Grow • Pray • Study
daily Devotional Guide
Our Grow • Pray • Study (GPS) Guide offers daily readings and thoughts that follow along the Scriptural themes of our Sunday Worship services.
G•P•S - Grow, Pray, Study Guide, 10/19/26 – 10/24/26
Faith UMC
MONDAY 10/19/26: James 2:18-26, Examples from the Past
When James tells us faith without action is dead, he recalls two examples from their stories: Abraham and Rahab. These two could not be further apart as characters! Abraham, the father of the faith; Rahab, a foreign sex-worker—why would James offer these two for examples of faith? In the context of James’s discussion on wealth and poverty, what does he mean by faithful action?
TUESDAY 10/20/26: Luke 19:28-40, We choose Jesus
Luke’s telling of the triumphal entry differs from the other Gospel writers. Luke doesn’t mention a crowd gathering for the festival or a crowd curious about Lazarus. Instead, he calls them a multitude of disciples. This is not the fickle crowd that will be calling for crucifixion later. We must get that idea from somewhere else. What is striking is the use of “King” for Jesus. This is the dramatic and challenging notion. If Christ is King, then no one else can be. For Luke, this is less praise and worship, and more a coronation of their leader. No wonder the Pharisees want the disciples to be quiet. They are challenging the rulers of this world.
WEDNESDAY 10/21/26: Psalm 84, Dwelling with God
Richard Foster writes in Celebration of Discipline, “To worship is to experience reality, to touch Life. It is to know, to feel, to experience the resurrected Christ in the midst of the gathered community.” The psalm writer is experiencing just this! It feels like we are dwelling in God’s home. We are living together. When have you had worship experiences like this? What is it like to dwell with God?
THURSDAY 10/22/26, 2 Kings 5:1-15, A foreigner receives a healing
Often, the miraculous healings in the Bible come through a strange and perhaps embarrassing ritual. A few things to notice in this Scripture: Naaman is a foreigner of some status, God blesses someone who does not have faith in God; the waters of Jordan River are not very impressive; and Naaman must take the advisement of servant girl. What does it take to be healed? What do you hear in this story today?
FRIDAY 10/23/26: Hebrews 4:11-16, We Can Approach God with Confidence!
Is it a scary thing or a good thing that God sees us completely? God sees us entirely, God’s word is so sharp it can “slice soul and spirit.” However, we have this confidence in God’s grace and love for us because he is a God who knows and sympathizes with our weaknesses. We have nothing to fear in the Lord. Allow God to search you and continue to shape you.
SATURDAY 10/24/26: James 3:1-18, Talk is Single-Use Plastic
The next major theme of James’s letter is the danger of talk. How we use our words can determine the life or death of a community. These communities are already holding on by a thread thanks to the social structures of the day! One word could collapse a church, not to mention the spiritual destruction it can wreak on one’s own soul. How will we use our words today? Join us in worship as we continue our study on the Letter of James. You matter to God.
Faith UMC
MONDAY 10/19/26: James 2:18-26, Examples from the Past
When James tells us faith without action is dead, he recalls two examples from their stories: Abraham and Rahab. These two could not be further apart as characters! Abraham, the father of the faith; Rahab, a foreign sex-worker—why would James offer these two for examples of faith? In the context of James’s discussion on wealth and poverty, what does he mean by faithful action?
TUESDAY 10/20/26: Luke 19:28-40, We choose Jesus
Luke’s telling of the triumphal entry differs from the other Gospel writers. Luke doesn’t mention a crowd gathering for the festival or a crowd curious about Lazarus. Instead, he calls them a multitude of disciples. This is not the fickle crowd that will be calling for crucifixion later. We must get that idea from somewhere else. What is striking is the use of “King” for Jesus. This is the dramatic and challenging notion. If Christ is King, then no one else can be. For Luke, this is less praise and worship, and more a coronation of their leader. No wonder the Pharisees want the disciples to be quiet. They are challenging the rulers of this world.
WEDNESDAY 10/21/26: Psalm 84, Dwelling with God
Richard Foster writes in Celebration of Discipline, “To worship is to experience reality, to touch Life. It is to know, to feel, to experience the resurrected Christ in the midst of the gathered community.” The psalm writer is experiencing just this! It feels like we are dwelling in God’s home. We are living together. When have you had worship experiences like this? What is it like to dwell with God?
THURSDAY 10/22/26, 2 Kings 5:1-15, A foreigner receives a healing
Often, the miraculous healings in the Bible come through a strange and perhaps embarrassing ritual. A few things to notice in this Scripture: Naaman is a foreigner of some status, God blesses someone who does not have faith in God; the waters of Jordan River are not very impressive; and Naaman must take the advisement of servant girl. What does it take to be healed? What do you hear in this story today?
FRIDAY 10/23/26: Hebrews 4:11-16, We Can Approach God with Confidence!
Is it a scary thing or a good thing that God sees us completely? God sees us entirely, God’s word is so sharp it can “slice soul and spirit.” However, we have this confidence in God’s grace and love for us because he is a God who knows and sympathizes with our weaknesses. We have nothing to fear in the Lord. Allow God to search you and continue to shape you.
SATURDAY 10/24/26: James 3:1-18, Talk is Single-Use Plastic
The next major theme of James’s letter is the danger of talk. How we use our words can determine the life or death of a community. These communities are already holding on by a thread thanks to the social structures of the day! One word could collapse a church, not to mention the spiritual destruction it can wreak on one’s own soul. How will we use our words today? Join us in worship as we continue our study on the Letter of James. You matter to God.