June 23, 2020


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Today's Bible Verse
"But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."
1 Timothy 5:8



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Today's Bible Study
In this verse from 1 Timothy, Paul gives us a stern reminder that we must care for our family members. We should be the last to give up on them and the first to offer our help. We are able to follow Paul's commands through Jesus, who gives us the ability to provide for our families and honor the Lord while doing so.

What does it mean to provide for our families? Of course it covers the most basic needs like food and shelter, but it goes beyond that. We are not merely to be people who have homes and food to eat, but people who have an exciting walk with the Lord. This means spiritual training is an important part of providing for our families. Spiritual training includes church attendance, Bible study, prayer, and worship. If the heads of our households do not do these things, then we should take on the responsibility as much as possible. If our families are hostile toward religion, we have a holy duty to pray that the Lord might soften their hearts.


Families, especially family members with whom we live, are truly our first mission field. They are the people who God has placed in our lives, and we should treat them with the love of Jesus. Sometimes, because we are so familiar with family (indeed, familiar and family are from the same root word), it can be tiresome to show them love day after day after day. Our constant exposure to each other can make us feel weary, forgetting the privilege that we have to be a part of each other's lives at such an intimate level. However, when we remember this instruction from Paul and ask the Lord to help us, He will help us honor Him.

Treating our families with love and providing for them trains us to go out into the world and share the Gospel. When we have practiced stretching ourselves, forgiving, and showing grace to our families, we will be able to do the same for those we don't know. When we learn to see other people and our families as a gift from the Lord, we will be able to love them boundlessly and cherish them as the sons and daughters of the Lord that they are.
Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you so much for my family. I love them, Lord, and I want to provide for them well. Please help me know how I can best care for and provide for each of them. Help me to honor them as my first mission field, and use the things I learn in providing for them to impact others for you. In Jesus's name, amen.
Yesterday's Devotional
June 22, 2020
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Yesterday's Bible Verse
"Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation."
Exodus 15:13 (KJV)



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Yesterday's Bible Study
In today's verse, Moses and the Israelite people sing a song of praise to the Lord after He delivers them from the Egyptians. They say that the Lord guided them by His strength to their "holy habitation," meaning the land that had been promised to them centuries before. Today, we'll look at how the Lord guides us by His strength.

Do you ever worry about remaining in the Lord's will? I know that I do. There are times when I can't figure out what He wants me to do or when doing the right thing seems to overwhelm me completely. In times like those, I have to take a step back and remember the promises of God. He did not ask the Israelites to fight their way into the Promised Land, and He didn't equip them with swords and brilliant battle plans. Instead, He parted the Red Sea, toppled cities with the sound of trumpets (the Battle of Jericho, Joshua 6), and rained down food from Heaven (Exodus 16). No person could ever have done these things. God worked in such a way that He would get all the glory.


God often works in our lives the same way. We see His hands through "coincidences" … sermons that hit at just the right moment, the perfect song on a Christian radio station, or caring friends who know just what to say. He provides exactly what we need, and He does it over and over again. This means we can trust that He will give us the strength we need for today. We don't have to know what is happening tomorrow, but instead remember that He is guiding everything and every part of our lives.

Trusting in the Lord gives us the strength to keep going. It reminds us that He will help us honor Him and that we are not alone in this world. Just as the Lord guided the Israelites footstep by footstep, He will direct our paths. We do not have to be strong enough, wise enough, smart enough, or beautiful enough to get to where He wants us to be; the Israelites and their forefathers were not. Still, God had a plan for them, and even their own stubbornness could not stop it. In the same way, the Lord will give us just enough strength to rest in His will this very day.
Yesterday's Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for giving me strength. I need you more than I even know, and I'm so grateful that you sustain me day after day. Thank you for your love and goodness to me each day. In Jesus's name, amen.
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