July 27

Today's Reading

2 Chronicles. The account in Chapter 20 is one of my favorite in the Old Testament. But notice this verse in Chapter 19: "Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, but he went out among the people, traveling from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, encouraging the people to return to the Lord..." Without doubt, the victory in Chapter 20 came partly as a result of Jehoshaphat's faithful work earlier. We never know the long-term results of the work we do today. We are often encouraged, though, by seeing some of the results from work we did long ago.

Romans. This difficult message of God "choosing" still bears down on us in today's reading. Can we fully understand it? No! But today includes the attitude that we should have about it: gratitude. Our salvation is never something to be haughty about, but something to be humbly grateful for. Also, God's involvement doesn't give us a "pass" from telling others about Him. Our faithful sharing of the message is part of His plan.

Psalms. "The king trusts in the Lord." That's not only good for the king -- it's good for the whole nation.

Proverbs. I am deeply touched when someone makes a difficult commitment, then keeps it without wavering. In my experience, such people are rare.

And what do you see today? Do you have questions or comments?