Sunday, June 30, 2019

THE BUS DRIVER

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

THE BUS DRIVER

READ:  1 John 4:7-12

Be imitators of God…and walk in love.
Ephesians 5:1-2

In the middle of carting seventy pieces of luggage, an electronic piano, and other equipment through airports and on and off a tour bus, it’s easy to wonder, “Why are we doing this?”

Taking twenty-eight teenagers on an eleven-day ministry trip to a land across the ocean is not easy.  But at the end of the trip our bus driver, who had carted us all over England and Scotland, grabbed the bus microphone and in tears thanked the kids for how wonderful they had been.  Then after we got home, he e-mailed us to say how much he appreciated the thank-you cards the kids had written to him-many of which contained the gospel.

Although the students ministered to hundreds through song during the trip, perhaps it was the bus driver who most benefited from their Christlikeness.  In Ephesians we are told to be imitators of God and to walk in love (Ephesians 5:1-2).  Others see God in us when we show love to one another (1 John 4:12).  The bus driver saw Jesus in the students and told them that they might just convert him to faith in Christ.  Maybe it was for this man that we took that trip.

Why do you do what you do?  Whose life are you affecting?  Sometimes it’s not our target audience that we impact most.  Sometimes it’s the bus drivers of the world.       DB

Lord, may I be a shining light
For all the world to see
Your goodness and Your love displayed
As You reach out through me. -Sper

Witnessing is not just something a Christian says,
but what he is.



THROUGH A NEW LENS

Through a New Lens

God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.
Romans 1:20


“It must be amazing to look at a tree and see the individual leaves instead of just a blur of green!” my dad said. I couldn’t have said it better. I was eighteen at the time and not a fan of my new need to wear glasses, but they changed the way I saw everything, making the blurry beautiful!
When reading Scripture, I view certain books like I do when I look at trees without my glasses. There doesn’t seem to be much to see. But noticing details can reveal the beauty in what might seem to be a boring passage.

This happened to me when I was reading Exodus. God’s directions for building the tabernacle—His temporary dwelling place among the Israelites—can seem like a blur of boring details. But I paused at the end of chapter 25 where God gave directions for the lampstand. It was to be hammered out “of pure gold,” including its base and shaft and its flowerlike cups, buds, and blossoms (v. 31). The cups were to be “shaped like almond flowers” (v. 34).

Almond trees are breathtaking. And God incorporated that same natural beauty into His tabernacle!

Paul wrote, “God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature” are seen and understood in creation (Romans 1:20). To see God’s beauty, sometimes we have to look at creation, and what might seem like uninteresting passages in the Bible, through a new lens.
By Julie Schwab

REFLECT & PRAY

How can you look at Scripture in a new way to see God’s beauty in it? How has God’s beautiful creation drawn you closer to Him?

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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Today’s text has ten verses devoted to the creation of the lampstand for the tabernacle. This is just one piece of furniture that was to be created for the portable structure where God would dwell with His people. Other pieces included the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:10-22), the table (vv. 23-30), the altar of burnt offering (27:1-8), the altar of incense (30:1-10), and the bronze basin (vv. 17-21). In addition to these things, many other items are specifically described for use in Israel’s worship: the tabernacle itself (size and materials); the oil for the lampstand; the composition of the incense; the priest’s ephod, breastplate, and other garments. Each served a specific purpose within the worship life of Israel. J.R. Hudberg

GOD REMEMBERS

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

GOD REMEMBERS

READ:  Genesis 8:1-17

God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the 
animals that were with him in the ark.  Genesis 8:1

A Chinese festival called Qing Ming is a time to express grief for lost relatives.  Customs include grooming gravesides and taking walks with loved ones in the countryside.  Legend has it that it began when a youth’s rude and foolish behavior resulted in the death of his mother.  So he decided that henceforth he would visit her grave every year to remember what she had done for him.  Sadly, it was only after her death that he remembered her.

How differently God deals with us!  In Genesis, we read how the flood destroyed the world.  Only those who were with Noah in the ark remained alive.  But God remembered them (8:1) and sent a wind to dry the waters so that they could leave the ark.

