Here is a devotion to start your day!
Also available now at Power, Love & Miracles:
Hidden Heroes of the Bible: The Empty Tomb. Chapters 7-9
Nicodemus: Faith That Grows in the Dark. The Bible Unplugged podcast, episode 72
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Heroes: Women Supporting Jesus’ Ministry
Financial supporters as crucial kingdom partners
Scripture: Luke 8:1–3
With him were the twelve, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary… Joanna… Susanna; and many others who served them from their possessions.
Reflection
When we picture Jesus’ ministry, we often imagine the Twelve—Peter, James, John, and the others walking the roads with Him. Luke quietly adds another layer: a group of women who traveled with Jesus and “served them from their possessions.”
These women—Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and “many others”—had experienced Jesus’ healing and deliverance. In response, they used what they had—money, resources, logistical support—to make His ministry possible.
They are not preaching sermons. They are paying for meals. They are helping with travel arrangements, lodging, and daily needs. Their names appear in just a few verses, but their impact runs through the entire story.
Every visible ministry is supported by invisible faithfulness.
You may not be the one on stage or up front. You might be the one:
Giving regularly from your income.
Cooking meals for church gatherings.
Providing transportation.
Offering your home as a meeting place.
Doing the “small” tasks that keep ministry moving.
Heaven does not call that “small.” Jesus sees the women who open their wallets and their lives for the kingdom. Their generosity and practical support are part of His story.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Does it really matter that I’m ‘just’ giving, ‘just’ helping behind the scenes?”—Luke 8 says yes. Your contribution is not a side note; it’s part of the infrastructure of grace.
Hidden heroes often hold the ropes so others can go down into the well. They are midwives to ministry, quietly making room for God’s work in the world.
Centering Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You see the hidden sacrifices that keep your work moving—gifts of money, time, organization, and hospitality. Open my eyes to the resources you’ve placed in my hands. Center my heart in gratitude for what you’ve done for me and show me how to invest my life and possessions in your mission with joy and freedom. – Amen.
Practice for Today
Choose one concrete way to support God’s work: a financial gift, a meal for someone in ministry, volunteering time, or offering a skill. Let it be an intentional act of partnership with Jesus.
Journaling Prompt
What resources—financial, practical, relational—has God entrusted to me? How might I more intentionally use them to support His work in the world?
Closing Blessing
Your ministry may be as a quiet patron of the kingdom.
Hold your resources with open, generous hands.
Let gratitude for Christ’s healing move you to partnership.
Invest your life in what will echo into eternity.
Pray as You Go
Breathe in: Lord, all I have is Yours…
Breathe out: … use it for Your kingdom
