my rant. Of course I hadn’t. I’d forgiven. Seven times seventy, just like He said. Except, if I’d truly forgiven, I wouldn’t feel weighted by this huge collection of straws. There would be only this latest offense to forgive… a much easier task.

A rueful smile tugged my lips. “You’re right. I’ve been keeping a tally. I mentally rehearse all the evidence of how rough I have it because of her. Forgive me. And help me forgive.”

Faith step: Grab a backpack or shoulder bag. Thinking of someone who irritates you, review each grudge, and with each, place a soup can or sauce jar in the bag. Feel the heavy weight of those “last straws.” Thank Jesus that you don’t have to carry that weight anymore, and as you put away the cans, forgive each grudge and let it go.

Daily Devotion: Jesus’ Triumphal Entry

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Cynthia Ruchti

And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Matthew 21:9

When I read the Triumphal Entry story, I wondered where the angels were. We’re not told. Can we assume they were somewhere in the heavenly audience that day?

Angels played key roles in the significant moments of the life of Jesus. To Mary, an angel announced the results of the celestial pregnancy test. An angel visited Joseph to tell him everything was going to be all right. Angels filled the sky the night Jesus was born. An angel warned Joseph and Mary to flee to Egypt.

We know the rest of the Palm Sunday story–that within days of the hosannas, the crowd turned ugly, demanding His crucifixion. We know that after the crucifixion and death of Jesus, angels stood guard over His tomb and announced to the women who came to give Him a proper funeral that it wasn’t necessary. Jesus had conquered death. The tomb was empty.

I wonder if the Palm Sunday hosannas rang hollow in the ears of the heavenly host who’d witnessed His incarnation, His birth, His ministry. I wonder if they clasped hands or huddled or even rested their hands on the hilt of their swords during the Palm Sunday chaos.

How much had God let them know ahead of time? Did they know the celebration would be short-lived, but that God Himself through His Son was about to put new meaning to the term long-lived? On that day when He makes all things clear, I wonder if Jesus will let me know that detail.

Faith step: Does your “Hosanna” turn quickly to “Jesus, what are You doing?” when crises hit? I’m aiming for sustained hosannas in my life. How about you?

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Daily Devotion: Having a Bad Day?

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Erin Keeley Marshall

“On that day it will be said, ‘ . . . This is the Lord; we have waited for Him. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.” ’ Isaiah 25:9 (HCSB)

“This is the day the Lord has made. I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!” I laughed and cringed when I read that on my sister-in-law’s Facebook status recently. Today I’m just cringing because I’m the one saying it. What a discombobulated day this has been.

Nothing has worked right, including my mind. I actually think my brain has set a new record for fog density. Everything I’ve touched has been a disaster, from the blender that quit, to my impatience with whining children, to not being able to string two coherent thoughts together, to bringing my son to tears with my fed-up tone, to getting a big scratch on our SUV.

This day has been too much for me. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? I’ve been thinking over the update I’ll give my husband tonight, how best to phrase “Well, babe, it’s been a cotton-pickin’, rotten bugger of a challenge.” But I can’t call it a bad day. Sure, events have been bad; regrettably, I’ve acted badly at times; the scratch on the truck looks bad; the blender . . . well, that blender is just bad, bad, bad. But the day . . . bad? The day can’t be bad because the Lord made it (Psalm 118:24).

If I focus through the detritus and the brain fog, I can still see Jesus’ imprint on every moment. Watching my daughter sing while fashioning Play-Doh masterpieces. My camo-clad son racing off on an imaginary hunt. My husband’s hug and kiss. And most of all, my Jesus. My Savior, for all time and today, whose Spirit dwells in me, whose character He’s developing in me even now. Even when I prove how much my character needs His touch—how much everyone else needs him to touch my character.

Has my day been bad? Not when I see it as Jesus’ day.

Faith step: On a day like this just try saying, “Thank you, Lord.”

Daily Devotion: Find Moments of Hope

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Editor-in-Chief

For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. Psalm 36:9

It was the end of another in a long string of hectic days, and I was leaving the office after dark again, exhausted, muttering that my wife Julee was going to kill me.

I grabbed my briefcase and had just flipped off the lights in my office when I glanced out the window and saw the word “Life” emblazoned in the sky above Manhattan. I stopped in my tracks. Maybe because I was so beat it took me a minute to figure out it wasn’t a hallucination. No, the lit-up word was actually half of the MetLife logo atop its skyscraper ten blocks up the concrete-and-glass canyon of Park Avenue. Apparently the Met part had burned out, leaving just the word “Life” in bright red letters.

