DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 6.29.24

 ATree of Life “She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.” (Proverbs3:18) The tree of life in the Garden of Eden was a literal tree, whose marvelous fruit apparently had the medicinal ability to retard the aging process indefinitely, even for men and women under God’s curse (Genesis3:22-24). This amazing tree will be planted again along the streets and rivers of the New Jerusalem (Revelation22:2-3). The writer of Proverbs used this tree and its health-giving qualities as a symbol of four attributes of a God-centered, spiritual life that can bring blessing to all those touched by it. First of all, true wisdom is like a tree of life, imparting true happinessto all those partaking of it, then guarding it. Next, “the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs11:30). A life exhibiting genuine righteousness, like one manifesting genuine wisdom, yields wholesome spiritual fruit to those in real contact with it. The third figure is given in Proverbs 13:12. “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” Nothing is more rejuvenating to the spirit than for a dream suddenly to come true after long-continued hope has almost gone.An abiding, confident, always-continuing life of hope is a tree of life. Finally, “a wholesome tongue is a tree of life” (Proverbs15:4). “Wholesome” here means “healing.” One can become a veritable tree of life by using the God-given privilege of speech not to complain or criticize, not in vulgarity or foolishness, but to help, encourage, instruct, and comfort. May God help each of us to be a spiritual tree of life by attaining and demonstrating true wisdom, by living in genuine righteousness, by always maintaining an attitude of confident hope, and by speaking only words of edification that “minister grace unto thehearers” (Ephesians4:29). HMM -------------------- Saintsand the Universe “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” (Romans8:19) This verse says that the creation itself—galaxies, the earth, and everything therein—expects “the manifestation of the sons of God.” What binds the future of the sons of God to the future of the universe? When Adam sinned, God cursed both mankind and the ground—the dirt from whence he came and the stuff of this universe (v. 20). However, just as we both suffer “slavery to corruption,” we have a common hope for deliverance (v. 21). Prior verses in Romans 8 identify Christ-followers as “the children of God” (v. 16) who become “joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (v. 17). Christ already received His glorified body. While in that body, “hewas taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9), and He “is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews12:2). Jesus is in heaven for now but promises to return! Upon Christ’s ascension, the angels said, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts1:11). After He returns with all His saints (Revelation 19), He will give His followers their own glorified bodies and will make a “new heavens anda new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). In this new universe God will “dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Revelation 21:3). So, “the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:22) as it and we together await our glorification. “Wherefore…hope tothe end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13). BDT ------------------- The “Shall Nots” of Scripture “The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.” (Psalm34:10) Many worldly minded people tend to resent the Bible as a book of prohibitions, or “thou shalt not”s, as in the Ten Commandments. The fact is, however, that many of God’s most precious promises use the phrase “shall not” in a diametricallyopposite way, not listing prohibitions but provisions! As a beautiful example, there is the opening verse of the much-loved 23rd Psalm—“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Or, as in the words of our text, “they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.” There is the great promise of salvation and everlasting life: “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation” (John5:24). Following salvation, there is the promise of divine guidance. “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John8:12). With such assurances, we can rejoice with the psalmist: “The LORD...is at my right hand, I shall not be moved;...Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand” (Psalm16:8; 37:24). No matter how great the trial, the Lord will not leave us. “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee” (Isaiah43:2). God’s Word and God’s purposes can never fail. “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew24:35). “Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew16:18). “Sin shall not have dominion over you” (Romans6:14). We should never resent God’s “negative” commands, for His gracious “shall not” promises are far greater! HMM ------------------------ AWall of Prayer Warriors - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them. �Matthew 18:20 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-wall-of-prayer-warriors/- Listen The Romans, who were great military tacticians, knew how to use their shields effectively. When they came under attack, they pulled their shields together in their ranks on the front, theside, the back, and overhead, forming a defensive box. Then, they would break out and counterattack. That is what it�s like when Christians pray together. We stand together as a wall of prayer warriors marching forward. There is power in united prayer. Jesus gave us this promise: �I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather togetheras my followers, I am there among them� (Matthew 18:19�20 NLT). First, let�s understand what that doesn�t mean. It doesn�t mean that two Christians can get together and decide to pray for the same thing, and it will automatically happen. James warns us, �Yet you don�t have what you want because you don�t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don�t get it because your motives are all wrong�you want only what will give you pleasure� (James 4:2�3 NLT). Sometimes, we pray for things that are just not right or things that would be harmful to us. As a result, God says, �No, I�m not going to answer that prayer.