The City Church Lubbock The City is a Spirit-filled, Bible teaching church with powerful worship. We’d love for you to join us this Sunday! https://city.family Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 hourly 1 3600 SnapPages.com Friday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/06/05/friday-devo Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/06/05/friday-devo

Scripture:

Luke 9:23
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me."

John 6:9-11
9 “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?” 10 “Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted.

Commentary:

9:23 Come after me means to become a disciple (cf. 14:27) and requires that a disciple: (1) deny himself (not simply denying certain things but denying personal control of one’s life); (2) take up his cross (cf. 14:27; notes on Matt. 10:38 and Mark 8:34; make a commitment that will lead to rejection and possibly even death); and (3) follow me (following the example and teachings of Jesus). In Jesus’ day, “follow me” also meant joining the company of his disciples who traveled in ministry with Jesus around Palestine.

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1972.

Questions:

Many people assume they will get serious about following Jesus later in life. They think, "When I'm older, I'll spend more time with God. Then I'll serve Him. Then I'll make my faith a priority." But Jesus calls us to follow Him today. In John 6, a young boy offered Jesus the little he had; five loaves and two fish. It wasn't much, but he placed it in Jesus' hands, and Jesus used it to feed thousands. God isn't asking you to wait until you have more knowledge, more confidence, or more experience. He simply asks you to bring what you have and trust Him with it. Following Jesus is not a future decision, it's a daily one.

  • If someone looked at how you spend your time, attention, and energy, what would they conclude is most important to you? Would they see evidence that following Jesus is a priority in your life?
  • The boy with the loaves and fish offered what he had, even though it seemed small. What gifts, abilities, opportunities, or resources has God already placed in your hands that you could offer to Him right now?
  • Jesus said that following Him means taking up your cross daily. What do you think that looks like in your life right now? How is following Jesus different from simply believing certain things about Him?

Prayer Topics:

  • Ask God to help you follow Him faithfully today instead of putting off spiritual growth for some future season of life.
  • Pray that God would reveal any areas where you are holding back and give you the courage to trust Him more fully.
  • Thank God that He delights in using ordinary people who are willing to trust Him and place what they have in His hands.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.

(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/06/05/friday-devo#comments 0 Thursday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/06/04/thursday-devo Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/06/04/thursday-devo

Scripture:

John 14:15
“If you love me, obey my commandments."

1 Samuel 17:26
David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”

2 Kings 23:25
Never before had there been a king like Josiah, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses. And there has never been a king like him since.

Commentary:

14:15 Jesus’ words echo the demands of the Deuteronomic covenant (cf. Deut. 5:10; 6:5–6; 7:9; 10:12–13; 11:13, 22) and reflect his unique authority. True love manifests itself in willing obedience.

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2053.

What shall be done? By faith, David grasps Goliath’s challenge as directed toward the armies of the living God, hence toward the unseen God himself. To David, this battle is fundamentally spiritual in nature (see vv. 45–47; cf. Eph. 6:12). His father’s house refers to a person’s extended family, smaller than a tribe or clan, with 50 to 100 persons. Free means exempt from taxes and other obligations to the palace.

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 520.

23:25 In spite of several generations of idolatry and rebellion against the Lord, somehow Josiah arose as a righteous king who not only appeared outwardly to be righteous but turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses.

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 691.

Questions:

True love isn't defined by words alone; it is proven through willing, active obedience. Because of our sin nature, our default tendency is to go our own way instead of God's way. Yet the Bible is filled with examples of young people who made a tremendous impact because they chose to trust and obey the Lord. David faced a giant while still a youth, and Josiah helped lead an entire nation back to God while he was still a boy. Their lives remind us that God is not limited by our age, abilities, or experience. He delights in using ordinary people who are willing to follow Him. You are never too young or too ordinary for God to use.

  • Jesus said that love for Him is shown through obedience, not just words. Are there any areas of your life where you know what God wants you to do, but you're struggling to follow through?
  • Sometimes it's easy to believe that God can't use us until we're older, more mature, or have everything figured out. What excuses do people often make for why they can't serve God right now? How do the stories of David and Josiah challenge those excuses?
  • What is the difference between obeying God because you love and trust Him versus obeying God because you're trying to earn His approval? How does genuine faith naturally lead to a changed life?

Prayer Topics:

  • Ask God to give you a heart that delights in following Him and obeying His Word.
  • Pray that you would stop focusing on your limitations and instead trust that God can use you right where you are.
  • Thank God that He often works through ordinary people and that His power is greater than your weaknesses.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.

(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/06/04/thursday-devo#comments 0 Wednesday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/06/03/wednesday-devo Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/06/03/wednesday-devo

Scripture:

Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

Matthew 22:37-38
37 Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment."

Commentary:

110:23 Let us hold fast. The second exhortation of vv. 22–25 calls forth a faithful, unwavering embrace (see 3:6, 14) of the confession of our hope, i.e., the church’s assent to the teachings concerning Christ and his work (see 3:1; 4:14; cf. 2 Cor. 9:13; 1 Tim. 6:12), teachings that produce hope (Heb. 6:18–20; 7:19). for he who promised is faithful. Confident hope in God’s promises (see 6:12–20) stems from God’s trustworthy character (also 11:11).

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2378.

22:37–38 love the Lord your God … heart … soul … mind. This command from Deut. 6:5, repeated twice daily by faithful Jews, encapsulates the idea of total devotion to God and includes the duty to obey the rest of God’s commandments (cf. Matt. 5:16–20). “Heart,” “soul,” and “mind” do not represent rigid compartments of human existence but rather together refer to the whole person.

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1870.

Questions:

Truth is the foundation for trust, and trust is the doorway to love. Think about the difference between dealing with a liar and dealing with someone who is completely incapable of deceit. Because it is impossible for God to lie, He is the only completely safe place to drop your guard. 

  • If we know that God can always be trusted to keep His promises, why do we still find it so easy to trust our own anxious thoughts or the changing opinions of our friends over His Word?
  • Jesus stated that the absolute greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Love isn't just an emotion; it requires a vulnerability that only comes when you completely trust that the other person wants what is best for you. What keeps you from trusting God with your whole heart?
  • Hebrews 10:23 tells us to hold firmly to our hope because God is faithful. When life feels uncertain or your emotions are all over the place, why is it important to base your faith on God's unchanging character rather than your changing circumstances?

Prayer Topics:

  • Ask God to help you trust His character and His promises, even when your feelings or circumstances tempt you to doubt.
  • Pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal any fears, doubts, or barriers that are keeping you from fully surrendering your heart, mind, and life to God.
  • Thank God that He is always faithful, always truthful, and always worthy of your trust, no matter what challenges you face.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.

(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/06/03/wednesday-devo#comments 0 Tuesday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/06/02/tuesday-devo Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/06/02/tuesday-devo

Scripture:

John 14:6
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."

John 10:14-15
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep."

John 10:27-28
27 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me."

Commentary:

14:6 Jesus as the one way to the Father fulfills the OT symbols and teachings that show the exclusiveness of God’s claim (see note on 3:18), such as the curtain (Ex. 26:33) barring access to God’s presence from all except the Levitical high priest (Leviticus 16), the rejection of human inventions as means to approach God (Lev. 10:2), and the choice of Aaron alone to represent Israel before God in his sanctuary (Num. 17:5). Jesus is the only “way” to God (Acts 4:12), and he alone can provide access to God. Jesus as the truth fulfills the teaching of the OT (John 1:17) and reveals the true God (cf. 1:14, 17; 5:33; 18:37; also 8:40, 45–46; 14:9). Jesus alone is the life who fulfills the OT promises of “life” given by God (11:25–26), having life in himself (1:4; 5:26), and he is thus able to confer eternal life to all those who believe in him (e.g., 3:16). This is another “I am” saying that makes a claim to deity (see note on 6:35).

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2052.

