Exodus 34:18-35
You shall keep the festival of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib; for in the month of Abib you came out from Egypt. All that first opens the womb is mine, all your male livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep. The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. No one shall appear before me empty-handed. Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even in plowing time and in harvest time you shall rest. You shall observe the festival of weeks, the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the festival of ingathering at the turn of the year. Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the LORD God, the God of Israel. For I will cast out nations before you, and enlarge your borders; no one shall covet your land when you go up to appear before the LORD your God three times in the year. You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven, and the sacrifice of the festival of the passover shall not be left until the morning. The best of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk. The LORD said to Moses: Write these words; in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel. He was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; but whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
1 Thessalonians 3:1-13
Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we decided to be left alone in Athens; and we sent Timothy, our brother and co-worker for God in proclaiming the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you for the sake of your faith, so that no one would be shaken by these persecutions. Indeed, you yourselves know that this is what we are destined for. In fact, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we were to suffer persecution; so it turned out, as you know. For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith; I was afraid that somehow the tempter had tempted you and that our labor had been in vain. But Timothy has just now come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love. He has told us also that you always remember us kindly and long to see us-- just as we long to see you. For this reason, brothers and sisters, during all our distress and persecution we have been encouraged about you through your faith. For we now live, if you continue to stand firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
Matthew 5:27-37
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. "Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.' But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No' anything more than this comes from the evil one.
Morning Psalms
Psalm 40
1 I waited patiently upon the LORD; he stooped to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the desolate pit, out of the mire and clay; he set my feet upon a high cliff and made my footing sure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many shall see, and stand in awe, and put their trust in the LORD.
4 Happy are they who trust in the LORD! they do not resort to evil spirits or turn to false gods.
5 Great things are they that you have done, O LORD my God! how great your wonders and your plans for us! there is none who can be compared with you.
6 Oh, that I could make them known and tell them! but they are more than I can count.
7 In sacrifice and offering you take no pleasure (you have given me ears to hear you);
8 Burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required, and so I said, "Behold, I come.
9 In the roll of the book it is written concerning me: 'I love to do your will, O my God; your law is deep in my heart.'"
10 I proclaimed righteousness in the great congregation; behold, I did not restrain my lips; and that, O LORD, you know.
11 Your righteousness have I not hidden in my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your deliverance; I have not concealed your love and faithfulness from the great congregation.
12 You are the LORD; do not withhold your compassion from me; let your love and your faithfulness keep me safe for ever,
13 For innumerable troubles have crowded upon me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more in number than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails me.
14 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me.
15 Let them be ashamed and altogether dismayed who seek after my life to destroy it; let them draw back and be disgraced who take pleasure in my misfortune.
16 Let those who say "Aha!" and gloat over me be confounded, because they are ashamed.
17 Let all who seek you rejoice in you and be glad; let those who love your salvation continually say, "Great is the LORD!"
18 Though I am poor and afflicted, the Lord will have regard for me.
19 You are my helper and my deliverer; do not tarry, O my God.
Psalm 54
1 Save me, O God, by your Name; in your might, defend my cause.
2 Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For the arrogant have risen up against me, and the ruthless have sought my life, those who have no regard for God.
4 Behold, God is my helper; it is the Lord who sustains my life.
5 Render evil to those who spy on me; in your faithfulness, destroy them.
6 I will offer you a freewill sacrifice and praise your Name, O LORD, for it is good.
7 For you have rescued me from every trouble, and my eye has seen the ruin of my foes.
Evening Psalms
Psalm 51
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; in your great compassion blot out my offenses.
2 Wash me through and through from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.
5 And so you are justified when you speak and upright in your judgment.
6 Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth, a sinner from my mother's womb.
7 For behold, you look for truth deep within me, and will make me understand wisdom secretly.
8 Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.
9 Make me hear of joy and gladness, that the body you have broken may rejoice.
10 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.
11 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
12 Cast me not away from your presence and take not your holy Spirit from me.
13 Give me the joy of your saving help again and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
14 I shall teach your ways to the wicked, and sinners shall return to you.
15 Deliver me from death, O God, and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness, O God of my salvation.
16 Open my lips, O Lord, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
17 Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice, but you take no delight in burnt-offerings.
18 The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
19 Be favorable and gracious to Zion, and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
20 Then you will be pleased with the appointed sacrifices, with burnt-offerings and oblations; then shall they offer young bullocks upon your altar.