� Just because two believers mayagree in prayer about something, it doesn�t mean that God necessarily will answer that prayer. The assumption of Matthew 18:19�20 is that we are in alignment with God�s will as we are praying together for something that we know God wants to do. For example, when we pray for people to put their faith in Christ, we are praying according to the will of God. And when we pray for a spiritual awakening to sweep our nation, we are prayingaccording to the will of God. However, that doesn�t mean we can just claim, in Jesus� name, that someone will come to Christ. That person still must respond to the gospel. God wants people to be saved, but He also hasgiven us a free will. So, our prayer should be that God will open their eyes and show them their need for Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us, �Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don�t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don�t understandthis message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God� (2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT). Jesus said, �But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!� (John 15:7 NLT). God is not a genie who will answer every request that we offer. But God will answer our prayers if we are maintaining a living communion with Him and His Word is at home in us, because wewill be praying for what God wants us to pray for. ----------------- Meanwhile . . . - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. �Acts 12:16 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/meanwhile/- Listen The first-century believers were people just like us. They were flawed. They weren�t super Christians. Yes, they prayed fervently. Yes, they prayed together. But sometimes, they also prayedwith an element of doubt. Clearly there is a place for faith in our prayers. And on many occasions, we hinder our own prayers because we don�t pray with any faith whatsoever. However, that doesn�t mean faith is a forceto harness so that we can simply speak things into existence. Remember, when Jesus taught the disciples to pray, He said, �Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, asit is in heaven� (Matthew 6:9�10 NLT). Even Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, �Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine� (Luke 22:42 NLT). Don�t ever be afraid to pray, �Not my will but Yours be done.� There is a place for faith. But even if your faith is weak, come with as much faith as you have. The Bible tells the story of a man who had a demon-possessed son. He came to Jesus, pleading with Him to touch his child. He said, �Have mercy on us and help us, if you can� (Mark 9:22 NLT). Jesus replied, �What do you mean, �If I can�? . . . Anything is possible if a person believes� (verse 23 NLT). The desperate father cried out, �I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!� (verse 24 NLT). This man�s faith was good enough for God because Jesus responded to his cry and healed his son. He was honest and admitted that he had his moments of doubt. But he brought as much faith ashe could and put it into action. When Herod Agrippa threw Peter in prison, the Bible tells us that the church prayed earnestly for his deliverance. In Acts 12:6, we read, �The night before Peter was to be placed on trial,he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers� (NLT). Peter probably was the only Christian in Jerusalem who slept that night because everyone else was praying. But God heard their prayers and sent an angel to rescue Peter from his prison cell. How things changed because of powerful prayer. At the beginning of Acts 12, we see a seemingly all-powerful Herod wreaking havoc on the church. On the other side, we see the church turningto God in prayer. Yet at the end of Acts 12, Herod is dead, Peter is free, and the word of God is triumphing. Verses 23�24 tell us, �Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because heaccepted the people�s worship instead of giving the glory to God. . . . Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers.� God always will have the last word. Never underestimate the power of prayer. -------------------------- The Value of a Gift - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman�s deed will be remembered and discussed. �Matthew 26:13 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-value-of-a-gift/- Listen It�s interesting that when we read through the Bible, we read very little about the great historical figures of the day. The great Caesars or Herods or the mighty armies of Rome are merelybackdrops for the greatest story ever told. They serve as points of reference chronologically. But in reality, these people and events were secondary. It reminds us that God sees things differently from how we see them. Also, we don�t find every miracle, every teaching, and everything that Jesus did in the Gospels. John points out, �Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I supposethe whole world could not contain the books that would be written� (John 21:25 NLT). The Holy Spirit selected certain miracles, certain teachings, and certain events in the life and ministry of Christ to be included in the four Gospels for our benefit. And the story of Maryin Bethany is one of them. Things were coming to a head in the life and ministry of Jesus. He�d had a number of increasingly confrontational exchanges with the religious leaders. They were ticked off at Him, and theywanted Him out of the picture. In short, they wanted Jesus killed. But they couldn�t do it yet because it was Passover. There were thousands of pilgrims jamming Jerusalem, and Jesus, though controversial, still had His admirers. Thus, they weren�t going tostrike yet. But they were plotting against Him. Meanwhile, Jesus decided to go and spend time with some of His friends. And among those friends were Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. No doubt they relished those moments with Him. They could legitimatelysay that Jesus was their friend. One day, they