fever pitch
February 28, 2009 READ: Matthew 22:34-40 You shall love your neighbor as yourself. —Matthew 22:39 In the movie Fever Pitch, Ben Wrightman is crazy about the Boston Red Sox baseball team. He rarely misses a game during the spring and summer months.One winter, Ben falls in love with a young woman named Lindsey and wins [...]
videos on the theme of love (2)
More videos on the theme of LOVE Here Is Our King God’s Love Friendship
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Loading ...quiet times
February 27, 2009
READ: Psalm 23:1-3; Mark 6:30-32
Be still, and know that I am God. —Psalm 46:10
My friend Mary told me that she had always valued the time she spent fishing with her dad. Not being a fishing aficionado myself, I was curious about what she found so enjoyable. “I just like being with my dad,” she said. “So you just fish and talk?” I asked her. “Oh, no, we don’t really talk,” she said. “We just fish.”
It wasn’t the conversation—it was the company.
Did you ever think about how much time we spend talking? In what we like to call our “quiet time” with God, we usually fill in any silence with our prayers. But do we ever practice just being “still”?
God said, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). When Jesus noticed that the disciples were so busy that they didn’t even have time to eat, He told them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). When we leave the distractions of life behind, we can more easily rest and refocus on God.
Are you allowing quiet moments alone with God to be a part of your life? Do you desire for Him to restore your soul? (Ps. 23:1-3). Let Him teach you how to “be still.” And listen when Jesus invites you: “Come aside with Me and rest a while.” — Cindy Hess Kasper
Quiet times with God store up power for future emergencies.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...a sad split
February 26, 2009
READ: Malachi 2:10-16
Let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. —Malachi 2:15
The drama played out in a nest of bald eagles monitored by a webcam. A beloved eagle family, viewed by many via the Internet, was breaking up. After raising several offspring in previous seasons, the mother again laid new eggs in the spring. But then a young female invaded their happy home. When Dad started cavorting with her, Mom disappeared and the life in the abandoned eggs died.
In an Internet chat room, questions and accusations flew wildly. Everyone who loved the pair was distraught. Biologists warned the amateur eagle enthusiasts not to attribute human values to birds. But everyone did. We all wanted the original couple to reunite. Everyone seemed to “know” that the family unit is sacred.
As chat room members expressed their sadness, I wondered if they knew that God feels much the same way about human family breakups. I also wondered about myself: Why did I feel more sadness over the eagles than over the fractured human families in my community? Clearly, I need to revise my priorities.
In Malachi 2, we see God’s view of marriage. It symbolizes His covenant with His people (v.11). He takes it very seriously—and so should we. — Julie Ackerman Link
Put Christ first if you want your marriage to last.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...okello’s story, our story
February 25, 2009
READ: Luke 5:12-16
[Jesus] put out His hand and touched [the leper]. —Luke 5:13
My friend Roxanne has had some impressive jobs in her life. She has covered the Olympics as a reporter. She has worked in Washington, DC, for noted people and companies. For years, she has written articles about top Christian athletes. But none of those jobs can compare with what she is doing now: giving the love of Jesus to children in Uganda.
What are her days like? Consider the rainy Thursday when she walked the muddy pathway to a cancer ward. Once inside, she scooped up little Okello, whose arms bore sores from poor IV care and whose body raged with a high fever. She carried him to the office of the only cancer doctor in the building and stayed with him until he got help and his condition stabilized.
Jesus, our example, spent His entire ministry among the suffering, healing them and bringing them the good news of God’s love (Luke 7:21-22).
How significant are the jobs we do? Sure, it’s vital to make a living to support ourselves and our families. But is there something we can do to help relieve the suffering in our world of pain? We may not be able to move to Uganda like Roxanne, but we can all find ways to assist someone. In whose life will you make a difference? — Dave Branon
One measure of our likeness to Christ is our sensitivity to the suffering of others.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...love special
Anna’s Love Expression 10-year-old Anna had a serious asthma attack when she was with her parents in the mission field. She was airlifted to the nearest country to receive medical help. But she didn’t survive the asthma attack. During her funeral service, many people testified of how they were encouraged and blessed by Anna. Her [...]
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...managing the mess
February 24, 2009
READ: Ruth 1:15-22
Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me? —Ruth 1:21
When we meet Naomi in the Scriptures, her life is a mess. She and her husband had gone to Moab searching for food during a famine. While in that land, their two sons married Moabite women, and life was good—until her husband and sons died and she was stuck, widowed in a foreign land.
