John 14:9-17

 He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.–Isaiah 53:7

In 1602, Italian artist Caravaggio produced a painting called The Taking of Christ. This work, an early example of the Baroque style,is compelling. Created in dark hues, it allows the viewer to contemplate Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. Two main elements of the scene depicted in the painting demand the observer’s attention. The first is Judas as he delivers the traitor’s kiss. Immediately, however, the viewer’s focus is drawn toward Jesus’ hands, which are passively clasped together to show that He offered no resistance to this injustice. Although He possessed the power to create a universe, Christ gave himself up voluntarily to His captors and to the waiting cross.

Long before this scene took place, Jesus told His listeners that no one could take His life from Him—He would lay it down willingly (John 10:18). This heart of voluntary surrender was prophesied by Isaiah, who wroe, “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth” (Isa. 53:7).

Christ’s lamblike self-sacrifice is a grand indicator of His powerful love, “Greater love has no one than this,” He explained, “than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). Think of it. Jesus loved you that much! — Bill Crowder

Love sent the Savior to die in my stead.

Why should He love me so?

Meekly to Calvary’s cross He was led.

Why should He love me so? — Harkenss

Ephesians 4:17-32

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification.—Eph. 4:29

Pollution takes many forms, but one type is often overlooked: “verbal pollution”, passed around by grumblers, complainers, and criticizers.  Charles Swindoll writes, “The poison of pessimism creates an atmosphere of whlesale negativism where nothing but the bad side of everyhing is emphasized.”

In Ephesians 4, Paul called believers to decisive action. He said we are to “put off” the old self and its conduct that grieves the Holy Spirit (vv. 22,30) and “put on” the new self that builds up others (v.24).  As we rely on the help of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16), we can make those changes in our conduct, our thinking, and our speaking.

If we want to be rid of verbal pollution, we must choose to change and ask for God’s help.  It’s a great way to start cleaning up our spiritual environment. — Joanie Yoder

What!  Never speak one evil word,

 Or rash, or idle, or unkind!

 O how shall I, most gracious Lord,

 This mark of true perfection find? — Wesley

Acts 15:1-11, 19-21

As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby. — 1 Peter 2:2

The word pure means "unadulterated" or "uncontaminated."

The Lord has given man His Word,
His will He has made known;
Let man not try to change that Word
With words that are his own

by Charles Stanley

In Revelation, Jesus addressed the complacent church at Laodicea, saying, “I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me” (3:20). Sometimes, His knocking is a light tapping in our spirit. But other times, when we are inattentive, He may use a pounding fist of adversity to turn our focus to Him.

That’s exactly what happened to Saul of Tarsus as he traveled to Damascus, where he intended to bring great persecution upon the Christians in that city. Scripture tells us that Saul was “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1). It seemed that his cruel mission nearly consumed him.

But God got Saul’s attention in a way he never expected. The Lord sent him crashing to the ground with a blazing light and told him to wait in the city for instructions. Upon opening his eyes, Saul found himself blind and had to ask others to lead him by hand into the city.

The “persecutor of the church” (Phil 3:6) definitely received a wake-up call from the Lord that day. In one stunning moment, God gained Saul’s undivided attention, striking him with the adversity of blindness and humbling him in front of his traveling companions.

Saul felt more than ready to listen when the Lord asked, “Why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). Up to that point, he had no idea he was dishonoring God. In fact, he thought he was serving the Lord by ridding the world of Christians. A period of intense adversity resulted in a complete turnaround—within a matter of days, he was proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues (v. 20).

The Lord got Saul’s full attention on the Damascus Road. He used temporary blindness and humiliation to transform Saul, the zealous Pharisee, into Paul, the powerful apostle and missionary who would spread the gospel and plant churches across the Roman world.

God knew exactly what He was doing when He saved Paul. And He knows what He is doing in your life through the affliction you are facing. Never delay in responding to His call. When He allows difficulties in your life, seek Him, give Him your full attention, respond to His commands quickly and humbly, and listen for what He has to say to you.

As Paul later wrote, “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Cor. 7:10). God allows adversity into our life to turn our attention to Him. And while it can be painful to endure, it leads us into a deeper relationship with Him and saves us from future destruction.

