cause of death: love
By Reggie Ng, Singapore “A reflection on this Valentine’s Day as I consider Jesus’ love for us on the Cross. Praise Him for granting me a deeper understanding of HIS LOVE. May God used it to help many people on realize how much He loves them.”
rise up!
February 6, 2009
READ: John 20:1-8,19-20
You, being dead in your trespasses, . . . He has made alive together with Him. —Colossians 2:13
On February 6, 1958, a chartered plane carrying most of the members of the English football (soccer) club Manchester United crashed on takeoff from Munich, Germany. With so many of their star players lost, some despaired over prospects for the club’s survival. Yet today it is one of the best-known teams in the world. Fittingly, the man who rebuilt the team, Matt Busby, survived the crash himself.
Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus’ arrest and subsequent crucifixion caused many of His followers to despair. The disciples themselves had lost hope. But their despondency evaporated on that first Easter morning when they found that the stone sealing the tomb had been moved aside (John 20:1). Jesus had risen!
Jesus soon appeared to Mary Magdalene (vv.11-16) and then to His disciples, who had gathered behind locked doors (v.19). His visit brought a remarkable change in them. As one version renders it, they were “overjoyed” (v.20 NIV).
Perhaps your world has crashed around you. It may be a deeply personal loss, a tragedy in your family, or some other great trial. Jesus’ resurrection proved that He is greater than the greatest obstacles. He can rebuild your life—as He did with His disciples—starting today. — C. P. Hia
God can turn any difficulty into an opportunity.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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Loading ...the search for peace
February 5, 2009
READ: Philippians 4:4-12
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds. —Philippians 4:7
At the height of their popularity, creativity, and wealth, the Beatles produced a controversial project called “The White Album.” It signaled the breakup of the band by featuring pieces that were primarily individual in nature instead of collaborative.
It also revealed a growing disenchantment with all that their fame had produced. In his song “I’m So Tired,” John Lennon expressed the emptiness of his “successful” and wealthy life with these profound words: “I’d give you everything I’ve got for a little peace of mind.” All that he had, all that he had accomplished, and all that he had become could not meet this simple, yet deep, personal need.
The world we live in cannot offer peace. It offers only poor options. Pleasure, power, and possessions are no substitute for peace of heart and mind.
Paul reminded the believers at Philippi, “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). This is the peace God brings to those who have been reconciled to God by faith in His Son Jesus (Eph. 2:14-16). It is a peace we are to share with a world that is desperate for it.
Peace—real peace—is found only in a relationship with Jesus. Have you received His peace? — Bill Crowder
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. —Jesus
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...the great storyteller
February 4, 2009
READ: Luke 15:11-24
Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them. —Matthew 13:34
In his book Teacher Man, Pulitzer Prize-winner Frank McCourt reflects on his 30 years as a teacher in New York City high schools. He used a variety of techniques in his English and creative writing classes, but one that seemed to surface again and again was the power of a compelling story to capture attention and encourage learning.
This method of instruction was used by the greatest Teacher of all—the Lord Jesus Christ. The scholarly religious leader Nicodemus said to Jesus, “We know that You are a teacher come from God” (John 3:2). Yet when Jesus addressed the crowds that followed Him, He didn’t recite great truths of the Talmud. Rather, He spoke with the homespun style of a storyteller.
The parables of Jesus endure because they showcase matters of the heart. Through the story of the Pharisee and tax collector (Luke 18), we learn about God’s grace and forgiveness. And the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15) showcases God’s love for repentant sinners.
The inspired parables of Jesus teach us about Him and the life He wants us to lead. We too can use our faith-stories to point others to the ultimate Storyteller and Teacher, whose own life is the greatest story ever told. — Dennis Fisher
A good way to learn God’s truth is to teach it to others.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...a refresher course on God’s Majesty
February 3, 2009
READ: Exodus 33:1-11
You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live. —Exodus 33:20
My book Disappointment With God explores three questions many Christians ask: Is God hidden? Is God silent? Is God unfair? It struck me that those questions did not trouble the Hebrews in the Sinai wilderness. They saw evidence of God every day, heard Him speak, and lived under a contract signed in His own hand. Out of this relationship emerged a great gift from the Jews to the world: monotheism—the belief in one sovereign, holy God.
Today many treat God like a cosmic good buddy. We could use a refresher course from the Old Testament on God’s majesty.
Pastor Gordon MacDonald writes, “The most costly sins I have committed came at a time when I briefly suspended my reverence for God. . . . I quietly (and insanely) concluded that God didn’t care and most likely wouldn’t intervene were I to risk the violation of one of His commandments.”
MacDonald says his own love for God has moved away from a sentimental model, which never satisfied him, to something closer to a father/son model. He is learning to reverence, obey, and thank God; to express appropriate sorrow for sin; to pursue a quietness in which he might hear God whisper. He seeks a relationship with God appropriate to the profound difference between the two parties.
As God’s children, we may “come boldly to the throne of grace” (Heb. 4:16). But let us ever be mindful of our Father’s inestimable majesty. — Philip Yancey
To worship is to recognize the supreme worth of God.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...punxsutawney phil
February 2, 2009
READ: 2 Peter 1:16-21
We have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed. —2 Peter 1:19
Punxsutawney Phil is a groundhog that comes out of his burrow on Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania, each February 2 to predict the weather. According to legend, if Phil sees his shadow, there will be 6 more weeks of cold weather. If he doesn’t see his shadow, spring will come early.
This is all humbug and good humor, of course. No one to my knowledge takes Phil’s predictions seriously. Furthermore, he’s unreliable—more often wrong than right, I’m told.
There is One, however, who is always right and whom we must take seriously. Peter writes of Him, “We have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).
Peter was thinking of that day on the Mount of Transfiguration with James and John when he saw Jesus standing with the two great prophets of the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah. In that august company of true prophets the Father pointed to the Son and said: “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Luke 9:35). Jesus’ word is a “prophetic word” that is certain!
There is One who is never wrong and who will never lead us astray: our Lord Jesus. We must hear Him! — David H. Roper
In a world full of speculation, only God’s Word is certain.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...all about love
What is Real Love? Everyone is looking for love. But what is the love we all want and need? What does real love look like? How will we know when we’ve found it? Some think of “being in love” as an unexplainable feeling that we “fall in and out of.” But the Bible, in its [...]
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...God is at work
February 1, 2009
READ: Philippians 2:12-18
It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. —Philippians 2:13
We always crave change in a new year. This is why on January 1 we start diets, exercise programs, and new hobbies. Of course, a month later we’re usually back to our old bad habits. Maybe that’s because we crave too big a change and do not have enough power and will to make the changes.
I wonder how many Jesus-followers have made commitments to change and grow spiritually but are experiencing frustration because they don’t have the will and power to carry out those steps.
Paul addresses this issue in his letter to the Philippians. As he encouraged them to work out their salvation with fear and trembling (2:12), Paul said they would not be on their own. God Himself would energize them to grow and carry out His tasks. The first area affected would be their desires. God was at work in them, giving them the desire to change and grow. He was also working to give them the power to make the actual changes (v.13).
God has not left us alone in our struggles to attain spiritual growth. He helps us want to obey Him, and then He gives us the power to do what He wants. Ask Him to help you want to do His will. — Marvin Williams
The power that compels us comes from the Spirit who indwells us.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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