John 10:7

So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

 

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Romans 5:2

through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

Ephesians 2:18

for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

Hebrews 9:8

The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,

 

Privileged Access

From: Our Daily Bread

  July 29, 2017  

July 29

From: Through The Bible

1 Chronicles 22:19 (NIV) ¹⁹Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD.”

David had prepared the way for Solomon to reign in several ways. He had subdued the enemies of Israel. He asked the leaders to assist Solomon, and as we saw yesterday, he prepared everything for the building of the Temple. There was one last thing Solomon needed. David gave him the single most important thing he needed to reign, the instruction to devote his heart and soul to seeking the LORD. Unless that was done, all the other preparation would not help him.

If our heart’s great desire is to know the LORD and His will, it is devoted to seeking the LORD. That only comes about when we value the things of God more highly than the things of the world. It is always an exercise in faith, for it is the desire for the unseen over the visible. David asked Solomon to set his compass toward the LORD.

The second great burden on David’s heart was to see the Temple built, so he charged Solomon to get started. Once the Temple was built, the Ark of the Covenant could be placed along with the sacred articles. The presence of God would fill the place, and the people’s hearts would turn toward the LORD.

Every group of worshippers needs the same thing. They need leadership who have devoted their hearts to seeking the LORD. Since they are the temple, they need the presence of God in them. They need the tools (gifts and abilities), with which to carry out that which God would direct.

Consider: Are all of those things in place in those with whom you worship? If not how can you work toward that end?

July 29

Acts 16:25-26, 33 (NIV) ²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.

³³At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized.

The Holy Spirit guided Paul and Silas through a night vision by forbidding them to go certain directions and guiding them to go another. In Philippi, they found some Jewish women who accepted the Word and believed.

After Paul had cast a spirit of divination out of a young lady, those who had used her to make money stirred up the town against them. They were whipped and thrown into prison. The prisoners must have been amazed to hear these men who had been beaten and sat in stocks singing praise to God. At midnight an earthquake opened the prison doors and their chains came loose. The guard was about to kill himself. Losing a prisoner meant his life would be forfeited. Paul stopped him by telling him all the prisoners were still there.

Most people would be looking for a way to escape. Paul and Silas were looking for opportunities to share Jesus. The grateful soldier washed their wounds and gathered his family to hear their testimony about Jesus. He and his whole family believed and were baptized before one o’clock in the morning! I don’t think anyone slept that night. Most of us would wonder if God had made a mistake by allowing them to be thrown in prison. Paul and Silas praised God in everything and were given the opportunity to lead this Roman family, and probably many of the prisoners, to Jesus. God planned a midnight earthquake to establish a church in Philippi.

Consider: When circumstance leads you down a road that is not one you would have chosen, look for God to be working in or through your life. Your importunity is God’s opportunity. Praise Him for it, and watch for His hand.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus.

 ² But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

³ Then Jesus told them this parable:

 ⁴ “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?

 ⁵ And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 

⁶ and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 

⁷ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Forgiven!

From: Our Daily Bread

  July 28, 2017  

July 28, 2017 The Prodigal Cat LIZ CURTIS HIGGS From: Crosswalk.com

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20 (NIV)

We have two cats at our house: twin gray tabbies named Sam and Bo, adopted from an animal shelter. Our early years together were filled with lavish attention on my part and copious purring on theirs. Then, one dark and stormy October morning, the unthinkable happened.

My husband Bill and I were headed to the airport for a predawn flight to New England. Rain was coming down in sheets as we dragged our luggage to the back door and fumbled with our umbrellas.

When I flung open the door, Bo — the smaller, faster, more rebellious brother — appeared out of nowhere, slipped through my legs and plunged into the darkness without a backward glance.

Suitcases forgotten, we tore after him, but Bo remained maddeningly out of reach — bounding forward, doubling back, then taking off again. Finally, we had to leave for the airport. Had to.

I was soaking wet and inconsolable. How could I abandon poor Bo to the elements? Yes, our daughter-in-law would arrive at our doorstep in a couple of hours. Yes, Bo would no doubt take shelter in the nearby bushes and be safely back inside the house before our plane landed in Boston.

