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.
In the month of May, we'll focus on the Gospel of Matthew. Join us as we highlight Matthew's emphasis on God's faithfulness to the people of Israel even as God surprises us with Jesus. The GPS will be updated weekly, so check back here often!
In the month of May, we'll focus on the Gospel of Matthew. Join us as we highlight Matthew's emphasis on God's faithfulness to the people of Israel even as God surprises us with Jesus. The GPS will be updated weekly, so check back here often!
G•P•S - Grow, Pray, Study Guide, 6/9/25 – 6/14/25
Faith UMC
MONDAY 6/9/25: Acts 2:42-47, The believers devoted themselves...
The church was just a group of people who experienced God in a new way and were trying to figure out what to do about it! Verse 42 outlines their practices: devotion to the apostles’ teachings, meeting together, breaking bread together, and prayer. This is still who we are. We are not called to go back in time, but we can learn from the early church as we move forward. How do you see these four devotions in your life? How do they build community?
TUESDAY 6/10/25: Mark 2:1-17, The faith of friends…
This is Jesus’s introduction to his adversaries. Who is Jesus? Someone who stands in the place of God to forgive sins. Why is this an affront to the religious? Is it the ease at which sins are forgiven, or the fact that Jesus (and not God in their opinion) is forgiving? Notice that Jesus sees the faith of those carrying the man, and then forgives his sins. What “faith” are they exhibiting? We know nothing about their beliefs; their faith (or faithfulness) is their action.
WEDNESDAY 6/11/25: Psalm 8, The responsibility of being human. . .
The creation stories tell us that we bear the image of God. It’s a good and beautiful thing to be an image bearer of God. But it’s also a big responsibility. God has blessed us with intelligence, physical strength, sexuality, work, money, time, and many other gifts. As image bearers, how can we use these gifts to join God in creating new life, in loving others, and being generous? What is our responsibility to all things that God has given us?
THURSDAY 6/12/25: Exodus 3:1-14, Tell them, “I AM”…
Moses, saved by the work of the women in chapters 1-2, now receives his call to action from God. Among his protestations, Moses asks God for a name. Knowing a name of a deity was a way of invoking or controlling that deity. God will not be controlled. God supplies the unspeakable name,YHWH, that can mean “I am who I am.” Anytime you see “LORD” in all caps in the Hebrew Bible, that is a substitution for YHWH. Meditate on this name of God today. What does it mean that this God hears the cries of the enslaved?
FRIDAY 6/13/25: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, The Logic of the cross…
Paul will dive into a number of ethical dilemmas in this letter, but first he needs to set up some principles. The “message” (in Greek: logos) of the cross is the power of God. This logos, or logic of the cross is the understanding that God uses seemingly weak, shameful, or foolish things to upend the broken systems of the world. The crucifixion of Christ is the demonstration of God’s ways. In that light, why are we trying to assert ourselves as more powerful or wiser than others? God works through what the world sees as low. Humility and self-sacrificial love are core values to any Christian ethic.
SATURDAY 6/14/25: 1 John 4:7-19, 1 + 1 + 1 = Love…
Tomorrow is Trinity Sunday, where every preacher does their best to avoid accidentally espousing an historical heresy! St. Augustine is credited with saying, “Whoever denies the Trinity is in danger of losing their soul. Whoever attempts to understand the Trinity is in danger of losing their mind.” Why is the doctrine so crucial? What is the good news that God is inherently 1 and 3? Let’s lose our minds together! Join us in worship tomorrow!
G•P•S - Grow, Pray, Study Guide, 6/16/25 – 6/21/25
Faith UMC
MONDAY 6/16/25: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31, God Creates in Relationship…
God doesn’t create alone. In Genesis, the Spirit hovers over the waters of potentiality. Here, wisdom is proclaimed to be the first of creation, and used by God to hold everything together. Spirit and Wisdom have creative power and can be seen in God’s creation. In the New Testament, Christ is the first over creation, and everything came into existence through him (Col. 1 & John 1). It is not necessary to attempt to create a harmonized literal story of creation that fits in the Spirit, Wisdom, and Christ, but it is good to see how God employs and works in relationship to create. God still does.
