Daily Devotion, July 31, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Proverbs 6:16-19.

The Bible is very clear that at the core of who God is, there is love. God loves people. But God also hates, not people, but the sinful ways and actions of people. As we read through the Bible, we see what many of those sinful ways and actions are. Here in Proverbs chapter six is a list of specifics. All of these have to do with activities and attitudes that damage relationships. They hurt other people. They divide people. They destroy people.  

If God hates them, so should we who claim to be the people of Christ. First, each of us need to be regularly on the lookout inside ourselves to discern if any of these sinful ways has become a part of who we are. Second, we should be on the lookout for any of these ways that we see in others, whether individuals or groups of people. Just as God does not hate them, neither do we. However, just as God hates their evil ways, so should we. May it always be our desire to stamp out these and all evil ways and activities, whether we find them in ourselves or in others. Of course, how we go about doing that “stamping” will need to always be under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

Personal Worship Option:

Regularly include in your prayers requests for discernment on seeing evil for what it is, whether in yourself or others, and being given the power and wisdom to remove it.

Daily Devotion, July 30, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Proverbs 15:18; 16:32; 20:3; 29:22.

Tomorrow in our worship services, we will be focused on a list of things God hates. That list is found in Proverbs chapter six. Included on that list is “one who stirs up conflict in the community.” These later verses throughout the book also speak to that issue.

There are people who seem to be attracted to conflict or who have a need to keep something stirred up within the life of any group of people. I am sure there are many reasons or options for what motivates them to do that. Some experience or collection of experiences in their past has created in them a need to “cause a stir.” They do not know peace in their own spirit, so that inner conflict comes out in their activity and relationships in the community.  

Take a spiritual inventory of yourself and ask if that person is ever you. If it is, repent and receive God’s forgiveness. Then seek help from a pastor or trusted Christian friend.  

If you are not someone who tends to stir up conflict, you probably know someone who does. Pray for God’s guidance on how you can help them find the inner peace needed to change their ways in the life of the Church.

Personal Worship Option:

Consider offering this prayer:  Guiding God, make me aware of my own inner conflict and how I sometimes let that come out into my relationships with others.  Fill me with your peace so that I can represent as a peacemaker with others.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Daily Devotion, July 29, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Proverbs 16:27-29.

Proverbs chapter six tells of seven things God hates. Later in Proverbs, we read of some of those being emphasized again. Plotting evil, stirring up conflict, gossip, promoting violence and leading others in violence are actions opposite of the leading of God’s Spirit. At times, it may be easy to get caught up in any one of these actions, but if we are listening, God’s Spirit will remind us of who we belong to and what He expects of us. Micah 6:8 tells us exactly what God expects of us:

“. . . what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” 

Where is your heart? Do you struggle to separate yourself from the things that God hates?

Personal Worship Option:

Share with God your struggles. Ask for His forgiveness and his leading in your relationships.

Daily Devotion, July 28, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Isaiah 59:1-8.

Israel's predicament was the result of the nation's sins including lies, dishonesty, and efforts to hide what they were doing. God does not like the humans’ behavior. Sin erects a barrier between people and God.

God's holiness cannot tolerate sin. Sin offends our God and separates us from him. Because God is holy, he cannot ignore, excuse, or tolerate sin as though it didn't matter. Sin cuts people off from him, forming a wall to isolate God from the people he loves. No wonder this long list of wretched sins makes God angry and forces him to look the other way.

Transformation of our heart is the testimony to the world of Christ living in us. The Spirit of God produces a new life in the soul, bringing the thoughts and desires into obedience to the will of Christ. Sinful men and women show the world that the redeeming power of grace can cause the faulty character to develop into fruitfulness for God’s Kingdom. Praise God for his grace!

Personal Worship Option:

Dear God, we know that you do not like our sinful nature. Help us to live in accordance to your will and to show love and grace to those around us. Thank you for your endless love and grace to all who desire it. Amen.

Daily Devotion, July 27, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Proverbs 12:22; Colossians 3:5-10.

Last week’s devotionals were focused on placing our trust in God. Today’s scriptures about lying are connected with the relationship of trust between God and humankind. Lying breaks trust. Lying hurts the one who sends the lie and the one who receives the lie. God loves us always and unconditionally. But lying breaks trust in all of our relationships; with God, with others and with self.

