REPEAT AFTER ME
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Posted:Jun 13, 2016 3:12 am
Last Updated:Jun 16, 2016 3:35 am 14348 Views
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Read: Psalm 141
Bible in a Year: Ezra 6–8; John 21
Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips. Psalm 141:3
When Rebecca stood on stage to speak at a conference, her first sentence into the microphone echoed around the room. It was a bit unsettling for her to hear her own words come back at her, and she had to adjust to the faulty sound system and try to ignore the echo of every word she spoke.
Imagine what it would be like to hear everything we say repeated! It wouldn’t be so bad to hear ourselves repeat "I love you" or "I was wrong" or “Thank You, Lord” or "I'm praying for you." But not all of our words are beautiful or gentle or kind. What about those angry outbursts or demeaning comments that no one wants to hear once, let alone twice—those words that we would really rather take back?
He forgives us when we fail.
Like the psalmist David, we long to have the Lord’s control over our words. He prayed, "Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips” (Ps. 141:3 nlt). And thankfully, the Lord wants to do that. He can help us control what we say. He can guard our lips.
As we learn to adjust to our own sound system by paying careful attention to what we say and praying about the words we speak, the Lord will patiently teach us and even empower us to have self-control. And best of all, He forgives us when we fail and is pleased with our desire for His help.
Can you think of something you said recently that you would like to take back? Ask the Lord to help you become aware of careless words.
Part of self-control is mouth-control.
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OUR NEW NAME
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Posted:Jun 10, 2016 3:30 am
Last Updated:Jun 11, 2016 4:49 am 14553 Views
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Read: Revelation 2:12–17
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 34–36; John 19:1–22
I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it. Revelation 2:17
She called herself a worrier, but when her was hurt in an accident, she learned how to escape that restricting label. As her was recovering, she met each week with friends to talk and pray, asking God for help and healing. Through the months as she turned her fears and concerns into prayer, she realized that she was changing from being a worrier to a prayer warrior. She sensed that the Lord was giving her a new name. Her identity in Christ was deepening through the struggle of unwanted heartache.
In Jesus’s letter to the church at Pergamum, the Lord promises to give to the faithful a white stone with a new name on it (Rev. 2:17). Biblical commentators have debated over the meaning, but most agree that this white stone points to our freedom in Christ. In biblical times, juries in a court of law used a white stone for a not-guilty verdict and a black stone for guilty. A white stone also gained the bearer entrance into such events as banquets; likewise, those who receive God’s white stone are welcomed to the heavenly feast. Jesus’s death brings us freedom and new life—and a new name.
What new name do you think God might give to you?
May I live out my new identity, sharing Your love and joy. Show me how You have made me into a new creation.
Followers of Christ have a brand-new identity.
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WHAT REALLY MATTERS
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Posted:Jun 9, 2016 4:39 am
Last Updated:Jun 9, 2016 7:30 am 14857 Views
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Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 32–33; John 18:19–40
In humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3–4
Two men sat down to review their business trip and its results. One said he thought the trip had been worthwhile because some meaningful new relationships had begun through their business contacts. The other said, “Relationships are fine, but selling is what matters most.” Obviously they had very different agendas.
It is all too easy—whether in business, family, or church—to view others from the perspective of how they can benefit us. We value them for what we can get from them, rather than focusing on how we can serve them in Jesus’s name. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Phil. 2:3–4).
Joy comes from putting another’s needs ahead of our own.
People are not to be used for our own benefit. Because they are loved by God and we are loved by Him, we love one another. His love is the greatest love of all.
Teach me, Lord, to see people as You do—bearing Your image, being worthy of Your love, and needing Your care. May Your great love find in my heart a vessel through which that love can be displayed.
Joy comes from putting another’s needs ahead of our own.
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BETTER BY FAR
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Posted:Jun 8, 2016 3:31 am
Last Updated:Jun 9, 2016 4:40 am 15310 Views
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Read: Philippians 1:12–26
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 30–31; John 18:1–18
I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.
Philippians 1:23
A siren wailed outside a little boy’s house. Unfamiliar with the sound, he asked his mother what it was. She explained that it was meant to alert people of a dangerous storm. She said that if people did not take cover, they might die as a result of the tornado. The boy replied, “Mommy, why is that a bad thing? If we die, don’t we meet Jesus?”
