Rest tonight knowing whatever is on your mind is in God's hand.

TODAY'S BIBLE READING
Tuesday, August 18
OLD TESTAMENT
JUDGES 19 — The Levite and His Concubine
NEW TESTAMENT
2 PETER 3 — The Day of the Lord
Congratulations on completing the book of 2 Peter! Tomorrow we begin 1 John.
MAJOR PROPHETS
ISAIAH 29 — Ariel and Jerusalem
Today's Reflection
Judges 19
This chapter reveals the terrible consequences of moral corruption and spiritual decline in Israel. It reminds us how seriously God views injustice, violence, and the abandonment of righteousness.
2 Peter 3
Peter reminds believers that Christ will return and encourages us to live holy and godly lives while we wait. God's apparent delay is not forgetfulness; He is patient and desires people to turn to Him.
Isaiah 29
Isaiah warns Jerusalem about relying on outward religion while the heart remains far from God. True devotion must come from the heart, not merely from religious practice.
KEY VERSE
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise... He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
— 2 Peter 3:9
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, help us to live holy and faithful lives as we await the coming of Christ. Give us hearts that genuinely seek You, not merely outward religious appearances. Help us use every opportunity to grow in grace and knowledge and to lead others toward You. In Jesus' mighty name, Amen.
WE STUDY. WE PRAY. WE OBEY. WE GROW. UNTIL WE ARE TOTALLY TRANSFORMED.
TODAY'S CHALLENGE
Live today with eternity in mind. Examine your heart, pursue holiness, and let your life reflect genuine devotion to God.
I can also turn today's reading into the usual THE EKKLESIA picture flyer, with Judges 19, 2 Peter 3, Isaiah 29, the key verse, prayer, and today's challenge.

To do today: Trust God.

Life is BETTER with GOD in it!

Stay rooted in God's Word, and your life will bear fruit in His season.

Share this with someone who needs encouragement to stay rooted in God's Word.

#Psalm12 #RootedInGodsWord #MeditateOnScripture #StayPlanted #BearFruit #GrowInFaith #GodsWord #FaithInChrist #ChristianLiving #Lordsbook

Lifeline Today
Tuesday August 18
The Benefit of Curiosity
"The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, and she travelled to Jerusalem to test him with difficult questions." 1 Kings 10:1 (GNB)

The queen of Sheba came to Solomon to hear his wisdom, thereby to improve her own. She was curious when she heard of the fame of Solomon. Creativity is always born out of curiosity. Curiosity is a holy pursuit that transforms a stagnant faith into an active journey. It moves a person past routine compliance and into a vibrant, deeper relationship with God.

Curiosity means being adventurous, living your life outside of the box; not being satisfied with things as they are, but eager to enter true reality. It demands high level of sensitivity and alertness. It is a constant journey of discovery that triggers a new desire for greater accomplishment. Get more curious and you get more creative making you highly productive and a celebrated highflyer! This is your day.

Wisdom Fountain: “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray for a fresh, holy curiosity about the life assignment You have designed specifically for me. I receive freedom from routine, a curious mind that is eager to learn, and the humility to ask honest questions. Help me seek understanding like hidden treasure every single day in Jesus’ name.

The New Life According to God's Grace
The new life according to God's grace is a life that depends on the Lord Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within us. The Lord Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to affirm three important truths:
First: We do not live like the people of the Old Covenant; we have the Torah and the Prophets. Rather, we live the new life; we have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit Himself, who gave us the Word and works through the gift of prophecy—the gift of teaching in the Church, the Body of Christ. The Church of the New Covenant is not merely a people who hear the Word of God, but the Body of Christ inhabited by the Holy Spirit.
Second: We live depending on the grace of the new life, because we do not live only by the strength, balance, and enlightenment of the mind through reading the Holy Scripture in the books, but we live by the power of the Holy Spirit, who gives us steadfastness in Christ. As the apostle says: "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee" (see 2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
Third: Because of the Lord's ascension and entry into the Holy of Holies, we received the gift of the Holy Spirit—the same Spirit who formed the Lord's body and with whom He was anointed in the Jordan River—so that we may realize that our special relationship with Christ is not a physical or mental bond, but a spiritual relationship.
Therefore, the Lord gave us His Holy Spirit so that we may realize that our transformation by the Holy Spirit will be like His transformation: we must be born when we die with Him so that the new nature, the nature of Christ, is formed within us.

#HolySpirit #NewLife #Grace #InChrist #JesusChrist
#Transformation #ChristianLiving #WalkByFaith
#SpiritualGrowth #ChristianCommunity

*Learning to Live Humbly*

Have you ever met an angry Christian?

You may have come across Christians who seem to grumble, complain, or even speak harshly about other people. Maybe we’ve even been that person at times in our own life.

If we're not careful, we can easily become self-righteous within Christianity. After all, we know the truth and others may not. We might see how tempting it can be to look down on others, demean them, or consider them as worse off than ourselves.

But this misses the point of the Gospel of Jesus.

The Gospel tells us that all of us begin at the same starting point. And it’s only by Grace through faith that we come to Salvation and learn the truth about God’s love for us.

That doesn’t make us any better than other Christians! In fact, as Paul says in *Ephesians 4:2,* we should actually be humble and gentle with others, rather than harsh and critical. He says we are to be patient with one another, helping each other in every way possible so we can all grow together.

These ideas aren’t original to Paul. They actually came from how Jesus lived His life. As followers of Jesus, we too should strive to be gentle, humble, and patient with everyone in our lives. Regardless of whether they look or think a different way, every person deserves dignity, patience, and love.

Let's take some time today to consider a few ways that we can grow in patience, humility, and love with others. It could be slowing down long enough for people to know we care, saying something encouraging to someone, or admitting that we’ve made a mistake.

Let's make the decision today to live in humility and grace with others.

*Prayer For Love*
Father God, Your Word inspires us to be humble and gentle; to lead with patience and unconditional love. But we can't live that way without Your help. Teach us how to extend grace and forgiveness to those around us. In Jesus’ Mighty Name, Amen.

Gideon defeated an overwhelming enemy, experienced an incredible victory, and became one of Israel’s most celebrated leaders. But his greatest danger may have come after the battle was over.

https://patrickryanlewis.com/2026/08/16/when-success-becomes-a-snare-learning-from-the-final-years-of-gideon/

In Judges 8, Gideon tells the people, “The LORD will rule over you!” Yet what follows reveals a troubling spiritual decline. He accumulated wealth, began living much like the king he said he would never become, and created an ephod that eventually became an object of false worship.

His story gives us a warning we still need today:

Winning yesterday’s battle does not guarantee tomorrow’s faithfulness.

Success can test our hearts just as much as suffering. Recognition can become a trap. Influence can become identity. Even something connected to our faith can become an idol when it takes the place that belongs to God alone.

The question is not simply, “Am I succeeding?”

We also need to ask:

Am I becoming more faithful?

Am I still teachable?

Am I pointing people toward Jesus or toward myself?

What kind of spiritual legacy am I leaving behind?

Read the new blog: “When Success Becomes a Snare: Learning From the Final Years of Gideon.”

#Gideon #Judges8 #ChristianLiving #BiblicalLeadership #FinishingWell #Faithfulness #GuardYourHeart #SpiritualGrowth #ChristianLeadership #BibleStudy #FollowingJesus

God's mercy is greater than your mistakes.

Share this with someone who needs a reminder that they can turn back to God.

#Psalm511 #GodsMercy #Lovingkindness #GraceOfGod #Repentance #Forgiveness #GodRestores #FaithInChrist #ChristianLiving #Lordsbook