Good morning! It's Thursday and I hope you are going to have a great day! Sunday we will continue our series "Fear Not" with - "A proper place." We will discuss the proper place for fear in our lives. The Gilmore family WILL NOT be serving breakfast Sunday as they will be gone. Before our devotional I want to say this: I am in awe today. In awe of the wonderful VBS we just witnessed. In awe of the 44 children who came through our doors. In awe of our tremendous people who worked every night to make it happen as teachers, helpers, and kitchen workers. In awe of Alecia Robinson's organization of the event. In awe of Dana Dreier's artistic and music skills that were so enjoyed. In awe of the $720 we raised for the Ash Grove Food Pantry. In awe of the packed house we had last night for our closing presentation for the parents and grandparents. We serve an awesome God. I am privileged to serve as Pastor of an awesome church. Thank you, God!
Here is today's devotional from "Connect the Testaments."
June 23: Discernment and Prayer Nehemiah 6:1–7:65; 1 John 5:1–5; Psalm 109:16–31 “For all of them sought to frighten us.… And now, God, strengthen my hands” (Neh 6:9). While God calls us to “love [our] enemies and pray for those who persecute [us]” (Matt 5:44), he also calls us to act with discernment and prayer. Loving others doesn’t mean we should be weak or passive. Part of loving others means discerning their hearts and motives. “Blessed are the meek, because they will inherit the earth” (Matt 5:5). When Jesus spoke about being meek, He wasn’t referring to weakness. Instead, He was teaching us to focus on others rather than ourselves. That doesn’t mean we should be passive toward those who wish to harm us. Part of practicing meekness is being aware of our enemies and dealing with them cautiously. Doing so successfully takes strength and discernment—necessary components of any godly work.
Nehemiah demonstrates these traits in his interactions with his enemies. When his opponents ask him to meet with them, Nehemiah discovers that they actually wish to hurt him. He resists their attack—even calling them on their deceit (Neh 6:8).
Too often we allow ourselves to live passively. We enter into situations without thinking things through or recognizing that we’re about to be hurt by others. Yet we as Christians are at war against the evil in the world—not just against people, but also the unseen forces of evil (Eph 6:12). When we feel oppression, we must resist the urge to be reactive. Instead, we must appeal to Christ, who can overcome it all. We must refuse to engage unless it’s on our terms, by the power of the Spirit and completely in His will.
What battles are you engaging with that you should disengage from? Which situations in your life need discernment?
JOHN D. BARRY
John D. Barry and Rebecca Kruyswijk, Connect the Testaments: A One-Year Daily Devotional with Bible Reading Plan (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012).
Have a blessed day!
Pastor Joe
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