Jane Lew First United Methodist Church

06/24/2026

Morning devotion for Wednesday, June 24.

Scripture: Proverbs 30:17. An eye that mocks a father and rejects obedience to a mother, may the ravens of the river valley peck it out, and the eagle's young eat it.

Reflection: Conflict among people of differing generations has a long history. Older people often think younger people are entitled, don't value experience, and aren't interested in persisting in work long enough to make a real difference. Younger generations often imagine older people as stuck in their ways, unimaginative, and not in touch with the way culture is shifting and changing. As a youth, we often talk past one another, neither valuing what the other has to offer.
When you were younger, did you have a tough time believing that the adults around you knew what they were talking about? I did. In my first job, I often scoffed at older leaders and was quick to point out the ways they didn't seem to get it. But I soon discovered that many older leaders had wisdom that I needed to make my ideas better, stronger, and more effective. Similarly, as an aging leader, my work has been revitalized by listening to younger people and their perspective, instead of scoffing at their inexperience.

Morning Prayer of Petition.
Holy Wisdom, You offer me a pathway that leads to life, but in stubbornness I constantly choose my own way. Turn me around and loosen my grip on:
*the false belief that I must do everything myself,
*the hard-heartedness that keeps me from reaching out to others,
*the selfishness that prevents me from serving others,
*the materialism that lulls me away from faith in You,
*the myth that busyness is a badge of honor.
Help me to be more obedient to Your teaching and wisdom so that I may walk the narrow path that leads to life. Amen.

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06/24/2026

Evening devotion for Tuesday, June 23.

Scripture: Exodus 19: 4-5. You saw what I did to the Egyptians, and how I lifted you up on eagles' wings and brought you to Me. So now, if you faithfully obey Me and stay true to My covenant, you will be My most precious possession out of all the peoples, since the whole earth belongs to Me.

Reflection: by Mary Bosanquet Fletcher (1739-1815), first Methodist woman preacher.
Why, from seven years old, (the first time I felt a spark of faith,) my conviction was, not to be conformed to the customs, fashions, and maxims of the world, and my frequent prayer was, as a little manuscript now by me proves, Lord, bring me not from among the ungodly. Cast my lot with the poor who are rich in faith, and make me to have my delight with the excellent of the earth, and then I will not complain for toil, poverty, or reproach.

Evening Prayer of Gratitude.
Loving God, You are always at work for my well-being, not harm. Help me to trust that your commandments are for my good. Prick my consciousness so that I may see:
*the people to whom You are calling me to be more attentive,
*the areas of my personal life that I too often neglect,
*Your nudges and promptings that I am ignoring or neglecting,
*the joy and rest that You are offering to me.
Shape in me a spirit of obedience to You and help me to remember that Your precepts are perfect. Amen.

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06/23/2026

Morning devotion for Tuesday, June 23.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:22. Does the Lord want entirely burned offerings and sacrifices so much as obedience to the Lord? Listen to this: obeying is better than sacrificing, paying attention is better than fat from rams.

Reflection: Blind obedience is doing something even when you know it is wrong. It happens when we follow the orders of someone around us without thinking about the deeper meaning of the actions. This kind of obedience is problematic. It doesn't lead to growth and doesn't invite probing and questioning. Ultimately, it can do a lot of harm.
Blind obedience is not what God desires of us. God doesn't want us to thoughtlessly and robotically fulfill a list of rules and rituals without connecting with the heart of God's instruction. Real obedience, the kind God desires, makes room for doubting, questioning, and probing. Real obedience makes room for difference, has grace for mistakes, and allows for growth. Real obedience is when we are asked not just to do something but to know and wrestle with why doing it is important. Real obedience leads to flourishing, for us and those around us.
When it comes to our faith, God wants us to listen, obey God's instructions, and live aligned with God's will. God also wants us to ask questions, wrestle with obedience, and, ultimately, understand the heart of why God desires this life for us.

Morning Prayer of Petition.
Holy Wisdom, You offer me a pathway that leads to life, but in stubbornness I constantly choose my own way. Turn me around and loosen my grip on:
*the false belief that I must do everything myself,
*the hard-heartedness that keeps me from reaching out to others,
*the selfishness that prevents me from serving others,
*the materialism that lulls me away from faith in You,
*the myth that busyness is a badge of honor.
Help me to be more obedient to Your teaching and wisdom so that I may walk the narrow path that leads to life. Amen.

06/23/2026

Evening devotion for Monday, June 22.

This week's theme is Obedience.

Scripture: Romans 16:19. The news of your obedience has reached everybody, so I'm happy for you. But I want you to be wise about what's good, and innocent about what's evil.