The three simple rules of John Wesley are: Do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God. When we lie, we are harming God, others and self. Bishop Reuben P. Job, in his book Three Simple Rules: A Wesleyan Way of Living, has written, “I will guard my lips, my mind and my heart so that my language will not disparage, injure or wound another….(this rule) demands a radical trust in God’s presence, power, wisdom, and guidance and a radical obedience to God’s leadership.”

We can trust God completely because God does not lie. Our lying is often motivated by fear. But 1 John 4:18a says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” Also, 1 John 1:8-9 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This is God’s gift of grace to bring us to being forgiven and to truth.

Later in I John 4:20-21, the writer adds, “Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars: for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.” 

Lying creates its own kind of imprisonment. When we trust in a lie, we are never truly free. But God’s gift to us through Christ’s redemption brings us true freedom!

Personal Worship Option:

Colossians 3:12-17 concludes with the ways in which we are called to live in Christ, which are opposite of the ways listed earlier. Through God’s grace, we build trust with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiving one another, and love.

Daily Devotion, July 26, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Luke 18:9-14.

This parable is a follow-up to the proverbs from yesterday’s devotion. God’s Word, both written and “in the flesh” teaches us to be humble, not haughty. Two men went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee went to be seen and heard by those around him boasting he wasn’t like “other people” who steal, cheat, or take part in adultery. In fact, he had an “I” problem! This Pharisee used the personal pronoun four times in his prayer. On the other hand, the tax collector knew he was sinful and needed mercy, forgiveness, and grace. He prayed, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” The tax collector, not the Pharisee, went home justified. “Justified” means “made right before God.”

The difference between these two men was not their outward actions or words, but their hearts. Jesus reminds us that our faith isn't about religious pretentions, but about our humble response to God.

If we’re not careful, we can become like this Pharisee boasting about our outward actions. “I am at the church whenever the doors are opened!” “I’m the first to sign up for all the mission activities!” “If only others were like me, our church would be thriving!” We cannot justify ourselves before God by putting others down so that we can elevate ourselves. Self-righteousness leads to pride, and pride can cut us off from God.

Let’s take an honest inventory of our own life and recognize our daily need for God’s forgiveness, mercy, and grace. Then humbly go to him in prayer.

Personal Worship Option:

Humbly go to God in prayer confessing your sins and seeking to be made right before him. Then receive his forgiveness, mercy, and grace.

Daily Devotion, July 25, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Proverbs 8:13, 11:2, 16:5, and 16:18.

God is love, so when we read what God hates and what God detests, we need to pay close attention! In our reading for today, we see a common theme…God hates arrogance, pride, and haughtiness. God loves humility of spirit. As we learn to do a new thing, we often lack confidence. We listen carefully to instructions, and we watch closely as someone skilled in this new thing shows us how to do it. Then we begin to get it, and our confidence grows. We may even get very good at this new thing; and as we realize that, the danger arises. We may notice that we are better at this than others, and we become prideful and haughty, the very traits that our God of love hates!

There is such a fine line between the healthy confidence that allows us to accomplish our work without fear and a spirit of arrogance. When I think back on times when I am aware that I have behaved or spoken arrogantly, I realize that I didn’t know then how much I didn’t know. There is always more to learn, higher levels of skill to attain, and more work to be done. Realizing this helps us to remain humble and to thank God for whatever we may accomplish.

Personal Worship Option:

Very few, if any, of us set out to be arrogant, prideful, or haughty. Pray for discernment and self-awareness that will help us to see where we may be speaking or acting in these ways. Finally, pray for a genuine spirit of humility.

Daily Devotion, July 24, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Proverbs 3:5-6.

These days it is sometimes hard to know who you can trust. Whether dealing with people you know personally or seeking sources of news and guidance on a national level, it can be hard to discern who to trust. Often, we can only wait and see who proves themselves to be trustworthy.

 

The writer of Proverbs gives us the best advice on who we can trust the most, especially in relation to trusting ourselves. I love the way Eugene Peterson translates these two verses in The Message: “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.” Listening for God’s voice can come through time in prayer, reading and meditating on the Scriptures, worshiping and studying together with other Christians. It can come in times of silence and times of activity. It can come from your own personal experiences as well as the experiences of others.

 

“Trust” is the core of what we mean by the word “faith.” To have faith in God is to trust God. This faith or trust is about believing that God has gifted you with a good relationship with God through Jesus Christ. (In part of one of our baptism questions, we ask “Do you put your whole trust in his grace?”) This faith is also about believing that God can help you and guide you through anything you face in life. Do you “trust God from the bottom of your heart?”

