Tag Archives: Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Listening With Love

Leave a comment

 

Read: Luke 18:9-14

Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 19-21; John 4:1-30

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. —Luke 18:14

One August evening in Vermont, a young missionary spoke at our small church. The country where he and his wife served was in religious turmoil, and it was considered too dangerous for children. In one of his stories, he told us about a heart-wrenching episode when his daughter pleaded with him not to leave her behind at a boarding school.

I was a new dad at that time, having recently been blessed with a daughter, and the story upset me. How could loving parents leave their daughter alone like that? I muttered to myself. By the time the talk was finished, I was so worked up that I ignored the offer to visit with the missionary. I charged out of the church, saying out loud as I left: “I’m sure glad I’m not like . . .”

In that instant, the Holy Spirit stopped me cold. I couldn’t even finish the sentence. Here I was, saying almost word for word what the Pharisee said to God: “I thank You that I am not like other men” (Luke 18:11). How disappointed I was in myself! How disappointed God must have been! Since that evening, I’ve asked God to help me listen to others with humility and restraint as they pour their hearts out in confession, profession, or pain. —Randy Kilgore

Lord, may we be quick to listen and slow to speak and to judge. A proud attitude so easily infects our lives. Give us instead a humility that reflects Your heart and love.

We don’t get closer to God by passing judgment on others.

INSIGHT: The story that Jesus tells of the two men who went into the temple to pray reminds us of what God considers important. The religious Pharisee focused entirely on himself and his efforts, highlighting what he did and didn’t do. However, the tax collector, who would have been considered one of the worst sinners of his day, recognized his unworthiness and focused on God and His mercy. Jesus said it was the “sinner” who went away justified before God (vv. 13-14). Jesus wants His listeners to understand that it is not what we do that makes us right with God; it is God who makes us right with Him.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Riches Of Obedience

Leave a comment

 

Read: Psalm 119:14,33-40

Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 17-18; John 3:19-36

I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches. —Psalm 119:14 NLT

Publicly operated lotteries exist in more than 100 countries. In a recent year, lottery ticket sales totaled more than $85 billion in just the US and Canada, only part of the total sales worldwide. The lure of huge jackpots has created a mindset among many that all of life’s problems would be solved “if I won the lottery.”

There’s nothing wrong with wealth itself, but it has the power to deceive us into thinking that money is the answer to all our needs. The psalmist, expressing a different point of view, wrote: “I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches. . . . I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word” (Ps. 119:14,16 NLT). This concept of spiritual treasure is focused on obedience to God and walking “in the path of [His] commandments” (v.35).

What if we were more excited about following the Lord’s Word than about winning a jackpot worth millions? With the psalmist we might pray, “Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way” (vv.36-37).

The riches of obedience—true riches—belong to all who walk with the Lord. —David McCasland

Dear Lord, may I commit each day to standing on the unchanging truth of Your Word and to growing in my relationship with You, the only measure of success in this life and in eternity.

Success is knowing and loving God.

INSIGHT: Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. Its 176 verses are presented in 22 stanzas of 8 verses each, and each stanza corresponds to the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Because it is an acrostic song, Spurgeon said it could be called “the alphabet of love,” for it unfolds God’s loving provision of wisdom for His children.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Where Can We Lean?

Leave a comment

 

Read: 2 Samuel 9

Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 15-16; John 3:1-18

I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake. —2 Samuel 9:7

“What a wonderful funeral!” Cindy remarked as we walked out. Helen, our friend, had died. And friend after friend celebrated her by sharing stories of her all-around fun behavior. But Helen’s life wasn’t all jokes and laughter. Her nephew spoke of her faith in Jesus and her care for others. She had taken him into her home when he was young and struggling. Now in his twenties, he said of his Aunt Helen, “She was like a mom to me. She never gave up on me in my struggles. I am sure that if it wasn’t for her, I would have lost my faith.” Wow! What an influence! Helen leaned on Jesus and wanted her nephew to trust Him too.

