365 DAY DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 75

Salvation Is God’s Gift

- Romans 6:23

Genesis 3 recounts the story of the fall of humanity, when Adam’s sin condemned the world to a cycle of sin and despair, punctuated by death. It is because of Adam’s actions that we inherited the proclivity to sin (see Romans 3:23). But rather than leave us doomed to the consequences of sin, God has promised us rebirth and new life (see Romans 6:23). This is not something we deserve; rather, it is a gift that is given to us — an example of the true and abiding love that God has for his creation (see Ephesians 2:8 – 9).

Take some time to consider the enormity of that statement. Even though we failed God’s commands, even though we fell short of God’s expectations for us, God still had enough love for us that he offered us a way out of the cycle. That way out is Jesus Christ, who bridges the gap between human and divine as the mediator of a new relationship between God and humanity: a covenant of life rather than one of death (see Hebrews 12:24).

Taken from NIV Essentials of the Christian Faith

OUR DAILY BREAD

Sleeping In Safety  

- Psalm 3, 4

Someone has said, “The rest of your life depends on the rest of your nights.” Many people, though, feel like the little boy who was having trouble falling asleep. He told his mother, “My body is lying down, but my mind keeps sitting up!”

If anxious thoughts keep you awake, ask the Lord to quiet your heart and give you the faith to be able to relax and let Him solve the problems that disturb you. That’s what David did when he was in trouble, for he wrote, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Ps. 4:8). When you realize that your heavenly Father is watching over you, you can find sweet rest.
During World War II, an elderly woman in England had endured the nerve-shattering bombings with amazing serenity.

When asked to give the secret of her calmness amid the terror and danger, she replied, “Well, every night I say my prayers. And then I remember that God is always watching, so I go peacefully to sleep. After all, there is no need for both of us to stay awake!”

Yes, you may not only sleep, but you can do so peacefully if you recognize that your heavenly Father is tenderly watching over you. —Henry G. Bosch

Before you sleep, just gently lay
Every troubled thought away;
Drop your burden and your care
In the quiet arms of prayer. —Anon.

Because God never sleeps, we can sleep in peace.

DISCOVER GOD'S VISION: Asking for GOD's Vision

Asking for God’s Vision

By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.

To understand and embrace God’s vision, we must ask Him for it. The Bible tells us we have not because we ask not—and sometimes when we do ask, we ask with selfish motives rather than God-honoring motives. But God promises us, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3). God wishes to reveal Himself to us, but we must first ask with pure motives and persistence.

The word for “call” in this verse means to do so continuously. We are commanded to ask continuously until God reveals His vision to us. Persistence teaches us to rely on God while He is shaping our hearts to delight in Him.

God does a wonderful work in us when we seek His will. As we seek Him for His will, we learn who He is and we begin to delight in Him and His will rather than our own. As He becomes the desire of our hearts, we are aligned and ready to receive His will and vision for our lives.

Prayer: God, I pray that You would reveal Your vision to me today. Show me where You would have me go and what You would have me do. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted” (Psalm 138:3).

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 74

Can Christians Lose Their Salvation?

- Luke 8:13

Salvation is the work of God. It came through Jesus Christ by the shedding of his blood on the cross (see Jn 3:17; Ro 5:9). Those who experience salvation are given eternal life as a gift of grace that they receive by faith (see Eph 2:5,8) — this gift comes because of God’s mercy, not as a result of human effort (see 2Ti 1:9; Titus 3:5).

Since salvation is a work of God’s grace from beginning to end (see Ro 1:17; Gal 3:1 – 3), those who belong to Christ can be assured that they will never lose their salvation. They have been appointed to receive salvation, not to suffer wrath (see 1Th 5:9). There is also a subjective dimension to this assurance. The Holy Spirit “testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Ro 8:16). In other words, when we are children of God, the Holy Spirit helps us know with confidence that we are heirs of eternal life.

But assurance is no excuse for complacency. God’s grace transforms those who are in Christ (see 2Co 5:21; Jas 2:14 – 26; 1Jn 3:3). Therefore, those whose lives show no evidence of this transformation should examine themselves to see if they have genuinely trusted in Christ (see 2Co 13:5; Heb 6:1 – 8). For such people the question is not whether they might lose their salvation but whether they ever possessed it in the first place.

Taken from NIV Essentials Study Bible

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Bold Persistence 

- Matthew 15:21-28

In 1953, a fledgling business called Rocket Chemical Company and its staff of three set out to create a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry. It took them 40 attempts to perfect their formula. The original secret formula for WD-40—which stands for Water Displacement, 40th attempt—is still in use today. What a story of persistence!
The gospel of Matthew records another story of bold persistence. A Canaanite woman had a daughter who was possessed by a demon. She had no hope for her daughter—until she heard that Jesus was in the region. This desperate woman came to Jesus with her need because she believed He could help her. She cried out to Him even though everything and everybody seemed to be against her—race, religious background, gender, the disciples, Satan, and seemingly even Jesus (Matt. 15:22-27).

Despite all of these obstacles, she did not give up. With bold persistence, she pushed her way through the dark corridors of difficulty, desperate need, and rejection. The result? Jesus commended her for her faith and healed her daughter (v.28). We too are invited to approach Jesus with bold persistence.

As we keep asking, seeking, and knocking, we will find grace and mercy in our time of need. —Marvin Williams

Something happens when we pray,
Take our place and therein stay,
Wrestle on till break of day;
Ever let us pray. —Anon.

Persistence in prayer pleases God.

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 73

 DO Not Conform 

- Romans 12:2

 Do not conform. “Conform” refers to assuming an outward expression that does not reflect what is really inside, a kind of masquerade or act. The word’s form implies that Paul’s readers were already allowing this to happen and must stop. this world. Better translated, “age,” which refers to the system of beliefs, values— or the spirit of the age— at any time current in the world. This sum of contemporary thinking and values forms the moral atmosphere of our world and is always dominated by Satan (cf. 2Co 4:4). transformed.

The Gr. word, from which the Eng. word metamorphosis comes, connotes a change in outward appearance. Matthew uses the same word to describe the Transfiguration (Mt 17:2). Just as Christ briefly and in a limited way displayed outwardly His inner, divine nature and glory at the Transfiguration, Christians should outwardly manifest their inner, redeemed natures, not once, however, but daily (cf. 2Co 3:18; Eph 5:18). renewing of your mind. That kind of transformation can occur only as the Holy Spirit changes our thinking through

consistent study and meditation of Scripture (Ps 119:11; cf. Col 1:28; 3:10, 16; Php 4:8). The renewed mind is one saturated with and controlled by the Word of God. good, pleasing . . . perfect. Holy living of which God approves. These words borrow from OT sacrificial language and describe a life that is morally and spiritually spotless, just as the sacrificial animals were to be (cf. Lev 22:19– 25).

Taken from NIV First-Century Study Bible

OUR DAILY BREAD

Give Thanks! 

- Psalm 92

Psalm 92 is a “Song for the Sabbath day,” a resting place for those who are troubled.
The song begins with a commendation of praise: “It is good to give thanks to the Lord.” It does us good to turn from our unsettling and anxious thoughts to declare God’s “lovingkindness in the morning, and [His] faithfulness every night” (v.2). God loves us and is always faithful! He makes us glad (v.4).

Praise not only makes us glad, it makes us wise. We begin to understand something of God’s greatness and creative design in all that He does (vv.5-9). We gain a wisdom that is hidden from those who do not know God. The wicked may “flourish” and “spring up like grass” for a moment (v.7), but ultimately they will wither away.

The righteous, however, are joined to the One who dwells in eternity (v.8). They “flourish like a palm tree” and “like a cedar in Lebanon” (v.12), symbols of graceful beauty and unbending strength. For they have been “planted in the house of the Lord” (v.13). Their roots go down into the soil of God’s faithfulness; they draw on His unquenchable love.

Give thanks and praise to the Lord today! —David Roper

Oh, render thanks to God above,
The Fountain of eternal love,
Whose mercy firm through ages past
Has stood, and shall forever last. —Anon.

A heart in tune with God can’t help but sing His praises.

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 72

How could David be so certain of his own righteousness?

- Psalm 18:20-24

In the Old Testament, Israel could know God’s moral will for his people through the laws set forth in the covenant made at Mount Sinai (Ex 20:1 — 24:18; Lev 26:1 – 46; Dt 4:1 — 11:32). If David lived in a manner consistent with those covenant stipulations, he could legitimately speak of his righteousness.

David was not perfect by any means — a fact he readily acknowledged (Ps 51:1 – 19). But while it is a great sin to violate God’s law, the covenant provided a means by which confession, repentance, restitution and restoration to God and the community could take place. The sacrificial system outlined in Leviticus 1:1 — 7:38 provided the Israelites with a process by which to make amends to God and their neighbors when they sinned. But more important than sacrifice is a humble and penitent heart that casts itself entirely on the mercy of God (Ps 51:1,16 – 17). When we do this, God “imputes” righteousness to us — that is, he credits the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ to us (2Co 5:21).

Taken from NIV Quest Study Bible

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Behind The Throne 

- Esther 1

During my lifetime I have seen evil men rise to political and military power, make colossal blunders, and pass off the scene. Even good leaders leave a record that includes mistakes and weaknesses.

The first chapter of Esther shows us the pride of King Ahasuerus, head of the mighty Persian Empire. He hosted an elaborate festival designed to display his riches and splendor. After 7 days of partying, the king gave orders to his servants to bring Vashti, his queen, before the revelers so they could see her great beauty. But Queen Vashti refused to come, humiliating the great king of Persia (vv.12-18).

Ahasuerus was furious and sought counsel from the wise men of his kingdom. They advised him to remove Vashti as queen and “give her royal position to another who is better than she” (v.19). God used these unusual events to place a Jewish girl in a strategic position to preserve His people from
destruction.

God’s name is not mentioned in the entire book of Esther, but the message in chapter 1 comes through loud and clear: God can bring good out of everything, even when flawed and mistake-prone humans are involved. He is the real power behind the throne. —Herb Vander Lugt

We comprehend Him not,
Yet earth and heaven tell,
God sits as sovereign on the throne,
And ruleth all things well. —Gerhardt
 
The most powerful ruler is but a pawn in the hand of the King of kings.

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 71

How Can We, Imperfect People, Live the Way Jesus Wants Us to Live?

- Mark 9:19-24

Jesus is never unsettled by our imperfections. Actually, he is most at ease and hopeful with those who are glaringly imperfect. He dined with hated tax collectors and “champion” sinners (see Mt 9:10). He offered grace to a woman caught in adultery (see Jn 8:3 – 11). His own disciples — the men hechose — were sometimes dull, fickle and unbelieving (see Mt 15:16; Mk 9:19; 14:66 – 72). Even in his last hour, as he hung on the cross, Jesus welcomed a criminal into the kingdom (see Lk 23:43).

It seems Jesus sees potential in our imperfection. When we are the most acutely aware of our weakness, we reach the end of our rope. Those who have run out of self-reliance are ready to rely on Jesus to give them new life.

But Jesus is frustrated by dishonesty. He reserved his sharpest words for the religious frauds who did not realize they were in desperate trouble. “It is not the healthy who need a doctor” (Mt 9:12), he told them. So an important step toward living the way Jesus intends is being brutally honest about our radical imperfections. Bringing our sins into his light by giving them a specific name — lust, anger, gossip, gluttony, greed and so on — makes it possible for us to experience deep-soul healing from the Great Physician (see 1Jn 1:8 – 9).

But the goal is not to merely admit our imperfections and offenses. The goal is to transform our sinful natures by the Spirit of God so that we become the kind of people in whom the life of Jesus is most vividly expressed. Because we are human, imperfections are inevitable. But through Jesus, what’s old can become new (see 2Co 5:17).

Taken from NIV Essentials Study Bible

OUR DAILY BREAD

Keep Praying 

- Luke 11:5-13

We prayed. Quietly sometimes. Aloud other times. For more than 17 years we prayed. We prayed for our daughter Melissa’s health and direction, for her salvation, and often for her protection. Just as we prayed for our other children, we asked God to have His hand of care on her.

As Melissa rolled into her teenage years, we prayed even more that He would keep her from harm—that He would keep His eyes on her as she and her friends began to drive. We prayed, “God, please protect Melissa.”

So what happened? Didn’t God understand how much it would hurt so many people to lose such a beautiful young woman with so much potential for service to Him and others? Didn’t God see the other car coming on that warm spring night?

We prayed. But Melissa was killed.

Now what? Do we stop praying? Do we give up on God? Do we try to make it alone?
Absolutely not! Prayer is even more vital to us now. God—our inexplicable sovereign Lord—is still in control. His commands to pray still stand. His desire to hear from us is still alive. Faith is not demanding what we want; it is trusting God’s goodness in spite of life’s tragedies.

We grieve. We pray. We keep on praying. —Dave Branon

I question not God’s means or ways,
Or how He uses time or days,
To answer every call or prayer—
I know He will, somehow, somewhere. —Whitney

God may deny our request but will never disappoint our trust.

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 70

We all want our lives to count for something significant. Like a runner, we want to find a trophy at the finish line — something that leaves a mark on this world and gives our life meaning.

The apostle Paul was in a Roman prison facing death when he gave Timothy this honest appraisal of his own life and ministry. Like a prizefighter, he had made it to the last round. Like a distance runner, he was right at the tape and still in full stride. He expressed great joy in knowing that he had lived his life without compromising his faith in God.

One thing God wants from each of us is our faithfulness. He wants us to remain true to him. If you’re a spiritual explorer, such a life begins by taking the first step: Ask Christ to forgive you and give you direction. Once you do that, Christ will come to live in you. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Jesus will enable you to faithfully complete your life’s race.

A life marked by faithfully walking with God is a life that truly counts. At the end of your life, whatever else you think you’ll look back on — interests, accomplishments, acquisitions — nothing will compare with the satisfaction of knowing that you invested your life in spiritual things that really last. Better to face God confident that you did it his way than any other way.

Taken from NIV The Journey Bible

OUR DAILY BREAD

Jesus Sets Us Free 

- Galatians 5:1-6

Perhaps no one since the apostle Paul has written more graphically about the experience of spiritual bondage than the great theologian Augustine (ad 354–430). Although blessed with extraordinary intelligence, in his younger years he had wallowed in deep depravity.

Looking back, Augustine gave this account of his struggle: “I was bound by the iron chain of my own will. I was rather an unwilling sufferer than a willing actor. And yet it was through me that habit had become an armed enemy against me, because I had willingly come to be what I unwillingly found myself to be.”

Many of us have gone through a similar struggle. We wanted deliverance from sin yet found ourselves unable to shake off the chains of habit. Then, as we turned in faith to Jesus, we were liberated and could repeat the words of Charles Wesley’s hymn: “Long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin and nature’s night. Thine eye diffused a quickening ray, I woke— the dungeon flamed with light! My chains fell off, my heart was free; I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.”

Jesus alone can break the shackles of sin in your life. Receive Him as your Savior, and “the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). —Vernon Grounds

Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee. —Sleeper

True freedom is found in serving Christ.

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 70

God Rewards Those Who Honor Him

- Psalm 34:9-10

What does the phrase “fear the Lord” mean? Are we expected to cower with fright in God’s presence or live in continual terror and dread?

Fear in this sense is the appropriate response of rebellious unbelievers who flaunt God’s decrees. Having rejected Almighty God as a merciful Savior, they now face the grim prospect of meeting him only in his role as the holy Judge of the universe. One the other hand, for the beloved children of God — those whose sins have been forgiven by Christ — “fear the Lord” has a different connotation. The idea for believers is that of awe or stunned admiration in the presence of a great and good Creator. The implication is submissive reverence before a loving Lord, to worship God above all other things. It involves, in the words of the passage, the commitment to “seek” him.

Notice that the promise to those who fear the Lord is that all their needs will be met. Or, as God puts it in another place, “Those who honor me I will honor” (1 Samuel 2:30).

God’s Promise to Me

*I meet the needs of those who honor me.
*I make sure my followers have good things.

My Prayer to God

You meet the needs of those who treat you with reverence, Lord. Forgive me for the times I fail to honor you. You are the majestic king of the universe — high and lifted up. As I trust in you, you fill my life with good things.

Taken from Once a Day Bible Promises

OUR DAILY BREAD

Crushing Responsibilities 

- Nehemiah 4:1-14

Nehemiah was a great leader who faced overwhelming burdens.
Accompanied by Jewish exiles who had returned from Babylon, Nehemiah was given the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Amid terrible opposition, he refused to be intimidated by the jeers and threats of the enemy. Instead, the man of God organized a dual strategy of construction and military defense—bathing their efforts in prayer: “We made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night” (Neh. 4:9).

Nehemiah addressed the ongoing threats the workers faced by getting their focus back on God: “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome” (v.14).

Are you facing crushing responsibilities today? Praying for God’s help and putting together a practical plan can give you strength to complete the task. —Dennis Fisher

Lord, the newness of the day
Calls me to an untried way;
Let me gladly take the road,
Give me strength to bear my load. —Anon.

God invites us to burden Him with what burdens us.

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 69

Respecting Others’ Boundaries

- Leviticus 19:18

In the second half of this verse we see “the golden rule”: Treat others as we would want to be treated. Loving others as commanded in Leviticus 19:18 goes beyond just doing good deeds. It also means respecting their choices and the boundaries they set up. We respect their right to tell us no. When we do this, two things happen:

1. Respecting others’ boundaries helps us deal with our selfishness. When we are concerned about protecting others’ freedoms, we work against the self-centeredness that is part of our fallen nature. We become more other-centered. There is no selfish gain in embracing another’s freedom to say no. The gain is that we have grown.

2. Respecting others’ boundaries increases our capacity to care about others. It isn’t difficult to love the “lovable” aspects of others. It’s another task, however, when we encounter another’s resistance, confrontation or separateness. We may find ourselves in conflict or not getting something we might want from the other person. So we learn to be empathic and patient with them, loving them as ourselves (see Galatians 5:14).

Taken from NIV Life Journey Bible

OUR DAILY BREAD

"But God…" 

- Genesis 39

What if Joseph had succumbed to the advances of Potiphar’s wife? (Genesis 39). Imagine how he could have justified his sin. “But God, You don’t want me to be unhappy, and you know how lonely it is here. Besides, I think I really love her.”

What if Abram had disobeyed when God told him to leave Ur and head for parts unknown? (Genesis 12). What if he had said, “But God, I’m established here. I can’t afford to risk everything on an uncertain future. I’ve got to watch out for Sarai. I’m staying.”

Praise God that Joseph and Abram did the right thing. Joseph fled temptation; he ran from sin. Abram left Ur; he journeyed in obedience. In life, we face both of these kinds of choices. Sometimes temptation rises up in front of us. When it does, we can either run and reap God’s rewards—or we can give in, reap the sad consequences, and then make sorry excuses. Sometimes we sense that God is leading us in a particular direction. We can choose either to follow Him and trust His omniscience—or we can offer flimsy excuses and live a life of disobedience.

The abundant life of godliness is far better than a life of excuses and despair.
Let’s live so that we won’t give in to the desire to say, “But God . . .” —Dave Branon

Let the road be rough and dreary
And its end far out of sight,
Foot it bravely, strong or weary—
Trust in God and do the right. —Macleod

God does not demand success—just obedience.

BELIEVE

How do I honor God in the way He deserves? 

- Psalm 95:1-7 Psalm 95:1-2

 Worshiping God for who he is and what he has done for us can be expressed in many different forms and diverse environments, but it’s the heart behind the actions that matters to God. Throughout Scripture we see how God’s people worshiped him on towering mountaintops, inside homes with dirt floors, at a lavishly adorned temple and in dark prisons. They demonstrated their devotion to God with singing, dancing, sacrifices and public and private prayer. What’s most important to God is not the way that we choose to worship him, but the motivation that directs our actions.

The Heart’s Intent

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care. (Psalm 95:1-7)
When God calls us to love him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, he is demanding that we hold nothing back from him.

KEY VERSE

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. (Psalm 95:1–2)

KEY IDEA

I worship God for who he is and what he has done for me.

KEY APPLICATION: What difference does this make in the way I live?

We daily acknowledge God for who he is and what he has done for us.
We worship God, privately and corporately, with the songs we sing, the words we speak, and the way we live our lives.
When we attribute worth to God as a child of God, unmerited worth is attributed to us.

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 68

Expressing Anger

- Numbers 20:2-11

A young, thirsty lion and an equally thirsty cougar arrived at their usual watering hole at the same time. Immediately, they began arguing about who should drink first.

Their argument quickly escalated into rage, and the animals started clawing at one another. However, the fight was interrupted when the lion and cougar caught sight of vultures circling overhead, waiting for the loser to fall. The thought of being eaten was enough for the lion and cougar to end their fight.

Anger destroys people and relationships. Cain, the son of Adam and Eve, committed the world’s first murder when in anger he killed his brother Abel. Today, jails, hospitals, abuse shelters and divorce courts are filled with the evidence of anger’s destructive power. However, anger itself isn’t bad. Ephesians 4:26 doesn’t condemn anger; rather, it says, “In your anger do not sin.”

Moses knew the consequences of letting anger lead to sin. At age 40, Moses became so angry when he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew that he killed the Egyptian (see Acts 7:23–24). Then Moses had to flee for his life, remaining in exile for 40 years (see Acts 7:30). Then, 40 years after Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt, Moses’ anger got him into trouble again. The wandering Israelites complained bitterly about their thirst to Moses, blaming him for their discomfort and hardships. So God instructed Moses, “Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water” (Numbers 20:8). Instead, Moses angrily struck the rock with his staff. That disobedience against God cost Moses entrance into the promised land (see verse 12).
Anger in marriage isn’t wrong. In “Anger and a Good Marriage” (Together in His Grace, Heartlight Magazine, September 19, 2005), Byron Ware says that anger is inevitable, and the healthy expression of it is a testimony to the strength of a marriage. “Relationships that don’t acknowledge or express anger are usually fragile, unstable, and anemic,” he writes. “For anger not to be expressed suggests that the couple isn’t secure enough or the marriage isn’t strong enough to handle disagreement.”

Not expressing anger leads to the stockpiling of bitterness and resentment; it leads to cold shoulders and cold wars. On the other end of the spectrum is out-of-control anger that is expressed through name-calling, profanity, belittling, intimidation, character assassination and even physical violence. Both extremes are costly to a marriage, undermining intimacy and trust. At its most extreme, unrestrained anger can cost one or both partners their very lives.

In a marriage, respect is key to expressing anger. When anger flares, respect will lead to a discussion of the anger rather than one spouse swallowing their anger in silence. Respect will also guide the expression of anger so that actions are kept within boundaries when tempers blaze. Respect leads to spouses treating each other as helpers and advocates, not as adversaries. And when that happens, the vultures retreat and no one gets eaten.

—Nancy Kennedy

Taken from NIV Couples’ Devotional Bible

OUR DAILY BREAD

Beware! 

 - 2 Peter 3:10-18

 Daily life is hazardous to your health. That’s the thesis of Laura Lee’s book 100 Most Dangerous Things In Everyday Life And What You Can Do About Them. It’s a tongue-incheek look at the unnoticed threats in life, such as shopping carts (which annually cause 27,600 injuries in the US) and dishwashers (which harm more than 7,000 Americans and 1,300 Britons each year). One reason for writing this book, the author says, was “to poke fun at the culture of fear.”

In contrast, Jesus Christ calls His followers to a courageous lifestyle of faith in which our goal is not to avoid personal harm but to pursue the mission of God in our world.

The apostle Peter vividly described the day of the Lord, which will bring the end of the earth as we know it (2 Peter 3:10). But instead of fainting with apprehension, Peter said we should be filled with anticipation (v.14). Then he warned of those who twist the Scriptures, and said, “Beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked” (v.17).

Proper concern helps protect us, but excessive alarm leaves us paralyzed. We should be most afraid of failing to live with complete confidence in God. —David McCasland

Living for Jesus a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me. —Chisholm

The power of Christ within you is greater than the power of evil around you.

365 DAY DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 67

Honor First

- Ephesians 6:2-3 

Honor your father and mother! This is a lost art in our society. Unfortunately, when children become adults they confuse honor with allowing their parents to continue to control them.

To do everything your parents say after you have established your own home doesn’t represent honoring. Honoring is remembering who they are, what they have done for you, respecting them and taking care of them as they age. Too often parents manipulate their children by quoting Ephesians 6:2 – 3. That’s dishonoring!

Honoring involves helping your parents understand that your home will be established by you, hopefully incorporating many of the principles passed on by them. Honoring them includes making sure they’re not left to fend on their own. You can help them with provisions if they are struggling, and listen to them and gain wisdom from their unique perspective.

We can teach our children by establishing this type of honoring relationship with our parents. As you honor your parents, you will be known as a great son or daughter. The direct promise from God is that you will enjoy an extended lifespan.

Parenting Principle

As you honor your parents, you will be honored.

Points to Ponder

*How well do you understand what honor means?
*How do you honor your parents?
*How will you ensure your children are prepared to establish their own home?

Taken from Once a Day Nurturing Great Kids

OUR DAILY BREAD

Pray First!

A Bible teacher asked his class this question: “When you are in trouble, what do you most often do first?” He gave them three answers from which to choose:
1. Take care of it yourself.
2. Call a friend and talk it over.
3. Ask God for help.

Only two people in the class of 35 indicated that they prayed first. Most of them chose number 1. Several chose number 2. My guess is that these responses are typical. James wrote, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray” (5:13). Too often, prayer is not our first response to trouble. We may try to figure out a solution by ourselves, using our own skills or financial resources. Or we may turn to our friends. When none of that helps, we finally get around to praying.

Not only that, we don’t pray about the trouble very long or pause to consider what the Bible has to say about our response to our problem. It’s amazing, though, what can happen when we take time to pray about the issue and listen to God speak through His Word. He will give us a fresh way to look at our situation, and help us to be more Christlike.

James said, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (5:16). So always pray first! —Dave Egner

THINKING IT OVER
When you face a problem, where do you turn first?
How has prayer helped you during difficult times?
How has God answered your prayers?

Prayer should be our first response—not our last resort.

TRUSTING GOD DAY BY DAY: Cast Your Care

Cast Your Care

- Proverbs 15:15

Is there something in your life that you could be very worried and anxious about if you didn’t decide not to be? Most people do, and if you don’t have something today, you might have something tomorrow or the next day. That’s not being negative, it’s just saying that life is real and you never know exactly what is going to come your way. But we do know God, and we don’t have to live in fear. He is with us and He’s on our side.
A lot of bad things happened to me in the early years of my life, and I got to the point where I was afraid that bad things would happen. Proverbs 15:15 calls that “evil forebodings,” which means you have this sense that you are waiting for the next disaster. I’ve learned that instead of doing that, I can expect something good to happen in my life and to expect it on purpose.

You can choose your own thoughts. You don’t have to just think whatever falls in your head. You can cast out wrong thoughts and choose right thoughts. Faith starts in our hearts, as a gift from God, but it is released when we think and speak right things that line up with God’s Word. When we have a problem, we can either do what the devil wants us to do and worry about it, get anxious and try to figure things out on our own, or we can do what God wants us to do and think about the promises in His Word.

The Bible teaches us to cast all of our care on God because He cares for us (see 1 Peter 5:7).
Throughout our married life, every time we’ve had a problem, Dave has had one answer: “Cast your care.” It’s not wrong to acknowledge our problems, but we need to tell them where they stand in relation to God. Worry sees the problem, but faith sees the God Who can handle the problem.

Trust in Him
Will you worry and have anxiety today, or will you cast your care and choose to trust God instead?

From the book Trusting God Day by Day by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2012 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

365 DAY DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 67

Honor First

- Ephesians 6:2-3

Honor your father and mother! This is a lost art in our society. Unfortunately, when children become adults they confuse honor with allowing their parents to continue to control them.

To do everything your parents say after you have established your own home doesn’t represent honoring. Honoring is remembering who they are, what they have done for you, respecting them and taking care of them as they age. Too often parents manipulate their children by quoting Ephesians 6:2 – 3. That’s dishonoring!

Honoring involves helping your parents understand that your home will be established by you, hopefully incorporating many of the principles passed on by them. Honoring them includes making sure they’re not left to fend on their own. You can help them with provisions if they are struggling, and listen to them and gain wisdom from their unique perspective.

We can teach our children by establishing this type of honoring relationship with our parents. As you honor your parents, you will be known as a great son or daughter. The direct promise from God is that you will enjoy an extended lifespan.

Parenting Principle

As you honor your parents, you will be honored.

Points to Ponder

*How well do you understand what honor means?
*How do you honor your parents?
*How will you ensure your children are prepared to establish their own home?

Taken from Once a Day Nurturing Great Kids

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 66

Confess

- Proverbs 28:13

Many people don’t feel the need to confess their sins to God. They ignore his prompting to come clean. Solomon reveals the foolishness of such self-delusion. Trying to hide sin from God interrupts and weakens our relationship with him. When you confess what you’ve done and sincerely ask for God’s forgiveness, the distance closes and your relationship heals. God doesn’t put a statute of limitations on sin. Any obstacles you put in the way of your relationship with him remain there until you remove them. However, if you’re sincere about wanting God’s forgiveness, you’ll receive it.

REFLECT & PRAY:

*How do you show sincerity about wanting God’s forgiveness?
*Do you have unconfessed sin in your life right now? If so, what effect is it having on your relationship with God? On your self-respect?
*How can you set an example for your family in this area?

Taken from NIV Busy Dad’s Bible

OUR DAILY BREAD

Awesome! 

- Psalm 47

It’s an often-used word, and we hear it in the most unusual contexts. It’s the word awesome.
My 9-year-old grandson Josh and I were playing with a radio-controlled racecar set on the living room floor. Several times he would say, “Awesome!”

On another occasion, as my wife and I were leaving a restaurant, the manager, who was standing by the door, asked, “How was everything, folks?” “Fine,” I replied. “Awesome!” he said.

These two occasions set me to thinking: While it’s fun to play with my grandson and to enjoy a meal at a restaurant, are these experiences really awesome? So I consulted Mr. Webster’s unabridged dictionary. The primary definition lists awesome as “deeply reverent,” “dreadful,” “awful.” I remembered the time that I stood on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. That was truly an awesome experience.

Then I thought of a more awe-inspiring reality still. It’s knowing the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe. No wonder the psalmist wrote, “The Lord Most High is awesome” (Ps. 47:2).

The next time we hear the word awesome, may it remind us of our great God, who truly is awesome! —Dennis De Haan
God of everlasting glory,
Filling earth and sky,
Everywhere Thy wonders open
To our searching eye. —Peterson

Nothing is more awesome than to know God.

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 65

The Value of Repentance

- 2 Chronicles 6:36-39

Solomon understood that the Israelites would, in time, disobey and turn away from God. He prayed that when that day came, the people would experience true repentance. The word repent means to change, or turn. Repentance is a true turnaround — away from the path that does not include God or his ways and toward the path he sets before us. The repentance Solomon described is a deep and transforming experience: “a change of heart” (2 Chronicles 6:37) and a turning back “with all [the peoples’] heart and soul” (verse 38). Repentance is much more than being sorry for getting caught. It involves an honest look at the reality of what our choices have done to us, others and God. Repentance is a good thing for us to do when we know we have gone the wrong way, for when we repent, we are opening the door for God to forgive, heal and restore our hearts and lives.

Taken from NIV Life Journey Bible

OUR DAILY BREAD

The Peace-Of-Mind Game 

- Psalm 23

In her down-to-earth book More Than Sparrows, Mary Welch tells of her discussion about worry with a group of teenagers. Although they were Christians, they were as worried as unbelievers about the common things of life. As she lovingly listened to them, an unusual idea came to her for a game they could play. It went like this:

Instead of saying, “I’m worried,” stop and say, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” Then add, “So I’m worried to death!” The students laughed at the absurdity of the idea, but they all promised to play this new “peace-of-mind” game.

Later, Mary received a phone call from a young woman who had been paralyzed by worry over an exam she had been dreading to take. She said, “I must tell you how the game helped me trust God today. As I froze with worry, I remembered to say, ‘The Lord is my Shepherd . . . so I’m afraid I’ll fail!’ Suddenly I felt the strangest peace of mind. I laughed at myself, then I took the exam—and I passed!”

Saying “The Lord is my Shepherd, and I am worried to death” is more than a mind game to point out the absurdity of worry. God can use this contradiction to bring us to a fuller trust in Him. —Joanie Yoder

Why worry when you can pray?
Trust Jesus, He’ll be your stay;
Don’t be a “doubting Thomas,” rest fully on His promise.
Why worry when you can pray? —Peterson

Worry is the interest you pay on borrowed trouble.

TRUSTING GOD DAY BY DAY

You’re Not Stuck—You’re Going Through!

- Habakkuk 3:19 

We will all go through situations in life—some bad, some good. Many times, we think the phrase “I’m going through something” is bad news, but if we view it properly, we realize “going through” is good; it means we’re not stuck! We may be facing difficulties, but at least we are moving forward.

Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you” (emphasis added). God’s Word here is clear: we will go through things. We will face adversity in our lives. That’s not bad news; that’s reality.

Let me repeat: we will go through things in life, but the things we go through are the very circumstances, challenges, and situations that make us people who know how to overcome adversity. We do not grow or become strong during life’s good times; we grow when we press through difficulties without giving up.

Growth is not an automatic result of difficulty. Hardships do not necessarily produce growth or strength in us; it’s not that simple. We must choose the right attitude toward our challenges and refuse to quit or give up. We may have to do what is right for a long time before we feel it is “paying off,” but if we stay faithful and refuse to give up, good results will come. Once we get through the adversity and challenges we face, we emerge as better people than we were when we went into them.

Trust in Him
Determine that you will go all the way through every difficulty you face in life. Make a decision now to keep going forward, trusting God no matter how difficult it is because you know He will be with you and you will grow in faith as a result.

From the book Trusting God Day by Day by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2012 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 64

Repentance That Touches the Past

Nehemiah 9:29-37

 

As Christians, we are individuals who are also part of a greater people. We are called to benefit from the work of others, to suffer with others and to bear responsibility with others. While it may not seem fair, our ties reach back to Adam and Eve. Adam’s sin brought condemnation upon everyone (see Romans 5:12). This principle of corporate connection not only makes our salvation necessary but also makes salvation possible through our unity with Christ. “Just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:18 – 19).

When the Israelites returned from exile, they had to rebuild not only their cities but also their relationship with God. Even as they had to clear the land in order to lay new foundations, so the people had to reestablish their relationship with God by clearing away the rubble of sin that had plagued them for generations. They had suffered not only because of their own sin but also because of the sin of their ancestors. Therefore, when they made confession, they repented not only for themselves but also for those who had gone before.

This repentance originated with instruction from God’s Word. As the people understood what God required of them and realized how they had sinned, they were overcome with grief. In their repentant grief, however, the people heard the good news of grace. This revived and renewed their love for God and their desire to obey him.

Putting It Into Practice

In light of this passage, we should gain a new sense of responsibility toward the larger communities to which we belong. Consider how you have been affected by the sins of your family, community or nation. Write a prayer of confession that enumerates these “we” sins, both past and present.

Also consider the sins of your own lifetime. In addition to confessing daily sins, strive to recognize and release significant life-pattern sins. It is often easiest to identify these by looking at the various stages of your life, possibly taking five to ten years at a time, and considering what struggles and mistakes you have repeatedly encountered. Ask God to bring to mind any sins you have committed so that you may confess and release them. Confession is a powerful, demanding exercise, not to be undertaken by the fainthearted. But seeing God’s mercy cover all our sin can be one of the most liberating experiences of the soul.

Taken from NIV Spiritual Renewal Study Bible

OUR DAILY BREAD

The Faithfulness Of God 

Mark 11:20-26

Some of Jesus’ words to His disciples about having faith in God leave me wondering if I can ever exercise that level of trust and confidence in prayer. I can’t recall telling a mountain to relocate itself into the ocean and watching it happen.

Hudson Taylor, pioneer missionary to China, said that Jesus’ words in Mark 11:22, “Have faith in God,” could be translated, “Hold on to the faithfulness of God.”

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, former pastor of London’s Westminster Chapel, appreciated Taylor’s insight and said: “Faith is holding on to the faithfulness of God and, as long as you do that, you cannot go wrong. Faith does not look at the difficulties. . . . Faith does not look at itself or at the person who is exercising it. Faith looks at God . . . . Faith is interested in God only, and it talks about God and it praises God and it extols the virtues of God. The measure of the strength of a man’s faith, always, is ultimately the measure of his knowledge of God. . . . He knows God so well that he can rest on the knowledge. And it is the prayers of such a man that are answered.”

“Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations” (Ps. 119:89-90). —David McCasland

Trust in Him, ye saints, forever—
He is faithful, changing never;
Neither force nor guile can sever
Those He loves from Him. —Kelly

Life is not always fair, but God is always faithful

365 DAY DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 63

The Urgent Need for Repentance

2 Peter 3:9

The love of God is not for some or a select few, for the rich or the poor, for people from a particular country or society — but rather it is for everybody. God’s love is accessible to anybody who prays with a pure heart and a genuine desire for salvation. In this verse from 2 Peter, we read that God is waiting with infinite patience and mercy for everyone to learn about him and come to him. He wants to welcome us warmly to his home, just as the lost son was welcomed by his father in the Gospel of Luke (see Luke 15:11 – 32).

God is always calling us to come home — to respond to his love and mercy, to participate in his kingdom. God does not want anyone to lose the chance to receive salvation; he is patient and kind and merciful. At the same time, that does not mean that we should put off the decision! Like a football game, our lives are on a clock that is counting down. One day the whistle will blow, and our earthly lives will come to an end. For some, that will be today. For others, that may be some time from now. We don’t know when our time on earth will end. So it is vitally important that we trust in Christ today as our Lord and Savior. Heaven and hell are both real (Jesus talked about both). The choice is ours: We can turn to Christ or go our own way.

Taken from NIV Essentials of the Christian Faith

OUR DAILY BREAD

Trampling Temptation 

Matthew 4:1-11

Ardent baseball fans will remember Kirby Puckett, who died suddenly in 2006. He had led the Minnesota Twins to championship victories in 1987 and 1991. Even though he was offered larger contracts by other teams, he stayed with the Twins for his entire career. When Puckett was diagnosed with glaucoma in 1996, his career ended abruptly.

During Puckett’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001, he recalled the difficulties he had faced when growing up. His passion to become a professional baseball player was subject to temptation many times. Drug dealers and gang members repeatedly invited him to join in their destructive lifestyle. But whenever temptation enticed him, Kirby remembered that he had a higher calling—baseball.

Though we are urged to “walk worthy of the calling with which [we] were called” (Eph. 4:1), we live in a world where we face distracting enticements. Maybe we’re offered a job that pays well but requires that we compromise biblical principles. Our calling is always to do God’s will.

When we are confronted with a temptation to stray from God’s way for our life, we must remember that we have a higher calling as servants of Jesus. —Vernon Grounds

When the powers of darkness come in like a flood,
The battle belongs to the Lord!
He’s raised up a standard, the power of His blood—
The battle belongs to the Lord! —Owens-Collins

To conquer sin, nip it in the bud of temptation.

ALIGN YOUR POTENTIALS

ALIGN YOUR POTENTIALS:

Prepare for Your Purpose

It’s easy to dream big, but it’s hard to start small.

Pop stars and musicians took music lessons and vocal lessons. Actors took acting classes and often small roles first. People who live out their big dreams all started small.

In order to live out your purpose, you need to prepare for it. Start doing now what it takes to live out the purpose God intended for you.

Start now with the small things that will help lead to your big dreams.
- Proverbs 24:27, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 62

God Sweeps Your Sin Away

Isaiah 44:22

Meteorologists are the professional fortune-tellers of our time. Even with Doppler radar, most of a weathercaster’s job involves him or her being wrong more often than right. Large storms can often be predetermined, but small things, like rain or clouds, can’t be accurately predicted.

Fortunately, God is much more reliable than the weather report. It’s never guess-and-check with God. He knows what is in store for all of us. He’s told us that there will be hard times and cloudy days, but he has also promised that just as the sun is somewhere behind those clouds, he too will always be there for us.

Sin can overshadow our lives and demoralize us if we let it. Trusting in God to forgive us and lead us when we repent is our only assurance of eternal happiness. He is always ready to sweep our sins away. God’s forecast? Partly cloudy with a 100 percent chance of redemption.

God’s Promise to Me

*If you repent, I will forgive.
*I know the plans I have for you.
*I will always be with you.

My Prayer to God
Father, I am gratefully astonished by your willingness to forgive. Thank you for your faithful presence in all I do, and help me to seek out the sun when there are cloudy days in my life.

Taken from Once a Day Bible Promises

OUR DAILY BREAD

Religion Or Christ? 

Ephesians 2:1-10 

Mary works hard because she wants her boss to recognize her accomplishments and reward her with a higher-paying position. Nancy loves her job and the product her company sells, and out of loyalty she works hard to make the product better.

Mary is like the person who hopes that good works or religion will be rewarded by God someday. Such people count on their good deeds to get them into heaven.

Nancy is a picture of those who have faith in God to get them into heaven. Such people do good works out of gratitude and love for Him.

Someone with religion may believe in God, attend church, say prayers, show kindness, and be seen as a good person. People with religion have many good qualities, but religion is not a substitute for faith in Jesus Christ.

People with faith put their trust in Jesus for forgiveness of sin. They have assurance of entrance into heaven and seek to become more like Jesus each day. The apostle Paul said that the way of salvation is by grace through faith. It’s not of works but is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8-9).

The only way to the Father in heaven is through faith in Jesus (John 14:6).

Do you choose religion or Christ? —Anne Cetas

We are saved not by what we do but by trusting what Christ has done.

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 61

Knowing God

John 17:3

Jesus’ experiences of God made him the person he was. It freed him from all self-concern and enabled him to relate to people with warmth, ease, sympathy and liberating love. This is why Scripture attaches such importance to knowing God. Healing our image of God heals our image of ourselves . . . And John declares, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). God’s love becomes flesh and blood in the person of Jesus. In him it receives hands and feet, a face and a voice. The purpose of the incarnation was to convince us of the faithful love of God.

OUR DAILY BREAD

Face-To-Face 

Isaiah 6:1-10

Being face-to-face with famous people can take your breath away. As a sportswriter, I’ve interviewed basketball stars David Robinson and Avery Johnson. And I’ve stood in a garage with Joe Gibbs, racecar owner and pro football coach.

A person can easily feel inadequate when talking with bigger-than-life people. We can even develop an awe and respect for athletes and other stars who make us feel insignificant.

But that’s nothing when compared to what Isaiah saw “in the year that King Uzziah died” (Isa. 6:1). Isaiah experienced something so magnificent and terrifying that nothing could compare to it—he stood face-to-face with God!

In a vision, God showed Isaiah who He really was. What the prophet saw greatly affected him. He saw God’s majesty. He gained a fresh understanding of God’s holiness. He saw the contrast between his sinful self and God’s perfection. He heard God’s call to service, and he answered it.

Today, we can see God in His Word and in the Spirit’s work in and through us. And we can commune with Him through prayer. But one day in heaven we will see our Lord face-to-face (1 John 3:2). Now that will take our breath away! —Dave Branon

Face to face! O blissful moment!
Face to face—to see and know;
Face to face with my Redeemer—
Jesus Christ who loves me so. —Breck

God’s awesome presence is both convicting and comforting.

TRUSTING GOD DAY BY DAY: Manage Your Emotions

Manage Your Emotions

- Colossians 2:3

We all have emotions, but we must learn to manage them. Emotions can be positive or negative. They can make us feel wonderful or awful. They are a central part of being human, and that is fine. Unfortunately, most people do what they feel like doing, say what they feel like saying, buy what they feel like buying, and eat what they feel like eating. And that is not fine, because feelings are not wisdom.

Feelings are fickle; they change frequently and without notification. Since feelings are unreliable, we must not direct our lives according to how we feel. You can be aware of your feelings and acknowledge their legitimacy without necessarily acting on them. God has given us wisdom, and we should walk in it, not our emotions.

Healthy emotions are very important. They help us recognize how we truly feel and what we value. Good emotional health is vital for a good life. But a good life also means being able to manage our emotions and not be managed by them. Negative emotions, such as anger, unforgiveness, worry, anxiety, fear, resentment, and bitterness cause many physical illnesses by raising our stress levels.

It seems to me that most people in our society today are mad, and the ones who aren’t are sad. Thank God we no longer have to be like “most people.” God doesn’t want anyone to be a slave to their feelings. To manage your emotions and your life, you need to ask God for His wisdom instead of trusting your feelings.
The more stable our emotions are, the healthier we will be, and we all want to enjoy good health. I strongly encourage you to trust God to help you learn to manage your emotions so they don’t manage you.

Trust in Him
Trust God to lead you with wisdom, and don’t merely follow your emotions. God will always lead you to a good place.

From the book Trusting God Day by Day by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2012 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 60

God Loves You as You Are

- Exodus 34:5 - 6

The Lord does not cherish us as we deserve — if that were the case, we would be desolate — but as he must, unable to do otherwise. He is love. Hard as it is for us to believe — because we neither give nor receive love among ourselves in this way — we yet believe, because of the life-death-resurrection of the Carpenter-Messiah, that his Father is more loving, more forgiving, more cherishing than Abraham, Isaac or Jacob could have dreamed.

What this says simply is that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is gracious. His love is gratuitous in a way that defies our imagination.

It is for this reason that we can proclaim with theological certainty in the power of the Word: God loves you as you are and not as you should be! Do you believe this? That God loves you beyond worthiness and unworthiness, beyond fidelity and infidelity, that he loves you in the morning sun and the evening rain, that he loves you without caution, regret, boundary, limit or breaking point?

Taken from NIV Ragamuffin Bible

OUR DAILY BREAD

Help On The Way 

- 1 John 3:11 - 20

Our friends were traveling from Georgia to Illinois in a rented van. About halfway to their destination, their van was damaged when it hit a huge hole in the road. Other cars were disabled as well, and it was a rather chaotic scene.

While our friends were sorting things out, a police officer offered to drop them off at a nearby McDonald’s. When they got there, they sat in a booth to await word about getting the van fixed. Because of their dedication to serving others, they didn’t have much money.

Meanwhile, they had called to let us know about the difficulty, but there wasn’t much we could do except pray and trust that God would watch over them. As they and their children sat in the booth, a man came over with bags of burgers and fries. “God told me I should give you some food,” he explained as he delivered supper for the hungry family.

How many times have we seen God send help on the way? On the flip side, how many times have we felt the urge to help someone—and balked at the notion?
We are God’s hands on earth—created both to receive help and to give it. Do you know someone who needs help on the way? —Dave Branon

Jesus taught when He lived on this earth
How to show love to the lost;
Don’t be afraid to give a kind touch,
No matter how much it may cost. —Carbaugh

A helping hand can lighten another’s burden.

GOD'S GRACE - Grateful for Grace

Grateful For Grace

One of life’s bitterest ironies from God’s point of view is that the lowlifes of Jewish society, the tax collectors and prostitutes and “sinners,” were more likely to listen to Jesus and welcome his message of grace and forgiveness. The church people, the Pharisees and teachers, didn’t need him and didn’t want him.

It’s because they weren’t aware of their many sins and because they rated themselves proficient and advanced in personal holiness by comparison with the lowlifes that they were uninterested in the message of a Savior. “Saved from what?” they thought. “I’m fine!” Then there were people like the woman who had lived a sinful life, who wet Jesus’ feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, and then anointed him with some of her perfume. Criticism broke out like water from a ruptured dam, but Jesus shushed them: “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little” (Luke 7:47).

People on the margins of society know their failures. They are painfully aware of their failures. Their thirst for hope and a rescue makes the gospel sound sweet in their ears. They are grateful for grace. People whose pride keeps them unaware of their own need, not so much. Jesus’ observation back then is still true today--people who know they’ve been forgiven much will love much.

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 59

The Lord is one.

Deuteronomy 6:4

One egg, comprised of yolk, white and shell. Water, existing as ice, liquid and steam. These are the most common analogies of how three distinct entities can unite in one single reality. Yet even these examples fall short (as all of them do) because nothing in our frame of reference is as perfectly intact as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In His Word, God presents Himself to us in this way — not as three Gods but as One, existing in a purer form of harmony than anything our earthly experience allows us to explain. He is Father, sending His Son to redeem us, then sending His Spirit to remain with us. And yet they are connected together in a unified whole from eternity past to eternity future.

“The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). This is among the bedrock truths of the Bible. God has always existed as One, sharing among Himself a unity of being we can best understand as three identifiable Persons, yet so mutually connected that neither is superior or inferior to the other. Three in one. The God of glory. Always more than meets the eye.

Nothing is so fulfilling as falling in love with the God of the Game Plan for Life. That’s why God made us — for Himself. So begin enjoying His love. The great 4th/5th Century theologian Augustine finally found this to be true in his own life when he prayed, “You have made us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.”

Taken from Game Plan for Life Bible

OUR DAILY BREAD

On Guard

1 Peter 3: 8-12

A man whose company provides data security for military space operations told me how vulnerable computers are to outside attack. During a training exercise, hackers shut down a highly protected system without stealing a password or cracking a code. They simply accessed the unsecured maintenance program for the building that housed the computers and turned off the air conditioning. When the computer room became too hot, the system automatically shut down. As in military situations, overconfidence and a false sense of security can lead to defeat in our battle against the forces of evil. In 1 Corinthians 10:12, Paul cautioned, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

Eugene Peterson paraphrases this verse by saying, “Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.”

We are not told to try to outsmart the enemy of our souls, but to trust the One who can. “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape” (v.13).

Confidence in God, not in ourselves, is the key to staying spiritually on guard. —David McCasland

When all goes well and I feel strong,
Oh, help me, Lord, to see
That I must place my confidence
In You and not in me. —Anon.

When temptation knocks, send Jesus to the door.

TRUSTING GOD DAY BY DAY - You’re an Everything/Nothing…and So Am I!

You’re an Everything/Nothing…and So Am I!

Psalm 8:4-5

Pride is a terrible sin, and we are instructed in God’s Word not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought (see Romans 12:3). That doesn’t mean we need to have a bad opinion of or look down on ourselves. It does mean that we are to remember that we are no better than anyone else and whatever God has enabled us to do is a gift from Him. We have no more right to claim credit for a special ability we have than we do for blue eyes or brown hair. Paul wrote to the Corinthians and asked them what they had that did not come as a gift from God (see 1 Corinthians 4:7).
When we are warned not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to, it means we are to realize that we are nothing apart from Jesus and without Him we can do nothing. The value we have is found in Him, and we can celebrate who we are only because of Him. Actually, when we celebrate who we are in Jesus, it is a way of celebrating Jesus Himself.
We make this a lot more difficult than it needs to be. It is simple—we are everything in Jesus and nothing in ourselves. I like to say, “I am an everything/nothing!” We celebrate because of the amazing work God does in us, and not because of any worth we have in ourselves. As long as we continue giving God the glory for anything good that we manifest, we are on a safe and right track.
For some reason, religion has taught people that to be godly, they must have a low, or even bad, opinion of themselves, and I believe this kind of thinking has done incalculable damage to the plan of God. As long as we know we are lower than God and He is always our Chief and Head, then we are safe.
Trust in Him
Say out loud daily, “I am nothing without Jesus, but in and through Him, I am valuable and I can do great things.”
From the book Trusting God Day by Day by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2012 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved

365 DAYS DEVOTIONAL READING PLAN - Day 58

Why would God regret his decision to create human beings?

Genesis 6:5-6

God created a world in which people were free to love him or not love him. By creating human beings in his image and likeness, God gave them a unique quality of relationship with each other and with him. God entrusted them with freedom, which included the possibility that they might turn away from him; unfortunately, that is what they did.
Even though God could foresee what people would do, he created them with the capacity to do as they chose. God condemns no one unjustly. He doesn’t cause anyone to sin. He is the judge of all the earth, and he will do right by everyone. He does not coerce humans into loving him, for that wouldn’t be love. Yet nothing can thwart his glory and grace.
God showed that he is abounding in love and faithfulness (Ex 34:6) by not leaving the human race in its sin. His grief over people’s sin led him to provide a way of redemption: Jesus Christ. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, the way to eternal life has been opened to all who trust in him for salvation (Jn 14:6).

Taken from NIV Quest Study Bible

OUR DAILY BREAD

A Father's Blessing
 1 Peter 3:8-12

A man who was grieving the death of his father said: “I am crying not only for my father, but for me. His death means that I’ll never hear the words I always wanted to hear from him: that he was proud of me, proud of the family I’ve raised and the life I’ve lived.”
Instead of repeating his father’s mistake, the man later gave his own son the words of encouragement he himself had never heard, saying he was proud of him and the life he had made.
Too often, tension between fathers and children goes unresolved. Old wounds remain unhealed. We are unwilling to forgive the angry words and hurts from the past. But for the sake of ourselves and our families, we need to begin dismantling the walls of separation between us.
How can we begin? The Bible’s command for all our relationships is: “Love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous, not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, . . . turn away from evil and do good; . . . seek peace and pursue it” (1 Peter 3:8-9,11).
Let’s determine by God’s grace to break the cycle of anger and give our children what they long to hear from us—words of blessing and love. —David McCasland

Our children need to know we care,
And that we’ll listen when they share;
For deep within they need to know
The way that Christ would have them go. —D. De Haan

The best thing you spend on your children is your time.