Team Daily Devotions for July 2024
316Judith
Posts: 11,657 Member
Good Morning All
Welcome back to our Daily Devotions for July.
Monday, July 1
Never Ending
But You are the same, and Your years will have no end. Psalm 102:27
Stephen Charnock, a seventeenth-century Puritan, gave a series of lectures about the qualities of God. He died before finishing his talks, but afterward his discourses were published as a massive book entitled The Existence and Attributes of God. Speaking of God’s eternity, Charnock said, “God is without end. He always was, always is, and always will be what he is. He remains always the same in being; so far from any change, that no shadow of it can touch him.”
Bible Reading:
Psalm 102:23-28
The title I AM speaks of God’s self-existence and eternal being.
There has never been a time when God was not.
He’s the same through all the ages.
There will never be a time when God ceases to be God.
He is Jehovah, Yahweh, I AM.
With our mouths we can say those words, but they are beyond our full comprehension—as it should be for an infinite God.
Because He has no ending, He’s able to impart eternal life to His children.
Give thanks for His consistent, eternal nature. What would we do without it!
As immensity is the diffusion of his essence, so eternity is the duration of his essence, and when we say God is eternal, we exclude from him all possibility of beginning and ending, all flux and change. Stephen Charnock
Welcome back to our Daily Devotions for July.
Monday, July 1
Never Ending
But You are the same, and Your years will have no end. Psalm 102:27
Stephen Charnock, a seventeenth-century Puritan, gave a series of lectures about the qualities of God. He died before finishing his talks, but afterward his discourses were published as a massive book entitled The Existence and Attributes of God. Speaking of God’s eternity, Charnock said, “God is without end. He always was, always is, and always will be what he is. He remains always the same in being; so far from any change, that no shadow of it can touch him.”
Bible Reading:
Psalm 102:23-28
The title I AM speaks of God’s self-existence and eternal being.
There has never been a time when God was not.
He’s the same through all the ages.
There will never be a time when God ceases to be God.
He is Jehovah, Yahweh, I AM.
With our mouths we can say those words, but they are beyond our full comprehension—as it should be for an infinite God.
Because He has no ending, He’s able to impart eternal life to His children.
Give thanks for His consistent, eternal nature. What would we do without it!
As immensity is the diffusion of his essence, so eternity is the duration of his essence, and when we say God is eternal, we exclude from him all possibility of beginning and ending, all flux and change. Stephen Charnock
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Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Who Christ Is
Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
John 8:58
Consider how often we use the phrase, “I am,” in conversation. It is interesting to note that God used the phrase “I AM” in answering a question from Moses who wanted to know how to identify God to the Hebrew slaves. God’s answer was, “I AM WHO I AM.” Moses was to tell them, “I AM has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14).
Bible Reading:
Exodus 3:14
I AM is full of theological significance when applied to God. And Jesus used that significance to identify Himself to the Jews as being one with God: “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58).
So holy were these words to the Jews that they tried unsuccessfully to stone Him (John 8:59).
Jesus went on to expand on the meaning of I AM by using the phrase seven times to describe aspects of His being: I am the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Door, the Good Shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and the True Vine.
Meditating on each of these aspects of God’s Person in Christ reveals untold riches about who He is and what He does.
God is not the great I WAS, He is the great I AM. Eric Alexander0 -
Wednesday, July 3
Bread of Life
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”
John 6:35
The Spanish explorer, Juan Ponce de León, was supposedly searching for the fountain of youth when he explored Florida in 1513. An antidote to death has always been a human aspiration.
Bible Reading:
John 6:41-59
When Jesus said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6:51), His words caused no small disturbance—even among His true followers (John 6:61, 66).
Jesus wasn’t promising the avoidance of physical death but spiritual death. And He wasn’t suggesting that eating His physical body was the way to consume the “bread” of which He spoke.
He spoke of spiritual, eternal life and His own impending death for the sins of the world.
We “consume” Jesus by believing in Him: “He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25).
When we preach Jesus Christ, oh! Then we are not putting out the plates, and the knives and the forks for the feast, but we are handing out the bread itself. Charles Spurgeon0 -
Happy Independence Day 🇺🇸
Thursday, July 4
I Am Your Reward
I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.
