Too Little, Too Soon

ALL – Psalm 112:1-10
ALL – Proverbs 27:17
OT – Ezekiel 29:1-30:26
NT – Hebrews 11:32-12:13

Interesting passage for the day: And these men of faith, though they trusted God and won his approval, none of them received all that God had promised them; for God wanted them to wait and share the even better rewards that were prepared for us. – Hebrews 11:39-40, The Living Bible

Thought: If you could have everything you ever wanted in this lifetime, would that satisfy you? Would it be worth it?

If you say yes, then you aren’t dreaming big enough. If you say yes, then you’re forgetting the limitations of this lifetime. If you say, “Yes, give me my best life now,” then you’re trading down, not up.

Because those who know God know that He has better things in store for us than we can find in this lifetime. Things worth dying for. Eternity. Life. Incorruptibility. Love. Most of all, Himself.

Past men of faith are still waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled completely. And one day—no, wait…one eternal day—they’ll be glad they were faithful.

Question: What shallow (comparatively speaking) things that can never satisfy you still tempt you to set Jesus Himself aside?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

For Them

ALL – Psalm 80:1-19
ALL – Proverbs 25:1-5
OT – Jeremiah 14:11-16:15
NT – 1 Thessalonians 2:9-3:13

Interesting passage for the day: We can bear anything as long as we know that you remain strong in him. – 1 Thess. 3:8, The Living Bible

Thought: There was another school shooting Friday (google “Kelly Elementary School shooting”). This time it was some crazy man, shooting at elementary kids. Thankfully, none were killed, and several construction workers reacted quickly to subdue the man.

I would do just about anything to protect kids from a shooter—at least, I hope I would. Especially my own kids. To keep my kids strong and healthy, I wouldn’t mind the risk (and possibility) of suffering.

I think that’s kind of Paul’s thought here. His spiritual children were facing persecutors—grown-up bullies. And Paul couldn’t get there to help the people he loved. So he was just in agony. But then he was finally able to get the news that their faith was still strong. And the news that his spiritual children were healthy was enough to set his heart at ease, even though the circumstances that had kept him from getting to them were still in place. He could put up with his own troubles if he knew that the Thessalonians were doing ok.

Question: Is there anyone for whom you would go through just about anything to make sure of their spiritual safety? What is keeping you from helping them grow closer to Christ right now? What are you free to do to help them?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Weekly Sermons in Swanton: Watch Yourself to Guard Your Reward

The message, preached on May 2nd, 2010, covered 2 John, and it can be heard via streaming audio at http://www.swantonalliance.org. We who follow Jesus have a reward coming our way, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have to watch the way we live. We are to follow Jesus’ teaching and to persevere in truth and love. Note: Past sermons can be accessed through the resources page.

Why the Link at the Bottom?

Yesterday is an example of why the last comment in every email and every blog post is, “To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.” Some days, even if I manage to read at home, I have a hard time posting even the daily readings to my blog. My commitment is to post every day, but sometimes I fail. When that happens, I don’t want you to be left without knowing what to read. I link to a chart with the daily readings in the blog post you’ll arrive at if you click the link. Just in case you want to save it somewhere, I’m also linking to the chart here.

You might wonder, “If I have the chart, why bother keeping up with Matt’s devotional?” Obviously, you don’t have to. On the other hand, following a chart by yourself is a very different thing from reading the Scriptures with friends. And while we can’t be together in person, we can in spirit. I hope it provides you with a sense of personal encouragement from a friend to keep reading. I hope it also provides you with fresh thoughts and interactions with the Bible. I know that your participation has helped me. I feel personally encouraged to keep reading because I know that others are learning with me. Also, your reading gives me a sense of accountability, just as I hope my writing gives you. Some days, knowing that others are reading the Scriptures with me is my greatest motivation to keep going. I need you, and I really appreciate that you’ve been following the Scriptures with me.

But I don’t want you to be clueless about what to read when I forget to post anything. Which is why I want to make sure you have access to the daily readings through the links above. But just so you know for sure, yesterday’s reading was:

ALL – Psalm 21:1-13
ALL – Proverbs 5:1-6
OT – Genesis 50:1-Exodus 2:10
NT – Matthew 16:13-17:9

Keep up the GOOD work of listening to Jesus with me!

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.