DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 7.24.21

What's it to You? by Kelly Givens Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at the table close to him… When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain untilI come, what is that to you? You follow me!” John 21:20-22 Have you ever wondered why God allows some Christians to suffer so much, and others seem to glide through life relatively pain-free? I know many godly men and women who seem to suffer without end. Their pain is more than I have ever experienced; they’vefaced more trials in a year than I’ve faced in my entire life. Why is that? Am I loved by God more than these people? Are they glorifying God more through their suffering than I can in my blessings? The comparisons go in all directions. Comparison was Peter’s go-to when Jesus told him this: “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carryyou where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God). Then he said to him, “Follow me!” (John 21:18-19). Jesus was foretelling that Peter, just like himself, would be led to his death, arms stretched out in his own crucifixion. Tradition points to Peter being crucified upside down during Nero’s persecution, not wanting to be crucified in the same manner as his Lord. I’m not sure if Peter knew then by what kind of death he would die, but no doubt he got the gist of what Jesus was saying. So it’s no surprise that he quickly disregarded Christ’s instruction to “follow me!” Instead, he looked around at the otherdisciples, spotted John, and exclaimed “Lord, what about this man?” I wonder if Peter was thinking, “I get what you're trying to tell me, but what about that guy? Why should I go through this trial and not him? Do you love him more than me?” Comparison is hard-wired in our sinful nature. When others seem to get ahead or are seemingly more blessed than us, we grow envious. When the tables are turned and we are the ones being blessed, we might fight the urge to brag or think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Both kinds of comparison are fatal to our faith, and Jesus knows it. So when Peter bluntly asked, “what about this man?” Jesus’ response was clear. “What is that to you? You follow me!” ----------------------------------------- When Faith Wavers James 1:5-8 If we believe that God is who He says He is and will do what He has promised, why do so many of us habitually waver in our prayers? Instead of exercising bold faith, we come to the Lord “hoping” He will hear us and answer our requests, but we’re just notsure He will. With this kind of thinking, we cannot expect to receive anything from Him. One reason we are so prone to doubt is that we fail to see God at work in our circumstances. We asked, and nothing happened. But the Lord is not some cosmic bellhop who jumps in response to our requests. He sees past, present, and future and knows the righttime for every answer. His invisible hand is already at work on our behalf—arranging situations to accomplish His will, opening hearts, and preparing us to receive what He wants to give. Another cause for uncertainty is ignorance. If we don’t know God’s ways, we will be disappointed in His response. All too often our prayers are accompanied by expectations of how He will work. When He fails to intervene according to our timetable or anticipatedmethod, we start to doubt. But placing our faith in the Lord and trusting in His good and perfect ways gives us stability as we wait for His answer. To overcome doubts, spend time in the Word to learn God’s principles and ways. Then you’ll begin to grasp what He wants to achieve in your life and how He goes about it. Examine your past from a biblical perspective—faith will grow as you see the unexpectedways He answered your prayers. --------------------------------------------------- The Delightful Law “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man.” (Romans7:22) To many people, the law of God is harsh and cruel, consisting of an unreasonable list of “thou shalt nots.” But Scripture teaches that “the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Romans7:12). The “old man”—that is, the natural man—“is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” (Ephesians 4:22), and therefore it is written, “Cursed isevery one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them” (Galatians 3:10). No natural man could ever truthfully say, “I delight in the law of God,” and in our modern world it is even probable that most people have broken at least most of God’s Ten Commandments and often delight in doing so. But the “old man” becomes a “new man” whenhe accepts Christ as his Savior, for “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made [the] curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). Thus, the “inwardman” can thenceforth “delight in the law of God,” as our text says. Not to earn salvation (which we could never do) but because we love to live for Him who died for us. God’s law (and we can understand this now to include even the entire Word of God) indeed becomes our delight. We can say with the psalmist, “Thy law is my