Category: Daily

The scripture for today, June 6 (6/), is 1st Timothy 6:6f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”

Still, don’t we all do it?  Compare what we own with what our neighbor owns?  Work and strive to gain more and more?  A long time ago, a man wrote a book called, “How to Want What You Have.”  He emphasized that, to people who are never content with what they have, happiness is always right around the corner.  If we could just buy that object, or get that house, or obtain that promotion.  But once we get it, we are only satisfied briefly before happiness slips away again, and we decide we would truly be happy if we could buy yet another object, or get yet another house, or obtain yet another promotion.  And so we live our lives.

Let us dare to look around us today and tell ourselves, “I have all I need.”

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The scripture for today, June 5 (6/5), is Deuteronomy 6:5 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

Jesus said this is the greatest of all the commandments (Mark 12:29).  Interestingly, he didn’t say that any of the Ten Commandments was.  He chose one of the over 600 commandments God gave to Moses in the Old Testament.  It might have been lost in the crowd, but Jesus called it out and gave it special attention.

Although we no longer keep the Old Testament Law of Moses, we do have the New Testament Law of Jesus.  There aren’t as many commandments, but there are some.  Sometimes Jesus’ law repeats something in the Old Law such as the one above.  But it was his choice what to carry over, not ours. Some people don’t even know they’re obeying any of the Laws of Moses.  All we have to do to find out is to read that Law (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) and see if we recognize anything we’re doing. The Law of Jesus is so much simpler.  And it is dynamic in its simplicity.

Above all, the crown in the Law of Jesus is to love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, soul and strength.  Today, wear your crown.

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The scripture for today, June 4 (6/4), is Psalm 6:4 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“Turn, O Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.”

Sometimes we walk away from God and can’t figure out how to make a turnaround and get our life back on track.  When this happens, look behind you.  Though you are walking away from God, he is still on the right track.  All you have to do is call for him to come get you.

“Turn, O Lord!  Turn!  Deliver me!”

Why would God be so good to someone walking away from him?  Because he loves you and is always listening for your voice.  His love is unfailing.

 

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The scripture for today, June 3 (6/3), is Romans 6:3f  as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life….because anyone who has died has been freed  from sin.”

Oh!  Baptism does all that?  Some people say no, but God says yes.  Indeed, in baptism we obtain a “new life” ~ are born again.  And in baptism we are “freed from sin” ~ forgiven.  Look at it this way:

Just as Jesus died carrying our sins on himself, we die to our sinful nature ~ the part of us that sins and doesn’t care.  Then just as Jesus was buried in his grave, we are buried in our watery grave.  And just as Jesus came up out of his grave the Savior, we come up our of our watery grave the saved ~ with a “new life”, having been “freed from sin.”

Everything works together beautifully ~ hearing, believing, confessing, dying to sin, being baptized.  What an honor and privilege we have been given to imitate what he did for us!  And for those reasons!

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The scripture for today, June 2 (6/2), is Galatians 6:2 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

In case you’re thinking people should take care of their own burdens, you are right.  But the term “burdens” here refers to overloads.

The main reason this is hard to do is that taking on someone else’s overloaded burdens upsets our daily routine and our peace of mind.  It is inconvenient.

Just remember, it is always inconvenient for those people to have an overload of burdens.  They don’t want them. Many times they didn’t ask for them.  But even if they did ask for them with foolish acts, can we not roll up our sleeves and help them out?

What if Jesus had said, “Hey, it’s not my problem!  Those people on earth mess up their lives all the time.  Why should I leave the comforts of heaven to live among sinners and misery?”  But he didn’t say that.  Thank God he didn’t say that.

Inconvenient for him to take our overloaded burdens to his cross?  Yes.  Did he want to do it?  No.  But he did what was necessary to rescue us.  Do we really and truly want to be like Him?

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The scripture for today, June 1 (6/1), is Psalm 6:1 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.”

This is not only a good request to God, but it is a good request to each other ~ family and friends alike.  When we disagree with someone, do we “back it up” with loud yelling or throwing or hitting things?  Do we believe that our point of view cannot be accepted without a “tantrum”?  Actually, the object of our tantum may react like we want on the outside, but we drive them farther from us on the inside.

