April 4, 2022
Passover
Today, we are about to do something that completes the third panel of the story. Our Communion time is our Passover. . . .
Devotionals
Devotionals gathers Christian Standard articles designed to encourage daily faithfulness through Scripture, prayer, and reflection. Here you’ll find short, accessible readings that connect God’s Word to everyday life—offering wisdom for discipleship, comfort in hardship, and reminders of the hope found in Christ. These devotionals aim to help readers stay rooted in the gospel, grow in spiritual maturity, and practice consistent habits of worship and obedience.
March 28, 2022
Not My Will
How do you respond when life presses down on you and your situation overwhelms you? How do you cope with hard news that takes your breath away? Where do you find the strength to take the next step?
March 21, 2022
Focus
By Michael C. Mack Focus is vital for success in many areas of our lives. One place we see this illustrated is in sports. A wide receiver in football runs the right route and then focuses on the ball into his hands, regardless of all the other things going on around him, even to the point of getting hit once he catches the ball. A basketball player focuses intently on the front of the rim as she prepares to shoot a free throw. She has trained herself to ignore the screaming of the opposing fans and those waving wacky signs
March 14, 2022
Welcoming Our Shame
By Stuart Powell By AD 32, the region of Judea had endured the shame of Roman oppression for a century. The Jews longed to see David’s kingdom restored but didn’t know how to make it happen. They dreamt of a kingdom where Jews ruled Jews and the Law of God brought perfect harmony in the Promised Land. The Jewish faithful opposed all Greek and Roman customs and mandates. They refused to offer sacrifices to the emperor, honor the false Roman deities, or willingly pay the tribute Caesar demanded. In response, the Romans ridiculed their faith and mercilessly killed any Jews
March 7, 2022
Different from the Herd
By Stuart Powell There is nothing strange about a herd of cattle in the farmland of Indiana. However, one herd contained a single member who stood out among the many. Amid the collection of four-legged bovine grazed a two-legged, feathered, web-footed, white goose. Nothing could hide the differences between the bird and the other grazing animals. Christians are called to be like that goose in the world. Just as a goose doesn’t belong in a herd of cattle, followers of Jesus don’t fit in with the ideas and priorities of worldly people. God expects us to intermingle with the rest
February 28, 2022
Clothed by God
By Stuart Powell God created humanity as male and female. He took care of their need for relationships by teaching them how to love him and each other. When they sinned and learned of their nakedness, God covered their shame, as explained in the Tree of Life Version: “Adonai Elohim made Adam and his wife tunics of skin and He clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). This is the first record of God clothing humanity. Initially, Adam and Eve knew nothing of evil, shame, or clothing. When they disobeyed, the fruit opened their eyes to evil, and evil exposed their shame. God
January 24, 2022
His Face
Since God sent Jesus “when the set time had fully come” (Galatians 4:4), we must conclude it is God’s will that we worship the person of Jesus instead of the image of Jesus.
January 17, 2022
Draining the Cup
As we gather around the Lord’s table, consider two things about this “cup of death” Jesus drained: (1) the potency of the cup, and (2) the resolve of the one who drank from it.
January 3, 2022
The Look
As we eat and drink, remember that Jesus knows our failures as clearly as he knew Peter’s.
December 28, 2021
My December Memory and a Big Life Lesson
It's been 50 years since I spent 3 weeks in the hospital after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. In the intervening years, one thing I've learned is that my diabetes is temporary, just like all the bad circumstances of this life.
December 27, 2021
Our Hope
al, but they did not. However, it wasn’t just the days of Christ’s ministry for which they longed. Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses saw a better day in the distance when God’s rule will be restored. Their hope has now become our hope.
December 25, 2021
The Star on Our Christmas Tree
"I've shared every Christmas of my life with the star that sits atop our Christmas tree," writes Shawn McMullen. "I inherited it years ago from my parents." (This is the final installment in a weeklong series of Christmas memories.)
December 24, 2021
An Old-Fashioned Christmas . . . at Any Cost
In this, the sixth of seven Christmas memories leaders are sharing leading up to Christmas Day, retired Christian church minister Tom Ellsworth remembers a snowy journey he and his young family embarked on during his first year as a father.
December 23, 2021
This Wasn’t in the Script
"It’s the late 1990s, and I’m sitting in the audience of the annual Christmas production at my suburban megachurch when something happens that’s obviously not in the script (or the Scriptures, for that matter)," writes Austin Gohn, lead pastor with Bellevue Christian Church in Pittsburgh.
December 22, 2021
COVID Christmas
"On Dec. 16, 2020—my brother-in-law and husband, both pastors in our church, tested positive for COVID-19," Tina Wilson writes. Many other leaders needed to be quarantined, as well. At Ekklesia Christian Church, this all came at the start of 13 worship services over the next 14 days, closing on property, and launching a generosity initiative . . .
December 21, 2021
A Tender Christmas Memory
"On Christmas evening, I found a quiet place to call Dad," Jackina Stark writes. "He sounded so good. I wished him a Merry Christmas and asked how his day had been. 'I had a great day!' he said. . . ." (This is another in a series of Christmas memories we are sharing all this week.)
December 20, 2021
They Are New Every Morning
A brand-new year sounds so promising, doesn’t it? A clean slate, a fresh start. The idea of newness is so compelling, but Christians have a wonderful secret: We already are new . . .
December 20, 2021
A Christmas Gift That Warmed My Heart
When Bob Russell accepted an invitation to a Christmas brunch, he didn't expect one of the most heartwarming and inspirational Christmas presents he's ever received. (Check back every day this week for another Christmas memory.)
December 19, 2021
‘It Was Our Time to Shine’
All this week, Christian leaders will be sharing favorite Christmas memories with readers. Today we hear from Johnson University educator Kendi Howells Douglas, who recalls being in children's Christmas programs at her Minnesota church. Check back every morning, through Christmas Day, for more recollections.
December 13, 2021
Hear the Bells Again
mas Day 1863 was not joyful for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. On that day, he was concerned his eldest son would not survive surgery after being shot while serving as a soldier in the Union Army. . . .
