Week of 10/6/25 - 10/10/2025
5 Day Devotional
Day 1: The Question That Defines Everything
Devotional
In a world filled with pressing concerns—bills to pay, relationships to navigate, careers to build—one question stands above all others: Who is Jesus Christ? This isn't just a theological inquiry; it's the foundation upon which our entire lives rest. We often prioritize questions that feel urgent in the moment. How will I make ends meet? What will others think of me? Where is my life heading? Yet these questions, while important, are temporary. The question of who Jesus is has eternal consequences. Consider how Jesus revealed himself in Scripture. He didn't merely offer philosophical ideas or moral teachings. He demonstrated his identity through compassion, power, and presence. When he encountered the widow of Nain, he didn't begin with a sermon or explanation—he began with compassion. Before performing the miracle, he entered into her grief. This is who Jesus is: not distant, not merely symbolic, but intimately present in our lives. He doesn't stand apart from our suffering but enters into it, transforming it from within. The answer to who Jesus is isn't found in abstract concepts but in relationship with him.
Bible Verse
"When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, 'Don't cry.' Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, 'Young man, I say to you, get up!' The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother." - Luke 7:13-15
Reflection Question
If someone asked you today, "Who is Jesus Christ to you personally?" how would you answer, and how might your answer differ from what you would have said a year ago?
Quote
The most important question in life is this. The most important question is not how am I going to pay my mortgage. The most important question is not how much money I have in my bank account. There's one question that matters. Who is Jesus Christ? The answer to that will either give you eternity, damnation.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me to know you not just in theory but in truth. Open my eyes to see you as you truly are—my Savior, my Lord, my life. May the answer to who you are shape everything about how I live. Amen.
Day 2: Compassion Before Miracles
Devotional
Before Jesus performed miracles, He first showed compassion. This pattern appears throughout the Gospels, but it's particularly striking in His encounter with the widow of Nain. Before raising her son, Jesus was "moved with compassion" for her. In our achievement-oriented world, we often value results above relationship. We want God to fix our problems, heal our bodies, or change our circumstances. But Jesus models a different way—presence before power, compassion before correction. When Jesus approached the funeral procession, He could have immediately commanded the young man to rise. Instead, He first addressed the grieving mother: "Don't cry." He acknowledged her pain before resolving it. This wasn't empty sympathy; it was compassion that led to action. The compassion of Christ isn't sentimental; it's transformative. It doesn't merely feel our pain—it enters it and changes it from within. When we face our own moments of grief, loss, or confusion, we can remember that Jesus doesn't rush past our emotions to get to solutions. His compassion comes first, and it's in that compassion that we often find the miracle we need.
Bible Verse
"I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD." - Psalm 116:13
Reflection Question
When have you experienced Christ's compassion in your life, and how did that compassion prepare you to receive His power or direction?
Quote
Before any miracle, there's what? Compassion from Christ. Before resurrection, there's presence of the Lord. Christ doesn't brush away or brush aside her tears. He shares in them, even as he transforms them.
Prayer
Compassionate Savior, thank you for not rushing past my pain. Help me to receive your presence before seeking your power, and to extend the same compassion to others that you have shown to me. Amen.
Day 3: The Savior Who Became Unclean
Devotional
When Jesus touched the funeral bier of the widow's son, He did something shocking in His cultural context. According to Jewish law, touching a dead body made a person ritually unclean. Yet Jesus willingly took this uncleanness upon Himself to bring life to the dead. This moment foreshadows the cross, where Jesus—who knew no sin—became sin for us. He didn't remain distant from our brokenness but entered fully into it. The holy became unholy so that the unholy might become holy. In our own lives, we often try to hide our uncleanness from God. We present our polished selves in worship, afraid that our true condition might be too much for God to handle. But the story of Jesus touching the funeral bier reminds us that He isn't afraid of our mess. He reaches into it. The power of the gospel isn't that Jesus helps those who help themselves. It's that He touches what is dead and brings it to life. He enters our uncleanness not to be contaminated by it, but to transform it. This is the heart of our salvation—not that we made ourselves clean enough for God, but that God made Himself "unclean" for us.