In the Old Testament, we read that King David took a young man named Mephibosheth into his home with the purpose of showing him kindness for the sake of his father, Jonathan (David’s friend who had died; see 2 Sam. 9:1). Years earlier, Mephibosheth had been injured when his nurse dropped him as they fled after the news that his father had been killed (4:4). He was surprised that the king would care for him; he even referred to himself as “a dead dog” (9:8). Yet the king treated him as his own son (9:11).

I’d like to be that kind of person, wouldn’t you? Someone who cares for others and helps them hang on to faith in Jesus even when life looks hopeless. —Anne Cetas

Lord, You showed the ultimate kindness by rescuing us when we were helpless in our sins. May our lives be marked by kindness so that others will see You in us.

God does most of His work for people through people.

INSIGHT: Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, could have been heir to his grandfather’s (King Saul) throne and a potential threat to David’s kingship. But David promised his best friend, Jonathan (1 Sam. 20:42), that he would care for his family. In today’s passage we read how David made good on that promise (2 Sam. 9:9-13).

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Tell Your Story

Leave a comment

 

Read: 1 Timothy 1:12-20

Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 13-14; John 2

Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim Your greatness. —Psalm 145:6 NLT

Michael Dinsmore, a former prisoner and relatively new Christian, was asked to give his testimony in a prison. After he spoke, some inmates came to him and said, “This is the most exciting meeting we’ve ever been to!” Michael was amazed that God could use his simple story.

In 1 Timothy, after Paul had charged Timothy to stay the course preaching the gospel (1:1-11), he shared his personal testimony to encourage the young man (vv.12-16). He told about God’s mercy in his own life. Paul said that he had mocked the Lord, but He changed him. In His mercy, God not only counted him faithful and gave him a job to do, but He also enabled him to do His work (v.12). Paul considered himself the worst of sinners, but God saved him (v.15).

The Lord is able! That is what Paul wanted Timothy to see, and what we need to see too. Through Paul’s testimony, we see God’s mercy. If God could use someone like Paul, He can use us. If God could save the worst of sinners, then no one is beyond His reach.

Our story of God’s work in our lives can encourage others. Let those around you know that the God of the Bible is still at work today! —Poh Fang Chia

Father, thank You for the salvation You offer and that no one, including me, is beyond the reach of Your mercy, grace, and transforming power. Help me share my story with others so that people can see Your love.

No one is beyond the reach of God’s love.

INSIGHT: Before Paul’s conversion he put Christian believers in prison and was present for at least one murder—that of Stephen, who was stoned for preaching about Christ (Acts 7:59–8:1). Yet after his conversion Paul sums up his former life in just three words, telling Timothy that he was “a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man” (1 Tim. 1:13). He then tells what God has done for him (vv. 13-17), reminding us that it is not who we were that is important; it is what God has done for us.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — No Need Is Too Trivial

Leave a comment

 

Read: Isaiah 49:13-18

Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 10-12; John 1:29-51

As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him. —Psalm 103:13

Several mothers of small children were sharing encouraging answers to prayer. Yet one woman said she felt selfish about troubling God with her personal needs. “Compared with the huge global needs God faces,” she explained, “my circumstances must seem trivial to Him.”

Moments later, her little son pinched his fingers in a door and ran screaming to his mother. She didn’t say, “How selfish of you to bother me with your throbbing fingers when I’m busy!” She showed him great compassion and tenderness.

As Psalm 103:13 reminds us, this is the response of love, both human and divine. In Isaiah 49, God said that even though a mother may forget to have compassion on her child, the Lord never forgets His children (v.15). God assured His people, “I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands” (v.16).

Such intimacy with God belongs to those who fear Him and who rely on Him rather than on themselves. As that child with throbbing fingers ran freely to his mother, so may we run to God with our daily problems.

