Today’s devotional reminds me that many of the burdens I have carried were not mine to bear. The writer points to Nehemiah’s example: he did not allow fear or false accusations to disrupt his focus or draw him into unnecessary defenses—not even under the cover of prayer. Most of what troubles us doesn’t require our response. We stack up imagined scenarios, fret over future outcomes, and even spiritualize our worry. But God calls us to something far simpler and far freer—release. Rest. Like a bird tucked safely under His wing, we are invited to trust that He is already at work in all things for our good. The things that matter will always be met with His care.

Today’s reading from Day by Day by Grace reminds me that resurrection life isn’t just about beginning the Christian journey—it's also the power by which we continue. Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1 is an invitation to live with spiritual eyes wide open. God longs for us not only to see the power that raised Christ from the dead, but to know it personally—experientially—as the very power that works in us. The same power that raised Jesus and seated Him in heavenly places is available to us for sanctification, enabling us to rise above the pull of the flesh, the weariness of the world, and the lies of the enemy. This isn’t just theological—it’s transformational.

Verse: “Were not our hearts burning within us?” — Luke 24:32
Oswald Chambers invites us to recognize and nurture the holy fire that the Spirit ignites in our hearts. It’s not enough to simply experience those burning moments of clarity and vision—we must learn to stay in experiential union with Christ so that the flame doesn’t fade when routine life returns. Chambers warns that it’s often not sin but ignorance of how we’re made that causes us to lose heart. When the Spirit sparks an emotion aligned with God’s purposes, we should welcome it and let it run its course. If we resist or suppress it, we drift into dullness or even despair. The key to sustaining the burning heart? Abiding in Jesus.

Today’s eManna devotional reminds me that while eternal life is secure in Christ, sin is not without consequence. The promise of Jesus in John 10:28 is a beautiful anchor—eternal life is a gift that cannot be taken away. But this doesn’t mean sin is trivial for the believer. Even though God’s relational forgiveness is always available through confession, sin carries real consequences in this life and may also affect our future role in the coming kingdom. Using David as an example, the message warns that while guilt can be removed, the earthly repercussions of our choices sometimes linger. God loves us too much to let sin go unchecked—His discipline is part of His love.

God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” —1 Corinthians 1:9

The longing to walk in close fellowship with Christ often includes a yearning for His peace, joy, and victory. But we may shrink back from the means through which He deepens that fellowship—namely, suffering. This devotional reminds us that true usefulness in the kingdom doesn’t come through ease, but through being made into channels of comfort—people who have known sorrow and can minister Christ’s love to broken hearts.

A Conversation About Discipleship, Pressure, and the Power of Union With Christ

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest… Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.” – Matthew 11:28–29
“It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” – Galatians 2:20

A Conversation About Purpose, Presence, and Letting Christ Be Seen

“We all… beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18
“To them God chose to make known… the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” – Colossians 1:27

A Conversation About Focus, Freedom, and Living From Christ Within

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” – Colossians 3:2–3
“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” – Galatians 5:16

A Conversation About Self-Improvement, Identity, and the Power of Resurrection Life

“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
“You died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” – Colossians 3:3

A Conversation About Nearness, Obedience, and the Intimacy Already Ours in Christ

“The one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” – 1 Corinthians 6:17
“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Hebrews 13:5

A Conversation About Motivation, Ministry, and the Quiet Leading of Christ Within

“The love of Christ compels us…” – 2 Corinthians 5:14
“It is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace…” – Hebrews 13:9

A Conversation About Letting Go, Trusting Christ, and Living Free

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” – 2 Corinthians 3:17
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free… walk by the Spirit.” – Galatians 5:1, 16

A Conversation About Accountability, Intimacy, and the Indwelling Christ

“In Him we live and move and have our being.” – Acts 17:28
“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” – Colossians 1:27

A Conversation About Ministry, Motives, and Letting Christ Serve Through You

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord… knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.” – Colossians 3:23–24
“I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” – Galatians 2:20

A Conversation About the True Source of Spiritual Growth

“But we all… beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory…” – 2 Corinthians 3:18
“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith…” – Hebrews 12:2

A Conversation About Identity, Growth, and the Finished Work of Christ

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
“You have put off the old self… and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator.” – Colossians 3:9–10

A Conversation About Sin, Guilt, and the Kindness That Leads Us Home

“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 8:1
“God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.” – Romans 2:4

A Conversation About Temptation, Struggle, and the Victory Already Living Within

“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” – Galatians 5:16
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 15:57

A Conversation About Faith, Pressure, and the Faithfulness of Christ in You

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith…” – Hebrews 12:2
“I live by faith in the Son of God…” – Galatians 2:20

Many in the "imitate Christ" camp are rightly guarding against passivity and antinomianism. They fear that if we’re not careful, grace can become a license for inaction or a mystic passivity that avoids the commands of Scripture. They want to ensure:

• Obedience is practiced

• Holiness is pursued

• Scripture’s imperatives are honored

• The Gospel is not reduced to a feeling of rest, but results in a fruitful life

Their critiques often come from a sincere desire to uphold biblical responsibility.