Little don’t always understand what it means to die. But Paul, who had a lifetime of experience, wrote something similar: “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Phil. 1:23). The apostle was under house arrest at the time, but his statement wasn’t fueled by despair. He was rejoicing because his suffering was causing the gospel to spread (vv. 12–14).
Belief in Jesus's death and resurrection brings the assurance of life with Him forever.
So why would Paul be torn between a desire for life and death? Because to go on living would mean “fruitful labor.” But if he died he knew he would enjoy a special kind of closeness with Christ. To be absent from our bodies is to be home with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:6–8.
People who believe in the saving power of Jesus’s death and resurrection will be with Him forever. It’s been said, “All’s well that ends in heaven.” Whether we live or die, we win. “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).
Dear Jesus, help me to keep my eyes on You, whether I face difficulty in life or death. Let me find security and peace in You.
Belief in Jesus's death and resurrection brings the assurance of life with Him forever.
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TELL IT!
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Posted:Jun 7, 2016 4:39 am
Last Updated:Jun 8, 2016 3:32 am 15027 Views
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Read: Mark 5:1–20
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 28–29; John 17
The man went away and began to tell . . . how much Jesus had done for him. Mark 5:20
The year was 1975 and something significant had just happened to me. I needed to find my friend Francis, with whom I shared a lot of personal matters, and tell him about it. I found him in his apartment hurriedly preparing to go out, but I slowed him down. The way he stared at me, he must have sensed that I had something important to tell him. “What is it?” he asked. So I told him simply, “Yesterday I surrendered my life to Jesus!”
Francis looked at me, sighed heavily, and said, “I’ve felt like doing the same for a long time now.” He asked me to share what happened, and I told him how the previous day someone had explained the gospel to me and how I asked Jesus to come into my life. I still remember the tears in his eyes as he too prayed to receive Jesus’s forgiveness. No longer in a hurry, he and I talked and talked about our new relationship with Christ.
Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story. Psalm 107:2
After Jesus healed the man with an evil spirit, He told him, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (Mark 5:19). The man didn’t need to preach a powerful sermon; he simply needed to share his story.
No matter what our conversion experience is, we can do what that man did: “[He] went away and began to tell . . . how much Jesus had done for him.”
What has Jesus done for you? Tell it!
Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story. Psalm 107:2
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TELL IT!
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Posted:Jun 7, 2016 4:38 am
Last Updated:Jun 7, 2016 4:39 am 14683 Views
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Read: Mark 5:1–20
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 28–29; John 17
The man went away and began to tell . . . how much Jesus had done for him. Mark 5:20
The year was 1975 and something significant had just happened to me. I needed to find my friend Francis, with whom I shared a lot of personal matters, and tell him about it. I found him in his apartment hurriedly preparing to go out, but I slowed him down. The way he stared at me, he must have sensed that I had something important to tell him. “What is it?” he asked. So I told him simply, “Yesterday I surrendered my life to Jesus!”
Francis looked at me, sighed heavily, and said, “I’ve felt like doing the same for a long time now.” He asked me to share what happened, and I told him how the previous day someone had explained the gospel to me and how I asked Jesus to come into my life. I still remember the tears in his eyes as he too prayed to receive Jesus’s forgiveness. No longer in a hurry, he and I talked and talked about our new relationship with Christ.
Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story. Psalm 107:2
After Jesus healed the man with an evil spirit, He told him, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (Mark 5:19). The man didn’t need to preach a powerful sermon; he simply needed to share his story.
No matter what our conversion experience is, we can do what that man did: “[He] went away and began to tell . . . how much Jesus had done for him.”
What has Jesus done for you? Tell it!
Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story. Psalm 107:2
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BROKEN TO BE MADE NEW
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Posted:Jun 6, 2016 5:14 am
Last Updated:Jun 7, 2016 4:38 am 14772 Views
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Read: Psalm 119.71–75
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 25–27; John 16
I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
Psalm 119.75
During World War II my dad served with the US Army in the South Pacific. During that time Dad rejected any idea of religion, saying, “I don’t need a crutch.” Yet the day came when his attitude toward spiritual things would change forever. Mom had gone into labor with their third , and my brother and I went to bed with the excitement of soon seeing our new brother or sister. When I got out of bed the next morning, I excitedly asked Dad, “Is it a boy or a girl?” He replied, “It was a little girl but she was born dead.” We began to weep together at our loss.
