Devotional Content

Scripture:“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6-7 (ESV)

Devotional Thought:
God’s promises transcend time and cultural boundaries that easily divide. The Promised Savior unites those who trust Him to a loving relationship with the Father and to community. At In Focus Church, we see the beauty of a multi-ethnic, multi-generational community reflecting His kingdom. The birth of Christ is not just a fulfillment of a promise for Israel, but one fulfilled for all humanity, bringing peace to our personal lives and unity to our church family.

Questions:

1. What does this passage reveal about God’s character and promises?

2. How does knowing Jesus as the Prince of Peace impact your personal peace?

3. How can you bring peace to a situation in your community this week?

Prayer: 

“Lord, help me to realize and hold to the hope of Christ made available to me personally and to Your people as a community. Help me meditate on Your goodness that it may satisfy my heart and that I may share it with others. In Jesus’s name, Amen.”

Scripture: “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” – Galatians 4:4-5 (NLT)

Devotional Thought:
Jesus’ birth wasn’t random—it was perfectly timed. As the author of time itself, God directs the seasons of our lives by His sovereign power, He stewards every moment for His glory according to His wisdom, while promising to work all things for our good from the abundance of His love (see Romans 8:28).

Therefore, as His sons and daughters can be encouraged that God is working in our lives, circumstances, and community, even when the timing feels uncertain or perhaps unfavorable.

Questions:

1. Why is the timing of Jesus’ arrival significant?

2. What does it look like to actively trust God’s timing in your own life?

3. Identify one area of your life where you will practice patience and trust God this week.

Prayer: 

“Lord, Your Word says that You are the same yesterday, today and forever; You do not change. Help me to trust in Your love, goodness, wisdom, and sovereign power as You change my seasons and as You use my seasons to change me. In Jesus’s name, Amen.”

Scripture:“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).” – Matthew 1:23 (ESV)

Devotional Thought:
Jesus is "God with us" in every circumstance. Colossians 1:15 says He is the “image of the invisible God,” meaning He shares the nature, character, and essence of God.

God’s plan was for Jesus to become man and share in humanity’s joy and sorrow, experiencing community, temptation, pain and betrayal. 

But He also gave us the Holy Spirit to be with us always, reminding us of the love, power, and presence of God. This name - Immanuel - showed God’s tangible presence as Jesus walked the earth; but it also expresses the nature of God’s nearness and presence.

Whether you’re navigating a season of joy or suffering, He is with you. 

Questions:

1. What does "Immanuel" mean for how you view God’s presence?

2. When you face challenges, how does knowing God is with you affect your heart’s tendency to worry? 

3. God can use you to demonstrate to others that He is with them. Reach out to someone who feels lonely or forgotten and do what you can to serve them.

Prayer:

Lord, as of lately my life has felt (_______ insert your honest expression of how life has been). According to Your Word, Your name, and Your nature; You are with me in every moment. Help me to know that and to be near to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Scripture:“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:4-5 (ESV)

Devotional Thought:
In a world filled with brokenness, Jesus shines as the unquenchable light. First, followers of Jesus should surrender themselves to let the light of Christ continue to invade dark areas that He needs to reign in. This comes through our individual time in God's presence as well as our intentional invitation of others to shine His light in our 'blindspots'. 

But also, God’s Church is to be a people who carry His light into dark places by representing Him well in how we speak, act, and treat others. This should occur in every area of life including family and work, as well as across the cultural boundaries that easily divide, like race and politics. 

At In Focus, we want to trust Jesus by carrying His light into the CSRA, sharing hope with others who need the joy that Christ brings.

Questions:

1. How does Jesus being the light of the world shape your understanding of Him?

2. In what areas of your life do you need the light of Christ to shine?

3. Share a word of encouragement with someone struggling with darkness.

Prayer:

God, thank You for being the light of the world. Help me to see the areas of my life of which Your light needs to invade. Help me to recognize and grow with the followers of Jesus that You have provided to help me embrace Your light. Help us to carry Your light into the darkness. In Jesus's name, Amen.

Scripture: “I am the Lord. I have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will hold you by your hand. I will watch over you, and I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations, in order to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, and those sitting in darkness from the prison house.” – Isaiah 42:6-7 (CSB)

Devotional Thought:
Jesus is the hope for all nations. At In Focus, our diversity is a glimpse of this global mission. We celebrate that Christ came for all people; His Gospel is truly Good News for every nation, tribe, and tongue (Revelation 7:9). 

This encourages us to embrace 'the mission field' as the places where we find ourselves; not just an occasional mission trip to a different city. 

Since Jesus is our hope AND the hope of the world, He is worthy of our intentional efforts to share and show the hope He has brought us personally, starting with where you are now, and wherever else God leads you.

Questions:

1. What does this passage say about God’s care and attentiveness toward people who are often overlooked & underserved?

2. How does your experience of Christ’s care, attentiveness, and service affect your heart for people of different cultures & backgrounds than you?

3. Prayerfully ask God to help you recognize & respond to opportunities to share the hope of Christ with someone that you overlook & who may be underserved.