Our compassionate God doesn’t neglect others to respond to our concerns. He has limitless time and love for each of His children. No need is too trivial for Him. —Joanie Yoder

You take great delight in me, Lord, and quiet me with Your love. You rejoice over me with singing, like a mother singing a lullaby over her child. Thank You for Your tender love for me.

God holds His children in the palm of His hand.

INSIGHT: Isaiah has the most messianic references of any Old Testament prophetic book, containing extraordinary prophecies of both Christ’s miraculous birth and His atoning death. Today’s reading begins a section of prophecies about the Divine Servant, highlighted by the description of His suffering in Isaiah 53. This suffering comes to the Servant from God’s own hand and ultimately finds its fulfillment at the cross where Christ bore the sins of the world.

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert for Kids – All Alone

Leave a comment

 

Genesis 32:24

Some kids love to be alone. They like to go into their rooms and read or think or play music. Other kids can’t stand to be alone. The more company they have the better.

Being one way or another is not better or worse. We all have preferences. It is interesting, however, to think about some of the great characters of the Bible and their miracles. Many of their great miracles happened when they were alone. Jacob in the Scripture above was alone when he met an angel who wrestled with him. Moses was by himself when he saw the burning bush. Peter was alone on a housetop when he had a vision giving him instruction about what he was to do next. Jesus often went off alone by himself to pray and think.

Maybe these people knew something we need to know, especially if you are one of those who likes lots of activity and company all the time. There is so much noise in our world coming into us that it can be very hard to hear God’s voice telling us what to do. Once in a while we need to shut off the iPod, close down the computer, turn off the TV and the cell phone, and just listen to see if God might want to say something to us. You might be surprised at what he says to you.

Dear Lord, Sometimes I use all the noise in my life to keep me from talking to you and listening to see if you have something to say to me. Help me to listen for your voice. Amen.

 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — All Aboard

Leave a comment

 

Read: 2 Peter 3:1-13

Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 4-6; Luke 24:36-53

The Lord is . . . longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish. —2 Peter 3:9

One day when I dropped my husband off at our local train station, I watched as the conductor scanned the area for stragglers. A woman with wet hair bounded from the parking lot and up into the train. Then, a man in a dark suit strode to the platform and climbed aboard. The conductor waited patiently while several more late-comers sprinted to the tracks and boarded at the last moment.

Just as the conductor was patient with people boarding the train, God patiently waits for people to come to know Him. However, someday Jesus will return and “the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat” (2 Peter 3:10). When this happens, or when our physical bodies die, it will be too late to establish a relationship with God.

“The Lord is . . . longsuffering toward us,” Peter says, “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (v.9). If you have delayed deciding to follow Christ, there is good news—you can still commit yourself to Him. “If you declare with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9 NIV). He is calling. Will you run in His direction? —Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, Calling for you and for me; See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching, Watching for you and for me. —Thompson

Now is the time to choose the Lord.

INSIGHT: Peter wrote to a persecuted and suffering group of Christians, which is why he highlighted the faithfulness of God. Peter wanted them to remember that the Lord would fulfill the promise of His second coming (v. 13).

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The School Of Pain

Leave a comment

 

 

Read: Psalm 119:65-80
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 21-22; Luke 23:26-56

I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. —Psalm 119:75

In his book The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis observes that “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Suffering often helps us to redirect our focus. It shifts our thinking from immediate circumstances so we can listen to God concerning His work in our lives. Life as usual is replaced by a spiritual schoolroom.

In the Old Testament, we read how the psalmist maintained a teachable heart even during painful circumstances. He accepted them as orchestrated by God, and in submission he prayed, “In faithfulness You have afflicted me” (Ps. 119:75). Isaiah the prophet viewed suffering as a refining process: “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction” (Isa. 48:10). And Job, despite his laments, learned about the sovereignty and greatness of God through his troubles (Job 40–42).

We are not alone in our experience of pain. God Himself took on human form and suffered greatly: “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). The One with nail-scarred hands is near. He will comfort us and teach us in our suffering. —Dennis Fisher

Dear Lord, life is so hard sometimes. I confess that I don’t always see Your purpose in my trials. Help me to trust You, and teach me to become the person that You desire me to be.

