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MEDITATION:

Written by Os Hillman, a contemporary speaker, author, and consultant.

Conflict in the workplace, in ministry, or even marriage is inevitable because you are working closely with one another. God has wired each of us with different personalities that can view circumstances differently. One person can see a situation and conclude something totally different from another. There are times when differences and conflicts just cannot be resolved. It doesn’t mean that one person or the other is evil or sinful. It just means that the difference of opinion or the personality clash has no solution. We see an example of this in the relationship of Paul and Barnabas, two partners in Christian ministry who had a sharp disagreement regarding a young man named John Mark. In Acts 15, we see that Barnabas wanted to take John Mark on a missionary journey. However, Paul refused. John Mark had disappointed him once before and Paul didn’t want to give him another chance. In the end, Paul and Barnabas agreed to disagree and to part company. Paul went one way; Barnabas and John Mark went another. Sometimes, that’s the only solution to a disagreement. There’s a postscript to this story: In 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul writes from his prison cell in Rome and tells Timothy, “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” Sometime after the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas, John Mark redeemed himself and became a valued partner in Paul’s ministry. In fact, as Paul faced execution in Rome, he wanted his friend John Mark at his side. Whenever there is disagreement, make sure you maintain support of the person at the same time you disagree with their position. Avoid personal attacks and implying motive behind someone else’s position. This will allow you to disagree and still maintain a relationship.

PRAYER:

Written by John Baillie (1886-1960) was a Scottish theologian and a Church of Scotland minister.

This day O Lord –Give me courtesy;

Give me both gentleness of demeanor and decisiveness of character;

Give me patience;

Give me love;

Give me self-control and faithfulness in my relationships;

Give me sincerity in my speech;

Give me diligence in the work you have given me to do.

O Lord, who when the time was right raised up our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to enlighten our hearts with the knowledge of your love, grant me the grace to be worthy of his name. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Meloday Copenny, a contemporary journalist and editor.

Juneteenth, a shortened version of “June Nineteenth,” is a holiday that celebrates the end of slavery in America. Known also as Freedom Day and Emancipation Day, Juneteenth was initially observed on June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas. There, they told enslaved African Americans the Civil War was finished and they were free. The Emancipation Proclamation, issued on Jan. 1, 1863, freed enslaved African Americans in the Southern states. But sadly, that news arrived nearly two years later in Galveston, located on the far western edges of the Confederacy.  Juneteenth celebrations give space for the African American community to remember and honor the difficult journey from those years of enslavement to the present day.  America’s relationship with the chattel slavery system brought African people to the developing nation and held them in bondage for 250 years.  The Confederacy’s surrender to the Union on April 9, 1865, ended the country’s bloody four-year war over the Southern states’ secession. And the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified Dec. 6, 1865, abolished slavery nationwide.  But African Americans received deep and painful wounds as a result of slavery — wounds caused by the system’s layers of intense physical, emotional and psychological trauma. The inhumane practice also damaged the community’s relationships, as marriages and family units were constantly torn apart when human beings were sold and exploited.  The effects of those wounds continue today and require the healing balm that only the gospel of Jesus Christ can provide. 

The human dignity of enslaved Africans was silenced while their personal freedoms were destroyed. They were forced into physical bondage — a soul-stealing experience that gutted their hopes and produced generational trauma that is still being felt in the African American community today. These enslaved men, women, and children who were sold in the transatlantic slave trade were made in the image of God — the Imago Dei. They were created in His likeness. Given significance by Him. Honored with the gift and dignity of life from Him in the same way all human beings made in the image of God are.  Juneteenth stands to remind our nation that though the African American experience includes the brutal chains of slavery, emancipation did come, and it broke those physical shackles free.  God cares for the oppressed, the hurting, and the abused. God’s compassion and action to deliver and restore people physically and spiritually is shown in biblical examples, from the 400 years of slavery the children of Israel endured in the Old Testament to the treatment of the Greek widows in the New Testament.  In His Son, Jesus, God gave the world an eternal emancipator. Jesus is the Savior whose life, death, burial, and resurrection ushered in a spiritual movement that provides spiritual emancipation from the bondage of sin and the fear of death for anyone who would believe in Him.  In our stories, God shows up and offers redemption and resurrection through His love and deep compassion for us. As you engage with your story, by God’s grace, you can build the capacity to lean into the stories of others, seeing and understanding so you can engage in this world and intentionally look for the Imago Dei in other people.  Juneteenth helps us to celebrate the beauty of the Imago Dei in the African American experience. Continue growing in your understanding of this cultural tradition by checking out local Juneteenth events in your city. Experience these times in community with friends so you can share what you’re learning and how it’s deepening your cultural intelligence.