delight” (Psalm119:77). Every one redeemed of the Lord should now find that “his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalm1:2). The old covenant said, in effect, we must keep the law to live. But now, “this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them” (Hebrews10:16). No longer are the commandments written “in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3), and we delight in them.HMM --------------------------------------------------------------------- That Boy Dating Your Daughter Is More Than a Nuisance by Shawn McEvoy Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts… - Psalms 95:7-8 My little girl will turn eight in a week, and believe it or not… I'm looking forward to the day she starts bringing boys home. Oh, believe me, there's no rush. I'm happy to remain Numero Uno in little Lauren's eyes as long as possible. All I'm really saying here is that I believe in her, in how she's being raised, in how she's taking after her mother. Whoever she brings home - I'mconfident saying - is not going to be a person without redeeming qualities. So what has me so primed for this experience that I don't sound like the typical dad at the door with a sneer and a shotgun? What else? The experience of having been valued and trusted myself. Twenty-three years ago I didn't know it, but I became part of a family. The McGriffs were a very unique family. When I met their eldest daughter, Dick and Susan had just remarried each other after having divorced each other. I never knew all the details,only that this was their first example to me of it never being too late, of recognizing wrongs and repenting. They took to me right away, but don't get the impression that they didn't lay down the law or have rules. It was the way they imposed them - agreeably, fairly, seriously - that made so much of a difference. It's not even that they didn't try to "change"me - to be perfectly honest they did try: suggesting Christian alternatives to my secular music, suggesting viewed-at-their-home Cary Grant movies to the ones I would have preferred taking their daughter to the theater to see, giving us five minutes after a date to say goodnight before the front lights would be flicked on and off signaling that, okay, that's enoughnow. I dated Malia for four-and-a-half years, off and on. During that time I built memories, house-sat for their family, came to cherish younger sisters Michelle and Amy like they were my own. Oh, like most young couples our relationship wasn't perfect; we wouldfight and make things more difficult than they had to be, just as I continue to do. But from her folks there was always instruction, encouragement, solidity. Laughs and firm handshakes. Always trust regardless. Thanks to Facebook, I've regained contact with these three sisters, observed how their family has grown, and chuckled at the way they continue to interact despite living all over the country (Malia in particular had the most amazing talent for taking tensesituations and making them laughable, one I'm told she still has, one that is a story for another time). I sent them the following email: Just wanna say… You three are still some of my favorite people I've ever met, especially for a trio of sisters. I love how life has worked out for all of you, and how large that family has grown, and how involved your folks are in visiting. You havefantastic men who seem to get you and treat you well. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whenthe Foundations Are Destroyed “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm11:3) The word here for “foundations” is not the usual word for, say, a building foundation. Used rarely, a better translation of this word would be “purpose,” or “basis.” The fear expressed is not that the foundations of our faith might be undermined but that wemight lose our sense of purpose. In the context of the psalm, David was in danger of becoming demoralized by the pressures of wicked desires and evil ambitions all around him, and Christians surely have the same problem today. Why should we try to maintain high standards of doctrinal integrityand moral purity when the people around us—even most Christians—seem to be occupied mostly with materialistic ambition and pursuit of pleasure? If we allow the devil to undermine the very purposes God has for our lives, wandering away from His will in favorof some temporal interest, then why even continue with a pretense of Christian living? David’s solution was simply to remind himself that “the LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men” (v. 4). He may allow the righteous to be tried for a season, but we must not forget that “the righteous LORD loveth righteousness” (v. 7) and that “the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth” (v. 5). When we are tempted to wonder whether it is really worth all the effort, and when our very foundation and purpose for living seems to be crumbling, we should remember that our God is Creator, Sustainer, and Judge of all—that He still is on His throne, and thatwe who belong to Him have been “predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (Ephesians1:11). HMM ------------------------------------------------------------------ A Letter to Josh by John UpChurch Dear Josh, Giving advice always seems such a dangerous task, balanced between two equally foreboding chasms: impersonal aphorisms that do little to instruct on the one hand and, on the other, a fruitless attempt to reach into your future based upon my past. After all, you already have the best book of instruction on all matters, a book you’ve already read countless times. How could I really add to that? But since I’ve learned quite a bit vicariously from stories other people have shared of their own mistakes, I hope I can do the same for you. In other words, I hope that I messed up so you don’t have to. As always, lay down the prayer as you consider thesethoughts. Seek God for true wisdom because He’s got the monopoly on that. I’m just trying to pick up the scraps. First, beware the gradual loss of your joy and wonder. Attacks on our faith rarely come as a frontal assault—more often they grow like ivy, slowly covering our defenses and blocking out the light. Day by day, the joy you’ve known slips away, and bitterness fills the cracks. Make it a habit topraise God for something new each day. It’s much harder to lose your joy when you’re looking for reasons to be joyful. Second, lead by serving those who follow you. This became a cliché in the church because it’s true. We lead others best when we serve them and do the things no one else wants to do. Jesus came as a missionary to our world and served thesick, dying, and hungry. He cleaned nasty feet, touched lepers, and made mud pies to heal a blind man. He didn’t have to. He didn’t need to. He wanted to. Joyfully serve and show others what loving people with reckless abandon means. (Did you notice I putthat joy thing in here again?) Third, don’t be surprised by sin. Sin isn’t a popular term. It’s not politically correct, and many people prefer to act like sin is just a social program away from being irradiated. But sin will smack you in the face from time totime—both your own shameful failures and the failures of others. When that happens, you may be tempted to be discouraged. Don’t be. God knows our sinful nature and loves us until we’re clean. That’s what really matters. ----------------------------------------------------------------- WhyParables? “And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parablespake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.” (Mark4:33-34) There is confusion concerning the parables of Jesus Christ. Was Jesus advocating an alternative form of teaching by using parables? Typically, parables were not the primary method used to impart truth. Look at the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew5–7). Our Lord presented truth clearly in 105 verses and concluded with a parable made up of only five verses. So, what are biblical parables? A simple definition of a parable comes from the Greek word parabole. The meaning of this word is “throwing” (bole) “alongside” (para), as in the words comparison, illustration, and analogy. With parables there is a connection between spiritual truth and common practice. The lawyer in Luke10:29 asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbour?” Our Lord answered him by packaging a salvific truth in a parable, using a fictitious gracious Samaritan who lived out in practice what the law demanded. Jesus called out this lawyer’s superficial self-righteousnessby calling him to repentance and concluded the story by saying, “Go, and do thou likewise” (Luke10:37). While parables explain spiritual truths to the followers of our Lord, they also have the purpose of disguising truth to those hardened hearers who oppose Christ. Understanding parables takes careful detective work. As one pastor warns, “It takes care, hardwork, and the Holy Spirit’s guidance to help get it right.” We must always remember that parables reveal precious nuggets of spiritual truth to believing followers and disguise truth to those antagonistic to the faith. On which side of the equation do you stand? CM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Need for Friendship 2 Timothy 4:9-22 Independence is a prized attribute in our culture, but biblically, it isn't a worthy aspiration. Nowhere in Scripture will you find the erroneous quote, "God helps those who help themselves." The very fact that the Lord formed the church--a community of believers--should tell us that He did not create people for self-sufficiency or isolation. When we place faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells us so we can have a fulfilling relationship with the Lord and satisfying friendships with one another. In God's design, a close, committed biblical friendship between two believers serves to build both toward Christlikeness. Look atany of the saints in Scripture, and you will find evidence of reliance upon a close friend or confidante for support. Paul, in particular, spoke freely and often of his dependence upon dear companions and encouraged others to form intimate partnerships aswell (2 Tim. 2:22). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When 'Good Morning' Is a Bad Word by Katherine Britton If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse. - Proverbs 27:14 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. - Ephesians 4:29 I am not a morning person. My college friends and I still joke about the semester our intrepid Bible study (we were studying Romans with just about every denominational background represented) decided it was a good idea to change our meeting time to Saturday mornings. My nocturnalhabits often made me the least inclined to drag myself from repose, and I confess that I used the "I think I'm coming down with a cold" excuse more than once. On one such morning, another member of the group decided she would jumpstart my lethargic spirituality.While I was groggily ignoring my roommate's gentle encouragement to come to Bible study, she walked the dorm room, threw open the curtains to the sunshine, and loudly proclaimed, "GOOD MORNING, KATHERINE!" I have no idea what I said in response, but I'm sure it wasn't Christian. I respect my friend's abiding faith in early bird philosophy, but I was delighted a few months later when I discovered Proverbs 27:14. The Message clarifies the verse by putting it this way: "If you wake your friend in the early morning by shouting ‘Rise and shine!' It will sound to him more like a curse than a blessing." I immediately told my friends that my discovery. I had found concrete evidence that God was not a morning person. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Learning from the Master Evangelist - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org He had to go through Samaria on the way. �John 4:4 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/learning-from-the-master-evangelist/- Listen There�s no better example of how to do evangelism than Jesus Christ Himself. He is the master communicator and the master evangelist. We see this beautifully illustratedin John 4, when Jesus encountered the woman at the well in Samaria. Now, no orthodox Jew in Jesus�s day would ever go to Galilee through Samaria even though it was a shortcut. It actually would shave a lot of time off the journey. However, there was deep-seated bigotry and prejudice between Jews and Samaritans. Jews hated Samaritans. And Samaritans hated Jews. Yet the Bible tells us that Jesus, both a Jew and a rabbi, �had to go through Samaria on the way� (John 4:4 NLT). Why? Because there was a burned-out, empty, searching, immoral woman who had an appointment with God, unbeknownst to her. This serves as a reminder that the love of Godknows no racial, economic, or even sinful boundaries. It also reminds us that we have to go to where people are. So often Christians try to isolate themselves from nonbelievers. It seems as though their goal is to get throughthe day without coming into contact with people who aren�t yet believers. But God has not called us to isolate; He has called us to infiltrate. That grumpy neighbor, that inquisitive coworker who�s always peppering you with questions, those peopleyou�re around in your day-to-day living�they�re your mission field. God wants you to reach out to them. We need to get past our comfort zones. Yes, it�s challenging to reach out to someone who�s younger or older or who might look different than you do. But we need to go wherepeople are. Jesus did not say that the whole world should go to church, but He did say that the Church should go to the whole world. We want to invade their world with the gospel. ---------------------------------------------- JesusChrist or Christ Jesus �For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.� (Philippians3:20) The doctrine of verbal inspiration implies that not only are the words of Scripture inspired, but the very order in which they appear is also inspired. Study by commentators and translators have rightly noted that a change in the order of the words would attimes change the meaning or emphasis of a passage. This phenomenon is often seen in the order in which the various names of Christ appear. By noting this order, one may sometimes gain new insight into a passage. While the name Jesus, alone, normally appears in the gospels and the book of Acts, the compound name Jesus Christ appears on occasion. Interestingly, the same compound name is used exclusively by the disciples John and Peter in their letters, and by James andJude, the brothers of our Lord. Of course, these men knew Him first by His human name, Jesus, and only fully comprehended the fact that He was the Christ (meaning �the Anointed,� or �the Messiah�) after His resurrection and ascension. Paul, on the other hand, first encountered Christ in all His glory on the road to Damascus. Perhaps, as a consequence, he frequently reversed the order, speaking of Christ Jesus, although he used both orders many times. The reason for this choice of order perhaps can best be illustrated in Philippians 2:5-11. In verse 5, Paul described the Anointed One, who first emptied Himself of certain aspects of His deity to take on human form. Therefore, Paul used the name Christ Jesus. In verse 11, however, the order is reversed. In this case, as inour text, the