Questions:

Because Jesus conquered death and proved He is God, every single claim He made can be taken as truth. Scripture frequently compares us to sheep; animals that are so incredibly helpless and foolish that they can literally wander off, get stuck on their backs, and die if a shepherd doesn't save them. He is exactly who He said He is: our Savior, Friend, and Shepherd.
 
  • What are some things people commonly look to for purpose, security, or satisfaction instead of God? Where do you see that temptation in your own life?
  • Jesus didn't claim to be one option among many. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Why can that be a difficult truth to share or stand behind in today's culture?
  • If Jesus truly is God in the flesh, then His words carry absolute authority. How does Jesus' claim to be the great "I AM" affect the way you view His teachings, His commands, and His invitation to follow Him?

Prayer Topics:

  • Ask God to show you any areas where you have been looking for satisfaction, identity, or security apart from Him.
  • Pray that you would learn to recognize the Good Shepherd's voice and trust His guidance, especially during difficult or uncertain seasons.
  • Thank Jesus for being a loving Savior who knows you personally, cares for you deeply, and gave His life so you could have eternal life.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.

(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/06/02/tuesday-devo#comments 0 Monday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/06/01/monday-devo Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/06/01/monday-devo

Scripture:

John 20:24-29
24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” 26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” 28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. 29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

1 Corinthians 15:14
And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.

Commentary:

20:28 Thomas’s confession of Jesus as his Lord (Gk. Kyrios) and God (Gk. Theos) provides a literary link with the references to Jesus as God in the prologue (1:1, 18). This is one of the strongest texts in the NT on the deity of Christ (see 1:1). Some cults try to explain away this clear affirmation of Jesus’ deity by arguing that Thomas’s statement was merely an exclamation of astonishment that, in effect, took God’s name in vain. Such an explanation is unthinkable, however, given the strong Jewish moral convictions of the day and because it is not consistent with the text, which explicitly says that Thomas said these words to him, that is, to Jesus. Thomas’s statement is in fact a clear confession of his newly found faith in Jesus as his Lord and God. John’s entire purpose in writing this book is that all readers come to confess Jesus as their Lord and God in the same way that Thomas did.

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2071.

Questions:

Brandon kicked off the sermon talking about "if/then" logic. The most important "if/then" question of our life hinges entirely on the resurrection. Our faith isn't built on blind faith, but rather it is is anchored in an avalanche of historical, logical proof.
 
  • Many people describe our faith as a blind faith, but Christianity is rooted in real historical events. As you consider the evidence for Jesus' resurrection: His execution, the early accounts, the empty tomb, and the eyewitness testimonies, how does that strengthen your confidence in who Jesus is?
  • Thomas wanted evidence before he was willing to believe Jesus had risen from the dead. Why do you think Jesus responded to Thomas with patience instead of condemnation? What does that teach us about bringing our questions and doubts to God? Where have you been doubting God recently?
  • Paul said that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, the Christian faith falls apart. Why is the resurrection such a foundational belief? How does Jesus' victory over death confirm that He is exactly who He claimed to be?

Prayer Topics:

  • Ask God to strengthen your faith and help you build your confidence on the truth of Jesus' resurrection rather than on feelings or circumstances.
  • Bring any questions, doubts, or uncertainties to God, trusting that He welcomes honesty and is faithful to reveal Himself.
  • Thank God that the truth of the gospel is grounded in real history and that He has given us good reasons to trust in Jesus and His promises.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.

(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/06/01/monday-devo#comments 0 Friday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/29/friday-devo Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/29/friday-devo

Scripture:

Psalm 103
1 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

6 The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. 7 He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. 9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. 10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. 13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. 14 For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. 15 Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. 16 The wind blows, and we are gone— as though we had never been here.

17 But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children 18 of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! 19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything. 20 Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. 21 Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will! 22 Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Commentary:

Psalm 103. This is a hymn of praise, celebrating the abundant goodness and love of the Lord for his people. It is the first of four psalms reflecting on God’s dealings with his people from creation to exile. Psalm 103 introduces the sequence by recalling that Israel’s survival in the time of Moses was due to God’s steadfast love. It begins with each individual singer exhorting his or her own soul to bless the Lord, and then goes on to list the benefits that the soul should be careful not to forget. The crowning benefit is God’s enduring love to the descendants of the faithful, which leads the worshipers to exhort all the angelic hosts and all the material creation to join in blessing the Lord. These benefits come to the individual (“you” in vv. 3–5 refers to “my soul,” i.e., to me) but are not individualistic: he or she is a member of the community (vv. 6–14, thinking of the people of God), and he or she contributes to the progress of that community (vv. 17–18). As the notes will show, the psalm takes the Pentateuch story for granted, with evocations of Gen. 2:7; 17:7; Exodus 32–34. Christians enter into the joy of this psalm as they celebrate how the biblical story that has developed since that time has displayed even more of God’s goodness and kindness. Psalm 104, though not by David, is probably placed next to this one because it too begins and ends with “Bless the LORD, O my soul.” Psalm 145 is the other example of a Davidic psalm that is a sustained celebration of God’s goodness and benevolence.

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1067.

Questions:

The big idea of the sermon was that authentic worship requires alignment. When a car's tires get out of alignment, the steering wheel pulls, the tires wear unevenly, and the ride gets rough. Our hearts do the same thing when we get caught up in the stress, worries, and routines of the world. Christ didn't endure the cross simply to improve our eternity; He died to restore our relationship and create authentic worshippers whose lives point back to Him.
  • As you look back over your week, where do you feel your heart pulling out of alignment? Has it been toward distraction, worry, or trying to control your circumstances?
  • Which specific area of spiritual realignment do you need most today? (Do you need Refocusing your distracted mind, Remembering His benefits, Rightly Relating to who He is, or returning to a place of Reverence)? What is your next practical step toward that alignment this week?
  • A.W. Tozer wrote: "We are saved to worship God. All that Christ has done in the past and all that He is doing now leads to this one end." If the ultimate purpose of the Gospel and our salvation is to glorify and worship God, how does that reframe our understanding of the Christian life? How does it challenge the cultural view that God exists primarily to make our lives happy and comfortable?

Prayer Topics:

  • Ask God to realign your heart today in the specific areas where stress, worry, or the patterns of this world have caused you to drift.
  • Pray that you would stop viewing worship as just a casual event you attend, and instead live a life where your daily choices naturally overflow into praise.
  • Thank God that the ultimate purpose of your salvation is to know, glorify, and worship Him, and that Christ endured the cross to bring you into this close relationship.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

6. Is the Bible God's word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s Word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.

(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/29/friday-devo#comments 0 Thursday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/28/thursday-devo Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/28/thursday-devo

Scripture:

Psalm 103
1 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

6 The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. 7 He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. 9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. 10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. 13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. 14 For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. 15 Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. 16 The wind blows, and we are gone— as though we had never been here.

17 But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children 18 of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! 19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything. 20 Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. 21 Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will! 22 Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Commentary:

The psalm opened with the psalmist exhorting himself to worship God. At the end, he calls on others to join him. First, he proclaims God’s universal kingship. God rules not only over his people in Israel, but over the entire cosmos from his heavenly throne. Thus, everyone, including the angels who make up his heavenly army (hosts), as well as humanity (all his works everywhere in his dominion), should praise him. The psalmist closes by repeating the first call as a final call to worship (Praise the LORD, my soul).

Tremper Longman III, Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. David G. Firth, vol. 15–16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2014), 357–358.

