Your Daily Crossroad
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Jun '19
God Looms Larger
25
Jun '19
Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. (1 Samuel 17:45)
Young, inexperienced David confronted the fierce Philistine Goliath. Towering above his young combatant, Goliath possessed brute strength and unrivaled weaponry—bronze armor and a lethal, razor-edged javelin (1 Samuel 17:5–6). David, a fledgling shepherd, carried only a slingshot when he arrived at the battlefield with bread and cheeses for his brothers (vv. 17–18).
Goliath challenged Israel to engage in battle, but no one was willing to fight. King Saul and “all the Israelites were . . . dismayed, and greatly afraid” (v. 11). Imagine the shock when David stepped into the fray. What gave him the courage none of Israel’s hardened warriors possessed? For most, Goliath dominated their vision. David, however, saw God. “The Lord will deliver [Goliath] into my hands,” he insisted (v. 46). While everyone else believed Goliath controlled the story, he believed God loomed larger. And, with a single stone to the giant’s forehead, David’s faith proved true.
We’re tempted to believe that “Goliath” (our troubles) directs the story. God is larger, however. He dominates the story of our lives.
What concerns threaten to overwhelm you these days? How does God’s reality, the fact that He’s larger, transform your perspective?
This devotion blessed me so much! I’ve read the story of David and Goliath many times in my walk with The Lord but today’s devotion brought to light a much different perspective. God is much larger than any Goliath we face, He dominates the story of our lives no matter the size of our troubles. Wow, I needed to be reminded of this today. God Looms Larger!!
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 1 Samuel 2:2
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Jun '19
Honest to God
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Jun '19
I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. (Psalm 32:5)
My three-year-old grandson’s day was off to a rotten start. He couldn’t find his favorite shirt. The shoes he wanted to wear were too hot. He fussed and fumed at his grandmother and then sat down to cry.
“Why are you so upset?” I asked. We talked for a while and after he calmed down, I gently inquired, “Have you been good for Grandma?” He looked thoughtfully at his shoes and responded, “No, I was bad. I’m sorry.”
My heart went out to him. Instead of denying what he had done, he was honest. In the following moments we asked Jesus to forgive us when we do wrong and to help us do better.
In Isaiah 1, God confronts His people about wrongs they’d committed. Bribes and injustice were rampant in the courts, and orphans and widows were taken advantage of for material gain. Yet even then God responded mercifully, asking the people of Judah to confess what they’d done and turn from it: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).
God longs for us to be open with Him about our sins. He meets honesty and repentance with loving forgiveness: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Because our God is merciful, new beginnings await!
What sins have you not been honest with God about? What’s holding you back from confessing them to Him?
Abba, Father, help me to turn away from the sin in my life and make a new beginning with You today. Amen.
When I read this devotion it blessed me. My prayer is when we confess our sin as today’s devotion encourages that we also remember God erases the sin and the guilt. We need to forget it and get on with our life. God doesn’t remember any confessed sin so why should we. You have no need to ask for repeated forgiveness. It had been forgiven the first time you asked. Every time we cry anew for release from our guilt, we are denying the effectiveness of Christ’s death. How dare we demean forgiveness bought at so great a price. As today’s devotion says, turn from the sin and make a new beginning with Him.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalms 113:3
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Jun '19
Continually Surrounded
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Jun '19
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. (Psalm 32:10-11)
God controls and allows every detail of our lives. Nothing happens without His knowledge and approval.
Every day, little changes in schedule or small irritations occur. Everyday, we can choose to let these obstacles upset us, or we can rest in the knowledge that God lovingly ordained them as small irritants to help us look to and rely on Him. For example, we can grumble about the frustrating traffic jam that is keeping us from getting somewhere on time, or we can remember that God knows about our deadlines and view the time sitting in traffic as an opportunity to pray. We can complain, or we can rejoice.
May we allow the knowledge that we are continually surrounded by God’s unfailing love to permeate our lives and chase away our complaints and fears.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 2 Corinthians 4:16
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Jun '19
How To Deal With Anger
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Jun '19
A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards. (Proverbs 29:11)
The question of how to deal with anger in a biblical way is an important one. But it’s certainly not the cookie-cutter answer many of us have heard.
Have you ever had a moment where you said something in red-hot anger? Only to ask yourself moments later: “How could I say that?”
Sadly, I’ve had far too many of these moments. And today’s devotional verse calls me out as acting like a “fool” who let anger control my words and actions.
However, I don’t think the heart of this passage is to simply suppress anger or other negative emotions. It’s not about pretending like anger isn’t there.
After all, psychologically speaking, shoving emotions asidedoesn’t make them go away. Instead, it creates a tangled pile that will surface and need dealt with later.
So, what does the Bible teach us?
He taught that everyone who is angry with his brother is liable to the same kind of judgment as a murderer (Matthew 5:20–21). And yet, he also chased predatory business people out of the synagogue with a whip (Matthew 21:12)!
HERE ARE THREE WAYS TO DEAL WITH ANGER BIBLICALLY:
- Ask for the Holy Spirit to increase the fruit of the Spirit in your life (Galatians 5:22–23). When we’re angry, it’s actually the quickest path to being pruned and prepared for incredible growth. And understand that we absolutely need the Holy Spirit’s power to mature us here!
- Address the anger head on by making peace with the person or situation you’re angry with. Jesus teaches us that conflict is actually the path to peace (Matthew 18:15–17; Matthew 5:23–24). Lashing out and attacking is not the way Christians do conflict. But avoiding it altogether and seething in anger is unbiblical as well.
- Ask if your anger is righteous and justified—which is sometimes the case. And if so, does it require action? Is there evil or injustice to confront? Someone who is weak to defend? If so, act! But don’t do so to give “vent to your spirit” just to make yourself feel better. Be angry, but do not sin (Psalm 4:4). Righteous anger is aligned with God. It’s being angry at what makes God angry.
How will you deal with anger in a God-honoring way? Is there unresolved conflict that you need to deal with?
Dear Jesus, Please help us to monitor ourselves better and to have more control over our reactions. Please help us to put aside any strong feelings of needing to justify ourselves with anger. Please help us to learn how to guard our tongues until we have had a chance to calm down, think things over and seek your face. Amen.
When I read this devotion today I felt it needed to be shared. We have all dealt with anger at one point or another in our lives and some of us continue to struggle with it. My prayer today is that this devotion gives you guidance and direction when dealing with anger.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Luke 11:13