Today our devotional time focused on two themes:
The first, “Where Are You?” focuses on the truth of God’s presence. Read the full devotional from Adam Holz here.
The second, called ‘Alert Circles,’ talks about the strength we get from other believers. Read the devotional from James Banks here.
Thanks for listening!
– Joe
College Graduation Prayer – by Karen Barber
Heavenly father, we are thankful today for the accomplishments of discipline, determination and self-sacrifice that have led these seniors to their college graduation. Thank you for the work of the professors in their chosen field and give them the confidence that they are now prepared to give of themselves in service in the disciplines within and beyond our school of arts and humanities. May the skills they have developed be the foundation on which they build successful careers and lives.
Our greatest prayer for them today is that they continue to be lifelong learners who recognize their need to constantly discover more about You, the source of all knowledge and truth. Help them to be diligent in their quest to know You and to discover how You want them to live. As they journey through decisions about jobs, careers, homes, marriages and family may they seek and find Your guidance. And after they have made these decisions, may they constantly seek Your daily help to faithfully live out their chosen callings.
Fill our graduates with gratitude, humility, love and faith. Teach them how to pray. Give them spiritual wisdom and discernment. Help them to hear Your voice…that it drowns out the negative voices of culture. Give them the wisdom and courage to say no to the temptation to put self and things at the center of their lives. Send them strong Christian friends and spouses. Teach them the joys of service and generosity. Keep them close to their families and open to the wisdom of their elders. Help them learn from their mistakes and failures. Show them where to go for help when they need it.
We are aware that as we pray these graduates’ futures into your hands, You are placing the future of Your World and Your Kingdom into their hands. Thank you for your love and your grace and the gift of your son, Jesus Christ.
High School Graduation Prayer – by Jack Countryman
To the 2020 high school graduates, the year you were born was just after the 9/11 attacks and you are now graduating in the year of the COVID-19 virus. You might think this is a coincidence, but we have to believe that God has something special planned just for you. He is preparing something great for your life. Some of you may not be able to walk in a traditional graduation ceremony, but we want you to know that we see you. We pray for you. We celebrate you. We honor your achievements and we cannot wait to see what God does in your life.
Each one of you is special in God’s eyes.
As you look to the future during these troubled times, it is noteworthy to wonder what the Bible has to say about how we should react when we are faced with the challenges of life and changing times. Particularly when you are leaving high school or college and trying to make decisions about where your life is headed.
When you turn to the Bible you will find the answers to whatever you need. The passage I always refer to is Psalm 37:3-7. Verse 3 says,
Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. — Psalm 37:3
When we trust in the Lord, we commit our lives into His hands and consciously “feed on” or live on His faithfulness. Verse 4 reads,
Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. — Psalm 37:4
The Lord is in essence saying, spend time with Me and I will place godly desires within your heart because I love you and want the best for you. Verse 5 says,
Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. — Psalm 37:5
When you are willing to commit your life to living in the center of God’s will, your relationship with the Lord will flourish.
Jesus is waiting for you to come to Him with an open heart. In verse 6 we find that,
He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. — Psalm 37:6
This is in answer to the previous verses that instruct us to trust, delight, and commit ourselves in the Lord. Do you want to be in right standing with Your heavenly Father? This is an invitation to live each moment of your life in God’s presence and lean on Him to help you with the decisions and challenges that you face each day. If you make that commitment, He will bless your life and give you the peace that passes all understanding.
Finally, verse 7 says,
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. — Psalm 37:7
If we are patient and rest in the Lord and seek Him for every decision we face, God will provide all the wisdom we will ever need.
Let Him be your guide as you embrace the blessings that God has promised you. Delight in His presence and commit your life to living for Jesus. He is waiting to guide each step of your way so you can be all that God has called you to be.
Thanks for listening!
– Joe
Today is the National Day of Prayer! Watch the Knox County service live tonight on the Knox Network of Christian Ministries Facebook page.
Our devotional today focuses on the priority of prayer – from Adam Holz – it’s called ‘Full Attention.’ Find it by clicking here!
Tonight at midnight is the deadline to register your Mom for our “Best Mom Ever” contest – find out more here!
Thanks for listening!
– Joe
Today we shared inspiration from Our Daily Bread and from the book Redeeming How We Talk by Ken Wytsma and A.J. Swoboda.
We also shared EXCITING info about what we’re doing for Mother’s Day – get the details here.
Todd’s devotion is called ‘God-Sized Love.’ Read more here!
Joe’s devotional was about the value of listening.
Consider the three components of communication: speaker, listener and meaning. If words are the seeds a speaker sows, then the listener is the soil. Jesus draws upon this idea in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23). Several times in the gospels, Jesus accuses people of having ears to hear but never hearing. They hear the words but they are not listening. They cannot receive the meaning, so the seed falls on the ground, but because of the preconditions, or the state of our hearts, the word never penetrates the soil in a manner that would allow the seed’s potential to be realized. In other words, it won’t grow.
