Today's Reading:
Numbers 6:1-7:89
John 8:31-59
Psalm 37:32-40
Click on Text Link to Read Online
Focus Verses: Psalm 37:37-40
37
Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who
seek peace. 38 But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no
future for the wicked. 39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the
LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. 40 The LORD helps them
and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
Insight:
Present
circumstances do not indicate wickedness or righteousness. The
righteous may suffer and the wicked may prosper, but ultimately justice
will be carried out in the future. There is a future hope for those
who seek peace. There is a future destruction for those who ignore God
and live according to their evil and selfish desires.
Response and Action:
My
hope is in the Lord. The future I long for is in God's hands. I will
not let present troubles overwhelm me. I will not let hardship turn
me away from the future hope God has promised. I will lean into God's
grace and look for the strength I need to face today, trusting that one
day things will be made right. I will reject wickedness, even if the
wicked appear to be prospering. God has promised that those who live
selfish and destructive lives will one day be destroyed. The Lord is my
refuge. I will seek to honor him and trust him to see me through.
O
God, I ask you to uphold and encourage me in the face of difficult and
trying circumstances. Help me to never forget that those who prosper
through wickedness will face judgment. Remind me that those who are
faithful to you will never be put to shame, but will one day take hold
of a joyous future. Through Christ, I pray. 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, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is
eternal.
Resources:
Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church
by N. T. Wright
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the person of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17
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