For the first time, Dad took his broken heart to Jesus in prayer. At that moment he felt an overwhelming sense of peace and comfort from God, though his would always be irreplaceable. Soon he began to take an interest in the Bible and continued to pray to the One who was healing his broken heart. His faith grew through the years. He became a strong follower of Jesus—serving Him as a Bible-study teacher and a leader in his church.
Jesus is not a crutch for the weak. He is the source of new spiritual life! When we’re broken, He can make us new and whole (Ps. 119.75).
What is on your heart that you need to talk with God about? Bring Him your brokenness and ask Him to make you whole.
Brokenness can lead to wholeness.
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STRENGTH FOR THE WEARY
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Posted:Jun 3, 2016 3:46 am
Last Updated:Apr 23, 2024 10:37 pm 11673 Views
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Read: Isaiah 40:27–31
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 19–20; John 13:21–38
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. Isaiah 40:31
On a beautiful, sunny day, I was walking in a park and feeling very weary in spirit. It wasn’t just one thing weighing me down—it seemed to be everything. When I stopped to sit on a bench, I noticed a small plaque placed there in loving memory of a “devoted husband, father, brother, and friend.” Also on the plaque were these words, “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isa. 40:31).
Those familiar words came to me as a personal touch from the Lord. Weariness—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual—comes to us all. Isaiah reminds us that although we become tired, the Lord, the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth “will not grow tired or weary” v. 28. How easily I had forgotten that in every situation “[the Lord] gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (v. 29).
When life's struggles make you weary, find strength in the Lord.
What’s it like on your journey today? If fatigue has caused you to forget God’s presence and power, why not pause and recall His promise. “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength” (v. 31). Here. Now. Right where we are.
Lord, thank You that You do not grow weary. Give me the strength to face whatever situation I am in today.
When life's struggles make you weary, find strength in the Lord.
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STRENGTH FOR THE WEARY
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Posted:Jun 3, 2016 3:45 am
Last Updated:Jun 3, 2016 3:45 am 7866 Views
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Read: Isaiah 40:27–31
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 19–20; John 13:21–38
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. Isaiah 40:31
On a beautiful, sunny day, I was walking in a park and feeling very weary in spirit. It wasn’t just one thing weighing me down—it seemed to be everything. When I stopped to sit on a bench, I noticed a small plaque placed there in loving memory of a “devoted husband, father, brother, and friend.” Also on the plaque were these words, “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isa. 40:31).
Those familiar words came to me as a personal touch from the Lord. Weariness—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual—comes to us all. Isaiah reminds us that although we become tired, the Lord, the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth “will not grow tired or weary” v. 28. How easily I had forgotten that in every situation “[the Lord] gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (v. 29).
When life's struggles make you weary, find strength in the Lord.
What’s it like on your journey today? If fatigue has caused you to forget God’s presence and power, why not pause and recall His promise. “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength” (v. 31). Here. Now. Right where we are.
Lord, thank You that You do not grow weary. Give me the strength to face whatever situation I am in today.
When life's struggles make you weary, find strength in the Lord.
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LORD,HELP!
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Posted:Jun 2, 2016 8:44 am
Last Updated:Jun 3, 2016 3:45 am 7390 Views
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Read: Hebrews 4:14–16
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 17–18; John 13:1–20
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16
I was so happy for my friend when she told me she was going to be a mum! Together we counted the days until the birth. But when the baby suffered a brain injury during delivery, my heart broke and I didn’t know how to pray. All I knew was who I should pray to—God. He is our Father, and He hears us when we call.
I knew that God was capable of miracles. He brought Jairus’s back to life (Luke 8:49-55) and in so doing also healed the girl of whatever disease had robbed her of life. So I asked Him to bring healing for my friend’s baby too.
God calls us to Him in the details of our lives.
But what if God doesn’t heal? I wondered. Surely He doesn’t lack the power. Could it be He doesn’t care? I thought of Jesus’s suffering on the cross and the explanation that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8. Then I remembered the questions of Job and how he learned to see the wisdom of God as shown in the creation around him (Job 38–39).
Slowly I saw how God calls us to Him in the details of our lives. In God’s grace, my friend and I learned together what it means to call on the Lord and to trust Him—whatever the outcome.
Lord, to whom can I go but You! I trust You with my life and the lives of my loved ones. I’m grateful You always hear my cry.
When life knocks you down, you’re in the perfect position to pray!
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