Day 181: Don’t Travel Alone!

The Daily Word: Tuesday, June 30^th, 2020
2 Kings 17:1-18:12
Acts 20:1-38
Psalm 148:1-14
Proverbs 18:6-7
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
And Sopater of Berea accompanied [Paul] to Asia–also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia. – Acts 20:4

Paul not only traveled; he brought other people with him. Are you willing to take other people where God has allowed you to go? Whatever level of promotion you have received in your life: it’s from Him. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” But now that God has put you where you are, the question is, will you use the influence you have to help others?

Paul accomplished much. But he didn’t accomplish it alone. I pray you make it to the top of whatever industry, career or pursuit in which you are engaged! But I also pray you would never climb alone. Victory is best tasted in community.

Prayer:

Father, I don’t want to travel alone! Thank You for surrounding me with mentors and mentees. Thank You for surrounding me with colleagues and friends! Wherever You have called me to go, I’m going to bring others with me, in Jesus’ name.

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Day 180: Family First

The Daily Word: Monday, June 29^th, 2020
2 Kings 15:1-16:20
Acts 19:13-41
Psalm 147:1-20
Proverbs 18:4-5
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
But [Ahaz] walked in the way of the kings of Israel; indeed he made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out from before the children of Israel. – 2 Kings 16:3

King Ahaz of Judah, “…made his son pass through the fire.” He sacrificed his children to secure his reign. And in response, God called this an “abomination.”

Why is that important? You should never have to sacrifice your family to solidify your place in this world. You shouldn’t sacrifice them for work. You shouldn’t sacrifice them for ministry! Intimacy with your family members comes second only to your relationship with Jesus. Are you giving your family members the time and attention they need and deserve?

Prayer:

Lord, I don’t want to make my family suffer because I’m working so hard. Help me to give them the time and attention they need and deserve! Thank You for never asking me to sacrifice them, in Jesus’ name.

Day 179: The Lord Listened

The Daily Word: Sunday, June 28^th, 2020
2 Kings 13:1-14:29
Acts 18:23-19:12
Psalm 146:1-10
Proverbs 18:2-3
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Jehoahaz pleaded with the Lord, and the Lord listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. – 2 Kings 13:4

Israel was wicked! They had forgotten about God. Yet when their king, “…pleaded with the Lord,…the Lord listened to him.” Jehoahaz was a sinner! But God never left him.

You don’t have to be perfect to be heard by God. Are you in the middle of a mess? Cry out to God from there. Are you stuck in an unhealthy cycle of harmful behavior and sin? Cry out to God from there! Ask Him to rescue you right where you are. When you call, He will answer, in Jesus’ name.

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. – Ps. 145:18

Prayer:

God, I need You! I am in the middle of a mess. I’m asking You to rescue me, even though I don’t deserve it. I know You will, because You are good, in Jesus’ name!

Day 178: Your New Ministry

The Daily Word: Saturday, June 27^th, 2020
2 Kings 10:32-12:21
Acts 18:1-22
Psalm 145:1-21
Proverbs 18:1
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks. – Acts 18:3-4

What’s stopping you from telling people about Jesus? Are you busy at work? Do you have too much to do? Paul wrote 13 out of 27 books in the New Testament. He was constantly traveling for ministry! Yet he still worked vocationally. Paul was a tentmaker! He worked all week, and then “reasoned in the synagogue” on the weekends.

Paul didn’t let his day job stop him from being used by God. He didn’t list his financial needs as an excuse when God asked him to travel to a new place and preach the Gospel! Paul went wherever the Holy Spirit told him to go, and trusted that God would provide! And He did: every step of the way.

Prayer:

Father, I am going to preach the Gospel. I am going to tell the world about Jesus! And as I do, I trust that You will support me and meet my needs, everywhere I go, in Jesus’ name!

Day 177: He Is the Christ

The Daily Word: Friday, June 26^th, 2020
2 Kings 9:14-10:31
Acts 17:1-34
Psalm 144:1-15
Proverbs 17:27-28
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” – Acts 17:2-3

Paul was preaching to a group of people who knew the Scriptures, so he “reasoned with them” from the Scriptures. This was a group of people who knew God! But they didn’t know Jesus. So Paul showed them why they needed Jesus. He explained to them that God is holy and just, and His Law requires perfection! And that is a problem for us because none of us is perfect. Jesus came and died on the Cross so their sin could be removed. They were far from perfect according to the Law; but the blood of Jesus was available to perfect them by grace!

Do you have the confidence in your command of the Scriptures to use the word of God to lead someone to Jesus? If not, don’t panic. God will put His law in your mind, and write it on your heart (Jer. 31:33)! If you would simply make a commitment to share the Gospel with people in your life, God would give you the spiritual resources you need to get it done.

Share Jesus. Let other people know that, without Him, there is no way to spend eternity with a holy God if you are anything but spotless! But in Him, we move from suffering to salvation. We are woefully incapable of fulfilling God’s standard of holiness. But Jesus fulfilled the Law (Matt. 5:17) so that, when you trust in Him, you are “made perfect” (Heb. 10:14) in the eyes of God.

Prayer:

Father, I want to take my faith seriously. I want to share the Gospel with people who have never received Jesus! Give me the resources I need to do it, in Jesus’ name.

