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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!

This week’s featured devotional is the Monday, June 30, 2014 entry of Opening the Word. <a href="http://www.heraldandbanner.com/product/opening-word/">Order your copy!</a>
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.