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Post by Redeemed on Apr 24, 2023 7:07:27 GMT -8
April 24
Mercy Extended, Mercy Received
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
MATTHEW 6:14
It was John Calvin who said, “A happy life depends on a good conscience.” And another unknown sage once declared that a good conscience is like a “soft pillow”—the key to a peaceful night’s sleep. It is no wonder that a good conscience is so highly valued; “good conscience” appears six times in the New Testament as something to be maintained.
One of the ways we maintain a good conscience is by settling things quickly between ourselves and others. As long as matters are unsettled—as long as we withhold mercy and forgiveness toward others—things cannot be settled between us and God. Regardless of who is at fault, whether ourselves or another, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18). Whether someone has something against us or we have something against another, we should settle the matter quickly (Matthew 5:23– 26; 18:15). When we extend mercy to others, God continues to extend mercy to us.
Are there ongoing concerns that need to be settled between you and another? Take steps to make things right today. Then look forward to a “soft pillow” tonight.
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Post by Redeemed on Apr 25, 2023 6:05:39 GMT -8
April 25
Trust in Him
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. ISAIAH 41:10
British missionary J. Hudson Taylor once wrote, “When I cannot read, when I cannot think, when I cannot even pray, I can trust.” Our world is filled with unexpected turns. Life will continuously throw hurdles our way. In the midst of hardship, we must always remember we can trust in our Heavenly Father to carry us through the most difficult parts of the journey.
Many biblical characters reached the point of hopelessness. David cried out to God in the midst of crisis in Psalm 143. When Jesus was in emotional agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, He cried out to His Father (Mark 14:36). Elijah was discouraged and felt defeated and alone and cried out to the Lord in 1 Kings 19:4. In Jeremiah 20:18, Jeremiah wished he had never been born. When we are at our wits’ end, when we have no strength left—when we cannot read, think, or even pray—we can trust in the One who has promised to deliver us.
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Post by Redeemed on Apr 26, 2023 5:19:04 GMT -8
April 26
Glorifying God
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. JOHN 15:8
In a modern vineyard, there are three elements: the grapes, the vines, and the vintner—the winemaker. When a wine wins an award, it is not the grape that is honored, nor is the vine dug up and rewarded. Rather, it is the vintner, the winemaker, who is praised for the quality of the wine.
Jesus drew a similar parallel in John 15 in His teaching on bearing fruit. He said His followers are branches that bear the fruit; He is the vine and the Father is the vinedresser or vintner (verse 1). His point is that when we as believers stay connected to the true Vine, Jesus, we will bear much fruit. We stay connected by abiding in Jesus and allowing His words to abide in us (verse 7). The result is that the Father will be glorified when we abide in Jesus and bear much fruit. The glory is not ours; the glory is the Father’s (verse 8).
God’s will is for us to bear much fruit in His Name—that is how we glorify the Father.
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Post by Redeemed on Apr 27, 2023 5:08:31 GMT -8
April 27
Marvelous Light
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.1 PETER 2:9
Ken Block, a professional rally driver, fitted his off-road truck with 300,000 lumens of blinding light to make sure he can see everything on the darkest night and in the darkest places. How much is 300,000 lumens of light? The average car headlight pumps out 700 lumens on low, and 1,200 with the high beams turned on. A light in a football stadium uses 70,000 or more lumens. So if Ken Block heads down your street, you might want to don your sunglasses or pull your curtains.
Nothing, however, compares to the light Jesus sheds on our pathway as we proceed through life. The Lord Jesus radiates light, as we see on the Mount of Transfiguration in the Gospels and in the descriptions of Him in the book of Revelation. Our eyes aren’t yet fitted for that brightness, but it filters onto our paths to brighten and illumine each step we take.
Walk in the radiance of His presence today.
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Post by Redeemed on Apr 28, 2023 7:55:54 GMT -8
April 28
Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
ROMANS 14:19
Say you’re at a neighborhood gathering and you meet a new neighbor. When you ask about his line of work, he says, “I am the president of AAA Edification Company.” If you are familiar with New Testament language, you might think he was in a ministry of some sort. But when you inquire, he clarifies: “We’re in the building business—houses, apartments, office spaces, and the like.”
That would be a reasonable, if not unlikely, name for such a company since edification means “to build up.” The New Testament words edify and edification are based on a compound biblical word: house and build. More than a dozen times, the apostle Paul applied this “building” idea to Christians and the Church. On the large scale, he compared the Church to a building—a “holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:21). At the personal level, he exhorted all Christians to “build each other up”—to build up the Church by building up (edifying) the individual members (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
Look for ways today to build up—strengthen, encourage, love—other members of the Body of Christ. In doing so, you build up the whole Church.
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Post by Redeemed on Apr 29, 2023 3:48:03 GMT -8
April 29
Abundant Life
The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. JOB 33:4
Minnesota elementary school teacher Erin Durga found out that one of the school custodians, Patrick, had kidney failure and was looking for an organ donation. As soon as she heard about it, she decided she wanted to help—and soon after, she donated her kidney to him. Later Patrick said, “When I first woke up out of surgery, it was nothing I’ve ever felt before. It was a new life.”
