Nov 26 2024

Afternoon Bible Verse

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

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The words we speak are significant and have a lot of power. In a world where people freely speak their minds, Christians need to live by a higher standard. We can't just say whatever we think. The Bible has much to tell us about how our words affect others.

Psalm 19:14 references the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts. This Scripture shows us the connection between what comes out of our mouths and the condition of our hearts … because they affect each other.

In Greek, the word for heart refers to our minds—our thoughts and feelings. In Hebrew, the word for heart refers to our intellect and will. When someone talks about the heart of a tree, they are referring to the very core or center of the tree. So what David is saying in this Psalm can be paraphrased as, Let the very core of me, let my emotions, feelings, and thoughts be acceptable in your sight, Lord.

Meditation on God's Word causes our hearts and words to be acceptable to God. Every day we need Him to lead us and help us understand His Word so that we can apply it to our lives.

We can be grateful that God is merciful enough to help us and correct us when we say the wrong things. And we can allow what He is teaching us through these times to change our hearts and minds.

Afternoon Prayer

Heavenly Father, I'm grateful that you are always working in my heart to make me more like you. Help me think about each and every word I speak. When I misspeak, help me realize that I am following my own desire to say what I want. Give me understanding when I study your Word, and help me to think and meditate on what you say to me. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Nov 25 2024

Yesterday Afternoon's Bible Verse

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.:

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Yesterday Afternoon's Bible study

Loving our enemies isn't difficult when we don't see them every day. Social media has made it easy to say harsh things without having to deal with face-to-face consequences.

But whether our enemies are close or far away, we are still instructed to pray for them. It may feel unnatural at first, but the more time we spend in prayer, we will start to see them as Christ does.

Jesus set this example for us as He was hanging on the cross. He asked God to forgive them for what they had done. The question is—can we love someone who hurts us and hates the Lord? We can because God shows us how.

Love doesn't mean that you have accepted the evil actions of others, but God requires that we pray for their souls.

Matthew 5:43-44 is part of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. In this Scripture, He addresses a crowd of people and explains what it means to be a faithful follower of Christ.

Jesus sets such a high standard of living that no one can achieve it without God's help. Loving your enemy is counter-cultural, but it is a directive to followers of Jesus.

We are called to love those who hate us the most … and we can with God's help.

Yesterday Afternoon's Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for giving your love to me. Help me follow the example Jesus set in loving and forgiving my enemies. God, it's difficult for me to love someone who doesn't like me. Please let me understand that you love everyone and desire for them to come to salvation. Use my life to reach even my enemies with your Gospel. In Jesus' name, amen.
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