July 7, 2026

Luke 24: 36 (NIV)

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

It would be healthy to become as aware of Christ’s presence in the midst of conflict as we are during times of Communion or corporate worship.*

The two gentlemen who, while on their way to the village of Emmaus, had encountered the resurrected Jesus, made a u-turn back to Jerusalem to report the incident to the disciples. The “Eleven” (although only ten of them were present – Thomas was AWOL) and others, were cowering behind locked doors, fearing what might happen next. (It’s not clear if they were actually hiding from the Jewish authorities since these two fellows didn’t seem to have any trouble locating them.)

It is easy to picture the scene and imagine the electricity in the air as they discussed the events of the past few days. We can hear his name – Jesus! Jesus! – buzzing all around the room. And suddenly, there he was! Right there in the room with them. Such a dramatic entrance should have been accompanied by trumpets or thunder but Jesus merely greets them with, “Peace be with you.” An ordinary Jewish salutation. “Hello. How are you?” We don’t expect a response when we ask how you are doing and the Jews probably didn’t give much thought to peace as they offered their greeting but on this occasion the words have meaning. Peace was theirs because Jesus had purchased it for them. Here he was, fresh from the grave, presenting them with true peace – between God and man; and among men.*

Locked doors, walls, armed guards can’t stop Jesus from being in the room with us. Whether we are freely gathered together for worship and communion, or whether we are huddled alone in fear of persecution, Jesus is in the room with us. When we come together as the church; when we gather around the Lord’s table; when we feel alone with our hurts; when danger lurks outside the door – Jesus is present with us. “Peace be with you” isn’t just something he says. “Peace be with you” is his promise.

 
Unbelief bars the door and keeps out the blessing.*

July 6, 2026

Luke 6: 38 (NIV)

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Christian liberality originates in the grace of God.*

I don’t do much baking (or any type of kitchen activity for that matter!) but I remember that some recipes call for an ingredient to be “firmly packed” when measuring it. Failure to follow the directions would no doubt result in an inferior finished product. Being frugal in the kitchen is not a cost-saving endeavor if everything ends up in the garbage. 

In this verse, Jesus presents us with a recipe for blessings. If we follow his directions for measuring, not only will we be blessed but we increase our ability to bless others. What can you do to develop a generous lifestyle? Perhaps you could volunteer another hour of your time. Do you faithfully give to the Lord 10% of your income – to the penny? Try rounding it up to the next dollar. Start supporting a missionary. Be intentional in improving your outlook - sometimes our stinginess is in our attitude more than in our actions.

Someone has said that Jesus’ words allow us “to decide how much we are going to freely give from what He has given us to manage.”* You could continue to give by the cupful and receive in the same measure. Or you could shake it down and press it down until it overflows for delicious results!

He doesn’t look at just what we give. He also looks at what we keep.*

July 5, 2026

Psalm 105: 4 (NIV)

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

Like a gracious father, our God can hardly wait for His children to request what is good.*

There’s a song about “looking for love in all the wrong places,” but we could also sing about looking for hope in all the wrong places. We have been brain-washed into believing that the strength we need to face crisis and heartbreak can be found within ourselves. That belief is only viable if the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Without his presence, our personal resources range from inadequate to useless.

The psalmist in this passage advises us to look to the Lord as our source of strength. He says to seek the Lord’s face always – to which we might add a reminder to do it first. I don’t know why we think we have to figure it all out for ourselves before we give God a chance at it. Do we not want to bother God with our problems? Are we afraid we will take him away from something important if we ask for his help? Do we think he doesn’t care? Perhaps we’re just too impatient to wait for him to come to our rescue.

My spiritual growth spurts always seem to occur while I am waiting for God. I still have a lot to learn about waiting patiently but nothing compares to the comfort of his Spirit throughout the process and the joy of seeking his face and finding it.

God’s true presence requires that we stop working in our strength and rely on His.*

July 4, 2026

Leviticus 18: 1-3 (NIV)

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘I am the Lord your God. You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.’”

If your Christianity doesn’t make you look different, what makes you think your neighbors will notice?*

I have a Filipino friend who told me of how uncomfortable she felt at an event she attended. She had to clarify for me that she felt conspicuous because of her obvious ethnicity amid a crowd of white people. It shocked me to realize how oblivious I was to how it feels to be different. Racially and culturally, I have very seldom found myself to be a minority in the crowd; as a Christian, however, I should be familiar with what it feels like to stand out from the herd.

In these verses in Leviticus, and in many other passages, God reminds his people that they are not to blend in with the people around them. God’s people then and now are to contrast vividly with the rest of the world’s population. Here, he tells them not to do as the Egyptians did in the land they had come from nor as the Canaanites did in the land he had brought them to. We should note that not everything these people did was evil - there was more to them than just their religion - but their societies were permeated with customs and behaviors that no child of God should tolerate. And yet, exposure leads to tolerance and compromise.