Prayer: 

God, You pay attention to, love, and care for those who are overlooked and underserved. I pray that You give me Your heart for people; help me to see them the way that You do – with dignity, honor, and compassion. Help me recognize opportunities to love and serve them, and to respond faithfully in those opportunities. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Scripture: “As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way’—a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” – Mark 1:2-4 (NIV)

Devotional Thought:John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, calling people to repentance (which means turning away from sin). Imagine the time, effort, and labor involved in preparing a literal road. The preparation is hard, but necessary work. 

Thank God that by His Spirit and through other Christians representing Him, He prepares and transforms our hearts. But this work is something we must respond to with humility, surrender and our own efforts to submit to what He wants to do in us.

Questions:

1. Why is repentance vital in preparing for Jesus?

2. What areas in your life need to be surrendered to God?

3. Reach out to a trusted Christian friend and invite them to tell you the blindspots they think you need to surrender.

Prayer:

God, thank You for preparing and continuing to transform my Heart. You delightfully draw near to move in the lives of those who humble themselves to allow You to do so. I want to be one of those people. Help me love You and to rest in Your love for me. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Scripture:“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” – Genesis 12:2-3 (ESV)

Devotional Thought:God’s promise to Abraham is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. Through Abraham came his son and the descendants that followed. Similarly, God’s children are born again through Jesus, forming a heavenly nation united through diversity. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is good news that brings blessing to every nation, tribe, and people group. 

If you are a follower of Jesus, then you are a part of this blessing! Together, we are called to live out God’s mission as a family that reflects His kingdom on earth.

Questions:

1. How does Jesus fulfill God’s promise to Abraham?

2. How does knowing you are part of God’s family & a heavenly nation affect your identity?

3. How can God’s plan for unity through diversity reflected in the friendships and community that you intentional position yourself within.

Prayer:

God, I thank You for Your sovereign plan for Your Spiritual family and for making me a part of it. Help me to further experience Your will for us to be united through diversity according to Your will.

Scripture:“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” – Luke 2:7 (ESV)

Devotional Thought:Jesus’ humble birth reflects God’s love and value for the lowly and overlooked. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords, yet He did not consider His divine status as something to be used to His advantage (Philippians 2:6). As followers of Jesus, we should embrace this same humility by remembering Christ’s example, and also humbly remembering that our sin makes us lowly, vulnerable, and in need. Christ’s love calls us to meet people where they are, just as He came to us.

Questions:

1. Why is it significant that Jesus was born in such humble circumstances?

2. How does the humility of Jesus inspire your view of love and service to the lowly and overlooked?

3. Find a way to serve someone in need today with humility and love.

Prayer:

God Your Word says, “This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all” (1 Timothy 1:15). Help me to be humble that I may love You and my neighbor well. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Scripture:“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 (ESV)

Devotional Thought:Jesus is the ultimate gift of love. Gifts are not given to those who earn them, wages are. According to Romans 6:23, the wages we earn for our sin is death - eternal separation from God. 

On the other hand, gifts are given out of the generosity, love, and kindness of the giver. We are recipients of God’s generosity! This season, we celebrate His generosity by sharing love with our neighbor - the brother & sister in Christ, the next door neighbor, the strangers around us!

Questions:

1. What does this passage teach about the nature of God’s love?

2. Who shared Jesus and pointed you to God’s love? What’s your story of how you received the love of Christ?

3. How does accepting the gift of Jesus affect the way you view others who have not accepted this gift? Who can you share your story with today?

Prayer:

God, thank You for Your abundance of love, kindness, and generosity. You give me more and more of Your goodness than I deserve. Thank You. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Scripture:“And Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, because he has looked with favor on the humble condition of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed,” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭46‬-‭48‬ (‭CSB‬‬)

Devotional Thought:Mary’s response to God’s calling is one of worship. Mary undoubtedly experienced negativity from cultural pressures through her miraculous pregnancy. Yet she worshipped wholeheartedly as she reflected on the goodness of God. Her song reminds us to rejoice in God’s faithfulness and to worship Him for what He is doing in and through our community. Her story shows us that God is worthy of our worship regardless of the circumstances we face.

Questions:

1. What does Mary’s song reveal about her understanding of God?

2. Think of a hymn or a worship song that you love. How does that song inform your understanding of God? Can you find any Bible verses that support that understanding of God?

3. Write down three things you are grateful for and praise God for them in prayer, and in song!

Prayer:

God, You are worthy of all the praise! You are sovereign, You have all the power. Yet You lovingly look low at sinners like me, care for us, pursue us, and reveal more of Your goodness. Thank You. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Scripture:“But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ (‭CSB‬‬)

Devotional Thought:God’s love pursues us even as we turn our back to Him. As He desires relationship with us, He sent Christ to die for us out of the abundance of His mercy, and meets us where we are - in our rebellion of Him. Our struggle to believe God’s love for us due to our sin, feelings, or circumstances, often comes from us placing a magnifying glass over our sin, feelings, or circumstances, which makes those things seem too big for God to love us. 

