July 24, 2020


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Today's Bible Verse
"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."
Proverbs 18:24 (KJV)



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Today's Bible Study
In this verse from Proverbs, we have a beautiful depiction of friendship--someone who sticks closer than a brother. Family relationships are usually regarded as the closest bonds there are between people; but some friendships go even deeper than those. This verse tells us that we should put work into our friendships, and that such work is worth it in the end, helping us establish quality relationships with people around us.

Friendship is one of the sweetest pleasures we have on Earth. The ability to be totally honest with another person, to mourn together and rejoice together, reminds us of the Lord's love for us. It reminds us that we are not alone in this world, left to fight our own battles for ourselves. Instead, we are meant to come together in unity, enjoying the pleasures of friendship with other people, loving each other as family even if there is no blood relationship.


Finding true friends like these begins with being friendly, as the verse says. That means we should be willing to extend ourselves if we want other people to do the same for us. Maybe this means that we notice who seems out of place at a party and make an effort to help the person feel comfortable. In other instances, it might be reaching out to someone online to offer encouragement. Or, it might mean bringing a welcome gift to a neighbor or simply joining the greeting team at your church. Cultivating a friendly attitude and mindset will draw more people to you, and you will be planting the seeds for future quality relationships.

The other important component of creating quality friendships is prayer. Ask the Lord to draw the right people to you and to help you identify opportunities to reach out that will speak to them. The Lord is gracious to always open our eyes up to ministry opportunities, and we need to pay attention to His promptings to keep our eyes open. As we do, the Lord will speak to us, helping us cultivate friendships that draw us closer to Him each day.
Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for my friends and family. Help me to love them, Lord, just as you have loved me. Thank you for being so good to me, for showing your love to me over and over again. Thank you for being near to me always. In Jesus's name, amen.
Yesterday's Devotional
July 23, 2020
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Yesterday's Bible Verse
"For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
Romans 5:10 (KJV)



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Yesterday's Bible Study
In this verse from Romans, the apostle Paul writes about our reconciliation with the Lord. We were once enemies, then reconciled to Him, and then saved because of Jesus. This is the greatest news anyone could ever hear! While we were once dead in sin and enemies of the Lord, we now can have a full life in Jesus.

Think for a minute about Paul's choice of the word enemies. He chose a word that was derived from the ancient Greek word for "actively hostile." That has meaning for us today; even if we didn't know it, we were actively hostile against the Lord. Everything we did was against Him. Even worse, once we realized what we were doing, there was no way that we could ever be forgiven. We couldn't make ourselves right before the Lord and no way that a Holy God could treat us as anything but enemies.

Jesus changed everything. The Lord looked upon us with great compassion, knowing that we were helpless--but our sins needed to face justice before He could have a relationship with us. This justice was satisfied in full because Jesus lived a perfect life; He had no sin to atone for. When He died an innocent death, He was the sacrifice that we could never provide. Now, the Lord could forgive our sins.


Not only are we reconciled to the Lord, we are also saved forever. Our lives are not about a balance of good and bad deeds--they are about grace and love. We have been saved once and for all, and nothing that we ever do could separate us from the Lord's mercy on our lives.

This means we do not have to be afraid of death, which is only the beginning of eternity with the Lord in Heaven. We do not have to walk around in shame for our sins, which have been forgiven. Best of all, we can rejoice in our salvation all of our days, knowing that our futures are secure because Jesus paid the ultimate cost so long ago.

Today, if you are struggling with feelings in inadequacy or unworthiness, cling to the Gospel. You are reconciled with the Lord once and for all. You are saved and forgiven. You are a child of God, and He loves you more than any of us could ever understand.
Yesterday's Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for forgiving me time and time again. Thank you for making it possible for me to be reconciled with you forever. Lord, I could never earn my salvation, and I am so grateful that you made a way. I love you, Lord. In Jesus's name, amen.
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