Read: Luke 15:11-24

Bible in a Year: Exodus 1-3; Matthew 14:1-21

While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him. —Luke 15:20

When we were going through a particularly challenging time with our son, a friend pulled me aside after a church meeting. “I want you to know that I pray for you and your son every day,” he said. Then he added: “I feel so guilty.”

“Why?” I asked. “Because I’ve never had to deal with prodigal children,” he said. “My kids pretty much played by the rules. But it wasn’t because of anything I did or didn’t do. Kids,” he shrugged, “make their own choices.”

Continue reading Our Daily Bread — Welcome Home! →

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Bible in a Year: Genesis 43-45; Matthew 12:24-50

While we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son. —Romans 5:10

As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached on a Sunday morning in 1957, he fought the temptation to retaliate against a society steeped in racism.

“How do you go about loving your enemies?” he asked the Dexter Avenue Baptist congregation in Montgomery, Alabama. “Begin with yourself. . . . When the opportunity presents itself for you to defeat your enemy, that is the time which you must not do it.”

Continue reading Our Daily Bread — Minister of Reconciliation →

Read: 1 Corinthians 14:6-12,26

Bible in a Year: Genesis 41-42; Matthew 12:1-23

Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church. —1 Corinthians 14:12

The world-class botanical garden across the street from our church was the setting for an all-church community gathering. As I walked around the gardens greeting people I have known for years, catching up with those I hadn’t seen recently, and enjoying the beautiful surroundings cared for by people who know and love plants, I realized that the evening was rich with symbols of how the church is supposed to function—a little hint of heaven on earth.

Continue reading Our Daily Bread — A Hint of Heaven →

Read: Ephesians 2:4-7

Bible in a Year: Genesis 36-38; Matthew 10:21-42

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. —Hebrews 4:16

In the winter of 2009, a large passenger plane made an emergency landing in New York’s Hudson River. The pilot, Captain Chesley Sullenberger, who landed the plane safely with no casualties, was later asked about those moments in the air when he was faced with a life-or-death decision. “One way of looking at this,” he said, “might be that for 42 years I’ve been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education, and training. And on [that day] the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal.”

Continue reading Our Daily Bread — What’s in the Bank? →

Read: Luke 9:57-62

Bible in a Year: Genesis 33-35; Matthew 10:1-20

No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. —Luke 9:62

Saying goodbye is hard—to family and friends, to a favorite and familiar place, to an occupation or livelihood.

In Luke 9:57-62 our Lord describes the cost of being His disciple. A would-be follower says to Jesus, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus responds, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (vv. 61-62). Is He asking His followers to say goodbye to everything and every relationship considered precious?

Continue reading Our Daily Bread — Saying Goodbye →

Read: Joshua 20:1-9

Bible in a Year: Genesis 25-26; Matthew 8:1-17

The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. —Proverbs 18:10

In March 2014 a tribal conflict broke out in my hometown area, forcing my father’s household, along with other refugees, to take cover in the region’s capital city. Throughout history, people who have felt unsafe in their homelands have traveled to other places searching for safety and something better.

As I visited and talked with people from my hometown, I thought of the cities of refuge in Joshua 20:1-9. These were cities designated as places of safety for those fleeing from “relatives seeking revenge” in the case of an accidental killing (v. 3 nlt). They offered peace and protection.

Continue reading Our Daily Bread — True Shelter →

Read: Matthew 6:5-10

Bible in a Year: Genesis 18-19; Matthew 6:1-18

Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. —Matthew 6:8

My home sits along a creek in a canyon in the shadow of a large mountain. During the spring snowmelt and after heavy rains this stream swells and acts more like a river than a creek. People have drowned in it. One day I traced the origin of the creek to its very source, a snowfield atop the mountain. From there the melted snow begins the long journey down the mountain, joining other rivulets to take shape as the creek below my house.

It occurs to me, thinking about prayer, that most of the time I get the direction wrong. I start downstream with my own concerns and bring them to God. I inform God, as if God did not already know. I plead with God, as if hoping to change God’s mind and overcome divine reluctance. Instead, I should start upstream where the flow begins.

Continue reading Our Daily Bread — Starting Upstream →

Read: Psalm 37:21-31

Bible in a Year: Genesis 16-17; Matthew 5:27-48

Though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. —Psalm 37:24

The clock tower at Westminster, which contains the bell known as Big Ben, is an iconic landmark in London, England. It is traditionally thought that the melody of the tower chimes was taken from the tune of “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth” from Handel’s Messiah. Words were eventually added and put on display in the clock room:

Lord, through this hour be Thou our guide;

Continue reading Our Daily Bread — Ringing Reminders →