Though honest about her pain, Naomi obviously had a sense of who was in control: “The Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me” (Ruth 1:21).
The Hebrew word for “Almighty” (Shaddai) indicates God’s sufficiency for any situation. The word “Lord” (Yahweh) refers to His faithfulness as the loving covenant-keeping God. I love how Naomi put these two names together. In the midst of her complaint, she never lost sight of the fact that her God was a capable and faithful God. And, sure enough, He proved His capability to deliver her and His faithfulness to care for her to the very end.
If there seems to be no way out of your despair, remember that Naomi’s God is your God as well. And He specializes in managing our messes to good and glorious outcomes. Thankfully, He is both capable and faithful. So, when your life is a mess, remember who your God is! — Joe Stowell
Stand back and watch the Lord manage your mess into a glorious outcome.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...waiting for the harvest
February 23, 2009
READ: Mark 4:26-29
First the blade, then the head, after that the full grain . . . . The harvest has come. —Mark 4:28-29
In the book What’s Gone Wrong With the Harvest? James Engel and Wilbert Norton illustrate on a graph how people often go through a series of preconversion stages before stepping over the line of faith and receiving Jesus as their Savior.
When we hear individuals share their conversion experience, we may conclude that faith happened all at once. But their salvation frequently carries an extended back-story of spiritual pilgrimage before they made that decision. They needed time to reflect on the gospel. For them, coming to the Savior was a process.
This is similar to the process of farming: Months of waiting come to an end and workers stream into the fields to help with the harvest. One of our Lord’s parables illustrates how faith—like a crop—needs time to develop. Responding to the gospel is like a seed that grows “first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain,” until finally, “the harvest has come” (Mark 4:28-29).
Because people may need time and multiple exposures to the gospel before they are ready to make a decision, we need to be sensitive to where they are in their faith-journey. In the meantime, we can cultivate spiritual interest, pray for them, and wait for the harvest! — Dennis Fisher
We sow the seed—God produces the harvest.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...choosing the hard thing
February 22, 2009
READ: 2 Corinthians 4:5-18
We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair. —2 Corinthians 4:8
On September 12, 1962, President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech at Rice University in Houston, Texas, about the difficult challenges facing the nation. He also shared his passion for the United States to place a man on the moon.
In balancing the needs of his people with the desire to conquer space, Kennedy said, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade. We choose to go to the moon and do the other things, not because they are easy but because they are hard.” The nation responded. Seven years later, Neil Armstrong took a “giant leap for mankind” in July of 1969, by walking on the moon.
Today’s world is filled with energy-saving devices that make life easier, but there is something to be said for embracing life’s challenges. The apostle Paul found serving Christ hard, but he didn’t see it as a cause for discouragement. He continued to focus on Christ, and wrote, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair” (2 Cor. 4:8). Paul knew that “He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you” (v.14). The goal was worth the pain.
By the grace of God, may we commit to serving Jesus—not just when it’s easy, but when it’s hard. — Bill Crowder
Jesus gave His all to save us—are we giving our all to serve Him?
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...is that you, neighbor?
February 21, 2009
READ: Luke 6:27-36
And who is my neighbor? —Luke 10:29
An English yachtsman sailing in the Caribbean, 4,000 miles from home, lost his mast in a storm. He had been adrift for 2 days, and was taking water in 20-foot waves, when his desperate SOS was picked up. According to Ananova news service, 90 minutes later he was rescued by the captain of a 116,000-ton superliner.
Only when he was pulled out of the water did the rescued sailor discover that the captain who had responded to his call for help was a neighbor from his Hampshire village of Warsash. The rescued man later asked, “What are the chances of being rescued in the middle of nowhere by your neighbor?”
Jesus saw neighbors in unlikely places. When an expert in Jewish law asked Him to define the neighbor we are to love, Jesus drew a big circle. He told the story of a merciful Samaritan to show that a neighbor is the friend, stranger, or enemy who needs the help we can give (Luke 10).
To distinguish ourselves as Jesus’ people, we need to show kindness even to those who wish us harm (Luke 6:32-34). Only then will we reflect the heart of the One who, while we were still His enemies, paid the ultimate price to come to our rescue. — Mart De Haan
Our love for Christ is only as real as our love for our neighbor.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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