Wednesday April 20, 2022

Wednesday – April 20th – Hebrews 12:10-11     -----    

12:10   For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.
11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
 
The Daily Walk Bible inspirational thought for today:
     WEALTH IN ITSELF IS NEUTRAL. WHAT WE DO WITH IT IS NOT.*
 
    Welcome to Wednesday! Yes, it is once again the mid-point in our work week and a great time to catch our breath as we prepare for the second half of the week. With the joy of the empty tomb still fresh in our hearts and minds I hope you have continued to share the love and grace God has extended to each of us as an undeserved gift. Our inspirational thought for today is filled with great wisdom. The thought comes from 2 Chronicles as King Solomon undertakes the building of the temple in Jerusalem. As 1 Chronicles ended it listed the supplies that had been gathered for the temple project. Included in that listing was the personal contributions of King David. As he was living out his final days David used his wealth, not for his own benefit, but as a way to glorify God in thanksgiving for all God had done in and through him. In addition to his contributions – by the way the amount of gold he gave to the project at today’s gold price was just south of 12 billion dollars – David encouraged the leaders and court officials to also express their thanksgiving through generosity, and scripture states they all gave willingly, freely, and joyfully. What a great use of the wealth God had blessed them with. My prayer is that all who come behind us find us just as faithful.
 
    In our pick verses today, we conclude the authors sub-section on lifting up Jesus as our perfect example of endurance in the face of trials. With Holy Week fresh in our minds, we can easily reflect on Jesus’ willingness to endure pain and suffering, beatings and humiliation, betrayal and denial as the perfect example of intentional endurance. Jesus’ experiences during the last 48 hours of his earthly existence proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that God’s love for us is real and unconditional. When we attempt to practice Jesus inspired endurance in our lives, we will display evidence of the fruit of righteousness that only comes from the Holy Spirit. While we may not welcome challenges in our lives, the end result is that we can choose to allow ourselves to be brought closer to God and be a better witness to others who may experience similar challenges in their lives.

Blessings
  Pastor Jim
Thursday – April 21st – Hebrews 12:12-13
 
*Tyndale. The Daily Walk Bible NLT (Daily Walk: Full Size) (Kindle Locations 22210-22211). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

No Comments