were with Jesus in Bethany, at the home of Simon, someone whom the Bible identifies as previously having leprosy (see Matthew 26:6). Jesus had just taught the Olivet Discourse,and no doubt there were some follow-up questions. Not only that, but Lazarus had been newly resurrected. It must have been an incredible conversation. And then Mary, deeply moved by what she saw, had to do something dramatic, something extravagant, to demonstrate her love for Jesus. She came with an alabaster flask of very costly fragrantoil and poured it on Jesus as He sat at the table. It effectively was her life savings. It�s worth noting that whenever we read about Mary, she�s at the feet of Jesus. Maybe that is why she had the insight she did. Mary took advantage of every opportunity to hear what Jesus hadto say. Jesus was so impressed by Mary�s act of devotion that He said, �I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman�s deed will be remembered and discussed� (Matthew 26:13 NLT). What is the most precious thing in your life right now? Have you presented it to Jesus yet? That is what Mary did. And it cost her everything. The value of a gift is determined not by howmuch it costs but by how much it costs you. -------------------------- TheHoly Ghost in David �For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hearhis voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness.� (Psalm95:7-8) It is an interesting coincidence that verses 7-11 of Psalm 95 are quoted almost verbatim in verses 7-11 of Hebrews 3. The two writers are both referring, of course, to the 40 years of wandering by the children of Israel in the wilderness. The Hebrews reference contains an important insight on biblical inspiration. It is introduced by the words �the Holy Ghost saith� (Hebrews3:7), showing that God was actually the real author of the psalm. Then, the same phrase (�To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation�) is quoted again in Hebrews 3:15, but this time it is introduced merely by �it issaid.� Then, remarkably, it is quoted still a third time (Hebrews4:7), where it tells us that God was �saying in David� this grave warning. In other words, the same Scripture was attributed both to David and to the Holy Spirit. Perhaps even more significantly, the phrase �it is said� is seen to be equivalent to �Godsays.� All of this is a clear affirmation of the divine inspiration of the Old Testament Scriptures. Finally, the fact that the same warning (�Harden not your hearts�) is cited three times in the space of just 19 verses, all quoting the original warning in Psalm 95:8, must mean that God considers it extremely important that we harden not our hearts! It is possible that even a child of God can become so involved in doubts concerning God�s Word that he becomes useless to God and thus simply must beallowed to die in a spiritual wilderness, never knowing the great blessings of a life of obedient faith. �The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart� (Psalm19:8). Our hearts should rejoice at His Word, not be hardened against it. HMM -------------------------- Extravagant Love - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, �That perfume was worth a year�s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.� �John 12:4�5 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/extravagant-love/-Listen Some believers today are more interested in knowing how little they can give to God than how much they can give to Him. They want to know what is the least they can do and still technicallybe a Christian. How much can they get away with and still go to Heaven? The question they ought to be asking is this: �Because I am a Christian, because I have this incredible salvation, how can I show God how much I love Him? What can I do for His kingdom?� Yet some Christians want to give the bare minimum to God. They will read the Bible�if they find time in their busy schedules, after they�ve visited all the websites they want to visit andwatched all their TV shows and checked their social media. They�ll pray a little prayer before a meal or sing a worship song in church, but maybe not out loud. They�ll put something in the offering�if they have some spare change in their pocket. Andthey are critical of someone else who does something good. They don�t like it when other people, in their eyes, go overboard. That makes them uncomfortable. That is the Judas mentality. When Mary anointed Jesus with very costly, fragrant oil at Simon�s house in Bethany, Judas Iscariot was very critical of her. He accused Mary of waste. Ironically, the very name Judas means �waste.� Talk about wasted opportunities and a wasted life. Jesus Himself handpicked Judas Iscariot to be His disciple. Yet Judas threw it all away andhad the audacity to accuse a woman with a good heart of wasting the gift that she gave to Jesus. The Bible tells us, �But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, �That perfume was worth a year�s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.� Notthat he cared for the poor�he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples� money, he often stole some for himself� (John 12:4�6 NLT). This reminds us that hypercritical people actually can be worse than the people they criticize. Those who are quick to jump down the throat of someone else often are guilty of something farworse themselves. That is what Jesus was talking about when He said, �And why worry about a speck in your friend�s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, �Let me helpyou get rid of that speck in your eye,� when you can�t see past the log in your own eye?� (Matthew 7:3�4 NLT). All too often, those who complain the most do the least. And those who do the most complain the least. Maybe that is why the first-century Christians changed their world. As modeled by Mary,they had a sense of abandon about them. They took risks. When was the last time you took a risk for the kingdom of God? -------------------------------- Paulat the Finish Line �Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, andall the brethren. The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.