This scripture indicates that it is indeed possible to rebuke someone without the tantrum.  In fact, it is more effective.  When we calmly tell someone we disagree with them, it does not raise their blood pressure and put them on the defensive.

Calm rebuke does not mean we don’t mean it; it means we are convinced enough, our point of view does not need reinforcement.  In that case, the other person is more likely to be convinced too.  So today, let us practice while alone saying calmly what we normally back up with a tantrum.  Then, next time we disagree with someone close to us, we will be ready.  Ready to not rebuke in our anger.

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The scripture for today, May 31 (5/31), is Deuteronomy 5:31 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“But you [Moses] may stay here [on the mountain] with me [God] so that I may give you all the commands, decrees, and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess.”

Many people believe that the “Law of Moses” consisted only of the Ten Commandments.  But there was much more.  It took Moses 40 days to write them all down.  How many?  Over 600 “commands, decrees and laws.”

Jesus nailed the old law [covenant] to the cross (Colossians 2:14) and created a much simpler New Testament/Covenant! “By calling this covenant [testament] ‘new’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear’ ” (Hebrews 8:13).  Not part of it.  All of it.

Thank God we do not have to keep all those 600+ commandments in the Law of Moses.  They were tedious, and some were impossible to keep.  Why would God give a law impossible to keep?  To help us understand that it is impossible for us to be perfect.  Finally, with our understanding of that, God was ready to send His Son to earth to be perfect for us.

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The scripture for today, May 30 (5/30), is John 5:30 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”

It is hard to judge people we know, and leave our own egos out.  If we are jealous, we may judge them harshly.  If we admire the person, we may judge them too loosely.  Perhaps if we try to walk in their shoes, it will help us understand and not judge too harshly.  And perhaps if we compare an admired person to Jesus, it will help us understand and not judge too loosely.

We’re not talking judgmentalism here where we go around sizing other people up all the time so we can feel superior to them.  In judging, we judge, then we accept people where they are.  Only then can we become their true friend.

If we truly love others, we will not, when judging, seek to please ourselves.  Rather, we will please our Creator who knows our hearts and loves us all the very best.

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The scripture for today, May 29 (5/29), is Acts 5:29 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“Peter and the other apostles replied, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’ “

There are many countries in the world today where a person is beaten, imprisoned and/or killed for believing in Jesus Christ or owning a Bible.  They must stay in the background and try to remain relatively unnoticed in order to survive.  But their faith continues unabated, even amidst their fears.  The church has survived persecution for 2000 years.

Even if they’re not killed, they are by-passed for promotion at work or fired, they are harassed when out shopping, they are threatened in public transportation, they are turned down for a good education, and they must tolerate derision just walking down the street or waiting at a bus stop.  But their faith continues unabated, even amidst their fears.

Such events are usually covered up by governments and news media, and the good people of those countries never know it is happening.  There are various newsletters on the internet about the persecuted that you can sign up for.  One is at www.persecution.org that sends news as soon as it happens.  Let us daily hold up these brave souls in our prayers ~ those who obey God rather than men.  In eternity, it will be God that we turn to, not men.

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The scripture for today, May 28, is Luke 5:28 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“And Levi got up, left everything and followed him [Jesus].”

This Levi was a tax collector, who, in those days, was allowed to set his own tax rates so he could pocket some of it for himself.  Why would such a man follow Jesus, a man who apparently didn’t have much money of his own?  He had to trust Jesus and believe that he was truly a friend.  

And why would Jesus ask him?  Jesus was certainly taking a chance, since the uppity leaders of society and their religion openly declared Jesus a bad person for associating with “sinners and tax collectors”.  Jesus, in turn, had to trust and believe in Levi.

A lot of Christians brag that their only friends are those who worship with them.  They don’t really trust anyone else, so don’t really want to be anyone else’s friend.  Well, how are you supposed to bring anyone to Jesus?  Jesus went out to “seek and save the lost.”

And sometimes there is a visitor at worship who isn’t dressed right ~ perhaps with uncombed hair, or smell from no shower, or makeup put on too heavy, or clothes not in style, or maybe even dressed too richly.  Are we ashamed to be seen with them?  Jesus wouldn’t have been.  He was color blind, style blind, class blind.

Today, reach out and make friends with someone you have been staying away from.  Jesus did.  And thereby, you will be like him.

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