that’s awesome!
January 11, 2009 READ: Psalm 66:1-12 Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men. —Psalm 66:5 The word awesome is tossed around a lot these days. Talk about cars, movies, songs, or food—and somebody will say, “That’s awesome!”But if we call earth-side stuff awesome and [...]
the old and the new
January 10, 2009
READ: Galatians 5:16-23
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
Typical resolutions in January are to lose weight, exercise more, spend less time at work and more time with family—maybe even stop chatting on the cell phone while driving.
It’s not surprising that we want to change the things in our lives that we’re unhappy about—even though most New Year’s resolutions are kept for no more than 3 weeks.
What if you were to ask God what He wants you to change, improve, or begin this year? He might tell you to:
• Demonstrate more of the fruit of the Spirit in your life, which is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23).
• “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who . . . persecute you” (Matt. 5:44).
• “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
• “Be content with such things as you have” (Heb. 13:5).
• “Walk according to His commandments” (2 John 1:6).
As believers and new creations, we can be free from old patterns and failures. We must ask God to help us live each day in the power of the Holy Spirit. Then we can shed the old and embrace the new (2 Cor. 5:17). — Cindy Hess Kasper
Resolutions are easier to keep when you rely on God.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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Loading ...to judge or not to judge
January 9, 2009
READ: Matthew 7:1-21
Judge not, that you be not judged. —Matthew 7:1
What better way to tell people to mind their own business than to quote Jesus? People who seldom read the Bible are quick to quote Matthew 7:1 when they want to silence someone whose opinion they don’t like. “Judge not, that you be not judged” seems like the perfect response.
In context, however, the passage indicates that we are indeed to judge; we’re just supposed to avoid faulty judgments. Furthermore, our judgments are to begin with self: “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye,” Jesus said (v.5). He then said, “Beware of false prophets” (v.15). This too requires judging—we need to be able to discern truth from falsehood.
Jesus used the metaphor of fruit to give us the proper criteria for judging. “By their fruits you will know them” (v.20). We are to judge people (including ourselves) by the quality of the fruit they produce. This fruit cannot be judged by earthly values such as how good we look (v.15). It must be judged by heavenly values—the fruit of the Spirit produced within us—love, joy, peace (Gal. 5:22).
Our tendency is to judge by appearance. But God judges by what we produce, and so should we. — Julie Ackerman Link
Be slow to judge others and quick to judge yourself.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...the King
January 8, 2009
READ: Revelation 17:9-14
These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings. —Revelation 17:14
It might be surprising how many people around the world know that today is Elvis Presley’s birthday. The enduring popularity of the singer from Mississippi spans generations and cultures. More than 30 years after his death, sales of Presley’s music, memorabilia, and licensing agreements generate millions of dollars in annual income. Once dubbed “The King of Rock and Roll,” Elvis is often called simply, “The King.”
Whether the “kings” of this world are celebrities, athletes, crowned heads, or tycoons, they come and go. Their influence may be immense and their followers fanatically loyal, but it doesn’t last forever.
The Bible, however, refers to Jesus Christ as the eternal King. Revelation 17 speaks prophetically of earthly kings who will fight to establish their authority at the end of the ages. Biblical scholars have debated the identities of these kings, but there is no mistake about the One they cannot overpower: “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful” (Rev. 17:14).
Jesus Christ the Lord is King, and He will reign forever. — David C. McCasland
There is no greater privilege than to be a subject of the King of kings.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...the innocent man
January 7, 2009
READ: Genesis 18:22-33
Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? —Genesis 18:25
John Grisham is well known for his courtroom novels—fast-paced tales of lawyers and victims, authorities and wrongdoers. However, his book The Innocent Man is not fiction. It is a real-life story of injustice. It tells of the brutal murder of a young woman and the two men who, though innocent, were convicted and sentenced to death for the crime. Only with the advent of DNA testing were they proven innocent and spared from execution after 17 years of suffering wrongly. At long last, justice prevailed.
Everyone desires justice. But we must recognize that our human frailty makes it challenging to mete out true justice. And we can be bent toward revenge, making a casualty out of the pursuit of it.
It’s helpful to remember that perfect justice can be found only in God. Abraham described Him with the rhetorical question, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25). The necessary answer is yes. But even more, His courtroom is the one and only place where we can be certain that justice will prevail.
In a world filled with injustice, we can take the wrongs done to us, submit them to the Judge of all the earth, and trust Him for ultimate justice. — Bill Crowder
Life is not always fair, but God is always faithful.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...faith of a child
January 6, 2009
READ: Matthew 18:1-5
Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. —Matthew 18:3
One Sunday I heard Mike talk about his relationship with his two fathers—the one who raised him as a child, and his Father in heaven.
First he described his childhood trust toward his earthly father as “simple and uncomplicated.” He expected his dad to fix broken things and to give advice. He dreaded displeasing him, however, because he often forgot that his father’s love and forgiveness always followed.
Mike continued, “Some years ago I made a mess of things and hurt a lot of people. Because of my guilt, I ended a happy, simple relationship with my heavenly Father. I forgot that I could ask Him to fix what I had broken and seek His advice.”
