Though the brain is predominantly water, it generates incredible electricity.

Overcoming suicidal thoughts and depression is possible.

We should be sure to hate our own sin as much as God does, rather than justifying it.   ~~~   One of David’s greatest spiritual characteristics is his sensitivity and receptivity to the conviction of the Spirit of God and repentance. And I also believe it is one of the greatest deficiencies within Christianity today. We lack continual repentance. We lack sorrow for sin. We lack hatred of sin. We don’t see it as an affront to God. We continually self-justify and excuse and play victim cards. We live on the level of the surface and say things like, “Well yeah, but if she hadn’t said that, then I wouldn’t have done this…” without ever addressing the heart, what’s in the heart, the pain you want to inflict on someone else, the humiliation you want to bring. You see, that is where the sin lies. And we might not commit the act that we want to against an offending party, but the bitterness and loathsomeness may still exist. And that is just as damning, and what must be wrestled out of the heart! When was the last time? When was the last time you did the work of repentance? Really fought and battled with the sin of the heart? When was the last time you mourned over it? When was the last time you yielded to the LORD and prayed, “Lord I want to hate this sin like you do. Show me its damaging cost and affects. Help me to love righteousness. I want to trust you and your way in this.” When was the last time?

When we seek Jesus with a heart willing to surrender, that is when we truly find Him and when we do, we find peace.   ~~~   What kind of Jesus do you seek? When you even hear the name of Jesus, what are your first thoughts? What you’ve heard spoken or read about Jesus is usually what leads you to believe what you believe about Him. Or, maybe you’re thoughts on Jesus are a result of what you think about people who claim to follow Jesus. You might not like what you see so therefore you choose to not have anything to do with the Jesus they follow. That’s putting a lot of weight into human hands, opinions and worldviews when YOUR soul is on the line. You’re seeking something today. Maybe you’re even running after it. I think if you silenced all the voices in your mind and filtered through all the desires of your heart, the one thing you, or any of us, are seeking is PEACE. Peace is found only IN Jesus, but the key requirement is letting go of everything else YOU hold dear. Yep, there it is. Surrendering your will for HIS is required. Any other Jesus you or anyone else tries to put out to the world, is an ANTI Christ. Simply meaning, it is a false or counterfeit spirit that actually opposes God and leads people away from the one true Jesus with false teaching. Read more for yourself on that in 1 John 2:18-22. If you deny the one true Jesus for any other form of Jesus you seek, you are LOST and forever without peace. Jesus made it very clear in what it takes to know and follow Him. We can quickly look at a couple examples we have in scripture of interactions people had with Jesus. They wanted a Jesus that fit into their world. They wanted a Jesus they could feel good about and celebrate all while clenching with white knuckles onto what they held dear. It simply does not work that way. Jesus said it himself and we’ll look at his words about it in just a bit. First let’s look at the very rich, but left still wanting, rich young ruler. His interaction with Jesus is recounted in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. He desperately wanted eternal peace. He runs to Jesus, kneels before Him and wants to know what he can DO to be saved. While he claimed to be a ‘good’ man, none are righteous apart from Jesus. Still, this man wanted a Jesus that worked into HIS plan, not the other way around. Mark 10:21-22 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus isn’t who YOU want Him to be and He doesn’t fit into our lives any way we want like those bendable Jesus toys you can buy online. He IS God. He is HOLY. He wants ALL of you. When Jesus called Peter and Andrew, the interaction looked quite different. Matthew 4:19-20 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Drop our livelihood? Sure. Leave it all behind? Done. You want ALL of me? You got it. Now in that moment they had NO IDEA the path set before them and what it would all entail, but what they did know was the savior they were seeking, was calling them by name and that was all they needed. Later they would hear Jesus say, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” They were beginning to see it more clearly every day they spent with Jesus. Less of me. More of Him. When we seek Jesus with a heart willing to surrender, that is when we truly find Him and when we do, we find the PEACE we were looking for all along. That’s the truth. The truth doesn’t bend, but the love God has for you, never ends. I’m Lori Cline.

