Daily Archives: March 26, 2023

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Telling Room

Leave a comment

Bible in a Year:

Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.

1 Samuel 18:3

Today’s Scripture & Insight:

1 Samuel 18:1–4

Northern Spain produced a beautiful way of expressing communion and friendship. With the countryside full of handmade caves, after each harvest some farmers would sit in a room built above a cave and inventory their various foods. As time passed, the room became known as the “telling room”—a place of communion where friends and families would gather to share their stories, secrets, and dreams. If you needed the intimate company of safe friends, you would head for the telling room.

Had they lived in northern Spain, the deep friendship shared by Jonathan and David might have led them to create a telling room. When King Saul became so jealous that he wanted to kill David, Jonathan, Saul’s oldest son, protected and befriended him. The two became “one in spirit” (1 Samuel 18:1). And Jonathan “loved him as himself” (vv. 1, 3) and—though he was heir apparent to the throne—recognized David’s divine selection to be king. He gave David his robe, sword, bow, and belt (v. 4). Later, David declared that Jonathan’s deep love for him as a friend was wonderful (2 Samuel 1:26).

As believers in Jesus, may He help us build our own relational “telling rooms”—friendships that reflect Christlike love and care. Let’s take the time to linger with friends, open our hearts, and live in true communion with one another in Him.

By:  Marvin Williams

Reflect & Pray

What kinds of commitments have you made to your friends? How can you express your love to them this week?

Dear God, please help me to pursue vulnerable, loving, and authentic friendships.

http://www.odb.org

John MacArthur

Grace to You; John MacArthur – Dealing with Sin

Leave a comment

“Forgive us our debts” (Matt. 6:12).

Believers confess their sins; unbelievers deny theirs.

Christians struggle with sin. That surely comes as no surprise to you. As you mature in Christ, the frequency of your sinning decreases, but your sensitivity to it increases. That doesn’t mean you are more easily tempted, but that you are more aware of the subtleties of sin and how it dishonors God.

Some people think you should never confess your sins or seek forgiveness, but the Lord instructed us to do so when He said for us to pray, “Forgive us our debts” (Matt. 6:12). That’s the believer’s prayer for the Father’s forgiveness.

John said, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10). That passage doesn’t tell us how to get saved, as many have taught. It tells us how to distinguish believers from unbelievers: believers confess their sins; unbelievers don’t.

The phrase “forgive us” in Matthew 6:12 implies the need for forgiveness. “Debts” translates a Greek word that was used to speak of a moral or monetary debt. In Matthew 6:12 it refers to sins. When you sin, you owe to God a consequence or a debt because you have violated His holiness.

When you sin as a believer, you don’t lose your salvation but you will face God’s chastening if you don’t repent. Hebrews 12 says, “Those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives . . . . He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness” (vv. 6, 10).

If you are harboring sin, confess it now and allow God to cleanse you and use you today for His glory.

Suggestions for Prayer

Write down why God’s forgiveness is important to you, then express those thoughts to Him in praise.

For Further Study

Read Psalm 38.

  • What physical and emotional ailments did David experience as a result of his sin?
  • What was his attitude toward God as he confessed his sin?

From Drawing Near by John MacArthur

http://www.gty.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – A Divine Attitude Adjustment

Leave a comment

And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude].

— Ephesians 4:23 (AMPC)

God wants us to always maintain a good attitude for two reasons. First, it glorifies Him and encourages other people to remain positive when they have problems; and second, it allows Him to work in our lives, bringing help and deliverance from our struggles.

Always having a good attitude is difficult unless we receive God’s grace to do so. Jesus said that apart from Him, we could do nothing (see John 15:5), but through Him we can do all things (see Philippians 4:13).

Don’t wait until you are tempted to have a bad attitude but pray daily that no matter what comes your way, you can endure it with a good attitude. We will always be tempted, but we can pray not to give in to the temptation.

A good attitude is one of our greatest assets. It keeps us hopeful no matter what is happening in our lives.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I trust You to grant me strength to face every difficulty I encounter. Help me keep a good attitude, filled with Your Holy Spirit, and always be thankful in every situation, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Kids 4 Truth

Kids4Truth Clubs Daily Devotional – God Wants Us To Bind Ourselves To Him

Leave a comment

“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalm 27:14)

Have you ever seen a vine twisted tightly around a tree? I recently saw a big vine as I was in the woods enjoying a picnic. When I first looked at the big tree, it was difficult to tell the vine from the tree itself. But as I looked more closely, I began to see the outline of a vine that had grown higher and higher by wrapping itself tightly around the tree and growing up as the tree grew up. I went over and tried to rip the vine away from the tree, but it was no use. The vine had twisted around and bound itself into the strong trunk of the tree. That vine was not going anywhere, except where the tree was going!