Friday, April 22, 2016
The Daily Meditation for April 22, 2016
From Forward Day by Day
Psalm 40:3 [God] put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
Reflecting on the 100-year anniversary of the extinction of the passenger pigeon, I wrote a song inviting my own transformation. My hope is that as a witness to one bird’s extinction, I might be life-giving for God’s good creation.
Another bird in my song is the pelican. I never saw pelicans at the beach where I grew up vacationing with my family in the 1980s. I thought we just didn’t have them on the Texas coast. Then the chemical insecticide DDT was outlawed, and I witnessed a resurrection. As I understand it, the widespread use of DDT weakened the pelican eggs so that the baby birds could not develop. Once DDT was taken out of the equation, the birds made a remarkable comeback from death—a resurrection.
Now, I watch the majestic grace of those expert fishers as they glide low between waves in long lines, and I lose count as they fly out over the dunes toward their favorite fishing places. The new song is one of hope.
Join more than a half million readers worldwide who use Forward Day by Day as a resource for daily prayer and Bible study.
Psalm 40:3 [God] put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
Reflecting on the 100-year anniversary of the extinction of the passenger pigeon, I wrote a song inviting my own transformation. My hope is that as a witness to one bird’s extinction, I might be life-giving for God’s good creation.
Another bird in my song is the pelican. I never saw pelicans at the beach where I grew up vacationing with my family in the 1980s. I thought we just didn’t have them on the Texas coast. Then the chemical insecticide DDT was outlawed, and I witnessed a resurrection. As I understand it, the widespread use of DDT weakened the pelican eggs so that the baby birds could not develop. Once DDT was taken out of the equation, the birds made a remarkable comeback from death—a resurrection.
Now, I watch the majestic grace of those expert fishers as they glide low between waves in long lines, and I lose count as they fly out over the dunes toward their favorite fishing places. The new song is one of hope.
Join more than a half million readers worldwide who use Forward Day by Day as a resource for daily prayer and Bible study.
Men of the Bible - Samuel
His name means: "The Name of God"
His work: Priest, prophet, and judge, Samuel helped transform Israel from a nation led by charismatic figures called "judges" to one ruled by kings, who were to exercise their authority not as other kings did, but as men who belonged to God. He anointed Israel's first two kings: Saul and David.
His character: Samuel was eager to hear God's voice and willing to speak his word, even when doing so meant rebuking a king and risking his life. A spiritual leader who won military victories against the Philistines, he reminded the people of God's faithfulness and of the vital importance of their obedience. Sadly, he failed to pass on these same character traits to his sons, who acted corruptly as judges in his stead.
His sorrow: That Saul, Israel's first king, failed to obey God.
His triumph: To help shape Israel into a monarchy whose kings were to be God's servants.
Key Scriptures: 1 Samuel 1:1-28; 2:18-26; 3:1-20; 7:2-16; 8:1-10:26; 12:1-25
A Look at the Man
Years had passed since the death of Eli and his sons, and Samuel was growing old, his own sons more like Eli's than he cared to admit. He had judged Israel faithfully for many years, but the elders were clamoring for a change, insisting Israel needed a king like the other nations of the world.
This demand for a king seemed to Samuel like more evidence of their waywardness. This stiff-necked people were impossible to lead, always so certain they knew what was best for them. So Samuel railed against the idea until the people became so adamant that he made it a matter for prayer. He heard a surprising answer from the Lord: "Samuel, listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."
So Samuel described in frightening detail all the demands a king would place on them—drafting their sons and daughters to work and die for him, devouring the fruits of their labor, requiring so much that they would feel enslaved by him. But the leaders insisted, "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations with a king to go out before us and fight our battles."
So God gave them a king named Saul, a man who stood a head taller than most other men, yet a man who was no better at following the Lord than they had been. This was the king Samuel had to anoint. The king he had to guide. The king he finally had to pass judgment on, delivering a message any man would fear to render a king—that God intended to tear the crown from him and give it to another man.
Then the Lord told Samuel to fill his horn with oil and go to Jesse of Bethlehem, because one of his sons was to be king. Though Samuel feared Saul's wrath if he were to anoint a new king, he did as the Lord commanded, and as soon as he saw Jesse's eldest son, he was certain he had found Israel's next king.
