READ: PSALM 139:23-24; 2 TIMOTHY 1:9-13; 2:19-26

As a kid, one of my jobs after dinner was to clear the table and help wash the dishes. Many of my mom’s fancy dishes couldn’t go into the dishwasher but had to be washed by hand. I can still remember the feeling of having finally rinsed them and put them on the drying rack, only to discover there were some spots I had missed. Bits of dried food would be left under the brim or deep in some crevice, and the dish would have to be washed again. The only way to be sure the dishes were completely clean was to turn them over and over under the hot water, searching out every nook and cranny with a soapy sponge.

The same is true with our spiritual lives. In 2 Timothy 2, Paul says to Timothy, “Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also those of wood and clay; some for honorable [or special] use and some for dishonorable [or ordinary use]. So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (verse 20-21). How do we purify ourselves like this? Paul goes on to instruct Timothy to flee the lusts of youth, to pursue what is good, to “reject foolish and ignorant disputes,” and to instead patiently and gently teach his opponents in hopes that God will grant them repentance (verse 22-26).

In order to move toward righteousness and away from wickedness, we need to search out our hearts, thinking deeply and inviting the Holy Spirit to come into those places where, if we’re honest, we would really rather He not go. And this is something we do in community with other believers. Paul says in verse 22 that we are to do this “along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” Together, we pursue righteousness and obedience to Jesus Christ, who saved us from sin by His own death and resurrection. When we are in relationship with brothers and sisters in Christ, we can lovingly point out things in each other’s lives that need repentance and growth. We don’t do this out of pride or arrogance, but out of love for Christ and for one another.

God wants to cleanse every nook and cranny of your heart. Will you invite Him to do that today? • Jacob Bier

• To be holy is to be set apart. What does holiness have to do with service? How does unconfessed sin get in the way of serving the Lord? And how does Jesus cleanse us?

So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. 2 Timothy 2:21 (CSB)

READ: LUKE 9:10-17; ROMANS 5:5; 1 THESSALONIANS 3:12

Do you like leftovers? I love them. I would prefer to take leftovers as my lunch over a sandwich any day! When I was growing up, I remember my grandmother would designate one day of the week to have “must-go” casserole for supper. That meant she would take all the leftovers from the week before and make some sort of casserole—it was always something unique. Personally, I’m thankful for leftovers because it means that my family has more than enough to eat.

The amazing thing about today’s Scripture passage is that there were leftovers. Jesus was feeding over 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. There shouldn’t have been any leftovers at all. In fact, there should have been several thousand people who didn’t get anything to eat. Instead, Jesus did a miracle, and there ended up being more food than they started out with—that day was overflowing with leftovers.

God can do that in the lives of His people too. He can take a sinner who has lots of bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness, and He can fill them with His overflowing love—so much so that they have leftover love to give to others. The truth is, we’re all sinners apart from Jesus. But once we know Jesus, we can share His abundant love in any situation because, as Romans 5:5 says, “God’s love has been poured out in our hearts.” And His love is too good not to share! • Melissa Yeagle

• Can you think of a time someone showed God’s love to you? What did they say or do?

• In God’s kingdom, there is always more than enough love, compassion, and forgiveness to go around—because Jesus’s death and resurrection is just that powerful! (You can find more about this good news on our "Know Jesus" page.) And if we know Jesus, we never need to worry about running out of love because His Holy Spirit lives in us. The love we share with others doesn’t come from us—it comes from God! When do you find it difficult to love others? Consider taking a moment to talk to God about this. You can always ask Him to remind you of how much He loves you and the people around you.

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19 (CSB)

READ: MATTHEW 11:28-30; MARK 6:30-44; LUKE 5:16; 6:12-13

Have you ever heard the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand? If you’ve spent a lot of time in Sunday School or youth groups, familiar stories like this one can be easy to skim over. But when I reread Mark recently, I found my eyes drawn to the verses just before this miracle.

It’s fair to assume that Jesus and His twelve apostles are exhausted. They have been so busy they haven’t even had a chance to eat. So Jesus tells His disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31).

It is a quiet place…a solitary place. The disciples call it remote, far enough from civilization that, when the crowds follow them because they want to see Jesus, the twelve urge Him to send the people away to the surrounding villages to find food. In a place like this, there was nothing to distract the apostles from Jesus.

Life can be exhausting. School and friends and chores eat up our time and energy, and before we know it our time alone with Jesus falls to the wayside. All of these things are important, but God calls us to take time away to rest in Him.

When was the last time you spent time alone with Jesus? He doesn’t call you to work until you fall over, even if your work is all good things. He calls His disciples away to a remote place to rest…and then to return to work with renewed energy. • Rebekah DeVall

• Can you think of a time you felt exhausted? Did you notice any ways God invited you to rest in that time?

• What is a quiet or solitary place you can visit to spend some time with Jesus? It might be a private spot in your home, a peaceful nook in the library, or somewhere outside. If you’re not sure where you could go, consider taking a moment to ask God to help you notice where He is providing a place for you.

So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. Mark 6:32 (NIV)