Personal Worship Option:

Offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the relationship of trust you have developed over the years. Pray for that trust to go even deeper. Ask God for guidance on the next “leap of trust” you are to take.

Daily Devotion, July 23, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read 1 Corinthians 13:7.

For me, this is one of the most important chapters in the whole Bible. As Christians, we place a lot of emphasis on Jesus’ message about God being that of love. This chapter reminds us of some specific ways to define the love that Jesus taught us and lived for us. Also, it is written in the middle of a section (chapters 12-14) where Paul is dealing with an issue (spiritual gifts) that the people have allowed to divide them. He emphasizes that it is this love of Christ that is the highest and best resource we have for seeing us through anything that tries to separate us from others.

Our focus today is on just one of those phrases that is used to define this love: “...(It) always trusts…” Sometimes that can be difficult in human relationships, because people sometimes act in ways that let you know you cannot trust them. Even then, to love them is to let them know that you are open to letting them begin to build that trust again, however long it takes.

Our focus this week is on placing our trust in God to guide us through life. The primary reason we can completely trust God is because of the love God has shown toward us. As our response to this love from God, we grow in our love and trust of God. How would you compare your level of trust in God today from a year ago, or five years ago or ten years ago or more? How would you compare your love for God in whatever time frame you chose?

Personal Worship Option:

A hymn written by Louisa Stead 140 years ago has a refrain that still challenges me to go deeper with trusting my Lord:  

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him! How I’ve proved him o’er and o’er!

Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust him more!

Daily Devotion, July 22, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Psalm 143:5-8.

Trust God. Put your life in His hands. Not easy to trust? Maybe not, but neither is it as difficult as you might think. Try these ideas:

Trust your faith and not your feelings. You don’t feel spiritual every day? Of course you don’t but your feelings have no impact on God’s presence. On the days you don’t feel close to God, trust your faith and not your feelings.

See yourself through God’s eyes, not your own. There are times that we can be hard to help and hard to love. In those seasons remember this simple fact: God loves you. Read that again: God loves you . . . let it sink in. You are His family, and He is working on your behalf.

See the big picture, not the small. Perhaps things are not going well. Remember, God has a plan, and you can trust his love and His work in your life.

One way to strengthen your trust in God is to remember the times in the past when God proved trustworthy.

Personal Worship Option:

Reflect on God’s work in your life over the past. Share one way that God has been faithful and trustworthy in your life with someone today.

Daily Devotion, July 21, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Hebrews 3:12-14.

This scripture is such an important message for us. Encouraging one another is a vital part of our daily walk with Christ. We live in a world corrupted by non-believers, sin, persecution, and material emphasis. How can we stay focused on our faith? Scripture gives us this guidance: love, encourage, and pray for one another. In God's grace, the Holy Spirit uses these acts of care to see us through the most trying of times.

When fellow believers are struggling, we should be quick to extend a helpful, sharing hand. We should shower others with grace and generous affirmation. Our words should be words of comfort and prayer, as well as tangible acts of kindness. When we encourage people around us, we will be surprised by how much we are encouraged ourselves.

One important lesson we find here is that in living in community together, we need to encourage each other in our walk with God and our faith journey. We cannot keep free from sin and drifting from God on our own.  We need the Lord, and we need each other. We must support each other to keep moving forward living the way of Jesus.

Personal Worship Option:

Father, we praise you for faithful believers who have encouraged us in our daily journey of faith. Give us your love so that we may become godly encouragers to others. Amen.

Daily Devotion, July 20, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read 1 Samuel 13:7-14.

The verses from Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” are favorite verses for many throughout the centuries. Even though written after the days of King Saul, these verses help us understand what King Saul did not do. King Saul did not trust in the Lord. He wasn’t patient enough to wait and he decided to lean on his own understanding.

From a little research on the Hebrew understanding of the word “trust”, I learned that the English word "trust" is an abstract (cannot be sensed by the five senses), but the Hebrew is a concrete oriented language where each word is associated with something that can be sensed by one or more of the five senses. Two of several Hebrew words for “trust” are defined as “to lean on someone or something" or “to cling". These more concrete picture words help me realize that God is the only one truly strong enough to lean on, to cling to and loves us enough to see us through the storms of life.

King Saul had stopped trusting in the Lord and had begun trusting in himself. His distrust in the Lord was also a reflection of the people’s distrust in the Lord. Chapters 8-15 tell the story of how the people wanted a King like the other nations around them already had. Samuel’s speech in 10:18-19 reminds the people that their desire for a king is a rejection of God’s rule.

