Aug 03 2024

Today's Bible Verse

Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

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In this verse from Jesus' Farewell Discourse, His final message before the crucifixion, He tells His disciples that they can ask for joy in His name and they will receive it. This teaches us a lot about the heart of the Lord and His willingness to bless us when we ask Him. He does not give only joy, but joy in full. And this same joy is available to us today!

Remaining joyful isn't always easy, however, because the world can be a tough place. We struggle sometimes to keep our focus on Christ, and suffering and pain in our lives can weigh us down, sapping the joy within our hearts. However, Jesus makes it possible for Christians to walk in joy in every circumstance and through every trial. Having joy can be a powerful witness to the power of Christ in our lives. If we are able to be strong in Him during hard times, we can show other people the power of Jesus to transform our perspectives.

Notice that we are not simply called to have joy through our own willpower—we are expected to ask for joy. As Jesus says in today's verse, He will answer our prayers for joy; we need only to ask Him. He is eager to help us when we call out to Him.

At the same time, we have the responsibility to recognize when we need help and ask the Lord to help us. He wants us to play a role in receiving His joy by taking the initiative to ask for it.

Why would the Lord want us to ask Him for help? Because, when we ask Him to help us, we are actively involving Him in our sanctification process. We are reminding ourselves that we need Him on an everyday, moment-by-moment level. If the Lord simply supplied what we needed without our asking, we could forget that it is actually Him helping us. Instead, when we find ourselves in need of joy, and we ask God for it and receive it in full, as this verse promises, we will find ourselves developing a sweet relationship with the Lord, calling out to Him and resting in Him each and every day.

Today's Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for listening to me when I call out to you. Thank you for giving me joy. Please help me to walk in the joy that you give me and remember to call out to you always. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Aug 02 2024

Yesterday's Bible Verse

Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. :

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Yesterday's Bible study

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter of the Bible. It is an acrostic poem (by the Hebrew alphabet) and a prayer by someone who lives according to the law of the Lord. We see the theme of the entire Psalm in the first verse: "Blessed are [those] who walk in the law of the Lord." Walking as the Lord has directed, in holiness, according to His law, leads to blessing in our lives.

Why is walking in holiness so important? The first reason is quite simple: it's what the Lord commanded us to do. His law is not a negotiable or suggested way of living; it is a commandment and a matter of obedience to all who know Him. Second, when we don't walk in the law of the Lord, we put a wedge between ourselves and Him. Our neglect of the law is sin, separating us from God and making it impossible for us to enjoy communion with Him. Finally, walking as the Lord has instructed us leads to blessings. It gives us intimacy with the Lord on a new level, reminding us that we are never alone, that He loves us more than we could ever understand, and He is always faithful and good to us.

Walking in the law of the Lord is not always easy, though. Indeed, holiness means "set apart"—the word itself indicates that we will be different from those around us. The law of the Lord means that we may have to forego things that might seem pleasurable to us. It might make our friends think that we're old-fashioned, not fun, boring, or overly religious. It means we may have to willingly be outsiders sometimes, standing up for issues when it would be easier to remain silent.

But the Lord will help us. In fact, it is impossible to walk in the law of the Lord without His help! He will meet us along the way, sustaining us through difficult decisions and bringing scripture to our minds to help us resist temptation. We are not helpless in our decisions; instead, we can rely on the Lord to accomplish what He has chosen us to do. We can trust Him completely, knowing that He will help us always.

As we walk in communion with the Lord, we will experience the blessings of a holy walk. We will get to know Him better and understand what it means to be close to Him. We will experience Him helping us in the everyday little things as well as in the major questions that come to us. We can trust Him to keep us in His law and bless us as we continue to seek Him.

Yesterday's Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for your law. You are so good, and I want to be in your law and favor forever. Please help me as I try to live up to your standards. I know that I am hopeless without your help—and am so grateful that you will meet me right where I am. In Jesus' name, amen.
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