Morning, July 5
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To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  — Romans 1:7
Bible League: Living His Word
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."
— Revelation 3:20 NKJV

Jesus is knocking on your door. On the one hand, it may be because you've never been a friend of His and He's coming now to make Himself more real to you. On the other hand, it may be because you've strayed too far from Him and He wants to talk to you about improving the friendship. Whatever it is, Jesus has come to your door and He's waiting for you to respond, He's knocking and calling to get your attention. He has enough care and concern for you that He has descended from heaven above in order to fellowship with you.

You don't have to open the door to Him. If you've never opened the door to Him before, you can continue to ignore Him and live your life apart from Him. If you've opened the door to Him in the past but have been neglecting the friendship, you can continue to go on that way. Jesus won't try to break down your door. He doesn't want a relationship built on coercion.

If you open the door to Him, He will come into your life. He will come into your life with all the blessings and advantages His friendship entails. It's not a bad thing when Jesus decides to knock on your door. It may be bad for your former way of life, it may be bad for any sins you've recently fallen into, but it won't be bad for you. Indeed, it will be a liberating experience for you. Jesus comes to redeem, restore, renew, and reconcile. There's nothing bad about that. Indeed, it's a mystery why anyone would want to close the door on His friendship.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, said in John chapter 10 that His sheep know His voice. Today, then, perk up your ears. Listen for Jesus' voice. When you hear it, run to open the door to your new life. Fellowship with Him like friends at dinner.
Bible in a Year
Old Testament Reading
Job 31, 32


Job 31 -- Job Asserts His Integrity

  NIV   NLT   ESV   NAS   GWT   KJV   ASV   ERV   DRB


Job 32 -- Elihu Rebukes Job and His Three Friends

  NIV   NLT   ESV   NAS   GWT   KJV   ASV   ERV   DRB


New Testament Reading
Acts 13:1-23


Acts 13 -- Church Sends Barnabas and Saul on First Missionary Journey; Cyprus; Pisidian Antioch

  NIV   NLT   ESV   NAS   GWT   KJV   ASV   ERV   DRB


Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library.
Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion
What sorrow awaits you who are rich,
        for you have your only happiness now.

Insight
If you are trying to find fulfillment only through riches, wealth may be the only reward you will ever get—and it does not last.
Challenge
We should not seek comfort now at the expense of eternal life.
Morning and Evening by Spurgeon
Romans 1:7  Called to be saints.

We are very apt to regard the apostolic saints as if they were "saints" in a more especial manner than the other children of God. All are "saints" whom God has called by His grace, and sanctified by His Spirit; but we are apt to look upon the apostles as extraordinary beings, scarcely subject to the same weaknesses and temptations as ourselves. Yet in so doing we are forgetful of this truth, that the nearer a man lives to God the more intensely has he to mourn over his own evil heart; and the more his Master honors him in his service, the more also doth the evil of the flesh vex and tease him day by day. The fact is, if we had seen the apostle Paul, we should have thought him remarkably like the rest of the chosen family: and if we had talked with him, we should have said, "We find that his experience and ours are much the same. He is more faithful, more holy, and more deeply taught than we are, but he has the selfsame trials to endure. Nay, in some respects he is more sorely tried than ourselves." Do not, then, look upon the ancient saints as being exempt either from infirmities or sins; and do not regard them with that mystic reverence which will almost make us idolaters. Their holiness is attainable even by us. We are "called to be saints" by that same voice which constrained them to their high vocation. It is a Christian's duty to force his way into the inner circle of saintship; and if these saints were superior to us in their attainments, as they certainly were, let us follow them; let us emulate their ardour and holiness. We have the same light that they had, the same grace is accessible to us, and why should we rest satisfied until we have equalled them in heavenly character? They lived with Jesus, they lived for Jesus, therefore they grew like Jesus. Let us live by the same Spirit as they did, "looking unto Jesus," and our saintship will soon be apparent.

Daily Light on the Daily Path
1 John 4:16  We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Ephesians 2:4-7  But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, • even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), • and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, • so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

John 3:16  "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Romans 8:32  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

Psalm 145:9  The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.

1 John 4:19  We love, because He first loved us.

Luke 1:45  "And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord."

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org.

Evening July 4
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