John Shirk

We are very excited to share a special project that we’ve been working on. John Shirk is a published author!  Over the years as WJTL’s Program Director, John has written hundreds of devotionals to support our annual themes featured on the air.  Wake Up & Shine: Radio Devotionals for a Radiant Faith features 40 two-part devotionals that were originally broadcast during the “Year to Shine” focus in 2023. We trust that you will be inspired and motivated by God’s Word to shine your light as you read through the pages.

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of God’s Word, this is what the Lord says in Luke 16:10.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

A good test to measure someone’s reliability is how they handle the small tasks assigned to them.

If we want to do great things for God, we can start with simple acts of service. Focus on being trustworthy with the smaller tasks that are requested of us. Then, we will be equipped to handle the larger tasks that require more time, effort, and responsibility. A fruitful witness for Jesus begins with a faithful heart to His Gospel.

Luke 16:10-that’s today’s God Quote for us to embrace for Life.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Word from God’s Word is Abounding.

This is a word that highlights the provision of God’s grace to enable our faith to flourish. His blessings fill us to the point of overflowing, so that others are blessed by the expressions of our faith.

In Psalm 86:5, David offered this prayer, “You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.”

Second Corinthians 9:8 says, “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

This happens in our lives as we freely serve, generously give, and share God’s love with those we meet.

Discover how the word “Abounding” can have an impact on your life in the Year of God’s Word.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of God’s Word, this is what the Lord says in Matthew 9:37 and 38.

Jesus said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Jesus stressed the importance of prayer as it relates with missions. Ask God to send out willing servants who will take the Good News of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. There is a need for missionaries in other countries. There is also a mission right here in our neighborhoods, because every soul matters to God.

Jesus saw the crowds in His day and was moved to compassion for them, because He saw they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 9:37 and 38-that’s today’s God Quote for us to embrace for Life.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Word from God’s Word is Acknowledge.

This is a reality check where we have the courage to face the truth about ourselves and the truth about God.

This is the path of freedom for us. David acknowledged the truth about his selfish ways in Psalm 32:5. He said, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Acknowledgement of God faces the reality of His worthiness to save us and restore us to Himself.

This is what we find in Hosea 6:3, “Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear. He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”

Discover how the word “Acknowledge” can have an impact on your life in the Year of God’s Word.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of God’s Word, this is what the LORD says in Joel 2:12.

“Even now, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

It is not uncommon for brokenness to bring us to our knees and to cry out to God. We recognize our own inadequacies and turn to His sufficient grace to provide salvation for us.

God is close to a broken heart. After the Lord issued this invitation for the people to return to Him, the prophet Joel added, “Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.”

That word “Rend” means to tear apart. Sometimes people tore their garments in distress. Rending our heart would mean acknowledging our broken condition and repenting of our sins before the Lord. This is the path to forgiveness and spiritual healing.

Joel 2:12-that’s today’s God Quote for us to embrace for Life.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Word from God’s Word is Thirsty.

This is the condition that drives us to search for a drink.

Jesus was able to take ordinary circumstances and turn them into life lessons. He did that in John chapter 4, verse 13 when having a conversation with a Samaritan woman by the well.

Jesus pointed to the physical water of the well and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again.” But then He added, “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Jesus tapped into this woman’s spiritual thirst to reveal how she could experience the joy of forgiveness, peace with God, and the gift of eternal life.

Discover how the word “Thirsty” can have an impact on your life in the Year of God’s Word.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of God’s Word, this is what the LORD says in Malachi 3:6 and 7.

“I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you.”

In this book of the Bible, the Lord was confronting various issues of disobedience in the land. Yet, God kept the door of invitation open for the unfaithful to become faithful servants of God. We live in a time right now when God is inviting us to come to Jesus for the cleansing that we need. James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and He will come near to you.”

Through Jesus, change is possible, and so is a close relationship with God.

Malachi 3:6 and 7-that’s today’s God Quote for us to embrace for Life.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Word from God’s Word is Longing.

This word is often used in the Bible to describe a deep desire and yearning for God. It describes our heart-felt ambition to be near God.

We see this yearning expressed throughout the Psalms. One of those places is Psalm 119:81. “My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.”

There are many blessings from God’s hand to enjoy on the earth, but in a world broken by sin, we also know the pain of sickness, grief, death, and injustice.

The picture of eternity reveals better days to come for those who love the Lord and long for His salvation. C.S. Lewis once said, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” Heaven is where we find our longing for God fulfilled completely.

Discover how the word “Longing” can have an impact on our life in the Year of God’s Word.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of God’s Word, this is what the LORD says in John 12:46.

Jesus said, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”

This statement shows how the presence of Jesus is able to bring hope, righteousness, and joy into our lives. We can live a quality life of loving relationships with neighbors, family members, and with God Himself, because of the effective grace of Jesus in our hearts. The sinful nature loses control by the goodness and graciousness of God.

Isaiah 9:2 foretold the influence of Jesus in this way: The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

 The presence of Jesus has brought light into the world. Faith opens the window of our heart to receive the light of God’s love.

John 12:46-that’s today’s God Quote for us to embrace for Life.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com