What could be worth giving up everything you own?

In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef explores Jesus’ parable of the merchant who finds one pearl of great value and sells everything to buy it (Matthew 13:45–46). To grasp the weight of this illustration, Dr. Youssef highlights why pearls were considered the most precious commodity in Jesus’ day: they were rare, dangerous to obtain, and priceless to possess.

Then comes the deeper meaning: the pearl of great worth is the Lord Jesus Christ—the only Savior who suffered, bled, and died on the cross, then rose again so forgiveness and eternal life could be offered to all who believe. No achievement, possession, or security compares to Him. In Christ, you find what the world can never provide: peace of mind, true identity, lasting security, and rest for your soul.

This devotional calls you to examine what you’re valuing most—and to respond to Jesus not with partial devotion, but wholehearted surrender.

Prayer: Father, thank You for Jesus Christ, the pearl of great price. May my life reflect Christ to this world. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today’s MY Devotional has been provided by Leading The Way.

The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today’s devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.

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Who crucified Jesus? Was it Judas, the priests, Pilate—or the crowd?

In today’s MY Devotional, Dr. Michael Youssef reveals the deeper Truth: Jesus chose the cross. He went deliberately, willingly, and resolutely—not as a victim of circumstance, but as the Savior on mission. Every person who has ever lived inherited a spiritual debt and then added to it, but God, in mercy, provided a way out. On the cross, the Son of God paid what we could never pay, so that every repentant sinner who comes to Christ by faith can be set free.

Drawing from Philippians 2:5–11, Dr. Youssef highlights the humility of Jesus—God in the flesh—who became obedient to death, even death on a cross. And as Jesus suffered, He prayed words that still astonish us: “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). This wasn’t forced surrender; it was love in action—love that satisfied God’s justice and opened the door to eternal life.

If you’re searching for true peace, lasting security, and a clean conscience before God, this episode points you to the only source: the crucified and risen Christ. Do you know the forgiveness and love of God?

Prayer: Jesus, Your love overwhelms me. I cannot fully fathom it; it humbles and sustains me. You are my Rock and my Redeemer. I long to live for You, the lover of my soul. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8).

Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon The Folly and the Power of the Cross, Part 2: LISTEN NOW| WATCH NOW

The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today’s devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.

🙏 Pastoral Care & Prayer Teams
Our trained prayer partners and pastoral care team are available to pray with you and offer Biblical support.
https://ltw.org/care

💬 Receive personal answers to your faith questions—anytime, day or night—at:
https://myfaithassistant.com

If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, please consider a tax-deductible donation to help extend this ministry—so another person can be encouraged, prayed for, and pointed to Christ.

❤️ Support Leading The Way:
https://www.ltw.org/donate

Yesterday we looked at two types of soil Satan targets. Today, Dr. Michael Youssef turns to the third: spoiled soil—a heart that isn’t hard or shallow, but overcrowded.

In this episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, you’ll hear how Jesus describes the seed “among thorns” as someone who hears the Word, yet becomes unfruitful because the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke spiritual growth (Matthew 13:22). The problem isn’t the seed—God’s Word is powerful. The problem is competition: distractions and “competing seeds” the enemy tosses into the mix to drain your focus, sap your energy, and smother your witness.

Dr. Youssef challenges you to examine what’s crowding your life:

• Is busyness strangling prayer and Scripture intake?
• Are anxiety and constant worry becoming a chokehold on joy?
• Have ambitions, comforts, or resentments become functional idols?

Then comes the hope: good soil—the guarded heart that hears, understands, and produces a crop that lasts (Matthew 13:23). This devotional will help you identify what kind of “soil” you’re living with right now and call you to vigilant, daily protection of God’s Word so it can flourish.

Prayer: Father, forgive me for the things in my life that have hindered Your Word from fully developing in me. I pray that You would nurture Your seeds of Truth in my life. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today's my devotional has been provided by Leading The Way.

The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today’s devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.

🙏 Pastoral Care & Prayer Teams
Our trained prayer partners and pastoral care team are available to pray with you and offer Biblical support.
https://ltw.org/care

💬 Receive personal answers to your faith questions—anytime, day or night—at:
https://myfaithassistant.com

If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, please consider a tax-deductible donation to help extend this ministry—so another person can be encouraged, prayed for, and pointed to Christ.

❤️ Support Leading The Way:
https://www.ltw.org/donate