Greetings!
I hope you had a good week. I continue to be amazed at how God can make Himself known through people, creation, random messages or an article I read.
That leads me to this week’s DHD. My topics do involve a current event, as well as different things I have read and even a reminder I got in a daily quiet time.
Thank you for reading!
- Trump at March for Life
If you read last week’s DHD, you know I gave a commendable nod to President Trump, regarding his affirmation of religious liberty, specifically prayer in public schools. This week, even today, the president made a major stance in supporting the Sanctity of Life by becoming the first U.S. president to appear publicly at the annual March for Life.
I heard portions of his speech, and whatever may be his intentions, he spoke great truth and encouraging words. Trump commended those attending March for Life saying their advocacy for the unborn is “powered by prayer and pure love.”
He said every child is a precious and sacred gift from God. He also acknowledged other government leaders, including Oklahoma U.S. Senator James Lankford, who are demonstrating their respect for the Sanctity of Life by authoring and supporting pro-life policies.
Yes, Trump’s list of criticism is long. Many of his tweets continue to annoy me, and his behavior has proven at times to be unpresidential.
But I do see acts and decisions of the president that I can appreciate, and just like God moved through rulers in the past, I believe He is honored through such acts and decisions.
Pray for God to continue to move and to make Himself known. And pray for our country’s leaders, including President Trump.
- Prayer on race and Roe
Kevin DeYoung… are you familiar with this pastor? The man has written some great articles in the past. I’ve never heard him speak and would enjoy that opportunity.
But as far as his writings, he’s got some good stuff!
Check out A Prayer on Race and Roe. DeYoung said this is a prayer he offered in a recent worship service, and it ties in perfectly two major issues of our time—racism and abortion, or as he put it “two of our most heinous national sins.”
Read this prayer and be challenged. Make it your own.
- Benedictions
How familiar are you with benedictions? My current boss and former pastor helped remind me of benedictions. “Stand and receive this benediction,” he would say to conclude a worship service.
Drew Hunter’s article “5 Reasons to Recover Benedictions at Church” is powerful. His fourth point gave me chills when I first read it:
“On the cross, Jesus essentially heard, ‘May the Lord curse you,’ so that we can now hear, ‘May the Lord bless you.’ Jesus took the malediction we deserve so we could receive the benediction we don’t.”
- Need some Bible-reading tips?
Jamie Ivey offered six tips for helping to read your Bible regularly. These are mostly written with moms in mind, but I found some of them applicable. Keeping your Bible open, reading with others and understanding the value gave me encouragement.
The important thing to take from Ivey’s tips is make every intention to spend time reading God’s Word. As many distractions happen in our lives, it is important to spend time reading the Bible and getting instructions from God Himself.
- Today’s quiet time
I’ll share with you what I covered in today’s quiet time. This year, I’m going through Blackaby’s Experiencing God Day By Day, and today’s entry is titled “Come and See,” based on John 1:38-39.
As a few of the disciples were getting to know Jesus, He invited them to spend time with Him.
I wrote in my journal after reading this passage, “Having the opportunity to physically spend time with Jesus is a fascinating situation. My curiosity spins when I wonder what the conversations were like when Jesus first spent time with His followers.”
I also took inspiration from what Blackaby wrote, “Andrew’s questions would not be answered by discussion alone, but by walking with Him.”
Though it may be hard to fully satisfy since we can’t be physically in the presence of Jesus, we can be influenced by Him through spending time with other believers and especially through serving others.
“As you walk daily with Him, Jesus will answer your questions,” Blackaby wrote, “and you will discover far more than you even known to ask.”
- Fighting loneliness
The article I mentioned by Jamie Ivey is on LifeWay’s Voices website. I don’t know how new this site is, but there’s a lot of great articles featured on it. It could be that LifeWay redesigned it to make it as appealing as other Christian blog sites.
Check out Katie Orr’s article “Fight Back Against the Lies of Loneliness.”
As I was reading this article, it reminded me of the psalms David wrote as he was battling discouragement and loneliness.
The three gifts of God Orr mentions are great reminders. I especially appreciated what she wrote about how “God’s people” are important.
“We need the people of God to tell us what is true,” Orr wrote. “We need sisters and brothers who will pray for us when we are too weary to fight. We need the body of Christ to show us His love.”
There are times when I do not feel like going to church. But every time I do go, even reluctantly, I never regret going. Every time you spend time among fellow believers, you encourage someone, and you especially bring joy to God.
