Becoming Entirely His / Oswald Chambers

 

Becoming Entirely His Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. JAMES 1:4 Many of us appear to be all right in general, but there are still some areas in which we are careless and lazy; it is not a matter of sin, but the remnants of our carnal life that tend to make us careless. Carelessness is an insult to the Holy Spirit. We should have no carelessness about us either in the way we worship God, or even in the way we eat and drink. Not only must our relationship to God be right, but the outward expression of that relationship must also be right. Ultimately, God will allow nothing to escape; every detail of our lives is under His scrutiny. God will bring us back in countless ways to the same point over and over again. And He never tires of bringing us back to that one point until we learn the lesson, because His purpose is to produce the finished product. It may be a problem arising from our impulsive nature, but again and again, with the most persistent patience, God has brought us back to that one particular point. Or the problem may be our idle and wandering thinking, or our independent nature and self-interest. Through this process, God is trying to impress upon us the one thing that is not entirely right in our lives. We have been having a wonderful time in our studies over the revealed truth of God’s redemption, and our hearts are perfect toward Him. And His wonderful work in us makes us know that overall we are right with Him. “Let patience have its perfect work….” The Holy Spirit speaking through James said, “Now let your patience become a finished product.” Beware of becoming careless over the small details of life and saying, “Oh, that will have to do for now.” Whatever it may be, God will point it out with persistence until we become entirely His.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else. “Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord”;… from The Highest Good—The Pilgrim’s Song Book, 537 L

The Grace to Overcome / Charles Stanley

 

The Grace to Overcome

Hebrews 4:14-16

The Lord said that though adversity is part of earthly life, He has overcome the world (John 16:33). And because of God’s abundant goodness, kindness, and love for His children, we don’t have to feel discouraged or walk away from His plan. 

We’ll know His divine grace is working in us when we have ... 

• Strength to persevere. Through the Holy Spirit, God releases His power into us so we might endure (Acts 1:8). 

• A spirit of confidence. The Lord understands our troubles and urges us to approach Him boldly for help (Heb. 4:15-16). 

• A sense of His presence. When grace is at work, we will be conscious of the Spirit’s abiding support. 

• A focus on God. With divine help, we can shift our attention from our situation to God. 

• Trust that God will bring us through—and not just barely but with deeper intimacy and greater faith at the end. 

• Assurance of God’s sovereignty. We trust that He’s in control of our trials and will provide all we need in order to endure (1 Corinthians 10:13). 

Paul had been through shipwrecks, imprisonments, and beatings—difficulties far worse than most of ours. He didn’t quit because he drew on God’s grace and found it sufficient for every circumstance. Where do you need some grace in order not to give up and walk away? 

A Prayer for Mothers / Chuck Swindoll

A Prayer for Mothers

by Pastor Chuck SwindollScriptures: Isaiah 66:13

"As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you." (Isaiah 66:13)

We do worship You, our Father, and in our worship we give You our thanks. We thank You, not only for our own mothers and grandmothers but for all women who have filled that role. We remember those who are now deceased, who helped shape our lives, who taught us faithfully, and who enduringly loved us. Thank You for the contribution of fine women all over this world who live lives dedicated to Your service, to their families, to their extended families. Thank You for each. You have written in Your Word that their "worth is far above jewels."

Thank You for the tenderness and compassion mothers contribute to a world that's cold and raw and careless and harsh. Thank You for their affirmation and words of affection in the midst of a society bent on high achievement, self-serving goals, and short-sighted pursuits. Thank You for their hours of investment in others. Thank You for their contribution to You in the work of the church down through the centuries. Thank You for using women through the ages to improve their homes, their families, and other's lives. Thank You for their vision, for their strength of character. Most of all, for their hearts, tender to You and affectionate toward those they love.

Dear Father, so many of these things represent Your wisdom which is, as You have written, more precious than silver—better than gold. In light of that, we rededicate ourselves to Your work, to Your service, and to those who need our love. We commit our future to You for however many months or years You may give us. May we faithfully and relentlessly serve the Master.

