May 5

Today's Reading

Judges concludes today with a final description of just how far Israel had strayed from God. Don't buy in to the lie that people are inherently good. Without Jesus as king, everyone does what is right in his own eyes.

Ruth begins and tells us of someone who was the antithesis of the Israelis during the period of the judges.  She was loyal, kind, hard-working and willing to leave everything she knew to follow Naomi (and the Living God).

John. I feel refreshed just by reading the encounter described between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. Wells that were fed by underground springs were called "living water" because they were always full -- no matter how much was used. Jesus offers us that same "living water" springing up from within as God replenishes us by His Spirit. As we yield to His life, we are amazed at the harvest God shows us.

Psalms. 11 “I will give you the land of Canaan
as your special possession.” If we get our worldview from the world (which I find easy to do), we make the mistake of thinking that the Israelis should yield the Land to their neighbors because the others were there first. The truth is that God was their first. He created it, He owns it (Psalm 24:1) and it's His to do with as He pleases. What a mess we have when we don't acknowledge HIm as God!

Proverbs. May we speak the truth in love today. May we listen with humility when others speak the truth to us.

I am grateful for God's Word to us today. How about you? Do you have thoughts or questions?