PRAYER:

Adapted from Racial Healing and Liturgical Resources by the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Father, thank you for the gift of your Son, the perfect One given for an imperfect one like me. Thank you that Jesus died the way He did so I can come to you just as I am. Jesus, give me grace to reach for Your scars, believing that when You suffered and bled for me, my wounds were healed. Let your peace and power cover and heal my heart. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Kyle Norman, a contemporary Canadian pastor and author.

“May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14).  When Paul penned these words, he did not have in mind potlucks, Bible studies, or liturgical services; nor were these words designed simply to conclude his letter in a crisp and poetic fashion. Rather, in writing these words, Paul pronounces a reality that  encompasses the lives of all Christians. Simply, the words of the grace declare a truth about your life. This truth has three components. Firstly, the grace of Jesus Christis upon you. Scripture uses the word “grace” as a shorthand for the entire redemptive activity of our Lord. The entire arc of salvation history is contained in this small 5-letter word. Grace is Jesus entering your world in the most vulnerable of fashions; It is him walking toward you amid threatening storms; It is Jesus touching you in the place of your brokenness and offering his healing presence. Grace is Jesus weeping with you as you mourn the losses and struggles of life; It is Jesus journeying into the place of death and sin, violence and pain, to dethrone their power over your life; It is Jesus rising in the power of God, and extending that resurrection like a blanket over you. Grace is the intimate presence of the Lord precisely in the places where you feel that you do not, or cannot, deserve it.  When Paul writes “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. . .be with you” everything stated above is declared to be a truth for your life. In hearing these words, you are invited to live in this reality and to allow these promises to enfold you. Jesus, the exalted Lord, surrounds you. Paul does not stop there. Paul also writes about the reality of God’s love over you. I encourage you to sit with the awesomeness of this proclamation. Consider the sheer delight in being able to declare, under the authority of scripture, that the love of the creator surrounds you. The declaration of God’s love isn’t just something quaint we say. It is not a slogan of faith that sounds nice but lacks reality. No, God’s love is extended to you. This is a fact.  Scripture is replete with declarations regarding the activity of God’s love upon our lives. No matter what is going on in life, no matter how far off course one may have gone, God surrounds us with the deepest expression of love that we can ever imagine. And to top it all off, such love will not change or diminish.  It will not lessen in degree or intensity.  The love of God is constant. Lastly, Paul concludes this life-giving verse by invoking thefellowship of the Holy Spirit. This statement refers to an active engagement with the Holy Spirit in our lives. This flows naturally out of the other two statements. If we truly recognize that we are immersed in our Lord’s redemptive work, and rooted in the sacrificial love of God, then how can we not see ourselves as filled with the power of Spirit? The Spirit invites us to participate in God’s activity in the world.  We are invited to share in the work of the Kingdom.  

PRAYER:

Written by Louie Giglio, a contemporary American pastor and writer.

Father, thank you for the gift of your Son, the perfect One given for an imperfect one like me. Thank you that Jesus died the way He did so I can come to you just as I am. Jesus, give me grace to reach for Your scars, believing that when You suffered and bled for me, my wounds were healed. Let your peace and power cover and heal my heart. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Lianna Davis, a contemporary author.