The word “wait” in Psalm 27:14 has the idea of binding together by twisting. God wants us to wrap our hearts and minds around Him through His truth – just like a vine wraps itself tightly around the giant tree. God is like the firm, unmovable tree that grows high. We should be like the vine that grabs hold of God so tightly that we only go and grow in the direction He wants us going and growing!

God has given us His Word so that we might think and believe right thoughts about Him. Because of God’s grace, we can wrap ourselves tightly around God through His Word. When we think and believe rightly about God, and therefore trust Him, we wait on the LORD like it says in Psalm 27:14.

Just like Jacob refused to let the angel of the Lord go (Genesis 32:26), we should refuse to let go of any truth that God has taught us from His Word. We should never let go of the truths that God is a holy God and angered by any sin. We should never let go of the truths that God is loving, kind, and forgiving. If we let these truths go, then we would be like a vine unraveling itself from its tree. A vine that does not cling tightly to a tree will fall to the ground and begin to die.

The more tightly we wrap ourselves around God, the more strength He gives. The vine is not strong, but the tree is! When the vine embeds itself into the tree, the vine is safe, it climbs high, and it shares in the great strength of the tree. Christ invites us to do all things through Him, and He will give the strength we need. Are you clinging to Him today?

We should greatly desire to attach our hearts and minds to God through His Word.

My Response:
» Am I clinging to God through His Word, or am I loosening my grip?
» What are some Bible truths about God that I can wrap my heart and mind around today?

Home Page
John Hagee

Hagee Ministries; John Hagee –  Daily Devotion

Leave a comment

Psalm 130:5

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope.

Incorruptible, infallible, inerrant – those are some impressive words that perfectly describe the Word of God! Scholars have dissected and debated it for centuries.  Men and women were beheaded, exiled, burned at the stake, banished from their homelands, and labeled heretics so we may have the privilege of studying this sacred Scripture.

This Word has withstood the flames of the trial; it has been tried and been found true. Cynics have mocked it for centuries, but it has silenced its scoffers. It has been debated in classrooms, diluted in pulpits, and misused by scheming men. For all of the abuse leveled at it, the Word of God endures. It is sharper than a two-edged sword. Like a surgeon’s scalpel, it cuts through everything – all of our doubt and defenses – to open us up to believe and receive what God says. It exposes and sifts, analyzes and judges the very thoughts and purposes of our hearts. No one is impervious to its truth. We cannot escape its reach (Hebrews 4:12).

When we ingest it, this Word comes to abide in us.  It takes root in our hearts to make us strong (I John 2:14). It establishes and steadies. The Psalmist declared that God’s words were sweeter than honey (Psalm 119:103).  Jeremiah devoured the words of the Lord and declared them a joy and a delight (Jeremiah 15:16). Job said that he treasured God’s word like his daily bread (Job 23:12).

Isaiah assured us that the grass may wither, and the flower may fade, but the Word of the Lord endures forever (Isaiah 40:8). It will stand for eternity. Every jot, every tittle, every comma, every period, every letter, every line, every word – all will be fulfilled in Christ. No deception can be found in its pages.

Like Job, hunger after God’s words like the food that is necessary for life itself. Like Jeremiah, gobble them up. Take joy in all the discoveries and the mysteries that you unravel. Find the character and the promises of God in His Word. Allow its truth to become the bedrock foundation of your life. Allow that truth to transform your mind, your heart, and your very life.

Today’s Blessing: 

Heavenly Father, thank You for the treasure of Your Word. Help me to discipline myself to make it a daily priority. Open the eyes of my understanding as I read it. Help me to hide it in my heart, to memorize and meditate on it. Fill me up with confidence, conviction, and the TRUTH that is found in You! In the name of Jesus…Amen.

Today’s Bible Reading: 

Old Testament

Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25

New Testament 

Luke 7:11-35

Psalms & Proverbs

Psalm 68:19-35

Proverbs 11:29-31

https://www.jhm.org