Daily Devotional

[Ronnie W. Stark]

What You Need to Keep Things Real
By Rick Warren — 05/20/2023

“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.”

Psalm 119:9 (NIV)

Cultures around the world are absolutely obsessed with appearance and image. They’re scooting by, they’re skimming, and they’re cheating. They’re not keeping their promises. They’re pretending to be someone they’re not. They don’t have integrity. In other words, they’re hypocrites.

In ancient Greek culture, actors were referred to as hupokrites because they pretended to be someone else. It’s where we get the word “hypocrite.”

When you act one way with one group of people and another way with another group of people, you’re being a modern-day hupokrites. You’re showing a lack of authenticity—a lack of integrity. But God wants you to be exactly who he made you to be, no matter who is watching.

So how do you—as a follower of Jesus—keep it real when so many people are faking it?

There’s only one way. You’ve got to care more about God’s approval than the approval of other people. That’s the only way you’ll ever become a person of integrity.

If you care about what God thinks, you’re going to do the right thing. But if you care more about what other people think, you’re often going to do the wrong thing.

Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word” (NIV).

The only way to know what God approves of and what he thinks of you is by reading the Bible. You must stay in God’s Word! If you don’t, you will not have the strength and the stamina to live with integrity.

If I don’t have a daily quiet time with God, if I miss it for even a few days, I notice it—and everyone else notices it—because I start getting cranky. If I didn’t stay connected to God through his Word, I would not have any spiritual power to clearly explain the Word of God to you. I would not have the strength to live with integrity.

Living with integrity takes spiritual power because what is right is often unpopular. On your own, you’ll get tired trying to do the right thing, trying to be real, and trying to keep the right motives—so you need to be equipped and refreshed.

Do you want to live as a person of integrity—someone who is the same no matter where you are or who you’re with? Then commit to spending daily time reading and studying the Bible, God’s Word. It’s the only place you’ll find the spiritual power you need.

Talk It Over

How does reading God’s Word give you strength to live with integrity?
How have you experienced the value of memorizing Scripture?
What are some of God’s promises from the Bible that can encourage you when you need to make the right but unpopular choice?

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Six Ways to Work on Your Integrity
By Rick Warren — 05/21/2023

“We don’t maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don’t twist God’s Word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open.”

2 Corinthians 4:2 (MSG)

Integrity demands that every area of your life be treated with the same intensity. You have the same commitment to excellence in your marriage as you do in your career. You have the same commitment to excellence in ministry as you do in your parenting.

Let me give you six ways you can work this week to become a person of integrity. You become a person of integrity by:

1. Keeping your promises.
People of integrity keep their word. If they say they’ll do it, they do it. If they say they’ll be there, they show up. The Bible says in Proverbs 25:14, “People who promise things that they never give are like clouds and wind that bring no rain” (GNT).

2. Paying your bills.
You may not think this is a big deal, but it’s a big deal to God. Do you spend more money than you make? That is a lack of integrity. Do you get yourself in debt for things that you can’t pay off? That is a lack of integrity. Psalm 37:21 says, “The wicked borrow and never pay back” (GNT).

3. Refusing to gossip.
God is looking for men and women of integrity who know how to keep a secret and not pass it around on social media. Don’t talk about people behind their back. Don’t even listen to that stuff, because a “gossip can’t be trusted with a secret, but someone of integrity won’t violate a confidence” (Proverbs 11:13 MSG).

4. Faithfully tithing.
Wherever you put your money first is what’s most important to you. The Bible says, “Is it right for a person to cheat God? Of course not, yet you are cheating me. ‘How?’ you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings . . . Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple . . . Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things” (Malachi 3:8, 10 GNT).

5. Doing your best at work.
Colossians 3:23 says, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people” (NLT). If you’re a believer, your real boss is God, and whether anybody else sees your work, God does.

6. Being real with others.
A person of integrity doesn’t act one way in church and another way at work and another way on the golf course. “We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don’t maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don’t twist God’s Word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open” (2 Corinthians 4:2 MSG).

Talk It Over

How do you keep from listening to or encouraging gossip?
What promises have you not kept that you need to follow through on for the sake of your integrity?
How would you change the way you act and perform at work if God was sitting in your boss’s office and checking up on your work?

