Matthew 7:1 says, �Judge not, that you be not judged.� That�s how it reads in the ESV of God�s word. In The Message, which is the Eugene Petterson paraphrase, it reads like this, �Don�t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults�unless, of course, you want the same treatment.�
I love to read �My Utmost For His Highest, a devotional book by Oswald Chambers, compiled by his wife after his death and in continuous print since 1935. As I sat reading it a few years ago, the message for the day was about being critical of others. He wrote, �The average Christian is one of the most piercingly critical individuals known.� He went on to say, �Criticism serves to make you harsh, vindictive, and cruel, and leaves you with the soothing and flattering idea that you are somehow superior to others.� My Utmost For His Highest June 17th
When I read those words I cried and cried. My conscious was pricked by those stinging words and it hurt a lot. At that time I was being especially critical and judgmental towards certain people in my life and God used those famously penned words to bring rebuke, correction, conviction, confession, repentance and change – change that is in constant ebb and flow as I grow in the knowledge of Him.
Please don�t think this task was by any means easy, because it wasn�t and isn�t. If I don�t draw near and press in to God, my natural bent is toward being critical of myself and others. As a Christian, this simply will not do.
Jesus� words to the people ready to stone the woman caught in adultery are words that come often to my mind in the midst of being critical. �He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.� John 8:7. While I pursue blameless living I am far from sinless. Who am I to look at the faults and failures of others and be critical? �Search me O God and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.� Psalms 139:23-24

My Challenge For You:
If you find you can relate in anyway to what I�ve shared today, go to God now, confess and allow His spirit to transform your heart in this area. You�ll be so glad you did!

Stephanie

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?But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.? Romans 7:23

I think we do what we do because, at the moment, it is what we really want to do.

We are all pretty busy, some more than others. Isn?t it odd that when we get a call to go to a meeting at church but we?re just too busy, but when a friend calls for lunch we seem to be able to squeeze out time to do that. The reality is, we don?t want to do the church meeting but we do want to spend time with our friend.

We do what we do because, at the moment, it is what we really want to do.

In one of our couples meetings last year, I was sharing with the couples that our words indicate what we really believe in our hearts. One of the men vehemently opposed that saying he has said terrible things to his wife, he didn?t really mean. I disagreed with him saying that at that moment, you certainly did mean it. Maybe he didn?t believe it in his calmer moments but in his fit of anger, I believe he said exactly what he meant.

We do what we do because, at the moment, it is what we really want to do.

Let?s hit a little closer to home. How about healthy eating. We say we want to eat healthy, but when it comes down to making a choice at lunch what do we choose? Do we choose the healthy option or not?

We do what we do because, at the moment, it is what we really want to do.

What is your life demonstrating you really want to do? In what areas of your life are you living out the ?cuz I wanna? attitude?

Diane

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Sometimes we confuse Bible knowledge with spiritual maturity. We think by knowing more about the Bible, it automatically makes us better Christians. You can read and read, even memorize, verse after verse, but until you apply it to your life, you are not growing spiritually as God wants you to.
For instance, the verse Isaiah 26:3 tells us we can have perfect peace. We read it, but do we believe it? Can we experience inner peace just by reading about it? No! The trust has to be here, the willingness to believe God will take care of your worries and problems and give peace for them.
We can also look at other verses such as 1 Peter 5:7 and Matthew 11:28 or Philippians 4:6-7. These are cross-references for Isaiah 26:3. We need to study them, yes, but we have to apply His Words to our hearts.
Remember in English class when we looked for �who, what, where, and why�?
Isaiah 26:3. �Who� (to whom) does God give peace? = you and me
�What� does He give? = perfect peace
�Where� does He give peace? = in our mind; making it steadfast
�Why� = because He loves us
I have to admit � at times I am a worrier. God has spoken to my heart at those times. I do read and study; I have memorized many verses over my seventy-two years and I will continue to do this, but I am making a real effort to apply His words more and to mature spiritually. I need to give complete trust to Him in regards to concerns and worries in my life.
I hope you will do this too.

Dottie

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The word hope is most often used as a verb ~ �I hope today will be a nice day.� �We hope to go on vacation next week.� �I hope you are feeling better.� �We hope the weather will be good for the picnic.� But �hope� is also a noun. The dictionary definition is �a feeling that what is wanted will happen; desire accompanied by anticipation or expectation�.
Proverbs 13:12 states, �Hope deferred makes the heart sick�� Perhaps you have often experienced the hope that situations could and would change, the hope that circumstances in your life would be different, only to have that hope dashed and destroyed again and again. You can fill in the details of your experiences. For each one of us there have been different challenges and discouragements along the way. But the second part of that proverb is an encouragement to not give up, �but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.� That Hope brings joy to my heart and a smile to my face. God is faithful to bring about His purposes for my life!
As we look at Lamentations 3:25, 26, we read, �The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD�. He is the only one who has the ability to fulfill our deep longings. Why? The answer is in verses 22, 23, �Because of the LORD�S great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.� We can claim verse 24 for ourselves, �I say to myself, �The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.�
May you experience God�s faithfulness today as you trust Him and wait upon Him, no matter what the circumstances are in your life. And may you move from �I hope� (v.), to �My hope (n.) is in the LORD�.
My challenge and encouragement to you today is to memorize Romans 15:13, �May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.�

djm

Did you cringe at that title? Being corrected or called to accountability has got to be one of the most difficult things we as humans face. I will be first (well maybe) to admit that I do not like to be corrected, called on the carpet for my behavior or confronted about my attitudes. Yes, I give you all permission to tell my husband I admitted this to be true.

As humans we are naturally self-protecting and our pride really gets in the way of our being able to honestly look at the errors of our ways. It�s one thing to have God tap me on the shoulder, but to have another human do it � UGH!!

What I do know it that scripture tells us to confront one another, hold each other accountable and to accept correction as from God. It is then that we can grow and become the persons or women God really desires for us to be. Not only that but it may keep others from growing if they continually watch our wrong behaviors and attitudes. Proverbs 10:17 states that �He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.� Have you ever thought of it that way � you are not just keeping yourself from fully experiencing God, but others too. Let�s keep that thought going…Proverbs 13:18 �He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.� Proverbs 15: 31-32 �He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.�

Do you see that heeding correction brings life, understanding, wisdom and honor? On the other hand ignoring correction brings self-loathing, poverty, and shame. So which of those attributes do you desire in your life? Me… I�ll take the first set that gives life. There is still another side to look at ~ not just will you accept rebuke, but do you care enough about others to gently rebuke them? Yes, the word is gently and with lots of love. This means to those you love and know � don�t try this out on strangers. Well, that�s the subject for a totally different devotion.

LDJ

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Of all the songs I love to sing, this is one �if not the one- which I love the most. Think about it. �Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I am found, was blind but now I see.� Everyone today, who believes Christ and receives Him as Lord and Savior, was once lost and blind, but now found and able to see.
It was many years after I first learned this song, before I began to get a hint of its history. A few more years would pass before I read the whole story of the author�s salvation. And a few more years before I discovered that his true conversion didn�t take place until a few years after he received Christ. Believe me I was totally shocked by this revelation. As an American of African/Native American (?) decent, it suddenly felt weird to sing a song written by a professing Christian who�s livelihood was the buying and selling of human beings; people who looked just like me I was shocked, outraged, confused. What did this mean? How could this man call himself a Christian and then do such a horrible thing. (Have you every heard or seen something and had that thought come to your mind? If it wasn�t so serious, it would almost be laughable.)
Anyway, I smile to myself here and now at the goodness of our faithful, faithful, faithful God. One glimpse at the Cross of Christ and one long, long look at myself very quickly exposed me in all my ugliness, to myself. And I am a Christian!! Yes a Christian, who, like John Newton is in the process, process, process, of transforming change. I can no more harshly judge him now than I could judge my own heart, were it laid bear before a Holy Righteous God.
Sure, if I were to compare me to him, I might be strongly tempted to say, �Well, at least I never did something as horrible as selling slaves.� But, if I set as my standard of righteousness, as God�s own righteousness then I don�t look so good, even to myself.
So, I conclude with this. Amazing Grace, how sweet this sound, this fact, that saved a sinful wretch like me. I once was lost, but now, I am found. I was blind, but now I see.
God�s grace is amazing! And were it not for His grace, oh dear one�s what wretches we would all surely be.

My Challenge to You Today:
Pause and ponder the goodness and the grace, the unmerited favor of God. And then bow down and worship, He who is the God of Your salvation!

Stephanie

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Our vacation this year was at the beach of South Carolina. It was a first for us down there, having each son, his wife and two or three of our grandchildren join us. Every four days we shared our vacation time with a new family. For us, this was the greatest joy for a parent to have. We are a close family and I thank God for this. Although we have had many trials and a lot of illnesses God has kept us all together in love and care. In Matthew 7:9-11 Christ speaks of our gifts to our children. I love how He uses the examples of contrast: if our son asks for bread would we say, �Here is a stone�? or if he asks for a fish would we give him a serpent? Of course we wouldn�t: we love him! Jesus adds, �How much more will your Father who is in heaven give you good things to those who ask�. He is my heavenly Father, and I am His child, because I asked Him into my heart and life at the age of nine (John 1:12). My earthly father is no longer here, but my heavenly Father remains with me forever, giving me eternal life.
As I sat on the beach, I watched my children and their children enjoying the waves with my husband. Most of my time is spent sitting on a beach chair due to a muscle disease. However, I enjoyed the whole day! I get special treatments such as buckets of water for my feet, an umbrella to keep me in the shade and just �being there� with them brings joy.
One day God sent me a little visitor while I sat there all alone. A sea gull came up to me, right next to my chair, with just one good leg and only part of the other. He hopped up close by and tears came to my eyes. I began to feed him crumbs from my bread; I even talked to him � he didn�t fly away! You probably can figure out what happened as other sea gulls flew down. The little bird with his crippled leg was able to fly away without help.
I felt God was speaking to my own heart as I realized that one day I too will not need my wheelchair or special help to walk. I�ll be taken by God to heaven � I�ll somehow �fly away� to heaven! What joy!

Come. Fly with me!

Dottie

�So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger�� Deuteronomy 8:3

Remember our statement about discontentment: it is having what we do not want or wanting what we do not have.
I love Deuteronomy 8. It is so rich with history, truth, reminders and challenges. I specifically selected our verse today because it beautifully illustrates how God creates needs in our lives. In our verse, we see that God humbled the Israelites and ALLOWED them to hunger. Let that sink in a minute. He actually allowed them to hunger. Why? I believe he created that need in their lives so that they would trust Him to fulfill it. God does not create a need in our life that He is not already the answer to.
The problem is that when we have an area of lack or want in our life we tend to look for every possible solution other than God. We grumble and complain. We run hither and yon looking for someone or something to fill the void.
Discontentment can arise between the time God creates the need in our life, and the time we go to Him to fill it. Too often when we are discontent we lack joy in our lives. Discontentment can cause our joy to drain away.
Do you realize we can be content in the most difficult of circumstances? We can have joy in the midst of trial? �My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.� (James 1:2-4).
Let me close with the remainder of our days verse from Deuteronomy 8:3-5, �So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. You shall know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you.�

What is God allowing in your life today that He wants to be the answer to?

Diane

Luke 12:15, �And He said to them, �Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one�s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.��

One of the underlying problems women (and men) experience is discontentment. The old adage, �The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence� seems to play out daily in our homes, jobs, relationships and churches. I don�t think it is a desire for material things necessarily, although sometimes it is just that. I know of women who frequently complain about the size or condition of their home.
From my experience within the church and within the counseling office, the greater areas of discontentment with women are related to relationships, children who are not as obedient as we want, a boss that doesn�t appreciate our ability, a husband that isn�t as affectionate as we�d like, elderly parents that are becoming a �burden�, etc. According to the dictionary discontentment is �a sense of grievance: dissatisfaction; restless aspiration for improvement.�
Where does discontentment come from? Here are just a few thoughts � unmet longings (not having what we want); having what we don�t want (i.e. cancer); unmet expectations; our upbringing; our view of life; having the wrong focus; and change. I am sure there are other roots but this gives you and idea.
Ultimately, discontentment comes from our heart. It is having what we don�t want or wanting what we don�t have. It is a form of idolatry. Discontentment is taking a desire and elevating it to a need. For example, I would like to have cleaning lady every week, but I can�t. If I start to complain about how overworked I am, how messy the house looks, the lack of help, etc. I am communicating through my actions and attitudes that I NEED a cleaning lady every week to be happy or content. I know it is a silly example, but take the principle and apply it to your job, your home, your marriage, your children, your siblings, etc. The list can go on and on. We can make anything a need in our own minds. When that need goes unmet, we are discontent.

My challenge for you today is to ask the Lord if there are any areas of your life in which you are either experiencing or exhibiting discontentment.

Diane

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Lately I’ve had a few reasons to reflect on this old saying. First my
husband has spent the last month going weekly to the doctor to have these
growths removed from his head, which he has allowed to grow over the course
of several years. He’s almost done, but I can tell you next time he finds
one growing he will go in immediately and have it taken care of – it will
avoid almost 30 stitches. Then Katrina struck and the levy’s broke. We
all know the story – if only we had fixed the levies before the hurricane it
would have saved lots of lives and money in rebuilding. I can’t help but
believe that each of you can also think of times that if you had dealt with
something immediately it would have meant less fuss and hassle in the long
run.

It’s the same in our spiritual lives – we can let things slack off and
before you know it we are far from where we want to be or could be. We all
know the verse about making sure we don’t go to bed angry. That’s because
if we don’t deal with issues or sins in our lives when they are in the early
stages they grow big, ugly and get all distorted.

Are there small sins in your life you are ignoring just hoping they will go
away? Is there conflict you think you can keep buried? Do you need to do
some spiritual repair work on your life so that when the floods come you
won’t be overtaken? I see so many people with torn apart lives because they
put off dealing with small sins or habits. Don’t be like that. Have a talk
with God – start the repairs now then keep up with the preventive
maintenance.

LDJ