Team Daily Bible Reading and Commentary Thoughts for June 2024

316Judith

June 1, 2024

Bible Reading

Acts 7:51
Isaiah 63:10
Ephesians 4:29-30
Galatians 5:22-25

Commentary Thoughts

Wait for the Nudge

Is there anything in your life that needs to be removed?

Any impediment to the impression of God’s Spirit?

We can grieve the Spirit with our angry words (Ephesians 4:29–30; Isaiah 63:10) and resist the Spirit in our disobedience (Acts 7:51).

We can even quench the Spirit by having no regard for God’s teachings.

Here is something that helps me stay in step with the Spirit.

We know that the “fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23 nasb).

God’s Spirit creates and distributes these characteristics. They are indicators on my spiritual dashboard.

So whenever I sense them, I know I am walking in the Spirit.

Whenever I lack them, I know I am out of step with the Spirit.

To walk in the Spirit, respond to the promptings God gives you.

Don’t sense any nudging?

Just be patient and wait.

Abraham waited for the promised son.

Moses waited forty years in the wilderness.

Jesus waited thirty years before he began his ministry.

God instills seasons of silence in his plan.

Winter is needed for the soil to bear fruit.

Time is needed for the development of a crop.

And disciples wait for the move of God.

Wait for him to move, nudge, and direct you.

316Judith

June 2, 2024

Bible Reading

Ephesians 6:12
Genesis 12:7

Commentary Thoughts

A Spiritual Battle

For a book about conquests, the book of Joshua sure skimps on military details. What weapons did Joshua’s army use? How many officers did his army have? The answer to these and other questions? We don’t know.

We don’t know because the emphasis is not on a physical battle but a spiritual one. The real conflict wasn’t with Canaanites or Amorites; it was with Satan and his demons.

Canaan was the choicest real estate on earth. It was marked by fertile fields and valleys. Most important, the land was God’s gift to Israel (Genesis 12:7).

God set this property apart for his people and his people apart to be a blessing for the world. God promised Abram, “I will make you a great nation” (12:2).

The Hebrews were the couriers of God’s covenant to a galaxy of people. Israel was the parchment on which God’s redemption story would be written.

Satan’s counterstrategy was clear: contaminate the Promised Land and preempt the Promised Child. Destroy God’s people and destroy God’s work.

Joshua’s battle, then, was a spiritual one.

So is ours.

316Judith

June 3, 2024

Bible Reading

Jeremiah 29:11
1 Peter 1:20
Galatians 4:4
Acts 2:23
Daniel 5:21
Psalms 75:7
Jeremiah 30:24
Ephesians 1:11

Commentary Thoughts

The Discovery That Changes Everything

You are in the hands of a living, loving God.

Random collection of disconnected short stories?

Far from it. Your life is a crafted narrative written by a good God, who is working toward your supreme good.

God is not slipshod or haphazard. He planned creation according to a calendar.

He determined the details of salvation “before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20).

The death of Jesus was not an afterthought, nor was it Plan B or an emergency operation. Jesus died “when the set time had fully come” (Galatians 4:4 niv), according to God’s “deliberate plan and foreknowledge” (Acts 2:23 niv).

God isn’t making up a plan as he goes along. Nor did he wind up the clock and walk away.

“The Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will” (Daniel 5:21 esv).

He “executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another” (Psalm 75:7 esv).

“The Lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intentions of his mind” (Jeremiah 30:24 esv).

Look at those verbs: God rules, sets, executes, accomplished.

These terms confirm the existence of heavenly blueprints and plans. Those plans include you. “In him we were also chosen, . . . according to the plan of him who works out everything in
conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:11 niv).

This discovery changes everything!

316Judith

June 5, 2024

Bible Reading

Psalm 96:1-4
Psalm 40:3
John 13:10

Commentary Thoughts

A New Song

God places a song in the hearts of his children. A song of hope and life. “He has put a new song in my mouth” (Psalm 40:3).

Some saints sing this song loud and long every single day of their lives. In other cases the song falls silent. Life’s hurts and happenings mute the music within. Long seasons pass in which God’s song is not sung.