God also remembered Hannah when she prayed for a son (1 Samuel 1:19).  He gave her a child, Samuel.

Jesus remembered the dying thief who said, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”  Jesus replied, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:42-42).

God remembers us wherever we are.  Our concerns are His concerns.  Our pain is His pain.  Commit your challenges and difficulties to Him.  He is the all-seeing God who remembers us as a mother remembers her children, and He waits to meet our needs.          CPH

There is an Arm that never tires
When human strength gives way;
There is a Love that never fails
When earthly loves decay. -Wallace

To know that God sees us brings both conviction 
and comfort.


WHEN SHARKS WON'T BITE

When Sharks Won’t Bite

One who is full loathes honey from the comb.
Proverbs 27:7



My children were thrilled, but I felt uneasy. During a vacation, we visited an aquarium where people could pet small sharks kept in a special tank. When I asked the attendant if the creatures ever snapped at fingers, she explained that the sharks had recently been fed and then given extra food. They wouldn’t bite because they weren’t hungry.

What I learned about shark petting makes sense according to a proverb: “One who is full loathes honey from the comb, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet” (Proverbs 27:7). Hunger—that sense of inner emptiness—can weaken our discernment as we make decisions. It convinces us that it’s okay to settle for anything that fills us up, even if it causes us to take a bite out of someone.
God wants more for us than a life lived at the mercy of our appetites. He wants us to be filled with Christ’s love so that everything we do flows from the peace and stability He provides. The constant awareness that we’re unconditionally loved gives us confidence. It enables us to be selective as we consider the “sweet” things in life—achievements, possessions, and relationships.

Only a relationship with Jesus gives true satisfaction. May we grasp His incredible love for us so we can be “filled to the measure [with] all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19) for our sake—and the sake of others.
By Jennifer Benson Schuldt

REFLECT & PRAY
Those who see Jesus as the Bread of Life will never be hungry.

What are you most hungry for in life? Why does Jesus fulfill you in a way that nothing else can?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Proverbs has much to say about relationships (10:12; 16:28; 17:9-10; 18:24) and the importance and value of having godly friends (12:26; 13:20; 17:17; 22:24-25; 24:1-2). Here in Proverbs 27, Solomon celebrates the value of having a true friend (vv. 5-6, 9-10, 17). Trustworthy friends are those who are involved in your life and are loving enough to confront and provide correction; they aren’t afraid to hurt you momentarily in order to protect you from irreparable harm (vv. 5-6). Their heartfelt and honest counsel are welcomed like the delightful aromas of perfumes and incense (v. 9). True friends are those who remain close by and are always there for you, providing comfort and support in times of need (v. 10). A true friend makes you a better person (v. 17). K. T. Sim


Saturday, June 29, 2019

HIS PART AND OUR PART

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

HIS PART AND OUR PART

READ:  Joshua 1:1-9

Arise, go over this Jordan….I will not leave you
nor forsake you.  Joshua 1:2, 5

Whenever the Lord assigns us a difficult task, He gives us what we need to carry it out.  John Wesley wrote, “Among the many difficulties of our early ministry, my brother Charles often said, ‘If the Lord would give me wings, I’d fly.’ I used to answer, ‘If God bids me fly, I will trust Him for the wings.’”

Today’s Scripture tells us that Joshua was thrust into a position of great responsibility.  No doubt the enormity of the challenge before him made him tremble with fear.  How could he ever follow such a great leader as Moses?  In his own strength it would be impossible to lead the people into the Promise Land.  But along with the marching orders, the Lord gave him an assuring promise:  “I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5).  Then He said, “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (v.9).  Such reassurances were the backing Joshua needed.

If God has given you some special work to do that frightens you, it’s your responsibility to jump at it.  It’s up to the Lord to see you through.  As you faithfully do your part, He will do His part.  RDH

I’ll go where You want me to go, dear Lord,
O’er mountain or plain or sea;
I’l say what You want me to say, dear Lord,
I”ll be what You want me to be.-Brown

Where God guide God provides!


