August 18th, 25: From Ashes to Abundant Life: God’s Unquenchable Word in Jeremiah and John

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form!TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 26; 35-36; John 20Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible, where we journey together through the Scriptures and let the Bible direct our hearts to the living Word of God. In today’s episode, we find ourselves on August 18th, marking the 230th day in our year-long exploration of the Bible. Hunter, your Bible reading coach and host, guides us through powerful passages from Jeremiah 26, 35, and 36, and then into the profound hope of John chapter 20. As we listen, we encounter the steadfastness of God’s Word in the face of persecution and rejection—watching as scrolls are burned yet rewritten, and promises reemerge with even greater depth. In John’s Gospel, the resurrection story echoes this triumph over destruction: where flames and the cross cannot extinguish God’s purposes or His living Word, Jesus. Join us for prayer, reflection, and encouragement as we seek to move from ashes to abundant life in Christ—a life that cannot be extinguished, no matter what trials may come. Settle in and let’s warm our hearts by the fire of God’s unending love, discover encouragement for the day ahead, and remember: you are loved. TODAY'S DEVOTION: The Word cannot be extinguished. In Jeremiah, we see pages of God's Word set on fire by an evil king. The world may try to silence the truth, to sever its message, and to scatter its ashes—but the Word of God cannot be extinguished. The king slices the scroll and burns each section, thinking he can judge and end what God has spoken. But God's Word returns, and not just the same—this time, it comes back with much more. Even human defiance, the fiercest resistance, cannot put an end to what God is doing. Out of the ashes, God's Word emerges anew—rewritten, restored, reaffirmed. The prophet proclaims again what God will do. The king may burn the scroll, but he cannot burn the author or extinguish the purpose. And then, we turn to John’s Gospel. We see the evil king, Satan, striving to put an end to God’s Living Word, Jesus, by consigning him to the cross. Yet, just as with the scroll, the cross cannot stop God. In fact, it is at the cross that God’s purpose is fulfilled most deeply. Jesus goes to the cross for us—to enter into the fire of judgment, the depths of death and darkness—for our sake. But neither the grave nor the flames of judgment can hold him. As Jeremiah’s scroll was rewritten, so Jesus emerges from the tomb—the resurrection and the life. He becomes the firstfruits of all who will be brought into God’s much more, the abundant life he promises. He consigned himself to the cross so that we might move beyond the ashes and into the new life—the much more life—found only in him. The invitation is to leave behind the fires of despair and enter into resurrection hope, to embrace the abundance that Jesus brings. That is the prayer for my own soul today: that I may step into the much more of life in Christ. It is the prayer for my family—for my wife, my daughters, my son. And it is the prayer I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen. Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,...