https://evotions.sermon.net/main/main/21982570

Bulan Community Baptist Church, 35 Carriage Lane, Bulan, KY (2026)

06/02/2026

June 2

A good reminder from Pastor Exley about Being Patient -

Thirteen years pasted between the time Joseph’s brother sold him into slavery and the day Pharaoh made him the second highest ruler in Egypt. Although those thirteen years can be summed up in sixty seconds they must have seemed an eternity to Joseph. I mention that because most of us are impatient by nature. If our prayers are not answered in short order our faith begins to falter. We are tempted to give up when the going gets tough. Don’t! Give God time to work out His purposes in your life. That’s what Joseph did.

“But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles.”

-- Acts 7:9-10

Lord Jesus, be with us as You were with Joseph. Rescue us from all our troubles. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.

:READ:
Acts 15 - in the The Message

22-23 Everyone agreed: apostles, leaders, all the people. They picked Judas (nicknamed Barsabbas) and Silas—they both carried considerable weight in the church—and sent them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas with this letter:

From the apostles and leaders, your friends, to our friends in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:

Hello!

24-27 We heard that some men from our church went to you and said things that confused and upset you. Mind you, they had no authority from us; we didn’t send them. We have agreed unanimously to pick representatives and send them to you with our good friends Barnabas and Paul. We picked men we knew you could trust, Judas and Silas—they’ve looked death in the face time and again for the sake of our Master Jesus Christ. We’ve sent them to confirm in a face-to-face meeting with you what we’ve written.

28-29 It seemed to the Holy Spirit and to us that you should not be saddled with any crushing burden, but be responsible only for these bare necessities: Be careful not to get involved in activities connected with idols; avoid serving food offensive to Jewish Christians (blood, for instance); and guard the morality of s*x and marriage.

These guidelines are sufficient to keep relations congenial between us. And God be with you!

Barnabas and Paul Go Their Separate Ways
30-33 And so off they went to Antioch. On arrival, they gathered the church and read the letter. The people were greatly relieved and pleased. Judas and Silas, good preachers both of them, strengthened their new friends with many words of courage and hope. Then it was time to go home. They were sent off by their new friends with laughter and embraces all around to report back to those who had sent them.

35 Paul and Barnabas stayed on in Antioch, teaching and preaching the Word of God. But they weren’t alone. There were a number of teachers and preachers at that time in Antioch.

36 After a few days of this, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit all our friends in each of the towns where we preached the Word of God. Let’s see how they’re doing.”

37-41 Barnabas wanted to take John along, the John nicknamed Mark. But Paul wouldn’t have him; he wasn’t about to take along a quitter who, as soon as the going got tough, had jumped ship on them in Pamphylia. Tempers flared, and they ended up going their separate ways: Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus; Paul chose Silas and, offered up by their friends to the grace of the Master, went to Syria and Cilicia to put grit in those congregations.

We love you ALL -- KEEP LOOKING UP!

06/01/2026

June 1
Spiritual Infusions

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.
Ephesians 3:16, NIV

Infusions have become a popular way to replenish fluids or nutrients in your body. At your home or at an infusion clinic, you’re hooked to an IV that delivers vitamins, minerals, and fluids directly into your bloodstream.

Recommended Reading:
Ephesians 3:14-21

Are infusions available for us spiritually? If so, where can we find an infusion of strength for our souls? For that we turn to the clinic of God’s Word. In Ephesians 3:16, we learn a vital prayer to offer for ourselves: Lord, I ask You to grant me, according to the riches of Your glory, to be strengthened with might through Your Spirit in my inner being.

The Holy Spirit was sent to us as a Helper. He comes to strengthen us. When you feel weak, ask the Lord to impart His strength.

If you’d like another prayer along these lines, use these words from hymnist Edwin Hatch: "Breathe on me, breath of God, fill me with life anew, that I may love what Thou dost love, and do what Thou wouldst do.”

Breathe on me, breath of God until my heart is pure, until my will is one with Thine, to do and to endure.
Edwin Hatch

:READ:
Acts 15 - in the The Message
1-2 It wasn’t long before some Jews showed up from Judea insisting that everyone be circumcised: “If you’re not circumcised in the Mosaic fashion, you can’t be saved.” Paul and Barnabas were up on their feet at once in fierce protest. The church decided to resolve the matter by sending Paul, Barnabas, and a few others to put it before the apostles and leaders in Jerusalem.

3 After they were sent off and on their way, they told everyone they met as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria about the breakthrough to the non-Jewish outsiders. Everyone who heard the news cheered—it was terrific news!