God calls us to walk in good relationships with others as believers, as far as it is up to us. And through the paradigm of relationship is one way we can think about righteousness — righteousness as always treating the other rightly, full of love and truth. Now, viewing righteousness in a relational way deeply honors God. For our faith in Him is all about a righteousness before Him. First and foremost, we want a righteous relationship with God Himself. We know that is only possible through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross. He forgives our sins and our transgressions of His holy ways for us. We can live before Him “in the right” because He has been poured out as a drink offering for us.

PRAYER:

Written by John Vetri, a contemporary Jesuit and author.

O God,

I find myself at the beginning of another day.

I do not know what it will bring.

Please help me to be ready for whatever it may be.

If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely.

If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly.

If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently.

If I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly.

I pray just for today, for these twenty-four hours,

for the ability to cooperate with others according to the way Jesus taught us to live.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

May these words that he taught us become more than words.

Please free my thinking and feelings and the thinking and feelings of others,

from all forms of self-will, self-centeredness, dishonesty, and deception.

Along with my brothers and sisters,

I need this freedom to make my choices today according to your desires.

Send your Spirit to inspire me in time of doubt and indecision so that, together, we can walk along your path.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Jim Denison, a contemporary author, speaker and CEO of Denison Ministries. This is an excerpt from his article “How Should Christians Respond to the Escalating Normalization of Immorality in Our Society.”

People living in first-century Corinth would not have been shocked by today’s conversation [about morality]. To the contrary, their standards were so low that to “corinthianize” meant to commit acts of unspeakable immorality. One might therefore assume that a Christian who urged Corinthians to “flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18) would avoid even entering their city. In reality, Paul spent eighteen months there, a longer stay than is recorded for any other city except Ephesus. From his example and experience in Corinth we can identify three principles.  One, go where people need what you have to give. When Jesus went to “those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,” the result was that “on them a light has dawned.” The darker the room, the more urgent the light. Pray daily for the wisdom to know the “room” into which you are called. Two, go where people are responding to God’s word. When the Jews in Corinth rejected Paul’s message, he turned to the Gentiles. As a result, “many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.” Pray daily for the Spirit’s leading as you go where you can make the greatest difference. Three, trust the protection and provision of God. After God promised Paul that “no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people,” he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. But when persecution increased, he took leave and set sail for Syria. Pray daily for the wisdom to balance trust and presumption, staying faithful to the last word you heard from God and open to the next.  Our culture is normalizing immorality on a level unprecedented in American history. As a result, followers of Jesus need to become cultural missionaries on a level of transformative urgency and significance. But we must recognize sin as sin and refuse the allure of the popular or we will lose our credibility and betray our Lord. When one of our sons graduated from high school, his commencement speaker made an observation that has stayed with me over the years. He noted the surest way to tell a live fish from a dead one: the live fish swims upstream, while the dead fish floats with the river. Which will you be today?

PRAYER:

Written by Billy Graham (1918-2018) American Christian evangelist.

Our Father and Our God, we praise you for Your goodness to our nation, giving us blessings far beyond what we deserve. Yet we know all is not right with America. We deeply need a moral and spiritual renewal to help us meet the many problems we face. Convict us of sin. Help us to turn to You in repentance and faith. Set our feet on the path of Your righteousness and peace. We pray today for our nation’s leaders. Give them the wisdom to know what is right, and the courage to do it. You have said, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” May this be a new era for America, as we humble ourselves and acknowledge You alone as our Savior and Lord. This we pray in your holy name. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by John Piper, a contemporary pastor, speaker, and author.