� (2Timothy 4:21-22) These are the final words of the apostle Paul, written shortly before he was beheaded. Despite his faithfulness and fruitfulness in the Lord�s service, he was now penniless, lonely, and cold. Yet he was not complaining. �I am now ready to be offered....I havefought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith� (vv. 6-7). He did yearn to see Timothy, his beloved son in the faith, before he died. �Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me� (v. 9). �Without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears,that I may be filled with joy� (1:3-4). Paul made one especially touching request of Timothy. �The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments� (v. 13). Paul didn�t even have a coat in the cold prison, and winter was approaching.Yet, even under such miserable circumstances, he still desired to keep reading and studying, preparing himself better for any future service the Lord might still have for him. What a contrast there would be between his present circumstances�abused by his enemies and forsaken even by most of his friends�and the glorious reception awaiting him in the near future! �Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which theLord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day� (v. 8). Paul has left us a worthy example. He kept the faith, gladly suffered the loss of all things for Christ (Philippians3:8), and was still studying, witnessing, teaching, encouraging, and exhorting, even to the day of his death. HMM ---------------------- Createdby Christ �And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hathbeen hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.� (Ephesians3:9) In the context of this verse, Paul is testifying concerning his divine call to preach the gospel, especially proclaiming God�s great plan to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. In support of this revolutionary concept, Paul refers to the great fact of creation. All men, and indeed �all things,� had been created by one God. Furthermore, it was by the Lord Jesus Christ that God created all things. Before the revelation of this mystery,the Gentiles had been �without God in the world� (Ephesians2:12). The phrase �without God� (Greek atheos, from which we get the word �atheist�) is used only this once in the New Testament, and it indicates plainly the barrenness of all pagan religions. �But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were faroff are made nigh by the blood of Christ� (Ephesians2:13). Thus, by Jesus Christ all things were created, and by Jesus Christ �all things� will be gathered �together in one� in the �dispensation of the fullness of times� (Ephesians1:10). This is all part of the same �mystery of his will,� according to the preceding verse, Ephesians 1:9. In the last chapter, Paul again refers to this now-revealed �mystery� when he urges the Ephesians to pray that he might be able to �make known the mystery of the gospel� (Ephesians6:19). Thus, the �gospel of your salvation� (Ephesians1:13), which we, like Paul, are commanded to make known, is the glorious news that Jesus Christ is both Creator and Consummator of all things and that by His work of salvation, all who believe, whether Jews or Gentiles, receive eternal salvation. �Allthings were created by him,� and He has shed His blood �to reconcile all things unto himself� (Colossians1:16, 20). HMM ------------------------ While We Can - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. �John 9:4 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/while-we-can/- Listen The famous film Schindler�s List tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, a businessman during World War II who hired Jewish people to work for him. After seeing the Nazis shoot Jewish peoplein cold blood in a Krak�w ghetto, he decided to spend his life trying to save Jews. And he was quite successful. At the end of the film, Schindler�s factory is shut down, and he prepares to flee the country. Having saved more than one thousand Jews, he says to Itzhak Stern, the Jewish man who was assistinghim, �If I just�I could have got more.� Stern says, �Oskar, there are 1,110 people alive because of you. Look at them.� �If I�d made more money,� Schindler says. �I threw away so much money. You have no idea. If I just�� �There will be generations,� Stern says, �because of what you did.� �I didn�t do enough.� �You did so much,� Stern replies. Think about how some people, even Christians, will feel when they look back at their lives. They will say, �What a waste! I could have done so much more! I could have made a greater difference!Why didn�t I do that?� Nothing is ever wasted if it is done with the right heart for the glory of God. For instance, someone might give up a promising career to go to the mission field. Some will say, �What a waste.� Or, you may give up certain pleasures and activities because you don�t want to dull your spiritual life. And some will say, �What a waste. You missed out.� Maybe you recognize that the work of the kingdom is worth investing in financially, so you give faithfully and regularly. And people say, �What a waste. You should have kept it for yourself.� But at the end of our lives, we want to hear God say, �Well done.� One day, as Christians, we will stand at a judgment seat. This won�t be a judgment of whether we will go to Heaven. Rather, this judgment will take place in Heaven. The Bible describes itthis way: �But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person�s work has any value� (1 Corinthians 3:13 NLT). As Alan Redpath once put it, you can have a saved soul and a lost life. God will look at our motives, at our whys. And if we have been faithful and served the Lord with what He has set before us, we will be rewarded. It is not enough just to get to Heaven. Wewant to go to Heaven having done something with our lives for God�s glory. That is what Mary did when she anointed Jesus with the flask of costly fragrant oil. Jesus said, �She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time� (Mark 14:8NLT). God has given us all influence, opportunities, resources, and time. Let�s do what we can while we can. Because on that final day, we will wish we�d done more. --------------------------------------