June 28
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“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:33, NIV)

The disciple of Jesus should fear only one thing: The displeasure of his or her heavenly Father.

Our world is a marketplace of fear and trouble.  If we forget for even a moment that God is bigger than any trouble or peril we shall ever face in our lifetime, we will lose heart.

Jesus has plainly told us that we will face trouble in this world, so any trouble we encounter should not come as a surprise.  However, He has also told us that we should not fear or lose heart: “I have overcome the world.”

Face each day with this confidence!  – Luther

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June 27
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“Remain in me, as I also remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”  (John 15:4, NIV)

According to God’s word (Galatians 5:22-23a), the fruit of the Spirit — that is, the outward expression of God’s presence within us — is this: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

It may take a while for a tree to actually produce the fruit it was created to bear; and it may take us a while to mature into the disciple whose life is known for love, joy, peace, and the other manifestations of God’s life within us.  However, we shall never realize our destiny in this regard without abiding in Christ.

Make Him the One in whom you “live, move, and have your being” (Acts 17:28), and your life will bear fruit.  Guaranteed.  – Luther

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June 25
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“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'”  (Hebrews 13:5, NIV)

The thought of Oswald Chambers on the latter half of this scripture is particularly appropriate to consider when we are in the routines of daily living.

Says Chambers: “Sometimes it is not difficulty that makes me think God will forsake me, but drudgery.  There is no Hill Difficulty to climb, no vision given, nothing wonderful or beautiful, just the commonplace day in and day out – can I hear God’s say-so in these things?”

The truth of life is that most of the days of our lives will not be spent in the valley of difficulty or frustration; nor on the mountaintop of excitement and personal achievement — but on the plains of our routines.

The reality is that if we can hear and obey God in the mundane places, where our senses are blunted by the routine of living; we will certainly hear Him when our senses are most attuned to Him in the valley or on the pinnacle.

Use the long, level, boring, spaces in your life to cultivate your relationship with our heavenly Father.  – Luther

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