In the King James Version, Deuteronomy 14: 2 and 26: 18, Titus 2: 14, and I Peter 2: 9, speak of God’s people as “peculiar.” Newer translations describe us as “belonging to God.” I don’t know if the newer versions are more accurate or if we just don’t like being thought of us peculiar, but I’m thinking we would make a stronger statement in today’s culture if we were a little more comfortable with being looked at as peculiar. Maybe we are true to our faith in the worship service but do we stand out from the world when we’re out in it? Is there anything that distinguishes us from the land of Canaan?

If the Enemy cannot destroy the believers through open conflict, he will dilute them through subtle compromise.*

July 3, 2026

Revelations 7: 17 (NIV)

“. . . And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Without the presence and the comfort of God the sorrows of life would be unbearable.*

There will be no tears in heaven, but we aren’t promised that we won’t have things to cry about before we get there. Happily, God doesn't leave us to wallow in our earthly sorrows - we don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to experience his comfort. We are promised a Comforter (John 14: 16). The Holy Spirit, as our Comforter, serves to provide us with the consolation that we would receive from the personal presence of Jesus.*

Paul tells us in II Corinthians 1: 3 and 4, that God is “the Father of compassion, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in trouble.” My family spent four days at my dad’s bedside, waiting for him to die. It was the worst thing I had ever had to endure and yet I never experienced God’s comfort so completely. A few weeks later, I was able to offer some consolation to a friend as her father was dying.

God doesn’t promise that we won’t have reason to cry but he will wipe away our tears. He provides us with hope that no earthly comfort can ever offer.

The same hand that stretched the heavens will touch your cheeks. The same hand that formed the mountains will caress your face. The same hands that curled in agony as the Roman spike cut through will someday cup your face and brush away your tears. Forever.*

July 2, 2026

Revelation 5: 8 (NIV)

And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

The prayers of God’s people are as sweet to Him as incense.*

Incense was an important part of worship in the tabernacle. So important that when God gave Moses the recipe, he warned him that concocting a batch for your own pleasure would result in your being “cut off” from your people (Exodus 30: 34-38). The Old Testament is full of references to incense. David’s prayer in Psalm 141: 2 is a poetic picture of its symbolism: “May my prayer be set before you like incense.” Like God’s favorite fragrance, our prayers rise up to Heaven for his pleasure.

Picture a bowl in Heaven. It’s got your name on it. Every time you pray, your prayers go in the bowl. What do those prayers smell like? I have to admit that my whiney selfish prayers probably don’t smell so sweet. What are the ingredients for a sweet-smelling prayer? I believe the formula would include qualities such as humility; faith; affection; fervency.* Since discovering this verse, I have been more intentional in offering prayers of praise and intercession. They smell SO good!

There is an exquisite beauty in this thought that true prayer is fragrance to God. The pleadings and supplications of His people on the earth rise from lowly homes, from sick rooms, from darkened chambers of grief where loved ones kneel beside their dead, from humble sanctuaries, from stately cathedrals, and are wafted up before God as the breath of flowers is wafted to us in summer days, sweet fields and fragrant gardens. And God “smells a sweet savour.” Prayer is perfume to Him.*

July 1, 2026

Revelation 3: 17, 18 (NIV)

“You say, ‘I am rich . . . and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold . . . so you can become rich; and white clothes . . . so you can cover your nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”

Self-sufficiency is the fatal danger of a lukewarm state.*

Remember the fable of the Emperor’s New Clothes? Some con men convinced everyone in the kingdom that they could fashion a new wardrobe for the emperor that only the wisest people could see. No one wanted to be thought stupid so everyone pretended to admire the emperor’s outfit as he paraded around town, until some child, too young to be concerned about what others thought, calls out, “But he’s not wearing any clothes!”

Satan, the world’s greatest con man, had convinced the church members at Laodicea that they were rich and didn’t need a thing. “They had evidently mistaken ‘the good life’ for the righteous life.”* God says to them, through his revelation to John: Not only are you not rich, you are pathetic, blind, and naked. They professed to be Christians but in their rampant materialism they failed to notice that they were “out of communion with Christ.”*

The Laodiceans are not the only ones who ever fell for Satan’s scams. Theirs is the condition of all who are trusting in something other than Jesus Christ. But just as “self-sufficient Laodicea”* is called to repentance (verse 19), God also offers us the chance to cover our nakedness, become rich, and to see again. Learn to value the things that God values – such as faith refined by fire; purity; and spiritual discernment.

The appearance of affluence and self-sufficiency can often blind us to deeper spiritual needs.*