I want to be careful here. Truth is, we do not always know if someone has trusted God’s grace.

A person may have feigned belief but not meant it.

Judas is an example of one who seemed to have been saved but in truth was not. For three years he followed Christ.

While the others were becoming apostles, he was becoming a tool of Satan.

When Jesus said, “You are clean, though not every one of you” (John 13:10 niv), he was referring to Judas, who possessed a fake faith.

Whether or not someone’s faith is real isn’t ours to know. But we know this: where there is genuine conversion, there is eternal salvation.

Our task is to trust God’s ability to call his children home.

We join God as he walks among his wayward and wounded children, singing.

Eventually his own will hear his voice, and something within them will awaken. And when it does, they will begin to sing again.

316Judith

June 7, 2024

Bible Reading

Genesis 1:26
Genesis 1:1
Romans 1:20

Commentary Thoughts

You Are Stamped with God's Image

Some time ago, I videotaped a message for our church. We recruited a film crew and drove to the Alamo. We selected a park bench in front of the shrine of Texas liberty, set up the equipment, and got busy.

Four workers managed sight and sound with lights and cameras. I sat on the bench, trying to remember my thoughts. We must have looked official. Passersby began to pause. Some started to stare. Who is that guy? What are they filming?

One woman’s curiosity finally erupted into a question that she shouted at me from behind the crew. “Are you somebody important?”

Every soul on earth has asked the same question. Am I somebody important?

It’s easy to feel anything but important when the corporation sees you as a number, the boyfriend treats you like cattle, your ex takes your energy, or old age takes your dignity.

Somebody important? Hardly.

But when you struggle with that question, remember this promise of God: you were created by God, in God’s image, for God’s glory.

From the very beginning, the Bible assumes the existence of God. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

That anyone could look at the wonder of the universe and call it a “coincidence” is unfathomable to divine reasoning.

For the writers of the Bible, creation is prima facie evidence for the existence of God—an open-and-shut case.

Paul said as much to the Roman believers when he wrote, “Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Romans 1:20).

Everything that exists gives evidence of God’s existence. The intricacy of the snowflake, the roar of a thunderstorm, the precision of the honeybee, the bubbling of a cool mountain stream.

These miracles and a million more give testimony to the existence of a brilliant, wise, and tireless God.

We read of one of God’s first promises in Genesis 1:26. “God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule.’”

Embedded in these words is the most wonderful of promises: God made us to reflect the image of Himself.

The God who put the universe in order, created the land and sea, and gave life to the birds and the beasts called His creation good.

But it was only after He created Adam and Eve on the sixth day that he called it all very good.

The heavens above reflect the glory of God, but they are not made in the image of God.

Yet we are. God created us to be more like Him than anything else He made.

And each of us carries some of the communicable attributes of God. Wisdom. Love. Grace. Kindness. A longing for eternity.

We bear the fingerprints of the Divine Maker, because we are made in His image and in His likeness.

You were conceived by God before you were conceived by your parents.

You were loved in heaven before you were known on earth.

God has no bad ideas.

This is God’s plan.

This is God’s promise.

Respond

What does it mean for you to be made in the image of God?

How does this promise impact the way you look at yourself?

What does this promise say about the
relationship God wants to have with you?

What does being made in God’s image say about your value?

Who in your life do you need to recognize as being made in God’s image?

How can you better treat this person as God’s image-bearer?

316Judith

June 8, 2024

Bible Reading

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Colossians 3:12-17

Commentary Thoughts

God wants us to be thankful

We teach our children to say thank you if other people give them something or do something for them.

For most people, that’s a basic politeness rule.

The Bible seems to say the same: “give thanks…” not only to other people, but also to God!

After all, there is a whole list of good things we receive from Him. Even life itself comes from the Lord:

“For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light” (Psalm 36:9).

It would be really strange to thank other people for their goodness towards us, but not God.

And yet, we need to be reminded of this basic ‘rule’ every now and then.

The Bible exhorts us to not only thank God when things are going especially well, but “always and for everything” (Ephesians 5:20).