We learn the lesson of trust in the school of trial.

INSIGHT: Psalm 119 speaks of the priority and sufficiency of God’s Word in the daily life of the believer. Here the psalmist admitted that he had strayed, but having been disciplined by God, he now resolved to “keep [His] Word” (v. 67).
Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; C.H. – Greatest Benefit

Leave a comment

 

The coveted Nobel Prize is awarded each year to deserving recipients in physics, chemistry, peace, physiology or medicine, and literature. Alfred Nobel, in his will, specified the prizes are for those who have shown the “greatest benefit on mankind.” It honors those whose work blesses others.

I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you…so that you will be a blessing.

Genesis 12:2

Years before Nobel, God bestowed the greatest honor on Abraham by making a covenant with him. Abraham continually praised the Lord, and his Heavenly Father was listening. He awarded Abraham’s faith by promising to make a great nation through his descendants. Today’s passage shows how God made Abraham’s name great, so he would bless others. He will do the same with you.

God hears the praises from your lips and your heart. He listens to and sees His people. While you may not receive a Nobel Prize, your obedience will be noticed. “The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness.” (I Samuel 26:23) Pray for Christian leaders in America to be a blessing to others, and share the good news of Christ with everyone – for Jesus is truly the greatest benefit to mankind.

Recommended Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Heart Of Joy

Leave a comment

 

 

Read: John 15:1-11
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 19-20; Luke 23:1-25

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. —John 15:11

While waiting in the gate area of Singapore’s Changi Airport to board my flight, I noticed a young family—mom, dad, and son. The area was crowded, and they were looking for a place to sit. Suddenly, the little boy began loudly singing “Joy to the World.” He was about 6 years old, so I was pretty impressed that he knew all the words.

What captured my attention even more was the look on the boy’s face—his beaming smile matched the words he was singing as he proclaimed to everyone at the gate the joy of the Christ who has come.

This joy is not limited to exuberant children nor should it be confined to the Christmas season. The overflowing joy of knowing Christ’s presence in our lives was one of the themes of Jesus’ final teaching with His disciples the night before He died on the cross. He told them of His extravagant love for them—that He loved them as the Father loved Him (John 15:9). After sharing what this eternal relationship looks like, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (v.11).

What a promise! Through Jesus Christ our hearts can be filled with joy—real joy! —Bill Crowder

Lord, You have chosen me and redeemed me, crowned me with love and compassion. I can do nothing less than overflow with joy at Your great love for me, for those I love, and for the world.

In every season of life we can know joy in Christ.

INSIGHT: Jesus often spoke in picturesque language to help people understand what He was saying. In today’s passage, He explains the relationship between Himself and His followers by talking about a vine. The key word in this passage is “abide,” which is used 10 times. We stay connected to (abide in) Him (the vine) by the power of the Holy Spirit, through the reading of His Word, and through prayer. In this way (the branches) remain in fellowship with Him and know true joy.
Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Best Wedding Ever

Leave a comment

 

Read: Revelation 21:1-8
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 16-18; Luke 22:47-71

The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. —Revelation 19:7

Within the last 800 or so years, a new custom has been added to the Jewish wedding ceremony. At the very end, the groom crushes a wine glass under his foot. One explanation of this is that the shattering of the glass symbolizes the destruction of the temple in ad 70. Young couples are encouraged to remember, as they establish their own homes, that God’s home had been destroyed.

God is not homeless, however. He has just chosen a new place to live—in us, His followers. In the metaphors of Scripture, believers are both the bride of Christ and the temple in which God lives. God is fitting His people together to build a new home that will be His permanent dwelling place. At the same time, He is preparing the bride and planning a wedding that will include all of God’s family from the beginning of time.

Our part is easy though sometimes painful. We cooperate with God as He is at work in us to make us more like His Son Jesus. Then some day, at the best wedding ever, our Lord will present us to Himself without spot or wrinkle. We will be holy and without blemish (Eph. 5:27). This wedding will bring an end to all sorrow and suffering. —Julie Ackerman Link

Finish then Thy new creation; Pure and spotless let us be; Let us see Thy great salvation Perfectly restored in Thee. —Wesley

The return of Jesus is sure.

INSIGHT: Our eternal home is so different from our current earthly home that it is described by what is missing rather than by what is present—no tears, sorrow, death, crying, or pain. “The former things” (v. 4) of this earth will be no more.
Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — One Who Serves

Leave a comment

 

 

Read: Luke 22:24-27
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 14-15; Luke 22:21-46

Yet I am among you as the One who serves. —Luke 22:27

“I’m nobody’s servant!” I cried out. That morning the demands of my family seemed too much as I frantically helped to find my husband’s blue tie, while feeding the crying baby and recovering the lost toy from under the bed for our 2-year-old.

Later on that day, as I was reading the Bible, I came across this verse: “For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves” (Luke 22:27).

Jesus didn’t have to wash His disciples’ feet, yet He did (John 13:5). There were servants who did that job, but Jesus chose to serve them. Today’s society insists that we should aim to “be somebody.” We want the best-paying job, the highest position in the company, the top leadership in church. Yet whatever position we are in, we can learn from our Savior to serve.

We hold different roles as parents, children, friends, workers, leaders, or students. The question is this: Do we carry out those roles with an attitude of service? Even though my everyday routine is sometimes tiring, I’m thankful the Master will help me because I do want to follow His steps and willingly serve others.

May God help us to do this each day. —Keila Ochoa

Dear Lord, I know that You did not come to be served, but to serve. Sometimes I fail to think of others, but I want to be like You. Please give me a heart like Yours.

We need a servant’s attitude to be like Jesus.

INSIGHT: Verse 24 says that the disciples argued about who was the greatest. This was an ongoing dispute because on two earlier occasions they had displayed their desire to be first. They fought while returning to Capernaum (Matt. 18:1-5; Mark 9:33-37; Luke 9:46-48) and again on one of their trips into Jerusalem (Matt. 20:17-28; Mark 10:32-45). Now here, just hours before Jesus was crucified, while the disciples were observing one of their most sacred feasts, the Passover meal, they quarreled over who was the greatest (Luke 22:14-24). Rebuking them, Jesus said that true greatness is determined not by hierarchical authority (v. 25) but by service and humility (v. 26).
Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — In Every Generation

Leave a comment

 

Read: Psalm 100
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 12-13; Luke 22:1-20

The Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations. —Psalm 100:5

It may seem surprising when children don’t follow their parents’ example of faith in God. Equally unexpected is a person with a deep commitment to Christ who emerges from a family where faith was not present. In every generation, each person has a choice.

Samuel was a great man of God who appointed his two sons, Joel and Abijah, as leaders over Israel (1 Sam. 8:1-2). Unlike their father, however, they were corrupt and “turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice” (v.3). Yet, years later, we find Heman, Joel’s son, appointed as a musician in the house of the Lord (1 Chron. 6:31-33). Heman, Samuel’s grandson—along with Asaph, his right-hand man and the author of many of the psalms—served the Lord by singing joyful songs (15:16-17).

Even though a person seems indifferent toward the faith so precious to his or her parents, God is still at work. Things can change in later years, and seeds of faith may spring to life in generations to come.

No matter what the family situation may be, we know that “the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” —David McCasland

Dear Lord, help me to remember that You are the one who causes the seed of faith to grow. We give our loved ones into Your care, knowing that the end of the story has not yet been written.

God’s faithfulness extends to all generations.

INSIGHT: Psalm 100 is a short psalm—only five verses—in which we are encouraged to shout, serve, sing, give thanks, praise, and bless the Lord. We should shout joyfully, serve gladly, and bless Him because the Lord is God; because He made us and we belong to Him (v. 3); and because He is good, merciful, and always true (v. 5).
Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – What Will You Be Remembered For?

Leave a comment

 

“‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.'” —Revelation 14:13

What is heaven like? What will we do when we get there? The Bible has answers to all of that.

1. Heaven is a place of rejoicing.

“Blessed are the dead . . .”

As much as we may miss our loved ones who have gone before us to heaven, we need to know that they are in pure bliss. The apostle Paul died and went to heaven and was brought back to life. Paul said he longed to go there—because it is “far better” (Philippians 1:23).

Adrian Rogers, who is now in heaven, once wrote, “Consider the artistry that God has put into Heaven.” In his commentary on Revelation he wrote these words, “The God who sculpted the wings of the butterfly, blended the hues of the rainbow, and painted the meadows with daffodils is the same who made Heaven.”

2. Heaven is a place of rest.

“That they may rest from their labors . . .”

We will have a permanent rest from our labors in heaven. The curse will be gone, and we will no longer have to work “by the sweat of our brow” (Genesis 3:19), but we will still be busy for the Lord! Our work is not over when we leave this earth; it continues in heaven and on the new earth.

3. Heaven is a place of reward.

“And their works follow them.”

You cannot work your way into heaven, for it is a gift of God to each of us. However, the Bible teaches that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20).

Your “works will follow you.” One day, in your memorial service, no one will care about how successful you were in business or how much money you had. People will talk about your character, your merciful acts, and love for others. Make sure you have some “good works” to follow you to that day.

So let’s press forward—continuing to serve the Lord during our short time here on earth, knowing that eternity will be a time of rejoicing, rest, and reward!

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Correct Gently

Leave a comment

 

 

Read: Colossians 3:12-17
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 10-11; Luke 21:20-38

Put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another. —Colossians 3:12-13

At the end of a conference in Nairobi, Kenya, our group traveled from the conference center to a guesthouse to prepare to fly back home the next morning. When we arrived, one person in our group reported that she had forgotten her luggage back at the conference center. After she left to retrieve it, our group leader (always meticulous on detail) criticized her sharply to us in her absence.

The next morning when we arrived at the airport, the leader discovered to his dismay that he too had left his luggage behind. It and his passport were back at the guesthouse. It was now going to cost us even more to go for his baggage. Later, he apologized and said to all of us, “I’ll never criticize so harshly again!”

Because we all have faults and weaknesses, we should bear with one another and forgive each other when things go wrong (Col. 3:13). We need to be constructive in our criticism and “clothe [our]selves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (v.12 niv).

When correction is necessary, it should be done with kindness and love. In that way we become imitators of our Lord Jesus Christ. —Lawrence Darmani

Dear God, You know that there are times when I just don’t feel patient and humble and gentle. Those days in my life, the fruit of Your Spirit seems in short supply. Please enable me to love others today.

The keys to effective relationships are gentleness and humility.

INSIGHT: Paul’s admonition in verse 16—that we are to allow “the word of Christ [to] dwell in [us] richly in all wisdom”—parallels Ephesians 5:18-19, where we are challenged to be under the control of the Holy Spirit. This results in worship, thanksgiving, and maintaining appropriate relationships with others.
Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Image Consultants

Leave a comment

 

Read: Colossians 3:1-11
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 8-9; Luke 21:1-19

[You] have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. —Colossians 3:10

In our media-saturated age, image consultants have become indispensable. Entertainers, athletes, politicians, and business leaders seem desperate to manage the way they are perceived in the eyes of the world. These high-priced consultants work to shape how their clients are viewed—even if sometimes there is a stark contrast between the public image and the real person inside.

In reality, what people need—what all of us need—is not an external makeover but an inner transformation. Our deepest flaws cannot be corrected cosmetically. They are directly related to who we are in heart and mind, and they reveal how far we have fallen from the image of God in which we were created. But such transformation is beyond any human ability to accomplish.

Only Christ offers us true transformation—not just a facelift or an outward adjustment. Paul said that those who have been raised to eternal life in Christ “have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Col. 3:10).

New! What a tremendous word full of hope! Christ transforms us into new people in Him—people with a new heart, not just fixed up to look good on the outside. —Bill Crowder

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. —2 Corinthians 5:17

The Spirit develops in us the clear image of Christ.

INSIGHT: The letter to the Colossians is one of four epistles referred to as Paul’s “prison letters.” Written during his first imprisonment (or house arrest) in Rome, these letters also include Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon. All of the letters were written to churches except for the one written to Philemon, who was apparently a dear friend of Paul (Philem. 1:1,7). Paul founded the Ephesian and Philippian churches, but there is no record in the New Testament that Paul was ever in Colosse.

 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Access To God

Leave a comment

 

Read: 1 John 5:6-15
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 6-7; Luke 20:27-47

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. —Hebrews 4:16

Technology is a blessing in so many ways. Need a bit of information about a health problem? All you have to do is access the Internet where you instantaneously get a list of options to guide your search. Need to contact a friend? Just send a text, email, or Facebook post. But technology can also be frustrating at times. The other day I needed to access some information in my bank account and was asked a list of security questions. Unable to recall the exact answers, I was blocked from my own account. Or think of the times when an important conversation is cut off because of a dead cellphone battery, with no way to reconnect until you find a plug to recharge it.

All of this makes me delighted with the reality that when I need to access God in prayer, there are no security questions and no batteries required. I love the assurance that John gives when he says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14).

God is always accessible, for He never slumbers nor sleeps! (Ps. 121:4). And thanks to His love for us, He is waiting and ready to listen. —Joe Stowell

Lord, thank You for desiring communication with me and for the reassurance that You are indeed listening and ready to help in time of need. Teach us to come to You with confidence in Your attentive love for us.

God is always accessible in our time of need.

INSIGHT: In this letter John refutes false teachers who deny that Jesus is the Christ (2:22). He says, “Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross” (5:6 NLT).
Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – As We Focus

Leave a comment

 

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV)

Years ago, I learned an invaluable lesson: Whatever we focus on, we become. That simple statement taught me a great deal.

Wherever we put our energies or our attention, those things will develop. Another way I like to say it is, “Where the mind goes, the man follows!”

If I begin to think about ice cream, I will soon find myself in my car pursuing ice cream. My thought will stir my desires and emotions, and I will make the decision to follow them.

If we focus only on the negative things in our lives, we become negative people. Everything, including our conversation, becomes negative. We soon lose our joy and live miserable lives and it all started with our own thinking.

You might be experiencing some problems in life-not realizing that you are creating them yourself by what you’re choosing to think about. I challenge you to think about what you’re thinking about!

You might be discouraged and even depressed and wonder what caused it. Yet if you will examine your thought life, you will find that you are feeding the negative emotions you are feeling. Negative thoughts are fuel for discouragement, depression, and many other unpleasant emotions.

We should choose our thoughts carefully. We can think about what is wrong with our lives or about what is right with them. We can think about what is wrong with all the people we are in relationship with or we can see the good and meditate on that. The Bible teaches us to always believe the best. When we do that, it makes our own lives happier and more peaceful.

I have a great life and a loving husband and children. And I am privileged to be used by God to bless millions of people around the world through the wonderful ministry He has given me. But life isn’t perfect, and if I had allowed the devil to fill my mind with negative thoughts as he once did long ago, I would have been defeated.

I want to focus on God’s grace and give thanks for all the good things in my life. I don’t want to focus on what I don’t have.

An old friend used to quote this saying: “As you wander on through life, brother, whatever be your goal, keep your eye upon the donut and not upon the hole.” Too many people focus on what’s not there and what’s not right.

All of this is to say that our thoughts largely determine our destiny. Our thoughts also determine our happiness. Proverbs 23:7 is one of my favorite verses. Thoughts are powerful. They aren’t just words that flow through our minds. So it is very important for us to decide what we will allow to rest inside our minds.

We must not forget that the mind is a battlefield. We must always remember that our adversary will use it in any way he possibly can to trap us.

I’m reminded of a man who came to one of our meetings.

He wanted deliverance from viewing pornography. He said that one time he had seen something on the Internet after accidentally logging on to a site that was filled with explicitly sexual pictures. The next day he laughed about it to one of his coworkers. “Who wants to watch that stuff?” he asked.

The next night he was back at the site again. And many nights after that. He purchased sexual material and had it sent to his office. He kept his stash of pornography hidden from his family. “What’s a little thing like that going to do?” he reasoned.

He confessed that the more he saw the images, the more he thought of women as objects, objects for his pleasure. One day his wife said, “I don’t know what’s happened to you, but you can either deal with your attitude or I’m leaving.” His life was rapidly going downhill before he asked for prayer. “I never thought just watching a couple of porno sites like that could be so addictive,” he said. To put it another way, we can’t have a positive life and a negative mind. Our thoughts our focus is what determines where we end up.

Jesus, our friend and Savior, wants our minds to be filled with positive, beautiful, and healthy thoughts. The more we focus on those things, the more readily we defeat Satan’s attacks.

Dear patient and loving God, ask You to forgive me for focusing my thoughts on things that are not pleasing to You. I pray that You will help me fill my mind with thoughts that are clean and pure and uplifting. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — In The Same Boat

Leave a comment

 

 

Read: Matthew 8:23-27
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 3-5; Luke 20:1-26

When He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. —Matthew 8:23

When the cruise ship pulled into port, the passengers got off as quickly as possible. They had spent the last few days enduring an outbreak of a virus, and hundreds of people had been sickened. One passenger, interviewed as he disembarked, said: “Well, I don’t mean to complain so much. I mean I know everybody was in the same boat.” His seemingly unintentional pun made the reporter smile.

In Matthew 8, we read about another trip on the water (vv.23-27). Jesus got into the boat and the disciples followed Him (v.23). Then a terrible storm arose, and Jesus’ disciples feared for their lives. They awakened a sleeping Jesus, who they assumed was unaware of the crisis.

While Jesus was literally in the same boat as His followers, He was unconcerned about the weather. As the all-powerful Creator, He had no fear of a storm. “He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm” (v.26).

But we are not all-powerful, and we are oh-so-prone to fear. So what are we to do when the storms of life rage around us? Whether they quickly blow over or last for a long time, we can be confident in this: We are in the same boat with the One whom even the winds and the sea obey. —Cindy Hess Kasper

Heavenly Father, this life is full of uncertainty. But You have promised us Your unfailing presence. May we see You today—especially when we are tempted to panic or to do things in our own strength.

No danger can come so near the Christian that God is not nearer.

INSIGHT: Today’s passage contains a beautiful story of Jesus’ power when He commands the winds and the waves to obey Him, giving further evidence that He is the Creator (see Col 1:16). Jesus’ question in Matthew 8:26 may seem harsh, but the disciples had been with Jesus long enough now that they should have had a better understanding of who He was. Immediately following the account of the calming of the wind and waves is the account of Jesus’ power over demons (vv. 28-34). This would have been another reminder that the disciples should have faith in Him.
Our Daily Bread

Max Lucado – Bring Focus to Your Life

Leave a comment

 

Want to bring focus to your life? Do what Jesus did. Go home, love your family, and take care of business! Your first mission field is under your roof. What makes you think they’ll believe you overseas if they don’t believe you across the hall?

But Max, I’m ready to do great things for God. Good, do them at work. Be a good employee. Show up on time with a good attitude. Don’t complain or grumble. Do as Colossians 3:23 says, “Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people.”

Why don’t you take a few moments and evaluate your direction? Ask yourself, “Am I serving God now?” Regardless of what has controlled you in the past—it’s never too late to get your life on course!

From Just Like Jesus