But the Lord thought otherwise, saying to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." Six more of Jesse's sons passed before Samuel, but each one was rejected. And then came David, the youngest of Jesse's sons, a shepherd boy, as strong and solid on the inside as he looked on the outside. Samuel took the horn and poured the oil over David's head, anointing him king in the presence of his brothers.
Years passed before David finally ascended to the throne of Israel. By then Samuel was dead. But the man who had been an answer to his mother's prayer and who had been dedicated to God in a special way for the whole of his lifetime had fulfilled God's purpose, helping Israel make the transition from the chaotic period of the judges, when every man did what was right in his own eyes, to the period of the kings of Israel, when the Lord God searched for a ruler who would be a man after his own heart.
Reflect On: 1 Samuel 3:1–10
Praise God: For speaking to us.
Offer Thanks: For the way God has revealed himself to you.
Confess: Any failure to listen to what God is saying.
Ask God: To help you listen for his voice.
Today's reading is a brief excerpt from Men of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Men in Scripture by Ann Spangler and Robert Wolgemuth (Zondervan). © 2010 by Ann Spangler. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Enjoy the complete book by purchasing your own copy at the Bible Gateway Store. The book's title must be included when sharing the above content on social media.
His work: Priest, prophet, and judge, Samuel helped transform Israel from a nation led by charismatic figures called "judges" to one ruled by kings, who were to exercise their authority not as other kings did, but as men who belonged to God. He anointed Israel's first two kings: Saul and David.
His character: Samuel was eager to hear God's voice and willing to speak his word, even when doing so meant rebuking a king and risking his life. A spiritual leader who won military victories against the Philistines, he reminded the people of God's faithfulness and of the vital importance of their obedience. Sadly, he failed to pass on these same character traits to his sons, who acted corruptly as judges in his stead.
His sorrow: That Saul, Israel's first king, failed to obey God.
His triumph: To help shape Israel into a monarchy whose kings were to be God's servants.
Key Scriptures: 1 Samuel 1:1-28; 2:18-26; 3:1-20; 7:2-16; 8:1-10:26; 12:1-25
A Look at the Man
Years had passed since the death of Eli and his sons, and Samuel was growing old, his own sons more like Eli's than he cared to admit. He had judged Israel faithfully for many years, but the elders were clamoring for a change, insisting Israel needed a king like the other nations of the world.
This demand for a king seemed to Samuel like more evidence of their waywardness. This stiff-necked people were impossible to lead, always so certain they knew what was best for them. So Samuel railed against the idea until the people became so adamant that he made it a matter for prayer. He heard a surprising answer from the Lord: "Samuel, listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."
So Samuel described in frightening detail all the demands a king would place on them—drafting their sons and daughters to work and die for him, devouring the fruits of their labor, requiring so much that they would feel enslaved by him. But the leaders insisted, "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations with a king to go out before us and fight our battles."
So God gave them a king named Saul, a man who stood a head taller than most other men, yet a man who was no better at following the Lord than they had been. This was the king Samuel had to anoint. The king he had to guide. The king he finally had to pass judgment on, delivering a message any man would fear to render a king—that God intended to tear the crown from him and give it to another man.
Then the Lord told Samuel to fill his horn with oil and go to Jesse of Bethlehem, because one of his sons was to be king. Though Samuel feared Saul's wrath if he were to anoint a new king, he did as the Lord commanded, and as soon as he saw Jesse's eldest son, he was certain he had found Israel's next king.
But the Lord thought otherwise, saying to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." Six more of Jesse's sons passed before Samuel, but each one was rejected. And then came David, the youngest of Jesse's sons, a shepherd boy, as strong and solid on the inside as he looked on the outside. Samuel took the horn and poured the oil over David's head, anointing him king in the presence of his brothers.
Years passed before David finally ascended to the throne of Israel. By then Samuel was dead. But the man who had been an answer to his mother's prayer and who had been dedicated to God in a special way for the whole of his lifetime had fulfilled God's purpose, helping Israel make the transition from the chaotic period of the judges, when every man did what was right in his own eyes, to the period of the kings of Israel, when the Lord God searched for a ruler who would be a man after his own heart.
Reflect On: 1 Samuel 3:1–10
Praise God: For speaking to us.
Offer Thanks: For the way God has revealed himself to you.
Confess: Any failure to listen to what God is saying.
Ask God: To help you listen for his voice.