But what if he got lost? Got hurt by another animal? Got hit by a car? My stomach was tied in knots, thinking of the terrible possibilities.

Phone calls and text messages flew back and forth. Our grown children put a rescue operation in motion. Sympathetic friends on Facebook offered suggestions: “Put his food bowl outside.” “Put his litter box outside.” “Put your pajamas outside.” Apparently the familiar scents were meant to woo him home.

Nothing worked. When we returned from our trip and still no Bo, my heart grew heavier. Was anyone feeding him, caring for him? Or was Bo starving to death, alone and shivering, far from home? Meanwhile, Sam wandered from room to room, searching for his lost brother, his mournful meow adding to my guilt.

After 12 long days, I stood on our back steps, prepared to try one last suggestion: “Go outside at midnight when the air is still and call out his name.” So I did, as loudly as I could, not caring if our neighbors thought I was daft. “Bo!”

Then I heard it. The faintest meow.

“Bo!” I cried out. Another plaintive meow. Like a mother who knows her baby’s cry, I knew this was my cat. Knew it.

I hurried across our backyard, calling his name, so agitated that I forgot about our back fence until I nearly fell over it. “Bo!” I shrieked, thinking he might come to me. But, no. The same sad meow was still a hundred feet away.

Minutes later, armed with a cat carrier and a bowl of food, I opened the back gate and tiptoed across the grass toward a dark shape beneath our neighbor’s deck. When Bo meowed again, but didn’t budge, I shook his bowl, hoping the sound and scent would coax him out. He extended one tentative paw. Then another.

The second he got close enough, I threw my arms around him, stuffed him in the cat carrier, and ran back to the house, my heart in my throat. My dear boy wasn’t dead; he was alive! He wasn’t lost; he was found!

I watched him dart around our brightly lit kitchen, tears of joy and relief pouring down my face, and thought about our heavenly Father, who’d once watched my own escape into darkness. He, too, had waited. Called my name. Came looking for me, knowing I was too scared to come to Him. Wrapped His arms around me and carried me home.

It’s the same with the story Jesus told of the prodigal son in Luke 15:20, “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”

Just as Bo is a changed cat — he comes whenever I call and lets me scratch his head for hours — I am definitely a changed woman. When God calls, I come running, knowing His love alone has tamed my rebel heart.

Lord, Your love for us is endless, Your patience with us is boundless, and Your willingness to save us is beyond understanding. Thank You for pursuing us, rescuing us and welcoming us home. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Jesus Walks on the Water  – John 14

²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

²⁹ “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

³² And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Out of the Deep

From: Our Daily Bread

  July 26, 2017  

July 26, 2017 When You Feel Invisible ASHLEE GADD From: Crosswalk

“Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these stars? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” Isaiah 40:26 (NIV)

We were six months into parenthood when my father-in-law passed away.

If I close my eyes, I can picture the moment we found out. Five missed calls. My husband stood in the driveway saying, “Don’t say that, don’t say that,” over and over again into the phone.

I knew.

A lump formed in my throat, as I unbuckled our baby boy from his car seat. We were 90 miles away. I remember the sun was shining, even though it shouldn’t have been. I remember standing in the driveway, while my husband and I cried with a baby sandwiched between us. I remember the drive — we stopped for roast beef sandwiches — and I remember walking into my mother-in-law’s house and calmly placing my blue-eyed baby — my only offering, 15 pounds of innocence — in her arms.

It’s a strange thing to experience birth and death so close together. My son’s first year of life will always be marked by the deepest grief our family has ever known. Our whole lives became walking contradictions. One day, the baby giggled at his reflection in the mirror. The next day, we stood in a room full of caskets. How can you be joyful and devastated all at once? When is it okay to laugh? When is it okay to cry?

Ecclesiastes chapter 3 tells us there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens, but how can grief and delight possibly coexist?

My first year of motherhood was entirely consumed by two things: learning to take care of a baby and learning to support my husband through a life-shattering loss. I didn’t know who I was outside of those responsibilities. I tip-toed around my own house, desperate to keep everything and everyone intact. It was just another contradiction: Even though I had a baby glued to my hip, I’d never felt so alone.

“I feel invisible,” I confessed to my husband one night. “I feel like I am trying to be everything to everyone, but nobody is trying to be anything to me.”