Questions:

By the end of the Psalm, David realizes his singular voice isn't enough to contain the praise God deserves, so he summons a massive cosmic choir! Calling on angels, heavenly armies, and all of creation to join him! Amber noted that "fear of the Lord" or reverence isn't about terror or panic, it’s a holy sense of awe and amazement that the God who rules the universe from His heavenly throne actually knows and loves us intimately.
  • When was the last time you were genuinely gripped by holy awe or amazement in your relationship with God?
  • It's easy for the holiness and goodness of God to just become "ordinary" or routine to us over time. What distractions or daily routines do you need to intentionally disrupt this week to regain a sense of reverence for Him?
  • David shifts from praising God for His acts in Israel to acknowledging that "the Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything". How does God’s absolute sovereignty, His supreme rule over all creation, actually provide deep comfort and peace to us as fragile human beings?

Prayer Topics:

  • Ask God to rescue you from treating His goodness as ordinary and to recapture your heart with a genuine, holy sense of awe.
  • Pray that the Holy Spirit would disrupt your daily routines, giving you quiet moments to simply sit in amazement of His grandness and majesty.
  • Thank God that even though He rules the entire universe from His heavenly throne, He still looks upon you with the tender compassion of a loving Father.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

6. Is the Bible God's word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s Word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.

(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/28/thursday-devo#comments 0 Wednesday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/27/wednesday-devo Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/27/wednesday-devo

Scripture:

Psalm 103
1 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

6 The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. 7 He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. 9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. 10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. 13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. 14 For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. 15 Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. 16 The wind blows, and we are gone— as though we had never been here.

17 But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children 18 of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! 19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything. 20 Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. 21 Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will! 22 Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Commentary:

God makes his justice known to the oppressed, and the psalmist backs up this claim with an appeal to the past. At the time of Moses, God showed how he worked justice for the oppressed by freeing the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and judging the Egyptians with plague and at the Re(e)d Sea. He further revealed his ways to Moses as compassionate and gracious, patient (slow to anger) and abounding in love (or loyalty; ḥesed) in the aftermath of the sin with the golden calf (see Exod. 34:4–7; Ps. 86:15). He did not treat Israel at that time as their sins deserved, but graciously he forgave them. The psalmist, healed from a deadly disease that resulted from his sin, sees this as a pattern that should be praised. God’s love (or loyalty; ḥesed) towards those who have the proper attitude towards him (fear, v. 11; see commentary at 2:10–12 and 10:2–11) promised in the covenant is as great as the heavens are high above the earth. Using another spatial metaphor, the psalmist affirms the finality of God’s forgiveness of sin by saying that he removes transgression from us as far as the east is from the west.

Tremper Longman III, Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. David G. Firth, vol. 15–16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2014), 356–357.

Questions:

David uses a poetic (and blunt) way to describe our human condition: "He remembers we are only dust." In other words, we are fragile, temporary dirt, while God is eternal, holy, and sustaining. A.W. Tozer famously wrote, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." Authentic worship can only happen when we see God rightly and see ourselves rightly at the exact same time.
  • If you are honest, what is the default image of God that pops into your head when you mess up? Do you see Him as a harsh Judge waiting to punish you, or the compassionate Father who removes your sin "as far as the east is from the west"?
  • Our culture hates the idea of being weak or out of control. Where are you currently trying to prove you are self-sufficient instead of embracing the fact that you are "dust" in desperate need of grace?
  • God revealed His exact character to Moses in Exodus 34:6, using the Hebrew word hesed (loyal, covenant, promise-keeping love). Why is it essential to the Christian faith that God is a covenant-keeping God rather than a god whose love changes based on our performance? What does this imply about the security of your salvation?

Prayer Topics:

  • Ask God to give you a right and healthy understanding of both His immense holiness and your own fragility, keeping you from both fear and pride. 
  • Pray that God would tear down any false, mental images you carry of Him and replace them with the reality of who He truly is; holy, eternal, meriful, redeemer, etc. 
  • Thank God that because He knows you are "dust," He meets your weaknesses with endless patience and has removed your failures as far as the east is from the west.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

6. Is the Bible God's word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s Word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.

(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/27/wednesday-devo#comments 0 Tuesday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/26/tuesday-devo Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/26/tuesday-devo

Scripture:

Psalm 103
1 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

6 The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. 7 He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. 9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. 10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. 13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. 14 For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. 15 Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. 16 The wind blows, and we are gone— as though we had never been here.

17 But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children 18 of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! 19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything. 20 Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. 21 Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will! 22 Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Commentary:

To motivate his worship, he cites all the benefits that come to the faithful, in a series of participial clauses in verses 3–5. He begins by remembering that God forgives sin. Sin creates a barrier between humanity and a holy God, but God will forgive the sin of a contrite heart (Ps. 51:17). He can heal not only our spiritual state, but also our bodies. He is the divine healer. Indeed, the connection between forgiving sin and healing may indicate that the psalmist himself is thanking God for healing him from sickness that he believed was connected to his sin (a connection made explicit in Ps. 38:1–8; Brown 1995: 150). This sickness was serious, because God redeemed his life from the pit, the pit being a metaphor for the grave/underworld. But God does more than save him from death; he also crowns him with love (or loyalty; ḥesed) and compassion. These are God’s qualities promised to his covenant partners that explain why God does not simply abandon his people, even when they sin. God not only protects the psalmist from negative things like illness and death; he gives him good things as well. For instance, God not only allows the psalmist to survive death; he rejuvenates him. It is as if he is young again. An eagle was a symbol of strength and vitality (Isa. 40:31).

Tremper Longman III, Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. David G. Firth, vol. 15–16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2014), 356.

Questions:

David has to give his own soul a pep talk in Psalm 103, reminding himself of five massive benefits: Forgiveness, Healing, Redemption, Crowning, and Renewing/Filling. 
  • Look at those five benefits (Forgiveness, Healing, Redemption, Crowning, and Renewing/Filling). Which one feels the most difficult for you to truly accept or connect with right now?
  • Amber tied this Psalm to the story of the Prodigal Son, pointing out that the Father didn't just forgive the boy; he ran to him and put sandals on his feet. Servants went barefoot, but sons wore sandals. The Father completely restored his identity. Why do we often live like spiritual slaves trying to earn our keep, rather than walking in the identity of a son or daughter who has been "crowned" with love and mercy?
  • How does remembering that Jesus paid for these benefits with His own blood change the value you place on your life today?

Prayer Topics:

  • Ask God to help you truly grasp the reality of your identity as a son or daughter who has been crowned with love and mercy, rather than a slave trying to earn your keep.
  • Pray for a deeper revelation of the cross, asking the Holy Spirit to show you where you have taken His costly benefits of forgiveness and redemption for granted.
  • Thank God that He doesn't just stop at forgiving your sins, but completely restores your standing, fills your life with goodness, and renews your weary heart.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

6. Is the Bible God's word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s Word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.

(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/26/tuesday-devo#comments 0 Monday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/25/monday-devo Mon, 25 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/25/monday-devo

Scripture:

Psalm 103
1 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

6 The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. 7 He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. 9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. 10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. 13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. 14 For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. 15 Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. 16 The wind blows, and we are gone— as though we had never been here.

17 But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children 18 of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! 19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything. 20 Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. 21 Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will! 22 Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Commentary:

While other psalms open with a call for the assembled faithful to praise God, the psalmist here urges himself to worship. He desires that his praise not be pro forma, but to emanate from the deepest recesses of his heart (soul/inmost being). Of course, by exhorting himself publicly to praise, he encourages others to join in. To motivate his worship, he cites all the benefits that come to the faithful, in a series of participial clauses in verses 3–5.

Tremper Longman III, Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. David G. Firth, vol. 15–16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2014), 356.

Questions:

Amber kicked off the sermon talking about being on "auto-pilot"; that feeling you get when you pull into your driveway and suddenly realize you don't remember the last ten miles of the drive! Your body knew what to do, but your brain completely disconnected. We sometimes do the same thing on Sunday mornings. We put on the smile, sing the words, but our minds are a million miles away...
  • Have you ever caught yourself in auto-pilot worship, going through the religious motions while totally disconnected from God? What usually starts that mental disconnect for you?
  • Amber mentioned that our worship was never meant to be dependent on our changing emotions, but rooted in God's unchanging character. What is an altar moment in your past: a time God clearly provided, healed, or carried you, that you can look back on today to remind your soul of His faithfulness?
  • David was speaking directly to his own soul, commanding it to praise the Lord. What does this tell us about the relationship between our emotions, our human will, and worship? Why is it vital to understand that true biblical worship is a choice of obedience rather than just a feeling?

