May 31 - Eternity in Our Hearts

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Matthew 22:15-33
James 2:1-13
Old Testament -
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
Jeremiah 7-9
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses:
Ecclesiastes 3:10-11
10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Insight:
All of us experience the ebb and flow of life, the constant turning of the seasons. Our own time and experience seem small and insignificant when we think of the countless people who have preceded us, and imagine the ongoing succession of generations yet to come. It's with good reason that we feel like little specks on the giant timetable of human history.

Deep inside we have a sense of the infinite and eternal, but the vastness of the human experience on planet earth is simply too much for us to fathom. We find ourselves overwhelmed by big questions like, "Where did it all come from?" and "Why is it all here?" and "Where will it all end?"

It doesn't take long to reach the boundaries of our reason and knowledge. And when we do, these mysteries point us to God or lead us to despair. Only God knows and sees beyond our limitations. Only what God does endures forever. And only God can give us the gift of good and satisfying lives.

Response & Action:
While I enjoy learning and the joy of discovery, I must be realistic about the limitations of what I can and cannot know. I will be realistic about things beyond the scope of human reason and verification, and let this realization point me to my need for faith in God. I will look to Christ Jesus and the written words of Scripture to guide me in my quest for God.

O God, you are before all things and you are beyond all things. Your truth and your wisdom are too wonderful for me to understand. You boggle my mind! I cannot even fully comprehend myself; how can I even begin to know you? Thank you for reaching down to me, for showing yourself to me through Jesus, and for inviting me to live in relationship with you as your child. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Psalm 131:1-3
1 My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. 2 But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. 3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.

Resources:
Embracing the Mysterious God
by James Emery White

Reading Schedule for May 31 - June 5

2 Timothy 2:15
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

Schedule and Tips:
2009-10 Reading Schedule
Tips for Daily Bible Readers

May 31 -
Matthew 22:15-33 / James 2:1-13
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 / Jeremiah 7-9

June 1 -
Matthew 22:34-46 / James 2:14-26
Ecclesiastes 3:16-22 / Jeremiah 10-11

June 2 -
Matthew 23:1-12 / James 3:1-12
Ecclesiastes 4 / Jeremiah 12-13

June 3 -
Matthew 23:13-24 / James 3:13-18
Ecclesiastes 5 / Jeremiah 14-15

June 4 -
Matthew 23:25-39 / James 4:1-10
Ecclesiastes 6 / Jeremiah 16-18

June 5 -
Matthew 24:1-14 / James 4:11-17
Ecclesiastes 7:1-14 / Jeremiah 19-22

May 29 -Invitation Response

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Matthew 22:1-14
James 1:19-27
Old Testament -
Ecclesiastes 2:17-26
Jeremiah 5-6
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: Matthew 22:8-10
8 "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

Insight:
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a wedding feast where everyone is invited. The invitation is sent to palace dwellers and street people, to the good and the bad alike. The invitation is not given on the basis of merit or status; it springs from the king's heart to celebrate and honor his son.

There are several ways to disrespect the king's invitation. The first is to be too busy (Mt. 22:5) to accept the invitation—to not consider the invitation important enough for your time and attention. The second is to have utter contempt (Mt. 22:6) for the king and his invitation—to just rob and abuse his messengers. The third disrespectful response is to accept the invitation, but refuse to do what is expected (Mt. 22:11) of the king's guests—refusing to wear the special white wedding clothes the king provides.

Response & Action:
I want to accept God's invitation to celebrate and honor his son, Jesus. I realize that I do not deserve to be invited to such a celebration; I consider it an awesome privilege. Nothing in my life is more important than my wholehearted response to this invitation. As I accept the invitation to join in the Kingdom, I will also accept the King's expectations for those he has welcomed. I want to be transformed, to put on Christ, to be renewed and clothed in the righteousness the King offers me.

Thank You, O God, for inviting me to the party! Thank you for your gracious invitation to everyone. Help me to celebrate and honor your son, Jesus. By the power and grace of your Holy Spirit, clothe me in the new garments of Christ's righteousness. Lead, teach, transform, shape, and strengthen me, that I might delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Revelation 19:6-9
6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) 9 Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God."

