Devotionals

Christian Union Day and Night

by justin woyak

Editor’s Note: The following devotional was written to help Christians think about and respond biblically to the crisis of COVID-19. In March, Christian Union Day and Night organized a nationwide, 40-day initiative of prayer, fasting, and repentance to address the coronavirus pandemic, supported by daily devotionals.

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 

—2 Timothy 3:1-5 (ESV)

A Freshman’s Perspective 

by katherine wang, harvard ’23

As one who has followed the growth of COVID-19 from its beginnings to its spread across the globe, I have been consumed with worry for relatives living in hot spots, disturbed by empty shelves in grocery stores and the impact on our economy, and grieved by people ridiculing the power of prayer on my social media feeds. This pandemic seems anything but light or momentary. It is difficult to see past our afflictions when we are in the midst of them, but when I take a moment to consider this pandemic in light of eternity, I have realized three things.

‘Behold the Kindness and Severity of God’ 

by john piper 

It matters little what we think about the coronavirus. But it matters forever what God thinks. He is not silent about what He thinks. Scarcely a page in the Bible is irrelevant for this crisis.

Our voice is grass. His is granite. “The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever” (1 Peter 1:24–25). His words in Scripture “cannot be broken” (John 10:35). What he says is “true, and righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:9). Listening to God, and believing him, is like building your house on a rock, not sand (Matthew 7:24).

Dear Friends,

​Our 40-day initiative of prayer, fasting, and repentance comes to a close today. Thank you so much for having joined me and several thousand Christians across America as we turned to the Lord with a repentant heart, asking God for mercy and healing in the face of this pandemic.

Sensing that there is still a great need for spiritual encouragement during this crisis, we will continue to send you devotional videos every day at 5:00 AM and 5:00 PM Eastern for some days to come. I hope you will find them beneficial. Though this special 40 Day initiative has ended, let's keep crying out to God in humility, and let's continue to seek Him day and night during this very trying time in our nation's history.  We are desirous that Christians and non-Christians alike repent of sins, draw near to God, and experience great outpourings of His Holy Spirit. 

Trusting Him for a Great Awakening,

Matt Bennett, Founder and CEO, Christian Union

Do the Work of an Evangelist

Chuck Hetzler, Ph.D., has a diverse background as a biblical scholar, worship leader, and pastor. He served as Christian Union’s first Teaching Fellow at Princeton University and later directed its ministry in New York City. Chuck earned his Ph.D. in New Testament from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and currently pastors Bethesda Grace Church in Manhattan.

Repent of Our Two Evils

Matt Bennett is founder and CEO of Christian Union, a Christian leadership development organization. A native of Houston, Texas, Matt earned B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from Cornell University and holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He resides in New York City.

Transcript
The Book of Jeremiah has more references to the word pestilence—20 times—than any other book in the Bible. It's referenced 52 times in the Old and New Testaments, but the greatest concentration is in Jeremiah, and then secondly, Ezekiel. And so this book has a lot to say about what we're dealing with, with the coronavirus, this worldwide pandemic. And we should look to Jeremiah to see what messages God may have for us today.

Follow the Spirit's Desires

Dimas Salaberrios, Ministry Associate with Christian Union, is a dynamic teacher, speaker, and pastor. His bestselling memoir, Street God, was released in September 2015. Dimas holds a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary and resides in the Bronx with his wife Tiffany and three daughters.

Calm in Fire and Flood

Give Up Everything for Christ

Dimas Salaberrios, Ministry Associate with Christian Union, is a dynamic teacher, speaker, and pastor. His bestselling memoir, Street God, was released in September 2015. Dimas holds a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary and resides in the Bronx with his wife Tiffany and three daughters.

Are We Missing a Chance to Humble Ourselves?

Watch The Video (3:59)

Matt Bennett is founder and CEO of Christian Union, a Christian leadership development organization. A native of Houston, Texas, Matt earned B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from Cornell University and holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He resides in New York City.

God Our Dwelling Place

Ken Fish, Founder of Orbis Ministries, is an honors graduate of Princeton University. He has also earned an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary and an MBA from UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of Management. Formerly a colleague of John Wimber, the late leader of the Vineyard Movement, Ken brings more than 30 years of academic study and practical experience to ministry.

Walk in the Spirit and Avoid Sin

Dimas Salaberrios, Ministry Associate with Christian Union, is a dynamic teacher, speaker, and pastor. His bestselling memoir, Street God, was released in September 2015. Dimas holds a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary and resides in the Bronx with his wife Tiffany and three daughters.

Transcript
I want to talk to you about a real important topic if you want to be a really faithful and strong follower of Jesus Christ, and I want to challenge you to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. And this is a lifetime battle that we face every day of our Christian journey. Are we walking in the deeds of the flesh [or] are we walking in the deeds of the Spirit?

By Dr. Craig S. Keener

Some value teaching but disregard prophecy (1 Thess 5:20); some exalt tongues but resent teaching; and so forth. We need to appreciate all the gifts. By definition, gifts given by God’s grace are good. We just need to make sure that we use them in the right ways!

Kennedy School Professor Recalls being Surprised by Grace     

By Mark Shepard, Harvard ’08, PhD ’15  

Editor’s note: The following story was reprinted with permission from The Veritas Forum (www.veritas.org).

Harvard University is special for me because it is where I first came to know Jesus Christ. Perhaps this should not be surprising. Harvard is a place that reveres truth (Veritas), and Jesus says He is the truth. But most people when they hear this about me are surprised, since they see the university as a secular place. Let me share my story and a few of the surprises it has entailed.