Aug 10 2024

Today's Bible Verse
Hebrews 3:4 (KJV)

For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.

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Today's Bible study

In Hebrews 3, we learn that Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses. The writer uses an analogy in today's verse to illustrate his point: The builder of a house has more glory than the house itself. The builder of the house did all the work; the house is the result of the work. In the same way, the Lord has created us and is making us in His image—we cannot take credit for what He has done. This verse fills us with humility, helping us see that we are all recipients of the Lord's grace, just as Moses was so many centuries before us.

When we share our godly works with other people, our motivation is what matters… and is usually most obvious to the people around us. For instance, if we share to bring glory to the Lord, that's good. But if we do so to highlight our own altruism, it's sinful. This is because, as today's verse says, the Lord is the one who builds all things. He is the one who has given us the ability to love people self-sacrificially. He is the one who helps us meet other people's needs, and in all the good that we do, we should remember to focus on Him first.

The Lord is the one who initiates all things in our hearts that bring glory to Him. When we forget about that, we miss out on intimacy with Him and make ourselves vulnerable to pride. This is how it's possible to go on mission trips and be active in church life, but still be far from the Lord. We have inadvertently made Christianity about us instead of Jesus.

But when we recognize Him as our Creator, rely on Him, and come to Him whenever we need something—over and over again—we get to see how the Lord provides for us day after day, meeting all our needs and satisfying us in Him alone.

When we realize that God is the builder of all things, we can have freedom and joy. We can happily take our rightful place as unworthy but deeply loved servants in the house that the Lord Himself built. As we get to know Him more, recognizing Him as the builder of all things, He will satisfy us more than any accomplishment or good deed ever could.

Today's Prayer

Dear Lord, please help me remember that you are the builder of all things. I am your creation, and I want to serve you well, remembering your constant faithfulness and goodness to me always. Help me cling to your love for me and never try to find significance in what I have done. In Jesus' name, amen.

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If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.

-C.S. Lewis

God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas but for scars.

-Elbert Hubbard

The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.

-C.S. Lewis

"If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.

-Dorothy Parker

Yesterday's Devotional

Aug 09 2024

Yesterday's Bible Verse
Psalm 31:3 (KJV)

For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. :

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Yesterday's Bible study

In this verse, King David emphasizes his total dependence on the Lord by saying He is his "rock" and his "fortress." This humble prayer is a sweet reminder that the Lord sustains us in all circumstances. We do not need to be afraid of anything; the Lord will protect us and show us what to do when we face big decisions.

What are some of your biggest fears? When David wrote the Psalm, King Saul was actively hunting him down, and David desperately needed direction from the Lord to know his next steps. He feared being harmed or killed by his enemies, and making a wrong decision. He lived in complete reliance on the Lord; knowing that only God could save him from his fears.

David calls out to the Lord, knowing that the Lord would hear his prayer and answer it. In saying the Lord is his rock and his fortress, David means the Lord is his safe place. He was David's anchor, and David knew he could always turn to the Lord for help. When David reminds himself of these truths about the Lord, his fears about his physical safety begin to diminish.

In the second half of the verse, David asks the Lord to lead and guide him. By asking for direction, David admits that he doesn't know the best thing to do—he trusts that the Lord will help him. Moreover, David's primary concern is obedience to the Lord; he wants the Lord to use his life however He sees fit. He has completely surrendered to God's will and wants the Lord to save him for His own name's sake.

This complete surrender and humble submission to the Lord's will helped David cast off fear—and it can help us in the same way. We, too, can trust in the Lord, and be assured that His ways are always better than our own… and like David, we can live without fear.

Yesterday's Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for freeing me from fear. Thank you for being my rock and my fortress, and for letting me be safe in you. Please give me guidance and direction all the days of my life. In Jesus' name, amen.
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