what’s next?
April 18, 2009 READ: Philippians 3:7-16 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. —Philippians 3:14 In the television series The West Wing, fictional president Josiah Bartlet regularly ended staff meetings with two words—“What’s next?” It was his way of signaling that he was finished with [...]
the bus driver
April 17, 2009
READ: 1 John 4:7-12
Be imitators of God . . . and walk in love. —Ephesians 5:1-2
In the middle of carting 70 pieces of luggage, an electronic piano, and other equipment through airports and on and off a tour bus, it’s easy to wonder, “Why are we doing this?”
Taking 28 teenagers on an 11-day ministry trip to a land across the ocean is not easy. But at the end of the trip our bus driver, who had carted us all over England and Scotland, grabbed the bus microphone and in tears thanked the kids for how wonderful they had been. Then after we got home, he e-mailed us to say how much he appreciated the thank you cards the kids had written to him—many of which contained the gospel.
Although the students ministered to hundreds through song during the trip, perhaps it was the bus driver who most benefited from their Christlikeness. In Ephesians we are told to be imitators of God and to walk in love (Eph. 5:1-2). Others see God in us when we show love to one another (1 John 4:12). The bus driver saw Jesus in the students and told them that they might just convert him to faith in Christ. Maybe it was for this man that we took that trip.
Why do you do what you do? Whose life are you affecting? Sometimes it’s not our target audience that we impact most. Sometimes it’s the bus drivers of the world. — Dave Branon
Witnessing is not just something a Christian says, but what he is.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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Loading ...gatekeepers
April 16, 2009
READ: 1 Corinthians 3:1-17
The temple of God is holy, which temple you are. —1 Corinthians 3:17
In journalism, the term gatekeeper refers to reporters, editors, and publishers who consider various news items and determine which stories are newsworthy. Some long-time news professionals warn that the Internet allows information to get through without being checked at the gate.
In Old Testament times, gatekeepers guarded the temple to prevent those who were unclean from entering (2 Chron. 23:19). In ad 70, the temple was destroyed by the Roman armies of Emperor Titus. But the destruction began years earlier when the Levites assigned to guard it failed to do so after coming under the corrupt influence of the Syrian king Antiochus iv.
Paul called our bodies God’s “temple” (1 Cor. 3:16-17), and many forces are at work to assault God’s new dwelling. Evil may gain a foothold through unfortified areas of our spiritual life—places where envy, strife, or divisions may undermine us (3:3). Each of us must be on guard against the enemy of our souls and never give place to the devil (Eph. 4:27).
The criteria for what may enter is found in Philippians 4:8—whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. The resulting peace will guard the gate of our hearts and minds. — Julie Ackerman Link
If you’re not on guard against evil you’ll be influenced by evil.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...check your attitude
April 15, 2009
READ: John 3:22-31
He must increase, but I must decrease. —John 3:30
A music professor with a well-trained voice usually sang the major male solo parts in the choir of a large church. A young man named Bob who had no training sometimes took a few shorter solos. As the choir director prepared for the Christmas cantata, she felt that Bob’s voice and style made him a natural for the lead role. However, she didn’t know how she could give it to him without offending the older man.
Her anxiety was unnecessary. The professor had the same thoughts as she did, and he told her that Bob should take the part. He continued to sing faithfully in the chorus and was a source of much encouragement to Bob.
People who can set aside selfish ambition and genuinely seek the good of others have an attitude that pleases God. Do you remember how John the Baptist reacted when the crowds left him and began following Jesus? He said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
What did John the Baptist and the music professor have in common? They were able to set aside “selfish ambition.” They were happy to see others elevated above themselves when it was for the common good. Can the same be said about us? — Herbert Vander Lugt
When we forget about ourselves, we do things others will remember.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...God remembers
April 14, 2009
READ: Genesis 8:1-17
God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. —Genesis 8:1
A Chinese festival called Qing Ming is a time to express grief for lost relatives. Customs include grooming gravesites and taking walks with loved ones in the countryside. Legend has it that it began when a youth’s rude and foolish behavior resulted in the death of his mother. So he decided that henceforth he would visit her grave every year to remember what she had done for him. Sadly, it was only after her death that he remembered her.
How differently God deals with us! In Genesis, we read how the flood destroyed the world. Only those who were with Noah in the ark remained alive. But God remembered them (8:1) and sent a wind to dry the waters so that they could leave the ark.
God also remembered Hannah when she prayed for a son (1 Sam. 1:19). He gave her a child, Samuel.
Jesus remembered the dying thief who said, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Jesus replied, “Today You will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:42-43).
God remembers us wherever we are. Our concerns are His concerns. Our pain is His pain. Commit your challenges and difficulties to Him. He is the all-seeing God who remembers us as a mother remembers her children, and He waits to meet our needs. — C. P. Hia
To know that God sees us brings both conviction and comfort.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...it’s bubbling in my soul
April 13, 2009
READ: John 7:33-39
If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. . . . Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. —John 7:37-38
Decades ago, I visited a ministry center in West Africa and saw a little girl climb onto a truck that had a public address system. Smiling, she began to sing over the microphone:
It’s bubbling, it’s bubbling,
it’s bubbling in my soul;
I’m singing and laughing
since Jesus made me whole.
Since Jesus came within,
and cleansed my heart from sin,
It’s bubbling, bubbling, bubbling,
bubbling, bubbling in my soul!
