Author: astherainandsnow

“We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.

“I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:1-9

Paul was a passionate, pulsating example of one sold out to Christ. The Lord’s grace broke into and upturned the former rebel’s life and set it on a gospel trajectory. Paul was intent on spending every ounce of grace received to make the good news known so others could also be transformed for eternity.

The most crucial understanding of grace comes from Jesus, who freely gave Himself for our everlasting benefit. We receive heavenly riches at His expense for no merit of our own. When was the last time we thanked Him for His exquisite, undeserved, lavish expression of love? 

Comprehending the vastness of God’s grace to us in Christ sharpens our perception to recognize daily graces. His gifts are wide and many, seen by eyes that have beheld Him and savored by hearts touched by His mercy. How intent are we to behold and praise His grace? Whom are we telling about their beauties and transforming power? With whom can we share the effect Christ’s grace has on stubbornness, despair, broken relationships?

What generosity from the Lord through others have we recently observed? Are we aware of our pastors’ investment of time and prayer? Do we recognize and acknowledge the contributions of others to our practical livelihood and spiritual wellbeing? How and how often do we express gratitude to them, and the Sovereign Source from whom all blessings flow? How have we been inspired to extend grace forward?

If we struggle to want to be gracious, due to personal selfishness or another’s wanton lack of desert, would we admit that and ask God for the desire? Where has the Lord prompted us to extend a grace, by word, service, forgiveness, donation? What impulse to do or give has not been completed? Why not? When will we follow through? (2 Corinthians 8:10-12,16)

How will we endeavor to know grace better? How might our expression of generous grace awaken faith and delight in others to give? How might it multiply praise to God as He delights in His people? (2 Corinthians 9;6-12)

Lord God, may I sow Your love and grace generously, to the reaping of Your glory and praise.

“Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ They answered, ‘We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, “You will become free”?’

“Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.  The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.'” John 8:31-36

“In the same way we, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son,.. to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

“Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?” Galatians 4:3-9

Because of Adam, man is born enslaved to sin. We cannot not sin. Common grace alerts us to right and wrong, and by grace the Lord plants within a conscience. When the Holy Spirit regenerates our spirits, we see with new eyes, recognize our captivity, feel the weight and sting of sin’s chains, and cry in desperation, Set us free!

Because of the pressures of the world and pervasive biblical illiteracy, we can live for years not knowing the truth that sets free. Long-held bitterness at God or someone else, habitual sins of flesh and mind, hold us captive. Why do we put up with this, make excuses, and remain miserable and ineffective?

Are we incessant with catty condemnation of others while neglecting self-inspection? What sins and errors long ago confessed are we unwilling to forgive? Whom do we keep shackled in the dungeon of heart or mind, captive to malice or hatred, cancelled from light? Unconfessed sins and hidden prisoners prevent us being free to love and serve as Christ intends. (Matthew 7:3-5)

What keeps us from clear, honest confession? Would we claim Christ’s power to break our bonds and render sin’s enslavement inoperable? His wondrous, just cancellation of our debt sets us free indeed. (John 8:36; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 5:1; 1 John 1:9)

“Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth and followed Thee.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me!” ~Charles Wesley (1738)

Lord Jesus, cut open every chain of guilt and condemnation so I live freely, wholly for Your glory, and gladly spread Your gospel to those enslaved in the world.

“Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. Everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and each would stand at his tent door, and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses.  When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend…

“Moses said to the Lord, ‘See, you say to me, “Bring up this people,” but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, “I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.” Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.’ And he said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ And he said to him, ‘If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.  For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?’

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.’ Moses said, ‘Please show me your glory.'” Exodus 33:7-11a,12-18

The tent of Meeting, designed as a movable place for spiritual rituals and representing the presence of God through Israel’s journeys, was also a place for Moses to meet with God in personal communion. Through Moses’s description and divine inspiration, we are brought behind the curtains to observe an intimate encounter. Friend to friend, Moses expressed his need for assurance of God’s favor and abiding presence if he was to lead Israel, and the Lord met his desire. (Exodus 40:18-38)

Anyone hidden inside a fort or under a tent knows the special security of being tucked away in a private little haven. Sharing it with another invites secret confidences and personal vulnerability. Getting away with the Lord to commune about our fears and needs and heart desires deepens friendship with our Savior, and makes space for Him to remind and refresh us in His promises.