Satisfied that the mystery was solved and that my sanity was reasonably intact, I started to leave again. I paused and looked back at the word suspended above the skyline. Life. It hit me all at once, cutting through the headaches of the day. What an incredible word! What an extraordinary concept! The idea of being alive, of having life, seemed utterly startling, even improbable.

We live in a universe made up of inert, nonliving matter and, overwhelmingly, empty space. We probe our galactic neighborhood for signs of life to no avail. As far as we know, life as we understand it exists only on this speck of rock and water and air we call earth. Life, against all odds, is ours. A cosmic gift.

It was getting late, and Julee was probably still going to kill me. I was still feeling tired, still a little stressed-out but most of all I felt alive.

Father, of all the gifts and blessings You bestow on us, the greatest is the miracle of life. Let me find joy and satisfaction in every amazing, improbable moment.

Download your FREE ebook, Daily Devotionals: 7 Days of Bible Devotions to Strengthen Your Faith.

Daily Devotion: Change Your Thinking

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Tricia Goyer

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. James 1:17 (NLT)

For most of my life I’ve struggled with feelings of falling short. If most of my house was clean, I’d fret about the room that wasn’t. If I exercised, I’d feel guilty about a poor food choice I made. If my child had trouble with a school subject, I’d worry I wasn’t doing enough as a homeschooling mom. And when adopting children to our family, the feelings intensified. Instead of focusing on all I was doing right, I’d feel burdened by things left undone like chores.

One day a wise friend pointed out, “You feel as if you’re failing, and throughout the day you confirm it by what’s left undone. Instead, try focusing on what you’re doing well and confirm all the things you’re getting right.” This advice was life-changing. My attitude improved and things became easier. I started seeing more clearly the good things that Jesus had brought into my life.

Our lives are filled with so many good and perfect gifts, but often we fail to see them because our minds are tuned into all of our shortcomings. The good news: We can control our minds! Once I started focusing on the goodness in my life, my heart was ready to release the frustration. Now when those feelings rise up inside of me, I look to find something to thank Jesus for. Instead of thinking, “I’m failing,” I try to look around and think, “Thank you, Jesus, for all I am and all that I have.” Jesus is faithful. He provides so many good and perfect things in our lives, but it takes shifting our minds to remember that!

FAITH STEP: Today whenever you’re thinking “I’m failing,” transform your thoughts. Thank Jesus for all He’s done in you and through you.

Daily Devotion: Angels Brighten Our World

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Penney Schwab

In this vision he saw an angel of God coming toward him. Acts 10:3

“Susan Days are always good days,” my granddaughter Olivia said when I dropped her off at school. Olivia has some lingering memory problems caused by a traumatic brain injury and needs extra help with algebra. My friend Susan’s willingness to tutor twice a week is the answer to prayer, and Olivia looks forward to it.

The next week, in Sunday school, our conversation turned to angels. “God sent angels to earth back in Bible times,” someone said, “but I don’t think that happens today.” Some people agreed, but others had experienced angelic visitors or instances of help coming in inexplicable and mysterious ways.

The church bell ended the discussion, but as we prayed, I thought of Susan and other earthly angels who’d blessed my family. There was Orville who lent me his pickup when a rock shattered my windshield. He also arranged to have the windshield replaced.

When I was on vacation, a hiker warned me not to try a trail that looked easy. “The middle two miles are a steep grade,” she said. I’m not a climber and would have been in trouble without her advice. A young friend, Wes, helped us clear snow from our long drive, so we could get to a doctor’s appointment.

I’d love to be visited by a heavenly angel, although I would probably be afraid! At the same time, I am truly thankful for the earthly angels who brighten my world almost every day.

Dear Jesus, help me make today a “Susan Day.”

Daily Devotionals Inspire Writers and Readers Alike

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Editor-in-Chief

I was sitting at my desk today half worrying and half praying about the contents of the Editor’s Note in the magazine. This page is usually the last to be sent to the printer, often because I haven’t figured out what to write about until the last minute. I was reaching that point where commonplace fretting starts to morph into icy panic when the phone burbled. It was a reader trying to reach customer service. I definitely consider myself in the customer-service business.