Years passed. Eventually Mike became desperate for God, yet he wondered what to do. His pastor said simply, “Say you’re sorry to God, and mean it!”
Instead, Mike asked complicated questions, like: “How does this work?” and “What if . . .?”
Finally his pastor prayed, “Please, God, give Mike the faith of a child!” Mike later testified joyfully, “The Lord did!”
Mike found closeness with his heavenly Father. The key for him and for us is to practice the simple and uncomplicated faith of a child. — Joanie Yoder
Faith shines brightest in a childlike heart.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...a lot to remember
January 5, 2009
READ: Proverbs 10:11-21
He who restrains his lips is wise. —Proverbs 10:19
Thanks a lot,” the man behind the postal counter said to the person in front of me. The clerk, Jon, had seen me in line and was hoping I would overhear him. When it was my turn, I said hello to Jon, who had been a student of mine when I taught high school in the 1980s.
“Did you notice what I said to her?” Jon asked. “I told her, ‘Thanks a lot.’” Sensing that I was missing his point, he explained, “Remember what you told us about the term a lot? You said a lot was a piece of land, not a phrase to use instead of much.”
Astounding! An English lesson from a quarter-century before had stuck with Jon through all those years. That speaks clearly to us of the importance of what we say to others. It also backs up one of my favorite lines by poet Emily Dickinson: “A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day.”
The words we say may have long-term consequences. Our comments, our compliments, and even our harsh criticisms may stick with the hearer for decades.
No wonder Scripture says, “He who restrains his lips is wise” (Prov. 10:19). The words we speak today live on. Let’s make sure they come from “the tongue of the righteous” (v.20). — Dave Branon
The tongue is a small organ that creates either discord or harmony.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...living deceptively
January 4, 2009
READ: 2 Timothy 3:10-17
You have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. —2 Timothy 3:15
The year 2007 was labeled the “Year of Living Deceptively” for South Korea, because of the country’s numerous scandals involving fake academics and corrupt politicians. A survey of 340 professors selected the Chinese phrase “ja-gi-gi-in” (deceiving yourself and others) to sum up the year.
It should not surprise us to hear of deception like that. The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:13, “Evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” To deceive is to make others believe falsehood as truth and accept wrong as right.
Our defense against deception is to know God’s Word, for “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (v.16). Correction is to set right what is wrong, and instruction is to make known what is right. God’s Word not only makes us aware of wrongs, it also prompts and teaches us to do what is right.
Is your New Year’s resolution to walk rightly before God and others and to be “thoroughly equipped for every good work”? (v.17). Then read and apply God’s Word, asking the Lord to make you a person of integrity. — Albert Lee
The more we meditate on Scripture, the more readily we’ll detect error.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...eating as worship
January 3, 2009
READ: Genesis 2:8-17
Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need. —Proverbs 25:16
When you walk into the bookstore and see a table filled with books on dieting, you know it must be January. After several weeks of overeating all kinds of holiday foods, people in many cultures turn their attention to not eating.
Food plays an important role in Scripture. God uses it not only to bless us but also to teach us. Our misuse of food keeps us from knowing God in ways He wants to be known.
In the Old Testament, God gave instructions to Adam as to what to eat and what not to eat (Gen. 2:16-17). Later He gave the Israelites manna to convince them that He was God and to test them to find out if they believed Him (Ex. 16:12; Deut. 8:16). In the New Testament, the apostle Paul stated the proper attitude for everything we do, including eating: “Whether you eat or drink, . . . do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).
When we think of food as a friend that comforts us or an enemy that makes us fat, we miss the wonder of receiving with gratitude a splendid gift from God. Obsessive eating or not eating indicates that we are focused on the gift rather than on the Giver, which is a form of idolatry.
When eating becomes a true act of worship, we will no longer worship food. — Julie Ackerman Link
When food becomes our god, our appetite for the Bread of Life is diminished.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...don’t waste your breath
January 2, 2009
READ: Genesis 2:1-7
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. —Psalm 150:6
If I were to scoop up a handful of dirt and blow into it, all I would get is a dirty face. When God did it, He got a living, breathing human being capable of thinking, feeling, dreaming, loving, reproducing, and living forever.
As one of these human beings, I speak of “catching” my breath, “holding” my breath, or “saving” my breath, but these are idioms of language. I cannot save my breath for use at a later time. If I don’t use the one I have now, I’ll lose it, and I may even lose consciousness.
When God breathed into Adam, He gave more than life; He gave a reason to live: Worship! As the psalmist said, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Ps. 150:6).
This means that we waste our breath when we use it for something that doesn’t honor the One in whom “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
Although we cannot blow life into a handful of dirt, we can use our breath to speak words of comfort, to sing songs of praise, and to run to help the sick and oppressed. When we use our breath to honor our Creator with our unique combination of talents, abilities, and opportunities, we will never be wasting it. — Julie Ackerman Link
All that I am and have I owe to Jesus.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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