Led by Jimmy Butler’s 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists, the No. 8 seed Miami Heat defeated the No. 5 seed New York Knicks in Game 6, 96-92. Bam Adebayo added 23 points and 9 rebounds for the Heat in the victory, while Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 41 points (14-22 FG) for the Knicks. After closing out this best-of-seven series, 4-2, the Heat will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals where they will face the winner of the Boston Celtics-Philadelphia 76ers series (currently tied, 3-3). Game 1 will take place on Wednesday, May 17 (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT).
To get the most out of this devotion, set aside time to read the scriptures referenced throughout.
Imagine
water flowing down a rock to a stream, then a river, and ultimately
flowing out into the ocean. In a similar way, everything flows out of
God’s provision for us. When God gives us abilities or other blessings,
it’s not an accident, a product of our own hard work, or the result of
good genes. Our God is a God who knows what He is doing—and He very
specifically and intentionally gives us each different gifts, sometimes
just for the benefit of others (1 Corinthians 12:4-7).
If
you have particular skills, strengths, or financial blessings, give Him
thanks. The purpose of our gifts isn’t to make us feel better about
ourselves or improve the way other people see us. God’s gifts are an
opportunity for us to know Him better and participate in building His
kingdom. Through them, and in obedience to Him, we fulfill His mission.
Think about it
• What do you think it means to be “good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10) in today’s culture?
• How do you feel, knowing that God gifts us differently on purpose?
Church
should be a place where we find strength and companions for our journey
of faith. But we can’t forget those outside of the congregation. They
need to know about Jesus and experience His remarkable love, too.
1 Peter 2:4-10
is a marvelous passage that explains who we are in Christ. We are the
“living stones” of His church, “a holy nation” brought together by the
One who “called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
Sometimes, we might be tempted to close ranks against the world, to
think of life as an “us versus them” situation. Yet Peter plainly tells
us that’s not true. “For you once were not a people,” he says, “but now
you are the people of God” (v. 10).
Our heavenly Father didn’t
shut the church door the minute we walked through it. He didn’t proclaim
the club full and forbid any new members. Far from it. New “living
stones” are being added every day all around this big, beautiful world
of ours, and it’s our privilege to welcome them home. So let’s make our
churches warm and welcoming—places where people feel safe and respected
and where God’s affection abounds.
Many
of us have heard sermons about working as members of Christ’s body.
Even so, when it comes to using our talents and gifts, people often
think too small. They may picture the choir singer or the Sunday school
teacher, and if they don’t happen to be a good fit for such roles, they
become discouraged and choose to watch from the sidelines.
It’s
time to start thinking of this work in a different way. The church is
not a place or a time; it is a body of believers, each one uniquely
gifted by God to guide, help, challenge, and support the rest.
Paul’s
metaphor of body parts working together harmoniously is a helpful
description of how one action can have widespread impact. Consider the
way tensing your big toe steadies your whole body. A humble part has a
very important role to play, doesn’t it? In the same way, a gentle
rebuke, a listening ear, or a loving deed can strengthen a brother or
sister who is then better able to support another member. In that way,
the whole church benefits.
Our purpose on this earth is to serve
God and His kingdom. We do so by ministering to each other in ways that
build up and beautify the church as a whole.
One
of the most miraculous displays of the Lord’s power is His ability to
transform an unrighteous man into a shining light for Jesus. The apostle
Paul is a great example of how God can change ...
• The religious into the redeemed (1 Timothy 1:12-13).
Before his conversion, Paul was deeply religious, but not in a good
way. He relied on his pedigree, performance, and piety to gain authority
and acceptance. When he met the Lord on the road to Damascus, however,
he discovered that all of his religious works and credentials meant
nothing. The only way we can become acceptable before God is through
receiving the saving grace of Christ—and that’s how Paul’s sin was
replaced with a righteous spirit.
• A servant of sin into a servant of God (Romans 6:17-18).
Paul had been hostile toward the early church—promoting blasphemy,
punishing believers, and voting for them to be punished with death (Acts 26:10-11). Yet after salvation, he became a dedicated missionary who spread the gospel wherever he could.
Our
Father turned one of the early church’s enemies into a wise and
repentant leader. Commit to obey the Lord, and see what happens. He is
faithful to complete the good work He has begun in you (Philippians 1:6).
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The Miami Heat defeated the New York Knicks in Game
4, 109-101. Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 27 points, 10 assists, and 6
rebounds as Bam Adebayo added 23 points and 13 rebounds. Jalen Brunson tallied
32 points and 11 assists for the Knicks while Julius Randle totaled 20 points
and 9 rebounds. . The Heat lead the best-of-seven series, 3-1, with Game 5
taking place on Wednesday, May 10 (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).
Jimmy Butler recorded his 5th career Playoff game of 25+ points, 10+ assists, and 5+ rebounds for Miami, giving him the most such games in Miami franchise history.