This is also why the teacher in the book of Proverbs counsels us “to not answer a fool according to his folly.” (Proverbs 26:4). He means that the correction or advice you might offer such a person will fall on deaf ears or sterile soil.
One way we can help our cause is by seeking common ground. Remember that communication isn’t just about the content, it’s also about getting aligned with the other person. If we want to ultimately long for relationship and for dialogue, we must engage the hearts of listeners first. Trying to become united in purpose means that a lot of our communication hinges on grace, permission and trust.
These things usually must exist before we enter into difficult conversations with success. This means we would do well to spend as much time tilling the soil as we spend sowing seeds.
Next to prayer, listening is perhaps the best way to create a positive context for conversation. Listening forces us to exchange hats with others and walk in their shoes. When we exchange hats, we develop empathy and understanding. Then we can more tenderly voice our concerns or offer our advice. We become like a doctor tuned into the sore spots and thus better at treating them. You can never go wrong with listening, but you can rarely go right without it.
Thanks for listening (see what I did there?)
– Joe and Todd
Today Todd and I shared two more devotionals from Our Daily Bread, giving us encouragement for the road ahead. Click the titles for links to the devotionals!
The first, from David Roper, is called Life to the Full
The second, from Lisa Samra, is called Knocking Down the Pins
Find WNZR COVID-19 updates by clicking here.
Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Todd
Today we shared more encouragement from the Word and excellent devotionals from Our Daily Bread.
Todd’s devotional is from Patricia Raybon, called How To Stay on Track
Joe’s shared a devotional from Amy Boucher Pye called Surrendering All
We want to encourage you to reach out to five people this weekend and just check in on them. The attention you give to your friends and family can make a big difference!
Find WNZR’s COVID-19 updates by clicking here.
Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Todd
This weekend we celebrate Easter in a different way, but still confident of the wonderful message of death being defeated!
Today I shared a devotional from Linda Washington about death being overturned and based in John 20. Click here to find the link from Our Daily Bread.
I hope you have a great Easter weekend!
Find WNZR’s latest local and state COVID-19 updates by clicking HERE.
In this uncertain season, our first devotional today deals with the theme of never giving up hope – it’s inspired by Luke 8 and these words from Xochitil Dixon – read more here!
Our second devotional reminds us of the promise of Isaiah 65:24 which says God knows what we need before we even ask! Read what Amy Peterson writes here.
Once again, let’s stay in prayer and support each other during this unprecedented time – we are better together! Thanks for listening!
-Joe and Todd
Today’s Scripture & Insight:John 6:4–14
“Stone Soup,” an old tale with many versions, tells of a starving man who comes to a village, but no one there can spare a crumb of food for him. He puts a stone and water in a pot over a fire. Intrigued, the villagers watch him as he begins to stir his “soup.” Eventually, one brings a couple of potatoes to add to the mix; another has a few carrots. One person adds an onion, another a handful of barley. A farmer donates some milk. Eventually, the “stone soup” becomes a tasty chowder.
That tale illustrates the value of sharing, but it also reminds us to bring what we have, even when it seems to be insignificant. In John 6:1–14 we read of a boy who appears to be the only person in a huge crowd who thought about bringing some food. Christ’s disciples had little use for the boy’s sparse lunch of five loaves and two fishes. But when it was surrendered, Jesus increased it and fed thousands of hungry people!
I once heard someone say, “You don’t have to feed the five thousand. You just have to bring your loaves and fishes.” Just as Jesus took one person’s meal and multiplied it far beyond anyone’s expectations or imagination (v. 11), He’ll accept our surrendered efforts, talents, and service. He just wants us to be willing to bring what we have to Him.
By: Cindy Hess Kasper (From Our Daily Bread)
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me Psalm 23
In 1957, Melba Pattillo Beals was selected to be one of the “Little Rock Nine,” a group of nine African American students who first integrated the previously all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. In her 2018 memoir, I Will Not Fear: My Story of a Lifetime of Building Faith under Fire, Beals gives a heartbreaking account of the injustices and harassment she struggled to face courageously every day as a fifteen-year-old student.
But she also wrote about her deep faith in God. In her darkest moments, when fear almost overwhelmed her, Beals repeated the familiar Bible verses she had learned at an early age from her grandmother. As she recited them, she was reminded of God’s presence with her, and Scripture gave her courage to endure.
Beals frequently recited Psalm 23, finding comfort in confessing, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (v. 4). Her grandmother’s encouragement would ring through her ears as well, reassuring her that God “is as close as your skin, and you have only to call on Him for help.”
Although our particular situations may vary, we will all likely endure difficult struggles and overwhelming circumstances that could easily cause us to give in to fear. In those moments, may your heart find encouragement in the truth that God’s powerful presence is always with us.
By: Lisa M. Samra (From Our Daily Bread)
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Thanks for Listening
-Joe and Todd
Driving Notes 