Good or Godly?

A Devotional by Melody Crosby Hale

Key Scripture

“They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” (2 Timothy 3:5 NLT)

When we hear someone say, “That’s a good person”, what does that mean?  What qualifies a person to be good? What qualifies a person to be bad?  

Usually, being good or bad is a matter of morality. Just because something is moral doesn't mean it is godly. 

“They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” (2 Timothy 3:5 NLT)

To me, it is interesting that 2 Timothy 3 refers to people who had a camouflage of good on—the outside looked different from what was on the inside.  It looked as though they were good people, but the presence and power of God were not operating in them.  

I can provide for my family, which is a morally good thing, but if I leave God out as the source, it isn't godly. 

I can attain educatio...

A Taxi in Spandau: When God Arranges the Way Home Before You Ask

A Devotional by Ashley Martin

Key Scripture

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." —Psalm 32:8 NIV.​

I was twenty-two years old, studying abroad in Berlin, and I had done the one thing every study abroad advisor warns you against. I lost track of time. It was my first time out of the country, and I was in awe of the entire experience.

I had spent the evening away from my group, having dinner with a family friend, and the conversation was so good that I never once checked the clock. By the time I said my goodbyes, I had missed the last bus back to my dorm. Our housing was in a suburb a little outside the city, and buses stopped running at eight. This was also long before anyone I knew carried a cell phone. I was alone, it was dark, and I had no way to call for help.

So I did the only thing I knew to do. I stopped and prayed.

My gut, a prompting I'v...

Drawing from His Love

A Devotional by Melody Crosby Hale

Key Scripture

John 4:14 NIV, “but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  

Life has a way of draining us dry unless we’ve learned what well to draw from.  

It was too painful to be around others because of the stares, the whispers, and the disapproving gestures. So, she went alone to draw water from the well in the hottest part of the day to avoid people.  But He (Jesus) was already there waiting for her, and He asked her for a drink of water.  

She knew she had a questionable reputation, and she couldn't understand why He was asking her for a drink of water unless, of course, He wanted something from her.  

She couldn’t see that He was holding space for her and had just invited himself into her world to taste what was in her cup. She couldn’t see past her pain.⁣ 

Instead, she noted to Him that He did not hav...

Regular is Enough in God’s Kingdom

A Devotional by Annie Weber

 KEY SCRIPTURE

"And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer." Acts 12:13 ESV

DEVOTIONAL

“I’m not like a regular mom; I’m a cool mom” is a memorable line from the 2004 movie Mean Girls. In the movie, we learn from Mrs. George, played by Amy Poehler, that being regular is unacceptable in motherhood. However, the Bible’s portrayal of regular people is quite extreme compared to the movie's message. Rhoda is a prime example of how God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things for His kingdom. 

Rhoda gets a cameo in the Bible right when the early church is in full panic mode. After the crucifixion of Jesus, many cynics thought the Jesus “problem” was solved after His death. They thought they had achieved success and officially canceled Jesus. However, three days later, the ultimate plot twist occurred. Contrary to their plan, the number of Christ followers multipl...

The Accuser Has Been Defeated 

A Devotional by Mary Skyler 

KEY SCRIPTURE 

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 8:1 (NIV)

DEVOTIONAL 

She sits quietly in Sunday school, surrounded by people who seem to have it all together. Or so she thinks. She keeps her mouth shut, careful not to reveal too much, because surely if people really knew her story—the mistakes, the wounds, the shame—they would see her as disqualified.

Maybe that woman is you.

Maybe you know the voice that whispers: “Who do you think you are? You will never be enough. You’ve done too much. Too much has been done to you.”

But that voice does not come from your Father.

Romans 8:1 reminds us that for those in Christ, condemnation no longer has authority. When Jesus declared, “It is finished,” He proclaimed that sin’s debt had been fully paid. The accuser’s case against you was permanently dismantled at the cross.

This does not mean we are beyond conviction. The Holy Spi...