DAILY?READINGS: 1 Kings 15:1-32; Jeremiah 26; Colossians 3:5 to 4:1
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. James 4:9
The modern world seems obsessed with pleasure, laughter, and “positive thinking”. Sadly, this shortsighted, now-centered thinking also infects the professing church. A shallow version of Christianity is popular today—short on substance and long on entertainment. What is truly needed is heartfelt sorrow over sin and repentance from spiritual apathy. A joy that is rooted in this world is baseless. True joy must be rooted in the Lord and His Word. If you are backsliding, turn back to the Lord by walking in the Spirit through prayer and the Word of God (Gal. 5:16). Humble yourself and He will exalt you. —K. R. Keyser
Make ye straight what long was crooked, make the rougher places plain,
Let your hearts be true and humble, as befits His holy reign. —J. O.