CHRISTIAN STUDY BIBLE

July 13: Unity in Adversity #Devotional 1 Samuel 22:1–23:29; 1 Peter 1:13–19; Psalm 123:1–124:8 Distress can unite people. In difficult moments, in shared pain, we discover our true friends. When David fled from King Saul, his divided family was suddenly supportive of him, as was every man in the region who was distressed or indebted (1 Sam 22:1–2; compare 1 Sam 17:28–30). A shared sense of despair reveals the humanity in us all, helping us to get past our disputes and work together for one purpose. For a disjointed band of brothers to be united beyond initial circumstance, they must have one purpose. That’s precisely what David gave his motley crew: They would fight the Philistines (Israel’s greatest enemies) together (1 Sam 23:1–5). David took a terrible situation and turned it into an opportunity to do what needed to be done. As rightful king, David was obligated to protect Israel. Yet it still took outstanding courage and raw leadership to act upon that obligation. When most people would have been paralyzed by fear, David was prepared for action—and that marked him as Israel’s new leader. David’s strength in adversity enabled him to unite people for a cause, and his God-centered focus made him the ideal leader of God’s people. Peter’s remark in his first letter resonates with this idea: “When you have prepared your minds for action, by being self-controlled, put your hope completely in the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former desires you used to conform to in your ignorance” (1 Pet 1:13–14). The ignorance Peter addresses is sin. Although David was dealing with someone else’s sin, both he and Peter identify the same solution: Focus on God and His work. When things get difficult, we should be aware of how we are being subtly drawn away from God’s work. If we can stay focused on Christ, we can stay focused on God’s purposes. In return, we will find the ability to lead any motley crew toward redemption. Where is God calling you to lead? How can you shift your focus to be stronger in this task?

Many people do not want a God of love. They want a god of permission. They want a god who never says no, never judges sin, and never calls for repentance. But God's love is holy. He corrects, transforms, and calls us to follow Christ. A god of permission cannot save.

Dear Daughter, Sunday family blessing: Let your marriage shine for your children 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Show them respect, forgiveness, and faith in action. Your example plants eternal seeds. 'Train up a child in the way he should go' (Prov 22:6). How is your marriage teaching the next generation? #DearDaughter #FamilySunday #StrongMarriage

The father of lies is all for making a sin too small to need forgiveness beforehand, and too great to allow forgiveness after.

Every sunset reminds me of the Psalmist’s words “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

Marriage advice for Christian men: Pursue her, listen well, pray with her, repent first, protect trust, and never treat covenant like convenience. Most important of all, submit to Christ.

Lift up your heads, Christian. The King is coming. The skies will not remain silent forever. The trumpet will sound. The dead in Christ will rise. Every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. No more sin. No more sorrow. No more death. No more tears. The crucified Lamb will return as the conquering King of Kings, and His kingdom will have no end. Come, Lord Jesus!

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

We cannot tell people about Jesus and pretend there is a nice Plan B. If you reject Jesus, you will end up in hell.

Sunday focus: Let Christ be the loudest voice in your home! 🙌 Let His Word fill your hearts and strengthen your marriage! Josh 24:15 ❤️ How will you honor God in your marriage today? #StrongMarriage #July

Feminism, expressive individualism, and secular humanism are not harmless ideas. They enthrone personal autonomy, brand God's design as oppression, and put a shifting culture in judgment over Scripture. Christians must test every claim by God's Word, take every thought captive, and refuse to be discipled by this age. Believers, we must all stand strong and reject all other beliefs outright.

Thank God my salvation does not depend upon my frail hold on Him, but on His mighty grasp on me. Martyn Lloyd Jones

What we are now seeing in the world is not political, it is Biblical...

One third of heaven fell to the earth with satan, it doesn't need a disclosure day....

I Am the good Shepherd, the good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. John 10:11 The goodness of God, is our divine escort.

DAY 12: How did Jehoshaphat express his faith in the face of adversity? https://telegra.ph/DAILY-BIBLE-07-12

July 12 - Response to the Greatest Sermon #LifeOfChrist “When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:28–29). The response to the best and most astounding preaching ever—the Sermon on the Mount—was in itself very remarkable. Likely some among our Lord’s audience that day believed in Him for salvation. But quite probably the number converted was small, affirming Jesus’ assertion about the narrow gate: “there are few who find it” (Matt. 7:14). The verb translated “were amazed” means to be struck out of oneself, or to be beside oneself with astonishment. The crowd was utterly flabbergasted by the power, comprehensiveness, and extraordinary insight of Christ’s words. Never had people heard such a penetrating description of true righteousness or such a relentless condemnation of self-righteousness. Even more remarkable is the way Jesus spoke with a power (“authority”) that proved and reflected His sovereignty. Unlike the Jewish teachers, who quoted the rabbis words and additional sacred writings, He quoted only Scripture and spoke as the final authority on truth. The Sermon on the Mount is important for everyone to hear. But the response to it must not conclude with mere amazement but real, saving faith. If we have read it and meditated upon its instructions and imperatives, we also need to move from astonishment to obedience. Such obedience entails moving from intellectual knowledge of the narrow gate and way to actually entering the gate by faith and following the way to eternal life. Ask Yourself Think back on the many lessons taken from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Which have struck you with new force? Which are your children in greatest need of hearing? Don’t let His Word grow quiet within you.

July 12: Eternal Hope #Devotional 1 Samuel 20:1–21:15; 1 Peter 1:1–12; Psalm 121:1–122:9 We don’t often realize where we put our hope. We can seek sustenance, energy, or relief in the most transient, innocuous things—from our morning coffee to a vacation we’ve been anticipating for months. These things are not bad in themselves, but if they constantly serve as minor fixes in our daily lives, they can shift our focus. We can end up trading God’s help for caffeine and a few days in the sun. The trouble arises when we fail to see the complexity in our motives. The psalmist helps us look beyond what seems comforting and shielding: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains; whence will my help come? My help is from Yahweh, maker of heaven and earth” (Psa 121:1). The psalmist uses the hills and mountains to point us beyond what we can see to the true source of help and protection. These stationary shields seem to offer protection, but God is the true source of help and refuge in our often chaotic circumstances. He is constantly present—“your shade at your right hand” (Psa 121:5). In his letter to the churches in Asia Minor, Peter addresses the “various trials” the early church faced (1 Pet 1:6). He encourages the church members to endure trials and persecution, telling them they are “protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet 1:5). In the midst of trial, their faith in the resurrected Christ gave them the ultimate security and strength (1 Pet 1:4). They had hope through suffering. We think of trials on a grand scale—sickness and persecution. But we need to meet even daily trials with this same eternal hope. We need to constantly find relief, energy, and hope in God. Where do you seek relief, energy, and hope?

A new world order will go the same way as the tower of babel, man proposes, but God disposes.