Daily Devotional: Monday April 12
Speaker: Ben Sigman
Theme: Repairing Relationships
Weekend Music links on iTunes: Today is the Day by Lincoln Brewster; Glory to God Forever by Fee; Love Came Down by Ben Cantelon; From the Inside Out by Hillsong.
Read: Psalms 119: 9-16; Luke 6:17-26
Bible Challenge: Luke 20
Think: Did you hear the words of the song that was playing as Pastor Ben stepped onto the stage to speak? “Say what you need to say”(by John Mayer) was being encouraged over and over and has been in my head all day. Words come very easily for me both spoken and written. The dilemma for me is to think before I speak and determine what needs to be said. There is a big difference between what we want to say, what we need to say and what we actually say.
Jesus was careful and clever with words. Often he spoke in parables to teach the masses yet many times there was a deeper message for those who “have ears to hear.” In John 8:47Jesus tells the listening crowd, “He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
If you and I are hearing God we prove that we belong to Him. What is He needing to say to you and me today? Many versions of the Bibles have the words of Jesus written in red ink. As I read through Luke in our Gospel challenge there were many things written in red that Jesus needed to say to me. Some were uplifting, some were difficult, some were convicting; all were spoken in love to confront me and deepen my relationship with Him.
Before we attempt to restore relationships with others, we can practice by checking up on our relationship with God. “Say what you need to say………………………”
Ask: “Who or what is God asking you to confront?” Pastor Ben asked us to answer that question. If you have taken action thank God for his getting you through, if you still need to do it, ask God to equip you to speak the truth in love.
Pray: Dear Heavenly Father thank you for seeking us out to bring us into relationship with you. Please continue to remind me how brief my life on earth is (Psalm 39:4-5) and grant me the desire and strength to do my part to repair relationships that are damaged or broken.
The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.
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