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| For Friday, May 9 |
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| SCRIPTURE READING: 1 John 3:21-24 |
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| KEY VERSE: I write these things . . . so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13).
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| The Question of Assurance, I |
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When we realize our place as God's children, it is odd that we fuss so much about issues of assurance. Our culture teaches us to be suspicious, to assume something isn't real until we have proof enough to believe it. But is that the way we should live our spiritual lives?
John doesn't think so. He assumes that we are confident in God's love unless our hearts are telling us that we shouldn't be. If we are living with God and obeying Him, then assurance is our starting point, not something we have to work hard to achieve. Our obedience is that sign that God's Spirit-literally God's "breath"-is breathing in us.
If we think about it, this is how children operate. They don't need parents to "prove" their love all the time; they don't usually think about it unless there is a problem. Our assurance before God is the same. We aren't always aware of it, but then we aren't always conscious of our breathing either, nor do we keep checking our pulse to see if we are alive. God promises to let us know if there is a problem. Yet, we find that so often difficult to believe.
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| -Timothy J. Crutcher |
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| SING TO THE LORD |
O for a faith that will not shrink,
Tho' pressed by every foe,
That will not tremble on the brink
Of any early woe.
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| "O for a Faith That Will Not Shrink" by William H. Bathurst |
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| REACH OUT IN PRAYER |
| Developing Christian leaders in Thailand. |
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| THOUGHT FOR THE DAY |
| He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6b). |
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| THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR |
| Psalms 85-87 |
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All Scripture quotations not otherwise designated are from the Holy Bible, New International Version® (NIV®). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
All hymn texts are taken from the hymnal Sing to the Lord. Copyright © 1993 by Lillenas Publishing Company.
Copyright © 2008 by WordAction Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Http://www.WordAction.com |
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