Bible League: Living His Word The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments...— 1 Corinthians 2:15 NIV The Holy Spirit is God's built-in protection of us. God can provide wisdom to us about non-believers that can't be seen from the surface in order to navigate relational challenges. He does this, all while guarding these same people from "seeing" below our surface, because we're covered in the righteousness of Jesus. I lean towards showing mercy to others. So, when God recently asked me to gently correct someone, I was still guilt-ridden days later over feeling "mean" for having done so. I lost all hope, thinking that I had probably destroyed the relationship by being so (gently) honest. One night, during this time of anxiety, I had a dream. I dreamt that the person that I had gently corrected walked up to me with very vivid eyes, brightly lined with make-up. In the dream, I said to this person: "Oh, I see that you're wearing make-up. I like you with it on, but I also like you without it." When I awoke, I prayed about the meaning of the dream, and was led to our verse for today. After pondering it, I realized that the Spirit had led me to make an accurate "judgment" about the relational situation when I'd gently corrected the person, after all. The make-up was a symbol to me for what I'd reminded this individual of in real life: that they could be flawed and still accepted as a friend. This person didn't need to sweep their honest self under the rug and constantly repress themselves in my presence and in the presence of others. Initially, they were indeed angry upon hearing what I had to say, but it was obedience on my part to speak up. God still loved them when they were putting up a front, i.e., "wearing make-up;" yet He also loved them when they were transparent and vulnerable with Him and others, i.e., "not wearing make-up." I found more confirmation when I turned to Galatians 6:1 in the Bible. I read the following: "Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently." The Spirit hadn't allowed me to mess up, and the relationship is better for having been obedient to the Lord. By Jenny Laux, Bible League International contributor, Wisconsin U.S. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingGenesis 41 Genesis 41 -- Pharaoh's Dream; Joseph's Interpretation and Reward NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Matthew 13:1-32 Matthew 13 -- Parables of the Sower; Weeds among Wheat; Mustard Seed; Yeast; Treasure; Pearls; Net; Prophet without Honor NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.Insight Joshua's new job consisted of leading more than two million people into a strange new land and conquering it. Every new job is a challenge. Without God it can be frightening. With God it can be a great adventure. Just as God was with Joshua, he is with us as we face our new challenges. Challenge We may not conquer nations, but every day we face tough situations, difficult people, and temptations. God promises, however, that he will never abandon us nor fail to help us. By asking God to direct us we can conquer many of life's challenges. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Revelation 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion.The apostle John was privileged to look within the gates of heaven, and in describing what he saw, he begins by saying, "I looked, and, lo, a Lamb!" This teaches us that the chief object of contemplation in the heavenly state is "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world." Nothing else attracted the apostle's attention so much as the person of that Divine Being, who hath redeemed us by his blood. He is the theme of the songs of all glorified spirits and holy angels. Christian, here is joy for thee; thou hast looked, and thou hast seen the Lamb. Through thy tears thine eyes have seen the Lamb of God taking away thy sins. Rejoice, then. In a little while, when thine eyes shall have been wiped from tears, thou wilt see the same Lamb exalted on his throne. It is the joy of thy heart to hold daily fellowship with Jesus; thou shalt have the same joy to a higher degree in heaven; thou shalt enjoy the constant vision of his presence; thou shalt dwell with him forever. "I looked, and, lo, a Lamb!" Why, that Lamb is heaven itself; for as good Rutherford says, "Heaven and Christ are the same thing;" to be with Christ is to be in heaven, and to be in heaven is to be with Christ. That prisoner of the Lord very sweetly writes in one of his glowing letters--"O my Lord Jesus Christ, if I could be in heaven without thee, it would be a hell; and if I could be in hell, and have thee still, it would be a heaven to me, for thou art all the heaven I want." It is true, is it not, Christian? Does not thy soul say so? "Not all the harps above Can make a heavenly place, If God his residence remove, Or but conceal his face." All thou needest to make thee blessed, supremely blessed, is "to be with Christ." Daily Light on the Daily Path Isaiah 38:17 "Lo, for my own welfare I had great bitterness; It is You who has kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.1 John 4:9,10 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. • In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Micah 7:18,19 Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love. • He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea. Psalm 30:2,3 O LORD my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me. • O LORD, You have brought up my soul from Sheol; You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit. Jonah 2:7 "While I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, And my prayer came to You, Into Your holy temple. Psalm 40:1,2 For the choir director. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. • He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. 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. |
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