The woman on the other end of the line said she’d recently moved and wasn’t certain all her mail was getting forwarded. “I’m looking for my renewal notice for the 2012 edition of Daily Guideposts and I haven’t gotten it yet,” she explained. “I don’t want to miss a year. I love the magazine but it only comes once a month. Daily Guideposts is here every day!”

I was happy to help her, especially when I learned that she’d been getting Daily Guideposts and giving it as a gift for 15 years, which is about the same amount of time I’ve been writing for the book. I’ve talked before about how reluctant I was to write devotionals. But once I started contributing to Daily Guideposts every year, it changed the way I look at life. Writing devotionals—and learning lessons from the other writers in Daily Guideposts like Tibby Sherrill, Rick Hamlin, Marion Bond West, Debbie Macomber and Mary Lou Carney—gave me a spiritual perspective on everyday events. Through these amazing little stories I saw how faith intersected with living. I saw how God worked in my life, even in the smallest ways.

That happens with Daily Guideposts readers too, which is why so many say they begin their mornings with one of the devotional stories and a prayer. As my caller said, “It’s a good way of getting my day into spiritual gear.” I know just what she means.

Clear Away Your Spiritual Clutter

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Sharon Hinck

“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him cruciﬁed.” 1 Corinthians 2:2

As recent empty nesters, my husband and I have begun thinking about downsizing. It’s amazing how much we’ve accumulated over the years. Sweaters seem to reproduce in the back of the closet. Papers bulge in file folders. Bins of outgrown toys fill the basement.

As we sort through things to donate or sell, we have an opportunity to think about which items are really precious or needed, and which things are simply clutter. One of the challenges of sorting out clutter, is that I rarely have to make a simple choice between something good and bad. Instead, there are lots of good things—just too many of them. Working at de-cluttering my home, I thought about the rooms of my heart.

I’ve also picked up some spiritual clutter along my way. I’ve been excited by a particular trend in worship, or embraced a specific spiritual discipline, or grappled with differing theological understandings of certain questions. But every now and then, Jesus reminds me to bring my focus back to what is absolutely essential—the simple core truth of His death and resurrection.

I heard a story once that a leader of the Christian faith, with a wealth of intellect and scholarship at their disposal, was asked to summarize his beliefs. He chose to describe the central truth of the Gospel free from embellishment, in the words of the children’s song, “Jesus loves me, this I know.” When I quiet all my opinions, knowledge, and experiences, and everything else falls away, I can focus on that simple core truth, and rejoice.

Faith step: Are there any good things in your life getting in the way of the One best thing? Invite Jesus to clear away the clutter.

Celebrate Your Unique Gifts

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Erin Keeley Marshall

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.” Matthew 25:14–15 (NIV)

My friend Sue recently brought me a gift assortment of teas. The selection included pomegranate, blueberry, lime, French vanilla and mango flavors, to name just a few.

I love having so much variety to choose from, and when friends visit, they can pick one that suits their tastes. The boxes are all different colors, the aromas are unique, yet they are all tea.

As I was trying one of the unique blends, I thought about this parable in Matthew. Jesus talked about the master giving various gifts to His servants. Each one was blessed, but not all in the same way. We are all alike in our need of God’s love and forgiveness, in our humanity, in our dependence on Him. But Jesus taught us that God treats us as individuals, giving us individual gifts.

Sometimes I look at the gifts or responsibilities God has given someone else, and covet their path. But focusing on someone else can tempt me to bury my own gift instead of investing it in God’s kingdom. Instead, we can thank Him for treating each of us as dearly loved individuals with unique callings, and then embrace the gifts He places in our lives and ask Him to help us use them wisely. I enjoy the variety of flavors in tea and in people. And Jesus loves the variety we bring to His kingdom.

Faith step: Try a cup of tea, coffee, or cocoa in a unique flavor. Thank Jesus for the unique nature He’s given you, and that He values your individual qualities.

A Prayer for Making Life-Changing Decisions

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Tracy Eldridge

A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the LORD directs his steps and establishes them. Proverbs 16:9 (AMP)

Recently I had to make a difficult career decision. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t stepping out of the will of God by trying to escape an arduous assignment for something easier. I prayed, asking Jesus to make the decision for me.

Shortly after praying that prayer, I found out that is not how Jesus operates. The choice was mine. But I wanted to make sure I was making the right choice. I didn’t want be thrown into chaos all over again. I was also comfortable in my current position. Was I afraid to leave my familiar surroundings?