In the name of the Savior, we pray. Amen.

See also Exodus 20:12; Proverbs 6:20; 20:20; 30:17.

 

Attention Getter #5: Be Bold / David Jeremiah

Attention Getter #5: Be Bold

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Romans 1:16

 Recommended Reading: Romans 1:16-17

Rebecca Pippert wrote, “As our cultural landscape becomes increasingly secular, secularism does not have the power to erase our human longings for meaning and worth. If anything, it increases them…. So even if people can’t quite articulate what they feel they are missing, the longing and wistfulness are there. But they will not know where to look unless Christians both live and tell the good news of what God has done for all in Christ.”[1]

We don’t have to summon up boldness like an ironsmith pumping the bellows. Acts 4:13 says, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” The Early Church was filled with the Spirit of Jesus, and thus filled with boldness. 

Never be ashamed of the Gospel. Spend time with Jesus, be filled with the Spirit, and tell the Good News of what God has done for all in Christ.

We need to learn again to share our faith in a confident, compassionate, compelling way in this new, post-Christian world. 

Rebecca Pippert 

Who Are “the Elect”? / Adrian Rogers

 Who Are “the Elect”?                   

And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.Revelation 22:17

You don’t have to pay one blessed cent for the water of life. Take it and drink freely. You’ll never have your heart’s deepest thirst satisfied until you’re satisfied with Jesus. I promise on the authority of the Word of God, He will save you,

Let’s say Samuel D. Smith, born July 4, 1990, asks, “But Pastor Rogers, what if I’m not one of the ‘elect’? How can I know for sure I’m one of the ‘elect’”?

Would it help Sam to believe he’s one of the elect if Jesus had said here, “Let Sam Smith come and take of the water of life freely”? No, there’s more than one Sam Smith.

What if it said, “Samuel D. Smith”? There might be another Samuel D Smith. It might not refer to our Sam.

What if it said, “Samuel D. Smith, born in Sam’s hometown on July 4, 1990”?

There could be another Samuel D. Smith born in his town on July 4, 1990. By now you’re saying, “Adrian, you’re getting ridiculous.”

Let me solve this. Let’s forget all that and just put one word in there: “whosoever.” That’s exactly what it says: “Whosoever will, let him come….” That’s better than anybody’s name spelled out in detail.

Who are the elect? I can settle that in 30 seconds. The elect are the “whosoever wills.

If you want to be saved, come to Jesus. He’s reaching His nail-pierced hands to you, saying, “Come.” Jesus says come. The Spirit says come. The bride says come. The individual says come. You can come and drink.

Priceless Lives in Christ / ODB

 

Priceless Lives in Christ There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Luke 15:10 READ Luke 15:8–10 Tears streamed down my cheeks during a frantic search for my lost wedding and anniversary rings. After an hour of lifting couch cushions and scouring every nook and cranny of our home, Alan said, “I’m sorry. We’ll replace them.” “Thanks,” I responded. “But their sentimental value surpasses their material worth. They’re irreplaceable.” Praying, I continued hunting for the jewelry. “Please, God. Help me find them.” Later, while reaching into the pocket of a sweater worn earlier in the week, I found the priceless jewels. “Thank You, Jesus!” I exclaimed. As my husband and I rejoiced, I slipped on the rings and recalled the parable of the woman who lost a coin (Luke 15:8–10). Like the woman who searched for her lost silver coin, I knew the worth of what had been lost. Neither of us was wrong for wanting to find our valuables. Jesus simply used that story to emphasize His desire to save every person He created. One sinner repenting results in a celebration in heaven. What a gift it would be to become a person who prays as passionately for others as we pray for lost treasures to be found. What a privilege it is to celebrate when someone repents and surrenders their lives to Christ. If we’ve placed our trust in Jesus, we can be thankful we’ve experienced the joy of being loved by Someone who never gave up because He thought we were worth finding. By Xochitl Dixon Whose salvation will you commit to praying for today? Who can you share your testimony with? Father, thank You for reminding me that every person You create is a priceless life worth saving.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT Jesus’ involvement with the outcasts of society offended the self-righteous Pharisees and the teachers of the law (Matthew 9:10; Luke 7:34; 15:1–2) who saw themselves as the only people deserving of heaven. In response, Jesus taught the three parables found in Luke 15: the lost sheep (vv. 3–7), the lost coin (vv. 8–10), and the lost son (vv. 11–32). All three stories follow a pattern—something is lost, a relentless search is undertaken, and there’s great rejoicing when the lost is found. These paint an unmistakable picture of the persistent and seeking God who relentlessly searches for us until we’re found. In the parable of the lost coin, “ten silver coins” (v. 8) was equivalent to only ten days’ wages for a common laborer, but would constitute a significant portion of the woman’s livelihood, especially if she were poor or a widow. Some scholars suggest the coins were precious because they were part of a dowry, a headband of ten silver coins that signified marital status. K. T. Sim