DIVINE DIVERSIONS

Divine Diversions

They tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
Acts 16:7


It can be difficult when we’re told “no” or “not now,” especially when we sense God has opened a door for us to serve others. Early in my ministry, two opportunities came my way where I thought my gifts and skills matched the churches’ needs, but both doors eventually closed. After these two disappointments, another position came along, and I was selected. With that ministry call came thirteen years of life-touching pastoral labors.

Twice in Acts 16 Paul and company were redirected by God. First, they were “kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia” (v. 6). Then, “When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to” (v. 7). Unknown to them, God had other plans that would be right for His work and workers. His no to the previous plans put them in a position to listen to and be confidently led by Him (vv. 9-10).

Who among us hasn’t grieved what we initially thought to be a painful loss? We’ve felt wounded when we didn’t get a certain job, when a service opportunity didn’t materialize, when a relocation got derailed. Though such things can momentarily be weighty, time often reveals that such detours are actually divine diversions that God graciously uses to get us where He wants us, and we are grateful.
By Arthur Jackson

REFLECT & PRAY
Father, I praise You that in Your wisdom You know how to best arrange my life. Thank You for protecting me through Your detours.

What loss have you grieved only to be grateful that what you desired you didn’t get? How did the situation serve to bolster your trust in the Lord?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.


SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
On his second missionary journey (Acts 16:1-18:22), Paul wanted to preach the gospel in the provinces of Asia Minor (modern-day western Turkey) and Bithynia (modern-day northern Turkey); however, God redirected Paul northwest to Troas. Through “a vision of a man of Macedonia” God called Paul to bring the gospel into Europe (16:8-9). The identity of the “man of Macedonia” is much debated. Because the pronoun “they” in verse 8 changes to “we” in verse 10, some scholars say this man is Luke himself who has now joined the mission team. Luke, a gentile medical doctor (Colossians 4:14), wrote the gospel of Luke and Acts and became Paul’s traveling companion and co-worker (Acts 16:10-40, 20:4-17, Philemon 1:24). He also took care of Paul during his last days in prison before his death (2 Timothy 4:11). K. T. Sim


IN EVERY BAD EXPERIENCE

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

IN EVERY BAD EXPERIENCE

READ:  2 Kings 5:1-15

Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,
except in Israel.  2 Kings 5:15

When I rear-ended a truck with my nearly new car, positive thoughts did not immediately come to mind.  I was thinking primarily of the cost, the inconvenience, and the injury to my ego.  But I did find some hope in this thought, which I often share with other writers:  “In every bad experience there’s a good illustration.”

Finding the good can be a challenge, but Scripture confirms that God uses bad circumstances for good purposes.

In 2 Kings 5, we find two people who had bad things happen to them.  First is a young girl from Israel who was taken captive by the Syrian army.  Second is Naaman, the commander of the army, who had leprosy.  Even though the girl had good reason to desire bad things for her captors, she offered help instead.  Israel’s prophet Elisha, she said, could heal Naaman.  Eager to be cured, Naaman went to Israel.  However, he was reluctant to follow Elisha’s humiliating directions.  When he finally did, he was healed, which caused him to proclaim that Israel’s God is the only God (v.15).

God used two bad things-a kidnapping and a deadly disease-to change Israel’s enemy into a friend.  Even when we don’t know why something bad has happened, we know that God has the power to use it for good.     JAL

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bad may have a bitter taste
But sweet will be the flower. -Cowper

God is the master of turning burdens into blessings.



UNTYING THE ROPE

Untying the Rope

But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.
Genesis 33:4


One Christian organization’s mission is to promote the healing nature of forgiveness. One of their activities involves a skit in which a person who has been wronged is strapped back to back with a rope to the wrongdoer. Only the one sinned against can untie the rope. No matter what she does, she’s got someone on her back. Without forgiveness—without untying the rope—she cannot escape.