Day 176: He Warned Her

The Daily Word: Thursday, June 25^th, 2020
2 Kings 8:1-9:13
Acts 16:16-40
Psalm 143:1-12
Proverbs 17:26
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Then Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can; for the Lord has called for a famine, and furthermore, it will come upon the land for seven years.” – 2 Kings 8:1

A famine was coming. Some would be caught off guard! But not the Shunammite woman. She was close to Elisha the prophet, who represents the word of God. Because she was close to the word, she knew what was coming in advance!

God will warn you in advance when you stay close to Him! He will turn surprises into sure things. He will tell you what is coming before it happens. Why? So you can show and tell everyone how special you are? No! He tells you so you can prepare.

Wisdom is heeding the warning of God and preparing accordingly. Foolishness is hearing the warning of God but doing nothing with it. When God speaks, are you acting on His word?

Prayer:

Father, I am going to act on Your word! I pray that You would speak to me; and as You do, give me the strength and fortitude to respond with preparation and purpose, in Jesus’ name!

Day 175: He Kept You Available

The Daily Word: Wednesday, June 24^th, 2020
2 Kings 6:1-7:20
Acts 15:36-16:15
Psalm 142:1-7
Proverbs 17:24-25|
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. – Acts 16:10

Timothy, Paul and Silas were on a hot streak. Everywhere they went, people gave their lives to Jesus. They saw signs, miracles and wonders! The strengthened the churches they visited, which, “…increased in number daily” (Acts 16:5).

But then the Lord seemed to shut them down. They were, “…forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia” (v. 6). They, “…tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them” (v. 7). Why would God deliberately prevent these men from going into Asia and Bithynia (modern-day Turkey) and preaching the Gospel?

Because He needed them available to go somewhere else:

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” – Acts 16:9

What you think is a closed door was actually God keeping you available. He may not have given you the job, the relationship, or the open door you thought you wanted! But He was really keeping you available for something better.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for keeping me available! I refuse to see a closed door as a missed opportunity; instead I choose to see it as a necessary redirection! I pray You would close any door I’m not supposed to walk through, and swing wide open any door through which I’m supposed to pass, in Jesus’ name!

Day 174: Whatever It Takes

The Daily Word: Tuesday, June 23^rd, 2020
2 Kings 4:18-5:27
Acts 15:1-35
Psalm 141:1-10
Proverbs 17:23
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. – 2 Kings 4:34

Read this passage and think about how strange this scene was. Here is Elisha, the prophet of God who had received the “double portion” (2 Kings 2:9) of Elijah’s anointing. A Shunammite woman’s son had just died suddenly, and Elisha was about to raise him back to life. But how he did it was so strange! He “lay on the child.” He “put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands!” Think about the absolute uproar something like this would cause in 2020 if a prophet “lay on” a dead child!

But Elisha was willing to do whatever it took to heal the boy. And we see why as Elisha arrives on the scene in verse 33:

He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord. – 2 Kings 4:33

Elisha arrived to find the dead child. He didn’t know what to do! So he prayed. And God told him. God told him to, “…lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands” (v. 34)! Elisha didn’t worry about what other people would think! He just did what God asked him to do. And the boy came back to life.

God wants to heal people through you. He wants to bring dead souls back to life. Will you practice radical obedience to see it happen? Will you do whatever it takes, no matter what anyone else thinks?

Prayer:

Father, make me radically obedient. Whatever You ask me to do, I want to do! I’m asking that You put Your miracle-working power on display in and through me, in Jesus’ name.

Day 173: Get Ready to Dig

The Daily Word: Monday, June 22^nd, 2020
2 Kings 3:1-4:17
Acts 14:8-28
Psalm 140:1-13
Proverbs 17:22
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Make this valley full of ditches.’” – 2 Kings 3:16

The kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom marched to battle against the Lord’s enemies. But the march took much longer than they expected. They marched in the wilderness for, “…seven days, and there was no water for the army” (2 Kings 3:9). They were tired and thirsty: far from ready for battle as they knew they should be! So they sought the Lord, and asked Him what to do. And here is what He told them:

“For thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.’” – 2 Kings 3:17

God would provide the water! But the soldiers of Israel and her allies had to dig. God will provide for you. He is the God of provision! But your partnership will be required. You will have to put in effort. You will have to get a shovel and start to dig where He tells you to break ground! Whatever He says, go out and do: and He will meet you with provision in that place of obedient service.

Prayer:

Father, I am ready to dig. Whatever You want me to do: tell me. I am ready to do Your will, in Jesus’ name.

Day 172: Who’s Commanding Whom?

The Daily Word: Sunday, June 21^st, 2020
2 Kings 1:1-2:25
Acts 13:42-14:7
Psalm 139:1-24
Proverbs 17:19-21
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. So he went up to him; and there he was, sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him: “Man of God, the king has said, ‘Come down!’ ” – 2 Kings 1:9

Ahaziah was the king of Israel! The power quickly went to his head: so much so that he thought he could control God. He thought he could tell God what to do! Ahaziah sent for Elijah the prophet, who was God’s representative on the earth. He commanded him to, “Come down!”

But God quickly demonstrated that He will not be bossed around:

So Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. – 2 Kings 1:10

We don’t get to command God. We don’t get to tell Him what to do! It is God who commands us. We are His servants, and He is our God. He does not exist to be at your beck and call. But we exist to do His will, with joy in our hearts. He gave us breath! So what right do we have to do anything but repay Him?

Prayer:

Father, help me to always remember who is in charge. I serve You! Never the other way around. Whatever You want me to do: tell me and I will do it, with joy in my heart!

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