Jimmy Butler – 5
LeBron James – 4
Dwyane Wade – 3
Bam Adebayo recorded the 22nd double-double of his Playoff career for the Heat tonight, tying Dwyane Wade for the 2nd-most such games in Miami franchise history.
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Yesterday
we started reading Psalm 37 and discussed what we must do to receive
our heart’s desires. But if we keep reading that chapter, we find the
psalmist encouraging us to rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him
to act.
Rest sounds easy, but sometimes it may require
supernatural strength. Our natural tendency is to scramble, fret, and
push our agenda, and those habits turn our mind away from delight and
trust in the Lord. The stronger our desire is, the shorter our fuse.
Sometimes we may even try to give God a timetable, but true rest occurs
on His schedule. Only He understands every circumstance and knows the
precise moment when answering our prayer is best.
So, the basic
tenets of Psalm 37 are interrelated: We must spend time enjoying God in
order to learn to trust Him and commit to His way. And doing so then
frees us to rest in His control and patiently wait for Him to act.
Take a moment to pray: Father,
thank You for giving me the desires of my heart. Today, help me to
delight in You, commit everything to You, and rest in the knowledge that
You have everything under control. I will wait for Your perfect timing.
Amen.
I
think anyone who carries a firearm as a defensive tool has thought
sometime about what they would do if this or that scenario took place. I
think these “what if” scenarios are valuable mental exercises, provided
we keep some things in mind.
“What If” Exercises—
First, it's important that when we run our “what if” scenarios, we
have an accurate understanding of our level of skill in a specific area.
A simple example would be knowing your draw to first shot time. Knowing
this number gives you a rough idea of the time it would take to draw
and get a shot on a threat, under ideal conditions.
Then you can accurately “what if” a scenario with your skills instead
of what you think you could do. And no, you're not just going to rise
to the occasion when the time comes. Don't get me wrong, I hope you do.
It's just not a good idea to rest on possibly performing at a high level
under stress if you've never done it before.
Secondly, we need to have an idea of what real violence looks like.
I'm not talking about staying safe by looking at crime trends in your
neighborhood and pattering your behavior accordingly. One example is to
think no one could ever get the drop on you because you're “always aware
of your surroundings”. Or as soon as the criminal sees you have a
firearm, they will comply with your commands.
Situational Awareness—
Reality is that situation awareness is critically important, can buy
time and may keep you from being involved in a deadly force incident,
but it doesn't ensure that. Furthermore, as much as we think we “have
our head on a swivel” if you spend enough time in public places, you'll
be vulnerable at some time even if it's brief.
A well executed plan by a couple of criminals catches these two completely off guard.
Additionally, you may respond appropriately, but will your loved one?
Each person involved adds another variable that you can't control. The
point is, real life violence and self-defense is far more complicated
than it appears on the surface.
Which brings me to this video.
Armed Robbery of 2 Pedestrians Caught on Video—
The video is brief, lasting only about 8 seconds. But in these 8
seconds a lot goes down. There are many things we can take from this
short video, but here are just a couple things I think we would be wise
to note.
First, while we train to defend our lives, criminals who've been
around the block a few times know what they are doing, and they can
become quite proficient in their profession. A smart criminal picks the
right moment and minimizes their risk. They want the upper hand, which
is usually the element of surprise. And since we typically must respond
to a threat, the criminal can gain a position of advantage before we
have time to react.
Now someone may say the victims had poor situational awareness. They
never should have let anyone ride up on them like that. But in reality,
if you're walking down a busy street, do you assess every single vehicle
and person in your vicinity? Do you do it 90% of the time, 75%?
Anything less than 100%, and that's unlikely, leaves the door cracked
for a criminal with a plan.
Things Can Happen Fast—
We see how fast this goes down. The motorcycle is on them in seconds,
and the rider in the back has a gun drawn and on them before they know
what happened. At this point, even the fastest draw is a high-risk play.
The couple goes with compliance, which in this case seemed like a good
call. Sometimes compliance works. Other times, you may have to take the
high-risk route because the criminal shows a high level of violence.
These criminals have the position of advantage.
Then we see the man take off and leave the girl to fend for herself. I
don't want to get wrapped up too much on the chivalry or lack thereof.
Or the post incident conversation between these two victims. I just want
to mention again that we may have a plan or ability to escape. But if
our loved one doesn't or can't, what's your Plan B?
The Role of Protector—
I think sometimes men nobly fill that protector role. But we can't
always be there, and even if we are, there is strength in numbers when
they've trained, have the means, a plan, and are on the same page. This
is just one of the several reasons I love to see couples attending
training together.
Adios amiga.
For example, last year we had several husband and wife, and father and daughter combinations attend the Annual Guardian Conference.
We purposely designed this training conference to be family friendly,
capture people of every skill-level and provide a diversity of training
from live-fire to legal, to trauma medicine and so much more. If you've
thought of attending a training course, consider going as a couple. And
then consider checking out the line-up of instructors teaching at this
Annual Guardian Conference.
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