July 31 / Wisdom from the Psalms

 Psalms 96:6

Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

Take time to be quiet and think about the good things God has done for you. Look at both the good times and the bad in proper perspective. We are loved by a God of all creation, the Master of all eternity. He has made us important by His love for us. Think of how wonderful this love is. We have no way to comprehend this kind of love and attention. It is well that we take time to contemplate all these things. All honor and glory belongs to the Lord, who loves us so much. By entering into His presence, we come to know just how very lucky we are.

Prayer: Who am I, Lord, that You take notice of me? I cannot believe that You love me the way You do. Though I don't understand, I do accept Your gracious love, and I am thankful from the depths of my soul. Amen.

Go Ahead. Shine. by John UpChurch / Crosswalk

Go Ahead. Shine.
by John UpChurch

"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life" - Philippians 2:14-16

The quick-burning desire to be an astronomer came during year three of my college experience. That was after philosopher, writer (the first time), and English professor, but before anthropologist, high school teacher, and writer (the second time). You can’t blame a guy for wanting to wring every cent out of his scholarships.

So, in year three, I became convinced that I would study space because… well… because I loved planets and stuff. With the same gusto that had carried me through my philosophy phase, I charged into star charts and calculated orbits with fury and fine-tipped lead pencils. I pored over research on black holes and quasars and stared intently into the night sky trying to figure out how in the world someone could think that a certain cluster of stars could look anything like a person or a goat or whatever.

Then, reality hit in the way of astrophysics. The funny thing about studying the stars is that you have to be able to calculate distances, luminosity, parallaxes, and more fancy terms. I could crunch equations just fine, but that doesn’t mean I found it more satisfying than, say, ripping off a bandage from my legs.

Before I came to know Christ, all that nadir gazing did produce one substantial result in me: deep, deep emptiness. You can’t help but feel how small you are when you peer into the infinite-seeming inkiness of space. The more you see how incomprehensibly expansive everything really is, the more you feel speck-like in the cosmic order. The weight of eternity came crushing in on me.

And in that darkness, I needed light. This “crooked and depraved” man groped about for anything that would shine, some embers of hope. Not finding them in philosophy or books or even astronomy, the pressure just got worse. I kept feeling my way through the darkness into whatever classes the university offered, but through each of my potential career paths, I found nothing that could illuminate the road around me.

Of course, I wouldn’t have put it in those terms back then. At that point, I just knew something was messed up, and I couldn’t figure out what. I needed the “word of life.” But I didn’t know I needed it, and I didn’t know where to find it.

Intersecting Faith & Life: That’s where we come in as Christians. People like the old me don't always even know what gnaws at them. Some have so subverted the pain that it plays out in pursuits of passion: They mute it with noise, clutter, medicine, or flesh. They prefer to find ways to ignore the crushing weight.

And then they see the stars. At least, they should see the stars. I don't necessarily mean the stars in the night, since city lights drown them out for most of us nowadays. I mean, they need to see the stars around them who shine through their Jesus-emulating behavior. That light has the power to both expose their blindness and help them see.

