For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my many sins.

Psalm 25:11 (NLT)

When a man has sinned against God, he not only has guilt feelings, he has true guilt; and he has true guilt even if he does not have feelings of guilt.

Francis Schaeffer

Daily Meditations by Pat Nordman ©

July 5

In Revelation 3:20 Jesus is presented as the guest of our heart: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and eat with him, and he with Me."

Our Jesus can't become any more human than fellowshipping with us at the table. In His I AM's, He tells us I AM the bread of life; I AM the Staff of Consolation on which you can lean; I AM the Bread which you can eat to gain strength; I AM the Good Shepherd who will lead you through your valley; I AM your rightnow help in this time of trouble. I AMnot was or will be.

Pat Nordman ©

Excerpts from today's Spurgeon's Devotions
Spurgeon's Morning for July 5	Spurgeon's Evening for July 5
"Called to be saints." - Romans 1:7	"Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." - Isaiah 26:4
God has called by His grace, and sanctified by His Spirit; but we are apt to look upon the apostles as extraordinary beings, scarcely subject to the same weaknesses and temptations as ourselves.	We have been in many trials, but we have never yet been cast where we could not find in our God all that we needed. Let us then be encouraged to trust in the Lord for ever, assured that his ever lasting strength will be, as it has been, our succour and stay.

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July 5 Ne 13:1 - 13:31

365 days of Bible Readings Linked to Bible Gaitway TM

Current Bible Question

What judge had 30 sons who rode 30 donkeys, and controlled 30 towns?

Previous question and Answer:

In what land were there no swarms of flies, as a means of demonstrating that God's people dwelt there and were therefore protected?

Goshen (Exodus 8:22)

Today's Devotion

But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.

Job 16:5 (NIV)

Religious Sinners(?)

by Cathy Vinson

"If while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners..."

(Gal 2:17)

How can this be possible? How can it be that venturing on becoming right before God can result in being a sinner? It appears this road toward justification carries with it some great risks...the risk of actually ending up a sinner as before and even more so.

At least before religion got a hold of us, we were lawless and knew it. We weren't even putting forth the effort to be right with God. What is in this desire to be justified that becomes a peril?

The religious spirit. True belief in Christ offers life and has in it focus upon the Lifegiver. True belief detaches us from a righteousness that has its focus on us and what we do. Belief brings about "that I might live for God" (vs. 19). The question then lies in HOW will we build upon this desire for rightness a looking upon Jesus, His Cross and depending upon the Holy Spirit for our deeds unto Him.

Rick Joyner writes "A religious spirit seeks to substitute religious activity for the power of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life. Its primary objective is to have the church 'holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power' (2 Tim 3:5). The apostle completed his exhortation with 'avoid such men as these.' This religious spirit is the 'leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees' (Matt 6:16) of which the Lord warned His disciples to beware...As the Lord's continuous confrontations with the Pharisees and Sadducees were an example, the church's most desperate fight from the very beginning has been with this spirit."

There is so much of this at work and much to be uncovered in each of us. It seems like this is why the first words of ministry from Jesus and John the Baptist were "Repent, for..."

So are we among those seeking to be justified? It certainly is not a wrong desire. Yet, how are we going about it? Let us not rebuild a righteousness based upon ourselves "for through the law I died to the law" (vs. 19). Let us hear the earnestness of Paul: "I do not set ASIDE the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained from the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Send a note to Cathy Vinson , the writer of this devotion.

The religious spirit. True belief in Christ offers life and has in it focus upon the Lifegiver. True belief detaches us from a righteousness that has its focus on us and what we do. Belief brings about "that I might live for God" (vs 19). The question then lies in HOW will we build upon this desire for rightness a looking upon Jesus, His Cross and depending upon the Holy Spirit for our deeds unto Him.

Other Whispers from the Wilderness Devotions are found HERE