4-5 When they got to Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas were graciously received by the whole church, including the apostles and leaders. They reported on their recent journey and how God had used them to open things up to the outsiders. Some Pharisees stood up to say their piece. They had become believers, but continued to hold to the hard party line of the Pharisees. “You have to circumcise the pagan converts,” they said. “You must make them keep the Law of Moses.”

6-9 The apostles and leaders called a special meeting to consider the matter. The arguments went on and on, back and forth, getting more and more heated. Then Peter took the floor: “Friends, you well know that from early on God made it quite plain that he wanted the pagans to hear the Message of this good news and embrace it—and not in any secondhand or roundabout way, but firsthand, straight from my mouth. And God, who can’t be fooled by any pretense on our part but always knows a person’s thoughts, gave them the Holy Spirit exactly as he gave him to us. He treated the outsiders exactly as he treated us, beginning at the very center of who they were and working from that center outward, cleaning up their lives as they trusted and believed him.

10-11 “So why are you now trying to out-god God, loading these new believers down with rules that crushed our ancestors and crushed us, too? Don’t we believe that we are saved because the Master Jesus amazingly and out of sheer generosity moved to save us just as he did those from beyond our nation? So what are we arguing about?”

12-13 There was dead silence. No one said a word. With the room quiet, Barnabas and Paul reported matter-of-factly on the miracles and wonders God had done among the other nations through their ministry. The silence deepened; you could hear a pin drop.

13-18 James broke the silence. “Friends, listen. Simeon has told us the story of how God at the very outset made sure that racial outsiders were included. This is in perfect agreement with the words of the prophets:

After this, I’m coming back;
I’ll rebuild David’s ruined house;
I’ll put all the pieces together again;
I’ll make it look like new
So outsiders who seek will find,
so they’ll have a place to come to,
All the pagan peoples
included in what I’m doing.

“God said it and now he’s doing it. It’s no afterthought; he’s always known he would do this.

19-21 “So here is my decision: We’re not going to unnecessarily burden non-Jewish people who turn to the Master. We’ll write them a letter and tell them, ‘Be careful to not get involved in activities connected with idols, to guard the morality of s*x and marriage, to not serve food offensive to Jewish Christians—blood, for instance.’ This is basic wisdom from Moses, preached and honored for centuries now in city after city as we have met and kept the Sabbath.”

We love you ALL -- KEEP LOOKING UP!

05/31/2026

May 31

Please continue to pray for our brother Bennett he has a week left in DC.

A reminder that as a Christian a GREAT way to witness is by showing others that they are important and we care for them. This is from our Daily Bread -

Extending God’s Care

If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! 2 Kings 5:3

READ 2 Kings 5:1-3, 9-11, 13-14

As a teenager, I had a strained relationship with my churchmate Lisa, so I was dismayed to learn we’d be roommates at our youth summer camp. The week at camp passed smoothly, though, with both of us being civil.

The most anticipated event was a bonfire gathering at the end of the week. On that evening, however, I had a fever. I went to bed early, but I could hear the laughter and music outside. An hour later, I was startled by Lisa, who was taking my temperature. “I’m not joining them at the bonfire,” she said. “You’re sick. I need to stay with you.” Lisa could’ve stayed uninvolved, but she chose to care for me, which lifted my spirits.

We see another example of someone who cared in the story of Naaman. The commander of the Syrian army, Naaman had an Israelite servant girl who’d been taken captive and now “served Naaman’s wife” (2 Kings 5:2). Separated from family and forced to servitude, the girl could’ve chosen to not help her master, who had leprosy. But her faith moved her to help: “She said to her mistress, ‘If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him’ ” (v. 3). And God did, in fact, use the prophet Elisha to heal Naaman (vv. 8-14).

Lisa and the Israelite girl chose to help, and God worked through them. Let’s ask God to show us who we can extend His care to and give us the wisdom how.

By Karen Huang

:READ:
Acts 14 - in the The Message

16-18 “In the generations before us, God let all the different nations go their own way. But even then he didn’t leave them without a clue, for he made a good creation, poured down rain and gave bumper crops. When your bellies were full and your hearts happy, there was evidence of good beyond your doing.” Talking fast and hard like this, they prevented them from carrying out the sacrifice that would have honored them as gods—but just barely.

19-20 Then some Jews from Antioch and Iconium caught up with them and turned the fickle crowd against them. They beat Paul unconscious, dragged him outside the town and left him for dead. But as the disciples gathered around him, he came to and got up. He went back into town and the next day left with Barnabas for Derbe.

