Tuesday, July 15

Psalm 26 Lord, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory dwells. (v.8 NIV)

More on the Basilica of San Petronio. After visiting it and thoroughly exploring St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome two summers ago, I am awed by the reverence and glory the artists and builders give to the Lord. The buildings are beautiful and reverent, showing that such a God must be praised. The ornate carvings, gilded walls, and relics. It feels right and appropriate to ascribe all this to the Lord, creator of all things.

That is why the majesty and splendor devoted to the Lord overwhelmed me. I was humbled at first, then bowled over with joy that the God who so richly deserves all this honor and glory loves His people, too, and wants a personal relationship with each of us.

I sing to myself:

Lord, you are more precious than silver,

Lord, you are more costly than gold,

Lord, you are more beautiful than diamonds,

And nothing I desire compares with you.

1 Samuel 19:1-18; Psalm 28; Acts 12:1-17; Mark 2:1-12

Wednesday, July 16

1 Samuel 20:1-23 …behold, the Lord is between you and me forever. (v.23b NASB)

This is such a poignant description of David and Jonathan’s friendship. The strength of the bonds created by loving and serving the Lord together is eternal.

Almost 40 years ago, my husband lived in a house with a bunch of wickedly funny, creative, charismatic guys who used their gifts for good, not evil. They all loved the Lord and were passionate about telling students about Jesus. They had a blast together, and the stories of their antics are legendary.

Those guys, scattered across the country, are still in each other’s lives as the Lord is between them. They have a group text, support, hold each other accountable, and go to men’s retreats together, but they are still wickedly funny. When one guy suddenly passed away, this group supported the family, including making sure the adult sons joined them on the men’s retreat.

They wouldn’t necessarily all be friends now, but their love of Jesus has bonded them, and we, as their families, have all been blessed by it.

Psalm 38; Acts 12:18-25; Mark 2:13-22

Thursday, July 17

Psalm 37:1-18 Quiet down before God, be prayerful before him. (v.7a The Message)

In my prayer times, I have been sharing with the Lord my desire for one of my adult children to figure out what they want to do career wise and just do it. With all the education, experience, and connections in place, this kid still seems to have lost their way.

Then yesterday we had a phone call with said kid to hear the new plan. Ok, this plan could work. The plan is fairly well thought-out and there are contingencies in place, but I am still nervous. There are a lot of IFs. I know what I need to do: Take all my anxieties, worries, and doomsday imaginings and present them to the Lord. I need to sit quietly before Him and continue to pray about this. I need to trust Him and be supportive of my kid.

My prayers are being answered just not the way I would want. I need to rest in Him and wait patiently as the Lord works.

1 Samuel 20:24-42; Acts 13:1-12; Mark 2:23—3:6

Friday, July 18

Mark 3:7-19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. (v.19 NASB)

Earlier in this passage, it describes how and why Jesus chose his disciples. Not because of their skills or charisma. The passage shows Jesus wanted them with him. “They climbed together.” They were his support group and friends. He loved them. “The plan was that they would be with him”, and then after they did ministry together, they apostles would go out and minister to others. This includes Judas.

Jesus knew what the future held for himself and how it included Judas. He still loved him and counted him among his precious group of close friends. Jesus knew the betrayal to come and was aware of Judas’ struggles as he processed what means to follow Jesus versus following the world. Jesus still loved Judas and forgave hm after the betrayal. That brings me such comfort and assurance of forgiveness as we can all be Judas at times.

1 Samuel 21:1-15; Psalm 31; Acts 13:13-25

Saturday, July 19

Psalm 30 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness; That my soul may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will give thanks to Thee forever. (vv.11-12 NASB)

The last few months have been gut-wrenching. One of my best friend’s sons took his life at 26. I can’t even begin to imagine the depth of her pain. We walked through the funeral and the following days with her and her family, which was too sad for words. Now, the grieving has really set in, and it’s agonizing to watch. I wish I could take the pain away from my sweet friend and her family.

I do not know what to do except love her and stay close. I wish it were more because it is a grueling journey. Then I read this Scripture. It reminded me of the hope and comfort we can find in the Lord. God promises to bring us through heartbreaking times when we can barely breathe. He is with us through every step along this grief journey. I will start praying this psalm over my friend and her family, holding onto the hope that there will be dancing and gladness again one day.

1 Samuel 22:1-23; Psalm 32; Acts 13:26-43; Mark 3:19b-35 

Sunday, July 20

Matthew 25:14-30 “For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” (v.29 RSV)

Although the word talents in this story refers to money, the parable of the talents could apply to anything with which God has entrusted us as stewards, including “talents” in the sense we generally use the word. God wants to bless us because He loves us but also because He wants to use us in His service. We are “blessed to be a blessing.”

According to Scripture every Christian has at least one “gift of the Spirit” to be used “for the common good.” Is it wrong to ask God for additional gifts of the Spirit? It depends, first, on whether or not you are being a good steward of the gifts and talents He’s already given you. Are you ministering to others with them or are you allowing them to collect dust? And, second, it depends on why you want that additional gift.

The gifts of the Spirit are not toys to play with, nor trophies to boast about, but tools for serving. If you are serving effectively with what He’s already given you, and if your desire is to be even more effective in building up the Church and extending the Kingdom, you’ll be given more gifts. But if not, those gifts you’re letting stay idle may be taken away and given to someone who will use them.

1 Samuel 23:7-18; Psalms 63, 98; Romans 11:33—12:2

Monday, July 21

Acts 13:44-52 “For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.’” (v.47)

For many, the idea of missionaries going off to “foreign” countries to lead “ignorant savages” to salvation is offensive. True, on occasion, some missionaries confused the gospel with American or British middle class respectability and tried to suppress the culture of the native population, whether it was offensive to God or merely different. I remember when I visited Kenya how surprised I was to see an Anglican congregation housed in a nineteen century stone Gothic building. Was it ever out of place in Africa! Yes, sometimes the missionaries were way too narrow, and that was wrong.

But no matter how offensive it may be to some people, it is at the heart of the Christian faith that we are to lead people to salvation which is found alone in Jesus Christ. Simply put, without Christ, people are lost. They are lost right now and they will be lost for all eternity unless they come to Christ. Rather than focusing on how restrictive God is to limit salvation to just those trusting in Christ, we should rejoice that God—all holy and powerful—should love lost sinners enough to offer them a way home to Him. When people find the Lord in their lives, things start to change for the better. No wonder (in verse 48) when Paul and Barnabas’ listeners heard the gospel “they were glad and glorified the word of God.”

1 Samuel 24:1-22; Psalms 41, 52; Mark 4:1-20

Tuesday, July 22

Acts 14:1-18 So they [Paul and Barnabas] remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. (v.3)

Over the years I have frequently been asked if I am a charismatic. It’s a difficult question for me to give a simple answer to. What I usually say is, “If by charismatic you mean a person whose theological beliefs, musical preferences, and worship leading style are similar to that found in Pentecostal churches, I’d say ‘no.’ But, if by charismatic you mean a person who believes that the power and the gifts of the Holy Spirit described in the book of Acts are to be a central part in one’s Christian life and ministry today, I’d say ‘yes, definitely.’”

As we read church history, we discover that many of those dramatic, mystical experiences dismissed as “pentecostal” are actually part and parcel of the church throughout history and have been the experience of God’s people long before the Pentecostal movement started. So, whether we like the cultural trappings of Pentecostalism or not, we should welcome the powerful moves of the Holy Spirit if we are to do God’s work effectively.

1 Samuel 25:1-22; Psalm 45; Mark 4:21-34