Today's reading is a brief excerpt from Men of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Men in Scripture by Ann Spangler and Robert Wolgemuth (Zondervan). © 2010 by Ann Spangler. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Enjoy the complete book by purchasing your own copy at the Bible Gateway Store. The book's title must be included when sharing the above content on social media.
His Princess Every Day - Friday, April 22, 2016
Devotionals for Women - Inspirational author and speaker Sheri Rose
Shepherd imagines what a letter written from God to you would look like.
His New Beginning
My Beloved Daughter,
You are Mine, and you are called personally by Me. That’s why it is hard to watch you hold on to your past. I see you differently than you see yourself. You see what you’ve done, but I see what I want to do in you. You see where you’ve been, but I see where I want to take you. I have you covered, precious one, and I will use every mistake you’ve made as a tutor to make you wiser. As My daughter, you have the privilege and the choice to live an abundant life filled with joy, adventure, passion, and purpose. Don’t hold on to things that hold you back from My blessings. Your past has paved the road that led you to Me. Now ask Me to do a new thing, to make a way in the wilderness, and to increase your faith in ways you never dreamed possible. Take My hand, and let’s walk forward together into your new life.
Love,
Your heavenly Father
I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. - Isaiah 43:19
Treasure of Truth
Your past does not have to define you anymore.... It is finished.
This devotional is written by Sheri Rose Shepherd. All content copyright Sheri Rose Shepherd 2015. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Visit HisPrincess.com for devotionals, books, videos, and more from Sheri Rose Shepherd.
My Beloved Daughter,
You are Mine, and you are called personally by Me. That’s why it is hard to watch you hold on to your past. I see you differently than you see yourself. You see what you’ve done, but I see what I want to do in you. You see where you’ve been, but I see where I want to take you. I have you covered, precious one, and I will use every mistake you’ve made as a tutor to make you wiser. As My daughter, you have the privilege and the choice to live an abundant life filled with joy, adventure, passion, and purpose. Don’t hold on to things that hold you back from My blessings. Your past has paved the road that led you to Me. Now ask Me to do a new thing, to make a way in the wilderness, and to increase your faith in ways you never dreamed possible. Take My hand, and let’s walk forward together into your new life.
Love,
Your heavenly Father
I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. - Isaiah 43:19
Treasure of Truth
Your past does not have to define you anymore.... It is finished.
This devotional is written by Sheri Rose Shepherd. All content copyright Sheri Rose Shepherd 2015. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Visit HisPrincess.com for devotionals, books, videos, and more from Sheri Rose Shepherd.
Girlfriends in God - April 22, 2016
Today’s Truth
When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you (Isaiah 43:2, NLT).
Friend to Friend
I am an avid reader. In fact, reading is one of my favorite ways to escape the chaotic pace of daily life. I also enjoy browsing through bookstores, especially the ones that provide cushy chairs where customers can sit quietly and read without being disturbed.
It is easy to tune out your surroundings and lose yourself in the pages of a good book. I was doing just that when I heard a familiar voice. Looking up, I spotted one of my friends, Carol, who was asking an employee where she could find a new suspense novel that had just been released. The young man quickly handed Carol the book from his personal stash behind the counter and went back to work. I watched a smile spread across Carol’s face as she examined her new treasure while gently turning the book over in her hands and flipping through pages. Carol then did something I absolutely could not believe. She turned to the last several pages of the book and began reading.
It was time for an intervention. I was ready for the task.
I quickly put the book I had been reading back on the shelf. I needed to focus on the obvious needs of my friend. With a quick wave, I got Carol’s attention and made my approach. After a quick hug, I said, “It is so good to see you. How have you been?” We spent a few minutes catching up on what was happening in our lives.
I could not help myself.
“Are you buying that book?” I asked. It was an honest question because, for the life of me, I could not understand why anyone would want to buy a suspense novel when they already knew how it ended. Excitement danced in Carol’s eyes as she responded, “Yes, I am. I can’t wait to read it. The ending is awesome!"
Now I can understand reading the first few pages or scanning the table of contents before buying a book.
I can even comprehend reading a few paragraphs here and there to get an idea of the story line. That makes sense to me. Carol’s perspective did not.
“Okay. I have to confess that I saw you reading the last few pages of the book. Why in the world did you read the ending? Won’t that spoil the story for you?” I asked.
