DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 6.12.21

Twice Born - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don�t be surprised when I say, �You must be born again.� �John 3:6�7 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/twice-born/- Listen Some people say, �I�m a Christian; I�m just not one of those born-agains.� But you can�t be a Christian without being born again. Jesus said to a religious ruler named Nicodemus, �You must be born again� (John 3:7 NLT). Are you born again? To be born again means to be born from above. It means that you�ve had a spiritual birth. If you�re born once, then you�ll die twice. You will ultimatelydie both physically and spiritually. But if you�re born twice, then you�ll die once. Your body will die, but your soul�your spirit�will live on. Jesus came to Earth to be born in a manger and die on the cross for our sins, because we�re all separated from Him. We�ve broken His commandments time and time again. ThenHe rose from the dead. Maybe you�re ashamed of certain things you�ve done and wonder whether God could ever forgive someone like you. The answer is a resounding yes. Not only can He forgive you,but He will forgive you right now. He will give you complete forgiveness. By coming to the Lord in prayer, you can ask for His forgiveness, and He will wipe away every sin you�ve ever committed. He�ll forgive it and forget it. In the same conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus said, �For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perishbut have eternal life� (John 3:16 NLT). You can have everlasting life, and you can know that you will go to Heaven one day. You do this by asking Jesus to come into your life. If you want your sin forgiven, if you want to know that you�ll go to Heaven when you die, if you want Christ to come into your life, then call out to Him right now. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- TheJoy of Reconciliation “And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received theatonement.” (Romans5:11) The Greek word for “atonement” in this verse is kátallage, which everywhere else (some 10 times, either this word or its related forms) is translated “reconciliation” (or “reconciled” or “reconciling”). The connotation is that of full restoration tofull fellowship after long enmity and alienation. The Hebrew word for “atonement” (kaphar, “covering”) occurs some 80 times in the Old Testament, over half of them in Leviticus. It normally referred to the “covering” of one’s sins by the shed blood of an innocent (and blemish-free) animal sacrifice. Although this could provide some comfort to the sinner, there was little to be joyful about, since the covering was only temporary and the sins were still there. When Christ came, however, He became “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John1:29). He “put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews9:26). Consequently, “atonement” (in the sense of a temporary covering) is never mentioned at all in the New Testament. Instead, we have been fully “reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Romans5:10). Thus, our text is really saying that we have real joy in God through Christ, “by whom we have now received the reconciliation!” Our fellowship with our heavenly Father has been fully restored by the wonderful gift of eternal salvation through the work of Christ, “who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans4:25). And as we rejoice in the Lord, we must remember, too, that He “hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation,” so that we are “ambassadors for Christ,” beseeching others also to “be ye reconciled to God” (2Corinthians 5:18, 20). HMM --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If You Want to Follow Jesus - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. �Mark 8:34 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/if-you-want-to-follow-jesus/- Listen We adorn our churches with crosses, use them as fashion accessories, and even get into lawsuits over where we can display them. But I think our society has a lot of misconceptionsabout the cross today. In the first century, the cross was a repulsive symbol. It was an incredibly horrible way to die. The Romans didn�t invent crucifixion, but they perfected it, so to speak.And they saved crucifixion for the worst of criminals. If you saw someone surrounded by Roman soldiers and carrying a cross, you knew that person was about to die a horrible, painful, torturous death. Yet Jesus said, �Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoeverloses his life for My sake and the gospel�s will save it� (Mark 8:34�35 NKJV). These words of Jesus to His first-century disciples still ring true for His followers today. But what does it mean to take up the cross and follow Him? Jesus began by saying, �Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself.� The word deny means to say no to yourself. It means to put God�s will above your own. What it doesn�t mean is enduring whatever issue or difficulty you may have. That isn�t what it means to bear the cross. To bear the cross means one thing: deny yourself and put God first. I�ve been a Christian for 50 years, so I�ve seen a lot of things. As time passes, I�m not so much impressed by charisma as I am by character and longevity. I�m impressedby a Christian who weathers the storms of life and continues to give glory to God because that�s what following Jesus is all about. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- God's Unseen Glory by Ryan Duncan And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. – John1:14 If I had to choose a favorite moment in the life of Christ, it would probably be the story of the blind man in John 9. Most Christians are familiar with the passage, it begins with Jesus walking through the temple with his disciples when they come across a man born blind. “As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the worksof God might be displayed in him.” – John 9:1-3 For a long time, I believed the “works” Jesus talked about meant healing the man’s blindness. That’s what the story was all about, wasn’t it? Jesus performing a miracle to prove he was the Son of God? Actually, no. In fact, the real message of John 9 turned out to be something much different. After receiving his sight, the man is brought before the Pharisees to be questioned. The religious leaders are torn: this Jesus performed a miracle, so he must be some kind of prophet, but he did so on the Sabbath, a true man of God wouldn’t break the Sabbath. Eventually, they just decide to pull rank (We are the Pharisees, We decide who gets credit for this miracle!) Listen to how the once-blind man responds, “The man answered and said to them, ‘Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. Since the beginningof time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.’ They answered him, ‘You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?’ So they put him out.” If Jesus had wanted to be recognized for his power he would have ridden into Jerusalem as the conquering hero the Jews expected him to be. Instead, he came quietly, touching the lives of the lost and overlooked. His “works” were the restoring of hearts andsouls, not just physical bodies. By doing so, he gave a blind man the ability to see truth, where the Pharisees became blind to it. Let us make sure the Church doesn’t become blind as well. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Israel's Confession of Faith “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart,and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) As stated in the law, Deuteronomy 6:4-9 was to be recited by all Jews both morning and evening, for it contains God’s basic plan for passing on the message of God from generation to generation. The primary teaching is contained in verse 4. There is only one God, indivisible, although in three persons. His divine uniqueness precludes the worship of any other deity. The response to this message is that we should love that God with our entire being.Jesus Christ recognized this as the first and greatest commandment (Mark 12:30), teaching that obedience to it fulfilled one’s duty to the entire law. The message was so important that God even gave the mechanics for passing it on. In verse 6, we see that “these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.” Each person, particularly parents (v. 7), needed a heart commitment to God’s commandments,statutes, and judgments (vv. 1-2). Next, they had to commit themselves to raising up a godly heritage. “Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children” (v. 7). This teaching was to be first of all oral teaching. They were also to dress in such a way that it reflected their commitment tothe law of God (v. 8), and they were to place visual reminders of the law of God all around their homes so that the children were constantly reminded of the things of God (v. 9). Christians need to discover the truth of this passage. We must not merely assume the godly teaching of our children but also actively cultivate it. At stake is not only the personal walk of our children but also the eternal message of God. JDM ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Love Coupons from the Lord by Shawn McEvoy Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance. Hebrews6:12, NLT Rummaging through our junk drawer once upon a time, I came across a gift from my wife that has brought me nothing but trouble. Hold it right there. You keep presents from your wife in the junk drawer? I’m happy to explain. Everything else I’ve ever received from Valerie is a treasure, a blessing. But in this case… I’m speaking here of a booklet of "love coupons" placed in my stocking one Christmas. You’ve surely received something similar at one point in your life – a bundle of certificates entitling the bearer, at his or her behest, to a smattering of various benefitssuch as back rubs, dates, baked goods, relaxation, respite from chores, or other goodies. Whoever invented these well-intended documents of doom wasn't a master of foresight. The problem doesn't lie in the sentiment, it's in the redemption. Flipping fondly through the long lost book, I plucked out a coupon for a 30-minute massage and excitedly approached the one from whom the much-appreciated thought originated. “Hey, look what I found. Do you think I could redeem this tonight?” Body language is an amazing thing. Val said nothing, but her facial expression told me I might as well have been expired yogurt. Her lips didn't move, but I very clearly heard her brain say: “Are you kidding me? I’m overwhelmed and on my feet all day chasing down rambunctious children, and you have the audacity to bring me a coupon? If there’s anybody who should be receiving a massage tonight, mister, it’s me! In fact, if you reallyloved me, you'd know when I was too busy or moody or tired!” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Things That Cannot Be Shaken Hebrews 12:25-29 As a rule, people like security. We seek what is comfortable. Yet the reality of our world is that much instability exists. For example, finances, health, and even a country’s ability to survive are not guaranteed. When our foundation is shaken, we often feel overwhelmed. Sometimes Satan causes the difficulty—with God’s permission, of course. At other times, challenging circumstances are brought about by the Lord’s hand. Regardless of the source, we have the promisein Romans 8:28 that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” And in either case, the Almighty’s purpose remains: to glorify Himself in our world and in our lives. There are different reasons the Lord permits turmoil, but for now, let’s focus on one: He won’t allow anything that enables man to seem self-sufficient in his own eyes. Therefore, God may lovingly allow enough trouble for us to realize our need of Him. Considerthe trials the Israelites faced each time they turned away from Jehovah to worship other gods. In many ways, we do the same thing today. Individually, in our churches, and as a nation, we often glorify “gods” like money or status. But the One who created us will not tolerate this. In our pride, we tend to think we’re able to manage without God. But out of love, He may stir up our lives to reveal our dependence upon Him. If you are basing your security on anything except Jesus Christ—even something as seemingly innocent as comfort—it willprove to be sinking sand. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Likeminded “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” (Philippians2:2) This emphatic command, along with the parallel terms, helps us understand the concept of “thinking” the same thing. “Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits” (Romans12:16). Such thinking also includes “having the same love.” There are two aspects of this love. First, the term itself (agape) would demand that all of Christ’s disciples “love one another: for love is of God” (1John 4:7). This is often repeated to born-again believers so that our love for each other is so obvious that “by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples” (John13:35). Godly love then produces “being of one accord.” This phrase is the translation of the Greek word sumpsuchos, which is a compound of the preposition most often translated “with” and the word for “soul.” Thus, the agape that we are to share results in a connection “with-soul” that binds the “likemindedness” in agreement with the mind and spirit of the Creator God. We are finally commanded to be of “one mind”—slightly different from the “likeminded” opening charge of Philippians 2:2. The initial words are auto phroneô—“his thinking.” The last use is en phroneô—one (way of) thinking. The entire context of the opening verses of Philippians 2 is to think like Jesus Christ thinks. “Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus” (Philippians2:5). “Set your affection [phroneô] on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians3:2). This kind of “thinking” must have God’s love and soul embedded in the very core of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. HMM III ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TheWhole Heart “I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.” (Psalm138:1) When we sing or testify of our praise to God, it should not be perfunctory or repetitive rote praise. It should be sincere, wholehearted, personal praise. We should especially praise Him for revealing to us eternal truth, as written in His inspired Word. Further,we should not hesitate to praise our true God, even amidst all the false “gods” of this world. As verse 2 says, He has magnified His Word above all His name! The Holy Scriptures are our greatest physical possession of all the things in this world, for theyalone will “not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). His Word is “for ever...settled in heaven” (Psalm119:89). This phrase, “the whole heart,” occurs a number of times in the Bible, especially in the psalm of the Word, Psalm 119. Note the testimony of the psalmist in this great psalm. 1. “Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart” (v. 2). 2. “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments” (v. 10). 3. “Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart” (v. 34). 4. “I entreated thy favor with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word” (v. 58). 5. “The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart” (v. 69). 6. “I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD: I will keep thy statutes” (v. 145). Thus, we should “keep his testimonies” (v. 2), “keep thy law” (v. 34), “keep thy precepts” (v. 69), and “keep thy statutes” (v. 145) with our whole heart, for the good and sufficient reason that He is our Lord and has given us His eternal Word, magnified aboveall His name. HMM --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bravery by Ryan Duncan When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? – Psalms 56:3-4 Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be brave. The Bible certainly doesn’t lack for courageous leaders like Moses or fearless warriors like David, but what about those people who showed simple bravery? Esther never led anyone into battle, and as a woman in the ancient world her ability to lead was limited,but when you take the time to study her life you realize how much inner strength she must have had. As a young woman she was taken from her home and thrust into an unfamiliar environment. Later, she was forced to intercede in a murder plot at the risk of herlife and the life of her cousin. Her greatest challenge, however, was when the King’s advisor Haman sought to massacre the Jewish people. Their only hope of survival lay with Esther’s ability to confront the King, an action that could easily get her killed. After all, this was a man whohad deposed his old wife on a whim, what would he do to a woman who openly challenged his authority? Reading the verses in chapter 4, I can only imagin how shaken Esther must have been. Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, "Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which isnot according to the law; and if I perish, I perish." – Esther 4:15-16 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Blessings of Inadequacy 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 Paul never claimed he was capable of accomplishing all that God called him to do. He simply learned to look beyond his own inadequacy to the sufficiency of Christ. If we'll adopt the same practice, we, too, can discover the blessings hidden in our own experiencesof inadequacy. Our insufficiency drives us to God. When we realize a situation is bigger than we can handle, we're quick to open the Bible and diligently pray for guidance and power. Inadequacy relieves us of the burden of self-effort and self-reliance. The Lord has us right where He wants us--at the end of our rope with nothing left to give. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- God�s Advisor - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, �Who do people say I am?� �Mark 8:27 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/gods-advisor/- Listen Why do teachers give tests? They want to know whether their students are learning the material. And in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus gave this test to His disciples: �Who dopeople say I am?� (Mark 8:27 NLT). They�d seen Jesus walk on water, heal leprosy, and even raise the dead. But did they really understand who He was? Apparently not, because they replied, �Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets� (verse 28 NLT). So Jesus said, �But who do you say I am?� (verse 29 NLT). Simon Peter got it. He said, �You are the Messiah� (verse 29 NLT). In Matthew�s gospel, Peter says, �You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God� (16:16 nlt). Jesus replied, �You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you� (16:17 NLT). But then Jesus dropped what I could best describe as a bombshell. He �began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders,the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead� (Mark 8:31 NLT). Jesus spoke plainly. He laid it all out for the disciples. So Peter took Him aside �and began to reprimand him for saying such things� (verse 32 NLT). He was rebuking GodAlmighty. As a result, Jesus told him, �Get away from me, Satan! . . . You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God�s� (verse 33 NLT). Have you ever given God advice? I have. And you probably have too. We make our plans and then ask God to bless them. The question is who�s in charge? Who�s leading whom? Let�s put God�s will above our own. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Strength to Finish the Race - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. �Revelation 13:8 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/strength-to-finish-the-race/- Listen Before there was a planet called Earth, before there was a garden called Eden, before there was a couple known as Adam and Eve, God knew that humanity would blow it. Because of the sin that Adam and Eve would commit in the Garden of Eden, God knew that it would spread throughout the human race. It didn�t come as a surprise or shock toHim. It was always God�s plan for Christ to die. Revelation 13:8 refers to Jesus as �the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world� (NKJV). The devil, however, was trying to stop Jesus from reaching His objective. After John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, we read that Jesus �was led up by the Spirit intothe wilderness to be tempted by the devil� (Matthew 4:1 NKJV). Among those temptations, the devil showed Jesus the world�s kingdoms and their glory and said, �All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me� (verse9 NKJV). Loosely paraphrased, the devil was saying, �Jesus, I know you�ve come to purchase back that which was lost in the Garden of Eden. I�ll give it to you now on a silver platterif you give me the momentary pleasure of worshiping me.� Of course, Jesus rejected that. He knew He had to go to the cross. This reminds us that the devil often hits us as Christians in the beginning of our spiritual lives, challenging us to doubt our salvation. But he also wants to trip us upat the end of our journey so he can discredit all the good things we did. That�s why the apostle Paul said he wanted to finish the race with joy (see Acts 20:24). God will be with us and give us the strength we need to finish the race of life. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EsteemOthers �Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other betterthan themselves.� (Philippians2:3) In this verse, Paul challenged us to refrain from any �strife� or �vainglory��words that seem a bit stern in the colloquial terms of our day. Eritheia is the Greek word for �strife��a contentious political maneuvering for greater power. �Vainglory� is similar. It comes from the Greek word kenodoxia, an empty pride or groundless glory. Both are rather unpleasant descriptions of the foolish and sinful human behavior that is seen all too often among God�s people: �Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying oneanother� (Galatians5:26). On the contrary, we are challenged to �esteem� the others in our fellowship as �better than� ourselves. The precise words in this instruction insist that we are to use deliberate and careful judgment in our evaluation of others in our relationships as beingmore �excellent� than what we have thought of ourselves. Now, that goes against most of what we have been taught in our Western educational systems. Self-esteem is de rigueur in our schools, songs, movies, and television programs. In fact, �positive thinking� and �prosperity thinking� are very little more than self-esteem dressed up in religious terms. In the