TUESDAY 6/17/25: Mark 3:1-12, Jesus keeps his identity secret . . .
The Gospel is famous for Jesus’ continual attempts to keep his identity secret. Why does Jesus want to keep this secret? Perhaps Jesus does not want to be defined by the common ways people expect a Messiah to act. The final admission of Jesus’ identity comes in the mouth of a centurion witnessing Jesus’ death on the cross. Why does Mark insist that we must see Jesus through the cross?
WEDNESDAY 6/18/25: Psalm 22, The song Jesus sang from the cross . . .
Jesus utters the words of this psalm from the cross, and it makes us uncomfortable. Did Jesus really feel abandoned by God? If so, what does that mean for our understanding of Trinity? While many explanations exist, it seems more important that the Gospel writers show that Jesus knows agony, and can empathize with feeling abandoned. Jesus knows us.
THURSDAY 6/19/25: Exodus 4:1-17, Who will go for God? . . .
Moses has the call from God, the authority from God, and the mysterious name of God! He has everything he needs for his mission to set the enslaved Israelites free. But he also has excuses. As you read through these excuses, how do they sound familiar to excuses we make when God sends us in our tasks? Notice the sign of the “shepherd’s rod,” as it becomes a recurring theme in all of Scripture.
FRIDAY 6/20/25: 1 Corinthians 3:1-23, All y’all are God’s temple . . .
Paul calls us to care for each other in the church. Paul calls for unity. We are a beautiful work of God, and God is continuing to build us! When Paul says, “you are the temple...” he means “yous,” or “all y’all,” ––the word is plural. We together are the dwelling place of God’s Spirit. Be the temple. Care for the temple. How can you better care for yourself and the community of faith? How can we build up each other?
SATURDAY 6/21/25: 1 Corinthians 8:1-9, 13, Different issues, same love…
Our theme for this month, “Love builds up,” comes from this reading. The topic at hand is eating meat sacrificed to idols—not exactly something that’s a hot topic for us today! But when Paul addresses this issue, he is really giving the church the tools to address any issue that may come up. Join in worship as we listen for the values and principles that shape Christian ethics, then and now. You matter to God!
Faith UMC
MONDAY 6/9/25: Acts 2:42-47, The believers devoted themselves...
The church was just a group of people who experienced God in a new way and were trying to figure out what to do about it! Verse 42 outlines their practices: devotion to the apostles’ teachings, meeting together, breaking bread together, and prayer. This is still who we are. We are not called to go back in time, but we can learn from the early church as we move forward. How do you see these four devotions in your life? How do they build community?
TUESDAY 6/10/25: Mark 2:1-17, The faith of friends…
This is Jesus’s introduction to his adversaries. Who is Jesus? Someone who stands in the place of God to forgive sins. Why is this an affront to the religious? Is it the ease at which sins are forgiven, or the fact that Jesus (and not God in their opinion) is forgiving? Notice that Jesus sees the faith of those carrying the man, and then forgives his sins. What “faith” are they exhibiting? We know nothing about their beliefs; their faith (or faithfulness) is their action.
WEDNESDAY 6/11/25: Psalm 8, The responsibility of being human. . .
The creation stories tell us that we bear the image of God. It’s a good and beautiful thing to be an image bearer of God. But it’s also a big responsibility. God has blessed us with intelligence, physical strength, sexuality, work, money, time, and many other gifts. As image bearers, how can we use these gifts to join God in creating new life, in loving others, and being generous? What is our responsibility to all things that God has given us?
THURSDAY 6/12/25: Exodus 3:1-14, Tell them, “I AM”…
Moses, saved by the work of the women in chapters 1-2, now receives his call to action from God. Among his protestations, Moses asks God for a name. Knowing a name of a deity was a way of invoking or controlling that deity. God will not be controlled. God supplies the unspeakable name,YHWH, that can mean “I am who I am.” Anytime you see “LORD” in all caps in the Hebrew Bible, that is a substitution for YHWH. Meditate on this name of God today. What does it mean that this God hears the cries of the enslaved?