Resources:
Kingdom of God Is a Party
by Tony Campolo

May 28 - Meaningless Things

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Matthew 21:33-46
James 1:12-18
Old Testament -
Ecclesiastes 2:1-16
Jeremiah 3-4
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses:
Ecclesiastes 2:21-26
21 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless. 24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Insight:
Material wealth and personal accomplishments are not meaningful in and of themselves. Without God, there is no purpose or meaning or enjoyment. Toil and possessions pass away and are forgotten as they become buried under the dust of time. They cannot satisfy or give meaning unless they are seen as gifts from God to be used to serve and honor God. Life is meaningless apart from the meaning and purpose God imparts.

Response & Action:
I do not want to be owned and pushed around by possessions. I recognize that hard work, achievement, enjoyment, and possessions do not give meaning to life. It is God who gives meaning and depth to them. I will seek God above all else. I want my life and perspectives to be shaped and directed by my relationship with Christ and my understanding of God's word.

O God, help me to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness. Help me to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Keep me from wrongheaded living that expects to find meaning in things. Instead, help me to set my mind on you and to fix my eyes on Jesus, knowing that honoring you brings satisfaction and purpose to my life. Help me to put first the things that truly last. Through Christ, Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Matthew 6:33-34
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Resources:
Can Man Live Without God
by Ravi Zacharias

May 27 - Holding Water

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Matthew 21:23-32
James 1:1-11
Old Testament -
Ecclesiastes 1
Jeremiah 1-2
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: Jeremiah 2:5,13
5 This is what the LORD says: "What fault did your fathers find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves. - - - 13 "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

Insight:
Jeremiah lamented Israel's unfaithfulness to God. He used the bitter language and graphic imagery of adultery to get his point across. Though God had been faithful his people, they had turned from him to worthless things. In doing so, they became as worthless as the things they pursued. Though God was like a spring of fresh and life-giving water to them, they turned away from him. Instead of trusting him, they put their trust in the stale and leaking cisterns they had built for themselves. As a result, their hearts were empty and they were dying of thirst.

Response & Action:
The things I turn to in life are the things that will shape me. If I pursue empty things, I will become empty. If I seek the true and faithful God, I will become faithful and live in truth. I will turn away from worthless things and set my heart on things above. In following Jesus, I will experience meaning, purpose, and fullness in my life. If I honor God and hold fast to him, I will experience the streams living water that flow from him alone.

O Lord, help me to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Help me to turn away from all that is worthless, to seek all that is true, and to do what is good. Give me the wisdom and the will to guard my heart, feed my spirit, stimulate my mind, and care for my body. Teach me faithfulness and draw me to the living water that only you can give. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Romans 1:21-25
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Resources:
Who Switched the Price Tags?
by Tony Campolo

May 26 - Praising Jesus

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Matthew 21:12-22
Hebrews 13:9-25
Old Testament -
Proverbs 31
Isaiah 65-66
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: Matthew 21:14-16
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. 16 "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?"

Insight:
In contrast to the oppressive domineering authority people were experiencing at the hands of government and religion, Jesus demonstrated a different kind of authority. Jesus did not lord over people or seek to dominate, but instead defended people from exploitation, healed the sick, and restored the outcast.

When children praised Jesus in celebration and thanks for the wonderful things he was doing, it annoyed the priests and teachers of the law. This was especially irritating because they were singing a well-known song of praise--Psalm 118. This was a psalm of thanks to God for the promised messiah and the salvation he would bring.

When the priests and teachers complained to Jesus, Jesus responded with a bold claim to authority. He said that the children were simply fulfilling the words of another song they knew, Psalm 8--a song of praise that is expressly directed toward God. Jesus was making a startling claim to deity by suggesting that words of worship traditionally reserved for God could be appropriately directed himself.

Response & Action:
I believe what Jesus claims about himself. I believe he is the one Lord, the Christ, the only begotten of the Father. God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God. I believe he is the Savior, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. I look to him for salvation. I acknowledge his authority and deity. I will praise and celebrate him. I will live my life for him. I will follow him and strive to honor him.

Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name and power and authority of the Lord God. O Jesus, you have promised those who love you wonderful things that surpass our understanding. Pour into my heart such love toward you, that I might love you in all things and above all things, and in doing so, may obtain your promises which are far greater than all I can imagine or desire. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Psalm 8:1
1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

Resources:
Jesus: Lord and Savior
by F. F. Bruce

May 25 - Love for the Stranger

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Matthew 21:1-11
Hebrews 13:1-8
Old Testament -
Proverbs 30
Isaiah 62-64
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: Hebrews 13:1-3
1 Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

Insight:
Love, benevolence, social justice, and empathy are all essential to living out our faith in God. We can't truly follow the way of Jesus with being loving, hospitable, and caring. Followers of Christ must have soft hearts toward those who are suffering—the mistreated, the marginalized, the forgotten, and the abused.

Response & Action:
I want to live with Christ-like love for my Christian brothers and sisters. I want my actions and attitudes to be guided by a genuine concern and love for all people. I must open my eyes to the needs of people around me. I need to cultivate a compassion and empathy for those who are suffering, and take action to help them. As I follow Christ, I want to learn how to be a helper and friend for those who are in difficult circumstances.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is darkness, light. Grant that I might not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving we receive; it is in pardoning, we receive pardon; it is in giving that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: 1 John 3:16-17
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

Resources:
Practical Justice: Living Off-center in a Self-centered World
by Kevin Blue

May 24 - Proclaim Freedom

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Matthew 20:17-34
Hebrews 12:14-29
Old Testament -
Proverbs 29:15-27
Isaiah 59-61
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: Isaiah 61:1-3
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn...

Insight:
What does the favor of God look and sound like? Healing for the brokenhearted. Freedom for captives. Light instead of darkness. Comfort for those who mourn. Beauty where there was once only ashes. Gladness replacing sorrow. Praise overcoming despair.

Isaiah spoke these words nearly seven hundred years before the time of Christ. Those were bleak and difficult years for the nation of Israel, marked by destruction, exile, captivity, poverty and political struggles. Through it all, the people held on to Isaiah's beautiful words of hope and promise for Zion.

After half a millennium of hoping and waiting, this prophecy must have seemed more like a dream than a promise. When Jesus began his ministry, he stood up in the synagogue of the town where he grew up and read from the scroll of Isaiah. Imagine just how radical it must have been when he then declared himself to be the very one who would fulfill this prophecy and bring good news to the world.

Response & Action:
Jesus is good news to me. I believe Jesus is the promised one brings the favor of God to my broken world. I believe that healing, forgiveness, hope, beauty, joy, and stability are found in him. My purpose in life is also found in him. As I follow Jesus, I will participate in his mission of favor and his message of hope. More than simply receiving blessing from him, I want to be channel of blessing for him. I have heard the Good News, and so I want to be messenger of the freedom and restoration that are available in Christ.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: 2 Corinthians 4:6-7
6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Resources:
Living the Story: Biblical Spirituality for Everyday Christians
by R. Paul Stevens and Michael Green

Reading Schedule for May 24-29

Psalm 119:105-108
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. 106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. 107 I have suffered much; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your word. 108 Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws.

Schedule and Tips:
2009-10 Reading Schedule
Tips for Daily Bible Readers

May 24 -
Matthew 20:17-34 / Hebrews 12:14-29
Proverbs 29:15-27 / Isaiah 59-61

May 25 -
Matthew 21:1-11 / Hebrews 13:1-8
Proverbs 30 / Isaiah 62-64

May 26 -
Matthew 21:12-22 / Hebrews 13:9-25
Proverbs 31 / Isaiah 65-66

May 27 -
Matthew 21:23-32 / James 1:1-11
Ecclesiastes 1 / Jeremiah 1-2

May 28 -
Matthew 21:33-46 / James 1:12-18
Ecclesiastes 2:1-16 / Jeremiah 3-4

May 29 -
Matthew 22:1-14 / James 1:19-27
Ecclesiastes 2:17-26 / Jeremiah 5-6

May 22 - "I Want to Give"

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Matthew 20:1-16
Hebrews 12:1-13
Old Testament -
Proverbs 29:1-14
Isaiah 56-58
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: Matthew 20:12-16
12 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' 13 "But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' 16 "So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Insight:
Although they were paid a fair and previously agreed upon wage for their work, the first people to be hired protested the amount of their paychecks at the end of the day. These first hires had done more work and had labored through the heat of the day. They complained to the master that giving an equal paycheck to those hired last was unfair. It's doubtful that they were as vocal about their concern for equal hiring opportunities earlier in the day.

The master did not argue the point of fairness. Instead, he explained that his "unfair" payment plan flowed out of his generosity. His benevolent nature made him much more interested in seeing people get a chance to work than in comparing paychecks. The master understood that people aren't equal when it comes to opportunity, skills, and circumstances. He knew the gross inequities and discrimination those hired last were already enduring at the hands of society. Perhaps his generosity was his attempt to counter the unequal treatment they were suffering.

Response & Action:
I wonder how many injustices in the world are continually perpetuated by appeals to "fairness." "Fairness" from one point of view may be "unfair" to someone else. And fairness is NOT the highest good. I acknowledge that I want something more than "what is fair" when it comes to my needs. I don't want fairness; I want grace, generosity, love, forgiveness, and redemption.

I cannot be gracious and loving toward others if I am more concerned with what is fair. I don't want equal treatment; I want whatever is redemptive and life-giving for everyone. I must be careful not to let fairness be a guise for selfishness. Instead, I want to be radically "unfair" about loving and helping others. Just as I hope to receive more grace than I deserve, I want to give more grace than anybody deserves.

O God, you have been "unfair" with me. You have given me more than I deserve. Thank you! Please help me to be generous like you. Help me to value the things that save and restore more than I value fairness. Make me a vessel of your goodness and give me a heart that rejoices whenever I see your inequitable blessing and grace lavished on others. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: 1 John 3:1a
1a How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

Resources:
Gracism: The Art of Inclusion
by David A. Anderson

May 21 - Faith Lens

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Matthew 19:16-30
Hebrews 11:32-40
Old Testament -
Proverbs 28:15-28
Isaiah 54-55
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: Hebrews 11:39-40
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Insight:
Faith in God's promise to provide and deliver is what motivated and sustained all the great men and women of faith in the history of Israel. They viewed all of their hardships, decisions, failures, victories, goals, experiences, miracles, losses, and gains through the lens of faith in God. The Hebrew writer presented Jesus as the fulfillment of all these ancients were hoping for—the deliverer, the hope of salvation, the one who would eventually bring justice and redemption.

The first century readers of the Hebrew letter had the testimony of those who had been with Jesus, seen his glory, heard his words, experienced his power, and witnessed his resurrection. They had personal contact with those who had seen and experienced first-hand what the Old Testament people had only hoped and longed for in faith.

Today, thousands of years after Christ's resurrection and ascension to the Father's right hand, we Christians continue to live our lives by faith. We are receiving and experiencing God's forgiveness, grace, and transformative power, and we are looking forward to much more. We believe that Christ will return. We believe that God will reconcile all things to himself. We believe that justice and healing will come to all the earth. We believe that Jesus will raise us from the dead and renew all things. We believe in the New Jerusalem. We believe that God will one day wipe away all tears from our eyes. We believe that we will live eternally in God’s very presence.

Response & Action:
I will cling to the promises of God. I will live my life by faith. I will view every aspect of my life through the lens of faith. By faith, I will live with certainty and confidence. I want the promises of God and the hope I have in Christ to be the basis of my every choice, action, and perspective.