But Romans 5:8 magnifies God’s perfection, love, grace, and saving power. His love for us is not dependent on our worthiness, circumstance, or feelings. His love for us is dependent on who He is, and Scripture says that God is love (1 John 4:8) and that He is holy, holy, holy (Isaiah 6:3).

In our moments of doubt and unbelief, God invites us to be honest about where we are so that He can meet us (again) with the truth of who He is. Romans 5:8 invites us to choose to remember that God proved His love which met us in our worse, and therefore He welcomes us to bring our “worst” today. This is the love we are called to embrace within our relationship with God and to embody as His people — loving others and reflecting Jesus to a broken world.

Questions:

1. What does this verse teach about the depth of God’s love?

2. How does understanding God’s love for you affect your view of others?

3. Can you choose to extend forgiveness and serve someone who does not deserve your kindness, as Christ forgave you?

Prayer:

God, sometimes I struggle to believe Your love for me because of my sin, feelings, or circumstances. My sin makes me unworthy of Your love, but help me to believe in Your holy nature which means that You keep Your promises - You love me because of who You are. When my feelings or circumstances fail to demonstrate Your love for me, help me to remember and know that You proved Your love already, even through the tragic circumstances of the undeserved death of Christ. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Scripture:“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility” – Ephesians 2:13-14 (ESV)

Devotional Thought:Jesus breaks down every barrier, uniting us as one body. We are called to love one another the way that Christ has loved us – by serving and looking in the best interest of one another. 

This means that all of the differences that could divide followers of Jesus are overcome by the greater similarity that unites us: Jesus. At In Focus Church, we celebrate the Savior’s love that transcends race, age, socioeconomic status, political party, etc. reminding us that we are one in Christ.

Questions:

1. How does Jesus’ arrival bring peace and unity?

2. Is there a divided relationship in your life that God is calling you to reconcile?

3. Pray for that person and the relationship, that they would be reconciled to God, to you, and others.

Prayer:

God, thank You for redeeming me and reconciling me to right relationship with You. Only Christ’s sacrifice could have made that possible. I pray for (_____ insert name of the person) to know and experience Your love within their relationship with You, me, and others. Show me the part I play in this work You desire to do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Scripture:“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” – Luke 2:8-9 (NIV)

Devotional Thought:God chose to announce Jesus’ birth to shepherds—social outsiders engaged in a seemingly mundane and unpleasant occupation. This act of divine love and pursuit of the lowly and humble demonstrates that God is not biased towards the wealthy and privileged. It also displays God’s willingness to meet us in the ordinary moments of our daily lives. 

At In Focus Church, we want to create a welcoming environment for everyone, regardless of their background or status. To faithfully represent Jesus well by doing what Jesus does, we need Him to transform us by the renewing of our minds so that we love what He loves, think how He thinks, and see people in the way that He sees people. Then we can worship and experience God even in the ordinary, while sharing and demonstrating His love for others to encounter Him as well. 

Questions:

1. How do you think having a humble heart contributes to a relationship with God?

2. How has God’s love for you shined through when you felt overlooked or marginalized?

3. Invite someone who might feel excluded to join you for a meal or conversation.

Prayer:

Lord, Your Word says that You are the God who sees. You see, pay attention to, and care for the overlooked and marginalized. I thank You for my experiences of Your care and attentiveness as Your Spirit ministered to me inwardly, through people, or as You’ve changed my circumstances. Show me how You might use me today as You reveal Your love, care and attentiveness to them.

Scripture:“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

Devotional Thought:God’s love for us pursues us even though we don’t deserve it; He meets us at our worst. For those who humbly trust Him through the commitment of their lives to follow Him, Jesus transforms us, and makes us new. Scripture describes this as being “born again”. In the eyes of God, a Christians is not just someone who claims the label; a Christian is one who trusts Jesus to redeem, secure and renew them, and follows Jesus as Lord. The result of this is growth where our desires, habits, thoughts, opinions, & motives continuously change to look more like Jesus’ and less like what we learned from family, friends, and society. 

At In Focus, we celebrate stories of transformation (aka testimonies or two-minute miracles), knowing that God is continually working to renew our hearts and our community. Our two-minute miracles tell of what our life was like before we knew Jesus, how we experienced and responded to His love, and how He is changing our lives. These testimonies encourage others as they learn of God’s character and nature through the perspectives of other people.

Questions:

1. What did your life look like before responding to Jesus’s love and sacrifice? 

2. How did you meet Jesus and how has your life changed since trusting Jesus to save you and beginning to follow His will for your life? 

3. In what areas of your life do you long for renewal and transformation? Who can you share your story (the answers to these questions) with today, to tell of Jesus’s love and saving power in your life?

Prayer:

God, I thank You for Your great mercy and grace in my life. Thank You for saving me, for the good work You’ve begun in me and are continuing to do. I pray that You humble me and my brothers and sisters in Christ to cherish Your work and presence, and embolden us to tell others about it. Help us to see the opportunities You give us that we may manage them well. In Jesus’s name, Amen.