Plenty of Hard Times
21-22 After proclaiming the Message in Derbe and establishing a strong core of disciples, they retraced their steps to Lystra, then Iconium, and then Antioch, putting grit in the lives of the disciples, urging them to stick with what they had begun to believe and not quit, making it clear to them that it wouldn’t be easy: “Anyone signing up for the kingdom of God has to go through plenty of hard times.”

23-26 Paul and Barnabas handpicked leaders in each church. After praying—their prayers intensified by fasting—they presented these new leaders to the Master to whom they had entrusted their lives. Working their way back through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia and preached in Perga. Finally, they made it to Attalia and caught a ship back to Antioch, where it had all started—launched by God’s grace and now safely home by God’s grace. A good piece of work.

27-28 On arrival, they got the church together and reported on their trip, telling in detail how God had used them to throw the door of faith wide open so people of all nations could come streaming in. Then they settled down for a long, leisurely visit with the disciples.
We love you ALL -- KEEP LOOKING UP!

05/30/2026

May 30

Had a good trip to Lexington thank you for the prayers.

A great reminder from Pastor Exley to keep going.

On July 4, 1952, Florence Chadwick attempted to swim the 26 miles from Catalina Island to Long Beach, California. The waters of the Pacific were cold, sharks swam nearby, and a dense fog made it impossible for her to see the California coast. After 15 hours she was exhausted and despite repeated encouragements from her coach, she gave up. When she realized that she had been only half a mile from shore when she quit, she said, “If I could’ve seen the land, I could’ve made it.”

Keep your eye on the goal and you will make it. Lose sight of your goal and despair will tempt you to give up.

“Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it…he never lost sight of where he was headed…”

-- Hebrews 12:1-2 (MSG)

Lord Jesus, help me focus with laser like vision on the finish line. Amen.

:READ:
Acts 14 - in the The Message

14 1-3 When they got to Iconium they went, as they always did, to the meeting place of the Jews and gave their message. The Message convinced both Jews and non-Jews—and not just a few, either. But the unbelieving Jews worked up a whispering campaign against Paul and Barnabas, sowing mistrust and suspicion in the minds of the people in the street. The two apostles were there a long time, speaking freely, openly, and confidently as they presented the clear evidence of God’s gifts, God corroborating their work with miracles and wonders.

4-7 But then there was a split in public opinion, some siding with the Jews, some with the apostles. One day, learning that both the Jews and non-Jews had been organized by their leaders to beat them up, they escaped as best they could to the next towns—Lyconia, Lystra, Derbe, and that neighborhood—but then were right back at it again, getting out the Message.

Gods or Men?
8-10 There was a man in Lystra who couldn’t walk. He sat there, crippled since the day of his birth. He heard Paul talking, and Paul, looking him in the eye, saw that he was ripe for God’s work, ready to believe. So he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, “Up on your feet!” The man was up in a flash—jumped up and walked around as if he’d been walking all his life.

11-13 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they went wild, calling out in their Lyconian dialect, “The gods have come down! These men are gods!” They called Barnabas “Zeus” and Paul “Hermes” (since Paul did most of the speaking). The priest of the local Zeus shrine got up a parade—bulls and banners and people lined right up to the gates, ready for the ritual of sacrifice.

14-15 When Barnabas and Paul finally realized what was going on, they stopped them. Waving their arms, they interrupted the parade, calling out, “What do you think you’re doing! We’re not gods! We are men just like you, and we’re here to bring you the Message, to persuade you to abandon these silly god-superstitions and embrace God himself, the living God. We don’t make God; he makes us, and all of this—sky, earth, sea, and everything in them..

We love you ALL -- KEEP LOOKING UP!

05/29/2026

May 29

Say a prayer for my Father In Law Frank Miller - he got to go home yesterday. They adjusted his meds and he is feeling much better. We're on a road trip today with Lisa going to Lexington for a class for her work, pray for us as we travel.

It is hard sometimes to wait on GOD. Waiting on God

Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

READ Psalm 27:7-14

As a little girl, I got so excited when I’d see special signs appear on the side of the road. I thought colorful signs meant my family had arrived at the popular amusement park we were driving to. I’d joyfully start gathering my things, only to be disappointed to see more signs and have to wait even longer before we reached the park. Eventually I realized those signs announced that visitors were getting closer but were still miles away.

Like an excited child wondering “are we there yet?” we can also be impatient and anxious to arrive at our next destination.

