We’re back for week two of World Vision Ignite’s online chapel and weekly devotions! With so many changes to daily life, we hope these resources help you feel connected to God’s love and hope.
Join us for a time of worship music, Scripture reflection, and a message of faith. This week, our chapel speaker is the incredible Reward Sibanda, a World Vision team member who grew up in Zimbabwe and now lives in Dallas, Texas.
We’ve also created a series of daily devotions. It’s a chance for you to set aside 15 minutes — independently, or as a family — to reflect on specific questions, seek God’s wisdom, and pray for our friends and neighbors around the globe.
That God would be a God who is there for you when things are challenging and when things are good. He is the same God yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Devotion for Monday:
Begin video at 1:58.
Listen as Violet reads Matthew 22:36-40. What words catch your attention? What stands out to you?
Now, read Matthew 22:36-40 to yourself. Notice if any other words stand out to you.
Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Read the verse again, pausing at the places that catch your attention. Take a moment to pray and ask God what he wants to show you in this passage.
Take five minutes for a time of reflection. You could journal about what you’re thinking and feeling, listen to a worship song, or spend time in prayer or quiet meditation.
Questions to consider:
- What does it mean to you to love God with all of your heart? Give an example of how you could do this to your everyday life.
- Think of a specific thing you could do to show that you love God with all of your soul or all of your mind?
- One of the greatest commandments is: Love your neighbor as yourself. Neighbors can be anyone in our lives: people who live near to us or far away. Think of one way you could show love to a neighbor this week.
Devotion for Tuesday:
Begin the video at 5:01.
- As you sing along and worship with Joseph, a pastor in New Jersey, do any of the lines or words jump out for you? What helps you connect to God’s hope or peace?
- Make a list of your favorite worship songs. What could you — or your family — listen to this week for some added encouragement and strength?
- When things are stressful, we can sometimes focus on the negative and not recognize the positive things in our lives. Take time to reflect on things you are thankful for. Spend some time in prayer to praise God for these things.
Devotion for Wednesday:
Begin the video at 15:51 and watch until 23:01.
Reward Sibanda, who grew up in Zimbabwe and now lives in Dallas, Texas, reflects on what we learn about Jesus from his best friend, John (who wrote the Gospel of John and the New Testament letters 1, 2, and 3 John).
In the New Testament books he wrote, John tells us that Jesus is light, life, and love.
In John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” We know there is darkness in our world. Seeing the pain that people experience, particularly amid this global health situation, it’s hard to ignore the reality of darkness.
But Jesus’ light is stronger than any darkness. When we are afraid, we can put our hope and trust in Jesus. We can be confident in him, knowing he loves and cares for us more than we could ever imagine.
- Can you think of a time when you have been someplace very dark? Maybe you were stuck in a dark room and couldn’t find a light switch. Maybe you were on a camping trip and went outside your tent in the middle of the night.Now, remember what it felt like when you had light again: when you found the light switch or turned on your flashlight? What changed? How did it feel?
As the light of the world, Jesus illuminates the darkness around us. When we feel surrounded by fear, anxiety, and uncertainty, he is our light. He is there to guide us, comfort us, and give us peace.
- Pray to God, asking for him to help you better understand that he is the light of the world. Trusting in God isn’t always easy! Ask God to give you the strength and courage to trust in him, even when life gets difficult.
Devotion for Thursday:
Begin the video at 23:01 and watch until 24:04.
But Jesus isn’t just light, he is also life. In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
When we feel lost or alone … when we aren’t sure where to turn, we can find hope in him. Jesus Christ, the son of God, is our guide through any trial or struggle we may face. He will guide and direct our path. We can trust in him.
- When we believe that Jesus alone is the way, the truth, and the life, how does that impact our daily lives? What effect does it have on how we see life’s challenges?
- Jesus died on the cross to make sure that all the darkness of this world: pain, suffering, sickness, and death will never win in the end. Jesus defeated pain and death. Through him, we have the opportunity to live forever with God.
But the only way to God the Father is through his son, Jesus. We can’t get to God any other way. People may think they’ve found other ways to God, but Jesus — through his world-changing sacrifice of dying on the cross — is the only way to God.
What does it feel like to know that Jesus died for you: that he chose to suffer so that the power of death could be defeated? What does that sort of love mean to you?
Close today’s devotion by spending time in prayer. Start with thanking and praising God. After that, lift up your worries, concerns, and the needs of people you care for. Know that God hears your prayers. You can trust him with confidence.
Devotion for Friday:
Begin video at 24:04.
The final thing we learn from John is that God is love. In the first of his three letters, 1 John, he writes:
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” -1 John 4:7
Reward recently came back from a World Vision trip to Zambia. Getting there from his home in Texas took two days and four plane rides.
In Zambia, he met a four-year-old boy named Nature. Growing up, Nature didn’t have enough food or nutrition, so he looks much younger than he actually is. But after World Vision came to his village, Nature’s parents and grandparents have more food and access to resources. Someone even bought them a goat for milk and food.
Nature’s sponsor in the U.S. is a 16-year-old girl. She wasn’t sure if she’d have the money to sponsor him, but she’s washed cars, sold lemonade, and worked hard to be able to sponsor him each month.
- Because God is love, we can seek to show that love to other people in our world. Like Nature’s sponsor, we can show love to friends not just next door … but around the globe. What are some different ways you could show God’s love to our world?
- With schools closed, restaurants limited to take out, and other changes in our world, how we show our love to people looks different. Make a list of ways you can show love to people right now (even if they might be different from how you’d usually show love.)
- Think of people who you could reach out to today, to let them know that you are thinking about them and praying for them. Do any friends, family members, or people from your neighborhood or church come to mind? In this stressful time, look for ways you can speak words of encouragement.
No matter what challenges we face, we can be confident in Jesus. He is light, life, and love.
What would it look like for you to live like Jesus? Now more than ever, the world needs his love. As Christians, we can be the hands and feet of Jesus: loving and caring for our world. You can reflect Jesus to our world: sharing life, sharing light, and sharing love.