#022026

God, I want my life to testify to Your goodness and grace. Refocus my heart on You. Help me to pursue You first, above all else. Nothing in life matters more than bringing glory to You. Show me who I need to share You with today, and give me the boldness to do so. In Jesus' name, Amen.

DAILY BIBLE READING: LEVITICUS 26-27 MARK 2 BLESSINGS FOR OBEDIENCE You must keep my Sabbath days of rest and show reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord. I will send you the seasonal rains. Your threshing season will overlap. You will eat your fill and live securely in your own land. All your enemies will fall beneath your sword. “I will look favorably upon you, making you fertile and multiplying your people. And I will fulfill my covenant with you. I will live among you, and I will not despise you. I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high. PUNISHMENTS FOR DISOBEDIENCE REDEMPTION OF GIFTS OFFERED TO THE LORD JESUS HEALS A PARALYZED MAN he was preaching God’s word to them, 3four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 9Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? 10So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, 11“Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”. JESUS CALLS LEVI (MATTHEW) Jesus went out to the lakeshore again and taught the crowds that were coming to him. He saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him. Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” A DISCUSSION ABOUT FASTING someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 21 “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before. 22 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.” A DISCUSSION ABOUT SABBATH Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. 28So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”

1 THESSALONIANS 5:12-23 PAUL'S FINAL ADVICE , honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other. warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. 15See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. 16Always be joyful. 17Never stop praying. 18Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 19Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20Do not scoff at prophecies, 21but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22Stay away from every kind of evil. PAUL'S FINAL GREETING 23Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. INSIGHT In addition to Paul’s warning in 1 Thessalonians to reject false teaching (5:20-22), the New Testament warns elsewhere against untrustworthy leaders in harsh terms. Jesus warned, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15). False teachers teach what is contrary to the “sound instruction” of Christ and “are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy [and] strife” (1 Timothy 6:3-5; see Romans 16:17-18). They “pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4). We can recognize good teachers by their “fruit” (Matthew 7:16-20). They teach the doctrine of Christ and exhibit the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The evidence of a loving relationship with Jesus is apparent in their lives. The Spirit can give us discernment to recognize false teaching and live for Christ.

By: Alyson Kieda

LIVING FOR JESUS In 2023, Kenyan police intervened to end what’s being called the “Shakahola Massacre”—in which hundreds died after following a cult leader’s directions to starve themselves to meet Jesus. The leader had allegedly promised he too would leave earth in this way after his followers did. After his arrest, he denied ever teaching this.

The tragedy is a troubling example of how dangerous it is to blindly trust those claiming to be spiritual leaders. Cult members were so deceived that they resisted those who came to save them from starvation. One survivor described getting “addicted” to the leader’s teachings.

Jesus Christ is the true leader of those who trust in Him. He loved us so much He was willing to die for us to have life (1 Thessalonians 5:10). He calls us to live for Him, “awake and sober” (v. 6) and to test any teaching of others against His teaching (vv. 20-22).

We respond to Christ’s love not by harming ourselves or others but by “encourag[ing] . . . and build[ing] each other up” (v. 11). By living “in peace with each other” (v. 13) and striving “to do what is good for each other and for everyone else” (v. 15). Through daily reliance on and trust in Christ’s Spirit (v. 19), we can live a life of love as we eagerly await Christ’s coming (v. 23).

By: Monica La Rose

REFLECT AND PRAY When have you seen damage done through false teaching? How can Christ’s example of love help us recognize untrustworthy leaders?

Loving God, please help me never replace Jesus in my heart with any other leader and help me live for You. in Jesus' name, Amen.

LONGING/HOPE What are you hoping for right now? The answer can vary greatly depending on the season you’re in. Maybe you’re exhausted and hoping for a nice vacation. It could be something more, like the ache in your soul to find “the one,” adding a child to your family, or needing a good friend to do life with. We often "hope" our life will turn out a certain way, but we may not realize these are simply expressions of what our souls truly long for.

Without even knowing it, there is a longing for God in the deepest parts of us. We were created to live in the Garden, walking closely with our Creator. Yet, we find ourselves far from it, living in a world we weren’t ultimately designed for. As we search to fill our lives with things that feel like Heaven, we must be careful to remind ourselves that nothing in this world can satisfy what our souls really crave; true intimacy with God. While here on earth we long for things that are not inherently bad, we have to realize that it is only God who can fulfill these desires.

As you think about what you’re longing for in this season, bring it to the Lord. Share with Him the desires of your heart. Continue to seek His face and ask the Holy Spirit to help you be satisfied in His presence even if what you’re praying for doesn’t happen on this side of eternity. Declare over yourself, “I will follow Jesus even if this doesn’t happen.” When you speak this out loud, it will remind you that your hope is found only in the Lord.

PSALMS 107:8-9 8Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. 9For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

ISAIAH 26:9 9In the night I search for you; in the morning I earnestly seek you. For only when you come to judge the earth will people learn what is right.

PROVERBS 13:12 12Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.

ROMANS 8:25-26 25But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.) 26And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

PSALMS 73:25 25Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.

PSALMS 84:1-2 1How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 2I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.

DANIEL 3:18 18But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

PSALMS 39:7 7And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.