by Mike Benson

Have you ever opened your refrigerator only to discover that something in there has ... well ... spoiled? You may not be able to identify the source of the odor (at least at first), but it's all too apparent that some sort of food item has gone bad. And whatever it is, it's been in there far too long and now it's soured.

So what do you do? Leave the moldy item in the refrigerator? Of course not. You've got only one option -- clean it out thoroughly. Find the source of the smell, then throw it out, and finally wipe the interior clean.

Perhaps you've never thought of it this way, but bitterness is sort of like spoiled food in the refrigerator. It's simply aggravation that has been left in the heart too long and then gone bad.

Do you have a problem with bitterness? Empty the refrigerator, find the source of the offending odor, and then dump it in the garbage. Isn't that what the Bible says...?

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you..." (Ephesians 4:31; cf. Psalm 19:12).

Think about it.

by Don Ruhl

Read the Bible in a Year Today Read Exodus 29 and 30

Only God knows the number of the entire animal sacrifices that Israel offered through the centuries. Think of this passage alone,

38 Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs of the first year, day by day continually (Exodus 29:38).

The exit from Egypt happened around 1444/1445 BC. God gave these instructions shortly after that date. This sacrificial system ended, as far as God is concerned, when Jesus died in AD 30. If the children of Israel never missed keeping this commandment through those centuries, then they offered roughly 1,076,750 lambs! I got that figure this way: 1445 BC + AD 30 x 365 days per year x 2 lambs per day. How close to reality that figure is, I do not know. It does give us an idea of the lambs alone that were offered.

How many lambs have been offered during New Testament times for the church? Now that one is easy. One lamb was offered. Why was only one lamb offered? It did the job! Over one million lambs never completed the sobering work of providing the complete remission of sin during the days of the Law of Moses, but this one lamb was sufficient. Praise God for the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Praise God for Jesus Christ. Think today on the powerful sacrifice that God made for us that we might be forgiven of our sins.

by Don Ruhl

Read the Bible in a Year Today Read Matthew 21:1-22

It is not difficult to understand what the Lord wants us to do. It may be hard for us to want to do some of the things that He commands, and there may be passages of Scripture that are hard to understand, but following what He commands is simple. His commands are not complicated. Let me use the following as an illustration,

2 Go in the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them (Matthew 21:2,3).

How difficult are those instructions to follow? Now, transfer that thinking to anything else that the Lord has asked you to do. Is it not as simple? If you do not think that it is simple, find out why. Is it because I have led you astray? Is it because you do not like to do what the Lord has commanded? Or is there some other reason?

by Don Ruhl

Read the Bible in a Year Today Read Exodus 27 and 28

Aaron is to be the high priest, making him the mediator between God and Israel. Therefore, Aaron had to be dressed appropriately for the work. God told Moses,

2 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty (Exodus 28:2).

Then God provides people, to whom He has given special gifts to be able to work on these garments. Moreover, God provides all the instructions and what material they are to use. A marvelous description follows. You will agree with the Lord that Aaron's high priest garments are gloriously beautiful!

Have you contracted with someone to make a garment for you or build a house for you or some other project? You provided ideas, the cost and all that the craftsman needed. Now, think of yourself as the craftsman. God has endued you with abilities that make you the superior craftsman on earth. He also gives you the explicit directions. He provides all the cost.

His project for which He has hired you will be far superior to the project that we hired out.

God has hired us to work on the church. The Son of God built the church, using Himself as the foundation! Now, He wants to use you as one of the stones in His magnificent building! Have you ever heard of such a structure? Yes, First Peter chapter 2 explains that we are living stones in the temple that Jesus works in as high priest.

Those people who worked on the tabernacle had a magnificent work, but what God uses us for in the Spirit is far greater. Just think on that for the rest of the day.

by Don Ruhl

Read the Bible in a Year Today Read Matthew 20:17-34

The mother of James and John approaches Jesus with a request. He asks what she wants. She wants her two sons to sit at either side of Jesus in His kingdom. Here is what Matthew 20:22 says,

22 But Jesus answered and said, You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They said to Him, We are able. (Matthew 20:22).

The typical Christian does not experience suffering to the extent that the apostles did, but all Christians will suffer for their faith. Jesus never promises a life free of persecution, but He is open and blunt that hard times will happen. He says that they do not know what they are asking. Then He asks the two men if they are able to endure what He is about to endure. They say that they are able.

My friends, Jesus wants us to know that there is a rough road ahead, but He also wants us to know that He is with us all the way. Therefore, do not let any kind of suffering surprise you, thinking that Christians should not suffer, because as Jesus indicates to the two brothers, even He is to suffer. If He is not exempt, why should we think that we are exempt?