Bible Pathway – June 29

Read Psalms 23-30

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Ps. 27:1).

Today, just as in yesterday’s devotion, David knows well of what he is speaking. There were many times in life that he had much reason to be fearful for his own life. It would have been easy to cower in fear from Goliath as Israel’s army did, but David knew the Lord was in control.

Who are we, as believers, to be fearful? What thing is there in the world that those that belong to Christ cannot stand against? There is no person or thing in this world that we need to be fearful of. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7).

The scripture is clear on the fact that fear is an enemy to the believer. The devil uses fear to coerce mankind into doing his will. He desires people to be afraid of him. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). The Scripture tells us here to keep our thoughts clear in order to avoid being deceived into being fearful of the devil. We belong to Christ. The Holy Spirit lives inside our hearts. The devil cannot overcome us. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).

There is only one person of whom the believer needs to be fearful. That is the Lord. This fear we should have for the Lord should be a reverent type fear. We need to have great respect for the Lord and His authority.

Those who are not believers should have this same fear as well. However, the fear that the sinner has should be even more intense. The believer has the assurance of salvation from the Lord. The unbeliever is one breath away from judgment. Their only hope is in Christ and His free offer of salvation. Dying without Christ is truly something of which you can be fearful. With his verses, he expressed his faith in this mighty God and gave us his reason why it is only reasonable to trust in such a God.

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. 10:28).

Thought for Today:

True wisdom will teach us that, like sheep, we need the Good Shepherd.

Word Studies:

26:1 slide, waver, fall; 26:2 reins, desires and thoughts; 26:4 dissemblers, pretenders, deceitful ones; 28:2 holy oracle, Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies; 28:3 mischief, evil.

Christ Revealed:

As our Shepherd (Ps. 23). Christ called Himself the Good Shepherd and vowed to lay down His life for the sheep (John 10:11).

Prayer Suggestion: Pray and praise God for His faithfulness and mercy in keeping all His promises (2 Chron. 6:14-15).

Optional Reading: Colossians 2

Memory Verse for the Week: Lamentations 3:22-23

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Answering the Mysteries of Jesus Christ – June 29

Quote of the Day

“Thankfully, we don’t have to wonder who Jesus is.”
~Ray Pritchard (from “what can a fish teach us about who jesus is?“)

Today’s Answer

How Can I Have Eternal Life?
Charles Stanley

Each of us faces the same dilemma. We have a sin debt that we owe to God but no way to pay for it. None of our solutions – living a moral life, being religious, or doing more good deeds – can take care of our problem.

God Himself has provided the solution – one that both satisfies His justice and grants us mercy. He sent His Son to pay the penalty we owed. Jesus was qualified to be our substitute because He never sinned (2 Corinthians 5:21). He willingly took our place on the cross and experienced the full measure of the Lord’s wrath against our sinfulness. In dying for us, Christ secured oursalvation by paying the debt for all our past, present, and future sins. When we trust in Jesus and surrender our life to Him, He becomes our personal Savior and Lord.

The great tragedy is that many have heard the gospel and rejected it. Some are like the rich ruler who placed his trust in material possessions and turned his back on the truth. Others have refused to even listen. Another group is convinced they are heaven-bound, based on erroneous confidence in their own good deeds. Only those who have entered into a relationship with Jesus through faith in Him will be welcomed into heaven.

If you’re wondering, How can I have eternal life? there is only one answer: through faith in Jesus Christ (John 14:6). We have an Enemy who actively seeks to blind people to the truth (2 Corinthians 4:4). pray that many who are separated from the Lord will trust in the Savior and gain everlasting life.

Taken from “eternal life” by In Touch Ministries (used by permission).

Today’s Video

what is reconciliation?
Answered by John MacArthur

Do you have questions about the life, ministry, and resurrection of Jesus Christ?
Get real answers at Jesus.org.

Adventures through the Holy Bible – Week of June 29

God Knows…When I’m Faced with a Choice – Part 2        

When the Passover time came, Jesus went to Jerusalem. Arriving at the Temple, He found His Father’s house noisier than a cattle auction! Sheep, goats, and cattle were being sold for outrageous prices. There were loud arguments at the tables of the cheating moneychangers.

Jesus spoke with the majesty of a king: “Take these things out of here; don’t make My Father’s house a marketplace.” The merchants and moneychangers and priests chose to obey, and fled. But instead of repenting, they made a bad choice. They vowed to get even with Him. They started planning to kill Jesus.

A Night Person

One of the Jewish rulers named Nicodemus made a different choice. He had heard Jesus and wanted to learn more, so he met with Jesus at night for a private talk. Nicodemus started off by saying that everyone was impressed with the miracles Jesus was doing (He healed many sick, blind, and crippled people). So Jesus told him about the best miracle of all: “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Jesus was referring to what happens when we love God and allow Him into our lives; the change is so great that it’s like being born all over again.

Nicodemus was surprised. “How can a man be born when he is old?” he asked. Jesus told him, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Water is the symbol of cleansing. When we love Jesus with all our heart, the sins of the past are forgiven and forgotten. The Spirit is the symbol of power, the power of God that enables us to do what we could never do by ourselves. Can you see the wind? Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You can hear the wind rustling the leaves and flowers. Yet the wind is invisible. It’s the same with the Spirit of God.” You may not know how God’s Spirit works, but you can see the results in your life.

Jesus also told Nicodemus what God is like. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” God is the Father who is doing everything possible to bring His runaway children back home to happiness. God loves not just the good people, but the whole world, including the people who think they are unlovable. His love is for YOU. Believe it. This is the way to be born again. Then your thoughts and desires will change. You will want to do God’s will. You will let Him help you with your choices.

. . .

God loves you so much He won’t force you to believe Him or to love Him. That choice is yours.

Where to find the story: John 1-3

Your Story Hour
PO Box 15
Berrien Springs, MI 49103
1-800-987-7879
info@yourstoryhour.org

For more information about this ministry please visit their website YourStoryHour.org or listen to their radio program on OnePlace.com.

A Daily Word – June 29

June 29

I know that everything God does will remain forever… – Ecclesiastes 3:14

Most of us get our names in the newspaper twice—when we are born and when we die. However, there’s no obituary for the works of God. The human mind reels at the thought. We are three-dimensional beings who must have boundaries, points of termination. We cannot conceive of infinity. Yet the human spirit, as the work of God, is eternal. To be separated from God by sin is to live on down through the endless spans beyond time without Him. Hell can be no worse than that. But to become His special work through Jesus Christ is to remain forever with Him whose work remains forever.

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