This goes beyond basic politeness; this is about an attitude of the heart. And living such a life of thankfulness is not always easy.

Can you list five things you could thank God for?

316Judith

June 9, 2024

Bible Reading

Romans 1:18-23

Luke 17:12-19

Commentary Thoughts

Thankfulness does not come naturally to sinful people

In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul describes the situation of a world that does not acknowledge God.

All humans were created by God, and thus should give Him the honor He deserves. But most people live in “ungodliness and unrighteousness”, Paul observes.

And that is not because they simply don’t know better. On the contrary. Paul states that those people “are without excuse”, since they “suppress the truth”.

The problem is not that they haven’t a clue about God. “His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20).

The problem rather is that sinful people don’t want to give God honor and thanks. And that makes God sad and angry. If people don’t acknowledge Him as their Creator and live defiantly against His will, they will ultimately face His wrath.

God is worthy of our thankfulness, and He gets offended, so to speak, if we don’t give it to Him.

Do you acknowledge God as your Creator, and do you thank Him for all the goodness shown to you?

316Judith

June 10, 2024

Bible Reading

Romans 5:8-11
1 Chronicles 16:28-34

Commentary Thoughts

God’s goodness and his spiritual blessings are a continuous cause for thankfulness

Sometimes we have a whole lot to be thankful for.

In other periods, we might see more cause for complaint than for giving thanks.

But some grounds for thankfulness are always there and will never change.

They are so stable because they come from a God who “endures forever”, “with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17).

The greatest ground for thankfulness is that “while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10).

We were all born as sinners. We all lived in rebellion against God.

But God so loved the world that He provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him.

Whoever accepts this offer of forgiveness, receives eternal life and “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3).

Maybe we don’t really value this gift of grace every day because we 'got used to it’, but if we take time to meditate on God’s mercy, there are so many reasons to be thankful!

If you feel downcast and find it difficult to be
thankful, remind yourself of God’s offer of salvation to sinners...

316Judith

June 11, 2024

Bible Reading

Psalms chapter 9

Commentary Thoughts

Thanking God for his wonderful deeds

Yesterday, we noticed that God’s offer of salvation to sinners is always a reason to be thankful. But besides this timeless truth, there are also special events or “wonderful deeds” to thank God for.

The book of Psalms gives multiple examples from the life of David and from the history of the people of Israel.

When David was young, king Saul tried to kill him. David fled to the wilderness, but even there Saul chased him “like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains”. It really was a desperate situation, and David cried out to God.

He needed help! The Lord saved him, and he became king of Israel.

This period of his life shaped David’s character and his relationship with the Lord. He never forgot “the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me, who rescued me from my enemies” (Psalm 18:47).

Experiencing God’s salvation and blessing in your own life can fill your heart with thankfulness. It can encourage you even years later, when you look back and recall what God has done.

It is good to thank the Lord by explicitly recounting all of his wonderful deeds. He is worth it.

Are there “wonderful deeds” in your life that make you especially thankful?

316Judith

June 12, 2024

Bible Reading

Acts 14:8-18

Commentary Thoughts

Giving thanks for the “ordinary things” in life

There are so many good things in life we tend to take for granted. Having a house to live in, food to eat, being healthy, a job, people around us who love us and care for us...

These things are essential, but not automatic.

They are gifts from God.

The Bible makes clear that even natural phenomena like rain, sunshine, and the growing of crops are guided by God.

He is the Creator of everything, and He is still in control.

In the book of Deuteronomy, the Lord explained to the Israelites how He wanted to bless them.

These blessings were not only spiritual. Moses told the people: “He will love you, bless you, and multiply you.

He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you” (Deuteronomy 7:13).

Not only the exceptional, spectacular blessings are reason to say thanks. We can also thank God for ordinary daily blessings like a healthy meal or a good night’s sleep.

For “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17).

Do you recognize your “daily bread” as a gift from
God?

316Judith

June 13, 2024

Bible Reading

Psalm 69:13-21

Lamentations 3:17-24

Commentary Thoughts

But what if I feel overwhelmed and desperate?

