Daily Archives: June 30, 2026

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – Speech Lessons

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Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Colossians 4:6

Recommended Reading: Ephesians 4:29-30

It has been said that people don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care. Whether we are talking to fellow believers or to non-believers, the way we speak has a lot to do with how others hear us.

First, our speech must be courteous—or in Paul’s words, “always be with grace.” Graceful speech is kind, gentle, helpful, and edifying. Think of God’s grace toward you and let your speech be the same. Second, our speech must be compelling—that is, “seasoned with salt.” We salt our food because it makes the taste appealing; the right amount of salt makes us want to eat more. Our speech should make our listener want to hear more. Third, our speech must be compassionate—we should “know how to answer each one.” That is, we must be able to read the room, to know what another person needs to hear. The Holy Spirit will enable us to meet others’ needs if we follow His lead.

We must know what to say (1 Peter 3:15); equally important is knowing how to say it.

We have all felt the brazenness of words without emotion, the hollowness, the unaccountable unpersuasiveness, of eloquence behind which lies no love. 
Henry Drummond

 

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Praying to Grow

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Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God. 1 Corinthians 3:7

Today’s Scripture

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

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Today’s Devotion

After Lam Wai Chan moved from his native Singapore to pastor a church in Japan, he panicked. The church had barely twenty members. In a nation known as a “missionary graveyard,” where about one percent of the nation’s people are Christian and many churches sit empty, Lam felt “like I was taking over a sinking ship.” Crying out to God, he sensed the answer: Offer the church back to Me.

Rather than “update” worship or music, Wai Chan asked members to pray—for their needs, family members, and friends who didn’t know Jesus. Slowly, the church doubled in size.

Their faithful praying is a living, biblical model of how to build a community in Jesus. First, pray. “In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,” Paul wrote, “present your requests to God,” and do all of this without worry about anything (Philippians 4:6). In this way, we offer our ministries, churches, and programs back to God. We may plant seeds and water them, but as the apostle said, “Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow” (1 Corinthians 3:7). He was imploring believers at Corinth to stop quarrelling about which church leader they followed (vv. 3-6).

As Paul said, “No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (v. 11). Let’s prayerfully give our churches back to Him. Then, watch them grow.

Reflect & Pray

What tests your work to build a community in Christ? How can you give the effort back to God?

Dear God, as I stay faithful, please build Your community.

Today’s Insights

The Corinthian church was plagued by a partisan spirit that threatened to divide it. Each group exalted their favorite teacher over the other teachers (1 Corinthians 1:10-17). Paul warned that leaders like himself were merely God’s servants whom God had assigned specific tasks to help build up the community (3:5). He stressed that it’s God who makes the church grow (vv. 6-7). It doesn’t matter which tasks we’ve been assigned—“what’s important is that God makes the seed grow” (v. 7 nlt). Those entrusted to build up God’s people are “servants of Christ,” and all servants “must prove faithful” (4:1-2). As “co-workers in God’s service” (3:9), God will help us be faithful in building up each other. As we persevere through prayer, He’ll grow His church and reward His faithful servants “for their own hard work” (v. 8 nlt).

What comes to mind when you think about church? Watch this video to learn more about the world’s perception of church.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Ranch dressing, the World Cup, and America250

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What makes America unique, and what Americans need most

I find in this surprising story a parable about what makes America unique and what Americans need most.

The “multicultural miracle” that is America

America’s original thirteen colonies were like countries settled by ethnicities from the Old World. There were English Puritans in New England, the Dutch, Germans, and Scots-Irish in the Middle Colonies, and English planters in the South. Scots-Irish and German immigrants populated the Appalachian and frontier regions.

As Dr. Ryan Denison and I note in our latest America250 article, settlers came to our country with very different motives, from evangelistic missions to secular economic advancement to Christian community.

This diversity is a strength worth celebrating. As Andrew Sullivan reports, World Cup visitors have discovered that “America is itself a stupendous achievement of multicultural energy and fun.” He responds: “We forget too easily the multicultural miracle we have already achieved in this quarter of a millennium, and the loving, generous, bountiful culture that is still America at its core.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – Ranch dressing, the World Cup, and America250 →

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – One Way

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 There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. 

—1 Timothy 2:5–6

Scripture:

One of the costs of following Christ is not being able to join in the feel-good consensus that claims, “All paths lead to God.” Believers don’t have the option of nodding in agreement when people say, “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere in your beliefs.”

We don’t have the option because the Bible doesn’t offer it. Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NLT). And the apostle Paul wrote, “There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone” (1 Timothy 2:5–6 NLT). These passages leave exactly no room for other spiritual claims or belief systems, no matter how prevalent the idea of religious inclusiveness becomes.

The teaching that Jesus Christ is the only way to God has never been popular. But it’s probably safe to say that it’s never been more controversial than it is today. If you want to get someone’s blood boiling, then quote Jesus’ words in John 14:6 or Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 2:5–6. The “Coexist” bumper sticker on the person’s car will spontaneously catch fire.

The idea that you would have the audacity to say that Jesus is the only way is, in effect, saying that other religions aren’t true. That’s the way the logic works itself out, and people don’t like it. It’s acceptable to say that Jesus is a way to God. But when you dare say that He is the only way, then you can be certain that you’ll get some pushback. You might even be accused of being narrow-minded or worse.