So, shine. People like the old me are counting on it.

For Further Reading
Philippians 2

Matthew 5 

Are You Taking Advantage of Him? / Alistair Begg

 

Are You Taking Advantage of Him? 

I in them.

John 17:23

If this is the union between our souls and the person of our Lord, how deep and broad is the channel of our communion! This is no narrow channel through which a threadlike stream may wind its way; it is a river of amazing depth and breadth, along whose glorious length a ponderous volume of living water may roll its floods. Consider how He has set before us an open door; let us not be slow to enter.

This city of communion has many pearly gates, every gate is made of one pearl, and each gate is thrown open wide so that we may enter, assured of welcome. If there were but one small loophole through which to talk with Jesus, it would be a high privilege to thrust a word of fellowship through the narrow door; how much we are blessed in having so large an entrance! If the Lord Jesus were far away from us, with many a stormy sea between, we would long to send a messenger to Him to carry Him our love and bring us tidings from His Father’s house; but consider His kindness—He has built His house next—door to ours. More than that, He lives with us and makes His home in our poor humble hearts, so He may have continual fellowship with us.

O how foolish must we be if we do not live in constant communion with Him. When the road is long and dangerous and difficult, it is no surprise that friends seldom meet each other; but when they live together, shall Jonathan forget his David? A wife may, when her husband is on a journey, spend many days without conversing with him, but she could never endure to be separated from him if she knew him to be in one of the rooms of her own house. Why, believer, do you not sit at His banquet of wine? Seek your Lord, for He is near; embrace Him, for He is your Brother. Hold Him fast, for He is your Husband; and press Him to your heart, for He is your kith and kin.

Made for More / Greg Laurie

 Made for More

“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ” (Philippians 3:7 NKJV).

An heir to a wealthy family, William Whiting Borden was a 19th-century millionaire at an early age.

As a graduation present, Borden’s parents give him a trip around the world. His travels through Asia, the Middle East, and Europe deeply moved him, and he felt a burden growing in his heart for people who didn’t know Christ. As a result, he believed God was calling him to go to the mission field.

So after graduating from both Yale and Princeton Theological Seminary, Borden began preparing to become a missionary to the Uyghur Muslims in China. First, he went to study Arabic and Islam in Cairo. And while he was living there, he developed cerebral meningitis and died.

At the age of 25, William Whiting Borden was dead.

Some might conclude this was a waste.

No, it wasn’t. In his heart, Borden wanted to do what God wanted him to do. Was he ever able to do it? I guess he wasn’t. But his heart was in the right place.

As believers, we should all be able to look back on our lives without regret. Sure, we make mistakes here and there. We do things we shouldn’t do. But in the big picture, we should feel confident that we’ve made the right decisions for Christ.

We never waste our lives when we’re investing them in bringing people to Jesus. We never waste our lives when we’re living them for the glory of God.

Of course, it’s fine to enjoy the things this world offers—if they’re not sinful things, that is. But God made us to know Him. That’s why none of the things in this world really will satisfy us. They might bring temporary pleasure and some fun, but it’s short-lived. That’s because we were made for another world. We were made for more.

Copyright © 2021 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

July 31 / NKJV 365

When God tells us, “You shall be holy; for I am holy,” some of us have problems understanding what the Bible means. When we think of holy, the term seems unapproachable, even impossible to a lot of us. So maybe it would help to bring clarity to the idea if we tried spelling it like this: wholly. When you’re wholly committed to something, your commitment changes your entire outlook and behavior. People are wholly committed to a lot of things, of course. Some people are wholly committed to their careers. Others are wholly committed to sports. Others are wholly committed to making money, or to improve their physical appearance. But if you want to be holy, in the sense that God is holy, then be wholly committed to God. And very soon, if you wholly commit yourself to God, then you will find you are becoming holy as a result.

Taken from Start! The Bible for New Believers

 “For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth.”

‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭11:44‬

A Covenant With Eyes / Billy Graham

 

A Covenant With Eyes

Someone has said, “You cannot help the first look, but the second is sin.” Jesus indicated that you can engage in immorality by a look. The Bible places the “lust of the eye” right along with other major sins. Listen: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” Peter spoke of having “eyes full of adultery.” No wonder Job said, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” Your eyes see only what your soul allows them to see.

Daily Prayer

May my eyes be on You, Lord Jesus, for I need Your purity and love to fill my heart and mind.

“Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.”

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭5:22

July 31 / Daily Blessings

Daily Blessings

“Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.” - Ps 107:6

Oh what a mercy it is that there is a God to go lo! a God who hears and answers prayer! And what a blessing it is to be able to unbosom before him the burdened spirit! Observe the words—“Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble.” If you have trouble it is a sufficient warrant for you to go to God with it. Do not trouble yourself with the question, whether you are elect or non-elect. God does not put it in that shape, and you need not. The answer will best show on which side of the line you stand. Does he not say—“Call upon me in the day of trouble—I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me?” If you have a day of trouble, you have here a sufficient warrant to call upon God. Write not, then, bitter things against yourself. If you are enabled to sigh and cry unto the Lord there is life in your soul. God has quickened you by his blessed Spirit if he has put a sigh and cry into your bosom. Remember the men in Ezekiel on whom the Lord put the approving seal. It was those who sighed and cried for the abominations which they saw and felt in themselves and others (Ezekiel 9:4). If, then, the Lord has put a sigh and cry into your bosom on account of your felt inward abominations, you are one of those on whom he has set his seal.

Sanctified troubles are some of our greatest blessings; and one of their blessed fruits is that they keep us from settling on our lees and being at ease in Zion. Careless, worldly-minded, proud, covetous professors, sunk in carnality and death, where is there ever a cry in their soul? They may have a formal prayer—a morning prayer, an evening prayer, a family prayer, and all as round as a ball, and as cold as ice. Stiff and frozen in carnality they are ice themselves, and they bring their ice with them wherever they come. But God does not allow his people to go on in this cold, lifeless, frozen, icy way, with mere formal devotion, lip service, and prayers worn out like an old shoe with long and continual treading. He sends afflictions, trials, and troubles upon them, takes them into the wilderness, exercises them well in the path of tribulation, and supporting them under it, raises up a cry which he is sure to hear.

 

Skillful Guidance / Streams

 Skillful Guidance

He guided them by the skillfulness of his hands - Ps 78:72

When you are doubtful as to your course, submit your judgment absolutely to the Spirit of God, and ask Him to shut against you every door but the right one…Meanwhile keep on as you are, and consider the absence of indication to be the indication of God’s will that you are on His track…As you go down the long corridor, you will find that He has preceded you, and locked many doors which you would fain have entered; but be sure that beyond these there is one which He has left unlocked. Open it and enter, and you will find yourself face to face with a bend of the river of opportunity, broader and deeper than anything you had dared to imagine in your sunniest dreams. Launch forth upon it; it conducts to the open sea.

God guides us, often by circumstances. At one moment the way may seem utterly blocked; and then shortly afterward some trivial incident occurs, which might not seem much to others, but which to the keen eye of faith speaks volumes. Sometimes these things are repeated in various ways, in answer to prayer. They are not haphazard results of chance, but the opening up of circumstances in the direction in which we would walk. And they begin to multiply as we advance toward our goal, just as the lights do as we near a populous town, when darting through the land by night express. —F. B. Meyer

If you go to Him to be guided, He will guide you; but He will not comfort your distrust or half-trust of Him by showing you the chart of all His purposes concerning you. He will show you only into a way where, if you go cheerfully and trustfully forward, He will show you on still farther. —Horace Bushnell

As moves my fragile bark across the storm-swept sea,  

Great waves beat o’er her side, as north wind blows;  

Deep in the darkness hid lie threat’ning rocks and shoals;  

But all of these, and more, my Pilot knows.  