Our saltiness is Jesus within us and our excitement to follow him and tell others about Him.

Ministry can be messy, but getting in the mess allows us to help others.

Taking justice into our own hands implies that God is incapable of doing it.   ~~~   In the heart of Abigail’s speech to David she says, vs. 26 “Now then, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, because the LORD has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand…” And then in David’s response to Abigail’s speech, in the very heart of it, he says in vs. 34, “For as surely as the LORD lives, who has restrained me from hurting you…”   So because of Abigail’s intervention, because of her obedience, because of her being an instrument in the plan of God, David was able to recognize the providence of God restraining him from committing sin. Abigail’s intervention was God’s providence because what she said lined up with God’s word. If David continued in this way, it would be sin But isn’t that what Nabal deserves? Isn’t this a just retribution? It seems that the male servant that came to Abigail thought this was within the norm of the culture. But that is just it—just because it is within the norm of cultural settings doesn’t necessarily mean it is right for those devoted to the LORD. The sin David was on the verge of committing was in taking vengeance into his own hands. How much time could we keep from wasting if we stopped worrying about what others deserve and how we were going to give it to them? Now, you may be thinking, “But Clif, if we live in a world with twisted justice, then we have chaos. So what you are saying here just doesn’t make sense.” I agree with you that a world without justice leads to chaos. I am not suggesting a world, or a land without justice. I am suggesting letting the God-ordained means of justice and judgment hold their place and that we respect those so far as the Bible allows us. And I am not just talking about government. I am also talking about Biblical institutions such as the church. How much authority does this church have in your life? Or is this just a place that offers worship services and other special events? No, we are not talking about abandoning justice and just waiting until the other side of death for God to dole out vengeance. When we take matters into our own hands, with no self-control, we are saying that God is not able, and will not do as good of a job at administering justice as I can do in this moment. What is your initial reaction when you are wronged/slighted/take advantage of? Do you lose your mind? Do you begin planning ways to avenge yourself? Be careful, believer, that you do not overstep your area of responsibility.

Jesus stepped in to atone for our sins on our behalf.   ~~~   Nabal’s greed and David’s need to avenge himself. This is the big problem we are presented with in 1 Samuel 25. How will this resolve? Turns out that one of Nabal’s men reports the whole situation to Abigail, the wise and beautiful wife of Nabal. This is the turning point of this story. So what is going to happen? David is fuming mad; taking matters into his own hand. And now he has Nabal’s wife bowing down at his feet. How easily, once again, it would have been to start administering justice right then and there. But knowing that perhaps her window of opportunity was closing, she began to speak, and it seems like she doesn’t take a breath until she finishes her speech. It is the longest recorded speech by a woman in the OT. Think about the risk involved in what she is doing. She doesn’t tell her husband; she’s traveling alone; she has no idea what David or his men might do to her. And her first words are words of atonement—“On me alone, my lord, be the guilt.” Here is an innocent woman who is willing to step in and take on the guilt of a prideful, harsh, and badly behaved man in order so that man might be saved from David’s wrath. I can’t help but be aware of the parallel to Jesus. What is it that confronts and is the only cure for my sinful behavior? Who is it that steps in, as an innocent party to assume the guilt that does not belong to Him, in order to absorb and extinguish my unrighteous, over-reactionary anger, bitterness, and hatred? Here in Abigail’s words and actions, riding in on a donkey, offering herself, and then a celebratory meal, we have an analogy to Christ—who rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, offers himself, and then gives us a memorial, celebratory meal to participate in. The actions of Abigail lay a preparatory foundation for us to see the beauty and need for atonement of our sin, and that when Jesus comes and offers himself, not just for one man’s sin (like Abigail), but for sin for all those who would believe Him. In this story we see hints and shadows that are only filled out and made clear in Jesus. And you would do well to pay fierce attention to the full story today if you are apart from Jesus Christ. This whole book we have before us, written by different authors over the course of a couple of thousands of years, has been given to us to tell us of one story, one hero, who has come to interrupt your life, to stop you in your tracks to see the dangerous path that you are headed down today if you do not heed His word to you—that if you continue in your sin, you will face in judgment the one who has the power to not only destroy your body but also your soul. And He will do it in complete justice and righteousness. But if you realize and confess and turn from your sin, and if your heart is being warmed towards Jesus, and you receive Jesus as your atoning sacrifice, you will be made new, cleansed, forgiven, adopted into his family, and given eternal life that begins right now.