Offering forgiveness to someone who comes to us in sorrow for their wrongdoing begins the process of releasing us and them from the bitterness and pain that can cling to us over wrongs we’ve suffered. In Genesis, we see two brothers separated for twenty years after Jacob stole Esau’s birthright. After this long time, God told Jacob to return to his homeland (Genesis 31:3). He obeyed, but nervously, sending ahead to Esau gifts of herds of animals (32:13-15). When the brothers met, Jacob bowed at Esau’s feet seven times in humility (33:3). Imagine his surprise when Esau ran and embraced him, both of them weeping over their reconciliation (v. 4). No longer was Jacob held by the sin he committed against his brother.

Do you feel imprisoned by unforgiveness, saddled with anger, fear, or shame? Know that God through His Son and Spirit can release you when you seek His help. He will enable you to begin the process of untying any ropes and setting you free.
By Amy Boucher Pye

REFLECT & PRAY

How do you think Esau felt to see Jacob bowing before him? Could you similarly humble yourself before someone you’ve wronged? Who do you need to release through forgiveness?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

By Jacob’s own testimony, the Lord had been gracious to him by providing children and material possessions (Genesis 33:5, 11). But even though he was favored with family and worldly goods, Jacob’s life was incomplete without settling accounts with his brother. Arthur Jackson

ARE CHRISTIANS OPPOSED TO SCIENCE?

ARE CHRISTIANS OPPOSED TO SCIENCE?

For more great blogs as this one go to Daniel’s blog site at:  www.Mannsword.blogspot.com


The hostility to Christianity is intense, even snowballing. In Can Science Explain Everything, John C. Lennox mentioned a conversation he had with an esteemed Cambridge professor of science - and he had invited two others to witness his shaming of Lennox - 50 years ago:

“Lennox, do you want a career in science?” “Yes, sir,” I replied. “Then,” he said, “in front of witnesses, tonight, you must give up this childish faith in God. If you do not, then it will cripple you intellectually and you will suffer by comparison with your peers. You simply will not make it.”

Evidently, his faith hasn’t crippled him intellectually. Instead, Lennox points out the double-standard. Had it been a Christian professor pressuring an atheistic student to reject his atheism in favor of his career, the Christian would have been brought up on charges.

Is the Christian faith opposed to science? Lennox observes that it couldn’t possibly be:

If science and God do not mix, there would be no Christian Nobel Prize winners. In fact, between 1901 and 2000 over 60% of Nobel Laureates were Christians.

According to Lennox, there are many others who share his observations:

       C.S. Lewis sums it up well when he says, “Men became scientific because they expected Law in Nature, and they expected Law in Nature because they believed in a Legislator.”

       Recent historians of science, like Peter Harrison, are more nuanced in their formulation of the way in which Christian thought influenced the intellectual landscape in which modern science arose, but they reach the same basic conclusion: far from hindering the rise of modern science, faith in God was one of the motors that drove it.

Lennox also cites the fact that the “great pioneers” of modern science were “convinced believers in God” – “Galileo, Kepler, Pascal, Boyle, Newton, Faraday, and Clerk-Maxwell…” It didn’t seem that their belief had crippled them intellectually.

Instead of a conflict between Christianity and science, Lennox claims that the conflict is actually between two rival worldviews – atheism and Christianity. Lennox cites physicist Sean Carroll, as a prime example of the former:

We humans are blobs of organized mud, which through the impersonal workings of nature’s patterns have developed the capacity to contemplate and cherish and engage with the intimidating complexity of the world around us ... The meaning we find in life is not transcendent…(The Big Picture)

However, this battle isn’t being wagged with scientific evidence but with denunciations and contempt. Lennox cites physicist Stephen Weinberg as one example of the many bullies:

       The world needs to wake up from the long nightmare of religion. Anything we scientists can do to weaken the hold of religion should be done, and may in fact be our greatest contribution to civilization.

Is Christianity a threat to science and civilization? If so, where is the evidence? Instead, it seems that wherever the Bible has gone, it has bequeathed both of these gifts. The late theologian B.B. Warfield had observed:

       Hospitals and asylums and refuges for the sick, the miserable and the afflicted grow like heaven-bedewed blossoms in its path. Woman, whose equality with man Plato considered a sure mark of social disorganization, has been elevated; slavery has been driven from civilized ground; literacy has been given by Christian missionaries, under the influence of the Bible.

