June 23

Today's Reading

2 Kings. As I read today's passage, I was again puzzled as to why Gehazi got no results to his petition for the life of the boy. Then it hit me: God, who sees the heart, saw the false motives in Gehazi. If he had seen the boy healed, he most likely would wanted to turn it into a profit-making venture. May my heart always belong only to God!

Acts. The Council at Jerusalem was one of the key decisions in the early church. Some Jews had been unable to imagine following God as Christians without essentially becoming Jews first. After deliberation, it was clear that the Gospel is for all who put their faith in Christ and Gentiles don't have to convert to Judaism before they become Christians. Notice that one of the two sent with the message of council was Silas. We will read much of him in the coming chapters.

Psalms. Verse 2 says, "Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering." I think it's easy to forget that God cherishes our prayers and our worship. I needed that reminder!

Proverbs today could easily be the front page news in our culture. We have become very skeptical of those in authority because of how common such things are.

Your thoughts? Do you have questions to discuss?