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verse
Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. (Psalm 73:23-24 ESV)

Thoughts
Every so often my husband and I will hire a guide. We might be in an area where that is the requirement of the law, or we might be completely out of our element and recognize without an expert in the field we would be wasting time and money to accomplish our goal. But there have been times with enough research, we have been successful without guides! Sometimes we use a guide to gain an understanding and then go out on our own! Michelle H.

Action Point
We need to recognize that in the spiritual world, our finite minds cannot comprehend all of the workings of God’s plan. We must spend time in the Word and prayer to help us along the way. We must study and focus our minds on Him and He will guide us! Spend time daily asking for guidance and wisdom. Look what it did in the life of Solomon!

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Four Habits to Fortify Your Faith
By Rick Warren — 05/22/2023

“Spend your time and energy in the exercise of keeping spiritually fit.”

1 Timothy 4:7 (TLB)

If you want God to use you, then you need to fortify your faith.

The Bible says in 1 Timothy 4:7, “Spend your time and energy in the exercise of keeping spiritually fit” (TLB).

I wonder how many people wake up thinking, “I get to exercise today!” I certainly don’t. But I do know that we all need both physical and spiritual exercise. I also know this about exercise: I want the most benefit I can get out of every minute I exercise, whether it’s physical or spiritual.

To get the most out of your spiritual exercise, practice these four spiritual habits that will fortify your faith.

Study the Bible. Your Bible study needs to be personal. You can’t depend on somebody else’s study of the Bible to fortify your faith. You have to do it yourself.

The Bible says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT).

God’s Word is the “Get Ready” manual for life. If you want to get ready to be used by God, you’ve got to study the Bible.

Read Christian books. Proverbs 19:8 says, “Do yourself a favor and learn all you can” (GNT). You learn a lot more when you read books that help you grow spiritually.

Write out your testimony. The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:15, “Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have” (NCV). Just like nobody else can study for you, nobody else can tell your story. There are four parts to a testimony: what your life was like before you came to Christ, how you realized you needed Christ in your life, how you committed your life to Christ, and what your life is like now.

Join a small group. “Encourage each other and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT). When it comes to fortifying your faith, few things compare to regular contact with your small group. If you are not in a small group, find people you can share life with and who will support you as you grow in faith.

These four habits will help you stay spiritually fit so that you’re ready for God to use you. Which one will you start practicing today?

Talk It Over

Why do you think the process of writing down your testimony is helpful?
What are some ways you and your small group can help each other grow in faith?
How can you make reading Christian books more engaging and fit it in your schedule?

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verse
Galatians 5:22-23 -- 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Thoughts
As hunters it is imperative that we become familiar with the animals we pursue. There are many ways to do this including watching videos and presentations by experienced hunters. I love the videos made by the Primos company and watch their elk and other hunting videos often. Another source of information I use is to go to the Christian Hunters of America YouTube channel and view the seminars they offer (Elk, turkey, javelina, predators, and others). But, nothing beats getting out in the field and observing the animals themselves. Animal behaviors and habits can vary due to food and water availability, climatic conditions, and the terrain the animals inhabit. Watching the animal where it lives and observing its habits and patterns will give you an edge when hunting season opens. (Cliff S)

Action Point
Many Bible teachers will talk about the characteristics of Jesus, and, for the most part, they are spot on. But, today’s passage struck me recently as a list of Jesus’ characteristics. Note that the “fruits of the Spirit” are listed. But, aren’t the Spirit and Jesus two of the three parts of the Triune God, what Christians know as the Trinity? Yes, they are. So, wouldn’t it be correct to assume that the Spirit and the Son, Jesus, would share the same characteristics? I believe so. And, if these are characteristics of having the Spirit in my life, wouldn’t they also be describing Jesus’ effect on my heart and on my behavior? I think so. So, when we want to know more about Jesus and how He wants us to live, I would suggest that this list is a good place to start.

[Ronnie W. Stark]

How to Live in Light of Eternity
By Rick Warren — 05/23/2023

“For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: he even shares his own glory and his own goodness with us!”

2 Peter 1:3 (TLB)

The vast majority of people pay no attention to eternity. They’re living for the here and now, which is a waste. Everything that’s “here and now” isn’t going to matter in five minutes, much less 50 years—and certainly not for eternity.

If we stretched a rope from California to Tokyo, and that represented all of eternity, your life on Earth would be represented by less than one millimeter.

So how do you live in light of eternity? You live for God’s glory, because he’s going to share his glory with you in heaven.