The impact of the Christian missionaries has also borne witness to this principle. However, Western culture often associates missionaries with the imperialists, who had wanted to stamp out native cultures, and the colonialists who economically exploited them. However, new research has exposed the fallacies of these many stereotypes.

Robert Woodberry, professor of sociology, University of Texas, had devoted 14 years to investigate why certain countries had developed thriving democracies, while neighboring countries became failed states. Andrea Palpant Dilley writes that:

       Woodberry already had historical proof that missionaries had educated women and the poor, promoted widespread printing, let nationalistic movements that empowered ordinary citizens, and fueled other key elements of democracy. Now the statistics were backing it up: Missionaries weren’t just part of the picture. They were central to it. (Christianity Today, Jan/Feb 2014, 38)

To his amazement, Woodberry was discovering that a long denigrated ingredient – the missionary – was actually central to the creation of successful states. He writes:

       “Areas where Protestant missionaries had a significant presence in the past are on average more economically developed today, with comparatively better health, lower infant mortality, lower corruption, greater literacy, higher educational attainment (especially for women), and more robust membership in non-governmental associations.” (39)

       Pull out a map, says Woodberry, point to any place where “conversionary Protestants” were active in the past, and you’ll typically find more printed books and more schools per capita. You’ll find too, that in Africa, the Middle East, and in parts of Asia, most of the early nationalists who led their countries to independence graduated from Protestant mission schools. (41)

Woodberry’s thesis has been gaining support. Philip Jenkins, professor of history, Baylor University, claims:

       “Try as I might to pick holes in it, the theory holds up.”

What doesn’t hold up are the assertions of its detractors. They have to explain why the Christian West, while it was still strongly influenced by the Bible, had forged ahead of all the rest of the world educationally, scientifically, and in many other ways.



STILL SMALL VOICE

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

STILL SMALL VOICE

READ:1 Kings 19: 11-18

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among
the nations, I all be exalted in the earth!  Psalm 46:10

When God spoke to Elijah on Mount Horeb, He could have comes so in the wind, earthquake, or fire.  But He didn’t.  He spoke with a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12).  God asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (v.13) as he hid from Jezebel, who had threatened to kill him.

Elijah’s reply revealed what God already knew-the depth of his fear and discouragement.  He said, in effect, “Lord, I have been most zealous when others have forsaken You.  What do I get for being the only one standing up for You?” (see v. 14).

Was Elijah really the only one serving God?  No.  God had “seven thousand in Israel…whose knees have not bowed to Baal” (v. 18).

In the depths of our fear or despair, we too may think we’re the only one serving God.  That may happen right after the height of a success, as it did for Elijah.  Psalm 46:10 reminds us to “be still, and know” that He is God.  The sooner we focus on Him and His power, the quicker we will see relief from our fear and self-pity.

Both the clashing cymbals of our failures and the loud trumpeting of our successes can drown out God’s still small voice.  It’s time for us to quiet our hearts to listen for Him as we meditate on His Word.  AL

Keep listening for the “still small voice”
If you are weary on life’s road;
The Lord will make your heart rejoice
If you will let Him take your load. -Hess

To tune in to God’s voice we must tyne out this world’s noise.


YOUR EULOGY

Your Eulogy

Death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.
Ecclesiastes 7:2


My heart is full from attending the funeral of a faithful woman. Her life wasn’t spectacular. She wasn’t known widely outside her church, neighbors, and friends. But she loved Jesus, her seven children, and her twenty-five grandchildren. She laughed easily, served generously, and could hit a softball a long way.

Ecclesiastes says, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting” (7:2). “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning” because there we learn what matters most (7:4). New York Times columnist David Brooks says there are two kinds of virtues: those that look good on a résumé and those you want said at your funeral. Sometimes these overlap, though often they seem to compete. When in doubt, always choose the eulogy virtues.

The woman in the casket didn’t have a résumé, but her children testified that “she rocked Proverbs 31” and its description of a godly woman. She inspired them to love Jesus and care for others. As Paul said, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1), so they challenged us to imitate their mother’s life as she imitated Jesus.
What will be said at your funeral? What do you want said? It’s not too late to develop eulogy virtues. Rest in Jesus. His salvation frees us to live for what matters most.
By Mike Wittmer

REFLECT & PRAY
Father, give me the courage to live for what matters most.

