Devotions
Are you looking for inspiration or structure, when it comes to bringing Jesus into your classroom? These devotions — which come from CBU annual themes — have been contributed by staff and faculty for your use in the classroom.*
Idea for using this resource: Bookmark this page and load it at the beginning of class,
to reference it when you lead the devotion.
Note that each devotion follows a mnemonic so you can remember four helpful steps in leading a devotion: R-E-A-P (Read, Examine, Apply, Pray).1 Click Devotion guide for a template to help you plan your own devotions.
| Devotional | Courage to stay close to God |
|---|---|
| Read | "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love." (1 Cor. 16:13-14, NIV). |
| Examine | The call to be courageous and strong here is in the context of false teachings. The verse starts by warning us to be on guard against tempting ideologies or actions that are not in accordance with God's perfect plans for us. Then the verse mentions standing firm in the faith. We aren't just "on guard" to be truth-police; it's not about having courage to simply confront others. The point is we need to be strong, courageous, and “on guard” to keep us in a close relationship with God. That's the goal. |
| Apply | What is something God is calling you to do or say, but you haven't had the courage yet to do so? |
| Pray | Dear God, we see around us that some are apathetic, some are fearful, and some are brash. Help us to be none of these, but instead, to face the problems around us with courage. Jesus, you modeled courage when you spoke the truth in love, when you said things that were unpopular and considered dangerous, when you willingly gave your life to save us. Holy Spirit, please give us the gift of courage, so that we can confront injustice and so that we can bring glory to your name when others have forsaken you. Amen. |
| Devotional | Walking Wisely |
|---|---|
| Read | "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." (Eph. 5:15-17, ESV). |
| Examine | From this verse, it seems that being “unwise” would be NOT making the best use of time, not walking carefully, and not understanding God’s will. Note that the main way to know God’s will, for anything (including how we should use our time, money, or intellect) is to know the scripture more. So in general, walking with care— walking wisely – requires meditating on God’s Word. |
| Apply | What is one way that you need to be more intentional about regarding the use of your time? |
| Pray | Heavenly Father, we know we’ve been unwise at times—sometimes with how we use our money, or our words, or our time. Your word is a light, which means it shows us the path forward: the best way to use our time and talents. We are offering you, Holy Spirit, to keep showing us the wise way to walk. Amen. |
| Devotional | Honoring All People |
|---|---|
| Read | "Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king." (1 Peter 2:17, NAS) |
| Examine | Peter tells us that we are free in Christ, but we use that freedom to do good things, not to engage in evil practices. The very next sentence tells us to honor all people – all the people around us. To be honoring to others is to treat them as if they are special and important. |
| Apply | Who are some people in your life that are easy to honor? Who are some people that are difficult to honor? What are some steps you can take to treat others with honor this next week? |
| Pray | God, we know that you have called us to be different from what the world would have us to be. You have called us to honor those around us, and that is not easy much of the time. Please work in our hearts to help us see others as important as You see them. Help us to love and honor those around us. Bring to mind people that we could honor in our lives, and please help us see the next step we can take to honor those people. Amen. |
| Devotional | Honoring Authority |
|---|---|
| Read | "Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God, that by doing right you silence the ignorance of foolish people." (1 Peter 2:13-15, NAS) |
| Examine |
The practice of honoring authority is a God-given responsibility. Here Peter tells us that we should submit ourselves for the Lord’s sake. We are doing the work of the Lord when we submit to the structures in place, that “by doing right, you silence the ignorance of foolish people.” When we do the right thing, we are honoring the worldly authority and also honoring God. To be clear, there is a time to stand up for what is right if something evil is being done. That is a devotion for another day. What we are seeing here is that we are directed to honor authority as a way of living out our testimony for God. |
| Apply | What institutions in your life are difficult to submit to? |
| Pray | God, open our eyes to Your will in our lives. Help us to see how we can honor you by honoring the institutions we serve. When it seems that there is conflict, please show up how we can keep Your commandments while serving human institutions. We love You and want to honor You in all things. Amen. |
| Devotional | We need supports, to stay connected |
|---|---|
| Read | "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 14:4-6) |
| Examine | Another word for "remaining" is "being connected," or "sticking" to something. Note that it's not an all or nothing scenario where you are either 100% connected to God, or 0%. Most of us have times when we are MORE connected, and times we are LESS connected. Very few people are so lost that they are totally unconnected to God (that is what hell would be like). Instead, we have times in our lives where we are praying more, and hearing more from God's word. How do you get more connected? Think of a branch that is dangling, but still holding on. The way to get it to be more connected is to prop it up-- to provide support. |
| Apply | Think of ways that you can have supports that "prop you up" so you are more connected to God: your accountability group; your church; your Bible app; reminders on your phone to pray; praise and worship music; a course you're taking at Bible college; a podcast; books you are reading that encourage your faith. |
| Pray | Jesus thank you for inviting us to connect to you. Thank you for the supports in our lives that keep us connected to you. We want to bear fruit, and know that the fruit comes from being connected to you. Amen. |
1 Click here to see David Platt's explanation of the REAP method.
Contributors
* To contribute a devotion, contact the TLC.
Dr. Ted Murcray
Dr. Ken Nehrbass