By offering sacrifices, King Saul makes it appear that he is trusting in God, but Samuel knows the truth of the story. King Saul, in his fear, with the peoples’ fears, in his impatience, and belief in his own strength, went ahead of Samuel’s instructions to him. Samuel tells him that a new leader will be appointed because he did not keep the Lord’s command.

Personal Worship Option:

We can probably relate to Saul and the people, their fears and their impatience, more than we like to admit. We too, get impatient when things don’t go as planned, and go our own way, trusting in ourselves, rather than trusting in God. These scriptures call us back to “clinging” and “leaning” on God’s care and directions. With God’s help, we can be patient, trust, and follow God’s lead.

Daily Devotion, July 19, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Psalm 56:1-4.

David wrote this Psalm after he had fled from Saul and the Philistines were attacking him. In the previous verses he says people are hounding him, boldly attacking him, and slandering him. These attacks take place all day long! David was a brave man who had killed a lion and bear, had killed Goliath, and had been a captain in Israel’s army. David knew what it was like to face opponents, yet facing these relentless enemies, David admits that he is afraid. He vows to put his trust in God and will praise God for his promises. David knows he can trust God in spite of what his foes want to do to him.

Fear is a normal reaction and a reality we all deal with at one time or another. It is only a problem if it begins to control us and cause us to respond more to the fear than to God.

My young grandson was afraid of the waves in the ocean, so I taught him, “When I’m afraid, I will trust in God.” I assured him that God would protect him, and I was there to hold his hand. Then I taught him to say, “I’m afraid, but I will do it anyway.” Over and over as we jumped up and down with the waves, his voice cried out, “I’m afraid, but I will do it anyway.”

“When I am afraid…” is a test when our faith is tested. We deal with fear by choosing to trust God, doing the thing we fear with faith, and praising him for his promises.

Personal Worship Option:

Continue reading Psalm 56 to see how David continues to praise God and proclaim his trust in him. Follow his examples of trust so that you can move from the darkness of fear and “may walk before God in the light of life” (verse 13).”

Daily Devotion, July 18, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Jeremiah 17:7-8.

I attended a small, rural elementary school back when the Bible was allowed in public schools. My second grade teacher just happened to be Baptist, and she required us to memorize lots of Bible verses and even passages. My favorite of those passages was Psalm 1. Keep your place here in Jeremiah and look up Psalm 1:3. Jeremiah is quoting it! I love this imagery of a tree that grows near a stream, putting its roots down into the water table. Even when no rain comes, the tree is able to draw life-giving water, and it is always green and bears fruit.

This is such a beautiful illustration of one who trusts in God. When that trust is deep, the believer is always connected with the life-giving water of God’s strength. All of us know people whose faith anchors and roots them and enables them to face all the difficult times in life and even continue to bear fruit in those times. And sadly, we also know people who trust in things other than God; and when inevitable life crises happen, they do not have the strength that gets them through.

Personal Worship Option:

Pray today for deep roots through faith in God through Christ. Celebrate that God is with us in all the good times but also strengthens and equips us in the difficult times. Look for the opportunity to share what your faith in Christ does to strengthen you.

Daily Devotion, July 17, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read John 6:35-40.

John records a total of seven “I am…” statements by Jesus. Each of these is a metaphor in which Jesus is helping us to understand his identity and nature. He declares himself the good shepherd, the light of the world, the living vine, and here he states that he is the “bread of life.” In the passage we read yesterday, he pointed to his feeding of the crowd as a sign from God. When the crowd begins to see that he offers more than free food for their stomachs, they express a desire for that. Acknowledging that bread (food) is essential to our lives, Jesus offers himself as spiritual food.

If we pause to think about this, Jesus is teaching us that, just as our physical needs are real and are met by God’s care for us, our spiritual needs are real and even more important. Most of the people in the crowd that day still did not get it (verse 36). We are called to believe deeply, to take him in as the real bread of life. If we do that, Jesus says we will never be hungry or thirsty again. This is telling us that, in Christ, we have total spiritual fulfillment. And if we truly believe, we have the precious gift of eternal life.

Personal Worship Option:

Forgive me, Almighty God, for spending so much of my life and even my time in prayer focused on my physical needs and wants. Help me to trust you to provide those and empower me to spend my life truly believing in your Son. Increase my faith, I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Daily Devotion, July 16, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read John 6:25-34.

