Timely Words from Dr. David Jeremiah

Galations 6

³For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

⁴But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.

⁵For each one will bear his own load.

⁶The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.

⁷Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

⁸For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

⁹Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

¹⁰So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

Thursday, May 20 Do Not Be Deceived I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High. Isaiah 14:14 Recommended Reading 1 Timothy 3:6-7 You are familiar with this brain twister: "If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it make any noise?" Here's another challenging one: "Does a deceived man know he is deceived?" While the first question is mostly for fun, the second has serious spiritual implications. The phrase "do not be deceived" occurs five times in the New Testament, and the same warning is reiterated in other words in additional verses. The fact that Christians are warned about the possibility of being deceived means it can happen. And the fact that the warning is repeated means we have to look carefully and continually at our lives to make sure we are "[walking] in the light as He is in the light" (1 John 1:7). The best ways to avoid deception are to continually rehearse the Bible's teachings ("Is this what I believe?" Psalm 119:11), continually ask God to search our heart to see if there is any wicked way in it (Psalm 139:23-24), and be accountable to people who love us enough to correct us (Proverbs 27:6). Are you practicing all three? Take steps today to establish your defenses against deception. The fundamental deception of Satan is the lie that obedience can never bring happiness. R. C. Sproul Read-Thru-the-Bible Nehemiah 13:1-Esther 3:15