Prayer Topics:

  • Ask God to wake up your heart and mind when you enter into worship, pulling you out of "auto-pilot" routines and distractions.
  • Pray that the Holy Spirit would bring specific altar moments of His past faithfulness to your mind when you feel overwhelmed by your current circumstances.
  • Thank God that worship does not depend on your changing emotions, but on His completely unchanging and trustworthy character.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

6. Is the Bible God's word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s Word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.

(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/25/monday-devo#comments 0 Friday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/22/friday-devo Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/22/friday-devo

Scripture:

Jonah 1:17-2:10
17 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. 2 He said,
“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! 3 You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. 4 Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’

5 “I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. 6 I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! 7 As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. 8 Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. 9 But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

10 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.

Commentary:

2:6 Jonah’s rescue from death prefigures the resurrection of Christ from the dead (Matt. 12:40).

2:8–9 Those who pay regard to vain idols refers to the pagan sailors, who prayed each to his own god (1:5), but it is also a message to Jonah’s idolatrous fellow Israelites. Ironically, these sailors ended up experiencing God’s steadfast love, while Jonah ended up in the sea. Sacrifice … vowed recalls the actions of the sailors (1:16), whom Jonah is now like. Salvation belongs to the LORD is Jonah’s confession that God is the sovereign source of salvation, though the rest of the story will show that Jonah believes God is free to save any, as long as they are “us” and not “them” (see 4:1–4).

2:10 Vomited can express disgust (Job 20:15; Prov. 23:8; 25:16), and some interpreters see here an indication that God was still displeased with the hostility toward the Ninevites that was still in Jonah’s heart (as revealed in Jonah 4), in spite of the obvious gratitude of his prayer. Nevertheless, the fish’s action brought deliverance to Jonah, an indication of God’s favor.

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1688–1689.

Questions:

Brandon spoke directly to three different groups of people. For many of us, the hardest place to be isn’t running from God ourselves... it’s standing on the sidelines watching someone we love do it. Maybe it’s a child, a spouse, a sibling, or a close friend. Watching someone spiral downward can be exhausting, painful, and discouraging, and over time it becomes tempting to quietly believe they’re beyond help. But Jonah’s story reminds us that God pursues stubborn people. The challenge was not to stop praying, but to pray boldly: “Lord, do whatever it takes to get their attention. Send the storm. Send the whale. Don’t let them keep running without interruption.”
  • Who in your life have you been tempted to give up on, avoid, or stop praying for? 
  • How does Jonah’s story remind you that no one is too stubborn, too rebellious, or too far gone for God to pursue?
  • How is God stirring you to start pursuing that person? What action can you take this week to reach out?

Prayer Topics:

  • Ask God for renewed hope and persistence for the loved ones you've been tempted to give up on.
  • Pray for the boldness and faith to pray "whatever it takes" prayers for those who are running.
  • Thank God for His refusal to give up on you when you were stubborn, and praise Him in advance for the specific actions He is stirring you to take this week to reach out and pursue that person in love.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.

(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/22/friday-devo#comments 0 Thursday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/21/thursday-devo Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/21/thursday-devo

Scripture:

Jonah 1:17-2:10
17 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. 2 He said,
“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! 3 You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. 4 Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’

5 “I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. 6 I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! 7 As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. 8 Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. 9 But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

10 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.

Commentary:

2:6 I went down (see notes on 1:3; 1:4–5). Jonah’s descent to death is almost complete as he reaches the roots of the mountains at the bottom of the seas, where the gates of Sheol are located. Since the bars refer to the gates of Sheol (see note on 2:2), the land refers to the realm of the dead (see Ps. 63:9; Ezek. 26:20; 32:18, 24), as does pit (see Job 33:22–24; Ps. 49:9; 103:4). you brought. Jonah had done nothing to deserve being rescued; his salvation was by grace alone.

2:6 Jonah’s rescue from death prefigures the resurrection of Christ from the dead (Matt. 12:40).

2:8–9 Those who pay regard to vain idols refers to the pagan sailors, who prayed each to his own god (1:5), but it is also a message to Jonah’s idolatrous fellow Israelites. Ironically, these sailors ended up experiencing God’s steadfast love, while Jonah ended up in the sea. Sacrifice … vowed recalls the actions of the sailors (1:16), whom Jonah is now like. Salvation belongs to the LORD is Jonah’s confession that God is the sovereign source of salvation, though the rest of the story will show that Jonah believes God is free to save any, as long as they are “us” and not “them” (see 4:1–4).

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1688–1689.

Questions:

One of the enemy’s greatest weapons is shame. Shame convinces us that we’ve gone too far, failed too badly, or hidden too much to come back to God. But the Gospel tells a different story. God redeemed people like John Newton, a former slave trader who later wrote “Amazing Grace,” and He continues rescuing broken people today.
  • What hidden struggle, compromise, or failure are you afraid to bring into the light? Where is shame trying to keep you stuck or silent?
  • Jonah ends his prayer by declaring, “Salvation comes from the Lord alone.” The Hebrew word points us toward the name Yeshua, Jesus! How does looking at the cross remind you that no person is beyond the reach of God’s grace?

Prayer Topics:

  • Ask God to break the power of shame in your life. No failure, compromise, or hidden struggle is too great for His grace to redeem and bring into the light.
  • Pray for the humility and vulnerability to expose your hidden struggles to God and trusted community, resisting the enemy's lie that you are stuck or beyond help.
  • Thank God for the cross of Jesus, celebrating that our salvation comes from Him alone and that His grace is powerful enough to rescue and restore.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.

(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/21/thursday-devo#comments 0 Wednesday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/20/wednesday-devo Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/20/wednesday-devo

Scripture:

Jonah 1:17-2:10
17 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. 2 He said,
“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! 3 You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. 4 Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’

5 “I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. 6 I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! 7 As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. 8 Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. 9 But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

10 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.

Commentary:

2:2–9 Jonah’s prayer is not a request to be saved from the fish but is thanksgiving for being saved by the fish. Verse 2 summarizes the prayer: Jonah called for help and God answered. Verses 3–6a expand on Jonah’s call for help; vv. 6b–10 expand on God’s answer.

2:2 Sheol refers to the realm of the dead, which one would enter by going through a gate made of “bars” (see v. 6 and Job 17:16; 38:17; Ps. 9:13). Jonah did not literally pray from Sheol but describes his near-death experience (see Ps. 30:2–3).

2:3–4 you cast me. Though it was the sailors who had hurled Jonah into the sea (1:15), he knows that God was working sovereignly through them, and so he can say that God cast him into the sea. Look upon, or “look toward,” refers to the ancient practice of praying toward the temple (see 2:7; 1 Kings 8:30, 35, 38, 42; Dan. 6:10).

2:6 I went down (see notes on 1:3; 1:4–5). Jonah’s descent to death is almost complete as he reaches the roots of the mountains at the bottom of the seas, where the gates of Sheol are located. Since the bars refer to the gates of Sheol (see note on 2:2), the land refers to the realm of the dead (see Ps. 63:9; Ezek. 26:20; 32:18, 24), as does pit (see Job 33:22–24; Ps. 49:9; 103:4). you brought. Jonah had done nothing to deserve being rescued; his salvation was by grace alone.

2:6 Jonah’s rescue from death prefigures the resurrection of Christ from the dead (Matt. 12:40).

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1688–1689.