movement is from humanity to glory. In one, the glory of the risen Savior is emphasized; in the other, the glory that we shall share with Him. This glory is assured us through His victory. JDM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Batman and Big Brother by Alex Crain �And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?" (Matthew 21:16 NKJV) One of the blessings of being around children is the life lessons that they often teach us. Sometimes the lessons are about deep, spiritual truths. Like the lesson my two-year-old son, Henry, recently taught me about worship. While at the playground area of a fast-food restaurant, Henry found himself surrounded by other kids his age whom he had never met. Suddenly, my wife heard him bragging to his little audience about his two heroes: Batman and big brother. �Batman get bad guys,� Henry said to one. Then very proudly to another, �My brudder hit bad guys ty-kon-do.� Now, his big brother never uses Tae Kwon Do� except in practice. But I suppose that, in Henry�s imagination, those nine-year-old practice opponents must be bad guys. Whatever his motivation for saying these things, Henry couldn�t help expressing praise forthings that he thinks are great. It struck me that that�s a big part of what worship is. Yes, we�ll need to continue teaching Henry about the goodness and greatness of God, just like we need continued teaching and reminding ourselves. But I don�t think that the concept of worship is something that he, or anyone else, needs to be taught. What we need to do is un-learn some wrong-headed ideas about worship that we have picked up over the years. C.S. Lewis points out one such wrong-headed idea when he admits that he used to mistakenly view the Bible�s demands for praising God as no different than a conceited woman seeking compliments. Every time he heard the Psalms saying �praise the Lord,� �praise God,� or �praise Him,� God sounded pathetically vain to him. Inhis book, Reflections on the Psalms (p. 93 ff.), Lewis explains how his perspective changed: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The High Cost of Wavering Faith Deuteronomy 1:19-40 God has given believers personalities, abilities, and spiritual gifts which will equip them to accomplish His specific plans for their lives. But each one must choose to step out in faith and obedience. At times the Lord challenges us to do something thatseems beyond our ability, but if we back off, we�ll miss His awesome blessings. Let�s learn from the Israelites who made several choices that led to unbelief, resulting in a lifetime of aimless wandering. They . . . � Listened to the wrong voices. To walk obediently with the Lord, we need to guard ourselves from being swayed by those who don�t understand the greatness of our God. Not only that, but we must also learn to recognize the lies of Satan.He wants us to become ineffective, accomplishing little for the kingdom of God. � Relied on human perspective. At times trusting God conflicts with human reasoning. But those who choose to trust Him�even when the external evidence points to an impossibility�will find that He is bigger than any obstacle. � Let feelings overcome faith. Perhaps the biggest hindrances to obedience are fear and inadequacy. An internal focus is a trust killer. The way to overcome our feelings is to rely on the Lord and His promises. He will equip us for whateverHe calls us to do. Every challenging call to obedience is a fork in the road of our lives. To go the way of unbelief will lead to a lifetime of regret and aimless wandering, but to courageously trust God and do what He says will result in the greatest blessing of your life.The choice is yours. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Natural and Spiritual Bodies �It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sowna natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.� (1 Corinthians 15:43-44) In this portion of this great chapter on the resurrection�first that of Christ, then the future resurrection of the redeemed�death and resurrection are compared to seed-sowing and harvest. When a seed is planted in the ground, it is as though it had died andis buried. For a long time after its �death,� the seed cannot be seen, but finally it rises again as a beautiful flowering plant, or sheaf of grain, or even a lovely tree. Jesus made this same analogy. �Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit� (John 12:24;note also Mark 4:26-29). Our human bodies, because of sin and the Curse, eventually die and are buried; but one day (like the planted seed) they will appear again, but now immortal and glorified, far greater than they were before�that is, of course, if their realinhabitants (their eternal created spirits) have been born again through faith in their already-resurrected Savior. Our new spiritual bodies rising from the grave will be real physical bodies (like that of Jesus after He was raised) but will no longer be under bondage to gravitational and electromagnetic forces as at present, but only to spiritual forces of which we haveas yet very little knowledge. We do know, however, that our spiritual bodies will be �fashioned like unto his glorious body� (Philippians 3:21). Although �it doth not yet appear whatwe shall be....when he shall appear, we shall be like him� (1 John 3:2). Then in our glorious, powerful, spiritual bodies, we as �his servants shall servehim� in love and joy forever (Revelation 22:3). HMM -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Winsome Witnessing - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: �Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way.