When we receive the gift of salvation from our Heavenly Father, we receive a new life—it is unlike any emotion we have ever felt before! He made a donation—a sacrifice—to give us a second chance at life, so that we may have life more abundantly (John 10:10). He is the Source of our physical life, our spiritual life, and our heavenly destination for all of eternity. With the realization that this abundant life is available to all who will hear and accept His offer of salvation, it is our joy to take that knowledge to our friends, family, and former enemies. It is the Good News of the Gospel!
Kyle Melnick, “A Third-Grade Teacher in Minnesota Donated a Kidney to Her School’s Custodian,” The Washington Post, December 2, 2020.
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Post by Redeemed on Apr 30, 2023 5:53:51 GMT -8
April 30
The Attitude of the Spirit
Be made new in the attitude of your minds.
EPHESIANS 4:23
How would you define the word attitude? Wikipedia calls it “a psychological construct, a mental and emotional entity that … characterizes a person… It is an individual’s predisposed state of mind.”
The real question isn’t how we define attitude, but how our attitudes are defining us. The Bible tells us that Christ wants us to be defined by His attitudes. Philippians 2:5 says, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (NLT).
Let’s take that a step further. Isn’t that the true implication of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22–23? Maybe we could paraphrase it like this: “As you grow in Christ, the Holy Spirit will produce in you the very attitudes—the predisposed state of mind—of Jesus Himself, which is more love, more joy, more peace, more patience, more kindness, more goodness, more faithfulness, more gentleness, and more self-control.”
Our attitude is important when it comes to our heart of obedience to the Father. If you have some unhealthy attitudes today, ask God to replace them with those of Jesus.
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Post by Redeemed on May 1, 2023 5:22:44 GMT -8
May 1
Peter’s Mother-in-Law
When Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them.
MATTHEW 8:14-15
He touched her…. She arose and served them.
Those three verbs encompass the whole of the Christian life. When we ask Jesus to become our Savior, He touches us as surely as He touched the hand of Peter’s mother-in-law in Capernaum. It brings to mind the Bill Gaither song “He Touched Me” that reminds us that we were shackled by a heavy burden beneath a load of guilt and shame, until the hand of Jesus touched us, and now we are no longer the same. We rise with new spiritual life. “And you He made alive,” says Ephesians 2:1.
And we rise to serve.
Notice this woman’s service began at home. She instantly began serving Jesus and Peter and her household. How our marriages would be transformed if we adopted an attitude of servanthood at home! Does the floor need sweeping? Do the dishes need washing? Does your spouse need a hug? Do your children need time and attention?
When He touches us, we become His servants who also bless others.
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Post by Redeemed on May 2, 2023 5:03:32 GMT -8
May 2
What I Wouldn’t Give
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
PSALM 84:10
You know it when it happens. It might be someone you feel could mentor you in your vocation. Or it might be a new friend with whom you establish an immediate connection. Or it might be the love of your life. Regardless of when and how, there are times when you think, “I’d give up next week for the chance to spend one more day with this person!”
The author of Psalm 84 felt that way, only he was ready to give up more than a week: He was ready to give up a thousand days for one day in God’s presence. And a young Jewish man named Andrew, and his friend, followed Jesus as soon as they met Him and spent the rest of the day with Him (John 1:39). That’s how most people today feel when they meet Jesus—they just can’t get enough of Him. A lot of people who are not Christians would probably become Christians if they could just make contact with His irresistible presence. Many have given up a lot to spend as much time with Him as they can.
It’s also easy to take His presence for granted, to forget what a pure pleasure Jesus can be, one-on-one. If it’s been a while since you gave up something to be with Him, try doing it soon.
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Post by Redeemed on May 3, 2023 4:14:43 GMT -8
May 3
Saved to Become
Now when Jesus looked at [Peter], He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone). JOHN 1:42
Jerry Kramer played pro football for the Green Bay Packers under legendary coach Vince Lombardi. One day at practice during Kramer’s first year, Lombardi ragged the rookie unmercifully, criticizing every move he made. By the end of practice Kramer was ready to quit. Afterward, Coach Lombardi approached Kramer, mussed up his hair, and said, “Son, one of these days you’re gonna be the greatest guard in the league.” Kramer said he suddenly felt ten feet tall!
When Jesus of Nazareth first met Simon of Bethsaida, the first thing He said to the young fisherman was, “You are going to become a rock!”—the literal translation of “You shall be called Cephas.” Through all of Peter’s missteps and failures as a disciple, perhaps it was that seed-thought that kept him going until he became the first to make known the Gospel to both the Jews and Gentiles (Acts 2:14–36; 10:1–48). How wonderful that God sees each of us in light of what we will become! He has promised to conform us to the image of His own Son (Romans 8:29).
The next time you look in a mirror, look beyond what you see and try to picture what God sees: The person He saved you to become.
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Post by Redeemed on May 4, 2023 4:59:32 GMT -8
May 4 - God Is Working
It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.