“Not at all,” Carol quickly responded. “Before I buy a book, I always read the ending to make sure I really want that particular book,” she explained.
It was worse than I thought.
Seeing the look of disbelief on my face, she laughed and admitted, “I know. It sounds crazy, but I have to know that everything turns out okay before I commit to reading the book.”
The more I thought about Carol’s words, the more I realize that, as followers of God, we need to do the same. We need to live every minute of every day knowing that no matter what we face, we can truly say, “God’s got it!"
When the bills are piling up, and we don’t see a way to pay them - God’s got it!
When our child is going against everything we believe in and stand for – God’s got it!
When we need a job, but every interview and application leads nowhere – God’s got it!
When the doctor says the test results are not good – God’s got it!
When our marriage seems to be falling apart – God’s got it!
When we focus only on what we can see and understand or explain, we will worry.
Fear and doubt will become familiar companions if we live each day against the backdrop of this broken world and our desperate circumstances.
Our only hope is God.
And it is not enough to just know about Him. We must know Him. A personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ assures us that no matter what the world throws our way, God’s got it.
Let’s Pray
Father, I am tempted to worry about so many things. Our world is a mess! Forgive me for focusing on anything or anyone but You. Thank You for the Bible that equips and empowers me to live each day. Right now, I declare that You are my only Hope. Please help me remember that You really are in control.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Read and memorize Isaiah 43:2: “When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”
Make a list of your fears. Surrender each one to the loving control of God as you pray through Psalm 23. Then destroy the list as an offering of praise and thanksgiving to God’s perfect peace enthroned in your life.
More from the Girlfriends
Need help? Mary’s book, Escaping the Stress Trap, transforms the promises of the Twenty-third Psalm into easy-to-implement, practical steps that will hand you the keys to stress management. The chapter-by-chapter study guide is ideal for both personal and small group studies.
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THE HELMET OF SALVATION
Take the helmet of salvation… Ephesians 6:17a
In describing the Christian’s helmet, Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:8, “…and the hope of salvation as a helmet.” The best armor you can give a soldier is the kind that cannot be destroyed by the enemy. Paul, knowing the eternal nature of God’s salvation, exhorts the servant-soldier to put on—that is, believe in—the hope of life beyond this world. Soldiers without fear of death? What a mighty force!
God also provides the helmet to protect our minds. When the enemy tries to infiltrate our thinking with doubts about our salvation, the helmet becomes our protection.
You are God’s own child. He Himself redeemed you from slavery. He does not want the enemy to overcome you. You are secure in your relationship with God. The power within you is greater than the power in your enemy. Give no place to doubt. Take your stand for God in confidence wearing you helmet of salvation.
Teshome comes from northern Ethiopia and grew up in the traditional Orthodox Church. In Sunday school he was taught that the evangelical Christians eat the meat of dogs and cats when they celebrate Holy Communion. Their Sunday school teachers made a mistake by asking them to read the gospels and so Teshome discovered the truth about Jesus Christ. He went to evangelical Christians to hear more about Jesus. He found that his Sunday school teachers, priests and bishops were teaching him lies. He accepted Christ. After this he was chased away by his family, community and congregation.
Brother Teshome and new friends went to live with Christians who received them in their homes. It was during their stay with these Christians that they heard about a well-established evangelical church. They contacted its leadership and joined after getting a positive reply. Presently they have sixty members in their region. Brother Teshome’s vision is to go back to his people and witness to them.
RESPONSE: Today I put on the helmet of salvation so Satan will not have a stronghold on my thoughts.
PRAYER: Lord, I rejoice in my salvation and ask You to help me keep my mind focused on You.
In describing the Christian’s helmet, Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:8, “…and the hope of salvation as a helmet.” The best armor you can give a soldier is the kind that cannot be destroyed by the enemy. Paul, knowing the eternal nature of God’s salvation, exhorts the servant-soldier to put on—that is, believe in—the hope of life beyond this world. Soldiers without fear of death? What a mighty force!
God also provides the helmet to protect our minds. When the enemy tries to infiltrate our thinking with doubts about our salvation, the helmet becomes our protection.
You are God’s own child. He Himself redeemed you from slavery. He does not want the enemy to overcome you. You are secure in your relationship with God. The power within you is greater than the power in your enemy. Give no place to doubt. Take your stand for God in confidence wearing you helmet of salvation.