Waiting for God to move in our lives, or to rescue us from our trials, can be challenging. David was facing much adversity, which he mentions throughout Psalm 27. Yet he still placed his hope and trust in God and waited for Him to respond. David didn’t know how long it would take for God to act, but he knew God would help him. “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (v. 13).

It may take longer than we’d like to experience our breakthrough, but let’s take courage in these words: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (v. 14). As we turn to the Psalms and the rest of Scripture for encouragement, we can take comfort in knowing God is working even while we wait.

By Nancy Gavilanes

REFLECT & PRAY
Why is it hard sometimes to wait for God’s answer? How can you remain hopeful as you wait?

Dear God, thank You that You’re working even while I wait.:READ:
Acts 13 - in the The Message

23-25 “From out of David’s descendants God produced a Savior for Israel, Jesus, exactly as he promised—but only after John had thoroughly alerted the people to his arrival by preparing them for a total life-change. As John was finishing up his work, he said, ‘Did you think I was the One? No, I’m not the One. But the One you’ve been waiting for all these years is just around the corner, about to appear. And I’m about to disappear.’

26-29 “Dear brothers and sisters, children of Abraham, and friends of God, this message of salvation has been precisely targeted to you. The citizens and rulers in Jerusalem didn’t recognize who he was and condemned him to death. They couldn’t find a good reason, but demanded that Pilate execute him anyway. They did just what the prophets said they would do, but had no idea they were following to the letter the script of the prophets, even though those same prophets are read every Sabbath in their meeting places.

29-31 “After they had done everything the prophets said they would do, they took him down from the cross and buried him. And then God raised him from death. There is no disputing that—he appeared over and over again many times and places to those who had known him well in the Galilean years, and these same people continue to give witness that he is alive.

32-35 “And we’re here today bringing you good news: the Message that what God promised the fathers has come true for the children—for us! He raised Jesus, exactly as described in the second Psalm:

My Son! My very own Son!
Today I celebrate you!

“When he raised him from the dead, he did it for good—no going back to that rot and decay for him. That’s why Isaiah said, ‘I’ll give to all of you David’s guaranteed blessings.’ So also the psalmist’s prayer: ‘You’ll never let your Holy One see death’s rot and decay.’

36-39 “David, of course, having completed the work God set out for him, has been in the grave, dust and ashes, a long time now. But the One God raised up—no dust and ashes for him! I want you to know, my very dear friends, that it is on account of this resurrected Jesus that the forgiveness of your sins can be promised. He accomplishes, in those who believe, everything that the Law of Moses could never make good on. But everyone who believes in this raised-up Jesus is declared good and right and whole before God.

40-41 “Don’t take this lightly. You don’t want the prophet’s revelation to describe you:

Watch out, cynics;
Look hard—watch your world fall to pieces.
I’m doing something right before your eyes
That you won’t believe, though it’s staring you in the face.”

42-43 When the service was over, Paul and Barnabas were invited back to preach again the next Sabbath. As the meeting broke up, a good many Jews and converts to Judaism went along with Paul and Barnabas, who urged them in long conversations to stick with what they’d started, this living in and by God’s grace.

44-45 When the next Sabbath came around, practically the whole city showed up to hear the Word of God. Some of the Jews, seeing the crowds, went wild with jealousy and tore into Paul, contradicting everything he was saying, making an ugly scene.

46-47 But Paul and Barnabas didn’t back down. Standing their ground they said, “It was required that God’s Word be spoken first of all to you, the Jews. But seeing that you want no part of it—you’ve made it quite clear that you have no taste or inclination for eternal life—the door is open to all the outsiders. And we’re on our way through it, following orders, doing what God commanded when he said,

I’ve set you up
as light to all nations.
You’ll proclaim salvation
to the four winds and seven seas!”

48-49 When the non-Jewish outsiders heard this, they could hardly believe their good fortune. All who were marked out for real life put their trust in God—they honored God’s Word by receiving that life. And this Message of salvation spread like wildfire all through the region.

50-52 Some of the Jews convinced the most respected women and leading men of the town that their precious way of life was about to be destroyed. Alarmed, they turned on Paul and Barnabas and forced them to leave. Paul and Barnabas shrugged their shoulders and went on to the next town, Iconium, brimming with joy and the Holy Spirit, two happy disciples.

We love you ALL -- KEEP LOOKING UP!

05/28/2026

May 28

Say a prayer for my Father In Law Frank Miller - he is in the hospital he had a fever / trouble breathing last night. He is feeling some better today.