But here’s what it comes down to: As believers, we must say what the Bible says, whether it’s popular or not. We have no authority to edit the message of the Bible. We’re called simply to deliver it, without watering it down or sugarcoating the words to fit what the audience wants to hear.

To do otherwise would be like a doctor discovering a very serious problem with a patient’s health but then being unwilling to say what that problem is—because it might make that patient uncomfortable.

We must tell people the truth about their real spiritual condition, which happens to be sinful, and then seek to save them, which is to point them to Jesus Christ as the only solution. If this means we are falsely accused of exclusivity or some other social media no-no, then so be it. God’s truth is too important to be edited for content.

 

Reflection question: How can you help people get past their desire to be inclusive and understand that Jesus is the only way to God and eternal life? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – Behavior Checklist

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by Henry M. Morris III, D.Min.

“Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” (Philippians 2:14–15)

The Holy Spirit makes sure that we do not take lightly the obligation to live godly lives. Our verse contains both warnings and promises.

Everything is to be done without “murmurings” and “disputings.” Both words are very interesting synonyms of heart attitudes that produce ungodly behavior. The Greek word translated “murmur” is goggusmos, and it is almost an onomatopoeia (sounds like what it actually is)—a secret debate, muttering to oneself. The word translated “dispute” (Greek dialogismos) suggests a logical debate with oneself.

We are commanded to excise that kind of behavior from ourselves so that we may well be blameless and harmless as the “sons of God,” living “without rebuke.” These words are powerful in their description of God’s expectations for us.

The blameless condition is first an eternal promise that comes with salvation: “To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God” (1 Thessalonians 3:13). That condition “works out” in this life as a faultless reputation that is harmless. Paul uses the term this way: “I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil” (Romans 16:19).

Finally, if we eliminate “murmuring and disputings” from our inner thoughts and actively seek to be “blameless and harmless” with our external behavior, we will be “without rebuke” in the middle of this sadly sinful world. “Be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (2 Peter 3:14). HMM III

 

 

 

https://www.icr.org/articles/type/6

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – When Your Attitude Needs Saving

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. For by your words [reflecting your spiritual condition] you will be justified and acquitted of the guilt of sin; and by your words [rejecting Me] you will be condemned and sentenced.

Matthew 12:37 (AMP)

When Jesus died to save us, He wanted to save all parts of us and make us whole. And that includes our attitude!

Many people need to get their attitude saved—because every time something doesn’t go the way they want it to go, their first response is a bad attitude. When we don’t get what we want, our emotions flare up, and instead of doing what the Word says, we follow how we feel. We think wrong, and then what we think comes out of our mouths.

Words are containers for creative and destructive power. I can say, “Something good is going to happen to me,” or I can say, “Nothing good ever happens to me.” Either way, I’m likely to get what I say.

With our thoughts, our words, and our attitudes, we either give God permission to work in our lives, or we give the enemy permission to work in our lives.

One of the best things we can do is learn to discipline ourselves to think before we speak. When something doesn’t go the way we want it to, instead of defaulting to being negative, have your mind set ahead of time that you are going to praise God anyway and trust that He has something even better in mind for you.

Prayer of the Day: God, You know that it is hard for us to keep positive attitudes when things don’t go the way we think they should. Help me to discipline my mind, to think before I speak, and to keep trusting and believing in You. I want to keep the door open for You to work, amen.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Pray About Your Problems 

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Play

The moment you sense a problem, however large or small, take it to Christ. “Max, if I take my problems to Jesus every time I have one, I’m going to be talking to Jesus all day long.” Now you’re getting the point.

An unprayed for problem is an embedded thorn. It festers and infects the finger, then the hand, then the entire arm. Best to go straight to the person who has the tweezers. We can only wonder how many disasters would be averted if we first go to Jesus. Philippians 4:6 says, “Don’t worry about anything. Instead pray about everything.” Tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.

Here’s my challenge for you: every day for four weeks, pray four minutes. Then get ready to connect with God like never before.

 

 

 

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Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – Grow in Grace

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Read 2 Peter 3:17–18

Every semester, I prepare a syllabus for my college courses, including assignments and required reading. On the first day of class, we go over the syllabus to make sure students understand the expectations. Later, if a student says, “I didn’t know a paper was due today!” I point them back to the syllabus. They had been warned.

As he closes his letter, Peter reminds the church that they too have been warned. He has warned about the dangers of false teaching (v. 17). They are to be on their guard and vigilant. They are responsible for the truth God has revealed to them. They are to hold fast to the teaching of the apostles and not be “carried away by the error of the lawless” (v. 17). There is a certain rigidity to the Christian faith. We hold to the truths of Christ’s divinity, His sacrificial death for our sins, the resurrection, and His Second Coming with unshakable faith. No teacher, no matter how gifted, should be able to sway us.

But Christians are not stagnant in their faith either. Peter challenges the church to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (v. 18). Over the course of our lives, we learn to live the truth of the gospel. This is what Paul commanded as well: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Col. 2:6–7).

We should be able to look back over our lives and see how God has been at work shaping and forming us into the image of Christ. Peter’s ultimate hope is that we would remain rooted in the faith and growing in holiness.

Dear Reader

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Pray with Us

Lord, as we conclude this month’s study of 1 and 2 Peter, may we remain rooted in the faith and grow in holiness. Help us always persevere through suffering and seek the truth in Your Word. Amen!

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.2 Peter 3:18

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/