DANIEL 4:2
It happened in the blink of an eye. The young pastor was pinned beneath eighteen hundred pounds of boxes and equipment, unable to move, believing that these could be his last few breaths. X-rays later revealed he had broken his neck in such a way that should have paralyzed him, and doctors gave him a 2 percent chance of ever walking again. But his young family and church congregation prayed as they had never prayed before, pleading with God and asking for a miraculous healing and full restoration. Forty days later, the young pastor walked out of the hospital and returned to preaching just two short months from the date of the accident.
When Jesus walked the earth, there was no doubt that miracles were very real; the physical evidence could even be seen by His strongest opponents. Today, however, people question whether or not God still uses miracles. Stories, like the one above, should dispel any doubt that they are indeed actively being used to change people’s lives.
God is not through using miracles of all kinds. If you have a need that seems impossible, take it to the Lord and believe that He still works miracles today—God is still working.
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Post by Redeemed on May 5, 2023 7:51:02 GMT -8
May 5
Smoke Signal
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” JEREMIAH 29:11
There is a story told of a shipwreck survivor who washed up on a deserted island. After he had been there a few days, he built himself a hut and prayed to God for rescue. Each day he anxiously looked out over the horizon as he waited for God’s deliverance in the form of a passing ship. One day, after returning from a hunt for food, he discovered that his hut was consumed in flames. He was devastated and believed it to be the worst thing that could have happened to him on the island; everything he had was gone. The next day however, a ship arrived and the captain said, “We saw your smoke signal.”
Sometimes, when it seems our whole world is crumbling, it is difficult to believe that God is at work on our behalf. But just when we think all is lost, God unfolds His plan and teaches us that He had it under control the whole time.
Remember, God’s ways are not our ways; His thoughts are unlike our thoughts; His plans are so much bigger than we could ever imagine or dream. Watch Him work out His unique plan for your life as it is revealed in His time. His plan is best!
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Post by Redeemed on May 6, 2023 4:03:56 GMT -8
May 6
Be Prepared
Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 1 CORINTHIANS 5:7
Men are good at preparing. They’ll stay up late Friday night getting ready for Saturday’s fishing trip. They’ll spend hours organizing a basement workshop before beginning a project. They’ll devote a week preparing for Saturday’s tailgate party at the football stadium. And they’ll religiously study the brackets for the college NCAA basketball tournament—March Madness—in preparation for watching this annual tournament.
The men of the Old Testament were charged by God with certain preparations as well: preparations for worship. At the first Passover, men were to select a perfect lamb, slaughter it, put its blood on the doorpost, roast the meat, and make sure the house was cleansed of leaven. Do men—or women—spend as much time preparing for worship today? What kinds of preparation should be made? Prayer, meditation on Scripture, repairing relationships, helping children get ready to appreciate the Sunday worship experience, preparation for the Lord’s Supper—there are lots of ways to make worship more meaningful.
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Post by Redeemed on May 7, 2023 4:48:08 GMT -8
May 7 - Speaking Out
And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”
JOHN 2:16
“Cheap grace is the mortal enemy of our church.” Those are the opening words of The Cost of Discipleship, written by the German pastor-theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Many know him as the author of this and other books, but not all know that he was executed by hanging in 1945 for the part he played in resisting Adolf Hitler’s Nazi government in Germany. As a Christian, he spoke out for what he knew to be true, though it cost him his life.
We could call Dietrich Bonhoeffer a modern Christian activist—and we could call Jesus of Nazareth the first one in history. When Jesus saw that the temple in Jerusalem had been turned into a marketplace where unscrupulous vendors were profiting from the guilty consciences of worshipers, His righteous anger took over. Driving them out, He cleansed His Father’s house and incurred the wrath of those who valued their interests above God’s.
The day may come when you are faced with something you know is not right. The temptation will be to pass by, to look the other way. But if you don’t speak up for God, who will? By your actions and love stand up and show the lost the road to Christ.
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Post by Redeemed on May 8, 2023 7:27:59 GMT -8
May 8
Mary, a Sacrificial Mother
When Jesus therefore saw His mother…He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” John 19:26
She was the twenty-fifth child in the English family of a religious dissenter; she had little education and lived in a male-dominated age; she married an older man and bore him nineteen children, nine of whom died. Her house burned down, her barn fell down, her health failed, and her pastor husband was either poor, jailed, or sick much of the time. But Susanna Wesley raised two sons named John and Charles who changed the world. She was a follower of Christ who raised her children to love and honor God.
A young Jewish woman named Mary didn’t consider anything more meaningful than being the mother of the Son of God. From the beginning, she knew she was irreplaceable in the life of her child, and her sacrificial love remained strong to the end as she watched Him die for her and the world’s sins. Jesus’ efforts to care for Mary indicate just how much she meant to Him (John 19:27). It is the heart of mothers to sacrifice, and the need of mothers to be remembered. Surprise your mother this week with an unexpected token of love.
Motherhood is best defined by children who treasure their mother’s love.
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