Ordinary Faith, Extraordinary Lives

Devotional

Day 1: Grace sets the course for our growth

Jesus grew strong, learned wisdom, and lived under the Father’s favor—and this is the pattern for you as a new year begins. Nature and nurture matter, but grace matters most. You don’t earn it by trying harder; you receive it by turning toward Him and letting His kindness lead your steps. When you feel ordinary, remember His extraordinary life meets you right where you are. Ask Him to place His favor on your days and to lead your growth from the inside out. [38:52]

As a child, Jesus matured in body, increased in wisdom through nurture, and lived under the active kindness of God.

Luke 2:40

Reflection: Where have you been trying to earn God’s approval rather than receive His grace, and what simple daily rhythm (like a quiet two-minute prayer of welcome) could help you return to receiving?

Day 2: Ordinary steps open extraordinary futures

Mary and Joseph did what they knew to do—day 8, day 40, dedication, and a humble offering—and God met them there. Faith doesn’t usually leap; it walks, one ordinary step at a time. Reading Scripture, showing up in worship, giving generously, joining a group—these are not checkboxes but relational practices that train your heart to listen. When you miss a day, don’t hide; return to grace and begin again. Faithfulness in small things becomes the pathway to greater trust and responsibility. [46:12]

If a person can be trusted with small things, that same person can be trusted with bigger things; mishandling what is little reveals how bigger things would be mishandled too.

Luke 16:10

Reflection: What is one specific, ordinary practice you will adopt this week (time in Scripture, prayer, generosity, community), and how will you keep it relational rather than a checklist?

Day 3: Waiting well with the Holy Spirit

Simeon had walked with God for decades—righteous, devout, and still expectant. He clung to a promise and let the Holy Spirit set his pace; when the Spirit said, “Go,” he went, and he held the Messiah in his arms. Waiting wasn’t wasted time; it formed the kind of person ready to recognize Jesus. Your waiting can become the workshop of your character and clarity. Keep listening, keep showing up, and move when He says move. [01:01:16]

There was a man named Simeon, upright and devoted to God, who was longing for Israel’s comfort. The Holy Spirit rested on him and had shown him he would see the Messiah before he died. Prompted by the Spirit, he entered the temple just as Jesus’ parents arrived with the child.

Luke 2:25–27

Reflection: What promise from God have you quietly shelved, and what patient, practical step could you take this week to re-engage it (journaling it, asking for prayer, or setting aside a time to listen)?

Day 4: God’s nearness in grief, and purpose beyond it

Anna knew sorrow—widowed young, decades alone—and yet her life became a sanctuary of worship, fasting, prayer, and courageous encouragement. Grief did not disqualify her; it deepened her. God draws close to the brokenhearted and still gives them a voice to bless others. If your year has felt like a blue Christmas, you are not abandoned; you are held. Bring your pain into His presence and let Him meet you there—and then watch how He still chooses to work through you. [01:12:08]

The Lord draws near to those with shattered hearts; He rescues those whose spirit feels crushed.

Psalm 34:18

Reflection: Where has grief caused you to withdraw, and what is one gentle practice you can try this week (such as a short lament prayer, lighting a candle, or inviting a trusted friend to listen) to meet God in that place?

Day 5: Following the Light into the year ahead

Jesus is the light that reveals the way for every person and the glory of God among His people. He doesn’t want you stumbling through 2026 in the dark; He desires to guide your steps day by day. Lay down the urge to force your own path and ask Him to illuminate the next faithful step. As you follow His light, hope grows, clarity returns, and courage rises. Let Him be your light of revelation and the leader of your story. [01:17:11]

“My eyes have seen the rescue You prepared for everyone—a light that opens truth to the nations and the honor of Your people Israel.”

Luke 2:30–32

Reflection: Where do you feel “in the dark” about a decision right now, and what is one concrete way you will invite Jesus’ light (fast a meal, seek wise counsel, or take a quiet hour to listen) before you move forward?

Sermon Summary

Ordinary lives become extraordinary when yielded to God’s grace and walked out through faithful, everyday obedience. Luke 2 frames a path for the coming year: grow like Jesus in body and wisdom, but most of all in the grace of God. That grace is not earned by spiritual performance; it is received and then lived out in ordinary steps that shape character and capacity. Mary and Joseph model this: circumcising Jesus on the eighth day, dedicating Him on day 40, and steadily choosing covenant faithfulness. Their offering of two pigeons—God’s provision for the poor—shows that lack does not disqualify; God honors small, sacrificial obedience and builds a life through it.

The call is to practice simple, consistent habits—Scripture, prayer, gathered worship, generosity, serving—without slipping into checklist religion. Steps without relationship hollow out quickly. The invitation is to keep the practices, but keep them relational: listen for God’s voice, return to grace when you fail, and let the Spirit lead.

Simeon shows what becomes of decades of faithfulness: a life ready to hear and move with the Spirit. He waited through cultural disappointment and personal aging, and still held expectancy; when the Spirit said go, he went, and saw the Messiah with his own eyes. There’s no age at which the Spirit stops calling or surprising.

Anna shows how deep grief can be transformed into a life of worship and ministry. Widowed young, she refused to let pain sideline her calling. Fasting, praying, and prophesying into old age, she becomes a conduit of hope to those “looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” God is close to the brokenhearted, and often turns the wounds we bring Him into wells for others.