1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to “give thanks in all circumstances”.

But what if you feel so overwhelmed and desperate that your heart just wants to cry?

What if everything around you is so dark that God seems to have forgotten you?

You’re not the first one wrestling with these feelings. It is not without reason that the book of Psalms, for example, contains many songs of lament besides the songs of praise and thankfulness.

These songs point us in the right direction, namely to God.

We should not only thank Him when everything is great; we should not just try to be thankful when many things seem to go wrong; we are invited to pour out our soul to Him.

If we are in distress, we can tell Him.
If we need help, we should ask Him for it.
If we feel confused, or angry, or left alone, we can cry out to Him.
He knows what is within our hearts,
we need not hide our emotions from Him.

At the same time, it is possible to be thankful even in difficulties.

The apostle Paul explains why: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Even if we don’t see how certain developments in our lives could bring about anything good, we can trust that our loving heavenly Father knows what He is doing, and that He is in control.

Do you trust that God knows what is best for you?

316Judith

June 14

Bible Reading

Psalm 7:17
Colossians 3:12-19

Commentary Thoughts

Expressing thankfulness

Thankfulness is an attitude of the heart. But that does not mean that our thankfulness needs to keep silent! When our hearts are thankful, this will show on the outside.

Just like we tend to “say thanks”, not just to “feel thankful” when other people are nice to us, it’s good to express our thankfulness to God.

He is worthy of our praise.

A common way to “say thanks” to God, is in prayer.

Besides bringing our sorrows, problems, or doubts before our heavenly Father, it is good to mention the blessings He has given us.

Explicitly listing these blessings will also help us to remember God’s goodness to us and to develop an attitude of thankfulness.

The letter to the Colossians mentions another means to express our thanks: by “singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”.

These can be centuries-old psalms that express human emotions in timeless ways, or it can be brand new songs that the Holy Spirit puts in believers’ hearts.

We can sing alone or together, a cappella or accompanied by musical instruments, in church or while doing the laundry.

There are countless ways to express our thankfulness to God.

We just need to remind ourselves to do so regularly!

Do you often use songs to express your emotions?

316Judith

June 15, 2024

Bible Reading

Psalm 26
Psalm 35:18
Psalm 35:27-28

Commentary Thoughts

Sharing our thankfulness with others

Being thankful is a personal emotion or attitude.

We can’t be thankful on behalf of someone else.

But we can share our thankfulness with others!

The Bible gives multiple examples. David says that he is “proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your [=God’s] wondrous deeds” (Psalm 26:7).

In another Psalm, he is thankful that God has delivered him from a dangerous situation. He exclaims: “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations” (Psalm 57:9).

Sharing with others how good God is, honors Him.

Just as we ask others to pray for us when we have difficulties, it is good to share with them how God has blessed us.

Just as we are to “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15), we can be thankful with those who have reason to say thanks.

Moreover, thanking the Lord in “the great congregation” can encourage others by pointing them to God’s goodness.

Especially if those fellow believers are struggling with faith doubts or despondency, it can help them to see the Lord at work in your life.

316Judith

Father’s Day
June 16, 2024

Bible Reading

1 Chronicles 23:27-32
Philippians 4:6-7

Commentary Thoughts

Thankfulness as part of your daily life

In Old Testament times, the temple service was an important part of Israel’s religious life. The temple was the place where people could bring their sacrifices, where they celebrated the religious feasts, and where they came to pray.

But there were also thousands of men from the tribe of Levi, who were appointed as “professional worshipers”, organized in divisions. Every morning and every evening, they were to thank and praise God with songs and music.

Nowadays, we don’t have a temple anymore. We do have churches, but most churches don’t organize daily services to thank and praise God.

But I think the principle of having set times for worship and prayer, besides spontaneous occasions, can be very helpful.

If we don’t have a certain rhythm in our daily lives, we tend to forget or neglect things, even things we consider important.

This should not be the case with our giving thanks to God.

It is good to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness by taking time regularly to meditate on all the blessings God gives us, and say thanks to Him.

Something for you to Consider:

When would be a good time in your daily schedule to thank and praise the Lord?

316Judith

June 17, 2024

Bible Reading

Acts 13:2
Jeremiah 29:13-14

Commentary Thoughts

A deeper recognition of our spiritual identity aids us in discerning our spiritual purpose.

Jeremiah’s challenge to the exiled Israelites was not to seek their purpose but, as God’s chosen people, to first seek God in the midst of their circumstances. However, it was in the seeking and searching after God with all their hearts (Jeremiah 29:13) that God’s purposes and plans for His people became clear:

“I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you…and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile” (Jeremiah 29:14).

You can see a similar pattern at work in the calling of Saul and Barnabas to be missionaries in the book of Acts:

“While they (the church at Antioch) were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’" (Acts 13:2).

It was only as the church at Antioch sought after God and learned more of His heart that the Holy Spirit granted discernment concerning the calling of Saul and Barnabas to the mission that God had set for His church.

Many of our lives lack direction because we are pursuing a purpose that is inconsistent with who God is and what He has created us to be. Like a parent correcting a child who is misusing a kitchen utensil, God is saying to many of us concerning the direction of our lives, “that’s not what that is made for!”

Are you listening when God directs you down the path to your purpose?

316Judith

June 18, 2024

Bible Reading

Genesis 50:20
Genesis 39:21
Genesis 39:3
Jeremiah 29:14
Jeremiah 29:7
Jeremiah 29:11

Commentary Thoughts

Discernment of our spiritual purpose gives us hope in the midst of the trials we face.

Jeremiah’s word of encouragement to the Israelites on the brink of despair was that God was at work in the midst of their mess. Jeremiah comforted the people with these words:

“‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

The Israelites could settle down, build houses, and seek the welfare of the city where God had sent them into exile (Jeremiah 29:7) because they knew God’s ultimate plans to restore their fortunes and gather them from all the nations and from all the places where He had driven them (Jeremiah 29:14).

When we understand our spiritual purpose rooted in who God is and who He created us to be, we can look back, like Joseph, over the trials and messy spots in life, knowing that God has always been with us (Genesis 39:3, 21). We can say confidently, as Joseph said to his brothers,

“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Genesis 50:20).

I want to bring to mind a scene from the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. When the bad guys had stolen the map to find the Holy Grail from Indiana Jones and his father, Indiana was perplexed at what to do next.

His father, however, reminded his son not to worry, because he was the one who had written the map in the first place.

When our own lives seem directionless, we need to remember that our Heavenly Father has already meticulously drawn out the maps of our lives (Psalm 139:13-16).

As we seek God and come to know Him more intimately, He will give direction to our directionless lives, granting us the benefit of spiritual purpose.

316Judith

June 20, 2024

Bible Reading

1 Peter 2:2

Ephesians 4:15

Commentary Thoughts

Spiritual Growth Demands Nourishment
It often helps to follow a definition with an illustration of what we’re talking about.

One obvious way to illustrate spiritual growth is by looking at its physical counterpart.

Going back to our topic of newborn babies, I’m sure you know that every infant not only wants but also often demands food.

Everything within that child cries out, “Give me something to eat. I’ve got some growing to do!” If you have ever heard a newborn baby cry out of hunger, you can appreciate the apostle Peter’s words of admonition to Christians:

“Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Peter 2:2).

This is one of the best one-sentence descriptions of spiritual growth you’ll find in the Bible. We may not know exactly how spiritual growth works, but this verse helps us because it compares spiritual growth to physical growth.

The issue for a newborn baby is the development of the life he or she has been given. Now that may seem so simple and obvious that you wonder why I even mention it.

But it has been my experience as a pastor that this key principle of spiritual growth is often overlooked for exactly that reason.

Spiritual growth is not first and foremost a program or a curriculum, as I said above, but the nourishment and development of a life.

Now I can hear someone saying, “Well, a baby may not be following a program, but her mom certainly is.” That’s true.

There is a well-established, proven program of nourishment that any mom needs to follow if she wants her baby to experience healthy growth.

That’s why I said there is nothing wrong with various programs or steps as long as they are facilitating the growth of spiritual life.

The goal of spiritual growth is to feed the life you were given by the Holy Spirit at the moment of your conversion, or your re-birth, so that you may, as Peter wrote, “grow in respect to salvation” (1 Peter 2:2).

Paul put it this way: “We are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ” (Eph. 4:15).

The point is that your spiritual DNA is complete because you received the life of Christ at your conversion, and nothing can be added to Christ.

Our challenge as Christians is to maximize what
we already have, not run around and look for that
which we don’t have.

316Judith

June 22, 2024

Bible Reading

Romans chapters 6 to 8
Romans 7:12
Romans 7:14
Colossians 2:6

Commentary Thoughts

The Essence of Grace

One reason the grace of God is so amazing is that it comes up no matter where we turn to talk about the Christian life. Let me just give you the essence of grace and how it relates to spiritual growth.

Grace is all that God is free to do for you based on the work of Jesus Christ on your behalf.

It is God’s inexhaustible supply of goodness whereby He does for you what you could never do for yourself.

This is the ABCs of the faith, but we need to review it because the truth of grace seems to get lost so often when it comes to how we grow in Christ.

That may be true because growth suggests an effort on our part, while grace is a gift that can only be received and enjoyed, not earned.

But the Bible says we are saved by grace, and we grow by grace. Or as Paul told the Colossians, “As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Col. 2:6).

If I were the devil and I didn’t want Christians to grow, I would keep them from drawing on God’s grace and drive them back to the principle of law to keep them in bondage.

Romans 6–8 contain Paul’s classic contrast between the law of Moses and grace, describing in painful detail our complete inability to obey God’s commands in our own power.

Now Paul made it very clear that the problem is not with God’s law, which is “holy and righteous and good” (Rom. 7:12).

The fault is with our sinful, fallen flesh. What happened under the Mosaic law is that when God’s perfect standard, with its requirement of perfect obedience, was applied to sinful and weak human beings, something had to give—and God was not about to lower or adjust His standard to accommodate our sinfulness.

And since the law carried with it a penalty for failure to obey, we fell under the sentence of death.

Paul also wrote, “The Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin” (Rom. 7:14).

The reason this is important is that the law had no power to help anyone obey its commands.

Law tells you what to do, but it doesn’t hold out a hand to help you.

The law reveals God’s demands, which never change.

But we need someone to give us the power to obey God’s commands.

Living under "law" is like living with a perfect person who takes joy in telling you everything you are doing wrong, but never lifts a finger to help you get it right.

Under these conditions, you will inevitably live an unhappy, defeated, and empty life.

We can see why grace is required for spiritual growth.

Spiritually dead people can’t grow, but all that the law of Moses could produce, was death: because it was all command and penalty- without the enablement to obey.

That’s why Peter said if we are going to grow, it has to be by grace. And not just grace as a theological concept, but as it is related to Christ.

316Judith

June 23, 2024

Bible Reading

2 Peter 3:8

Commentary Thoughts

The Knowledge of Jesus Christ

As an author, I rarely ever receive one of my books in the mail from someone I’ve never met, with a request that I sign the book.

But when I speak at a conference where books are available, a lot of people come to me and ask me to sign their copy.

The difference is that they have met the author, and so the book takes on a new meaning. They have connected the content with a person.

Peter told us to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

We have His book, the Word of God, to learn from, and the Holy Spirit as our Teacher. In other words, we have everything we need- to put the ingredient of knowledge to work in our lives.

I have already mentioned how easy it is to get off track in this area and seek spiritual knowledge for its own sake.

But that’s like a young man who carries around a boxful of letters from his girlfriend, content to read them instead of using the insights they contain to deepen his relationship with her.

Our goal is to know Christ, not just know about Him.

A lot of people can give you facts and details about the lives of their favorite sports stars or celebrities.

But there’s a world of difference between that kind of knowledge and having the person invite you over for dinner because you are good friends.

You can put the Bible in an honored place in your home, take pictures of it to post on social media—particularly of underlined verses inside, and yet not know the Savior it speaks of.

Knowledge is an ingredient of spiritual growth, but it is knowledge of a Person that we must seek.

To change the analogy, we could say that even though it’s good to use a cookbook, it’s even better to call Mom. Why? Because while the cookbook can give you the steps in a recipe, Mom can tell you why it didn’t work or give you a secret to make it work better the next time.

Mom can bring the cookbook to life with her wisdom, experience, and loving touch.

Information about the Christian faith is critical because our faith has specific content.

But it is also critical that this information gets connected to the living reality of Jesus Christ.

So, if you are serious about spiritual growth, the driving force must be the pursuit of a living relationship with Christ, which will deepen as you get to know Him better.

316Judith

June 24, 2024

Bible Reading

John 10:10
2 Timothy 1:7

Commentary Thoughts

Emotions are to the soul what the senses are to the body. They reveal the way we feel about life’s circumstances. People who have gone the wrong direction with their emotions struggle to survive and may feel helpless, hopeless, and worthless.

An emotional stronghold does not refer to having a bad day every once in a while. It refers to when you cannot shake the negative entrapment that has grasped your life, resulting in uncontrolled discouragement, depression, and sorrow.

Instead of doing what so many people do (which is to try to deny or suppress emotional strongholds through pills, entertainment, sex, or spending), I want to help you discover the root behind what you are experiencing so that you can overcome it.

The truth is that God did not create you to carry emotional strongholds for five, twenty, or forty years, or for any time at all.

Rather, God has promised you, in Christ, a full life. Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10b).

He has not called you to live each day defeated. He wants you to know and trust that He is the One who is in control of all things, and that He is watching over the entirety of your life.

If you are not experiencing the abundant life that Christ freely gives, it is time for a U-turn.

Turn to God, and ask Him to reveal the areas where you are lacking trust and that an emotional stronghold may have set in.

He wants to help you learn how to see past your sorrow—to view your life from His vantage point.

He can make a miracle out of what looks like a mess.

316Judith

June 25, 2024

Bible Reading

2 Corinthians 5:17
Romans 6:1-4

Commentary Thoughts

Let me remind you of a very important truth about emotions: they don’t have an intellect.

They don’t think. They merely respond.

Emotions must borrow thoughts in order to stimulate feelings.

Therefore, whoever or whatever controls your thoughts, controls how you feel.

Your emotions are established and ruled by how you think about the circumstances in your life.

So, if you want to master your emotions and overcome emotional strongholds in your life, you need to master your thinking.

When you align your thoughts with God’s truth, you will be set free.

Take a look in the mirror. That person you see was co-crucified, co-buried, and co-resurrected with Christ.

In the eyes of God, when Jesus died two thousand years ago, so did you.

When He was buried, you lay in the tomb with Him.

When He rose, you did too.

Even though you may only have received Christ a short time ago, God took what happened to Jesus so many years ago and has made it part of your spiritual reality.

Satan is a master at planting thoughts in your mind and making you think they are your own.

Perhaps you do hear him saying something like,

“I can’t overcome low self-esteem and the comparison trap.

I can’t be free from this emotional bondage.

I can’t resist these old habits of falling into depression.”

He may say those things to you, or you may even say them to yourself, but in order to overcome them, you must stop believing the lies.

All those statements may have been true when the old you was alive, but that person died on the cross along with Christ.

You are a completely new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

A Question to Ask yourself:

What lies are you believing about yourself?

316Judith

June 26

Bible Reading

Psalm 118:8
Proverbs 3:5

Commentary Thoughts

One of the major emotional strongholds people deal with today is known as codependency.

There are other terms that expand this stronghold to just beyond one relationship—those terms would be people-pleasing and social-media addictions.

But, for starters, let’s look at codependency.

Codependency is a coping mechanism (one form of an emotional stronghold) that enables a person to deal—albeit wrongly—with a lack he or she may feel.

Perhaps there is a lack of self-worth and self-esteem or strong feelings of being rejected.