biblical �body� analogy, we are told that �those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour...having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked� (1Corinthians 12:23-24). God thinks differently. We are told to think of each other like God thinks. HMM III ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Living in a Dream World by Stephen Sanders The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalms 23:1 A life with no challenges would be awesome, wouldn�t it? Always making the right decision, never running out of money, your kids always doing what they are supposed to do, never biting off more than you can chew... circumstances just magically falling intoplace so that we can effortlessly waltz through life in a state of constant enjoyment. Man, that sure would be nice... Let�s just close our eyes for a few seconds and imagine what that would be like� I�m 32, and I have 3 daughters. One of them just turned 13. The other is 7. The youngest is 2. They are all very, very different. I cannot begin to tell you how overwhelming this can be sometimes. The baby is absolutely the cutest little thing ever. However, she has turned out to be the �stubborn child.� She writes on everything no matter how many times we tell her to stop. She refuses to use the potty. She will do a halfway-pee in her diaper, holdit and wait for you to change it, then pee in the fresh one immediately. It�s not like we don�t discipline her because we do! But she�s cute, and she�s little and can only really get into so much trouble, so she doesn�t stress me out too much� The middle child is fairly drama-free these days. She recently got 1st and 2nd-semester honor roll and citizenship awards at school with pretty much zero supervision. But a couple of years ago she was the bane of her K4 teacher�s existence. I got calledto the office, seriously, almost every single day that school year for her bad behavior. The principal felt like our daughter might have psychological problems. The teacher broke down in tears in the middle of multiple conversations. We had no answers. The very next year my daughter was the teacher�s pet. But, at the time, we blamed ourselves for these issues because we were her parents. Now we don�t feel like such failures. My oldest is actually my stepdaughter, and this relationship comes with obvious trials. She�s also a very attractive 13-year old; this poses even more issues. And if that wasn�t enough already, there are the unexpected things that happen. They are like dreamsyou hoped would never happen but did. Then they rear their ugly heads and taunt you like a nightmare you swear you�ve had before� ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Herea Little, There a Little �For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little,and there a little.� (Isaiah28:10) The setting of this unusual passage is most sobering. Both the people and their priests in Israel�s northern kingdom (personified by �Ephraim�) were in gross rebellion and drunken disobedience to the Lord. They were even ridiculing God�s prophets who were tryingto call them back, complaining that they were being treated like schoolchildren. In effect, they were saying: �Are you presuming to teach us as you would freshly weaned infants, going line by line, with rule after rule?� Whereupon God replied that He would use people of another tongue to come in and teach them what they refused to learn from Him. These precepts He had been trying to teach them should have provided true rest and refreshment, but now learning these lessons wouldprove to be their undoing. What should have been a blessing to them would become their condemnation. How desperately do modern Christians need to heed these same words! They profess to believe God�s Word, but they study it only superficially, compromise its doctrines, and disobey its instructions. �For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have needthat one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God� (Hebrews5:12). Most Christians of today, like the Corinthians of old, are still �babes in Christ� (1Corinthians 3:1). Thus, it really is necessary for their teachers to bring the Word of God to them �precept upon precept, line upon line, little by little.� �Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; notlaying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God� (Hebrews6:1). HMM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Creating Rainbows by Katherine Britton "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." - Genesis9:8 On Friday night, I saw one of the most beautiful sights I will ever see. No, I wasn't hiking in the mountains or watching the sunset. I was in a very ordinary setting actually - just driving home through downtown Richmond in rush hour traffic. The weatherhad developed schizophrenia and my windshield wipers were flashing at full speed even though the sun was shining. People were huddled under trees as they waited for their bus, and businessmen in suits were dashing toward their parking garages. The trafficreport was not in my favor, and I resigned myself to a long drive home. That's when I saw it. One end of a rainbow touched the end of my street, seeming completely out of place with the city skyline and blaring horns. But the rainbow was there all the same; in fact, it grew brighter, until the colors were as distinct as they are in a child's coloringbook. Then a second rainbow appeared over this first one, and as I got closer I could see both ends of the rainbows. I kept snapping pictures on my cell phone, even though I knew that no camera in the world could really capture those colors. That dreary lateafternoon commute changed into something that was, well, magical - or, as