2 Samuel 2:12-3:39, John 13:1-30, Psalms 119:1-16, Proverbs 15:29-30

What God said to me – Today’s world is more divisive than ever before.  People don’t just disagree anymore and agree to disagree – they passionately hate one another.  It is easy to choose sides with those who are like you and to pile on to those who are not.  Just before My Son, Jesus’ arrest, He washed the feet of His disciples as an example to them of true humility and servanthood and ministry to others.  He even stooped and washed the feet of Judas Iscariot knowing he was going to betray Him.  It was not an easy thing for Him to do and it greatly troubled His spirit, but He did it anyway.  So, in a world where name calling and hatred and cutting people off is commonplace, you remember Jesus’ example.  Be kind to everyone.  Look for opportunities to minister.  How you are received by them is not what is important – how you walk in the Spirit and follow My lead is what matters.

2 Samuel 1:1-2:11, John 12:20-50, Psalms 118:19-29, Proverbs 15:27-28

What God said to me – Everybody has an opinion whether it is about politics or religion or sports or how to raise kids – anything you can think of or say – somebody else will have an opinion about it.  The thing is, opinions are only as good as what you are basing them on so if you have bad information or certain biases, your opinion is flawed.  When My Son, Jesus, told the Jews He had to be lifted up, they argued that He couldn’t be the Christ because the Christ would remain forever.  So, if He was going to be crucified, He couldn’t be the Christ.  Their opinion was flawed because they based it on part of My word and not on My entire counsel.  You need to diligently study My entire word, so you have an understanding of doctrine in context.  Entire denominations have been built on partial truths taken out of context of My word as a whole.  When Jesus met the two men on the road to Emmaus after His resurrection, He began with Moses and went through the Prophets to explain the things concerning Himself – He used all of My word to teach the truth and how it fit together.   If you want to be a workman who can accurately handle the Word of truth, you must diligently study it all.

1 Samuel 29-31, John 11:55-12:19, Psalms 118:1-18, Proverbs 15:24-26

What God said to me – In the movie National Treasure, Ben Gates spends his life looking for a hidden treasure and all he has is  a clue from an ancestor – “the secret lies with Charlotte”.  He figures out that Charlotte was a ship lost in the Artic and on the ship, he finds a carved ivory pipe.  Still baffled, he follows one clue after another and goes from one frustration to another not having a full understanding.  In the finale of the movie he finally finds a hole in the subterranean wall that is shaped like the pipe he found on the Charlotte.  He inserts the pipe and it finally clicks and the wall is opened and the treasure is revealed.  In My Son, Jesus’s life, he fulfilled scripture after scripture.  His disciples walked with Him through it all and even though they knew the scriptures, they didn’t understand it at first.  It wasn’t until later when He was glorified that it all “clicked” and they remembered the things written about Him and saw how He fulfilled the prophesies.  One of the reasons My children neglect My word is because they don’t understand it at first – it is not always easy and may require diligence and perseverance and time and meditation and wrestling with it over and over to gain a full understanding of the deeper truths.  Don’t give up – continue reading and studying and one day it will all “click” and you’ll be rewarded with understanding that will deepen our relationship.  Don’t give up.