Are you living out things that will affect your résumé or your eulogy? How would your life change if you lived each day with your eulogy in mind?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.


SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Solomon said some pretty odd, outlandish, and morbid things in Ecclesiastes 7: One’s death is better than one’s birth (v. 1). Attend funerals not parties (v. 2). It’s wise to think a lot about death (v. 4). In many cultures, it’s deemed unacceptable to talk or even think about death when you’re still living. However, since everyone dies, Solomon advises us to live life with our demise in mind (v. 2), pondering over life’s brevity instead of pursuing festivity or levity, “for sadness has a refining influence on us” (v. 3 nlt). In light of the brevity of life and the reality and inevitability of death, we’re exhorted to evaluate how we have been living and how differently we want to spend our hours today. “A wise person thinks a lot about death” (v. 4 nlt) is good advice because it lifts our eyes from the temporal to the eternal. K. T. Sim


AN AGE-OLD QUESTION

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

AN AGE-OLD QUESTION

READ:  Job 2:1-10

Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall
we not accept adversity?  Job 2:10

When Jeremy was seventeen, he struggled with a question that theologians have wrestled with for centuries.  For him the problem was not theoretical but practical.  He was trying to understand why his mother had to have brain surgery.  He asked, “Why do good people suffer, Mom?”

She told him, “Suffering is part of living in a sin-cured world, and good people suffer like anybody else.  That’s why I’m glad we have Jesus.  If I die, I’ll go to a better place, and I’ll long for the day when I can see you again.”  She then said that she could understand his frustration, but she told him not to put the blame on God.

If you and I are baffled by the suffering of good people, we can put the question squarely before God, argue with Him if we must, and struggle with our doubts.  But let’s not blame Him.

God didn’t explain to Job what He was doing but said that He could be trusted to do what is right (Job 38-42).  And He has assured us in His Word that Jesus suffered on our behalf, rose from the dead, and is now preparing a suffering-free place for us.

These may not be the answers we want, but they are the answers we need to help us live with that age-old and often unanswerable question of suffering.   DJD

Why must I bear this pain?  I cannot tell;
I only know my Lord does all things well.
And so I trust in God, my all in all,
For He will bring me through, whate’er befall. -Smith

God is not obligated to give us answers,
but He promises us His grace.


VANITY ON FIRE

Vanity on Fire

Create in me a pure heart, O God.
Psalm 51:10


In February 1497, a Monk named Girolamo Savonarola started a fire. Leading up to this, he and his followers spent several months collecting items that they thought might entice people to sin or neglect their religious duties—including artwork, cosmetics, instruments, and dresses. On the appointed day, thousands of vanity items were gathered at a public square in Florence, Italy, and set on fire. The event has come to be known as the Bonfire of the Vanities.

Savonarola might have found inspiration for his extreme actions in some shocking statements from the Sermon on the Mount. “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away,” said Jesus. “And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away” (Matthew 5:29-30). But if we interpret Jesus’s words literally, we miss the point of the message. The entire sermon is a lesson on going deeper than the surface, to focus on the state of our hearts rather than blaming our behavior on external distractions and temptations.

The Bonfire of the Vanities made a great show of destroying belongings and works of art, but it is unlikely that the hearts of those involved were changed in the process. Only God can change a heart. That’s why the psalmist prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10). It’s our heart that counts.
By Remi Oyedele

REFLECT & PRAY
Holy God, please give me the grace to surrender my heart to You and yield my life’s vanities to the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit.

What behaviors or distractions might be on your list of “vanities”? How do you try to “manage” them?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.


SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
In ancient thinking, the “heart” was considered a person’s core—the source from which flowed all thoughts, words, and actions. In Matthew 5, Jesus emphasizes that life in God’s kingdom requires radical transformation and continual reshaping of our hearts so that we cultivate a profoundly different way of life—one that’s invitational and beneficial to the world (vv. 14-16). Monica Brands