Jesus Christ is refreshing. Flight from him into Christless leisure makes the soul parched. At first, it may feel like freedom and fun to skimp on prayer and neglect the Word. But then we pay: shallowness, powerlessness, vulnerability to sin, preoccupation with trifles, superficial relationships, and a frightening loss of interest in worship and the things of the Spirit. Don’t let summer make your soul shrivel. God made summer as a foretaste of heaven, not a substitute. If the mailman brings you a love letter from your fiancé, don’t fall in love with the mailman. Don’t fall in love with the video preview and find yourself unable to love the coming reality. Jesus Christ is the refreshing center of summer. He is pre–eminent in all things (Colossians 1:18), including vacations and picnics and softball and long walks and cookouts. He invites us this summer: “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy–laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). Do we want it? That is the question. Christ gives himself to us in proportion to how much we want his refreshment. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). Peter’s word to us about this is: “Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). Repentance is not just turning away from sin, but also turning toward the Lord with hearts open and expectant and submissive. What sort of summer mindset is this? It is the mindset of Colossians 3:1–2, “If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” It is God’s earth! It is a video preview to the reality of what the eternal summer will be like when “The city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23). The summer sun is a mere pointer to the sun that will be. The glory of God. Summer is for seeing and showing that. Do you want to have eyes to see? Lord, let us see the light beyond the light.

PRAYER:

Written by Kirstyn Mayden, a contemporary Christian author.

Dear God, when our minds are distracted and overwhelmed by our personal and societal circumstances, renew and restore our minds daily. During times when we cannot think clearly, strengthen and direct our minds to your Word for hope and encouragement. Help us to keep our minds focused on You. Restore mental clarity and balance when anxiety rises. Restore positive thoughts and affirmations in our minds so that we can be beacons of hope and love. Give us the courage and discipline to continually seek your Word to renew our minds. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by John Ortberg, a contemporary pastor, speaker, and author.

Often the thing that keeps me from experiencing joy is my preoccupation with self. The very selfishness that keeps me from pouring myself out for the joy of others also keeps me from noticing and delighting in the myriad small gifts God offers each day. Joy is at the heart of God’s plan for human beings. The reason for this is worth pondering awhile: Joy is at the heart of God himself. This is why the Bible speaks not just about our need for joy in general, but a particular kind of joy that characterizes God. After teaching on the need for obedience, Jesus told his friends that his aim was that they should be filled with joy, but not just any kind of joy: “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” The Bible puts joy in the non-optional category. Joy is a command. Joylessness is a serious sin, one that religious people are particularly prone to indulge in. It may be the sin most readily tolerated by the church. We have greatly underestimated the necessity of joy. Nehemiah said to his grieving congregation, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep. . . . Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our LORD; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Joy is strength. Its absence will create weakness. Joy is God’s basic character. Joy is his eternal destiny. God is the happiest being in the universe.  And God’s intent was that his creation would mirror his joy. The psalmist speaks of the sun, “which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy, and like a strong man runs its course with joy.” This is not merely picturesque language; this is creation expressing God’s own unwearying joy at simply being, at existing and knowing existence to be good. As products of God’s creation, creatures made in his image, we are to reflect God’s fierce joy in life. You can become a joyful person. With God’s help, it really is possible. The biblical writers would not command it if it were not so. But joyfulness is a learned skill. You must take responsibility for your joy. Not your friend, not your parent, not your spouse, not your kids, not your boss—your joy is your responsibility. The psalmist says, “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” “This is God’s day,” the psalmist says. It is the day God made, a day that Christ’s death has redeemed. If we are going to know joy, it must be in this day—today. What have you learned about joy recently? In what ways might understanding more about the joy of the Lord affect your view of joy?

PRAYER:

Written by Ron Moore, a contemporary pastor and author.

Father, thank you for intervening in my life and allowing me to have a personal relationship with you. Thank you for your love for me today and forever. Thank you for the blessings you’ve given me and my family. Help us use those blessings to bless others. May I live a life of true joy as I see you at work around me today! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Today’s meditation is from the “NIV Discover God’s Heart Devotional Bible” published by Walk Thru the Bible Ministries.