If you hear the Lord “pounding” through adversity in your life, respond quickly by opening the door to Him. Here are some steps to take:

Admit the sin. Repent of your wrongdoing to God. Remember that our society is quick to accept some sinful behaviors as normal, but the Bible presents a clear picture of what is iniquity and what isn’t. If you have any doubt about whether you have violated God’s instructions, consult Word and He will show you. When you confess to God that you have sinned, don’t try to justify what you did. Simply state your transgression. Then ask Him to forgive you.

Make amends. While we must be sure we don’t try to substitute works for genuine repentance, a heart that has truly been changed by Christ will want to live according to His will. Make it a habit to read Scripture and apply it to your life. You many need to seek godly counsel or professional help if certain sins have a stronghold in your life. Ask God for wisdom and the will to follow His commandments.

Accept forgiveness. If you have repented of your sins, you can be assured that the Lord has forgiven you. That is a divine promise (1 John 1:9)—and God always keeps His Word.

We can avoid a lot of pain and suffering by keeping our focus on the Lord. This way, God does not have to resort to extremes. He doesn’t enjoy bringing us to the point of despair in order to get our attention, but He will do what is necessary to turn our hearts to Him. However, if we seek Him daily through prayer and Scripture, we will be more likely to hear His light tapping—and ready to open the door when He calls.

Copyright 2011 In Touch Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. www.intouch.org.

Those who are aware of the Lord’s presence during their daily activities enjoy the peace of knowing that He is always in control and working to accomplish His good purposes. Every day’s experiences with Him teach them to know and love Him more.

If our ears are open to the Lord’s warnings and instructions, we won’t repeat the same mistakes again and again. But those who are deaf to His voice will continue in unhealthy thought patterns, negative emotions, and foolish responses.

Each night before you go to sleep, take some time to reflect on the day’s activities. The Lord is constantly with you, guarding and guiding your way.  He wants you to see Him in everything and understand life from His perspective as you rely on His wisdom and power to face any challenge.

excerpt from In Touch magazine, April 2011, pg 34

In weighing our sins let us not use a deceitful balance, weighing at our own discretion what we will, and how we will, calling this heavy and that light:  but let us use the divine balance of the holy Scriptures, as taken from the treasury of the Lord, and by it weigh every offence, nay, not weigh, but rather recognize what has been already weighed by the Lord.–Augustine of Hippo

Sin is not weakness, it is a disease; it is red-handed rebellion against God and the magnitude of that rebellion is expressed by Calvary’s cross.—Oswald Chambers

We have a strange illusion that mere time cancels sin. . .But mere time does nothing either to the fact or to the guilt of sin.  The guilt is washed out not by time but by repentance and the blood of Christ.—C.S. Lewis

Looking at the wound of sin will never save anyone.  What you must do is look at the remedy.—D.L. Moody

By nature I was too blind to know Him, too proud to trust Him, too obstinate to serve Him, too base-minded to love Him.—John Newton

Any time we attempt to meet our own needs or accomplish anything without God, we sin and set ourselves up for failure.—Charles F. Stanley

1 Timothy 6:11-16

But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness–1 Timothy 6:11

Spiritual inactivity corrodes the soul like moisture acting on metal.  Paul urged Timothy, his young protege, to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness” (1 Tim. 6:11).  This command had no expiration date attached to it.  The spiritual disciplines require continued attention throughout our lives.  If rest becomes our goal, then rust is right behind.

Oswald Chambers said:  “The intellect works with the greatest intensity when it works continuously; the more you do, the more you can do.  We must work hard to keep in trim for God.  Clean off the rust and keep bright by use.”

Our capabilities may vary with age, but pursuing the righteous life to which God has called us should never end.  Don’t rust out!

–David McCasland

Psalm 131

Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother.—Ps. 131.2

Our heart is the place where God meets and relates to us personally.  It’s where He allows us to respond to His correction.  Spending time in His Word and in prayer opens the door for Him to interact with us at the deepest levels of our need and gives Him opportunities to comfort and convict.  As we open our hearts to Him, He fans the flame of an intimate, life-changing relationship.

Authentic Christianity is the inside-out expression of this dynamic relationship with Jesus that provides the strength to live for His glory—regardless of what is happpening on the outside!–Joe Stowell

Speak, O blessed Master,

In this quiet hour;

Let me see Thy face, Lord,

Feel Thy touch of power.–Grimes