Day 1: Beyond the Ordinary

Reading: Matthew 11:7-11

Devotional: Jesus asks a piercing question: "What did you go out to see?" We can drift through our spiritual lives seeking comfort, community, or tradition—all good things, but not the main thing. Like those who traveled to see John the Baptist, we must ask ourselves: are we settling for the ordinary when God offers the extraordinary? A reed swaying in the wind is common; encountering the living God is not. Today, examine your motivations for faith. Are you seeking Jesus himself, or merely the benefits that come with knowing him? The difference transforms everything. God didn't send his Son so we could have nice gatherings; he came to radically change us from the inside out.

Reflection: What "ordinary" things have I mistaken for encountering God? How can I seek Christ himself today, rather than just the outcomes of faith?