Bible Verse
"With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." - Isaiah 12:3
Reflection Question
What areas of your life have you been hesitant to bring before Jesus because they feel too "unclean" or broken, and how might His willingness to touch what is unclean change your approach?
Quote
According to Jewish law, this made him ritually unclean. He couldn't enter the synagogue after touching a dead body. It was just. It was forgotten. You couldn't do that. You had to go wash and be clean before you could enter the synagogue. But Christ willingly takes uncleanness onto Himself in order to give life.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for not staying distant from my brokenness. Thank you for willingly taking my uncleanness upon yourself. Help me to trust you with every part of my life, knowing that your touch brings life, not condemnation. Amen.
Day 4: Real Presence in a Virtual World
Devotional
We live in an increasingly virtual world where authentic presence is rare. Social media offers connection without intimacy. Technology provides convenience without substance. Even spirituality can become abstract—ideas about God rather than encounter with God. In this context, Jesus offers something revolutionary: real presence. When He dwells in us through faith, it's not symbolic or theoretical. It's a genuine indwelling that transforms us from within. Paul understood this even from his prison cell, experiencing the dimensions of Christ's love despite his physical confinement. The sacraments embody this reality. They use ordinary elements—water, bread, wine—to convey extraordinary grace. They remind us that Christianity isn't primarily about concepts but about communion with a living Savior. In baptism, we're united with Christ's death and resurrection. In communion, we receive Christ himself. In a world hungry for authenticity, Jesus offers not just teachings to follow but His very self to receive. Not just principles to apply but presence to experience. This is the heart of Christian faith—not that we ascend to God through our efforts, but that God descends to us in Christ.
Bible Verse
"I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." - Ephesians 3:17-18
Reflection Question
In what ways have you experienced Christ's real presence in your life, and how has that differed from merely knowing about Him intellectually?
Quote
St. Paul is in chains, he's in prison, yet he speaks of immeasurable freedom. He's confined to a cell, yet he describes the infinite dimensions of God's love.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, in a world of shallow connections and virtual relationships, I thank you for your real presence. Help me to experience you not just in my mind but in my heart, not just in theory but in truth. May I be rooted and grounded in your love. Amen.
Day 5: Standing on Timeless Truth
Devotional
In a culture obsessed with novelty, the timeless can seem outdated. Many churches, eager to remain relevant, chase trends and water down difficult truths. They offer comfort without repentance, community without communion, spirituality without sacrifice. But Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The truth about Him doesn't change with cultural shifts or popular opinion. He is who He claimed to be—Savior, Lord, the bread of life—or He was, as C.S. Lewis famously argued, either a liar or a lunatic. When we receive Christ as He truly is, not as we might prefer Him to be, we find ourselves standing on solid ground. We discover that ancient practices aren't museum pieces but witnesses that the sacred still speaks. We learn that traditional worship isn't outdated but timeless. For the widow of Nain, Jesus was the one who touched death and gave life. For Paul in prison, He was the one who dwelt in the heart and gave strength. For us today, He remains the same—not a symbol or concept, but the living Lord who offers Himself to us in word and sacrament, in prayer and community, in service and sacrifice.
Bible Verse
"Jesus said to them, 'Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.'" - John 6:53-54
Reflection Question
In what ways might you be tempted to reshape Jesus to fit contemporary preferences rather than embracing Him as He has revealed Himself in Scripture and tradition?
Quote
That's why our worship to some may look a little strange. Incense, vestments, ancient prayers, they're not museum pieces. Their witness that the sacred still speaks. When the world runs after novelty, we stand firm in what is timeless.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, in a world of shifting trends and changing values, you remain the same. Help me to stand firm on the timeless truth of who you are. May I never reduce you to what is comfortable or convenient, but embrace you as Lord of all. Amen.