“Fine music without devotion is but a splendid garment upon a corpse.”
— Charles Spurgeon
— Charles Spurgeon
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July 2: Conflict and Certainty
#Devotional
1 Samuel 2:22–4:22; James 1:9–18; Psalm 119:17–32
Conflict drives fiction and riveting movies, but if we had it our way, we’d live stable, stress-free lives. We might crave the excitement or change of a vacation, but we rarely welcome an unexpected complication. So when James says to “count it all joy … when you meet trials of various kinds” (Jas 1:2), we are tempted to dismiss his perspective as something that works on paper but should not disrupt our real lives.
James shows us how to internalize a faithful response to unwelcome conflict. He starts by describing a negative reaction: When difficult times come, we might be like the person who prays and then doubts that God will provide him with wisdom for the situation. This person complicates the conflict by internalizing it with uncertainty and doubt. He is “like the surf of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed about” (Jas 1:6).
The irony is that, although we only create more conflict when we doubt, we like to think we can trust ourselves. As long as we remain in control (we tell ourselves), we can avoid the storms of life. It’s tempting to manufacture an attitude of stubborn self-sufficiency—of inner strength.
That’s the opposite of how we should respond. God wants us to meet the chaos by trusting in Him. We might feel tossed about by life’s events, but God provides us with wisdom for the chaos we encounter. When we ask Him and trust that He’ll provide us with wisdom, He gives generously and without reproach (Jas 1:5).
Stability isn’t an inner strength, but certainty in God’s provision is. We can meet the uncertain with the certain when we trust God to help us work through the chaos. We can also remember that, at the end of the novel, the protagonist who endures conflict is changed by the experience. In the same way, God is working through the conflict in our lives to make us more wholly devoted to Him, since “testing produces steadfastness” (Jas 1:3). And there will be an end: We’ll “receive the crown of life that he has promised to those who love him” (Jas 1:12).
How are you turning to Christ in the midst of difficult circumstances?
#Devotional
1 Samuel 2:22–4:22; James 1:9–18; Psalm 119:17–32
Conflict drives fiction and riveting movies, but if we had it our way, we’d live stable, stress-free lives. We might crave the excitement or change of a vacation, but we rarely welcome an unexpected complication. So when James says to “count it all joy … when you meet trials of various kinds” (Jas 1:2), we are tempted to dismiss his perspective as something that works on paper but should not disrupt our real lives.
James shows us how to internalize a faithful response to unwelcome conflict. He starts by describing a negative reaction: When difficult times come, we might be like the person who prays and then doubts that God will provide him with wisdom for the situation. This person complicates the conflict by internalizing it with uncertainty and doubt. He is “like the surf of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed about” (Jas 1:6).
The irony is that, although we only create more conflict when we doubt, we like to think we can trust ourselves. As long as we remain in control (we tell ourselves), we can avoid the storms of life. It’s tempting to manufacture an attitude of stubborn self-sufficiency—of inner strength.
That’s the opposite of how we should respond. God wants us to meet the chaos by trusting in Him. We might feel tossed about by life’s events, but God provides us with wisdom for the chaos we encounter. When we ask Him and trust that He’ll provide us with wisdom, He gives generously and without reproach (Jas 1:5).
Stability isn’t an inner strength, but certainty in God’s provision is. We can meet the uncertain with the certain when we trust God to help us work through the chaos. We can also remember that, at the end of the novel, the protagonist who endures conflict is changed by the experience. In the same way, God is working through the conflict in our lives to make us more wholly devoted to Him, since “testing produces steadfastness” (Jas 1:3). And there will be an end: We’ll “receive the crown of life that he has promised to those who love him” (Jas 1:12).
How are you turning to Christ in the midst of difficult circumstances?
❤2
July 2 - False Prophets Are Deceptive
#LifeOfChrist
“‘Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves’” (Matthew 7:15).
False prophets are most dangerous because of their deceptive nature. We can easily recognize and defend against an enemy that poses for what it is. But when that enemy appears as a friend, it is much harder to defend against.
Heretics and apostates make no claim to biblical truth and are recognizable. But deceivers disguise themselves as true shepherds. They give the appearance of orthodoxy and claim to teach the truth, but their intent is to deceive and destroy God’s people.
Paul explains this phenomenon: “Such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds” (2 Cor. 11:13–15; cf. 2 Tim. 3:13). Such false prophets are demonically deceived, convinced that their perverted, distorted views are correct. They are so steeped in falsehood that darkness seems to be light, blackness white, and error truth.
This calls for genuine discernment. But how is this best done? It’s by realizing that such men show themselves by what they do not say—they seldom affirm the great doctrines of the faith, but rather ignore them. In our day of confusion and indifference, we need to pray and vigilantly “test the spirits to see whether they are from God. . . . Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God” (1 John 4:1, 2).
Ask Yourself
What constitutes false teaching today? Why do such philosophies continue to find room to work in hearts and minds, even of believers? What can we do to keep them away from our churches?
#LifeOfChrist
“‘Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves’” (Matthew 7:15).
