THE UPPER ROOM DEVOTIONAL 23RD JANUARY 2025, THURSDAY MESSAGE
Read The Upper Room Devotional 23rd January 2025 written by Tricia Roe (Texas, USA)
TOPIC: A True Relationship
Today’s Reading
Ephesians 1:3-14
The Lord says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)
Today’s Message
When I was growing up, my mother made sure that her four children were in church every Sunday. I was baptized and confirmed. In college, I met and later married a man who became a minister, and once again I was in church every week. I sang in the choir and served on committees. But it wasn’t until I attended a spiritual retreat in my mid-thirties that I realized that I had never actually developed a personal relationship with Jesus. I had been attending church all those years without really understanding just how Jesus was at work in my life.
During that retreat, I realized that I needed to make some changes. I wanted to get to know Jesus for myself, not just as someone else’s Good Shepherd. Since then, I have made it my mission to develop a real relationship with Jesus and have come to know him better through Bible studies, devotional readings, and active participation in worship. I have learned that we are each responsible for our own relationship with Jesus Christ.
Today, I am still in church just about every Sunday, but now it’s not because of my mother or husband — although I am thankful for their influence. I’m there because I want to be. What a blessing this is!
Today’s Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for the opportunities you give us to know you and your Son. Help us continue to grow in faithful obedience to you by following in the way Jesus taught. In his name we pray. Amen.
Thought for the Day
Attending worship is not a duty — it’s a privilege.
Prayer Focus
Those attending spiritual retreats
The Upper Room Devotional 23rd January 2025, is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. Read More