July 5

1 Chronicles 1:1-2:17, Acts 23:11-35, Psalm 3:1-8, Proverbs 18:14-15



Pray: John Wesley wrote, “God does nothing but in answer to prayer.” The scripture declares in Revelation that God received our prayers in a gold bowl in heaven. So, let us give God our prayers with an expectant heart that the Lord wants to attend to each and every need.

Read: First Chronicles allows us to understand God’s redemptive plan through some of the greatest rascals in the Bible. From Judah down to Jesse’s son David, we find that the Lord has worked through some questionable leaders to empower the salvific work of God. This is good news for you and me.

Edify: The Apostle Paul is encouraged by the Lord that God is calling him to share the Gospel message to the Romans. Then Paul gets word that a group of committed Jews have vowed not to eat or drink until Paul is dead. Many people will sound spiritual, and give us the impression that they are following the will of God only to find out later that they have been impersonating faithfulness. Their shadow mission is their own idea of what is right and worth dying for. They are double-minded people who seek to please an idea of faith rather than the living God of Jesus Christ.

Practice: We all miss the mark and fall short. Our goal is faithfulness. We often want God’s favor but we fail to realize that God wants our faithfulness first, then He can grant us His favor. What would faithfulness look like for you today?