In the beginning, God—the Master Artist—speaks. He calls the universe into existence—setting moons, planets, stars, and galaxies in a masterful yet dizzying rhythm of orbiting and spinning. Like a painter surveying a blank canvas, his Spirit hovers over the empty earth. “Let there be light,” he declares, and light bursts through the darkness. He parts waters and calls up land. He brings about lush green plants and grasses. He decorates the sea, sky, and land with fish, birds, and animals. The once-barren planet dances with life. Then the Master Artist comes in close to shape his highest work, his pièce de résistance, the creatures who will carry the honor of bearing his image: man and woman. In a gesture of intimacy, God leans in to breathe life into the nostrils of the man. Soon after, woman is called forth from his side. God sets his crowning creations in a garden he has made especially for them, giving them one command so they can fully enjoy their magnificent home. Creation is God’s great introduction. God had the ability to call anything into existence that he wanted. As the all-powerful, infinitely thoughtful One, the possibilities before him were endless. So what he did choose to create reveals much about his heart. Out of the overflow of his heart spills a world of beauty and goodness. Warm rays of sunlight feed the upturned leaves of the waiting plants below. Powerful displays of lightning and thunder announce the delivery of life-rain. Creation is a masterpiece with a message. As the worker ant marches on to accomplish his daily tasks, he proclaims: “I am diligent because my Creator is diligent.” As a lion stands guard over his pride, he declares, “I am ferocious because my Creator is ferocious.” As the butterfly gently flits over flowers, he proclaims: “I am beautiful because my Creator is beautiful.” Tumbling bear cubs profess: “We are playful because our Creator is playful.” As God creates, he keeps agreeing: “Good! . . . Good! . . . Good!” The Artist is pleased. It is good. The King’s actions trumpet forth the foundational truth of his heart, which is also the foundational truth of the universe: Creation is good because God is good. He is good, good, good.

PRAYER:

Written by Origen (c184-253), an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and theologian.

O Wisdom, O holy word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care: Come and show your people the way to salvation.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Anne Graham Lotz, a contemporary speaker, author, and founder of AnGeL Ministries. This is an excerpt from her book “My Heart’s Cry.”

The branch is totally, absolutely, completely dependent upon the Vine, not only for fruit but for life. Whether because of pride or fear or some other reason, we as branches seem to struggle with being totally dependent on the Vine. In what areas of your life are you acting independently of the Vine? I can usually determine these areas by just checking my prayer life. The items I have not prayed about— the people and problems, the relationships and responsibilities, the activities and attitudes, the schedules and stress, the entertainment and exercise, the pleasures and pastimes, the decisions and dreams, the desires and diets, anything and everything—are those areas of my life where I am not dependent upon Him. If my heart’s cry is for more of His fruitfulness, then one of the goals of my life needs to be more consistency in my dependency. 

PRAYER:

Written by Paige Deane, a contemporary author.

Lord, you are the master gardener. You know what is best for your harvest. Help me to abide in you so that you might abide in me and I could be in a good relationship with you. Thank you for sending your son to make that relationship possible. I know that to be your disciple I need to take the time to be with you and to build a stronger relationship with you. Help me to spend time in your Word so that I understand your teachings and your character. Help me to be in consistent prayer and worship with you. Lord, even in the seasons of waiting, when it feels like nothing is happening. Lord, help me to abide. I just want to be with you, Lord. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Jeff Hopper, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from his book “Go for the Green.”

It is difficult to exaggerate the relationship between a professional player and his or her caddie. A strong player-caddie relationship can make a significant difference in the player’s career— and the caddie’s too! Solomon, too, knew that synergistic teamwork was a thing to be prized. Sometimes, he suggested, the team can be too big. When we gather companions as though they are commodities, we are often left to take the bad with the good. Not all those we call friends are wise. If their influence is destructive, sometimes we are forced to end the friendship. But there is another level of friendship. This is the friend who can be trusted in any circumstance— a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Such deep friends encourage one another, pray with and for one another, hold one another accountable, and never leave when the going gets tough. Seek such a friend. Be such a friend.

PRAYER:

Written by Janel Breitenstein, a contemporary author.

Thank You for the relationships in our neighborhood: for friendships, marriages, families. You created relationships to be powerful. Lord, strengthen the marriages in my neighborhood. Supply parents with the wisdom, resources, and steadfast love to display You to their kids. Strengthen our friendships with perseverance, self-sacrifice, and honesty. Sustain those who are selflessly caring for others. Increase our generosity and compassion. Amen.

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