Do we long to understand His ways so we can know Him? When do we voice directly to Him our utter dependence on His presence for wisdom, grace, and strength to obey? How keenly do we rely on His power and favor to distinguish us in the world? Regular tent talk enriches ongoing communion.

Lord, may I ever seek Your face, ways, and glory to know and follow You better.

“‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor… So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God,  just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.” “[Love] does not insist on its own way.” 1 Corinthians 10:23-24,31-33; 13:5

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4

Paul makes clear that although many behaviors were allowed by law or license, not all of them were good or beneficial. His example was instructive, and likely convicting. His parameters for making choices took into account what was constructive and helpful, the possible offense to others, and the advantage of many toward salvation. Around and above these considerations was that of God’s glory. Nothing was to be insisted or acted upon without love and the Lord at the fore. His was a challenging but important calling if his churches were to effectively witness for and honor Jesus.

It is subversive in present culture to live for God or others. Left to our fickle whims, we do not think or act that way. It is not the bent of human nature to serve anyone or anything but self, or to tamper down flesh impulses and say no for others’ sake. Inherited selfishness along with the narcissistic mantras of media and collective education ingrain a ‘me-first’ impulse and ‘best-self’ motive for every decision. If it is allowed, and sometimes even if it is not, but feels right, we push ahead with prideful agency to do our own thing regardless of how it affects others or bears out on the Lord’s reputation. The commands to love God and others before ourselves, and to serve them instead of ourselves, come hard and pierce sharp in a willful heart. (Deuteronomy 6:5; Mark 12:29-31)

When planning or tending to an agenda, the one whose good and glory we seek gets priority. What do my calendar and expenditures reveal of true priorities?For whom am I living? I may say for the Lord, but the how and why of my choices tell more about what really matters to me. If I am fudging on commitments because of convenience, or indulging in something that trips up another or makes me late and so dishonors others, I am preferring myself.

What natural practices need I exchange for Christ-like ones that serve His will? How can I honor Him by favoring others in His name? In Christ, who calls us to live not for ourselves but for the good of others and God’s glory, we are enabled. (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:3-10,12-17)

As we prefer others over ourselves we exercise and illuminate the selflessness of Christ who gave His all for us. This magnifies His attributes and brings Him glory.

Lord, may I consistently seek other’s good in my heart, prayers, and choices, and act intentionally, in Your grace and power, for their sake and Your glory.

“What man, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one, does not leave the ninety-nine… and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?.. Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?..

“A man had two sons. The younger said, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them… The younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living…

“But when he came to himself,.. he arose and came to his father… [who] saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The father said,.. ‘Let us celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found…’” Luke 15:4,8,11-13,17a,20-24

The story of the prodigal son often focuses on the change of heart and return of the wayward man, yet Jesus who tells the parable precedes it with two others about lost objects that highlight the individual who does the finding. The One orchestrating the search, pursuing, the Rescuer, is the One to be trusted and praised. By very definition of the word, none is found who has not been sought. Being found is never of man’s own doing.

Man’s volition is a gift exercised under God’s sovereignty. The mystery of divine pursuit and free will exercised is reconciled within the majesty of grace. Sheep wander, coins roll, and man left to himself makes a waste of life. Our inherited penchant to sin is irreversibly ingrained. But God. The Lord Almighty focuses the heavenly eye, sets affection, woos the heart, awakens conviction. He who created senses brings man to his own. Any response of faith is His gracious gift too, all praise to Him. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

We might boast of good choices and robust faith, but we cannot brag about being found. No positioning or effort of ours attracts the Lord to us and wins His heart. It is despite our enemy nature, against our rebellion, that He moves toward us. Love is His majestic essence, redeeming pursuit His merciful initiative, salvation His wondrous gift. Shall we not bow? (Romans 5:6-11; Ephesians 2:1-7)

Do we think too highly of ourselves and too little of the Lord Jesus? How do we speak and behave as though we are equals, each contributing our part to achieve salvation? Would we take time to meditate on I was dead and am alive, was lost and am found, and worship? How will I live out, with word and deed, my identity as Christ’s beloved, rejoiced-over, saved child, as an example to others? (Romans 12:3; 1 Peter 1:18-21)

“Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth and followed Thee.

Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me!” ~Charles Wesley (1738)

Good Father, keep me grateful always that You found me, and humble before Your amazing love and grace.

“Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain… We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed;  as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

“We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections.” 2 Corinthians 6:1,3-12

In the rough and tumble of ministry and life, Paul and his cohorts kept on for the gospel. The good news of salvation in Christ drove them, fueled them, motivated them, sustained them. Whatever they faced or endured shaped their character, sharpened their focus, fed their resolve, and fortified their faith. In everything, as servants of Christ, their affection was wrapped in Him and His, to His kingdom ends. For this all-encompassing passion for Christ they were commended, and by it their hearts were open to the needy world.

Are we so sold out for Jesus? Consider the difficulties of our everyday: pressure from work, strain in laborious relationships, the challenge of unanswered questions, stress over unsolved problems. We are constantly inundated by the prepositions of with and without, by and under, over and through. We have every reason in the flesh to give up, or at least put on hold, any efforts for the kingdom when our own kingdom is under strain or in jeopardy. (2 Corinthians 4:7-11)

We cannot escape, but we can endure facing a new conundrum or affliction with certainty and hope. We can, persisting in the Spirit, commendably behave and honor the God who triumphs through us. Rather than freeze, retreat, cower, fear, or despair, will can press on. (2 Corinthians 2:14; 6:16)

What tests currently pepper my duties and plans, and how am I responding? How diligently am I seeking His good will when facing a new conundrum or affliction? Will I proceed with zeal and confidence, and persevere in His power and grace?

How can I align my affections with the Lord’s? When have I bowed and relented under pressure? Where am I neglecting proper action, failing to uphold His charge? We will one day see God and give account, and must adjust our will and ways if we are to be commended. How can we work together with Him so that specific attitudes and actions would please the Lord this day? (2 Corinthians 5:10; 7:1)

“So shall no part of day or night
from sacredness be free,
but all my life, in ev’ry step,
be fellowship with thee.” ~Horatius Bonar (1866)

Father, keep me hopeful, faithful, and joy-filled through every circumstance, to Your glory.

“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,  if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.  For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.  He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,  for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.  So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.” 2 Corinthians 5:1-9

“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:22-27

Paul understood the emotional and physical grumble and crank of life. Constant opposition, pelting criticism, the strain on the body of fatigue, endless travel, punishment. Indeed, he knew the groaning of body and soul. But he also knew, and pressed on because of, the abiding presence and intercession and hope of the Holy Spirit. He walked by faith, content in every circumstance because of what he believed. The guarantee of an eternal blessed inheritance was ample to fortify his daily resolve, giving strength, perspective, and perseverance for immediate challenges. (2 Corinthians 11:23-29; Ephesians 1:1-14; Philippians 4:11; Hebrews 11:1)

Everyone who follows and serves Christ bears daily burdens of responsibility and trouble. We necessarily suffer, but have hope to carry and sustain us. What defines our days? What do our attitudes and expressions indicate about state of soul? Are we known to frown, complain, and sigh? To repeatedly recite difficulties, pulling others into a downward depressing vortex of negativity? Or do we tether our very real groaning to heavenly hope, yearning and persevering because of the glory that awaits? What does the Spirit’s intercession and guarantee for us do to secure and uplift our faith? (Matthew 11:28-30; Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Timothy 3:12)

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is sure and abiding. His seal on our hearts is a pledge of everlasting joy. What difference is He making in present circumstances?

O Lord, may any groan be heavenward, my hope and praise in and for You and Your glory.

“There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;  and there are varieties of activities, but the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good…

“The body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part… If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing?.. God arranged the members in the body as he chose… There are many parts, yet one body.

“The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the parts that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor… God has so composed the body… that there be no division.., but that the members may have the same care for one another.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-7,14-15,17-18,20-25

Paul’s words to this floundering church were aimed at turning them from distracting, corrupting influences and unifying their varied ideas and efforts in a united cause. If they knew Jesus as Lord, they were an integral part of the Body for common good. It was not theirs to belittle their own contribution nor demean another’s. Each was vital to the healthy functioning of the church body and they were responsible for exercising their God-arranged, Spirit-apportioned gifts with mutual care, in His power.

Much is publicized and promoted today about finding our sweet spot and doing what we love. Indeed, in both secular and church life we’ve been endowed by God with certain gifts for service and activity that benefit all. That is the key: are we driven by the common good, or only our own pursuits or success? When we act in a selfish vacuum, our efforts do nothing to upbuild the church and open the door to arrogant superiority or self-deprecation, and fickle provincialism. Lacking a broader vision and consumed with ego and performance, we both push forward and retreat at emotional whim and fancy with no concern for kingdom purpose.