Earlier in this chapter, John tells us about Jesus feeding the five thousand men plus women and children. That feeding was an important action in which Jesus showed compassion on a huge crowd of hungry people, far from home. It was intended by Jesus as a sign that he is indeed the Messiah, and it taught the apostles and us to use whatever resources we have available to us. In the passage we read for today, we see the crowd chasing after Jesus, hoping to be fed again. Jesus patiently begins to shift them from the desire for free physical food that will fill their empty stomachs to seeing that the food was a sign from God. When the people remind him that Moses provided manna for their ancestors on the exodus, Jesus tells them the manna was provided by God, not Moses. At the end of the passage, in verse 34, we see the crowd desiring the bread that Jesus describes.

God provides for our daily needs, but there is so much more to life than running after those needs, and we are called to desire and to receive spiritual bread that sustains us and lifts us above our daily physical needs.

Personal Worship Option:

Almighty God, we ask today for our daily bread and all the basics of clothing, shelter, and safety. But we desire to know you more fully and to serve you more faithfully, so lift our hearts to you, knowing that indeed we do not live by bread alone. Amen.

Daily Devotion, July 15, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Matthew 26:26-29.

It is beautifully symbolic that Jesus used ordinary bread and wine to represent his body and blood in Holy Communion. This Sacrament sustains and fills us spiritually. Each name we use for this Sacrament brings out a different dimension. If it is the Lord’s Supper - it commemorates the Passover meal Jesus ate with his disciples. If it is the Eucharist - Thanksgiving - because in it, we thank God for Christ’s work for us. If it is Communion - because through it, we commune with God and with other believers. As we eat the bread and drink the cup, we should recall Jesus’ death and resurrection and his promise to come again, grateful for God’s wonderful gift to us and joyful as we meet with Christ and the body of believers.

Personal Worship Option:

Reflect on God’s gift of life to you. Spend time in gratitude and thanksgiving.

Daily Devotion, July 14, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read John 4:1-14.

The Samaritan woman in today's story had a thirst that needed to be quenched. The thirst was in her soul and Jesus focused on her. He took a straight route through Samaria at a time when most Jews would go miles out of their way to avoid the land of a people they despised. Jesus met this woman at a well in Samaria, and he offered her water that could reach the driest places of her soul.

Jesus offers this needed living water to us, too. Though we might not recognize it, we need him desperately as a person who is thirsty not only for physical water, but the water that is the Holy Spirit quenching our spiritual thirst.

Until our spiritual thirst is quenched by Jesus, it won’t go away. We may try to stop our thirst with shopping, relationships, busyness, sports, travel, or a variety of other beverages. But Jesus makes us a much better offer. He says that whoever drinks the water he gives will never thirst. The water he gives will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life. What a welcome concept.

Personal Worship Option:

Dear Jesus, we know that the water that you give us is not any that the world's resources can supply. Thank you for quenching our thirst when we accept it with gratitude. Quench my thirst, Lord, with the water of eternal life. Amen.

Daily Devotion, July 13, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Matthew 6:9-13.

This prayer, which Jesus taught his disciples to pray, we pray together each Sunday. This prayer, which we call “The Lord’s Prayer”, is the centerpiece of Jesus’ teachings to the multitudes from what is traditionally known as “The Sermon on the Mount.” I believe the Holy Spirit continues to teach us new understandings from this prayer every time we pray it.

Today we are focusing on this simple and yet profound petition, “Give us today our daily bread.” We can trust God to provide both for our physical and spiritual needs. Physically, God knows that we need food to sustain us. Bread is traditionally and universally understood as a symbol of physical nourishment. Jesus’ words reminded his listeners of the stories from the time of wandering in the wilderness when God each day provided “manna” for nourishment.

Providing “daily” bread offers a timeless truth of Jesus’ teaching to trust in God’s care each day of our lives. In this classic teaching on prayer, Jesus summarizes our prayer requests for the basic necessities of life as our “daily bread.” He encourages us to pray for today’s needs only.

There is another word about this phrase offered by Dr. M. Eugene Boring in The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary. “For the poor people among whom Jesus lived and worked, bread was understood for survival. The prayer represents Jesus’ own solidarity with the poor and his concern that they have the minimal means of survival. Praying this prayer, the church unites with the hungry and poor of the world and creates a readiness of those who have bread to share with those who have not.”

Also, in John 6 Jesus declares, “For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world…I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Yes, God provides for our spiritual needs in giving us Jesus. Jesus gave himself for us to give us life and life eternal.