Regardless, codependency usually involves using a person or people to fix what is broken.

I call this having a people stronghold.

God is the only One who has the power and the ability to meet our needs.

The trouble comes when we insist on turning to others before we turn to Him.

Throughout His Word, we read how God uses people in the lives of others.

However, we never read where God is pleased when we allow people and things to take His place.

In fact, the opposite is true; we have created an emotional idol.

Even an addiction to social media can fall into the category of emotional idolatry.

There exists a fine line between enjoying some relationship or benefiting from social media connections and the devolution of emotional relationships or comparisons.

People and relationships are a gift which we should enjoy.

But we also want to be careful that we do not allow our emotions to turn into a stronghold of depression, loneliness, envy, doubt, or fear.

You need to remind yourself that, in Christ, you have everything you need.

You don’t need to hold out for something from some other person to make you complete.

What or whom are you relying on for your sense of self-worth?

316Judith

June 28, 2024

Bible Reading

Luke 15:1-18

Commentary Thoughts

"I Will Arise And Go"

When Jesus told the story of the Prodigal Son, He was giving our lost society a graphic picture of more than a willful son or a backslidden man.

Years ago I spent time alone with God in prayer and supplication, asking the Spirit of God to aid me in the comprehension of the parable of the Prodigal Son. I have relied upon the understanding which I believe God gave me.

I believe the Prodigal Son is God’s clear-cut picture to us of the entire human race that went out to the pigsty in Adam— and came back to the Father in Christ!

The most telling part of the parable is the fact that the errant son “came to himself ”—and that speaks to us of the reality and necessity of repentance. He could repent and turn and seek forgiveness because he knew that his Father had not changed. He knew the character of his Father. Except for that knowledge, he could never have said: “I will arise and go to my Father!”

Brethren, all of us who have come back to God by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ have found, as did the prodigal, that the Father in heaven has not changed at all!

Prayer - "I praise You, Lord, that nothing about You has changed. And nothing that has happened in this world has caught You by surprise. You are our faithful, loving and just Father".

316Judith

June 29, 2024

Bible Reading

Romans 6:13

Commentary Thoughts by A W Tozer

Unwilling To Yield

I know there are people who hear me preach regularly who will never consider changing their way of living. They will go “underground” before they will do that!

Our situation is not an isolated case. There are millions of men and women with an understanding of the revelation of God in Jesus Christ, who are still not willing to receive and commit themselves to Him whom the very angels and stars and rivers receive. They hesitate and they delay because they know God is asking the abdication of their own selfish little kingdom and interests.

This is the tragedy of mankind, my brethren! We have rejected Him from our lives because we must have our own way. But until Jesus Christ is sincerely received, there can be no knowledge of salvation, nor any understanding of the things of God.

The little, selfish, sinful man rejects the Son of God. While he is still enumerating the things he deserves, the Son of God stands outside.

My brethren, I repeat: This is the great tragedy of mankind!

Prayer - "Dear Lord, we all know of some people in our lives who are aware of the truth of the gospel but who choose to live apart from God. I pray that Your Spirit will cause each of these people to feel an overwhelming sense of dread concerning their future destiny".

316Judith

June 30, 2024

Bible Reading

Hebrews 13:1

Commentary Thoughts

A Christian Virtue

I am being very frank about this and I hope I am being helpful: Do not ever say you are not right with God because you like some people better than others!

I believe you can be right with God and still not like the way some people behave. It is easy to love those who are friendly; others rub us the wrong way or perhaps they cut us down.

The writer to the Hebrews has appealed to us as Christian believers to “let brotherly love continue”—in other words, “never stop loving one another in the Lord.”

Here is what I have found: It is possible to love people in the Lord even though you may not like their boorish or distasteful human traits. We still love them for Jesus’ sake!

Yes, I believe you can be right with God and still not like the way some people behave. Our admonition is to love them in a larger and more comprehensive way because we are all one in Christ Jesus. This kind of love is indeed a Christian virtue!


Prayer - "Father, help me to love people for Jesus’ sake even when they do or say things that annoy or hurt me".