Isaiah 6:10-12

We live in a society that is in love with itself. We are immensely focused on ourselves, and this is making us unhappy and unfulfilled. Why? Because we were not created for ourselves, but to give glory to God! Discover that you have been chosen for a purpose, become aware of it, and start living according to the good pleasure of God’s will. You will never be the same!

Jesus used parables to teach others, and these still speak to us today. Many parables are well known; others less so. Some bring comfort; others correction. Some are easy; others difficult. Of all parables, we hear a take-away message that sounds right & fine, but may miss the key point – likely because that teaching is so difficult. In this devotional, we take a closer look at this most difficult parable.

What are you missing if you only read the Bible? We have long recognized that the Bible was written for us, but not to us, and requires us to make efforts to bridge the cultural gap between ourselves as readers and the writers of the ancient world. In this study, we will become aware of yet another gap that we must recognize and factor into our reading: we must bridge the modality gap between the written word and the oral word.

When we pray, “Our Father,” we are not praying to a distant, uninvolved, abstract thing called "god." We are praying to the living God, our Father who “abound[s] in faithful love” (Psa. 86:15). In this 5-day reading plan, pastor and bestselling author Derwin Gray will journey with you, in discovering who our Father is, so you can break through to a completely new and refreshing prayer life.