� �Acts 17:22 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/winsome-witnessing/- Listen I heard about a barber who decided to share the gospel with the first person who sat in his chair the next morning. He owned an old-fashioned barber shop where he used astraightedge razor for shaving. And sure enough, the next morning someone walked in and sat down in his chair for a shave and a haircut. The barber, who was vigorously sharpening his razor, turned to theman and said, �Friend, are you ready to meet God?� His customer ran out, apron and all. You see, that barber needed to use a little tact when he was sharing his faith. And we need to do the same. Believers sometimes approach nonbelievers with strange verbiage and then conclude that some people just take offense to the gospel. Yes, there�s offense in the gospel. But many times, people are offended because Christians are just weird and unnecessarily offensive. They don�t know how to use tact. Theyaren�t persecuted for the sake of righteousness; they�re persecuted because they�re obnoxious. We should use a little tact, a little winsomeness, when we share our faith. Someone has defined tact as the intuitive knowledge of saying the right thing at the right time. For example, when the apostle Paul saw that the people of Athens worshiped everything imaginable, he could have said, �You�re a bunch of pagan idolaters!� Instead, he told them, �Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars hadthis inscription on it: �To an Unknown God.� This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I�m telling you about� (Acts 17:22�23 NLT). If people can be argued into the kingdom of God, they can be argued out of it as well. The idea is not to win the argument. It�s to win the soul. ---------------------------------------------------------------- OurAdvocate in Heaven �Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.� (Job16:19) It is significant that here, in what is probably the oldest book in the Bible, two vitally important New Testament truths are anticipated. Job somehow knew that he (and, by implication, every other person as well) has a �record� in heaven. This is the onlyoccurrence of this word (sahed) in the Bible, but it basically means that our works, good or bad, have been recorded by God in heaven concerning how we have used or abused our stewardship here on Earth. And the record inevitably testifies against us, �for there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not� (Ecclesiastes7:20). At God�s throne of judgment, when �the dead [are] judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works,� then �whosoever [is] not found written in the book of life [is] cast into the lake of fire� (Revelation20:12, 15). But how can we know that our names will be in God�s book of life in that day? Thankfully, even Job knew, in his long-ago time, that �my witness is in heaven.� Here the word (Hebrew ed) speaks of a formal personal witness who can testify on our behalf, one who �might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbor!� (Job16:21). Job somehow knew that such a witness was there, for he could also say, �I know that my redeemer liveth� (Job19:25). In the light of the New Testament record, we know that this Redeemer and Witness is none other than the Lord Jesus. �If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins� (1John 2:1-2). That is, He is the �sacrifice� for our sins and thus can redeem us from sin�s penalty and thereby serve as our defense witness in heaven. Our record of sin and guilt has been washed clean with the precious blood of Christ. HMM --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Core Issue - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org �Sir,� the woman said, �you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is hereat Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?� �John 4:19�20 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-core-issue/Listen Sometimes when we share our faith, people want us to go off on a tangent. When we start talking to them about their need for God, they�ll come back with questions like, �Well, if God is good, why does He allow suffering? And what about a person who has never heard the gospel? What will God do with them?� While you�re answering one question, they�re moving on to another. It�s a diversionary tactic. That�s what happened as Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman by the well. She was getting uncomfortable, so she tried to get Him off the subject. She said, �So tell me,why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?