Questions:

Jonah spent three days in darkness before he finally surrendered. But the moment his prayer ended, the fish released him onto dry land. That means while Jonah felt abandoned and stuck, God was already moving the rescue into place.
  • Are there any areas of your life that currently feel heavy, uncertain, or like you’re running out of hope?
  • Jonah’s rescue also wasn’t clean or glamorous... he was vomited onto the beach. Sometimes God’s help comes through uncomfortable places like accountability, counseling, confession, or community. What would it look like for you to lean into community instead of isolating yourself?

Prayer Topics:

  • Ask God to help you trust that even when you feel: stuck, isolated, or hopeless in the darkness, He is actively moving behind the scenes to orchestrate your rescue and redirection.
  • Pray for the courage to lean into uncomfortable spaces like community, accountability, and counseling, rather than isolating yourself.
  • Thank God that His deliverance doesn't have to look glamorous to be effective, and praise Him for using messy, or humbling, ways to bring you back to Him.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.

(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/20/wednesday-devo#comments 0 Tuesday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/19/tuesday-devo Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/19/tuesday-devo

Scripture:

Jonah 1:17-2:10
17 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. 2 He said,
“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! 3 You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. 4 Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’

5 “I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. 6 I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! 7 As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. 8 Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. 9 But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

10 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.

Commentary:

1:17 appointed. This is the first of four uses of “appoint” that underscore God’s sovereign control over creation (cf. 4:6–8). Fish (Hb. dag) is not limited to what is called “fish” today (generally cold-blooded vertebrate sea creatures with fins and gills) but is a general word for an aquatic beast, which cannot be identified further. However, a large whale such as a sperm whale could easily swallow a man whole. three days and three nights. Though this may be a symbolic expression for a time of dying and rising (cf. Hos. 6:2), it more likely describes the actual number of days, or parts of three days, according to accepted reckoning of days at that time (cf. 1 Sam. 30:12; 2 Kings 20:5, 8). In either case it has associations with return from death or near-death—which perhaps is why Jesus likened the time between his own death and resurrection to Jonah’s time in the fish (Matt. 12:40).

1:17 Jonah is under the sea, symbolizing the realm of death. His state prefigures the death of Christ (Matt. 12:40).

2:1 Finally, Jonah prayed. He did not pray for God to save the pagan sailors, but he did thank God for saving him.


Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1688.

Questions:

Being swallowed by a giant fish sounds terrifying... unless the alternative is drowning! What looked like judgment was actually rescue. The fish wasn’t proof that God had abandoned Jonah; it was proof that God refused to let Jonah destroy himself.

  • Can you identify a season that felt painful, frustrating, or disruptive in the moment, but later you realized God was actually protecting or redirecting you?
  • How would your perspective change if you stopped viewing hardship as God punishing you, and instead saw it as the loving discipline of a Father who refuses to let you drift away unnoticed?

Prayer Topics:

  • Ask God to help you trust that even painful seasons can be used for your protection, growth, and redirection rather than your destruction.
  • Pray for the wisdom to recognize God’s loving discipline in your life and the humility to respond instead of resisting Him.
  • Thank God for the times He interrupted your plans, closed doors, or allowed discomfort in order to keep you from drifting farther away from Him.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.

(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/19/tuesday-devo#comments 0 Monday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/18/monday-devo Mon, 18 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/18/monday-devo

Scripture:

Jonah 1:17-2:10
17 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. 2 He said,
“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! 3 You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. 4 Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’

5 “I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. 6 I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! 7 As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. 8 Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. 9 But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

10 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.

Commentary:

1:17 appointed. This is the first of four uses of “appoint” that underscore God’s sovereign control over creation (cf. 4:6–8). Fish (Hb. dag) is not limited to what is called “fish” today (generally cold-blooded vertebrate sea creatures with fins and gills) but is a general word for an aquatic beast, which cannot be identified further. However, a large whale such as a sperm whale could easily swallow a man whole. three days and three nights. Though this may be a symbolic expression for a time of dying and rising (cf. Hos. 6:2), it more likely describes the actual number of days, or parts of three days, according to accepted reckoning of days at that time (cf. 1 Sam. 30:12; 2 Kings 20:5, 8). In either case it has associations with return from death or near-death—which perhaps is why Jesus likened the time between his own death and resurrection to Jonah’s time in the fish (Matt. 12:40).

1:17 Jonah is under the sea, symbolizing the realm of death. His state prefigures the death of Christ (Matt. 12:40).

2:1 Finally, Jonah prayed. He did not pray for God to save the pagan sailors, but he did thank God for saving him.


Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1688.

Questions:

It’s easy to become so fascinated with the miracle of the great fish that we overlook the deeper struggle happening inside Jonah himself. When Jonah finally cries out to God from the darkness, his prayer still isn’t perfect. There are hints of self-pity and blame woven throughout his words. He speaks as if God abandoned him, even though Jonah was the one who chose to run in the first place. Yet God responds with mercy anyway. He doesn’t wait for Jonah to have everything figured out before extending grace.

  • When you come to God in moments of failure, frustration, or pain, do you feel pressure to give Him the polished church version of yourself? Or are you willing to bring Him the real emotions you’re carrying; the confusion, anger, disappointment, or fear?
  • Even in his rebellion, Jonah still slipped into a victim mindset. Where might pride, bitterness, or stubbornness be keeping you defensive instead of repentant? In what areas are you tempted to blame God or your circumstances instead of honestly acknowledging your own choices?

Prayer Topics:

  • Ask God to help you stop hiding behind appearances and come to Him with honesty instead of performance.
  • Pray that God would reveal any areas where pride or self-pity are keeping you stuck.
  • Thank God that His grace is strong enough to meet you even in the middle of imperfect prayers.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.

(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/18/monday-devo#comments 0 Group Guide https://city.family/blog/2026/05/17/group-guide Sun, 17 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/17/group-guide

This Week's City 7:

5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.

(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)

Ice-Breaker:

  • What’s your best “Instagram vs. Reality” moment? Share about a time when everything looked great on the outside, but behind the scenes it was stressful, awkward, chaotic, or downright painful.

Scripture 

Jonah 1:17-2:10
17 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. 2 He said,
“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! 3 You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. 4 Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’

5 “I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. 6 I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! 7 As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. 8 Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. 9 But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

10 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.

Discussion Questions:

It’s easy to get caught up in the miracle of the great fish and completely miss what’s happening inside Jonah’s heart. When Jonah finally prays from the depths, his prayer still isn’t perfect. There are traces of self-pity and blame woven into his words. Yet God responds anyway. God doesn’t wait for Jonah to have polished repentance before extending mercy. Think about your own moments of failure, pain, or correction:
  • When you come to God, do you tend to clean up your emotions and give Him the church version of yourself, or are you honest about the frustration, anger, fear, and confusion you’re actually carrying?
  • Where might pride, bitterness, or a “pouty toddler” attitude be keeping you from simply turning back to Him?

Being swallowed by a giant fish sounds terrifying... unless the alternative is drowning! What looked like judgment was actually rescue. The fish wasn’t proof that God had abandoned Jonah; it was proof that God refused to let Jonah destroy himself.
  • Can you identify a season that felt painful, frustrating, or disruptive in the moment, but later you realized God was actually protecting or redirecting you?
  • How would your perspective change if you stopped viewing hardship as God punishing you, and instead saw it as the loving discipline of a Father who refuses to let you drift away unnoticed?

Jonah spent three days in darkness before he finally surrendered. But the moment his prayer ended, the fish released him onto dry land. That means while Jonah felt abandoned and stuck, God was already moving the rescue into place.
  • Are there any areas of your life that currently feel heavy, uncertain, or like you’re running out of hope?
  • Jonah’s rescue also wasn’t clean or glamorous... he was vomited onto the beach. Sometimes God’s help comes through uncomfortable places like accountability, counseling, confession, or community. What would it look like for you to lean into community instead of isolating yourself?

One of the enemy’s greatest weapons is shame. Shame convinces us that we’ve gone too far, failed too badly, or hidden too much to come back to God. But the Gospel tells a different story. God redeemed people like John Newton, a former slave trader who later wrote “Amazing Grace,” and He continues rescuing broken people today.
  • What hidden struggle, compromise, or failure are you afraid to bring into the light? Where is shame trying to keep you stuck or silent?
  • Jonah ends his prayer by declaring, “Salvation comes from the Lord alone.” The Hebrew word points us toward the name Yeshua, Jesus! How does looking at the cross remind you that no person is beyond the reach of God’s grace?

Brandon spoke directly to three different groups of people. For many of us, the hardest place to be isn’t running from God ourselves... it’s standing on the sidelines watching someone we love do it. Maybe it’s a child, a spouse, a sibling, or a close friend. Watching someone spiral downward can be exhausting, painful, and discouraging, and over time it becomes tempting to quietly believe they’re beyond help. But Jonah’s story reminds us that God pursues stubborn people. The challenge was not to stop praying, but to pray boldly: “Lord, do whatever it takes to get their attention. Send the storm. Send the whale. Don’t let them keep running without interruption.”
  • Who in your life have you been tempted to give up on, avoid, or stop praying for? How does Jonah’s story remind you that no one is too stubborn, too rebellious, or too far gone for God to pursue?

Prayer Topics:

  • Pray for the courage to come before God honestly instead of hiding behind appearances or religious performance.
  • Ask God to help you see the storms and struggles in your life through the lens of His love and pursuit, not condemnation.
  • Pray that God would break the power of shame and remind you that rescue, healing, and restoration are possible because of Jesus.
  • Pray that God would do whatever it takes to get the attention of loved ones who are running from Him. 
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/17/group-guide#comments 0 Friday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/15/friday-devo Fri, 15 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/15/friday-devo

Scripture:

Jonah 1:9-16
9 Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”

10 The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned. 11 And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?”

12 “Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”

13 Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah’s God. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.”

15 Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! 16 The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.

Commentary:

1:15 The saving of mariners through the sacrifice of Jonah prefigures the salvation of all nations through the death of Christ (1 John 2:2).

1:16 feared the LORD exceedingly. What started as a general fear (v. 5) grew into an intense fear (v. 10) and matured into the fear—that is, the reverent worship—of the Lord (v. 16). sacrifice … vows. The exact response expected from people who fear the Lord (2 Kings 17:32–36; Ps. 22:5; 61:5; 76:11).


Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1688.

Questions:

Repentance is more than feeling bad about what we’ve done, it’s actively turning around and going a different direction. Jonah knew exactly what God was asking of him, yet he kept resisting. Instead of surrendering, he continued drifting farther down until he found himself asleep in the middle of a storm that should have been waking him up. Over time, compromise can become so familiar that we stop recognizing how far we’ve drifted from God.

  • When God convicts or redirects you, what usually makes repentance difficult? Is it pride, fear, shame, stubbornness, comfort, or simply not wanting to let go of control? Have there been areas where compromise slowly became normal before you even realized how far you had drifted?
  • Is there a specific attitude, habit, relationship, conversation, or act of obedience that God may be bringing to your attention right now? What do you need to do to stop resisting Him and respond with humility and surrender?
  • Jonah was asleep while everyone around him was in crisis. Are there areas of your spiritual life where you’ve become numb, distracted, or spiritually passive? What would it take for you to become more attentive and responsive to God’s voice again?

Prayer Topics:

  • That God would help you recognize compromise before it leads to deeper drift.
  • That God would replace pride and resistance with humility and surrender.
  • That God would give you courage to trust Him fully and respond quickly when He speaks.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/15/friday-devo#comments 0 Thursday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/14/thursday-devo Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/14/thursday-devo

Scripture:

Jonah 1:9-16
9 Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”

10 The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned. 11 And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?”

12 “Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”

13 Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah’s God. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.”

15 Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! 16 The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.

Commentary:

1:14–15 called out. Whereas each of the sailors had prayed to his god (v. 5), they now pray to the LORD. The pagan sailors, not Jonah, are concerned that people not perish. Have done as it pleased you echoes the liturgical language of Ps. 115:3 and 135:6, and is thus the sailors’ confession of faith in the absolute sovereignty of God. The sailors’ actions are in harmony with God’s: as God had hurled the wind onto the sea (see note on Jonah 1:4–5) to start the storm, the sailors now hurl Jonah to stop the storm (see v. 12).

1:15 The saving of mariners through the sacrifice of Jonah prefigures the salvation of all nations through the death of Christ (1 John 2:2).

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1688.

Questions:

Jonah’s story points us to Jesus, but in many ways Jonah is a distorted mirror of the Savior to come. Both Jonah and Jesus were in a boat during a storm. Both were asleep. Both became connected to the calming of the sea. But the similarities only magnify the differences.

Jonah slept because he was indifferent and running from God; Jesus slept because He fully trusted the Father and held authority over the storm itself. Jonah was thrown into the sea because of his own rebellion; Jesus willingly stepped into death to rescue us from ours. Jonah resisted showing mercy to his enemies, while Jesus gave His life so that enemies could be forgiven and brought near to God.

  • What is hardest for you to surrender to God right now? Is there an area where obedience feels costly because you’re afraid of losing comfort, control, approval, security, or your own plans? Why do you think surrender can sometimes feel more threatening than trusting yourself?
  • When life becomes difficult, why is it easy to question God’s goodness or doubt His intentions toward us? How does the cross remind us that God’s heart toward us is loving, trustworthy, and good?
  • Jonah ignored the storm and disconnected from reality, while Jesus rested in confidence that the Father was in control. In your own life right now, are you more tempted to avoid, numb, and ignore what God is doing or are you able to trust Him in the middle of uncertainty? What would it look like to move from avoidance to trust?

Prayer Topics:

  • That God would help you trust His heart and His plans more than your own understanding.
  • That the cross would remind you that surrender to Jesus is not loss, but the path to life and peace.
  • That God would replace fear, avoidance, and self-protection with deeper trust and obedience.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/14/thursday-devo#comments 0 Wednesday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/13/wednesday-devo Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/13/wednesday-devo

Scripture:

Jonah 1:4-5
4 But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. 5 Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.

Commentary:

1:4–16 Jonah and the Pagan Sailors. This episode highlights Jonah’s encounter with pagan sailors and raises the question, Who fears the Lord—Jonah or the pagans? The key repeated word is “fear”: at the beginning and end the sailors “fear” (vv. 5, 16); in the middle Jonah claims to “fear” the Lord (v. 9) while the sailors actually fear (v. 10a).

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1687.

Questions:

Jonah probably viewed his decision to run from God as personal and private. He bought a ticket, boarded a ship, and tried to disappear below deck. But his disobedience didn’t stay contained to him. The sailors lost cargo, lost peace, and nearly lost their lives because one man chose to resist God. Sin never stays contained, there will always be collateral damage.

  • In what ways can compromise slowly become “normal” before we realize the impact it’s having on the people around us?
  • How might your attitudes, choices, or spiritual condition be affecting the people around you right now?
  • Just as disobedience creates ripple effects, obedience does too. What could change in the lives of the people closest to you if you fully trusted God and walked in greater humility, consistency, repentance, and obedience?

Prayer Topics:

  • That God would help you recognize how your spiritual life impacts the people around you.
  • That God would give you wisdom and humility to address areas of pride, passivity, or compromise.
  • That your obedience to God would bring peace, strength, and stability to your relationships and home.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/13/wednesday-devo#comments 0 Tuesday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/12/tuesday-devo Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/12/tuesday-devo

Scripture:

Jonah 1:4-6
4 But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. 5 Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.

But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. 6 So the captain went down after him. “How can you sleep at a time like this?” he shouted. “Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.”

Commentary:

1:4–16 Jonah and the Pagan Sailors. This episode highlights Jonah’s encounter with pagan sailors and raises the question, Who fears the Lord—Jonah or the pagans? The key repeated word is “fear”: at the beginning and end the sailors “fear” (vv. 5, 16); in the middle Jonah claims to “fear” the Lord (v. 9) while the sailors actually fear (v. 10a).

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1687.


1:4–5 Hurled is used four times in this episode (vv. 4, 5, 12, 15). Just as God hurled the great wind, the sailors hurled the cargo. cried out. The sailors pray, evidently believing that a divine being could come to their aid. had gone down. In contrast to the sailors, Jonah goes down below deck, taking yet another step closer to death (see note on v. 3).

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1687.

Questions:

The storm wasn’t meant to destroy Jonah, it was actually mercy. God loved Jonah too much to let him keep drifting farther and farther away without stepping in. The storm was not God paying Jonah back; it was God bringing Jonah back. Sometimes the most uncomfortable seasons of our lives was the very places where God gets our attention, exposes what’s been hidden, and begins to pull us toward healing.

  • Can you think of a past season that felt painful, frustrating, or confusing at the time, but looking back now you can see how God used it to wake you up, redirect you, humble you, or draw you closer to Himself?
  • What changes in your heart when you stop seeing hardship as proof that God is against you and start considering that He may actually be pursuing you through it? How would that change the way you pray about your current situation?
  • Is there something God may be trying to bring to the surface right now; an attitude, habit, wound, fear, or area of compromise that you’ve been avoiding? What might happen if, instead of resisting the interruption, you allowed God to use it to heal and restore you?

Prayer Topics:

  • That God would help you recognize His presence and purpose in the middle of difficult seasons.
  • That God would replace fear and resentment with trust in His love and discipline.
  • That God would give you humility to receive His correction and courage to respond with surrender.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/12/tuesday-devo#comments 0 Monday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/11/monday-devo Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/11/monday-devo

Scripture:

Jonah 1:4-9
4 But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. 5 Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.

But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. 6 So the captain went down after him. “How can you sleep at a time like this?” he shouted. “Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.”

7 Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. 8 “Why has this awful storm come down on us?” they demanded. “Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?”

9 Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”

Commentary:

1:4–16 Jonah and the Pagan Sailors. This episode highlights Jonah’s encounter with pagan sailors and raises the question, Who fears the Lord—Jonah or the pagans? The key repeated word is “fear”: at the beginning and end the sailors “fear” (vv. 5, 16); in the middle Jonah claims to “fear” the Lord (v. 9) while the sailors actually fear (v. 10a).

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1687.


1:9–10 Hebrew is an ethnic term used to identify Israelites in international contexts (e.g., Gen. 40:15; Ex. 1:19; 1 Sam. 4:6). Jonah claims to fear the LORD, but his actions contradict his confession. God of heaven refers to the universal and supreme God (see Ezra 1:2; Neh. 2:20; Dan. 2:37). made the sea. Ironically, Jonah confesses to fear the God who controls the sea, which Jonah is crossing to escape from the presence of God (Jonah 1:3). The sailors who were “afraid” (v. 5) are now exceedingly afraid.

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1688.

Questions:

Brandon reminded us that Jonah’s story is meant to function like a mirror. Jonah claimed to fear God, worship God, and belong to God, yet the direction of his life was moving away from God. His words sounded like some that is filled with faith, but his actions proved otherwise.

Take an honest moment to reflect:
  • If you set aside your words and looked only at the evidence of your life: your schedule, your habits, your secret priorities, etc. where is the current direction of your life actually leading you?
  • Where is the widest gap in your life right now between the person you say you are and the person you actually are when no one is watching?
  • What is your Nineveh? A hard conversation you’re dodging, a person you’re refusing to forgive, or a clear step of obedience you’ve put off, simply because your own comfort has become more important than God's command?

Prayer Topics:

  • That God would help your daily life reflect the faith you profess.
  • That God would make you the same person in private that you claim to be in public.
  • That God would give you courage to obey Him instead of choosing comfort or avoidance.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/11/monday-devo#comments 0 Group Guide https://city.family/blog/2026/05/10/group-guide Sun, 10 May 2026 12:27:31 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/10/group-guide

This Week's City 7:

4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)

Ice-Breaker:

  • What’s something you were stubborn about as a kid that now makes you laugh?

Scripture 

Jonah 1:4-16
4 But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. 5 Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.

But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. 6 So the captain went down after him. “How can you sleep at a time like this?” he shouted. “Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.”

7 Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. 8 “Why has this awful storm come down on us?” they demanded. “Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?”

9 Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”

10 The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned. 11 And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?”

12 “Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”

13 Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah’s God. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.”

15 Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! 16 The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.

Discussion Questions:

  • Brandon continues to remind us that Jonah's story should function like a mirror. It’s easy to read the story and think, “How could Jonah be so stubborn?” But the deeper point is realizing how often we do the same thing. Jonah claimed to fear God, worship God, and belong to God, yet his actual life direction was moving away from God.
    • When you look at your own life, past or present, where is the biggest gap between what you say you believe and how you actually live? (Whether it’s avoiding a hard conversation, refusing to forgive, or prioritizing your comfort over obedience)
    • What do you think makes surrender so difficult for us sometimes?

  • God didn’t send the storm to destroy Jonah, but to interrupt him. The storm was discipline, but discipline is not the opposite of grace, it’s often the evidence of it. God loved Jonah too much to let him keep running peacefully toward destruction.
    • Has there ever been a storm, frustration, or painful interruption in your life that you now know was actually God trying to wake you up?
    • How does your perspective change if you stop viewing hardship as God getting even with you and instead see it as God pursuing you?
    • What might He be trying to expose, correct, or heal right now?

  • Jonah tried to treat his rebellion like a private issue, but his disobedience nearly sank the entire ship. His choices created fear, chaos, and loss for everyone around him. Sin never stays contained, there will always be collateral damage.
    • In what ways can our sin, pride, passivity, or disobedience spill over onto the people closest to us?
    • Why do you think it’s so easy for us to convince ourselves that our private struggles or compromises aren’t hurting anyone else?
    • If you’re honest, who is most affected when you are spiritually distant, prideful, passive, angry, addicted, controlling, or emotionally shut down?

  • Brandon pointed out that Jonah is a distorted mirror of Jesus. Jonah slept in the storm because he was indifferent; Jesus slept because He had authority. Jonah would rather die than obey God; Jesus obeyed all the way to death. Jonah was thrown overboard because of his own sin; Jesus willingly gave Himself for ours.
    • In what ways are you tempted to believe that surrendering fully to God will somehow make your life worse instead of better?
    • Why do you think we struggle so much to trust God’s plans, even after the cross proved His love for us?

  • Repentance is more than an emotion; it’s a change of direction. Jonah was only three words away from stopping the storm, but his pride made him choose the bottom of the ocean over saying, "Lord, I surrender." We can become comfortable in our compromise and like Jonah, we sleep through the storms that are meant to wake us up.
    • What do you think usually keeps people from repenting quickly? Pride, shame, fear, stubbornness, or simply getting comfortable drifting away from God little by little?
    • Is there a specific conversation, habit, attitude, relationship, or step of obedience where you sense God asking you to repent and trust Him instead of continuing to fight Him?

Prayer Topics:

  • That God would soften our hearts and help us surrender quickly when He speaks.
  • That we would trust God’s discipline as an act of love and not resist His correction.
  • That God would help us stop running and faithfully follow wherever He leads.
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/10/group-guide#comments 0 Friday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/08/friday-devo Fri, 08 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/08/friday-devo

Scripture:

Jonah 1:1-3
1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

Commentary:

1:1 Jonah prophesied prosperity for Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:23–28). Jonah means “dove,” a symbol for Israel as silly and senseless (Hos. 7:11); Jonah will be true to his name. Son of Amittai means “son of my faithfulness”; Jonah will remain the object of God’s faithful love.