Noah would have said, miraculous. That very ordinary day was transformed by the visible reminder of God's promise to Noah. The commentator Matthew Henry read the Genesis passage and wrote these words: "The rainbow is the reflection of the beams of the sun, which intimates that all the glory and significancy of the seals of the covenant are derived from Christ the Sun of righteousness� As God looks upon the bow, that he may remember the covenant, so should we, that we also may be ever mindful of the covenant, with faith and thankfulness." God displayed a visible reminder of His everyday grace on Friday for anyone who looked up, reminding me of the promise He made to extend a common grace to all living things. How often do I take that promise for granted? The truth is, I nearly yelled at adriver on that same drive home after I saw the rainbows, letting a momentary panic get in the way of meditating on an eternal promise. My perspective so often slips into the ordinary, when God's daily grace is all around me. My prayer this week is that I will not lose focus, but instead, remember the rainbow. Everything else pales in comparison with the brilliance of His glory. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Requirements of Servanthood Luke 19:1-9 When Jesus left His home in heaven, He didn't come to earth to be a superstar. He came to serve. As His disciples, we've been left here on earth to follow His example and serve a lost and hurting world. The story of Zacchaeus shows us some Christlike qualitiesthat we need to develop in order to serve as the Lord did. Awareness: Although surrounded by a crowd, Jesus stopped and took notice of one particular man perched in a tree. Zacchaeus was hated and rejected because he was a tax collector. Although he was rich, there was something missing in his life,and Christ recognized his need. There are people all around us "hanging in trees"--needy, empty, and searching for hope. But too often, we're preoccupied with our activities and don't even notice them. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chasing Happiness - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. �Mark 8:35 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/chasing-happiness/- Listen We live in a selfie culture. In fact, people have literally died by trying to capture the ultimate selfie. We want to look good and project an image of having it all together.We�re a self-obsessed society. Interestingly, the Bible says that narcissism will be one of the signs of the last days: �In the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love onlythemselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred� (2 Timothy 3:1�2 NLT). Isn�t that an accurate description of today? However, selfish people are unhappy people. Studies have confirmed this. We actually get a momentary burst of what we might call temporary happiness when we do somethingselfish. One expert pointed out that selfish acts bring us happiness, but only for short-term periods of time. Then our selfish happiness fades quickly and ultimately drives us tomore selfish behavior. On the other hand, selfless acts bring happiness. We know this from experience after we do something for someone else. In contrast to our narcissistic culture, Jesus said, �If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake ofthe Good News, you will save it� (Mark 8:35 NLT). Jesus is effectively saying, �If you get your priorities in order and deny yourself instead of loving yourself and being obsessed with yourself, you will find fulfillmentin life.� There�s nothing wrong with wanting to be happy. In fact, Jesus is really telling us how to be happy. But it isn�t by chasing happiness. So we won�t find happiness by pursuing it. Rather, we�ll find it by putting God first in our lives and following Him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DemonicDiscouragement �Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly: How much less in them thatdwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?� (Job4:18-19) This was the strange message delivered to Eliphaz, the first of the three friends who proved such �miserable comforters� to Job in his sufferings, by �a spirit� that �stood still,... an image...before mine eyes� (vv. 15-16). This �thing was secretly [literally �stealthily�] brought to me,� said Eliphaz (v. 12), and there is little doubt that its original source was Satan himself, in his efforts to discredit and destroy Job. The �spirit� who instructed Eliphaz was not sent from God, as he may have thought, but wasone of those angelic servants who had been �charged with folly� when they followed Lucifer in his primeval rebellion. Still smarting with wounded pride that God would make His angels mere �ministering spirits� (Hebrews1:14) to Adam and his children, whose own bodies were mere �houses of clay,� built out of the dust of the earth, these demonic rebels hate human beings�especially those who love and serve God�with great passion. If Satan could not destroy Job by temptinghim into moral wickedness or rebellion against an �unjust� God, perhaps he could lead him into discouragement, using his self-righteous �friends� to cause him to lose faith in God�s love and care. But he failed! Job said: �Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,� and �I know that my redeemer liveth� (Job13:15; 19:25). Such defeatism is one of Satan�s most effective weapons. When he strikes with it, we must, like Job, �resist stedfast in the faith� (1Peter 5:9), knowing �the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy� (James5:11). HMM VISIT: PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS: HTTP://PROPHECY-WATCHER-WEEKLY-NEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM