June 21

2 Kings 1:1-2:25, Acts 13:42-14:7, Psalm 139:1-24, Proverbs 17:19-21



Pray: “...you know everything about me...you know everything I do.” The Psalmist wrote this from a comforting perspective, but if we’re honest, the thought can be quite startling. God knows “everything” about us? God knows “everything” we do? It ought to be comforting, but can’t when we have sin and disobedience as our normal everyday living. What do you need to purge from your life? What changes do you need to make? He already knows. Confess it in your prayer time, seek His forgiveness, receive His grace. THEN, be comforted that God knows everything about you.

Read: The Prophet Elisha’s first miracle was to purify water that would give life to an entire town of people. He did it by pouring salt into the spring. In the New Testament, Christians are called to be salt and light. If ever there was a time for Christians to stand up and bring forth new life in our towns, our state, our country, and the world, it’s now. It was a miracle that the water was purified. How much more of a miracle if Christians everywhere began to get involved and rid communities of darkness...leading people to Christ...proclaiming the name of Jesus! A little salt goes a long way.

Edify: There will always be naysayers. Every silver lining has a cloud. If you’re not successful, you must be lazy. If you are successful, you’re greedy and probably cheated to get what you have. We humans are an interesting part of God’s great creation. It’s not just in “the world,” but it also invades the Church. Paul and Barnabas experienced it. As people were being saved and the Church was growing, the already-religious people became jealous. They started spreading lies and rumors. It became so intense that they even decided to kill Paul and Barnabas, simply because they were telling people about the grace of God. Know this: if you’re standing strong for the Christian faith, there will be naysayers. People won’t understand, and they may even engage in anti-Christian tactics. Nevertheless, stand firm and be obedient to the Lord. Paul and Barnabas shook the dust from their sandals, but as they went to the next location, they preached boldly still. If you’ll follow their example, you’re in quite good company.

Practice: Elisha surely was persistent! Multiple times, Elijah told him to wait while Elijah went to another place. Over and over again, he refused to leave Elijah’s side. The end result? He received the spirit of Elijah and became a prophet of God who could perform miracles. What is holding you and I back? What discouragement or obstacle will we allow to keep us from receiving the blessings of the Lord? Be an Elisha! Keep going! Keep asking! Keep seeking!