| Today's Bible Verse |
| "But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil."
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2 Thessalonians 3:3 King James Version (KJV)
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| Today's Bible Study |
Just inside the entrance of the grocery store where I shop stands a six-foot monster made of metal and glass. This monster is a “treasure-filled” vending machine, more commonly known to mothers and grandmothers as a junk toy machine.
Every child under the age of twelve is attracted to it. Kids stare dreamy-eyed at the objects sparkling within its display case: digital wristwatches, “diamond” rings, miniature computerized games, and dozens of stuffed animals.
My little granddaughter was no different from most. She begged to be given money, so she could win a prize. On the first few visits to the store I refused her requests. I explained that she would most likely not win anything, and that anything she might win would break or not work properly.
Finally, I relented. With high hopes, she deposited the money into the machine. She manipulated its giant claw to hover over a stuffed brown bear. When she dropped the claw to grasp the bear, its prongs closed around nothing. The game was over.
No one likes to be promised something good and receive either nothing at all or something we never wanted. But this is what happens when we strike a deal with the biggest monster of all, Satan. His display case is filled with alluring trinkets.
He promises good, but never delivers on his promise. John 8:44 warns us that there is no truth in Satan. When he speaks a lie, he is speaking his native language.
We must respond to Satan’s temptations the same way Jesus responded. “It is written,” he said, “thou shalt not.” We must know the Scriptures and use the truths found within them to combat Satan. Satan is defenseless against the Word of God.
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| Today's Prayer |
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| Lord, keep me from falling victim to Satan’s ploys. Help me remember that he is the great liar. You are absolute truth. In Jesus Name, Amen.
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| Yesterday's Bible
Verse |
| "The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."
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1 Samuel 16:7 King James Version (KJV)
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| Yesterday's Bible
Study |
Please allow me to introduce you to a group of people whose lives are described upon the pages of God’s Word. These men were the religious leaders of the day, easily recognized even in a crowd. An aura of righteousness surrounded them.
They were seen in the most important seats of the synagogue and in places of honor at formal banquets. Their piety was known to everyone. No one out-prayed them, out-tithed them, out-fasted them or out-performed them in the observance of ritualistic ceremonies.
No one quoted scripture better than they did. As concerning the Law, they kept it to a fault. Their fellow countrymen looked up to them and called them rabbis.
Jesus, however, had other names for them: hypocrites, blind guides, brood of vipers. We usually refer to them simply as the Pharisees.
Despite their outer appearances, these men were spiritual failures. Jesus summed up their life’s goal in one sentence. Everything they did was done for men to see.
Today, the church is the religious counterpart to the Pharisees. The world looks to us in hopes of finding spiritual guidance. We must not mislead them by being, like the Pharisees, blind guides. Rather, we must be genuine, always considering the opinion of the world worthless compared to the judgment of God.
Are we striving to conform our lives to the teachings and example of Jesus, or are we satisfied simply wearing His name?
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| Yesterday's Prayer |
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| Lord, I am tempted to be a people-pleaser. May I never value the opinion of people more than I value the opinion of the One who sees my heart, Amen.
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