After much prayer, I decided to stay in my current position. Again I sought the guidance of Jesus, asking Him to close the door on the other option if I was making the right decision. But Jesus kept the other door open, and I continued to vacillate between the two choices. I wanted to choose correctly. Midprocess, I began to realize that I can make plans, but ultimately Jesus is the One who will direct my path if I trust in Him.

Regardless of our decisions in some areas of our lives, Jesus will have His way. When we seek His guidance, He will determine the direction of our steps and authenticate our decisions, assuring us that we are on the right course.

After much back and forth, I chose to make the career move. I know I will miss the familiar surroundings, but I am confident that Jesus is directing my steps. Even though I am uncertain about what I will face, I believe it’ll be a good career decision. I know that Jesus is leading the way.

Faith Step: When making potentially life-changing decisions, go to Jesus in prayer for guidance. “Lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6, NKJV).

4 Powerful Good Friday Devotions

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by The Editors

Good Friday is the sixth day of Holy Week and an important day of observance during this sacred time of year. To bring you a deeper spiritual connection to the day, here are five Good Friday devotions:

1. Approach Good Friday with an Open Heart

by Susanna Foth Aughtmon

When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. Matthew 27:31 (NLT)

I love the thought of fresh starts and living free because of all Jesus did on the cross. (Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!) It is easy for me to skim right over the Good Friday part of Easter because it is so very bloody and traumatic. I can’t stand the thought of His suffering, the evil of those who set their hearts against Him and the weeping of a mother seeing her son die.

I want the glory of Sunday morning and the angels and everything being set to rights. I want to get to the part where the stone is rolled away and the excitement of the empty tomb. The part where the disciples are incredulous when Jesus walks through locked doors and shows up asking for dinner. The truth is that there is no glorious “Christ is risen” without the preamble of “Christ has died”.

It is the awfulness of Good Friday that makes Easter so good. It is in His facing and conquering of death that we can see a way out of our own mess. He didn’t do it just so it would make a good Bible story. He died so we can get a chance at living the life He designed us for. Of being infused with His Spirit and being more than we ever thought we could be. He died because He loved us. Period.

And how do we, broken people that we are, respond to all that good strong loving? We can stand hearts open, not sidestepping Good Friday but acknowledging the severity of the cross and say, “I know what you did for me and I am thankful.” And I am just that. Thankful.

Faith step: Draw a picture of a cross in your journal. Write “Jesus loves me” across the center. Spend some time meditating about all Christ went through to save you and thank Him for it.

2. Good Friday Reflection

by Marci Alborghetti

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights. —Isaiah 42:1

“There is a long walk I take when I’m in northern California. It starts in Sausalito, meanders into Mill Valley and ends near Tiburon. The route veers from the road onto a path through wetlands. A number of small wooden bridges cross streams connected to the massive bay. I was walking over one of these bridges on Good Friday, where I sometimes can spot a graceful crane. Floating down the river right toward me came a brown, dried-up Christmas tree…”

Read more of this Good Friday devotion and learn what this dried-up Christmas tree sighting meant.

3. Good Friday Devotion: The Message of the Cross

by Pablo Diaz

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. —John 15:13

Growing up in a Spanish Pentecostal home, Good Friday was a sacred day in our family. Every Good Friday we spent from two to five in the afternoon in worship at church. We listened to preaching on the last seven words of Christ from the cross and sang the hymns, “The Old Rugged Cross” and “On the Cross Where I First Believed.” In my earlier years, the day was filled with doom and gloom. As I grew in my faith so did my understanding of the message of the cross.

Learn more in this Good Friday devotion and read how we can gain a deeper understanding of this holy day.

4. A Devotion for Holy Week

by Erin Keeley Marshall

When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. —Matthew 27:50–52

How come this detail doesn’t get more notice? Many people came back to life on the day Jesus died. That’s a big deal! In all the Easter weeks I’ve spent in church, never once do I remember a single mention of the life that began at the moment of Jesus’s death. Each year when Good Friday arrives, the sky seems to hang lower, the atmosphere subdued by the weight of the universe and eternity and loss.

Read this Good Friday devotion and see what we can learn from this detail within the Book of Matthew.

READ MORE ABOUT GOOD FRIDAY AND HOLY WEEK:

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