When presented with temptation, Jesus responded with Scripture.   ~~~   Can you hear me now? Good! Do you remember that? From 2002 to 2011, Verizon Wireless aired commercials which showed a test caller calling from all over the place to check for service. It was brilliant, because now over twenty years later, when a call gets glitchy, what do we say? Can you hear me now? No one likes to drop a call. We have things to say and words to hear! Listening matters. A friend of mine recently shared these words of wisdom on listening. Listen to understand, not to respond. Let that soak in. Listening to really understand requires silence on our part, not a quick response. Words are powerful. They reveal so often the depths of our heart and emotions. Sometimes words spoken reveal beauty and depth of wisdom and character, while other words reveal immaturity, foolishness and selfish motives of the heart. Out of the heart the mouth speaks. All this month I’m focusing on the words of Jesus. You know, the red letter ones. Some people like to ONLY focus on those, listen close to understand, that’s a BIG mistake. Every word, from Genesis to Revelation is God breathed and inspired. Jesus is the word made flesh and He and the Father are one, so EVERY word, is the word. Don’t be foolish and misunderstand that very important truth. While the words WE speak are powerful, THE Word of God cuts deeper than any. Hebrews 4:12 ​​For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. The word of God is what we take to battle. We are to daily put on the armor of God, we read about in Ephesians 6. The sword of the spirit, is the word of God. We speak the word of God and the Holy Spirit uses its truth to cut deep into the hearts of those who need to see their need for Jesus. Only the power of the holy spirit can convict and draw someone to repentance. That truth and power is what we take into battle. Jesus fought the devil with that sword. He used the Word of God, in the face of temptation, three times while fasting for forty days and nights in the desert. With each word, Satan was cut deep by truth and ultimately had to flee. Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Matthew 4:10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Jesus was slicin’ and dicin’ on the devil right there with the word of God! At a very weak moment physically from his fast, Satan attacked. He dropped temptation bombs left and right and Jesus used countermeasures of scripture and took each one out like a ninja. Make no mistake, this was no easy battle, but Jesus was equipped with the word. He IS the word and in that battle He knew no lie or temptation of the devil could stand against it. That’s the truth. Look to the Word of God and join us this month as we lean in and listen to understand the words Jesus spoke, the power they hold and how God wants to use them in our own lives to penetrate our hearts and draw us closer to Him. I’m Lori Cline.

We should consider what we can learn from the Bible texts we read, not just immediately jump to application.