Sometimes when dark the night, and every light gone out,  

I wonder to what port my frail ship goes;  

Still though the night be long, and restless all my hours,  

My distant goal, I’m sure, my Pilot knows.  

—Thomas Curtis Clark

Jesus Has What You Need / Max Lucado

 

Jesus Has What You Need

Click below to listen to today's devotional

JESUS HAS WHAT YOU NEED - July 30, 2021

We can calmly take our concerns to God because he is as near as our next breath. This was the reassuring message from the miracle of the bread and fish. In an event crafted to speak to the anxious heart, Jesus told his disciples to do the impossible: feed five thousand people.

You aren’t facing five thousand hungry bellies, but you are facing a deadline in two days, a loved one in need of a cure. On one hand you have a problem. On the other you have a limited quantity of wisdom, patience, or time.

Typically, you’d get anxious. You’d tell God, “You’ve given me too much to handle.” This time, instead of starting with what you don’t have, start with Jesus. Start with his wealth, his resources, and his strength. And before you lash out in fear, look up in faith. Turn to your heavenly father for help.

The Teaching of Disillusionment / Oswald Chambers

 

The Teaching of Disillusionment Jesus did not commit Himself to them…, for He knew what was in man. JOHN 2:24-25 Disillusionment means having no more misconceptions, false impressions, and false judgments in life; it means being free from these deceptions. However, though no longer deceived, our experience of disillusionment may actually leave us cynical and overly critical in our judgment of others. But the disillusionment that comes from God brings us to the point where we see people as they really are, yet without any cynicism or any stinging and bitter criticism. Many of the things in life that inflict the greatest injury, grief, or pain, stem from the fact that we suffer from illusions. We are not true to one another as facts, seeing each other as we really are; we are only true to our misconceived ideas of one another. According to our thinking, everything is either delightful and good, or it is evil, malicious, and cowardly. Refusing to be disillusioned is the cause of much of the suffering of human life. And this is how that suffering happens— if we love someone, but do not love God, we demand total perfection and righteousness from that person, and when we do not get it we become cruel and vindictive; yet we are demanding of a human being something which he or she cannot possibly give. There is only one Being who can completely satisfy to the absolute depth of the hurting human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord is so obviously uncompromising with regard to every human relationship because He knows that every relationship that is not based on faithfulness to Himself will end in disaster. Our Lord trusted no one, and never placed His faith in people, yet He was never suspicious or bitter. Our Lord’s confidence in God, and in what God’s grace could do for anyone, was so perfect that He never despaired, never giving up hope for any person. If our trust is placed in human beings, we will end up despairing of everyone.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS No one could have had a more sensitive love in human relationship than Jesus; and yet He says there are times when love to father and mother must be hatred in comparison to our love for Him.

When We’re Tempted to Quit / Charles Stanley

 

When We’re Tempted to Quit

James 1:2-12

Have you ever thought, I can’t take this anymore or I give up? These phrases have the power to change the direction of our life. Let’s look at three things that could cause these sentiments. 

1. Satan and his angels. Through their involvement, we can be tempted to stop waiting on God for solutions and instead seek our own way out. Or the enemy may try to redirect our focus away from Jesus and onto our negative emotions. If he can make us feel helpless and hopeless, then he is successfully distracting us from God.  

2. The world. Ungodly people are always ready to give believers advice. We need God’s wisdom to set ourselves apart from their thinking and yet stay connected enough to share God’s message of hope with them. 

3. Our own flesh. We have a tendency to do what feels good and benefits us, but God’s way is always best and the most fulfilling.

If you have ever wanted to give up, you’ve probably been influenced by one or more of these factors. But God has good purpose for the trials He allows in our life: They produce perseverance that helps to mature us as Christians. When we look at things from that perspective, we can actually “consider it all joy” to have struggles (James 1:2-4).