O God, increase my faith. Give me the courage to live by your promises. Deliver me from fears and darkness. Protect me from discouragement, and encourage me by your Holy Spirit, through your word, your people, your promises, and all that is beautiful and true. Help me to fix my eyes on Jesus and the hope he offers all who trust in him. Grant me the eyes to see your truth and to recognize your power and involvement in the world and in my life. Give me the confidence and boldness to live this day by faith. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Hebrews 11:6
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Resources:
Faith on the Edge: Daring to Follow Jesus
Edited by Paul Tokunaga, Kevin Blue, Amy Brooke, Robbie Castleman, & Robbie Castleman

May 20 - Suffering and Greatness

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Matthew 19:1-15
Hebrews 11:17-31
Old Testament -
Proverbs 28:1-14
Isaiah 51-53
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: Isaiah 53:11-12
11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Insight:
God's righteous servant, as foretold by Isaiah, "would pour out his life unto death" as he "bore the sins of many." He would also, after his suffering, "see the light of life and be satisfied." He would receive from God "a portion among the great." He would "divide the spoils with the strong." Jesus, the suffering Savior who died on the cross, has risen, and now reigns as Christ the Victor.

Response & Action:
Jesus is more than my Savior; he is my Lord. He not only redeems, he reigns! I will look to him not only for forgiveness and salvation, but also for his guidance and command. I will do more than merely call him "Lord," I will strive to prove his lordship by walking in his ways and doing what he commands.

O God, thank you that Christ Jesus has conquered death. Give me the faith and surrender to embrace him as Savior. Grant me the wisdom and the will to obey him as Lord. Help me to not only hear his words, but also to put them into practice. I pray in the name of Jesus, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Luke 6:46-48
46 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.

Resources:
The Incomparable Christ
by John Stott

May 19 - Sure in My Hope

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Matthew 18:15-35
Hebrews 11:1-16
Old Testament -
Proverbs 27:15-27
Isaiah 49-50
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: Hebrews 11:1-2
1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.

Insight:
By faith, it is possible to have a certainty about how I see the world and where I place my hope. The story of faith recorded in the Scriptures includes many men and women who lived by faith. What they believed about God guided their choices and actions. Real faith looks beyond circumstances and the limitations of self.

Hebrews 11:39-40 "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."

People who have faith in God look beyond what they have received and what they are experiencing today. They believe that God has something better planned for humankind, and that he will be faithful to his promises.

Response & Action:
I will put my faith in God. I believe that God has something better planned for his people, something better for me, and something better for the world. I will follow the example of the long train of believers throughout history who have exemplified faith in God.

My faith in God, and confidence in his promises, will guide my actions and choices each day. I will live each day with a certainty about God's love and faithfulness.

O God, increase my faith. Help me to live out my faith in thought, word, and deed. Help me to gain insight, inspiration, and encouragement from examples of faith recorded in Scripture and throughout Christian history. Help me to look beyond what is seen and to grasp what is unseen and yet so real. May I, like the ancients of the faith, be commended one day for my steadfast confidence in you. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Resources:
Living Faith: A Guide to the Christian Life
by John Schwarz

May 18 - What's Best for Me

Today's Readings:
New Testament -
Matthew 18:1-14
Hebrews 10:19-39
Old Testament -
Proverbs 27:1-14
Isaiah 46-48
Click on Text Links to Read Online

Focus Verses: Isaiah 48:17-19
17 This is what the LORD says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. 18 If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea. 19 Your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its numberless grains; their name would never be cut off nor destroyed from before me."

Insight:
God wants what is best for his people. His direction and his commands are not arbitrary or selfish. God's desires and our best interests are in perfect alignment. Honoring and obeying God results in our peace and righteousness. Our peace and righteousness result in joyful lives that are both pleasing to us and pleasing to God.

Response & Action:
I want to experience peace like a river. I want waves of righteousness to continually roll up and over the shores of my life. I want God's blessings on me to be as numberless as the grains of sand. I will turn to the Scriptures and to Jesus for instruction and guidance. I will embrace God's authority in my life and ask him to show me the ways I should go.

Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God, my Savior. My hope is in you, all day long. You word is a lamp to my path and a guide to my feet. Give me peace, by your Spirit. Give me direction, by your word. Bless and keep me as I follow you in faith. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Proverbs 24:14
"Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off."

Resources:
The Life You've Always Wanted
by John Ortberg