Genesis 15:1
One day the famous existentialist philosopher Albert Camus confessed to Pastor Howard Mumma that he was disillusioned with his own philosophical conclusions.
Mumma listened, then began sharing with Camus the story of the Bible, starting with Adam and Eve.
Suddenly Camus brightened up and said, “Howard, do you remember what Augustine said: ‘Thou has made us for Thyself and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in Thee’?”
Mumma wondered whether Camus was on the road to becoming a believer in Christ.
Bible Reading:
Genesis 15:1-6
For once, Camus was right. God has made us for Himself, and our hearts are restless until we find Him.
We’re made to be satisfied by knowing God and accepting His Son, Jesus Christ.
Some people try to fill the emptiness in their hearts with other things, but Jesus wants to be the very substance of who you are and what you are. You simply have to say, “Yes.”
He Himself is your reward. Thank Him today for this: He so fills the emptiness in our hearts that we don’t need anything else.
Christianity is the measure of our whole being, and, as such, it is a process that consumes a lifetime. Howard Mumma0 -
Friday, July 5, 2024
I Am Willing
Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.”
Matthew 8:3
Hymnist Fanny Crosby heard a sermon preached by her relative Dr. Howard Crosby in which he said no Christian should fear death, for the same grace that teaches us how to live will teach us how to die.
Inspired by his words, Miss Crosby wrote a hymn that spoke of the joy she would feel when she died and awoke “within the palace of the King!”
She said in the chorus, “And I shall see Him face to face, and tell the story—saved by grace!”
Bible Reading:
Titus 3:1-8
Our whole culture is built on the idea of good works, which are rewarded by promotion and increase. But the Gospel turns that on its head.
Titus 3:4-5 tells us that we aren’t saved by works of righteousness which we have done but by His mercy and grace.
It’s an indescribable relief to know we don’t have to work our way to heaven. How terrible to fear every fault and failure. It’s by grace we are saved, by the One who said, “I am willing; be cleansed.”
Someday my earthly house will fall, I cannot tell how soon ‘twill be; but this I know—my All in All has now a place in heaven for me. Fanny Crosby
Devotion by David Jeremiah0 -
The Surrender of Paul
Saturday, July 6
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:8
Bible Reading:
Philippians 2:5-8
The idea of surrender is to choose not to resist and to submit to authority. We think of surrender most readily in military terms, but surrender is also experienced personally.
The most consequential act of surrender in history happened when Jesus chose not to resist His Father’s will for Him to die on a cross: “Nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).
All disciples of Jesus are called to surrender in the same way—to be willing to take up our own cross (Luke 14:27).
Paul’s surrender to Christ is the most dramatic in history. Having been the chief persecutor of Christ’s followers, Paul surrendered to Christ beginning with an encounter on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19).
That act led to a lifetime of surrender in which he gave up everything in order to live for Christ.
If you are a disciple of Christ, contemplate the degree of your surrender to Him and any resistance you feel.
I surrender all, I surrender all; all to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all. Judson W. Van de Venter0 -
July 7, 2024
Wisdom from the Psalms
Psalms 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Loren worked on his tan all summer. He wanted that "ruddy, healthy look." All his efforts went into the pursuit of the perfect tan. By fall, he knew he's be the envy of all his friends and the object of desire of all the ladies.
A suntan is an outward sign. Everyone who looks, sees that the person has been changed in some way. The same is true of our Son tan; the spiritual bathing we take in Christ.
Do people notice a difference in our lives just by looking at us? If we have been touched by the light of Christ, people should be able to tell.
No longer do we walk selfishly and in sin.
Through Christ, we walk upright, and God shines forth through us.
Let us work hard on our spiritual image as we do on our physical one.
Prayer: Shine Your light on, in, and through me, Lord, that I might fight against darkness wherever I go. Amen.0 -
Monday, July 8
Light of the World
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
John 8:12
When the Hebrew slaves traveled through the Sinai wilderness, God provided a pillar of cloud to guide them during the day and a pillar of fire to guide them at night (Exodus 13:20-22).
The fire in the midst of darkness at night was “to give them light on the road which they should travel” (Nehemiah 9:12).