“I feel depressed,” he confessed in return. “When my dad died, it’s like a part of me died, too.”

We ping-ponged confessions back and forth that night through tears, until I was struck with a startling realization.

I couldn’t rescue my husband. And he couldn’t rescue me.

We each wanted so desperately to be healed, loved, noticed and understood in that season, but our eyes were turned sideways instead of upward. We were both looking for a Savior, something we would never find in each other.

There is no substitute for Jesus. When we look to a spouse, a friend, a child or an Internet audience for the love, healing and recognition only a Savior can offer, we’ll always, always come up short.

Are you feeling invisible today? Unnoticed and unseen, desperate for someone to meet you exactly where you are?

Take comfort in today’s key verse, “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these stars? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” (Isaiah 40:26)

Whether you’re crying in the bathroom at 7 a.m. or folding the ninth load of laundry at 7 p.m. or rocking your baby at 3 a.m., please rest in this: God sees you, God notices you, God loves you.

Every single minute of every single day, you are fully known and loved by Him. After all, if God calls out every star in the sky by name, how much more must He know and love you?

Lord, thank You for seeing me when I feel invisible and for loving me when I’m broken. Please keep my eyes upward, on You, and remind me that I am forever and always Your child. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The First Disciples

18   As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 

19   “Come, follow Me,Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

20   And at once they left their nets and followed Him.…

What We Bring Back

From: Our Daily Bread

 July 25, 2017 

[Written by Joe Stowell for Our Daily Bread.]

July 25, 2017 Everybody’s Got Somethin’ KAREN EHMAN From: Crosswalk.com

“Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” >Proverbs 19:11 (ESV)

My intense irritation at my husband’s actions didn’t show visibly. Since his mother was in the backseat of our car, I was careful to remain calm. However, I did sneak a darting glance toward him — a dagger that accurately conveyed how very much I hated what he’d just done.

His dire offense?

Failure to use his blinker when changing lanes.

I am a by-the-books driver. My kids chuckle when I dutifully use my blinker before turning into our driveway, even when no one is around — which is nearly 99 percent of the time, since we live near the end of a road with a cul-de-sac. Therefore, it aggravates me when my dear husband sometimes behaves as if turn signal usage is completely optional.

This particular day, we were shuttling my mother-in-law to her doctor’s appointment. As I sat in the waiting room, my mind began to tally, one-by-one, other perfectly irksome things I didn’t like about my man’s behavior.

He leaves the closet and cupboard doors open. Open! He didn’t return the stapler to its proper place when he finished using it the other day. That time we bumped into his co-worker, he didn’t even introduce me. He never remembers the details of our conversations. As each scenario popped into my mind, I grew more and more annoyed.

Across from me sat a chatty elderly woman. The weather reports were calling for an ice storm later that afternoon. She spoke of some people all in a tizzy about the impending inclement weather, declaring they needed to remember one important fact, “Everybody’s got somethin’.”

I asked her just what she meant by that. “Well,” she elaborated, “when we lived in Kansas, it was dust storms and tornadoes. Then, the few years we lived in southern Florida, we had to prepare for hurricanes. And, when we were stationed in California, oh what a drought we had that one year. Like I say,” she restated, “Everybody’s got somethin’.”

My waiting room friend’s atmospheric observation spiritually snapped me to attention that day. Why, oh why, do I let certain aspects of my husband’s personality and conduct bother me so easily? Surely I do things that drive him equally crazy? Undoubtedly, I sometimes irk or offend him with my behavior? In fact: “Everybody’s got somethin’” — some behavior, quirk, practice or habit that wreaks havoc on others, tempting them to become slightly irritated or even all-out furious.

Today’s key verse states that “good sense makes one slow to anger” and that it is a person’s “glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11). In the original Hebrew language, the word “glory” conveys “beauty, honor, splendor” and even “adornment.” The original essence of this verse unearths for us this line of thinking: Our patience in passing over an offense — refusing to speedily go from zero to furious over the actions of others — adorns us with true beauty and honors them.

I’m not saying it’s easy. However, it is the right — and righteous — thing to do. Why? Because we mirror the gospel when we overlook another’s unpleasant behavior and love them anyway.

