Morning Devotional 063025 Each Day Provides New Opportunities

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

June 30, 2025

Hosea 6:1-3

1 “Come, let’s return to the LORD; for it is he who has injured us and will heal us; he has struck us down, but he will bind us up. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, so that we may live before him. 3 Let’s know, let’s press on to know the LORD; whose appearing is as certain as the dawn; who will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that give drink to the earth.”

Good Morning! This is a day of new beginnings!

. . . on the third day he will raise us up, so that we may live before him. 

Great authors are masterful at planting seeds to which they will return and retrieve at just the right moment. These words, “on the third day,” which are so familiar to us in the Gospels, are also found in Hosea, a prophet who lived about 800 years before the birth of Christ. In the Bible, the phrase "on the third day" frequently signifies a time of resurrection, new beginnings, or divine intervention. It appears in both the Old and New Testaments, often foreshadowing or mirroring Jesus's resurrection.

Throughout my years, I have learned that when a phrase or words appear over and over again, the words hold some significance. Another example of God saying, Pay Attention! This is important. 

Each morning, we have the opportunity to embrace God and live into Christ as we are called. It is our choice to sit passively and wait, or to take up an active role in serving others. This role can be manifested in many ways. We are called to serve one another with our unique, God-given abilities. 

Whether we send cards, make phone calls, bake and deliver bread, or go out and feed the hungry, all efforts are blessed by God and the receiver of our service. These seeds we plant will be nurtured and produce bountiful fruit in God’s kingdom. 

Giving Lord, you bless us abundantly! Thank you for the opportunities to serve others in your name. Thank you. We love you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: Each day is an opportunity to grow closer to God.

Embrace each new day! Pastor Liz