MonroeOHUMC

Wednesday, March 26, 2025 Scripture: Luke 13:1-9 Devotion: The parable of the fig tree offers both challenge and hope. For three years, the owner found no fruit and wanted to cut it down. But the gardener advocated for patience: "Let me dig around it and put manure on it... if it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down." This parable reminds us that God rightly expects our lives to be fruitful. Faith isn't merely about personal comfort or future salvation—it's about bearing fruit that blesses others. Yet the gardener's response reveals God's patience with our slow growth and the extra care provided to help us flourish. Sometimes the most growth-producing seasons feel like someone is digging around our roots and piling on manure! Challenges, disappointments, and upheavals—while uncomfortable—often create conditions for new fruitfulness. If you're in such a season, take heart. The divine Gardener hasn't given up on...

Tuesday, March 19, 2025 Scripture: Galatians 5:22-26 Devotion: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Paul describes the natural outcome of a life connected to God's Spirit. Notice he speaks of "fruit" (singular), not "fruits"—suggesting that these qualities grow together as a unified expression of God's work in us. Unlike manufactured products, fruit can't be forced or rushed. An apple tree doesn't strain to produce apples—it simply fulfills its nature when properly nourished. Similarly, the Spirit's fruit emerges not through our striving but through our surrender to God's transforming work within us. Look at the list again. Which aspects of this fruit are flourishing in your life? Which seem less developed? Rather than feeling guilty about what's lacking, consider this an invitation to deepen your relationship with the One who causes ...

Mon day, March 18, 2025 Scripture: John 15:1-8 Devotion: "I am the vine, you are the branches." With these simple words, Jesus offers us a profound image of the spiritual life. We don't produce fruit through striving or through our own power—fruit comes naturally when we remain connected to the source of life. Notice what Jesus emphasizes: "Abide in me as I abide in you." Before productivity, before results, before output—there must be connection. A branch separated from the vine might maintain its appearance for a short time, but eventually, it withers. Our fruitfulness depends entirely on our ongoing relationship with Christ. How often we get this backward! We focus on the fruit—trying to be more loving, more patient, more generous—without attending to the connection that makes such fruit possible. Today, consider where you've been striving in your own strength. Remember that the most important spiritual practice isn't doing more but abiding ...

When Life Feels Empty Psalm 63:1-8, Luke 13:1-9 In the series “From Brokenness to Wholeness” Have you ever felt like you were running on empty? I'm not talking about being physically tired—though that certainly happens to all of us. I'm talking about that deeper kind of emptiness. The kind where you wake up, go through your day, check all the boxes, and still feel like something's missing. The kind where life becomes a routine without purpose. I remember a conversation with a friend several few years ago. From the outside, his life looked perfect — successful career, beautiful home, loving family. The kind of life many people dream about. But sitting across from me at lunch one day, his voice dropped as she confided, "I should be happy. Everything in my life says I should be happy. But something's missing, and I don't even know what it is." Maybe you've been there too. Maybe you've worked hard to build the life you thought would fulfill y...

Sunday, March 23, 2025 Scripture: Psalm 63:1-8 Devotion: "O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water." The psalmist's words capture that deep, primal longing we all feel—a thirst that only God can quench. Like parched ground that cracks open, waiting for rain, our lives often reveal a profound thirst for something more. We try to satisfy it with achievement, relationships, or possessions, but the soul knows what it truly needs. The psalmist found that satisfaction in God's presence, declaring "My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast." What are you thirsting for today? Where have you been looking for satisfaction? True fruitfulness begins with recognizing our deepest need—not just for what God gives, but for God's very presence. When we root ourselves in this relationship, everything else finds its proper place. Daily Action Steps: Sit quietly...

Saturday, March 22 – Love That Heals 📖 Scripture: Psalm 147:1-6 The psalmist describes a God who heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. The same divine love that created the universe is intimately involved in our healing. No wound is too deep, no heart too shattered, for God to restore. Healing doesn’t always mean relationships are fully repaired. Sometimes, it means finding peace even when things remain unfinished. Sometimes, healing looks like letting go, rather than holding on. The promise of God’s love is that we are never beyond repair. Where do you need healing today? What if you allowed God to begin a new work in you, even in the broken places? Daily Action Steps: Name one place in your heart that needs healing. Offer it to God. Let go of one old hurt today. Trust that God is making all things new. Reflect on how love—even imperfect love—has helped you heal in the past. Prayer: Healing God, create something new in me. Help me tr...