Bible Reading:
1 John 1:5-7
Jesus reminded the Jews of His day of the need for spiritual light in a spiritually dark world, calling Himself “the light of the world.” The darker the night, the more our need for light.
He was reminding them that “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
Sadly, both in Jesus’ day and in ours, the darkness in this world doesn’t always understand the light of Christ (John 1:3-9).
But all who embrace the light of Christ are given the right to become “children of God” (John 1:12).
Make sure you are a child of God by believing in Christ, by letting His light become the light of your life.
It is no advantage to be near the light if the eyes are closed. Augustine0 -
Tuesday, July 9
Shine His Light
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy quoted a phrase from the Puritan John Winthrop’s 1630 sermon in which he referenced “a city upon a hill,” referring to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in colonial America.
In 1980, President Ronald Reagan used the same phrase in his campaign speeches.
While Kennedy and Reagan were quoting John Winthrop, Winthrop himself was quoting Jesus: “A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Bible Reading:
Matthew 5:14-16
Jesus made that statement in His Sermon on the Mount while telling His disciples, “You are the light of the world.... Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16).
Jesus was the Light of the World (John 8:12) who imparted His light to His disciples. He wanted them not to hide their light; He wanted their light to be as visible to the world as a city on a hill.
If you have Christ in your life, let the world see Him and His light shining through you today. The purpose of your light is that God may be glorified.
The design of Christian doctrine is that believers should exercise themselves in good works. John Calvin0 -
Wednesday, July 10
Seek the Light
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105
Bible Reading:
2 Timothy 3:16
Back before we had GPS-enabled maps on our phones and in our cars, people navigated on road trips using paper maps.
This was challenging enough during the day, but at least there was light.
But at night, road maps were doubly challenging since the interior lights in cars were rarely bright enough to make map reading easy.
Light is a critical ingredient when navigating on the road or through life.
When we encounter dead-ends, roadblocks, detours, or other challenges when traveling through life, we need the brightest light possible: Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, and His Word.
When seeking the guidance and direction we need, we should go first to God in prayer—and then to His Word.
The psalmist declared God’s Word to be a lamp to his feet and a light to his path.
In that day, tiny oil lamps would only illuminate a path for a short distance. We must trust God to illuminate our next steps, not the entire journey at once.
Trust the God who is Light and His Word if you are in need of direction (2 Timothy 3:16).
No darkness we have who in Jesus abide; the
light of the world is Jesus! P. P. Bliss0 -
Thursday, July 11
The Gigantic Door
Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split. Matthew 27:51
The biggest doors in the world are at the NASA Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida.
They’re higher than Niagara Falls because of the size of the space vehicles assembled there. It takes a full 45 minutes to completely open or close them.
But those doors aren’t as impressive as the ancient doors of the Jewish temple.
One of them—the door between the holy place and the most holy place—was actually a thick curtain, barring access to the glory of the God of Israel.
Bible Reading:
Hebrews 10:19-25
When Jesus died on the cross, that barrier split open.
His death allows us to enter unhindered to the throne of grace to find grace and mercy to help in time of need.
We don’t need a rocket to blast us to heaven. We simply go through the door opened by Him who said, “I am the door” (John 10:7).
Take advantage of this massive, open door. Bring your burdens to the Lord and entrust them to Him. Bring your praises and rejoice in Him.
Jesus is the door that leads to Himself; that leads to knowing Him more and loving Him better, to
getting all the blessings of eternal life, all that makes us holy and happy in Him. Hugh Macmillan0 -
Great devotion Judith. We saw a replica of the sanctuary in Eureka Springs, Arkansas one summer. It was amazing. There was a man who told us about it. The curtain is huge. That was torn then when Jesus died for us. So glad we don’t have to have sacrifices & can go to Jesus any time or day.
Thank you Judith1 -
Friday, July 12
Safe and Secure
I am the door of the sheep.
John 10:7
Warren Wiersbe explained John 10:1-6 like this: “The middle Eastern sheepfold was very simple: a stone wall, perhaps ten feet high, surrounded it, and an opening served as the door.
The shepherds in the village would drive their sheep into the fold at nightfall and leave the porter to stand guard.
In the morning each shepherd would call his own sheep, which would recognize their shepherd’s voice and come out of the fold.
The porter (or one of the shepherds) would sleep at the opening of the fold and actually become ‘the door.’”1
Bible Reading:
John 10:7-10
Jesus said He was the Door. When we are in Him, we have the stone walls of His protective care all around us, and He Himself stands guard to make sure we’re “safe and secure from all alarm,” as we sing in an old Gospel song.
Take a deep breath today and remember that you don’t need to be afraid. Jesus, the Door, is your protective Shepherd.
Every day may be a day of blessing, every hour an hour of victory, if but lived in the thought that Jehovah in his might is your shepherd. J. Wilber Chapman0 -
Saturday, JULY 13, 2024
Look-Alikes:
The Obedience of Mary Magdalene
“Go to My brethren” .... Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the [resurrected] Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her. John 20:17-18
Bible Reading: John 12:49-50
When a parent tells a child, “Go to the pantry and choose a chocolate treat for yourself,” how much of a test of obedience is involved?
Very little, as the assigned task is one the child would delight in.
There is no danger or sacrifice involved, no weighing of priorities or inconvenience—all factors which challenge the notion of obedience.
Jesus’ entire earthly life was lived in obedience to God, often (and ultimately) at great cost. He said, “The Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak....
Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak” (John 12:49-50).
As a disciple of Jesus, Mary Magdalene did the same thing in obeying Jesus.
When she encountered the resurrected Jesus, He told her to take a message to the other disciples—and she obeyed instantly. In the midst of questions and confusion, she obeyed her Lord.
Delayed obedience is disobedience.
Consider today how you might faithfully obey God regardless of the cost.
Beware of reasoning about God’s Word—obey it. Oswald Chambers0 -
It is easy to obey when the end result is swift and good. It is much harder to obey when we do not see the goal in sight. It takes trust in God to be able to obey and to know that it will result in good things at a later time.1
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Sunday, July 14, 2024
Wisdom from the Psalms
Psalms 88:12
Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? And they righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
The man fell in love with the painting. Its beauty was beyond words. He would give anything to own the painting; to possess its beauty for himself. He bought the painting and took it home with him.
Immediately, he began to worry that it might get damaged. He packed the painting in a crate and locked it in an airtight vault, away from seeking eyes, where no one could benefit from its loveliness.
We have received a treasure of great value: Jesus Christ.
Should we hold Him in our hearts, never letting Him be seen, or should we expose Him to the view of all who would look?
We are to be the city on the hill, the light shining in the darkness, the salt of the earth.
No one has the option to call himself a Christian and then keep it selfishly inside.
Our faith is intensely personal, but it is never private. We possess a pearl of great price. Be proud of it and let the whole world see it.
Prayer: Make my life a picture of Your love, Lord. I want to be one more example of Your greatness and glory on this earth. Be with me to guide my steps. Amen.0 -
Great devotional Judith.
I got to sit under Warren Wiersbe’s teaching. When I was a student at Moody Bible Institute. Warren Wiersbe was pastor of Moody Memorial church. He was so good!
Yesterday, in church we learned there is 4 prayers; Talk with God, Talk to God, Listening to God, and Be with God. He was very good.
We all need to pray more.
Praying by verses is a good way to go too. Why I keep trying to memorize verses. Harder as we age.1 -
Monday, July 15
Guardian of the Sheep
I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
John 10:9
In the ancient Near East, kings were often referred to as shepherds. In the Old Testament, God was referred to as the “Shepherd of Israel” (Psalm 80:1), the One who would do what Israel’s failed earthly shepherds would not do: care for the people of Israel (Ezekiel 34:11-16).
Ezekiel 34 contains one of the harshest rebukes in the Old Testament: God’s rebuke of the leaders of Israel who were not caring for His people.
Bible Reading:
Ezekiel 34:11-16
Against this background, Jesus not only declared Himself to be the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14), but He also said He was the Door of the sheepfold.
That meant anyone coming in or out of the sheepfold had to go through Him. He was not the guardian of the door; He was the Door itself! Those who enter His sheepfold “will be saved” and can go “in and out [to] find pasture” (John 10:9).
This is reminiscent of His words in John 14:6: “No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Thank God today that Jesus is your way to salvation and the One who protects you as part of His flock.
Salvation comes through a cross and a crucified Christ. Andrew Murray1 -
Tuesday, July 16
Good Shepherd
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
John 10:11
When a teenage David offered to fight the Philistine giant Goliath, King Saul doubted his ability—until David provided evidence from his life as a shepherd.
Whenever a lion or bear attacked his flock, David would fight and kill the attacking beast and rescue his sheep from its claws and teeth. David said he would do the same to Goliath, and Saul acquiesced (1 Samuel 17:32-37).
Bible Reading:
Psalm 23:1-6
As a shepherd, David fulfilled his two most important tasks: provide for his flock and protect his flock.
He saw God fulfilling those same two responsibilities for His people and for him personally and wrote a song illustrating God’s role as the Shepherd:
Psalm 23. God provides green pastures for His flock and protects them in the valley of the shadow of death. The role of the Good Shepherd is one Jesus took upon Himself as Israel’s Messiah—a Shepherd who “gives His life for the sheep.”
Jesus is still the Good Shepherd. He can defeat any giant that stands in your way. You can trust Him for provision and protection every day until He comes to gather His flock to Himself.
Before an emergency arises, God in his providence has made adequately and perfectly timed provision to meet it. J. Oswald Sanders
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A good one for every day troubles. Praying your apartment is drying up, you won’t lose too many belongings. If so easily replaced & not cost much $$.
God does provide
In walking my grand daughter who will be 2 on Saturday she fell & has an abrasion small but it may have been her first so lots of tears. I think seeing blood scared her. We cleaned it & prayed. God heals quickly.
We can take our big problems to Him & our little scrapes too he loves us so much,1 -
Wednesday, July 17
The Shepherd and His Sheep
I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
John 10:14
Four Labrador Retrievers sit at the feet of their trainer, muscles twitching as they wait for their names to be called.
The trainer whispers one of their names, and the designated dog takes off like a rocket to retrieve the dummy—while the other three dogs stay as still as statues until they hear their name.
The trainer knows each dog’s name, and the dogs know the trainer’s voice. Such knowledge results in a bond of intimacy and trust.
Bible Reading:
John 10:3-5
The same was true in biblical times when a shepherd built a bond of intimacy and trust with his flock.
Jesus said His sheep know His voice and He leads them out to pasture—calling them by name.
He leads, and they follow, “for they know his voice.”
So attuned are sheep to their shepherd’s voice that they will not follow a stranger who tries to lead them astray (John 10:3-5).
Intimacy and trust form the bond between Jesus and His flock—two traits which are built over time.
Make sure you are investing the time needed to increase your intimacy and trust with the Good Shepherd.
If we love Christ much, surely we shall trust him much. Thomas Brooks0 -
Thursday, July 18
The Shepherd’s Voice
For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice. Psalm 95:7
Music lovers can easily identify the voices of their favorite singers.
Everyone’s voice is different with different lungs, tracheas, larynxes, tongues, pitches, and vocal cords.
Even sheep have the ability to learn and identify the specific voice of their own shepherd.
If several flocks are mingled together, they can be easily separated as each shepherd, in turn, calls his flock to follow him.
Bible Reading:
John 10:22-30
The Lord Jesus, our Shepherd, has the most distinct and unique voice in the world. It’s as deep as the ocean, as rich as waterfalls, as wise as the sages, as quiet as the breeze, and as sweet as the fragrance of lilies.
Like sheep, we can learn to listen to Him and trust what He says.
The best way of hearing Him is whenever we open His Word. Don’t forget to do that today.
You are a sheep of His pasture. Today, if you will hear His voice, He will speak personally to you with the very words you need to hear.
If we’ll tune our hearts to Him by setting aside time to read His Word and listen for His Spirit to speak, He will give us clear guidance. Charles Stanley1 -
Friday, July 19
Exhilaration
Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up. John 11:11
Alexander Polli, a skydiver and base jumper, was asked why he risked his life. “To be quite honest,” he said, “I an extremely scared of dying.” Sadly, Polli perished in 2016 while trying to soar through the French Alps in a flying suit. He was 31.1
Bible Reading:
John 11:1-11
When we know Christ as Savior, we can soar in life with no fear of dying.
Yes, we want to challenge ourselves and occasionally pump our adrenaline. We like adventure.
But we also know Jesus Christ is able to satisfy our inner craving for significance and excitement.
We can say with Paul, “But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Philippians 1:22-23).
When Jesus healed His friend Lazarus, He demonstrated His power over death. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).
There’s no exhilaration like knowing Him, and no security like knowing that He will certainly awaken all those who fall asleep in Christ.
Even death holds no terror because he is the Living One who has conquered death and holds it in his power. Robert Mounce0 -
JULY 20, 2024
Look-Alikes: The Sacrifice of Barnabas
And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Acts 4:36-37
Bible Reading: Ephesians 5:2
The disciple John called Jesus, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
Every Jew knew exactly how a lamb could atone for sin: by sacrifice (Isaiah 53:7).
So calling Jesus the “Lamb of God” was another way of acknowledging His mission of sacrifice.
Disciples of Jesus are called—by Jesus Himself—to live lives of sacrifice: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).
But sacrifice doesn’t always involve laying down one’s life. It can easily involve laying down a part of one’s life—time, resources, possessions.
Barnabas, a leader in the Early Church, did that when he sold some of his land and gave the money to meet the needs of fellow believers in Jerusalem.
He didn’t have to sacrifice his property (assets) for others but did so willingly, following the example of Christ.
Look for ways today to be a “living sacrifice” for the sake of another (Romans 12:1).
The only life that counts is the life that costs. Frederick P. Wood0 -
Part of our sermon this morning was about Barnabas giving all of his portion of the money from the land he sold compared to Ananias and his wife lying and only giving part of it. It is so important that we give our lives and money for a worthwhile thing. Going to heaven and seeing our Savior is the most important thing in our lives. Our money and possessions will perish but eternal life is so much more important than those things.1
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July 21
Wisdom from the Psalms
Psalms 91:3
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
Mr. Frederickson stormed into the dean's office with Carol in tow. He shoved her down into the seat, and said, "She's the one! I caught her this time. She's the one who keeps letting the animals go."
"I'm sorry," Carol began, "but I can't stand to see the animals treated the way they are. They shouldn't be used for experiments. They have a right to live, and I just couldn't watch them suffer."
The dean worked to settle Mr. Frederickson down and to explain why Carol couldn't do what she'd done, though deep down inside, he was on her side. It was nice to see a young person care so much about something other than herself. It was good that the animals had a champion.
We have a champion in Jesus Christ. Held captive to sin, trapped with no way out, we could only wait to see what would happen. What happened was the saving love of Christ, which set us free from the trap, and continues to protect us every day.
Prayer: Thank You for rescuing me from the snare of sin. On my own, I get so tangled in sin, but with You to guide me, I can avoid the traps and remain free for a life of joy and love. Amen.1 -
Monday, July 22
Life Eternal
Jesus said to [Martha], “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” John 11:25-26
In Mark 2 we find Jesus performing a physical miracle (healing) in order to prove His authority to perform a spiritual miracle (forgiveness). Healing is visible while forgiveness is invisible.
So He performed a visible healing to convince His doubters that His invisible act of forgiveness was just as genuine (verses 1-12). He did something similar when His friend Lazarus died.
Bible Reading:
1 Corinthians 15:50-53
Before raising Lazarus from the dead—a physical miracle—Jesus told Lazarus’s sister Martha a spiritual truth: Even though one dies physically, he will live forever spiritually through faith in Christ.
Jesus’ authority to make such a claim could have been questioned before He brought Lazarus back to life—but not after.
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, His authority to say that the one who believes in Him shall never die was established.
Eventually, Lazarus died again physically but not spiritually. And Jesus’ own resurrection ensures that all who believe in Him shall live eternally.
Thank Him today for His resurrection that authorizes your resurrection and eternal life.
Eternal life does not begin with death; it begins with faith. Samuel Shoemaker0 -
Tuesday, July 23
The Ten
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20
Ten people in human history have returned to life after dying: the widow of Zarephath’s son (1 Kings 17), the Shunammite woman’s son (2 Kings 4), a nameless man (2 Kings 13), the boy in Nain (Luke 7), Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8), Lazarus (John 11), Tabitha (Acts 9), Eutychus (Acts 20), and let’s summarize as ninth, those involved in the mysterious resurrections at the crucifixion (Matthew 27).
Bible Reading:
John 11:40-44
The tenth is in a category all to Himself. Jesus rose with a deathless, imperishable, eternal, glorified body. He Himself is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25).
The resurrections in the past point us forward not backward.
The risen Christ is with us now and we enjoy His fellowship.
In addition, we rejoice in the sure and certain hope of our own coming resurrection and everlasting life (Philippians 3:20).
Not only are we anticipating the resurrection to come, but we also have the joy of living every day in the presence and power of our resurrected Lord!
The resurrection…is not a doctrine to be pondered but an invitation to experience the living Christ in your life. Henry Blackaby1 -
Wednesday July 24, 2024
Signs of Life
You cannot discern the signs of the times.
Matthew 16:3
Bible Reading:
John 14:1-6
Have you ever been confused by highway signs like these: “Slow Children at Play.” Or “Caution Pedestrians Slippery When Wet.” A traffic sign in England says, “Right Lane Must Turn Left.” One man saw a sign reading, “Entrance Only. Do Not Enter.” A sign in California said, “Please Slow Drively.” And if you see a large sign announcing, “Welcome to Accident,” you’re probably entering the town of Accident, Maryland.
The world is giving us a lot of confusing signs right now, and sometimes we hardly know where we’re headed or what we’re doing. We feel lost.
But let your mind go back to when Thomas felt the same way. He asked, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:5-6).
When we focus on Jesus, we find the Way, we know the Truth, and we experience the Life. There’s nothing confusing about that. He can help you on your journey!
Jesus is the way; He knows where to go; He is the truth; He knows what to say; He is the life; He knows who He is—the One who gives us life both abundant and eternal. Anonymous1 -
Friday, July 26
The Truth About Truth
Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?
John 8:46
John used the word “truth” more than twenty times in his Gospel. He told us that Jesus is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), that truth comes through Him (1:17), and that the truth will make us free (8:32). Jesus said, “I tell the truth” (8:45) and “I am…the truth” (14:6). He promised to send us the Spirit of truth to guide us into all truth (16:13). When He prayed for us, He asked His Father to “sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (17:17).
Bible Reading:
John 14:15-18
Pontius Pilate scoffed at Him, saying, “What is truth?” (18:38) That’s what people are saying today too. When we hear phrases like “Your truth, my truth, and his truth,” it comes from a belief that there is no absolute truth. Everything is subject to opinions. Everything is relative.
A world in which everyone thinks their opinions, however mistaken, represent for them the truth, well, that’s a world of absurdity. Don’t be fooled by the world’s version of truth. Stay close to Him who is the Truth and continually study the Book that is true and trustworthy—the Bible.
God’s claim of absolute truth is so essential that man’s ideas should never intrude upon it. Steve Ham0 -
JULY 27, 2024
Look-Alikes: The Faithfulness of Mary of Bethany
And [Martha] had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.
Luke 10:39
Bible Reading: Acts 22:3
When kindergarten teachers or library employees host a story hour for children, the setting is familiar: The one reading the story sits in a chair while the children sit on the floor at her feet. This posture is age-old; it was employed in the first century by Jewish rabbis as they instructed their students (Matthew 5:1; John 8:2).
The apostle Paul received his training in Judaism as a young man sitting “at the feet of Gamaliel” (Acts 22:3), the most revered rabbi in Jerusalem.
Given Paul’s encyclopedic knowledge of the law and the Old Testament, Paul must have been a faithful student for many years.
We find another faithful student at the home of three siblings in Bethany: Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.
When Jesus visited in their home, Martha busied herself with preparations for their meal, while Mary “sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.”
When Martha complained to Jesus about Mary’s lack of helpfulness, Jesus commended Mary for her faithfulness in choosing the better priority (Luke 10:41-42).
Mary was a faithful disciple of Jesus, taking every opportunity to hear Him teach. Follow Mary’s example of faithfulness in receiving God’s Word.
How can there be great faith where there is little
faithfulness? William Gurnall0
