In this 10:10 Thrive devotional, we explored the contemporary worship anthem “Goodness of God,” a song that has quickly become a beloved declaration of faith in God’s constant, unfailing goodness. The hymn invites believers to reflect on the faithfulness of God in every season, proclaiming His kindness and provision as a steady anchor in an ever-changing world. Its accessible melody and honest testimony resonate deeply, leading worshipers to gratitude, trust, and a posture of lifelong praise.

While the hymn directly celebrates the goodness of God the Father, it also deepens our understanding of Jesus as the living embodiment of that goodness. The song’s vivid language of God’s goodness “chasing” and “following” us finds its clearest expression in Jesus’ earthly ministry—His healing, feeding, forgiving, teaching, and ultimately His sacrificial death and resurrection. Jesus is not merely a messenger about God’s goodness; He is the visible, tangible, and active pursuit of God’s love for each of us, demonstrating divine faithfulness through His presence and redemptive work.

Finally, “Goodness of God” fosters a response of worship, surrender, and trust in Jesus, who is the channel of God’s goodness into our lives. By recognizing Jesus as the one who secures our salvation, guides our steps, and remains with us from morning until night, we are led to a deeper, personal reliance on Him as the source of our hope and the assurance of God’s eternal faithfulness. This hymn thus moves us beyond viewing God’s goodness as an abstract idea to experiencing it intimately through Jesus, calling us to testify with our lives and sing, “I will sing of the goodness of God.”

In this 10:10 Thrive devotional, we explored the hymn “And Can It Be?” by Charles Wesley, a cornerstone of Wesleyan and Methodist hymnody that emerged from Wesley’s own transformative Aldersgate conversion experience in 1738. Written in the wake of his encounter with God’s grace, the hymn captures the intense emotional wonder and theological richness of a soul overwhelmed by the realization of personal salvation. Its questions and declarations of praise embody the spirit of the early Methodist revival, emphasizing experiential faith grounded in the assurance of Christ’s atoning work.

The hymn leads us to a deeper understanding of Jesus by highlighting His humility and the astonishing nature of His sacrifice. Phrases like “emptied Himself of all but love” and “died for me” illustrate Jesus’ willingness to lay aside heavenly glory to embrace suffering for the sake of humanity. It moves us to consider Jesus not merely as a distant Savior but as the God who chose to enter the depths of human sin and frailty, bridging the chasm between a holy God and unworthy sinners out of boundless, sacrificial love.

Ultimately, “And Can It Be?” draws us into the transformative power of Jesus’ redeeming love, emphasizing the liberation it brings to those bound by sin and death. The vivid imagery of chains falling off and hearts set free paints Jesus as the triumphant Liberator who enables us to rise and follow Him. This hymn moves theology from the mind to the heart, transforming doctrine into an intimate, worshipful realization of Jesus’ amazing love that leads to adoration, gratitude, and a life fully surrendered to Him.

In this episode of 10:10 Thrive, we explore the beloved hymn “Fairest Lord Jesus” to deepen our understanding of Jesus’ character, ministry, and purpose through song. We trace the hymn’s origins to 17th-century Germany, noting how its sacred text and its Silesian folk melody merged to create a timeless worship piece cherished across generations and cultures. The hymn’s history reminds us how worship can grow from simple, local expressions of faith to a song that blesses the global church, inviting hearts everywhere to adore Jesus.

We then examine how the hymn uses vivid comparisons with creation to elevate Jesus’ beauty above the most glorious elements of the natural world. By contrasting Jesus with meadows, woodlands, the sun, moon, stars, and even angels, the hymn moves us to recognize Jesus is not only fair in appearance but radiates a beauty that surpasses all creation. This beauty is not superficial but reflects his divine glory, holiness, and sovereignty, reminding us that all the beauty we see around us is but a shadow of the beauty we find in Him.

Beyond proclaiming Jesus’ surpassing beauty, the hymn reveals profound theological truths: Jesus is the Sovereign Creator, the Divine-Human Mediator, the source of ultimate joy, and the One who outshines the angels in holiness and glory. In declaring these truths, “Fairest Lord Jesus” invites us into worship, reminding us Jesus is worthy of praise not just for what He has done but for who He is. It pushes us beyond surface appreciation into a posture of deep, reverent adoration and trust in Him as our beautiful Savior and eternal King.

