Hey, good morning, everyone. Welcome to another morning devotion with Brother Mark, where we are walking with you on your walk with Christ. Today is July the 14th, 2020. Well, today the title of our devotion is walking with KMBTC. And you say, well, what is KMBTC? It stands for Kentucky Mission Bible Training Center. Almost every Monday for the last 10 years, I have taught Bible at this Kentucky Mission Bible Training Center. The mission is a residential program for addicts to recover from their addiction. KMBTC and Mission Teens provides help for the desperate. And so as I've been teaching there for about 10 years, I've taught many different things, but this year I'm walking with them through the New Testament. It's something that we're doing at church. I've been doing a couple of different ways. And so I've been having them read through the New Testament with me five chapters a week, and then they pick out a verse and they make a comment on it. And so I teach two hours. The first hour I'm teaching through the book of Ephesians, just verse by verse, walking very slowly, and then we're doing this here journal, the reading through the scripture. And you know what? It's really amazing to watch these who are overcoming addiction set and discuss the scriptures. So today for our devotion, I thought I would just highlight the text that they chose that we discussed yesterday and just share with you, you know, why it was important to them. And maybe you can be encouraged to take up this reading and do the same thing. So the first student chose Ephesians 1.11. And it says, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worked with all things after the counsel of his own will. And I'm going to try not to elaborate very much on these passages. Again, we take six or seven verses and we spend a whole hour discussing them. But he said this passive was important to him because it gives him hope for a future. That God has a preordained plan that includes him. And because it includes him, that that gives him hope for the future that no matter what comes in life, that he knows that God has a plan. And so that is a blessing to someone that really hasn't had a future in the past or didn't even think about the future. The second student selected Colossians 2.2. And this student mentioned that this verse gives them comfort to know the mystery of God in Christ Jesus. We discussed how the mystery of God in reconciling the world unto himself gives us assurance. It gives us assurance because we know it is God's work, God at work. We also discuss the comfort which comes into the heart of the believer because they once were without hope in this world, but now they have hope in Christ. The next student chose Ephesians 2.9. This student discussed how that salvation is by grace and not by works. The student said that no matter how many works they perform, They know they would never be able to earn their salvation, so they are thankful for grace. Again, remember, some of these are addicts who had no biblical background in the past, and they are grasping these truths. It's amazing to sit and watch them. The next passage for consideration was Colossians 3.23. This passage spoke to the, student because they realize they are serving Christ, not men. Also discuss with them how they should serve Christ on their job. When they do, they will receive a reward for their inheritance. Colossians 1.13 was the next consideration for our fifth student. You may take the time to look these up. I didn't know if I'd have the time to look all of them up and read them. This student discussed that as a child of God, they are no longer to follow the kingdom of darkness. They've been translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the son of God, even Jesus Christ. Wow. We discussed how the kingdom of darkness no longer has any power over us and we should live as children of the light. We should live as children who are in the light and no longer live as children in darkness. The next student shared Colossians 1, 9 through 18. He discussed all the spiritual benefits which are described for us in that passage. He discussed how that in this life, he has been filled with knowledge and he has been strengthened, has been given joy and patience. And he said, since we've been given all of these, we shouldn't want to share them with others. He said that he should want others to know the blessings of being a child of God. He wanted others to know of redemption in Christ Jesus. And I think that's so important for us to know that if we have received those, that we should want others to enjoy those blessings also. And that's what he wanted others to know and how the Lord had ministered to him and he needed to take the ministering he had received of the Lord and share it with others. Finally, the last student discussed Colossians 3.16. She shared how the importance of singing together in worship. She shared how it brought joy to her heart when she sings in worship. And, you know, that is true for all of us. Our hearts can be drawn closer to God in worship, and we should realize the importance of singing together in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts unto the Lord. And so, you know, it's just a blessing to walk through them and just share with me your passage and then why it means something to you. And then to get into some further discussions about that passage with them. It is such a blessing. And you know, the last time that we met together, which was two weeks ago, I challenged them to be able to recite the books of the New Testament. One of the students is relatively new and has very little religious background, probably has none, has no church background. And I just noticed as we turned to passages, him struggling to find those passages, and so I challenged him to learn the first five books of the New Testament, to memorize them. And it was amazing to sit and listen to him go all the way through 1 Timothy. I challenged the rest of them to learn the books of the New Testament, and if they memorized the books of the New Testament, I would buy them a candy bar as a reward, and what a blessing to set, and listen to them recite the books of the New Testament in order, because they've spent the last two weeks memorizing these. Again, these are drug addicts who are giving themselves to the study of the word of God and to memorizing the books of the New Testament. You know, it's encouraging to see them do that, and it also makes you wonder why some more seasoned Christians aren't so excited to do such a thing. But anyway, it was a blessing to be able to go and buy those five or six candy bars and share them with them. It's a blessing to listen to them read a chapter five days a week, if they're to write down what that verse means to them. What a blessing. I pray that's a blessing to you and maybe an encouragement to you to do likewise. Let's pray. Lord, today I thank you for the ministry of Kentucky Mission Bible Training Center. I pray that you will bless those residents as they learn to walk with you. I pray also, Lord, that you will help each of us to know the importance of ministering to those around us. I pray also we will know the importance of your word, learning from it and sharing with others. I do thank you for the assurance and comfort which we have in Christ Jesus. Fill the hearts of your people today as they trust in you. It is in the name of Jesus I pray, amen. Until tomorrow, Brother Mark signing off.