The Bible says in 2 Peter 1:3, “For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: he even shares his own glory and his own goodness with us!” (TLB).

You don’t get to choose what’s going to happen to you the rest of your life. But you do get to choose how you respond.

You can face the future as a cynic, as a critic, as a pessimist, or as a doubter. You can face the future expecting the worst and experiencing the worst. You can face your future being ungracious to other people, and you can live for your own glory.

Or you can face the future with gratitude, generosity, and graciousness and live for God’s glory.

Which one do you think will make you happier? Which one do you think will make you more successful? Which one do you think will bring a smile to God and rewards in heaven?

Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (ESV).

We were created because God wants a family. He wants to spend eternity with his family. He wants to spend eternity with you and me! Heaven is one of the main reasons you can have joy—God has given us eternal life, and living in heaven with him will be amazing!


Talk It Over

In what ways does God use your time on Earth to prepare you for eternity?
How does being grateful and generous make you happier?
When you expect the worst in life, what does that say about what you believe about God?
You can be certain about eternity

The Bible says you can only get to heaven by trusting in God through his Son, Jesus Christ. You cannot earn your way into heaven: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verse
Matthew 7:11; “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!”

Thoughts
Long ago, as a new baby Christian, I was invited to go fishing with a couple of guys from church. We took a small boat out on a small lake on the Mogollon Rim, in northern Arizona. We were in the boat when the older of us suggested that we pray for success. He stood up and began to pray, taking dominion (the word used in the KJV for rule) over the fish. Imagine how our confidence soared as he closed his prayer and the AZ Game and Fish truck backed down the ramp and dumped a load of stocker trout!
We caught nothing.
Fast forward 50 years. I took my grandson on his first dove and quail hunt. As I drove to his house, I prayed that we would have success. He scored 4 dove and 2 quail and I testified to him that God had answered my prayer. Lonnie B.

Action Point
God’s Word is true and does not change so what was the difference? I have come to believe it is a matter of maturing in our relationship with our Father. Consider, for instance, our individual ability to track game. When I first learned what a deer track looked like I was able to recognize it, in most cases. The learning continued till, during my career as a Deputy Sheriff, I was able to do some, moderately successful, man-tracking. The key word is ‘learning’, or developing a relationship with the outdoors by spending our time, and giving our attention, to our environment. God is so much more than a superior entity out ‘there’. He is our Father and desires (needs?) to have a close, intimate, relationship with us. This kind of relationship requires that we spend time with, and give our attention to, Him.

So, what was the difference? 50 years ago I barely knew Him and had no idea what His dreams and wishes for me were. Today, I have had the glorious experience of learning His Word, and seeing miraculous answers to my prayers. A successful hunt? How about a Father giving good gifts to His children.

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verse
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10 (NIV)

Thoughts
One deer season probably 20 years ago now, I was hunting with my brother-in-law in northern Michigan during bow season. On one particular evening, he shot a doe right before dark, which meant that we would be tracking with lights. There was no snow on the ground - just leaves, so we pulled out a lantern plus a flashlight to help in the process. With every blood spot, one of us would stand there to mark it with a piece of toilet paper, while the other one went ahead looking for more blood. Wherever the deer took us, we would always be able to backtrack our way out by following the white trail of toilet paper.
The problem was that as we flashed our lights, we got a glimmer of the dead deer’s eyes, so we rushed on up to the deer to start gutting it out. The last 75 yards or so, we hiked along without marking the trail, and during the process of gutting the deer out, our lantern died. As we finished up, we relied on the single flashlight we had. It wasn’t until after we were done gutting the deer and ready to drag it out that we looked up to see our trail back. Seventy-five yards doesn’t sound like much, but for the life of us, we couldn’t find that last piece of toilet paper. We flashed the light any and every direction to no avail. We started circling our location, hoping to find a glimmer of white paper hanging in a tree somewhere. To our frustration, we ended up doing this for a couple of hours, and just about as we were getting ready to build a fire and set up for the night, we discovered a flash of white fluttering in the breeze. Dave M.

