Daily Devotion — Monday, 15 June 2026

Daily Verse

Thoughts for the Day

The Divine Summons

God no longer overlooks our ignorance — He now commands all people everywhere to repent. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the unshakeable guarantee that a day of righteous judgment is appointed, and that the One who died for sins is the very One who will judge the world.

A Christian Voice

Daily Devotion

The apostle Paul stands on Mars' Hill in Athens, surrounded by philosophers, altars to unknown gods, and a city saturated with human wisdom. He does not flatter them. He does not treat their idolatry as an acceptable alternative path to God. Instead, he declares that the Creator of heaven and earth — who does not dwell in temples made with hands — has patiently endured a season of human ignorance. The Greek word translated 'winked at' carries the sense of God looking past or overlooking, not because He approved, but because He was acting in forbearance. That season of patience has now ended. The cross and the empty tomb have drawn a line through history.

Paul's proclamation cuts across every cultural sensitivity and religious pluralism of our day: 'Now commandeth all men every where to repent.' Not some men. Not religious men. Not sincere men. All men, everywhere. Repentance is not a suggestion for the particularly devout; it is a universal divine command. To repent is to turn — to abandon the futile worship of created things and to bow before the living God who made us. It is a moral U-turn, a renunciation of self-rule, and a surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The ground of this command is not arbitrary authority but the reality that God has fixed a day for judgment. Every human being will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and that judgment will be righteous — perfectly just, utterly fair, and inescapably personal.

Yet Paul does not leave his hearers — or us — trembling in uncertainty. He gives assurance. How do we know that this coming Judge is trustworthy? How can we be certain that repentance is not a leap into the dark? The answer is the resurrection. 'Whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.' The resurrection of Jesus Christ is God's public, historical, irrefutable seal upon the gospel. It proves that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be — the Son of God, the Savior of sinners, the appointed Judge of the living and the dead. The same Jesus who was crucified for our sins is now risen, never to die again. His resurrection is the down payment of our own resurrection and the guarantee that His judgment will be both just and merciful to all who take refuge in Him.

William Carey, the father of modern missions, lived in the power of this truth. 'Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.' That is not the slogan of worldly ambition but the battle cry of a man who knew that the risen Christ had commanded repentance to all nations. Carey left the comfort of England for the mission fields of India, believing that the same God who raised Jesus from the dead could raise a dead world to life. His expectation was rooted in God's faithfulness, not in human capability. His attempt was fueled by God's command, not by human initiative. The resurrection makes our obedience both reasonable and urgent. The day is appointed. The Judge is coming. The command is clear. Repent, believe, and go — for He is risen indeed.

Prayer

Father, we thank You that You did not leave us in our ignorance but sent Your Son to die for our sins and raised Him from the dead for our justification. We confess that we have too often treated repentance as optional and Your commands as suggestions. Forgive us. By Your Spirit, grant us the grace to turn from our idols and to fix our eyes on the risen Christ. Give us the holy expectation of William Carey — to expect great things from You not because we are great, but because You are faithful. And give us the holy audacity to attempt great things for Your glory, knowing that the day of Your righteous judgment draws near. In the name of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and coming Judge. Amen.

Walk in faith today

Identify one area of your life where you have been treating God's patience as permission to delay obedience. Write it down, confess it to the Lord in prayer, and take one concrete step today to turn from it — whether that is a conversation you need to have, a habit you need to break, or a step of faith you have been postponing.