But God has created us for Himself and each other. He intends we exercise our gifts by His Spirit, in love, for the ministry and proclamation of Christ in His Body and world. He appoints and anoints, placing us in time and place to know Him and make Him known. Are we indispensable to His Body? Yes! Is our role honorable in His eyes? Yes! (Esther 4:14; Isaiah 43:7; Acts 17:24-28; 1 Corinthians 13:1-2)

How well do I know, accept, and utilize my God-given gifts for the church? How well do I accept and encourage others’ gifts? Do I perform out of duty, or in a spirit of love? Do my attitudes and interactions indicate dignity and honor, or disparaging and haughtiness? What can I practically change in order to manifest the Spirit with effectiveness and grace, and so build unity that glorifies God? (1 Corinthians 13:4-5; Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)

Lord, mold me into a flourishing Body member who serves, upbuilds, and unifies Your church with Christ-like love and honor.

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” 1 John 1:1-4

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-4,14

John the apostle had a keen eternal perspective and an intimate friendship with Jesus. He had known and walked and served with Him. His gospel begins before the beginning of time, and his grasp of Christ’s eternal nature, likely the outflow of his bent to quiet contemplation and observation, is profound. In words, he brings this infinite Savior to life as present flesh and blood whom we can hear, see, and touch. All who would read his accounts he introduced to the wondrous God-man, full and fluent with grace and truth.

When we are in Christ, we carry within the seeds of eternal life to sow in the here and now. Our touch of the infinite and filling with the forever Spirit make us agents of eternity through our moments, days, and interactions. Are we aware of the difference we can make? Are we ready to give reason for our unshakable hope and joy? (Psalm 16:11; Nehemiah 8:10b; 1 Peter 3:15)

The deeper and richer our relationship with Christ, the greater measure of Him we will know by intimate experience to pass along to others. To whom can we manifest His wonder and beauties by extending love, kindness, forgiveness, grace? In what dark places are we shining His light of truth? How can and will we interject consideration of eternal life into immediate stresses and pressing conundrums?

“Eternal God, whose power upholds
Both flower and flaming star,
To whom there is no here nor there,
No time, no near nor far,
No alien race, no foreign shore,
No child unsought, unknown:
O send us forth, Thy prophets true,
To make all lands Thine own!

O God of righteousness and grace,
Seen in the Christ, Thy Son,
Whose life and death reveal Thy face,
By whom Thy will was done:
Inspire Thy heralds of good news
To live Thy life divine,
Till Christ has formed in all mankind
And every land is Thine!” ~Henry Tweedy (1929)

Lord, may my God-touched hands hold You fast, move at the impulse of Your love, and ever offer the hope of eternal life.

“I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
    but now my eye sees you.” Job 42:5

“So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?’ They went out of the town and were coming to him.

“Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’  So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.'” John 4:28-30,39-42

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved…  For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” Romans 10:9-10,13-15

Scripture as a whole promotes personal responsibility and invites people not only to proclaim testimony of the Lord, but to listen, look, learn, and respond. When we have known the Savior we cannot help but tell, and experiences relayed beg engagement by the observer and reader. Come and hear! Come and see! When we are exposed to Him we will be changed. Interacting with truth ourselves always, always has effect. (John 1:38-39)

Information today is peddled in droves and drones. Wherever we turn the eye or ear we can take in what someone else has curated for our necessary enlightenment, instruction, or pleasure. There is no scarcity of expertise or opinion to be had and espoused. Our challenge is to discern what we take in, then respond accordingly. Merely accepting what another has presented skirts our responsibility to investigate and interact with God personally. The Lord is most clearly revealed when we seek Him ourselves.

What effort do we make to listen to and understand who Jesus is, to meet with Him and divine His word alone? Are we more apt to taste a snippet or devotional soundbite from someone else, or dig in and study for ourselves? How willingly do we receive and respond to what we learn? Can we honestly say we know Jesus Christ for ourselves? (Matthew 16:13-16)

If so, what are we doing to tell about Him so others see, and know, and believe for themselves? How eagerly and readily do we invite those among whom we work and live to meet Him? What about our lifestyle, perspectives, manner of handling hardship and interruptions, would make them want to?

Lord, help me know, love, and trust You for myself, and be faithful to speak boldly and winsomely so others will too.