This is the path into a new year: ordinary steps, steady faithfulness, Spirit-led responsiveness, and the nearness of Jesus who is “a light for revelation.” He lights the path; the task is to follow.

Key Takeaways

1. Ordinary steps shape extraordinary faith Faith grows on the small, repeated choices to obey God in daily life. Consistent practices like Scripture, prayer, gathered worship, and generosity form a life that can carry more of God’s purposes. These steps don’t make us impressive; they make us ready. Over time, ordinary obedience becomes a runway for extraordinary encounters. [43:44]
2. Grace outweighs nature and nurture Luke highlights Jesus’ physical growth and parental instruction, then elevates the decisive factor: the grace of God upon Him. Background matters, but grace defines the future for those who receive it. Resist the impulse to earn; return to grace and let it do the heavy lifting. Grace doesn’t excuse effort—it empowers it. [38:32]
3. Waiting matures desire and obedience Simeon’s long obedience trains his ears to recognize the Spirit’s nudge when it finally comes. Waiting is not spiritual idling; it refines motives, deepens trust, and teaches movement on God’s cue instead of self-push. A heart that has learned to wait is a heart that can be led. Expectancy and patience can coexist. [59:45]
4. God honors small, sacrificial offerings Mary and Joseph bring two pigeons—the provision for the poor—and God folds their poverty into His story. When resources are thin, obedience still matters, and God multiplies what is surrendered. Small offerings given in trust often have outsized impact, not because of their size, but because of the One who receives them. [51:48]
5. Grief can become a place of ministry Anna’s decades-long sorrow did not silence her; it deepened her. She worshiped, fasted, prayed, and prophesied, becoming a fountain of hope for others. God is uniquely near in our pain and can repurpose it into wisdom and compassion that serve many. Your wound, tended in His presence, can become a well. [68:55]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[08:27] - Engage Online: Worship and Word
[26:17] - Holiday Greetings and Announcements
[28:26] - Compassion Wall and Sponsorship
[29:44] - Christmas Eve Recap and Foster Gifts
[33:49] - Offering Prayer and Year-End Giving
[35:31] - Ordinary Becomes Extraordinary (Luke 2)
[38:32] - Three Ways Jesus Grew
[42:29] - Dedication at the Temple: Day 40
[47:42] - Beyond Checklists: Pursuing Relationship
[51:48] - The Poor Offering God Honors
[56:14] - Simeon’s Faithful Waiting
[64:33] - Anna’s Prophetic Perseverance
[75:48] - Light for Revelation: Follow Him
[88:12] - Prayer Ministry and Healing

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

- Luke 2:21-40

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

Observation questions

In Luke 2, what covenant steps do Mary and Joseph take for Jesus, and on which days do they happen?
In verse 40, what three areas of growth are highlighted in Jesus’ life?
What does the kind of sacrifice they bring reveal about their financial situation, and what gracious option did the law provide? [51:48]
In Simeon’s praise, what two phrases describe who Jesus is for the world and for Israel?

Interpretation questions

“He grew…was filled with wisdom…and the grace of God was on him.” If grace is the decisive factor beyond nature and nurture, what does that imply about someone’s past, limitations, and future? [38:32]
What does God teach through honoring a “two pigeons” offering about obedience when resources are thin? How does that reshape the way need and faithfulness go together? [51:48]
Simeon waited for decades and then moved when the Spirit nudged him. How does long obedience train a person to recognize and respond to the Spirit at the right time? [57:42]
Anna turned lifelong grief into a life of worship, fasting, prayer, and prophecy. What does that suggest about how God meets people in pain and repurposes wounds into ministry? [01:08:55]

Application questions

Ordinary practices become powerful when kept relational, not as a checklist. Which one or two practices (Scripture, prayer, gathered worship, generosity, serving) will you lean into this month, and how will you keep them relational rather than just “checked off”? [49:34]
Where have you been trying to earn God’s favor instead of receiving His grace? What would “returning to grace” look like in one concrete choice this week? [39:17]
What is a “two-pigeons” step of obedience you can offer right now (time, attention, generosity, serving) even if resources feel thin? What’s your first small step and when will you take it? [51:48]
Identify one area where you sense God asking you to wait. What does patient expectancy look like there, and what small act of obedience will you take while you wait? [59:45]
Where do you carry grief right now? How will you invite God into that place this week (prayer, a fast, asking for prayer), and is there one person you could encourage from the compassion you’ve received? [01:11:27]
Jesus is “a light for revelation.” What decision or pathway needs His light? What will “following the light” look like in practice over the next seven days? [01:16:42]
Who are the “Simeons and Annas” in your life—older saints or steady friends—whose stories and prayers you need? How will you seek their counsel or ask them to pray with you this week? [01:00:36]

Sermon Clips

Just because you experience grief in those times does not mean, one, that God's done being near you, or two, that God has done using you. Your world may collapse. 2025 may have been the most difficult year of your life. And yet, God will still say, I have more to do through you. Let's keep on doing the regular things. Anna, at 84, continues to go to worship. [01:13:12] (29 seconds) #FaithBeyondGrief

And He wants to be the light for your life. He wants to be the light in your world. He wants to guide you forward. He wants to, He doesn't want you to spend a single day in 2026, lost in the darkness, alone, frightened, stricken with grief, and unaware of how to get through the day. He wants to be the light for you. He wants to light your path into the future. He wants to lead you into all that He's created you to become. [01:17:08] (32 seconds) #LightYourPath

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