In this episode, the 10:10 Thrive Podcast explores Jesus’ final conversations with His disciples before His ascension. On a mountain in Galilee, the disciples gather, some filled with reverence, others still wrestling with doubt—even after witnessing the resurrected Christ. Jesus appears and declares that all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Him. He commissions them to make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them to obey His commandments. Despite their imperfections, Jesus entrusts them with the mission to spread His message and reminds them that He will be with them always.

The narrative then shifts to another gathering on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. There, Jesus reiterates the importance of waiting for the promised Holy Spirit. Though the disciples still don’t fully understand—asking about the restoration of Israel—Jesus redirects their focus toward receiving divine power and bearing witness to Him in ever-widening circles: from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. His final words are followed by His ascension into the clouds, leaving the disciples awestruck and pondering their next steps.

The “Let’s Get Deep” section draws key insights from Jesus' commissioning. It highlights how Jesus calls and uses even those with doubts, emphasizes His supreme authority, and frames disciple-making as both outward evangelism and inward spiritual formation. The episode also explores the necessity of Spirit-empowered mission, the global scope of the gospel, and the redirection from speculation to action. With reflection questions and a closing prayer, listeners are invited to consider how Jesus’ words apply to their own lives and how they too are called to trust, wait, and go.

In Episode 1189 of the 10:10 Thrive Podcast, the focus is on one of the most intimate post-resurrection encounters between Jesus and His disciples. After a period of silence and uncertainty, Peter decides to return to fishing—perhaps seeking solace in the familiar—but he and six other disciples catch nothing. At dawn, a mysterious voice from the shore instructs them to cast their net on the other side. They obey, and their net overflows with fish. John recognizes the voice as Jesus, prompting Peter to leap into the water in his eagerness to reach Him. When they all arrive onshore, they find Jesus waiting with a charcoal fire, bread, and fish—offering them breakfast with quiet authority and tender familiarity.

The scene is deeply symbolic. The charcoal fire echoes Peter’s earlier failure—the night he denied Jesus three times while warming himself by another fire. But this time, there is no denial, only invitation. Jesus does not bring shame or lecture Peter; He brings nourishment. This moment is not about performance or penance, but presence and grace. Jesus doesn’t immediately confront Peter’s betrayal—He first feeds him. This order is important: before restoration comes relationship. The One who defeated death now serves a simple meal to weary fishermen, reminding them that His majesty includes tenderness, His power includes presence.

This encounter reveals profound truths about Jesus. He comes to us in the ordinary and meets us in the places of our failure to transform them into places of renewal. He does not shame us but gently reclaims us. Jesus feeds us before He corrects us and loves us before He sends us. In doing so, He reminds us that our worst moments don’t disqualify us—they are invitations to deeper grace. Peter’s story wasn’t over at the courtyard fire—it was rekindled by the fire of forgiveness on the shore. The episode ends with a reflection: Jesus still calls us today, not to strive first, but to sit, receive, and be restored by His love.

In this episode of the 10:10 Thrive Podcast, listeners are drawn into a dramatic retelling of Thomas's encounter with the risen Jesus. The narrative begins in an upper room in Jerusalem, where the disciples are gathered, still reeling from the resurrection reports. Thomas, however, remains skeptical. He listens to accounts from Peter, Mary Magdalene, and the Emmaus travelers, but remains unconvinced—demanding not only to see but to touch the wounds of the crucified Christ before he can believe. Then, suddenly, Jesus appears in the locked room and directly addresses Thomas, inviting him to inspect the wounds. This gentle confrontation transforms Thomas’s doubt into a bold confession: “My Lord and my God!”

The devotional reflection that follows highlights the compassion of Jesus in meeting Thomas right where he is—without shame or rebuke. Jesus does not condemn doubt that is honest and searching; rather, He honors it by showing up and offering Himself. This interaction reveals not only Jesus’ patience and mercy, but also His willingness to bear His scars so that faith might be born and strengthened. Thomas, though remembered as the doubter, becomes the disciple who makes the most profound declaration of Jesus’ divinity in the Gospels. His journey from skepticism to worship invites believers today to see doubt not as a dead end, but as a possible doorway to deeper intimacy with Christ.

Finally, the “Let’s Get Deep” section presses into what this story reveals about Jesus. He is not afraid of our locked rooms or wounded hearts. He desires more than mental assent—He wants our full devotion. Thomas’s story assures us that Jesus will meet us in our uncertainty and that His peace can enter even the most closed places in our lives. For modern believers who follow without having seen, this episode is an encouragement: our faith is not secondhand or lesser. It is part of the blessed community Jesus envisioned—those who believe without seeing, yet experience the living Christ in Scripture, Spirit, and sacred community.