Read Deuteronomy 10:12-15
“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul” (v. 12).
Alma grew up in our church. Her grandfather was one of the founders. The church bore his last name. She seldom missed a service. Tragically, in spite of her exposure to the gospel, she had never been saved. I prayed for her often. I visited her regularly. Numerous times I ex- plained the plan of salvation as simply as I could and asked her if she would like to pray to ask God to forgive her sins and to become the Lord of her life. Each time, she refused. Her answer became familiar. “Brother Woods, it is just so hard to understand.”
In our devotional text for today, Moses seemed to be expressing the same frustration I felt. “How easy can it be? How simple can it be?” “What doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to. . .?” The path to the foot of the cross is clearly marked and easy to follow. At the end of the path, the Savior eagerly awaits your arrival.
Why do we try to complicate what Christ has made simple? Isaiah said, “A highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein” (35:8). (L. Gayle Woods)

Why do we try to complicate what Christ has made simple?

This week’s featured devotional is the Monday, July 7, 2014 entry of Opening the Word. Order your copy!
Photo credit: "Simple & Obvious" by Emma Jane Hogbin Westby used under CC BY 2.0 / Cropped.

Read John 1:10-14
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (v. 12).
I witnessed Chester die three times in the emergency room at Oak Hill Hospital. Each time he returned to life he cried, “I have gone to hell and come back! Don’t let me die again!” This time was different — he asked for his wife. She stood at the foot of his bed as he confessed his sins to her and added the words, “I ask you and I ask God to forgive me!” Seconds later, he died again and the team resumed the code blue. After cardio version, he announced, “I have gone to heaven and come back, if I die again, let me go!”
The power given to us by Christ himself is to ask for forgiveness with a sincere heart. Because Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He will, with a speed faster than the speed of light, forgive and make us children of God! The power God gives us is summarized in 1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Now we can say, “I’ve been adopted; my name is written down, and I’m a child of the King!” (Lyndell Scoles)

Receive Him today. It is His free gift to us. Delivery guaranteed!

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Photo credit: "<a href="https://flic.kr/p/6MNkrT">The glory of the sky</a>" by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/">Kevin Dooley</a> used under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC BY 2.0</a> / Cropped.

Read John 15:1-5
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me” (v. 4).
Growing in our yard is a white oak tree that my wife started from an 27 acorn. More than a year ago, one of our grandsons broke a limb from the tree. It seemed to be a teachable moment, so I asked the four grandsons who were present to sit down around the small tree. I asked them to look at the tree and observe the scar that was left after having a limb severed from it. I reminded them that the limb could have grown large enough to offer shade and become a limb from which a swing could have been hung. Further, I said it was likely that years from that date the tree would still bear a scar.
A severed limb from an oak may not be a big deal, but that limb will never bear acorns because it is detached. Our detachment from Christ results in barrenness. Could it be that those who claim to be part of the church are so preoccupied with activity that they have neglected abiding? Because abiding is not practiced, there is no fruit. (LRW)

Abiding in Christ, His life flows through me.
Abiding in Christ, He will make me fruitful be. — Lonnie Witt

The severed branch bears no fruit.

This week’s featured devotional is the Wednesday, June 25, 2014 entry of Opening the Word. Order your copy!
Photo credit: "White oak (Quercus alba) on William B. Umstead State Park Sycamore Trail" Miguel Vieira used under CC BY 2.0 / Resized and cropped.

Read Mark 12:28-31
“And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (v. 31).
Suppose your father owned a beloved 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. He had purchased it at a discount after all his kids were grown, then painstakingly restored it to all its mid-century glory. The seats were recovered, the new coat of crimson paint was spotless, and the round headlights shone. If you were lucky, you got to join your mom and dad on a cruise around town on a summer night.
Now, if you wanted to borrow a vehicle of your dad’s to drive back through the pasture to the pond, would you choose that ’57 Chevy? Chances are that would not even be an option for you. Even if your father was away for the day, you would want to treat his special car with care because he prized it.
This illustrates, to a small degree, the reason that loving God is always tied with loving our fellow man. God has shown us His love for humanity; if we love Him, we will treat those He loves with respect. John puts it another way in 1 John 4:20 — how can we claim to love God whom we cannot see if we do not love people that we can see? (Ashlee Englund)

Love for others should be the focal point of all we do.

This week’s featured devotional is the Monday, June 16, 2014 entry of Opening the Word. Order your copy!
Photo credit: "dave_7 used under CC BY 2.0 / Resized and cropped.

Read Isaiah 36:4-10
“And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?” (v. 4).
Weather forecasts can be very entertaining, especially in retrospect. In winter, the dire predictions of “at least seven to ten inches of snow” have people swarming to grocery stores for last minute stock-ups on food
essentials. Spring’s threats of severe storms and too much rain spur worries and cancel plans. Nature’s storms can be powerful, but how often do we over-react to the hype of a broadcaster who simply hopes to boost the ratings? The weather is difficult to predict, and meteorologists often get things wrong. So why do we keep listening to them?
This Rabshakeh knew what he was doing when he questioned the Israelites’ trust. If they trusted in something they could see (the Egyptian army), the Assyrians were certain they could win. If the Israelites trusted in the one they could not see (God), the Assyrians judged based on recent events that they would still have the victory. After all, if this God was so powerful, why did He allow the leader of His people to make so many sweeping changes to the methods of worship in His land?
The Assyrians did not know three important details. First, the changes Hezekiah was making were in line with God’s law. The people were returning to God’s way of doing things. Second, God was certainly capable of taking care of His people. Isaiah described in the very next chapter just how He did it. And finally, God loves His children. He will always take care of them! (Michelle Avery)

Life often challenges our faith. God is always ready to meet that challenge!

This week’s featured devotional is the Tuesday, June 10, 2014 entry of Opening the Word. Order your copy!
Photo credit: "Summer Storm in Saragossa" by Paulo Brandao used under CC BY-SA 2.0 / Resized and cropped.