Even if we fail when God tests us, He may give us other opportunities.   ~~~   When I was a boy, I would play kickball with my buddies. And one of the unwritten rules of our kickball game was that everyone received at least one do-over. So that if you messed up, or didn’t get a good kick on the ball, you could simply shout out, “Do-over!” And you would get a do-over. A mulligan. While David and his men were deep in the wilderness of Paran, he used his men to help protect people and their resources. David’s men are called in 1 Chronicles, “Mighty men.” These are guerrilla soldiers and commanders who had defected from Saul, and joined David in his causes. We are introduced to one such man that David and his men protected, Nabal. Nabal is described for us as a very wealthy man who had upwards of 3000 sheep. But not only did Nabal have sheep, he had shepherds as well, who worked for him. Think about how much land would be needed to take care of that many sheep! So David and his men protected the shepherds and the sheep from thieves and wolfs, whatever might try to attack them. And notice how well they did their job—vs. 7-8“your shepherds have been with us and we did them no harm and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel. Ask your young men and they will tell you.” So we read that it was time to shear the sheep. This took place twice a year, and it was a time of celebration. This is where you made your money. So great celebrations and feasts would be had during the sheep shearing days. With David seeing this, he knew it was only right for he and his men to be paid as well. David knew that one of the reasons that Nabal and his men could celebrate was because David and his men had done their job so well. And Nabal knew this. This was customary in those days, and the honorable thing to do. This is not like someone showing up to your house and painting it without asking you, and then them expecting payment. No. Nabal needed David’s protection. Nabal received David’s protection. So now, David is requesting payment. And notice as well, David’s men say, “Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants, and to your son David.” He is leaving the price up to Nabal. “Whatever you think is fair, Nabal.” But Nabal’s response is reminiscent of narrator’s description—harsh and badly behaved. He insults David, his own kin. He belittles David. And then he says, “Shall I take my bread, and my water and my meat that have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?” We are witnessing the foolishness and greed of Nabal. He is described by his possessions because his possessions are what define him. His possessions are what consume his heart. And he is unwilling to recognize the LORD’s blessing brought upon him by David and others. Me me me, my my my. And here is David, who has the power and strength and opportunity to annihilate this fool named Nabal. You see, what we have here is a do-over, a retest. This event is God’s way of letting David correct the mistakes he made on a previous test; David is getting to retake his test. God is aligning the circumstances in such a way to see if David has progressed, has learned anything from his previous experience with Saul. You can see the similarities can’t you? We have a wealthy man who has benefitted from the service of David, who is described as a son to Nabal. And Nabal disrespects him, rejects him. Does that sound familiar? Saul was a man of wealth who benefitted from David’s services, and also thought of him, for a time, like a son. In chapter 24, Saul had 3000 men. In chapter 25, Nabal has 3000 sheep. In chapter 24 David has opportunity to overwhelm vulnerable Saul who was not able to protect himself. In chapter 25, David has opportunity to overwhelm Nabal who was not able to offer protection to his shepherds. Did you know that as God grows you in sanctification, that when he tests you, if you fail the test, sometimes God will give you another opportunity to correct your mistakes. So how will David respond this time to someone who insults and belittles him?

The human attention span has decreased by twelve minutes in recent years.

Jesus took God’s vengeance on our behalf so those who believe in Him can escape it.   ~~~   Adam and Eve started off humanity trying to justify the means, and it landed them in a devastating, deathly position. David was offered this opportunity as well here in the cave in 1 Samuel 24. His heart faltered, but he repented. But this shows us our hearts doesn’t it. How easily they can be to rush to revenge. And eventually, David would fall prey to the temptation of justifying his means to achieve a certain, ungodly end. Vengeance will take place in one of two ways. For the unbeliever, those outside of Christ, they will suffer the vengeance of God. But the believer, those like David, who deserve the vengeance of God as well, why is it fair that they get heaven…that you get heaven for that matter? Why is their sin swept underneath the rug? Shouldn’t David have to pay for his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah? Wouldn’t Uriah’s father call down the vengeance of God on David? He could. But he would have to look forward into the future to see the vengeance of God poured out, not on David, but on Jesus, who took the punishment in place of David. You see, the better Adam, the last Adam, had the same temptation in the desert that David had in the desert. Take hold of the kingdom, but in an alternate way…and a much easier way for that matter. There, Satan offered Jesus a shortcut to holiness and the throne. But Jesus chose God’s path, chose to be led by the Spirit and not be self. He chose to trust God’s word. And it led him to the cross, where He suffered the vengeance of God on behalf of all those who would believe in Him.