False prophets are most dangerous because of their deceptive nature. We can easily recognize and defend against an enemy that poses for what it is. But when that enemy appears as a friend, it is much harder to defend against.
Heretics and apostates make no claim to biblical truth and are recognizable. But deceivers disguise themselves as true shepherds. They give the appearance of orthodoxy and claim to teach the truth, but their intent is to deceive and destroy God’s people.
Paul explains this phenomenon: “Such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds” (2 Cor. 11:13–15; cf. 2 Tim. 3:13). Such false prophets are demonically deceived, convinced that their perverted, distorted views are correct. They are so steeped in falsehood that darkness seems to be light, blackness white, and error truth.
This calls for genuine discernment. But how is this best done? It’s by realizing that such men show themselves by what they do not say—they seldom affirm the great doctrines of the faith, but rather ignore them. In our day of confusion and indifference, we need to pray and vigilantly “test the spirits to see whether they are from God. . . . Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God” (1 John 4:1, 2).
Ask Yourself
What constitutes false teaching today? Why do such philosophies continue to find room to work in hearts and minds, even of believers? What can we do to keep them away from our churches?
❤2
Every earthquake, everyday, pronounces He is coming soon.
❤3
“A whisperer separates close friends.” Proverbs 16:28
Psst. Do you know what so-and-so said about you?
Psst. Do you know what so-and-so said about you?
❤3
On Christ the solid rock I stand, ALL other ground is sinking sand.
❤5
The world is noisy. The news never stops. Social media never sleeps.
But God is still on His throne.
Close your eyes tonight knowing that Christ reigns, His promises stand, and His mercies will be new again in the morning.
Sleep well. The King is awake.
But God is still on His throne.
Close your eyes tonight knowing that Christ reigns, His promises stand, and His mercies will be new again in the morning.
Sleep well. The King is awake.
❤5
The gospel is not "God helps those who help themselves." It is God saving those who could never save themselves.
We bring our sin. Christ brings His righteousness.
Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
That is astonishingly good news.
We bring our sin. Christ brings His righteousness.
Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
That is astonishingly good news.
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Dear Daughter,
Stay faithful when marriage feels tested by summer busyness 🛡️
Choose presence over distraction. Choose respect over reaction.
Consistency builds an unshakable home.
'Let us not become weary in doing good' (Gal 6:9).
What habit will you protect this week?
#DearDaughter #FaithfulInSummer #StrongMarriage
Stay faithful when marriage feels tested by summer busyness 🛡️
Choose presence over distraction. Choose respect over reaction.
Consistency builds an unshakable home.
'Let us not become weary in doing good' (Gal 6:9).
What habit will you protect this week?
#DearDaughter #FaithfulInSummer #StrongMarriage
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil.
Isaiah 5:20
The current world scene, a departure from truth, and sacred morality.
Isaiah 5:20
The current world scene, a departure from truth, and sacred morality.
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A STRONG marriage thrives in every season! ☀️❤️
Even in the heat of summer, choose patience, kindness, and sacrificial love daily! 1 Cor 13:4 💞
How will you show love intentionally today? #StrongMarriage #July
Even in the heat of summer, choose patience, kindness, and sacrificial love daily! 1 Cor 13:4 💞
How will you show love intentionally today? #StrongMarriage #July
“There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who believe themselves sinners; the rest, sinners who believe themselves righteous.” —Blaise Pascal
“Put your bucket down. Whatever it is, put it down and walk away. Don’t drink there anymore! Come to the fountain of life, and you’ll never be thirsty again.”
Marshall Segal invites us to come to the well of living water.
Marshall Segal invites us to come to the well of living water.
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“Indeed, our fair morning is at hand, the day-star is near the rising, and we are not many miles from home. …
“Then, you shall see all His face
“and all the Saviour,
“a long, and high, and broad Lord Jesus,
“the loveliest person among the children of men.”
— Samuel Rutherford
“Then, you shall see all His face
“and all the Saviour,
“a long, and high, and broad Lord Jesus,
“the loveliest person among the children of men.”
— Samuel Rutherford
❤2
Don't let social media, news headlines, influencers, politicians, or even pastors become your ultimate authority. Filter everything you hear and read through the lens of Scripture. God's Word is truth, and it is the standard by which every claim, opinion, and worldview should be tested.
(Remember Acts 17:11)
(Remember Acts 17:11)
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Guys, enough with the man-child epidemic. Get off the couch, put down the controller, and put down your phone. Stop wasting your life chasing comfort, laziness, and p*rn.
Be strong and courageous. Lead your wife. Raise your children. Serve your church. Fight your sin.
Christ didn't call men to a life of passive entertainment, but He calls them to the battlefield.
Be strong and courageous. Lead your wife. Raise your children. Serve your church. Fight your sin.
Christ didn't call men to a life of passive entertainment, but He calls them to the battlefield.
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Few are aware that one secret of being miserable is to live only for ourselves and one secret of being happy is to try to make others happy.
J. C. Ryle
J. C. Ryle
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