Pastor Exley reminds us of why we should be thankful of friends.

Sooner or later, we are all blinded, at least temporarily, by some unforeseen difficulty or personal tragedy. Thankfully, the Lord does not abandon us. Instead, He sends a friend, or friends, to guide us until we recover our sight. Through their presence, their encouraging words, and faithful prayers we are restored. At other times we are the guides for a friend who has stumbled or fallen.

“…If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him…Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law.”

-- Galatians 6:1-2 (MSG)

Lord Jesus, you know how often I have been temporarily blinded. Thank You for the friends who have helped me find my way. Amen.

--> We have talked quite a bit about 'confessing' our sins... here is why that is important.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

The word translated “confess” (yadah) in Leviticus 26:40 can also be translated “praise” (Genesis 29:35; Psalm 18:49) or “give thanks” (Psalm 7:17). The first time in the Bible, however, this word carries the idea of “confession” is in Leviticus 5:5: “When anyone becomes aware that they are guilty . . . they must confess in what way they have sinned.” Here we find a guiding principle: When sin is exposed, it should be acknowledged and confessed. Sometimes, the Scriptures and the Spirit bring conviction from within. At other times, God uses people and circumstances to help us see what we can’t or are unwilling to see. Regardless of how the discovery comes, the prescription remains the same: Our relationship with God is restored when we confess and take responsibility for our sin. As John writes, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Arthur Jackson

:READ:
Acts 13 - in the The Message

Barnabas, Saul, and Doctor Know-It-All
13 1-2 The congregation in Antioch was blessed with a number of prophet-preachers and teachers:

Barnabas,

Simon, nicknamed Niger,

Lucius the Cyrenian,

Manaen, an advisor to the ruler Herod,

Saul.

One day as they were worshiping God—they were also fasting as they waited for guidance—the Holy Spirit spoke: “Take Barnabas and Saul and commission them for the work I have called them to do.”

3 So they commissioned them. In that circle of intensity and obedience, of fasting and praying, they laid hands on their heads and sent them off.

4-5 Sent off on their new assignment by the Holy Spirit, Barnabas and Saul went down to Seleucia and caught a ship for Cyprus. The first thing they did when they put in at Salamis was preach God’s Word in the Jewish meeting places. They had John along to help out as needed.

6-7 They traveled the length of the island, and at Paphos came upon a Jewish wizard who had worked himself into the confidence of the governor, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man not easily taken in by charlatans. The wizard’s name was Bar-Jesus. He was as crooked as a corkscrew.

7-11 The governor invited Barnabas and Saul in, wanting to hear God’s Word firsthand from them. But Dr. Know-It-All (that’s the wizard’s name in plain English) stirred up a ruckus, trying to divert the governor from becoming a believer. But Saul (or Paul), full of the Holy Spirit and looking him straight in the eye, said, “You bag of wind, you parody of a devil—why, you stay up nights inventing schemes to cheat people out of God. But now you’ve come up against God himself, and your game is up. You’re about to go blind—no sunlight for you for a good long stretch.” He was plunged immediately into a shadowy mist and stumbled around, begging people to take his hand and show him the way.

12 When the governor saw what happened, he became a believer, full of enthusiasm over what they were saying about the Master.

Don’t Take This Lightly
13-14 From Paphos, Paul and company put out to sea, sailing on to Perga in Pamphylia. That’s where John called it quits and went back to Jerusalem. From Perga the rest of them traveled on to Antioch in Pisidia.

14-15 On the Sabbath they went to the meeting place and took their places. After the reading of the Scriptures—God’s Law and the Prophets—the president of the meeting asked them, “Friends, do you have anything you want to say? A word of encouragement, perhaps?”

16-20 Paul stood up, paused and took a deep breath, then said, “Fellow Israelites and friends of God, listen. God took a special interest in our ancestors, pulled our people who were beaten down in Egyptian exile to their feet, and led them out of there in grand style. He took good care of them for nearly forty years in that godforsaken wilderness and then, having wiped out seven enemies who stood in the way, gave them the land of Canaan for their very own—a span in all of about 450 years.

20-22 “Up to the time of Samuel the prophet, God provided judges to lead them. But then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, son of Kish, out of the tribe of Benjamin. After Saul had ruled forty years, God removed him from office and put King David in his place, with this commendation: ‘I’ve searched the land and found this David, son of Jesse. He’s a man whose heart beats to my heart, a man who will do what I tell him.’

We love you ALL -- KEEP LOOKING UP!

05/27/2026

May 27

I consider you guys some of my true friends and thank GOD for you EVERY Day.