Jesus’ divine identity is apparent from His first words to His last.   ~~~   Do you remember your child’s first words? If you’re like me, at this stage it might be a bit foggy, but thankfully we have videos we can go back to. I love seeing what my girls were saying and how they were saying it when they were little. I kept a running list in my phone notes of cute things my girls would say as they were growing up. When my now 17 year old daughter was 4, she said, “every time you’re about to be lost in the forest with a mean animal, God is right beside you.” Brilliant truth right there. One of the sweetest sounds was hearing my youngest daughter call her big sister, sissy. We heard that a lot as she followed her everywhere she went and wanted to do everything her big sissy was doing. Precious memories. We treasure the words of our little ones. In this season of my life, I now treasure final words. The last conversations I had with my Dad I’m forever grateful for. I love you’s, hand squeezes, eye blinks and head kisses are now forever burned into my memory. I cherish every saved voice mail, text and written word. Words matter at any stage in life, but in some seasons, we lean in to hear them a little bit closer. All this month at Lifeword.org, I’m leaning in and looking a bit closer at the words of Jesus. Only in Luke’s gospel account are we given a brief glimpse into the childhood of Jesus with His first recorded words. We’ll also look at Luke’s account of the last words of Jesus before He ascended to Heaven. In the early chapters of Luke, we see Old Testament prophesies fulfilled with Jesus’ birth. His childhood is basically summarized in chapter 2 verse 40 in that he grew and became strong in the spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. Fast forward to the age of 12. After celebrating the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem, Jesus’ family is returning to Nazareth. Now this would have been a caravan of family and friends, spread out, but all together. After a days journey, they couldn’t find Jesus. Mary and Joseph returned to Jerusalem to find him. After three days, moms can you imagine, they found Jesus in the temple, sitting in the midst of teachers, both listening and asking questions. Luke 2:47-49 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” As a mom I can almost hear him saying it like, “why are you here”? And he makes it clear, He’s in His Father’s house, about His Father’s business. These are the first words of Jesus we are given. Bottom line, from day one, He had a mission. There was a plan and He was it. Fast forward to Luke 24. Jesus, the now resurrected Christ, is about to ascend to Heaven. His disciples are hanging on His every word. Luke 24:46-49 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” From his first recorded words in Luke at the age of 12, to His last, Jesus made clear His divine identity as the Son of God. He knew His mission. He was about His Father’s business. He prayed in the garden, Father THY will be done. He suffered, died and rose again, so that REPENTANCE and the forgiveness of sins could be offered to you and me. That’s the truth. It’s always been Jesus. He is the word made flesh and through every word he spoke and every word from Genesis to Revelation, He was and is and is to come. I’m Lori Cline.  

Losing is a part of growing.

When we trust God’s ways, we can walk in integrity and freedom.   ~~~   Sometimes, in going down God’s path, choosing the path of humility and obedience, we have to trust God’s word over man’s advice, and that is something Saul was not willing to do. David asked him, “Why are you listening to other men who are feeding you lies, telling you that I am trying to harm you?” But then we get to the heart, we see where David’s trust and hope really is. In 1 Samuel 24:12, David says, “May the LORD judge between me and you, may the LORD avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you.” When we stop and think about this situation, or whatever situation you might be in today that begs for your vengeance, this is actually the most horrifying of responses if you are Saul. You see, it’s one thing to take on the vengeance of a human, who, at worst, can kill the body. It is another thing to take on the vengeance of God, who can kill not only the body, but also destroy both the soul and the body in hell. Here we see David leave the matter in the hands of the only One who could judge justly, and would do so, and David goes on trusting God, walking the line of God’s path, and not his own When I trust God’s ways, I can act with integrity and freedom, free of guilt, free of bitterness.

No matter the pain, God can help overcome it.

Memory development begins in the womb.