Personal Worship Option:

Ponder Jesus’ words, “Give us today our daily bread.” God will take care of you today. Are there individuals or groups of people with whom you could share your food? How is Jesus being the gift of “the bread of life” in your life today? Pause and give God thanksgiving for the basic necessities and for Jesus, “the bread of life.”

Daily Devotion, July 12, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Matthew 4:1-4.

In our passage today we read that Jesus has been led to the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. This test will show us that Jesus was human. He has fasted for 40 days and must have been very hungry. The devil tempts Jesus to turn the stones into loaves of bread. We can imagine that would be very tempting given how hungry Jesus must have been.

Jesus’ response provides us an example of how to respond when the devil tempts us to satisfy a human need in a wrong way. Jesus was able to resist because he not only knew Scripture, but he also obeyed it. He points Satan to Deuteronomy 8:3: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” This verse shows us that we aren’t to just eat food and that’s all we need for growth. Instead, it tells us that we also need to feed on the Word of God.

God’s word is a powerful tool in our lives. It is a seed that produces spiritual growth inside us. Find ways to make time for God’s Word. So today, get your daily feeding of God’s Word. Our Christ Church devotionals offer this opportunity. Read your Bible in the comfort of your home or in the office during your lunch break. Listen to sermons while driving to work or doing household chores.

We cannot live when we stop breathing. In the same way, we cannot live without the Word because it is the very breath of God which gives us life and health! Reading and meditating on Scripture is essential for our faith journey, but more important is obeying it. Remember Satan also knew Scripture, but he did not obey it. Let’s commit to both reading and obeying God’s Word.

Personal Worship Option:

Proverbs 4:22 tells us that God’s words are “life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.” Pray that God will restore your spiritual life through the daily reading of his Word.

Daily Devotion, July 11, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Exodus 16:1-18.

God had brought the people of Israel out of their time of bondage in Egypt. They were free! But as they journeyed into the desert, provisions they had brought with them ran out. They had no source of water or food. How were these basic needs of life going to be provided? That kind of concern can quickly grow into fear, which tends to bring about grumbling and complaining. It did for them.  

In the verses just prior to this passage, we read how God provided water for them. In this scene, we read of God’s provision of food. Not only bread, but meat was provided. I especially took note of the phrase in verse twelve “...you will be filled with bread.” That’s a phrase of generosity and abundance. This wasn’t just a snack they were given! They received all they needed!

It is a good reminder to us that God provides for our basic needs in life. As we follow God’s guidance, direction and ways, we also experience God’s provision of our needs. And as we receive our needs, we are invited to join God in this mission of providing for the needs of others.

Throughout this week, we will be reminded that God provides not only our physical needs, but our spiritual needs as well. It is another good reminder to us, that as we go to meet the spiritual need of connecting people with Jesus Christ, we sometimes must first help meet their physical needs.

Personal Worship Option:

Offer God a prayer of thanksgiving for the many ways God provides for your physical needs. Include in your prayer an offer to do your part to meet the physical needs of others. What one specific thing will you do this week to help meet a physical need of someone else?

Daily Devotion, July 10, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Matthew 16:13-16.

Yesterday, we looked at how the relationship between Jesus and some of his closest disciples began. He invited them to follow and learn from him and they accepted his invitation. In the passage for today, their relationship with him has gone to a much deeper level. When Jesus asks his initial question, they share that a lot of people do not understand who he is. But Peter lets him know that they know who he is: he is the Messiah, the One who God had promised to send to save the world.  

At the end of our worship services at Christ Church, I often say “We invite you to begin or deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ.” In our devotion yesterday, we focused on beginning that relationship. Today our focus is on taking it to a deeper level. I believe Jesus is always inviting us to go to a deeper (or higher) level of commitment to him; to a deeper understanding of his teaching; to a deeper involvement in participating in his mission in the world.  

We can only accomplish this deeper level of relationship by staying in constant contact with him. We do that both individually, through our personal prayer life and Bible study, as well as with other Christians, through worship, study, fellowship, service to others and care for each other.  

There is a danger of reaching a point of satisfaction in our relationship with Christ, not wanting to go any deeper. It would be like reaching third grade in school and deciding that’s where we wanted to stay in our level of knowledge and understanding for the rest of our life. Instead, just as we move forward into deeper levels of understanding in school, there is always more to learn spiritually.

Personal Worship Option:

What are you doing to intentionally deepen your relationship with Jesus Christ and your understanding of living his way?