Reflection: Obedience to God has consequences. The Bible is full of stories of people maintaining obedience to God, even unto death. History is full of the same stories. Growing up, when I heard these stories, I wondered if I would ever be in a position to have to make the ultimate sacrifice. Thank God I live in a country where I am free to practice my faith without fear of actual persecution. However, these stories of radical obedience still have much to teach us.
There are times when faithfulness to God runs counter to human desires. The spiritual fruit of generosity, for instance, runs counter to the desire to collect as much stuff as possible. The command to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength does not say to love with "most of your heart and soul," but all of it. There are days when this level of obedience seems impossible, but the history of the church is full of stories of radical obedience, stories that teach us that such obedience is possible. And no story of obedience is as powerful as the story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Himself.

Evening Prayer of Gratitude.
Loving God, You are always at work for my well-being, not harm. Help me to trust that your commandments are for my good. Prick my consciousness so that I may see:
*the people to whom You are calling me to be more attentive,
*the areas of my personal life that I too often neglect,
*your nudges and promptings that I am ignoring or neglecting,
*the joy and rest that you are offering to me.
Shape in me a spirit of obedience to You and help me to remember that Your precepts are perfect. Amen.

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06/22/2026

Morning devotion for Monday, June 22.

This week's theme is Obedience.

Scripture: Deuteronomy 27:10. .So obey the Lord your God's voice. Do His commandments and His regulations that I am giving you right now.

Reflection: Obedience is not a popular word these days. It seems to be from a bygone era when institutions were more valued, authority more respected, and top-down instruction more in vogue. Obedience is set in opposition to freedom, individual expression, and making one's own decisions. It takes effort to sort through all of this and return to an appreciation for what the Bible might mean when it instructs us to obey.
Maybe the best pathway into the wisdom of obedience begins with humility, or with a recognition that we are not quite as capable of self-direction as we like to think we are. Left to our own devices, we have a propensity to make decisions that often aren't best for us. We make short-term decisions without a proper view of the long-term. We make decisions that feel right, but that do not have the desired outcome in our lives. We justify and deceive ourselves instead of always seeing life in a clear-eyed way. We need a wisdom beyond ourselves.
When the Bible asks us to obey God, it is because God knows that, left to our own, we can get lost and make a mess of life. God's instructions aren't forced upon us, and obedience isn't a punishment. Instead, they are an invitation and a pathway to not do life alone; they are given so that we might have a life that is far beyond what we can come up with on our own.

Morning Prayer of Petition.
Holy Wisdom, You offer me a pathway that leads to life, but in stubbornness I constantly choose my own way. Turn me around and loosen my grip on:
the false belief that I must do everything myself,
the hard-heartedness that keeps me from reaching out to others,
the selfishness that prevents me from serving others,
the materialism that lulls me away from faith in You,
the myth that busyness is a badge of honor.
Help me to be more obedient to Your teaching and wisdom so that I may walk the narrow path that leads to life. Amen.

06/20/2026

Evening devotion for Saturday, June 20.

Scripture: Acts 1:7. Jesus replied, "It isn't for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by His own authority."

Reflection: "It is not for you to know." Jesus speaks these words to all of us at one time or another. Even when we would like to know, and even when it would be good for us to know, still we do not know. This is mystery. But it is also the essential check on egotism, which left to itself turns to hubris---the very opposite of the first beatitude. Not knowing moves us from living by "certainties" to living by convictions. And that's where we must live if we are to be the witnesses He calls us to be in the next verse, Acts 1:8.

Evening Prayer of Gratitude.
Mighty God, each day You offer me a new perspective on my life. In this moment, enlighten my spirit that I may perceive the ways You are at work, even when the progress is not as fast as I may want. Thank You for working today:
*in my stresses and anxieties,
*in my frustrations and setbacks,
*in my relationships, even those that are hard,
*in my responsibilities and commitments.
God, give me patience to persist as I wait for life to unfold and develop for me. I have faith that You are with me. Give me a tangible sense of Your presence in my life. Amen.

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06/20/2026

Morning devotion for Saturday, June 20 (West Virginia Day).

Scripture: Jeremiah 8:7. Even the stork in the sky knows the seasons, and the dove, swallow, and crane return in due time. But my people don't know the Lord's ways.