� (John 4:20 NLT). The Jews and the Samaritans had an ongoing debate about where they were to worship God. The Jews, of course, believed they should worship God in the temple that He had establishedin Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the Samaritans had their own temple and their own views. Jesus could have easily gone down this road, because it was a heated debate. But He answered it very succinctly, pointing out what was right. Then He brought it back tothe big issue: �For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth� (verse 24 NLT). He brought this woman back to what really mattered, what was really essential. Her initial cynicism gave way to curiosity, and ultimately, she believed on the spot. In the same way, when we�re sharing the gospel, we should try to answer questions to the best of our ability. But then we need to bring it back to the core issue: theirneed for Jesus Christ. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Bridge for the Gospel - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. �Philippians 3:7 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-bridge-for-the-gospel/- Listen There�s a lot of power in the simplicity of a changed life. The man who was born blind told others, �I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!� (John 9:25 NLT). And the Samaritan woman testified of Jesus, �Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?� (John 4:29 NLT). Then �the people camestreaming from the village to see him� (verse 30 NLT). When you can share the before and after of what God has done in your life, it can speak to people in a special way. Perhaps they would never imagine that you were once whoyou were and did what you did, because Jesus Christ has completely transformed you. It�s interesting how often the apostle Paul, who was a brilliant orator and a wonderful intellect, would use his testimony to speak to people. We see in Acts 24 that whenhe was speaking before the Roman governor, he began with his own story of how he came to faith. And then he went to the essential message of the gospel. When you�re telling your story, however, accuracy is important. So is truthfulness, because some people�s testimonies seem to become more dramatic with the passing of time. Another problem is that some Christians make their past sound more appealing than their present. That makes me wonder whether they fully understand what it means to be aChristian and what their lives before Christ really were. I love the way Paul put it: �I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthlesswhen compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord� (Philippians 3:7�8 NLT). Telling your story is a powerful bridge for the gospel message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Truth or Love? by Sarah Phillips Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. - Ephesians 4:15 "Love takes up where knowledge leaves off." ~ St. Thomas Aquinas It's a common quote among Christians: "Speak the truth in love." It's also one of the greatest challenges of being Christian. Even those unfamiliar with the Christian faith and this scripture verse battle with balancing truth and love. It is why the "white lie" - a common tactic to avoid sharing unflattering truths to loved ones - is so popular. I recently had a conversation with a Christian struggling with this tension between truth and love. A zealous soul, this Christian is convicted in the truth and concerned that many will die without the truth. His concern, no doubt, is born out of love. Buthis delivery of the truth often does not reveal love for the recipient. Unsure of how to proceed, and fearful of watering down the truth, he has come to the conclusion that some are called to focus more on love while others are called to focus more on truth. I think this struggling Christian's conclusion hits at the heart of the dilemma. In our broken, splintered natures, we tend to see truth and love as opposing forces - at best, difficult to reconcile. Yet this perception that there is tension between truthand love can prove fatal. Putting truth on one end of the spectrum and love on the other, we are forced into measuring each situation on a linear plane. "Hmmm, should I err more towards the truth end or the love end today?" It only takes a little imagination to see how this approach fails. How many times have we encountered a person that "chose love" and glossed over the truth? We see souls confused and dying in the wake of this person. While "love" may have been the intent,their victims have not been loved. And how many times have we encountered a person who spat cruel words in the name of truth? While illumination (or perhaps justice) was the goal of this person, we clearly see that those left in their wake have bitter souls, scarred and blinded to the truth. Ultimately, Scripture reveals that God is both Truth and Love. If this is the case, the two cannot be contradictory or incompatible. So where does that leave us? ------------------------------------ VISIT: PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS: HTTP://PROPHECY-WATCHER-WEEKLY-NEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM