Team Daily Devotions for July 2024
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July 28, 2024
Wisdom from the Psalms
Psalms 94:20
Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?
What a minister does on his day off is his business Reverend Gray was fuming.
Members of his church had seen him go into a casino and bar on his day off, and now the entire congregation was in an uproar.
He liked to fraternize with some regulars at the casino; old friends from college days.
There was nothing wrong with getting together with old friends, and if a couple of coins hit the slots, what was the harm?
It was nobody's business but his own.
We need to be careful how we walk in our Christian lives.
We are examples to others of how Christ wants His people to be.
That is the big responsibility, and one that we must take very seriously.
Our business becomes the business of other people when it could possibly affect their faith.
Who we associate with matters very much to who we want to be. It is good to remember that not only God watches the faithful.
Prayer: If I am to be an example of what it means to follow Christ, then help me to be the best example I can be. Guide me by Your Spirit. Amen.0 -
Monday, July 29
The True Vine
For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant plant.
Isaiah 5:7
Jesus used images from the Old Testament to demonstrate how He fulfilled God’s expectations for Israel.
In Isaiah 5, Israel is pictured as a vineyard which God planted in expectation of bearing the fruit of “justice” and “righteousness”: “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel.” Sadly, the vineyard bore the fruit of “oppression” and “a cry for help” (verse 7).
So God allowed His vineyard, Israel, to be uprooted and destroyed (verses 5-6).
Bible Reading:
Isaiah 5:1-7
But when Jesus came, He said, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1).
Jesus came to bear good fruit, by being the True Vine of God, that Israel failed to bear.
And not just good fruit in Himself but for all who would believe in Him—the branches of the True Vine (John 15:1-8).
Jesus intends to bear His good fruit in and through us as we remain “attached” to Him.
If we remain (abide) in Him and His words remain in us, we will bear the fruit that Jesus bore in His life and ministry (John 15:7).
Abide in Jesus and His Word every day. By His Spirit, His life-giving fruit will manifest in your life (Galatians 5:22-23).
Fruit is evidence of the root. John Blanchard1 -
Tuesday, July 30
8,000 Dead Branches
I am the true vine…. I am the vine, you are the branches. John 15:1, 5
The so-called “Tree of Life” is as dead as a rock, but it’s still impressive to see. In the middle of Disney World’s Animal Kingdom, it towers upward 145 feet, and more than 300 animals are carved into its trunk.
It’s patterned after a baobab tree, with more than 8,000 branches and approximately 102,000 artificial leaves.
Yet no roots pull nutrients from the soil, and no fruit grows on its limbs.
Bible Reading:
John 15:1-8
Jesus Christ is alive, and in His John 15 metaphor, we are living branches connected to Him. The “sap” of the Holy Spirit flows from His life into ours, and as we abide with Him in unbroken fellowship, we will bear fruit—the qualities and attitudes of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the source of life. Some people may be like impressive trees towering over the rest of us.
They may even seem to do all the right things, but in reality they are not connected to Him. They are as dead as Disney’s famous tree.
Abide in Him daily through consistent fellowship in His Word, and you’ll find Him as the center and source of life today.
We need Jesus like we need oxygen. Like we need water. Like the branch needs the vine. John Eldredge1 -
I was wondering if you would post antying abuot the John and vine chapeter. When I worked with Bible Club Movement before I had children and changed their name, we memorized that chapter as we read it tpgether every lunch before we ate.1
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Barb, I will give this much thought and in the future will consider posting a Daily Bible Study on this subject you requesting in the very near future. For now I will continue posting Daily Devotions as I have been!0
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Judith you are fine I was just saying, I remember memorizing the vine chapter before I had kids. Then next day you posted that devotional. Nothing mentioned about a study. Sorry to sound confusing.
Prayers for you Judith.1 -
Wednesday, July 31
The Abiding Presence
Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.
1 Peter 1:8
In His Upper Room sermon in John 13–17, Jesus prepared His disciples for His departure. They had enjoyed His physical, visual presence for three years, but now He was leaving them—by His death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven.
He explained He was leaving in order to send His Spirit who would be with them and in them (John 14:17).
Bible Reading:
1 Peter 1:3-8
Years later, Peter told his readers that we can still love, trust, and rejoice in Christ even if we don’t presently see Him.
We have His Spirit, making Him real to us, and the Holy Spirit can be with every believer across the world at once.
That’s why we must abide in Christ.
We can enjoy His abiding presence by the indwelling Holy Spirit until that day when we see our Lord face to face.
Today, ask the Lord to fill you with the Holy Spirit, and rejoice in His presence.
The branch of the vine does not worry, toil, and rush here to seek for sunshine, and there to find rain.
No; it rests in union and communion with the vine. J. Hudson Taylor0