So how about it? Is there someone in your life who sometimes gets on your nerves or under your skin — or maybe even both? Does your response to their behavior leave no doubt about your level of frustration? How about we try a new approach — intentionally overlooking irritating behavior? Yes, that means we keep our cool. Don’t say a word. Smile instead, and love despite.

In other words, reflect the gospel to a watching world. More importantly — to a watching loved one.

Father, may I learn not to let the little quirks or even the bigger missteps of my loved ones provoke me to instant anger. Teach me to overlook an offense as I remember how much You’ve forgiven me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24-25

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Romans 12:4-5

How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!

Psalm 133:1

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.  

1 Corinthians 1:10

July 24, 2017 Traveling Toward the Unknown BEKAH DIFELICEFrom: Crosswalk.com

“But Ruth said, ‘Don’t force me to leave you; don’t make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I’ll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; where you die, I’ll die, and that’s where I’ll be buried, so help me GOD — not even death itself is going to come between us!’” Ruth 1:16-17(MSG)

When I think of major transitions in my life, I think of road trips that involve a big yellow moving truck and a sense of home fading in the rearview mirror.

Nearly a decade ago, I moved away from my hometown after marrying my high school sweetheart, to begin his career in the military.

He was being stationed in Yuma, Ariz.

Do you know where that is?

Yeah, I didn’t either. (And if you do, good for you!)

I soon learned it was a town on the Mexican border known for its oppressive heat, Cracker Barrel location and historical prison preserved from the Wild West.

A newlywed’s dream, right?

Leaving home was a hard choice. In fact, when we stopped at a gas station, I spent a moment on the curb crying and whispering to my new husband, “I don’t think I can go on. Maybe this is a terrible idea.”

And I think that’s often what big transitions feel like: an enormous, sacrificial choice; an act of faith that begs of God, “You won’t abandon me, right?”

Change involves movement — old to new, known to unknown, native to foreign. It always requires a road trip of sorts.

We see this theme in the book of Ruth. It opens with Naomi and her husband, Elimelech, leaving their hometown to settle in Moab. A few verses later, after Naomi’s husband and sons die, she moves again, but this time with her daughters-in-law.

Somewhere on that road trip back to Bethlehem, Naomi encourages Ruth and Orpah to turn back. She gives them an easy out, essentially saying, “You don’t have to do the hard thing here. You can go home.”

Stunningly, Ruth chooses sacrifice. She tells Naomi, “Where you go, I go; and where you live, I’ll live” (Ruth 1:16b).

Ruth didn’t just choose Naomi, she chose the God of Israel (“your God is my god”). The same is true for all of us in the midst of hard decisions. We aren’t just choosing the destination; we are choosing to believe in the trustworthy nature of God. We are binding ourselves to His provision.

Like Ruth, we’re often compelled to go somewhere new without knowing what waits on the other side. Rarely do we have a divine explanation as to how this moment will work out when we travel toward the unknown. Still, we walk toward the promise that God is good, even when the circumstances are unclear.

Oftentimes, God draws people to Himself by drawing them out of their comfort zones first. When we’re estranged from comfort, we gain clarity on His redemptive work in our lives. Our faith grows roots when we lack tangible stability.

The book of Ruth concludes with a testimony to how even the most painful transitions can be redeemed for good. Ruth opens with famine and death but ends with fulfillment — Boaz marrying Ruth and Ruth giving birth to Obed.

But the redemptive story doesn’t end there. From Ruth and Boaz’ union and lineage came David. And through David came the Savior of the world.

If you’re making a hard choice or facing a tough transition today, be encouraged. Ruth’s story serves as evidence that even the most painful interruptions can double as God’s provision, that God is present and active in our midst and that no road trip can ever lead us to a place where God hasn’t already arrived.

Thank You, Lord, for the way You’ve guided my life, though at times it’s been hard to see the providence for all the plot twists. Help me to trust You, regardless of where the story takes me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.  Matthew 5:16

Proverbs 15:22  Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

Proverbs 19:2  Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, and he who hurries his footsteps errs.

Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Proverbs 28:26  Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Proverbs 24:6  For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

(Great inventors who did good works to help all of us.)

[Written by Joe Stowell for Our Daily Bread.]