Gratitude for God's Guidance / Chuck Swindoll

 Gratitude for God's Guidance

by Pastor Chuck SwindollScriptures: Psalm 5:8

O LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes;
Make Your way straight before me. (Psalm 5:8)

Our Father, for centuries, You have used Your Word in the hearts of men and women in cultures and countries around this world. You have sent to difficult and obscure places faith-filled missionaries with the Word of God tucked away in their hearts. They have declared it, and You have blessed it. Your Word has spread like wildfire, and, as Your children, we are all recipients of Your faithfulness. Many of us had godly mothers and dads who taught us the way from birth. Some of us learned the truth from mentors when we became adults. Others getting up in years discovered what they had been missing all their lives. We have been redeemed, bought by Christ's blood, delivered from a life of bondage and addiction, and relieved of despair and slavery to sin. How grateful we are!

Thank You, Father, for leading us in our own personal exodus—leading us from start to finish; leading us when we didn't even want to know You; leading us even when we were running from You. Thank You for deliverance from the pharaohs of our lives—cruel taskmasters, all of them—and bringing us to the gentle Shepherd of our souls.

And so, Father, we pause at this moment in quiet worship to remember Your leading. We praise You in the name of Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

See also Exodus 13:21; Psalm 25:5; 139:9-10; Isaiah 11:6.

July 30 / C.S. Lewis

 On marriage

Aravis also had many quarrels (and, I’m afraid even fights) with Cor, but they always made it up again: so that years later, when they were grown up they were so used to quarrelling and making it up again that they got married so as to go on doing it more conveniently.

From The Horse and His Boy
Compiled in Words to Live By

The Horse and His Boy. Copyright © 1954 by C. S. Lewis Pte., Ltd. Copyright renewed © 1982 by C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers. Words to Live By: A Guide for the Merely Christian. Copyright © 2007 by C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

Overcoming Envy / ODB

 

Overcoming Envy Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands. 1 Samuel 18:7 READ 1 Samuel 18:5–9 In the film Amadeus, aging composer Antonio Salieri plays some of his music on the piano for a visiting priest. The embarrassed priest confesses he doesn’t recognize the tunes. “What about this one?” Salieri says, playing an instantly familiar melody. “I didn’t know you wrote that,” the priest says. “I didn’t,” Salieri replies. “That was Mozart!” As viewers discover, Mozart’s success had caused deep envy in Salieri—even leading him to play a part in Mozart’s death. A song lies at the heart of another envy story. After David’s victory over Goliath, the Israelites heartily sing, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7). The comparison doesn’t sit well with King Saul. Envious of David’s success and afraid of losing his throne (vv. 8–9), Saul begins a prolonged pursuit of David, trying to take his life. Like Salieri with music or Saul with power, we’re usually tempted to envy those with similar but greater gifts than we possess. And whether it’s picking fault with their work or belittling their success, we too can seek to damage our “rivals.” Saul had been divinely chosen for his task (10:6–7, 24), a status that should’ve fostered security in him rather than envy. Since we each have unique callings too (Ephesians 2:10), maybe the best way to overcome envy is to quit comparing ourselves. Let’s celebrate each other’s successes instead. By Sheridan Voysey Whom are you most tempted to envy? How can you celebrate their success? Loving God, I thank You for my friends’ and colleagues’ successes.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT The strange mix of emotions found in 1 Samuel 18:5–9 is worth noting. The troops and officers were “pleased” when David’s military success was rewarded with promotion (v. 5), and the homecoming of the army was met with dancing and singing (v. 6). But the emotional atmosphere soon shifted because the song celebrated David’s greatness above Saul’s (v. 7). Internal envy gave way to anger and displeasure (v. 8). We see biblical warnings against envy throughout Scripture. The book of Proverbs says, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones” (14:30) and “Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?” (27:4). The word translated “envy” in Proverbs 14:30 and “jealousy” in 27:4 is the same Hebrew word. What’s in view are strong feelings of resentment or ill-will because of the actual or perceived advantages of another. Arthur Jackson