Action Point
Plain and simple, we got lost. We thought we knew what we were doing. We had a plan, and we even executed the plan for 95% of our tracking time. The darkness closed in around us, and we couldn’t find our way out. I can’t tell you how frustrated we were and how foolish we felt, and the coyotes howling in the distance didn’t help with the ambiance at all! But here’s what I know - I gained a huge appreciation for being saved. And I think it’s good for us all to remember that we were all lost at one time. The only reason we don’t have to experience the anxiety associated with being lost is because Christ reached into each of our lives and saved us. We need to approach each day with a thankful heart because of this, and we also need to recognize that we need to pray diligently for the Lord to do the same with people in our lives who we know are lost. May they too experience the overwhelming peace of being found.

[Ronnie W. Stark]

How to Be Like Jesus in Conflict
By Rick Warren — 05/25/2023

“Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”

Philippians 2:4-5 (NLT)

When you meet someone to resolve a conflict, you first have to confess your part of the problem. Then you need to listen for the other person’s hurt and perspective.

In every conflict—from our personal relationships to politics—we think we argue over ideas. But we actually argue over emotion. Anytime there’s a conflict, someone’s feelings were hurt; somebody felt abused or slighted. It’s not the idea that causes the conflict. It’s the emotion behind the idea.

Hurt people hurt people. The more someone is experiencing hurt, the more likely they are to lash out at everyone else. People who aren’t experiencing hurt don’t hurt others. People who are filled with love are loving toward others. People who are filled with joy are joyful toward others. People who are filled with peace are at peace with everybody else. But people who are filled with hurt are going to hurt others. They’re going to lash out.

If you want to connect with people, you must start with their hurts, their needs, and their interests. If you want to be a good salesperson, you don’t start with your product. You start with your customer’s hurts, needs, and interests. If you want to be a good professor or pastor or anything else, you start with people’s needs, hurts, and interests.

Philippians 2:4-5 says, “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (NLT).

In times of conflict, are you often so busy trying to get others to see your position that you don’t listen to theirs? When each person is just speaking and not listening, you move further and further away from each other emotionally.

Instead, you need to intentionally switch your focus from your needs to their needs. Conflict resolution starts with the way you look at the situation. The word “look” in Philippians 2:4 is the Greek word scopos. It’s where we get our words “microscope” and “telescope.”

Scopos means “to focus.” The passage goes on to say that you should have the same attitude Jesus had. And you are most like Jesus when you’re focusing on the hurts of somebody else rather than your own.

There’s an old proverb that says, “Seek to understand before seeking to be understood.” When you’re focused on the other person’s needs and not your own, you’ll be able to get a better understanding of the situation and move forward with resolving your conflict.

Talk It Over

How does Jesus’ life show you how to look out for others’ interests?
What are some ways that you can practice showing concern for others’ needs, even when you’re not in the middle of a conflict?
How do you need to prepare yourself before you go into conflict resolution so that you are prepared to listen and focus on the other person?
Where will you spend eternity?

The Bible says you can only get to heaven by trusting in God through his Son, Jesus Christ. You cannot earn your way into heaven: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Three Things to Remember When You’re Opposed
By Rick Warren — 05/26/2023

“God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven.”

Matthew 5:10-12 (NLT)

When you feel pressured by the world because you love Jesus and other people don’t, you need to remember three things:

1. Opposition can make you more like Jesus.
Jesus says in John 15:18-20, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you” (NLT).

If you’re going to mature and be like Jesus Christ, you’re going to have to go through the things Jesus went through, including loneliness, discouragement, stress, and temptation. Why would God spare you when he didn’t spare his own Son from those things?

2. Opposition will deepen your faith.
Your faith is like a muscle. A muscle doesn’t grow when you sit in a chair and eat popcorn. A muscle grows by being stretched, strained, and tested. You’re never going to grow a muscle if no weight is ever pulling in the opposite direction.

If you don’t have opposition in your life, your faith is not growing. The strongest believers in the world right now are those who are having their faith tested the most. The Bible says in 1 Peter 1:7, “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (NLT).

3. Opposition will lead to eternal rewards.
Matthew 5:10-12 says, “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven” (NLT).

God will bless everyone who’s persecuted for living for him. But notice that you don’t get rewarded for being rude or obnoxious. If you live a self-righteous life when you get persecuted, you’re not a martyr; you’re a fool.

You don’t get rewarded for being rude. You get rewarded for being like Jesus. When you live out your faith, do it with gentleness and respect, just like Jesus, and you will be rewarded for it one day in heaven.

Whenever you’re harassed for your faith, remember these three things: Opposition can make you more like Jesus, deepen your faith, and lead to eternal rewards in heaven.

Talk It Over

How have you responded to opposition of your faith? How has your response impacted your walk with God?
What does persecution look like in your culture?
How might God want you to pray for Christians who are persecuted all over the world?

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verse
John testified concerning Him and exclaimed, This was the One of whom I said, The One coming after me has surpassed me, because He existed before me. [1:15] He is the One coming after me, whose sandal strap I'm not worthy to untie. [1:27] He must increase, but I must decrease. The One who comes from above is above all. The One who comes from heaven is above all. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hands. [3:30,31, 35] [JN--HCSB]

Thoughts
Though Yohanen the Baptizer [John the Baptist] was Jesus' cousin, he told his followers, I didn't know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water told me, The One you see the Spirit descending and resting upon, He is the One [1:33], that is the Messiah. What he DID know, was his
place--to be a voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord. [1:23]
While others saw somewhat of a competition between him and Jesus [3:26], he had already made clear his confidence in Jesus' superior place, plus his own place in God's plan--So that He might be revealed to Israel. [1:31]
JN 3:30 is one of the shortest verses in the Bible, though memorable--He must increase [grow, enlarge, become superior in position, dignity], I must decrease [become inferior in quality, position, dignity]. John's words indicated his personal desire for own decrease in authority and popularity. [Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words] In John's mind and heart, there was no competition! Fred B

Action Point
May we all know our Savior--His salvation...His highness...His Sovereignty...His supremacy above us...His increase in our lives.
May we all know our place--forgiven...servants...voices to prepare His way...decreasing in our lives, as He increases!

[Ronnie W. Stark]

When Opposed, Choose Worship Over Worry
By Rick Warren — 05/27/2023

“If you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.”

1 Peter 3:14-15 (NLT)

Christianity is not for weaklings, wimps, or the faint of heart. It takes courageous men and women to follow Jesus.

What is it costing you to follow Christ? Unlike many believers around the world, you may not live in an area where you face violent oppression. But you likely deal with silent repression every single day as most cultures are becoming more and more secularized and anti-Christian.

No matter where you’re from, when you’re faced with opposition because of your faith, it’s natural to feel afraid. So how do you get rid of the fear of opposition? How do you get rid of the fear of disapproval? How do you get rid of the fear of being rejected?

You need to be filled with God’s love. The Bible says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18 ESV). When you face opposition, choose to focus on God’s love for you. People who rest in the assurance of God’s love don’t fear rejection or disapproval.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:14-15, “If you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it” (NLT).

When you feel pressured to be quiet about your faith, you have a choice: You can worry, or you can worship. That means either you panic or you pray; you focus on the problem, pressure, and persecution, or you focus on God.

When you’re opposed because of your faith, you’re going to feel pressure. But choose to turn away from the pressure you feel and put your focus on God. In other words, choose to worship—because focusing on God is essentially worship.

Next time you face opposition for your faith, choose to worship instead of worry.

Talk It Over

What kind of opposition have you faced because of your faith?
I Peter 3:14 says that God will reward you if you suffer for doing what is right. How do you think God will reward you for that?
When you’ve faced opposition because of your faith, where have you found assurance of God’s love?

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Work for Reconciliation, Not Resolution
By Rick Warren — 05/28/2023

“[God] has restored our relationship with him through Christ, and has given us this ministry of restoring relationships. In other words, God was using Christ to restore his relationship with humanity. He didn’t hold people’s faults against them, and he has given us this message of restored relationships to tell others.”

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (GW)

When you want to repair a relationship where there is conflict, you have to focus on reconciliation, not resolution.

And there’s a big difference between the two.

Reconciliation means reestablishing the relationship. It doesn’t mean you’ll remarry your ex; it just means you’re at peace with each other.

Resolution means you resolve every disagreement—and that just isn’t going to happen. The truth is, there are some things in your marriage, your friendships, and your work relationships that you’re just never going to agree on—because we’re all different. But you can disagree without being disagreeable. That’s called maturity. That’s called wisdom. That’s called being like Christ.

We can have unity without uniformity. We can walk hand in hand together without seeing eye to eye. My wife, Kay, and I have been married for more than 40 years, and we don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things. But we walk hand in hand and support each other. We are at peace.

Here’s what I’ve learned from counseling married couples: If you focus on restoring your relationship, oftentimes the issue becomes insignificant. How many of your biggest arguments were over the smallest things? We fight about so many little things, but, in reality, the fights aren’t even about those things—they’re about bigger issues. Instead of trying to agree on every little issue, you need to get back to focusing on the relationship.

