Exodus 20:8-11 | “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Atul Gawande, in his book The Checklist Manifesto, shows how doctors can use a checklist to save lives during surgery. Gawande’s checklist includes three vital “pause points”: before anesthesia, before incision, and before leaving the operating room.

Each pause point lasts no more than a minute—just long enough for the team to make basic checks. The results? In 2008, eight hospitals began using Gawande’s checklist, and within months, the rate of major complications fell by 35 percent and deaths by 47 percent. What an amazing difference brought about by surgical teams taking time to pause during their procedures!

After God delivered His people from Egyptian bondage, he gave them a pause point: the Sabbath. “The seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work” (Exodus 20:10). God instructed His people to remember and observe this day and treat it as holy or set apart from any other regular workday (v.8).

When they observed the Sabbath, they were actually pausing to remember several things: God’s work/rest rhythm in creation (Genesis 2:2), their deliverance from bondage (Deuteronomy 5:12-15), their relationship with God, and His desire to give them refreshment and life (Exodus 31:17).

As our loving God has revealed, it’s vital that we intentionally, regularly include pause points in our lives. On Sunday or some other day, we should pause to remember God’s work/rest rhythm in creation (20:11), to thank Jesus for delivering us from the bondage of sin, to find rest and refreshment in Him, and to anticipate the ultimate pause point when we’ll be in His presence! —Marvin Williams

MORE: Read Isaiah 40:29-31 and Philippians 4:6-7, then consider the purposes of spiritual “pause points.”

NEXT: What kind of “pause point” rhythms do you presently have? If pause points can save patients’ lives, how can spiritual pause points make for healthier lives in Jesus?

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App – Our Daily Bread.
Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics.
We would like to thank Our Daily Bread Ministries for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: http://ourdailyjourney.org

Jeremiah 1:4-9 | The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” “Alas, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD. Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. – Jeremiah 1:5

A virus spread throughout the nation and around the world. Once the news began to travel about the virus, schools were closed, jobs were lost, professional sports postponed their seasons, and a variety of other changes came. Stay-at-home orders imposed sheltering in one state after another, and internationally, in order to prevent its spread. News stations around the world began sharing stories about the thousands of people who tested positive or passed away from the virus. Just months into the new decade, lives were changed forever due to the impact. This pandemic had taken everyone by surprise.

While the pandemic caught people unaware and took them from their daily routine, it didn’t catch God by surprise. In the book of Jeremiah, God proves He’s omniscient. He tells the prophet, Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” God had a specific plan for Jeremiah as His mouthpiece to the nation of Israel.

Sometimes things occur that leave us feeling unsure about our next steps. Believers in Jesus don’t have any reason to worry. Those who trust in the Lord and believe His promises can have peace even in the midst of a pandemic knowing He has perfect plans in place for our good. Don’t worry, there’s hope. —Chris Gunther

When surprising events come into your life, what spiritual practices do you turn to in hope?

God, like Jeremiah, please bring your words of truth to us not only when we face uncertainty and struggle but encourage us in a lifestyle of faith in You, Your words to us, and Your plan for our lives.

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App – Our Daily Bread.
Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics.
We would like to thank Our Daily Bread for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: https://odb.org/

2 Timothy 2:1-14 | You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself. Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. – Psalm 63:1

I have attended many midnight shut-ins as well as six am congregational prayer sessions. Psalms 63:1, which says, “I seek you,” has been one Scripture I thought of to justify my getting out of bed to pray during early hours I considered inconvenient. I associated seeking God early or earnestly with specific times like midnight and dawn. Until God asked me, Why do you limit me? Why not also seek me early in situations you face in everyday life?

Psalm 63:1 is speaking in terms of time, but also regarding situations and circumstances. Scripture encourages us to cultivate our relationship with God in our youth, rather than pushing off that relationship until later in our lives. Whatever the circumstance, God wants us to seek Him rather than exhaust all other options. “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1).

College students and others have an intrinsic desire to stake claims in life and prove their independence. Now is the time to explore and interact with the world. Will we attempt to take on life by ourselves without seeking guidance or help from anyone, including God? —Juwan Easley

How can you make prayer your first response rather than a last resort?

God, guide us early so we can navigate life with Your guidance, wisdom, protection, and peace.

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App – Our Daily Bread.
Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics.
We would like to thank Our Daily Bread for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: https://odb.org/

Proverbs 3:13-26 | Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed. By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew. My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart. – Proverbs 3:5

Streetcars and taxis sped by in all directions, racing to their destination. Women paced the sidewalk in groups, chatting and dashing to markets before dusk. As I walked the sidewalk to my new home in Tunisia, a small country sitting on the northernmost tip of Africa, I wondered, How in the world did I get here? These days, the number of young adults who have moved away for college, work, and other life adventures are at an all-time high. We are taught by the world that our success depends on our independence.

As believers in Jesus, however, God has called us to a life of total dependence on Him. How can we surrender our plans to God without knowing where His path will lead? Scripture describes faith as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). King Solomon provided this wisdom, “Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take” (Proverbs 3:6 NLT).

Faith was the answer to the question I asked myself as I stood alone in the middle of a completely new world. My life plans were small compared to the unique experience God had crafted for me, an experience that would have a ripple effect in producing new, inconceivable opportunities to come. God will grant you peace that comes only from knowing He has equipped you with everything you need to fulfill your purpose. —Kimya Loder

What are the things in my life that I’m grasping tightly? What action can I take that displays wholehearted trust in God?

God of peace, please equip us with everything good for doing Your will through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever.

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App – Our Daily Bread.
Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics.
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Genesis 22:1-18 | Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.” The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. – 2 Corinthians 9:7

The late Kobe Bryant is considered one of the greatest basketball players ever. In his drive to become the best, he reportedly slept only about four hours each night. He said, “There’s a choice that we have to make as people, as individuals. If you want to be great at something . . . there are sacrifices that come along with that.”

Sacrifice helps us to accomplish not only our major life and career goals but also contributes to our hopes of pleasing God.

When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, instead of questioning Him, Abraham prepared to do as God called him to do. As he was about to slay his son, an angel of God stopped him and said, “‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ . . . ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son” (Genesis 22:12). Abraham honored God’s command to sacrifice what he had waited so many decades to receive, the son Sarah had born, the child of the promise Abraham cared so much about. God saw Abraham’s heart of faith and blessed him.

Although God asked Abraham to sacrifice something he treasured, God didn’t leave him hanging. God provided a ram to sacrifice in the place of Isaac. We can be comforted by the fact that God always has our backs. Anything that we sacrifice for His will can be restored and is small in comparison to what God has provided for us. —Nia Caldwell

What sacrifices are you making right now in order to obey God?

Dear God, I don’t want to miss out on what You have planned for me due to my inability to give things up. Open my heart to give what You call me to so that I can live according to Your truth.

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App – Our Daily Bread.
Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics.
We would like to thank Our Daily Bread for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: https://odb.org/