I heard her sing that song only once. But the joy in her voice was so evident and powerful that I remember the lyrics and tune to this day. The parallel in the song between water and spiritual refreshment is a biblical one. During the Feast of Tabernacles, a Levite priest would pour out water as a symbol of God providing water for Israel in the wilderness. During that feast, “Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’?” (John 7:37-38). Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit promised to those who would believe in Him (v.39). This thirst-quenching water is a picture of the spiritual satisfaction that only He can provide.
Perhaps you’ve lost that joy you first experienced at salvation. Confess all known sin right now (1 John 1:9). Be filled with God’s Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18), and let Him provide you with a “bubbling in your soul.” — Dennis Fisher
Christ departed so that the Holy Spirit could be imparted.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...much more!
April 12, 2009
READ: Romans 5:12-21
Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. —Romans 5:20
A statement I heard at an Easter service stays with me: “More has been gained in the resurrection of Jesus than was lost in the fall.” More gained than lost? Can it be true?
Each day we experience the damage caused by sin entering our world. Greed, injustice, and cruelty all trace their origins back to Adam and Eve’s decision to follow their own path rather than God’s (Gen. 3). The legacy of their disobedience is passed down to every generation. Without God’s intervention, we would be in a hopeless situation. But Jesus overpowered sin through His cross and conquered death through His resurrection.
The victory of Christ is celebrated in Romans 5, often called the “much more” chapter of the New Testament, where Paul contrasts the devastation caused by sin with the restoring power of God’s grace. In every case, grace overpowers the consequences of sin. In a grand conclusion, Paul says: “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (5:20-21).
No matter how much we have personally lost because of sin, we have gained far more through the resurrection victory of Christ. — David C. McCasland
Our sin is great—God’s grace is greater.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...the day with no name
April 11, 2009
READ: Romans 8:18-25
If we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. —Romans 8:25
In Louisiana, a woman lies buried beneath a grove of 150-year-old oak trees in the cemetery of an Episcopal church. Only one word is carved on her tombstone: “Waiting.”
A friend of mine knows an elderly pastor who delivered a stirring Good Friday sermon titled “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Comin’.” In a cadence that increases in tempo and volume, his sermon contrasts how the world looked on Friday—when the forces of evil seemed to have triumphed—with how it looked on Sunday. The disciples who lived through both days never doubted God again. They learned that when God seems most absent, He may be closest of all.
The sermon skips one day, though—Saturday—the day with no name. What the disciples lived through in small scale, we now live through on cosmic scale. It’s Saturday on planet earth; will Sunday ever come?
That dark, Golgothan Friday can only be called good because of what happened on Sunday. Easter opened up a crack in a universe winding down toward decay. And someday God will enlarge the miracle of Easter to cosmic scale.
Meanwhile, we wait in hopeful anticipation, living out our days on Saturday, the in-between day with no name.
It’s Saturday. But Sunday’s comin’. — Philip Yancey
God took the worst deed of history and turned it into the greatest victory.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...who crucified Jesus?
April 10, 2009
READ: Luke 23:33-38
When they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him. —Luke 23:33
When looking at Rembrandt’s painting of The Three Crosses, your attention is drawn first to the cross on which Jesus died. Then as you look at the crowd gathered around the foot of that cross, you are impressed by the various facial expressions and actions of the people involved in the awful crime of crucifying the Son of God. Finally, your eyes drift to the edge of the painting to catch sight of another figure, almost hidden in the shadows. Some art critics say this is a representation of Rembrandt himself, for he recognized that by his sins he helped nail Jesus to the cross.
Someone has said, “It is a simple thing to say that Christ died for the sins of the world. It is quite another thing to say that Christ died for my sins. . . . It is a shocking thought that we can be as indifferent as Pilate, as scheming as Caiaphas, as callous as the soldiers, as ruthless as the mob, or as cowardly as the disciples. It wasn’t just what they did—it was I who nailed Him to the tree. I crucified the Christ of God. I joined the mockery.”
Place yourself in the shadows with Rembrandt. You too are standing there. But then recall what Jesus said as He hung on that cross, “Father, forgive them.” Thank God, that includes you and me. — Henry G. Bosch
The cross of Christ reveals the love of God at its best and the sin of the world at its worst.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...the honor of your friendship
April 9, 2009
READ: John 15:9-17
I have called you friends. —John 15:15
During the marriage ceremony of a British couple, the best man remained motionless. Even after vows were exchanged, he didn’t move.
The still figure was a racecar driver who was trying to be in two places at one time. Because of contractual commitments, Andy Priaulx, three-time world touring-car champion, had to break his promise to participate in his friend’s wedding. So he sent a life-size cardboard cutout of himself, as well as a prerecorded speech. The bride said she was moved by his effort to honor their marriage.
Priaulx’s gesture was certainly creative, and we shouldn’t second-guess his actions. But Jesus gave us another standard by which to gauge friendship.
Jesus asked His disciples to show their friendship to Him by loving one another as He had loved them. Then, He raised the bar. In anticipation of His death on the cross, He said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).
This depth of friendship isn’t merely about doing the right thing. It’s about sacrifice, and it springs out of a relationship with the One who truly did lay down His life for us.
Are we showing others that we have been loved by Jesus as He is loved by His Father? (v.9). — Mart De Haan
Love is more than a sentiment, it’s putting another’s needs ahead of your own.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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