Great humility leads us to trusting God’s path over our own.   ~~~   What is the attitude of your heart when that promotion goes to a “less-deserving” person? A person you know hasn’t worked as hard, won’t do the company as much good, as you? Or when the starting position on the basketball team goes to an inferior player? Or when you get passed over for that accolade or recognition? When the votes don’t go in your favor? Do you want to stand up in protest? Do you think of ways to sabotage the other person? Do you cut them down to other people? Do you remember the instance when Jesus had just told his disciples that he was going to be killed, but in three days he would rise again? That sparked an interesting conversation among the disciples, and the conversation was summarized for us by Mark as this— ‘What were you discussing on the way?’ But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest,” (Mark 9:34). I love the text of God’s word. Jesus asked, “Hey, what was the discussion about?” Jesus, casually asked them about this “discussion,” but Mark describes it as an argument. The boys were bickering with one another, each promoting himself over the others, giving reasons why he was better, more qualified, better skilled, more handy, and the others were inferior. They didn’t want Jesus to know that’s what the “discussion” was really about. The text tells us that Jesus sat down and called his disciples to him, and said, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” The indication of the text is that the first place, the higher honor is within grasp, could be seized, but the choice, the choosing of God’s servant is to serve others. What is Jesus getting at? Humility. Trusting the pathway that God carves more than the pathway that you think you can carve for yourself. And we see in our text of 1 Samuel 24, of David choosing God’s path, and accepting it in humility. He bows down to Saul, completely vulnerable to him, and paid homage. This is the great difference between Saul and David. Saul is thirsty for honor and applause, refusing to repent, refusing humility at every turn, choosing his own path. But David’s heart is tender toward’s God, quick to repent and trust God’s path, no matter how hard it may be to understand.

Even as time goes on and things chance, the words of Jesus remain.   ~~~   Do you know any of the words of Jesus? Whether you believe and follow Him or not, you very well may have quoted Him. You might know Jesus said to, “love your neighbor,” but do you also know Jesus said, “love your enemy”? Yep. Wherever you stand with Jesus, the fact remains that His words always cause a stir. The Pharisees used the words of Jesus against him to have him crucified. So good reminder, just because someone uses the words of Jesus, doesn’t mean they FOLLOW the words of Jesus. Find out what Jesus said for yourself. Dig into Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. As you seek Him, you WILL find Him, from Genesis to Revelation. Some bibles have the words of Jesus in RED. I love those. These ‘red letter editions’ as they are called, highlight the words of Jesus in the color red throughout the gospel accounts. The first one was published in 1899 by Louis Klopsch. He was inspired to publish such an edition by reading what Jesus spoke in Luke 22:20 which says this… Luke 22:20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” This verse sparked the idea. Jesus’ words in red, symbolizing the new covenant Jesus sealed with His blood on the cross. It’s simply a tool we can use as we study ALL of scripture. As a red letter edition bible highlights the words of Jesus, I thought I would do the same. So join me this month at Lifeword.org as I look at some of the red letter words of Jesus. We’ll dig into truth He spoke that doesn’t get as much mainstream attention because, well, it might not be what we WANT to focus on. But you see, that’s why we should. Every word of God’s word matters. That’s the danger in thinking any part of the Bible is of more importance than the other. EVERY word is from God. Jesus Christ IS the Word (John 1:14). All of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, is the Word of GOD, (2 Timothy 3:16–17) AND the word of Jesus, because He and the Father are one. (John 10:30) We are to hold dear, adhere to and follow EVERY word, because it is right and true and it will stand forever. This is what Jesus said about His words. Mark 13:31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Here in Mark chapter 13, Jesus is giving his disciples a look into the future. While out on the Mount of Olives, Jesus begins to describe the coming destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem as well as a great tribulation and end to heaven and earth as we know it. There will be signs, just as buds blooming now are signs of Spring that will lead to Summer, we will see and know when the time is near. Jesus makes it clear. All things, in the heavens and on this earth, will pass away, but His WORDS will remain. That’s the truth. Jesus said it. I believe it. I stand alone on it. It’s the only thing in this life that will not fail. I’m Lori Cline.

Clif walks through his current method of daily devotional.