Reflection: In a world where so much is available immediately, there are still certain things that take time. Close relationships are often dependent on the time we spend with the other person. It is over time that we get to know another person's quirks, habits, gifts, and idiosyncrasies. With time, people begin to predict where another is going or even finish each other's sentences. Time is also essential to growth in some way. Expertise in any craft requires thousands of hours of time. If you want to grow, you must invest time.
The same is true of your faith and your relationship with God. It is easy to miss God speaking or neglect a nudge in your life, if you haven't spent time learning who God is and growing your ability to detect God's voice in your life. Our faith comes alive and takes on richness and texture as we invest time in that pursuit.
Jeremiah warns us it is hard to follow God's lead, figure out God's purpose for you, or determine God's guidance in your life if you don't know God's ways. And knowing God takes time. Begin investing anew in that relationship; in due time you will see more clearly who God is and where God is leading you.

Morning Prayer of Petition.
Eternal God, in Your sight a thousand years are but a day. I am learning more and more every day to trust Your timing in my life. Cultivate in me:
*patience for that which I must wait for,
*closure for those things that are ending,
*expectancy for that which I hope for,
*resilience for living in the in-between time,
*persistence for the work that is not yet finished.
Holy God, help me to trust Your timing and to know that the time spent working and waiting is not in vain. Amen.

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06/20/2026

(This wouldn't post earlier)
Morning devotion for Friday, June 19 (Juneteenth).

Scripture: Psalm 39:4. Let me know my end, Lord. How many days do I have left? I want o know how brief my time is.

Reflection: If you could live completely healthy but die at 75, or if you could live until 90 but with uncertain health, which would you choose? The question doesn't just cause us to think about how long we have on this earth, but also what we want to do with the time. Some people get consumed with the question of how long their lives will be. We can obsess over health metrics, eating habits, exercise, and best practices to ensure that we can live as long as possible. These are sensible things to be concerned about.
But life is about more than quantity; it is also about quality. What good is a long life if we are not using that life for a faithful and impactful purpose? We cannot control how long life is, and we will never know the answer to "When?" but we do get to control how we use the life God has given us.

Morning Prayer of Petition.
Eternal God, in Your sight a thousand years are but a day. I am learning more and more every day to trust Your timing in my life. Cultivate in me:
*patience for that which I must wait for,
*closure for those things that are ending,
*expectancy for that which I hope for,
*resilience for living in the in-between time,
*persistence for the work that is not yet finished.
Holy God, help me to trust Your timing and to know that the time spent working and waiting is not in vain. Amen.

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06/20/2026

Evening devotion for Friday, June 19.

Scripture: Romans 13:11. As you do all this, you know what time it is. The hour has already come for you to wake up from your sleep. Now our salvation is nearer than when we first had faith.

Reflection: "There isn't time, so brief is life, for bickerings, apologies, heartburnings, callings to account. There is only time for loving, and but an instant, so to speak, for that." Mark Twain.

Evening Prayer of Gratitude.
Mighty God, each day You offer me a new perspective on my life. In this moment, enlighten my spirit that I may perceive the ways You are at work, even when the progress is not as fast as I may want. Thank You for working today:
*in my stresses and anxieties,
*in my frustrations and setbacks,
*in my relationships, even those that are hard,
*in my responsibilities and commitments.
God, give me patience to persist as I wait for life to unfold and develop for me. I have faith that You are with me. Give me a tangible sense of Your presence in my life. Amen.

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06/18/2026

Evening devotion for Thursday, June 18.

Scripture: Luke 12:39-40. But know this, if the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he wouldn't have allowed his home to be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at a time when you don't expect Him.

Reflection: In several places in the Gospels, Jesus says that one things we can count on about God's coming is that it will be a surprise. We can completely trust God to do what God has promised, but we, apparently, have little ability to predict when God's promise will be fulfilled. The proper response to this unknowing is to stay alert.
Staying alert means staying focused on the activity and movement of God. It means not letting other things distract us or take so much of our attention that we are as good as asleep to the work of God in the world. Staying alert means keeping our focus on loving God and loving our neighbor and not letting the stress of our job, chores, or family obligations close our eyes to the beautiful and surprising things God is doing around us.
The surprising nature of God's timing is not meant to be stressful, but rather delightful. God wants to surprise us with joy, love, peace, healing, and wholeness. For us to discover these gifts, we must be open and alert.

Evening Prayer of Gratitude.
Mighty God, each day You offer me a new perspective on my life. In this moment, enlighten my spirit that I may perceive the ways You are at work, even when the progress is not as fast as I may want. Thank You for working today:
*in my stresses and anxieties,
*in my frustrations and setbacks,
*in my relationships, even those that are hard,
*in my responsibilities and commitments.
God, give me patience to persist as I wait for life to unfold and develop for me. I have faith that You are with me. Give me a tangible sense of Your presence in my life. Amen.

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