“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not
have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have
one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let
us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” – Hebrews 4:14-16
On May 24, 1962, Commander Scott Carpenter roared into space in a Mercury space
capsule. He piloted his Aurora 7 spacecraft through three revolutions of the
earth, reaching a maximum altitude of 164 miles. The spacecraft landed in the
Atlantic Ocean about 1000 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral after 4 hours and 54
minutes of flight time.
Following his return, NASA Administrator Webb presented him with astronaut wings
in a ceremony at the Cape. Then on June 5, New York City celebrated his flight
with a ticker tape parade and President Kennedy honored him at the White House.
In the middle of the White House ceremonies, his five-year-old daughter,
Candace, tugged at his sleeve. She wanted to show her daddy the scratch on her
right elbow that happened while he was gone. What did he do? Yes, he turned away
from the honors, away from the acclaim of a proud nation to give his attention
to the concerns of his little daughter. A scratch on the elbow was important to
her, and so it was important to him.
In our hurt, Jesus Christ can sympathize with us. Today in prayer, turn to Jesus
and confess any sin and receive His loving comfort.
“Don’t let your weaknesses, your temptations, your suffering cause you to run
from God. Run to Him. He is not the God who is far off. He is near. He’s the one
who can truly meet your needs because He’s ‘Been there. Dealt with that.’” –
Joel Smith
God’s Word: “I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. As the
eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to
the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us
his mercy.” – Psalm 123:1-2
By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2004, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN HEBREWS
pkennedy6@yahoo.com
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.