FRIDAY 6/13/25: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, The Logic of the cross…
Paul will dive into a number of ethical dilemmas in this letter, but first he needs to set up some principles. The “message” (in Greek: logos) of the cross is the power of God. This logos, or logic of the cross is the understanding that God uses seemingly weak, shameful, or foolish things to upend the broken systems of the world. The crucifixion of Christ is the demonstration of God’s ways. In that light, why are we trying to assert ourselves as more powerful or wiser than others? God works through what the world sees as low. Humility and self-sacrificial love are core values to any Christian ethic.
SATURDAY 6/14/25: 1 John 4:7-19, 1 + 1 + 1 = Love…
Tomorrow is Trinity Sunday, where every preacher does their best to avoid accidentally espousing an historical heresy! St. Augustine is credited with saying, “Whoever denies the Trinity is in danger of losing their soul. Whoever attempts to understand the Trinity is in danger of losing their mind.” Why is the doctrine so crucial? What is the good news that God is inherently 1 and 3? Let’s lose our minds together! Join us in worship tomorrow!
G•P•S - Grow, Pray, Study Guide, 6/16/25 – 6/21/25
Faith UMC
MONDAY 6/16/25: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31, God Creates in Relationship…
God doesn’t create alone. In Genesis, the Spirit hovers over the waters of potentiality. Here, wisdom is proclaimed to be the first of creation, and used by God to hold everything together. Spirit and Wisdom have creative power and can be seen in God’s creation. In the New Testament, Christ is the first over creation, and everything came into existence through him (Col. 1 & John 1). It is not necessary to attempt to create a harmonized literal story of creation that fits in the Spirit, Wisdom, and Christ, but it is good to see how God employs and works in relationship to create. God still does.
TUESDAY 6/17/25: Mark 3:1-12, Jesus keeps his identity secret . . .
The Gospel is famous for Jesus’ continual attempts to keep his identity secret. Why does Jesus want to keep this secret? Perhaps Jesus does not want to be defined by the common ways people expect a Messiah to act. The final admission of Jesus’ identity comes in the mouth of a centurion witnessing Jesus’ death on the cross. Why does Mark insist that we must see Jesus through the cross?
WEDNESDAY 6/18/25: Psalm 22, The song Jesus sang from the cross . . .
Jesus utters the words of this psalm from the cross, and it makes us uncomfortable. Did Jesus really feel abandoned by God? If so, what does that mean for our understanding of Trinity? While many explanations exist, it seems more important that the Gospel writers show that Jesus knows agony, and can empathize with feeling abandoned. Jesus knows us.
THURSDAY 6/19/25: Exodus 4:1-17, Who will go for God? . . .
Moses has the call from God, the authority from God, and the mysterious name of God! He has everything he needs for his mission to set the enslaved Israelites free. But he also has excuses. As you read through these excuses, how do they sound familiar to excuses we make when God sends us in our tasks? Notice the sign of the “shepherd’s rod,” as it becomes a recurring theme in all of Scripture.
FRIDAY 6/20/25: 1 Corinthians 3:1-23, All y’all are God’s temple . . .
Paul calls us to care for each other in the church. Paul calls for unity. We are a beautiful work of God, and God is continuing to build us! When Paul says, “you are the temple...” he means “yous,” or “all y’all,” ––the word is plural. We together are the dwelling place of God’s Spirit. Be the temple. Care for the temple. How can you better care for yourself and the community of faith? How can we build up each other?
SATURDAY 6/21/25: 1 Corinthians 8:1-9, 13, Different issues, same love…
Our theme for this month, “Love builds up,” comes from this reading. The topic at hand is eating meat sacrificed to idols—not exactly something that’s a hot topic for us today! But when Paul addresses this issue, he is really giving the church the tools to address any issue that may come up. Join in worship as we listen for the values and principles that shape Christian ethics, then and now. You matter to God!