Teshome comes from northern Ethiopia and grew up in the traditional Orthodox Church. In Sunday school he was taught that the evangelical Christians eat the meat of dogs and cats when they celebrate Holy Communion. Their Sunday school teachers made a mistake by asking them to read the gospels and so Teshome discovered the truth about Jesus Christ. He went to evangelical Christians to hear more about Jesus. He found that his Sunday school teachers, priests and bishops were teaching him lies. He accepted Christ. After this he was chased away by his family, community and congregation.
Brother Teshome and new friends went to live with Christians who received them in their homes. It was during their stay with these Christians that they heard about a well-established evangelical church. They contacted its leadership and joined after getting a positive reply. Presently they have sixty members in their region. Brother Teshome’s vision is to go back to his people and witness to them.
RESPONSE: Today I put on the helmet of salvation so Satan will not have a stronghold on my thoughts.
PRAYER: Lord, I rejoice in my salvation and ask You to help me keep my mind focused on You.
“The Face of My Enemy”
by Corrie ten Boom
It was in a church in Munich that I saw him—a balding, heavy‐set man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. People were filing out of the basement room where I had just spoken and moving along the rows of wooden chairs to the door at the rear. The year was 1947, and I had come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives.
This was the truth they needed most to hear in that bitter, bombed‐out land, and I gave them my favorite mental picture. Maybe because the sea is never far from a Hollander’s mind, I liked to think that that’s where forgiven sins were thrown. “When we confess our sins,” I said, “God casts them into the deepest ocean, gone forever. And even though I cannot find a Scripture for it, I believe God then places a sign out there that says, ‘NO FISHING ALLOWED.’”
The solemn faces stared back at me, not quite daring to believe. There were never questions after a talk in Germany in 1947. People stood up in silence, collected their wraps in silence, left the room in silence.
And that’s when I saw him working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister’s frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin. Betsie, how thin you were!
The place was Ravensbruck, and the man who was making his way forward had been a guard—one of the cruelest guards.
Now he was in front of me, hand thrust out: “A fine message, Fräulein! How good it is to know that, as you say, all our sins are at the bottom of the sea!”
And I, who had spoken so glibly of forgiveness, fumbled in my pocketbook rather than take that hand. He would not remember me, of course—how could he remember one prisoner among those thousands of women?
But I remembered him and the leather crop swinging from his belt. I was face‐to‐face with one of my captors, and my blood seemed to freeze. “You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk,” he was saying. “I was a guard there.” No, he did not remember me. “But since that time,” he went on, “I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fräulein”—again the hand came out—“will you forgive me?”
And I stood there—I whose sins had again and again needed to be forgiven—and could not forgive. Betsie had died in that place—could he erase her slow, terrible death simply by the asking?
It could not have been many seconds that he stood there—hand held out—but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.
For I had to do it—I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. “If you do not forgive men their trespasses,” Jesus says, “neither will your Father in Heaven forgive your trespasses.”
I knew it not only as a commandment of God, but as a daily experience. Since the end of the war I had had a home in Holland for victims of Nazi brutality. Those who were able to forgive their former enemies were also able to return to the outside world and rebuild their lives, no matter what the physical scars. Those who nursed their bitterness remained invalids. It was as simple and horrible as that.
And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion—I knew that, too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. Jesus, help me! I prayed silently. I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling.
So, woodenly and mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, and sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.
“I forgive you, brother!” I cried. “With all my heart.”
For a long moment, we grasped each other’s hands—the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God’s love so intensely as I did then. But even so, I realized it was not my love. I had tried and did not have the power. It was the power of the Holy Spirit as recorded in Romans 5:5: “Because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
Looking ahead…
I can’t imagine any situation or circumstance in which the obligation to forgive would be more difficult than the one Corrie faced. She had lived with routine murder, humiliation, cruelty, and starvation at the hands of the man who now faced her. Every natural impulse—every angry emotion—would cry out for revenge against her former tormentor. She still carried with her the images of her father, emaciated sister, and other family members who died at the hands of the Nazis. I wonder if I could have had the moral strength to forgive this guard and release the passion for revenge and retribution. Yet, Corrie ten Boom was able to do just that and thereby show the world what Jesus meant by His commandment to “turn the other cheek.”
