From: May 12, 2024
“A gentle tongue is a tree of life” (Proverbs 15:4 ESV).
In our One Year Bible reading today I was looking for something to say to bless and encourage mothers. This passage from Proverbs seemed appropriate.
I often remember the gentle words of my mother. She always sought to encourage her children and grandchildren with her words. What made her words even more profound, was her habit of salting them with the Word of God. For she was a lover of the Bible from her youth.
My dear mother is with the Lord now, but I see this same trait in my sweet wife, Robin. Her words are always gentle and encouraging. They truly give life to our kids and grandkids. I’m thankful to have had a mother and to have a wife who offers such gentle and life-giving words.
Words have power, power to bless and power to curse, power to build up and power to tear down. Yet gentle words are a tree of life.
PRAYER: Thank you Father for the gift of mothers. You have entrusted to them the bearing of children. But more than that, You are ready to gift them with the life-giving power of Your gentleness, so that their children may be drawn to You. Lord, bless our mothers this day. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: May 12, 2023
“Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies” (John 7:18 NLT).
The crowds gathered in the Temple to hear Jesus were amazed at His teaching. They wondered how He had such knowledge and wisdom without training. He responded that His message came from God who sent Him. He did not speak for Himself. He did not seek His own glory, but to bring glory and honor to God. His answer was also an accusation against the Jewish leaders who claimed to be teachers. Jesus accused them of seeking glory for themselves.
Let us seek to be like Jesus. Let us always speak, so that Jesus gets the glory. How ugly is the human temptation to seek our own glory and to care for our own image. May we all grow in our commitment to speak in a way that glorifies Christ and not ourselves. And may we always understand that we represent Christ every time we speak.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we desire to always speak and live in a way that brings glory to You and to Your Son. As we study Your Word, set our hearts aflame with Your Spirit, so that we speak in a way that always brings You glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: May 12, 2016
Jesus had four younger half-brothers named James, Joses, Judas and Simon and several unnamed sisters (Mark 6:3) by his mother, Mary and his adopted father, Joseph. Prior to Christ’s resurrection his brothers didn’t believe in him. We don’t read much about them, but here John records how they gave Jesus sarcastic advice about how to become more famous. Jesus calmly replied to them that they didn’t understand God’s timing nor purpose for him. Often the hardest people to live out your faith in front of is your own family. They have expectations of you and when you don’t live up to them, they punish you with biting comments. Yet, Jesus was obedient to God’s will for him. And after they saw him suffer and rise again, his family finally believed. James and Judas (Jude) both authored NT books. James, who became the lead pastor of the first church of Jerusalem, opened his little book with “James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1). Can you think of a more convincing testimony for Jesus than this?
From: May 12, 2015
When Saul failed to wait on the prophet Samuel to make the burnt offering and instead offered it himself, Samuel corrected him. I must admit, I relate to Saul’s impatience. After all, Samuel was running late and Saul’s army was getting restless, with many of them going AWOL. Saul was worried about winning the upcoming battle when he should have been focused on being obedient to God. Be careful not to put God’s work before His worship, nor fear of man, rather than God.