This is from Pastor Exley

Take a moment and think of your special friends. Do you realize what a rare and wonderful gift you have been given? I’ve heard them called “five fingered friends” because in the course of a lifetime most people can count their special friends on the fingers of one hand. Experience has taught me that the best way to make a special friend is to be one.

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity”

-- Prov. 17:17

Lord Jesus, I started to pray give me a friend like that, instead I pray make me a special friend. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.

:READ:
Acts 12 - in the The Message

13 He knocked at the door in the gate, and a girl named Rhoda came to open it. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that she ran back inside to tell everyone that Peter was standing outside in the street. 15 They didn’t believe her. “You’re out of your mind,” they said. When she insisted they decided, “It must be his angel. They must have killed him.”[b]

16 Meanwhile Peter continued knocking. When they finally went out and opened the door, their surprise knew no bounds. 17 He motioned for them to quiet down and told them what had happened and how the Lord had brought him out of jail. “Tell James and the others what happened,” he said—and left for safer quarters.

18 At dawn, the jail was in great commotion. What had happened to Peter? 19 When Herod sent for him and found that he wasn’t there, he had the sixteen guards arrested, court-martialed and sentenced to death. Afterwards he left to live in Caesarea for a while.

20 While he was in Caesarea, a delegation from Tyre and Sidon arrived to see him. He was highly displeased with the people of those two cities, but the delegates made friends with Blastus, the royal secretary, and asked for peace, for their cities were economically dependent upon trade with Herod’s country. 21 An appointment with Herod was granted, and when the day arrived he put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them. 22 At its conclusion the people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It is the voice of a god and not of a man!”

23 Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness so that he was filled with maggots and died—because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God.

24 God’s Good News was spreading rapidly and there were many new believers.

25 Barnabas and Paul now visited Jerusalem and as soon as they had finished their business, returned to Antioch,[c] taking John Mark with them.

We love you ALL -- KEEP LOOKING UP!

05/26/2026

May 26

I love integrity.. God does too.

Acting with Integrity

The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in people who are trustworthy. Proverbs 12:22

READ Proverbs 12:13-23

In a moment of distraction, Sarah unknowingly dropped her diamond engagement ring into a homeless man’s cup. Billy Ray, the panhandler who was given the ring, had it appraised and considered selling it. But he chose honesty and returned it to Sarah when she came back a few days later. Sarah and her husband set up a fund so donations could be made to help Billy Ray, which led to an outpouring of generosity from others. Billy Ray received financial and legal counsel and was eventually able to buy a home. He was also reunited with his long-lost family.

When we practice integrity, we please God and inspire others. Solomon says God delighted in his integrity: “The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in people who are trustworthy” (Proverbs 12:22). He uses strong language to describe God’s view of dishonesty—He detests it. When God’s people lie or “deceit is in [their] hearts” (v. 20), it defies Him and goes against His character. In contrast, when His people have “truthful lips” (v. 19) and deal faithfully, it brings Him joy. So treating others well is more than just telling the truth—it reflects God’s own character. And in a world where deception can seem profitable, our integrity is something He “delights in” (v. 22).

Let’s commit to act with integrity as God helps us. Even if the world doesn’t notice, He’s delighted when we walk in His ways.

By Marvin Williams

REFLECT & PRAY
How does being trustworthy reflect God’s character? How will you live out integrity today?

Dear God, please teach me to live out integrity before You and others.

:READ:
Acts 12 - in the The Message

1 About that time King Herod moved against some of the believers 2 and killed the apostle[a] James (John’s brother). 3 When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish leaders, he arrested Peter during the Passover celebration 4 and imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of sixteen soldiers. Herod’s intention was to deliver Peter to the Jews for ex*****on after the Passover. 5 But earnest prayer was going up to God from the church for his safety all the time he was in prison.

6 The night before he was to be executed, he was asleep, double-chained between two soldiers with others standing guard before the prison gate, 7 when suddenly there was a light in the cell and an angel of the Lord stood beside Peter! The angel slapped him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists! 8 Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your shoes.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me!” the angel ordered.

9 So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a dream or vision and didn’t believe it was really happening. 10 They passed the first and second cell blocks and came to the iron gate to the street, and this opened to them of its own accord! So they passed through and walked along together for a block, and then the angel left him.

11 Peter finally realized what had happened! “It’s really true!” he said to himself. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jews were hoping to do to me!”

12 After a little thought he went to the home of Mary, mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for a prayer meeting.
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