Here’s the question of the hour: If Corrie ten Boom could forgive her captors—and if Jesus could forgive the Roman soldiers and you and me for killing Him on the cross—can’t we find it in our hearts to forgive the mistakes and hurtful actions of our imperfect mate? We absolutely must, or we’ll become pathetic invalids trapped by bitterness and hate.
- James C Dobson
From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson
Copyright © 2000 by James Dobson, Inc. All rights reserved.
“The Face of My Enemy” by Corrie ten Boom. Taken from The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill. Used by permission of Chosen Books LLC, Chappaqua, N.Y.
It was in a church in Munich that I saw him—a balding, heavy‐set man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. People were filing out of the basement room where I had just spoken and moving along the rows of wooden chairs to the door at the rear. The year was 1947, and I had come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives.
This was the truth they needed most to hear in that bitter, bombed‐out land, and I gave them my favorite mental picture. Maybe because the sea is never far from a Hollander’s mind, I liked to think that that’s where forgiven sins were thrown. “When we confess our sins,” I said, “God casts them into the deepest ocean, gone forever. And even though I cannot find a Scripture for it, I believe God then places a sign out there that says, ‘NO FISHING ALLOWED.’”
The solemn faces stared back at me, not quite daring to believe. There were never questions after a talk in Germany in 1947. People stood up in silence, collected their wraps in silence, left the room in silence.
And that’s when I saw him working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister’s frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin. Betsie, how thin you were!
The place was Ravensbruck, and the man who was making his way forward had been a guard—one of the cruelest guards.
Now he was in front of me, hand thrust out: “A fine message, Fräulein! How good it is to know that, as you say, all our sins are at the bottom of the sea!”
And I, who had spoken so glibly of forgiveness, fumbled in my pocketbook rather than take that hand. He would not remember me, of course—how could he remember one prisoner among those thousands of women?
But I remembered him and the leather crop swinging from his belt. I was face‐to‐face with one of my captors, and my blood seemed to freeze. “You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk,” he was saying. “I was a guard there.” No, he did not remember me. “But since that time,” he went on, “I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fräulein”—again the hand came out—“will you forgive me?”
And I stood there—I whose sins had again and again needed to be forgiven—and could not forgive. Betsie had died in that place—could he erase her slow, terrible death simply by the asking?
It could not have been many seconds that he stood there—hand held out—but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.
For I had to do it—I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. “If you do not forgive men their trespasses,” Jesus says, “neither will your Father in Heaven forgive your trespasses.”
I knew it not only as a commandment of God, but as a daily experience. Since the end of the war I had had a home in Holland for victims of Nazi brutality. Those who were able to forgive their former enemies were also able to return to the outside world and rebuild their lives, no matter what the physical scars. Those who nursed their bitterness remained invalids. It was as simple and horrible as that.
And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion—I knew that, too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. Jesus, help me! I prayed silently. I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling.
So, woodenly and mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, and sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.
“I forgive you, brother!” I cried. “With all my heart.”
For a long moment, we grasped each other’s hands—the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God’s love so intensely as I did then. But even so, I realized it was not my love. I had tried and did not have the power. It was the power of the Holy Spirit as recorded in Romans 5:5: “Because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
Looking ahead…
I can’t imagine any situation or circumstance in which the obligation to forgive would be more difficult than the one Corrie faced. She had lived with routine murder, humiliation, cruelty, and starvation at the hands of the man who now faced her. Every natural impulse—every angry emotion—would cry out for revenge against her former tormentor. She still carried with her the images of her father, emaciated sister, and other family members who died at the hands of the Nazis. I wonder if I could have had the moral strength to forgive this guard and release the passion for revenge and retribution. Yet, Corrie ten Boom was able to do just that and thereby show the world what Jesus meant by His commandment to “turn the other cheek.”
Here’s the question of the hour: If Corrie ten Boom could forgive her captors—and if Jesus could forgive the Roman soldiers and you and me for killing Him on the cross—can’t we find it in our hearts to forgive the mistakes and hurtful actions of our imperfect mate? We absolutely must, or we’ll become pathetic invalids trapped by bitterness and hate.
- James C Dobson
From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson
Copyright © 2000 by James Dobson, Inc. All rights reserved.
“The Face of My Enemy” by Corrie ten Boom. Taken from The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill. Used by permission of Chosen Books LLC, Chappaqua, N.Y.
Verse of the Day - April 22, 2016
Romans 1:20 (NIV) For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Read all of Romans 1
Read all of Romans 1
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