1:2 Nineveh sat on the east bank of the Tigris River about 220 miles (354 km) north of present-day Baghdad and over 500 miles (805 km) northeast of Israel. Great (Hb. gadol) is used 14 times in Jonah. Nineveh was an important (“great”) city (see 3:3). evil. As the ESV footnote indicates, the same Hebrew term (Hb. ra‘ah; used 9 times in Jonah [see chart]) can mean “evil” or “disaster.” The Ninevites were evil, and they were in line for disaster.

1:3 To Tarshish is repeated three times in this verse to underscore that Jonah is not going to Nineveh. Tarshish, an unknown locale associated with distant coastlands, was somewhere in the western Mediterranean—the opposite direction from Nineveh. From the presence of the LORD is repeated at the end of this verse to underscore Jonah’s purpose in going to Tarshish. Went down (see also v. 5; 2:6; the same verb is used for went on board) is also a euphemism for death (e.g., Gen. 37:35). The suggestion is that each step away from the presence of the Lord is one step closer to “going down” to death (see notes on Jonah 1:4–5; 2:6).


Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1687.

Questions:

Jeremiah 2:13 calls out a truth we often ignore: “My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” Running from God isn’t always as dramatic as boarding a boat! Most of the time, it’s quiet. We stop drinking from the Fountain and try to make our own wells. We find ourselves turning to money, our job, relationships, or control to find peace. But these “cisterns” are broken. They leak and will always leave us thirsty for something only God can satisfy.

  • Think about the past week. Where have you instinctively looked for comfort or security? Did it really satisfy? Confess it to God.
  • Are there areas of your life where you’re trying to “go it alone,” holding tight to your plans instead of leaning on God? What stops you from trusting God fully?
  • Repentance is simply a change of mind that leads to a change of direction. What is one specific area where you need to stop digging your own cistern and start drinking from God’s living water?

Prayer Topics:

  • Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the broken cisterns in your life, those things you have relied on for security that will never satisfy.
  • Pray that God would make you restless in your pursuit of anything other than Him.
  • Ask God for the strength to take one practical step toward Him today.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

3. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?  Since “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin is death,” Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for my sin so I could be right with God.

(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/08/friday-devo#comments 0 Thursday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/07/thursday-devo Thu, 07 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/07/thursday-devo

Scripture:

Jonah 1:1-3
1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

Commentary:

1:1 Jonah prophesied prosperity for Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:23–28). Jonah means “dove,” a symbol for Israel as silly and senseless (Hos. 7:11); Jonah will be true to his name. Son of Amittai means “son of my faithfulness”; Jonah will remain the object of God’s faithful love.

1:2 Nineveh sat on the east bank of the Tigris River about 220 miles (354 km) north of present-day Baghdad and over 500 miles (805 km) northeast of Israel. Great (Hb. gadol) is used 14 times in Jonah. Nineveh was an important (“great”) city (see 3:3). evil. As the ESV footnote indicates, the same Hebrew term (Hb. ra‘ah; used 9 times in Jonah [see chart]) can mean “evil” or “disaster.” The Ninevites were evil, and they were in line for disaster.

1:3 To Tarshish is repeated three times in this verse to underscore that Jonah is not going to Nineveh. Tarshish, an unknown locale associated with distant coastlands, was somewhere in the western Mediterranean—the opposite direction from Nineveh. From the presence of the LORD is repeated at the end of this verse to underscore Jonah’s purpose in going to Tarshish. Went down (see also v. 5; 2:6; the same verb is used for went on board) is also a euphemism for death (e.g., Gen. 37:35). The suggestion is that each step away from the presence of the Lord is one step closer to “going down” to death (see notes on Jonah 1:4–5; 2:6).


Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1687.

Questions:

Jonah’s struggle wasn’t with God’s power, it was with God’s character. He knew that God is gracious, merciful, and abounding in steadfast love. Yet he wanted that grace to be reserved for Israel, not extended to its enemies. We can be just like Jonah, celebrating God’s mercy over our own lives while quietly resisting it when it reaches people we think don’t deserve it; the ones who have wronged us, those we disagree with, or those we consider “beyond redemption.”

  • Think about someone you would find it extremely difficult to share the gospel with. What is it about them; what they’ve done, what they believe, or their past that would make it difficult to talk about God’s saving grace for them?
  • If you saw God pouring out His mercy and transformation on that person today, how would you honestly feel? Would you be able to celebrate it, or would you find yourself resenting it?
  • Romans 5:10 reminds us that even while we were enemies of God, we were reconciled by the death of Jesus. When you remember your own past failures and rebellion, how does that change the way you see people you think are undeserving of mercy?

Prayer Topics:

  • Confess any tendency to view God’s mercy as something you earned rather than a gift you received while still an enemy of the cross.
  • Ask the Holy Spirit to give you eyes to see your enemies as a people in need of a Savior.

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

3. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?  Since “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin is death,” Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for my sin so I could be right with God.

(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/07/thursday-devo#comments 0 Wednesday Devo https://city.family/blog/2026/05/06/wednesday-devo Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://city.family/blog/2026/05/06/wednesday-devo

Scripture:

Jonah 1:1-3
1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

Commentary:

1:1 Jonah prophesied prosperity for Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:23–28). Jonah means “dove,” a symbol for Israel as silly and senseless (Hos. 7:11); Jonah will be true to his name. Son of Amittai means “son of my faithfulness”; Jonah will remain the object of God’s faithful love.

1:2 Nineveh sat on the east bank of the Tigris River about 220 miles (354 km) north of present-day Baghdad and over 500 miles (805 km) northeast of Israel. Great (Hb. gadol) is used 14 times in Jonah. Nineveh was an important (“great”) city (see 3:3). evil. As the ESV footnote indicates, the same Hebrew term (Hb. ra‘ah; used 9 times in Jonah [see chart]) can mean “evil” or “disaster.” The Ninevites were evil, and they were in line for disaster.

1:3 To Tarshish is repeated three times in this verse to underscore that Jonah is not going to Nineveh. Tarshish, an unknown locale associated with distant coastlands, was somewhere in the western Mediterranean—the opposite direction from Nineveh. From the presence of the LORD is repeated at the end of this verse to underscore Jonah’s purpose in going to Tarshish. Went down (see also v. 5; 2:6; the same verb is used for went on board) is also a euphemism for death (e.g., Gen. 37:35). The suggestion is that each step away from the presence of the Lord is one step closer to “going down” to death (see notes on Jonah 1:4–5; 2:6).


Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1687.

Questions:

Jonah heard God clearly and deliberately went the opposite direction. We may not board a ship to a faraway city, but we have our own ways of running. When God’s call feels uncomfortable, risky, or inconvenient, we don’t always say “no” out loud. Often, we slip quietly into delay, overthinking, or distraction, treating God’s commands like suggestions we can debate with ourselves.

  • When the Holy Spirit nudges you to step outside your comfort zone, how do you usually respond? Do you ignore it, rationalize it, or wait for another sign before acting?
  • Why is it that we sometimes find ourselves saying: "I’m praying for more clarity" when what we really mean is: "I do not want to do what God is asking"? Be honest before God. In those moments, are you actually seeking clarity or are you delaying obedience?
  • Where do you go when you’re avoiding a task, a conversation, or an action God has prompted? Is it scrolling endlessly, hiding in busyness, or clinging to comfort and safety? Confess that hiding place to God. 

Prayer Topics:

  • Ask God to help you stop labeling disobedience as uncertainty or distraction.
  • Ask the Holy Spirit to align your will with God’s, so that your first response to His word is "Yes, Lord.".

This Week's City 7:

Try to commit to memory! 

3. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?  Since “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin is death,” Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for my sin so I could be right with God.

(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
]]> https://city.family/blog/2026/05/06/wednesday-devo#comments 0