There’s a lot of conflict in the world. Earth is filled with wars, division, arguments, prejudice, racism, terrorism, and partisanism. And as a result, we have broken relationships. We have broken economies, broken governments, and broken marriages. And we have broken lives and broken hearts.

I challenge you as a believer to commit to becoming an agent of reconciliation in a world filled with conflict. Look for ways to bring people together rather than tear them apart.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, “[God] has restored our relationship with him through Christ, and has given us this ministry of restoring relationships. In other words, God was using Christ to restore his relationship with humanity. He didn’t hold people’s faults against them, and he has given us this message of restored relationships to tell others” (GW).

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you have a ministry of reconciliation. It’s your job to go out in society and say, “God’s done everything to put you back in fellowship with him. He’s already paid for all your sins. You don’t have to be his enemy. He’s not mad at you. He’s mad about you. Be reconciled to God. Be at peace with God. Then spread that peace to everybody else.”

Talk It Over

What is a point of contention in your marriage or a friendship that you have not been able to resolve?
What steps can you take to focus more on reconciling that relationship instead of attempting to resolve the issue?
How can you work to become an agent of reconciliation right where you are in your family, work, and community?

[Ronnie W. Stark]

You Only Need God’s Approval
By Rick Warren — 05/29/2023

“It is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name!”

1 Peter 4:16 (NLT)

When you stand for the truth and do what’s right, there’s no need to be ashamed or embarrassed. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:16, “It is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name!” (NLT)

Let me ask you: Is an insult going to kill you? No. Is a putdown going to kill you? No. Is somebody calling you a name or labeling you because you’ve made a stand for Christ going to hurt you? No. Is some troll online who’s trying to bait you and get you into an argument going to take you down? No. None of these things will kill you. In fact, none of these things have to make any real impact on your life at all.

It’s vital that you understand this truth that will liberate your life: You don’t need other people’s approval to be happy.

You may have been trying to fit in with a certain group or get the approval of a certain person for many years. I hate to tell you, but if you haven’t gotten it by now, you’re not going to get it. The good news is you don’t need it! You don’t need anybody’s approval in order to be happy.

No matter what you do in life, somebody’s not going to like it. You can’t avoid disapproval. So if you’re going to have people’s disapproval either way, you may as well have their disapproval for doing the right thing rather than the wrong thing.

As you face opposition, remember this: If other people’s opinions matter more to you than God’s opinion, then you’re going to crumble when those people attack you because of your faith in Jesus. But if you focus on God and what you know is right, then you can make a firm stand.

Be encouraged by these words: “Stand firm against [Satan], and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are” (1 Peter 5:9 NLT).

Talk It Over

When you have a chance to stand for truth, how does your desire for approval affect your response?
Where can you find the encouragement you need to stand firm when people oppose your faith?
When people disapprove of you because of your faith, how does it give you strength to know that believers all over the world are suffering for their faith?

[Ronnie W. Stark]

Bible Study Verse
John 15:13 – Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. NKJ

Thoughts
We have all heard this scripture before, but it really comes home to our hearts on Memorial Day. Jesus said we are to “love one another as I have loved you,” and He was the greatest example of this when He gave His life for us. One cannot imagine what He went through to save us all. The potential of the ultimate human sacrifice--although what it procures pales in comparison—is faced by every member of our military. A multitude of men and women over so many conflicts and wars have been willing to lose their lives to protect their fellow Americans. Many thousands have made this commitment and have lost their lives in doing so. A more selfless act cannot be done. Memorial Day is the day to honor these men and women. Kurt B.

Action Point
Memorial Day is much more than a day off from work. Like Christmas, far too many people have forgotten the meaning of the day. When my wife and I visited Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, we were both struck in our hearts and souls at the sight of so many who have followed the words of Jesus. The graves we saw represented just a small portion of those who laid down their lives for their friends. These men and women, who gave their last measure, should be held up as an example of warriors applying the teaching of Christ. Go to a military cemetery and place some flowers or flags on their graves. Pray for their families that have been left behind to mourn their loss. Honor them on this Memorial Day.

Sportsmen’s Tip of the Day
If there is not a Memorial Day parade happening near you, consider watching the National Memorial Day Parade along Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., on Monday, May 29, 2023, at 2:00 PM ET.