MAY 15 What Is Meekness? Devotional by John Piper “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) Meekness begins when we put our trust in God. Then, because we trust him, we commit our way to him. We roll onto him our anxieties, our frustrations, our plans, our relationships, our jobs, our health. And then we wait patiently for the Lord. We trust his timing and his power and his grace to work things out in the best way for his glory and for our good. The result of trusting God and the rolling of our anxieties onto God and waiting patiently for God is that we don’t give way to quick and fretful anger. But instead, we give place to wrath and hand our cause over to God and let him vindicate us if he chooses. And then, as James says, in this quiet confidence we are slow to speak and quick to listen (James 1:19). We become reasonable and open to correction. Meekness loves to learn. And it counts the blows of a friend as precious. And when it must say a criti

Love Despite Ourselves By Billy Graham   •   May 15   •   Topics: God's Love SHARE5 TWEET HomeDaily DevotionLove Despite Ourselves disheveled man . . . all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags . . . —Isaiah 64:6 The Bible teaches that all our righteousness-falling short of the divine standard as it does-is as filthy rags in the sight of God. There is absolutely no possibility of our manufacturing a righteousness, holiness, or goodness that will satisfy God. Even the best of us is impure to God. I remember one day when my wife was doing the washing. The clothes looked white and clean in the house, but when she hung them on the line they appeared soiled and dirty, in contrast to the fresh-fallen snow. Our own lives may seem at times to be morally good and decent; but in comparison to the holiness and the purity of God, we are defiled and filthy. In spite of our sins and moral uncleanness God loves us. He decided to provide a righteousness for us. That is the reason that He

WITHOUT A RIVAL -EXODUS 20:1-17 KEY VERSE: "I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (Exodus 20:2). In the days of the ancient Near East empires, which was the period the children of Israel sojourned in the wilderness on their way to Canaan, it was the norm for a king to set forth a treaty that established his lordship over the people. This document took the form of laws the subjects must obey to appreciate the king’s guidance. The Ten Commandments God gave to Israel in the third month of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage was also the Lord’s unquestionable statement that He was their King and that Israel was His covenant people bound to Him by rules. They must offer Him complete devotion and loyalty in sheer gratitude for His mercies. That is why He began the laws with "I am the LORD, thy God" to make the proclamation that only His Word would hold sway if the people under Him would enjoy life to

OPEN HEAVENS 2017 WHEN GOD GIVES LAUGHTER – Monday May 15th 2017 Memorise:  And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. Matthew 3:9 Read:  Psalm 33:8-11 (King James Version) 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. 10 The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. 11 The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Bible in one year:  Deuteronomy 23-24, Jeremiah 31:15-30, Hymn: Sing hymn 5 MESSAGE God makes you laugh when He turns His prophecies into decrees. There is a difference between prophecies and decrees. When you hear “Thus says the Lord” that is a prophecy for which you will need to wait to see its fulfilment. In contract, when God sudd

  May 15, 2017 Forever Flowers Xochitl Dixon Isaiah 40:1–8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. Isaiah 40:8 As a toddler, my son Xavier enjoyed giving me flowers. I appreciated every freshly picked weed or store-bought blossom he purchased with his dad. I treasured each gift until it wilted and had to be thrown away. One day, Xavier gave me a beautiful bouquet of artificial flowers. He grinned as he arranged the silk white calla lily, yellow sunflower, and purple hydrangea in a glass vase. “Look, Mommy,” he said. “They’ll last forever. That’s how much I love you.” Since then, my boy has grown into a young man. Those silk petals have frayed. The colors have faded. Still, the Forever Flowers remind me of his adoration. And there is something else it brings to mind—one thing that truly stands forever—the limitless and lasting love of God, as revealed in His infallible and enduring Word (Isa. 40:8). As the Israelites faced continual tr