living awake
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart (v.2). READ: Colossians 4:2-6 In Germany, the ancient legend of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa persists. According to lore, Barbarossa never died but continues to watch over his kingdom from his stone table in the mountains. For centuries now, Barbarossa “has slumbered away,” his intermittent [...]
the secret is
May 15, 2009
READ: 1 Corinthians 2:6-16
We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages. —1 Corinthians 2:7
If you believe Rhonda Byrne, author of the bestselling book The Secret, “The shortcut to anything you want in your life is to be and feel happy now!” According to Byrne, this has to do with something called the law of attraction. If you think only about things that make you happy, she says, happy things will be attracted to you.
Sounds easy enough.
However, the Bible says that “the secret” to life is something very different. It has to do with “the law of the Spirit of life” that sets us free from “the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2), not with the “law of attraction.”
According to the apostle Paul, the most important thing to know is “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). To those who are concerned with happiness now, this is indeed foolishness (v.14). They do not recognize the power of God in what appears to them as weakness.
The Lord created us with a desire to know what is secret. In His wisdom, He kept certain things hidden in mystery for a time (v.7). But now, through His Holy Spirit, He has made them known. And the secret He reveals has nothing to do with having happy thoughts in order to obtain happy things; it has to do with having the mind of Jesus Christ (v.16). — Julie Ackerman Link
To know lasting happiness, we must get to know Jesus.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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making the cut
May 14, 2009
READ: Matthew 4:18-22
[Jesus] said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” —Matthew 4:19
Every year, high-school seniors apply to their favorite universities and then watch the mailbox for the letter announcing their acceptance.
It was different for teens in New Testament times. Jewish boys would often attend rabbinical schools until age 13. Then only the best and brightest would be chosen to “follow” the local rabbi. This small, select group of disciples would go where he went and eat what he ate—modeling their lives after the rabbi. Those who didn’t make the cut would pick up a trade like carpentry, sheep-herding, or fishing.
Guys like Simon, Andrew, James, and John hadn’t made the cut. So instead of following the local rabbi, they were down by the docks, knee-deep in the family business. It’s interesting that Jesus sought out the men the local rabbi had rejected. Instead of targeting the best and brightest, Jesus offered His invitation, “Follow Me,” to ordinary run-of-the-mill fishermen. What an honor! They would become followers of the ultimate Rabbi.
Jesus extends the same honor to you and me—not because we are the best or brightest, but because He needs ordinary people like us to model His life and to lovingly rescue people on His behalf. So, follow Him and let Him make something of your life! — Joe Stowell
Even the ordinary and the outcast can make the cut to follow Jesus.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...God’s colors
While Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him (v.5).
READ: Acts 12:1-11
Ever wonder how a black, shriveled sunflower seed placed in dark brown soil can grow into a tall, green plant with a yellow flower? This metamorphosis of colors and shapes reflects God’s creative and mysterious ways. We are often surprised by His work in our lives.
The bright, “light” tones we see at the end of Acts 11—believers being taught and giving sacrificially—are replaced by a dark and dangerous Jerusalem in Acts 12. King Herod was persecuting and harassing Christians to boost his popularity. He arrested James and Peter. James was mercilessly executed, and believers could see that they couldn’t simply expect God’s protection for the apostles and themselves. It was an anxious and uncertain time for the church. You can imagine believers’ thoughts, Where is God in all of this? When will He intervene?
So they responded by praying (v.5). Their current plight didn’t diminish God or the fact that He was in control. They trusted Him.
Prayer is the most natural and normal response for a heart that is dependent on God. If you’re truly counting on Him to do something, you will pray about it. If you are not counting on God, you will not call out to Him.
Oswald Chambers said, “We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.” The church in Jerusalem had lost James, and it appeared that God had not answered their prayers for him. Peter was in a perilous place, but they didn’t abandon prayer because everything was too dark. Instead, they prayed even more earnestly, and we read that Peter was later released to continue with God’s mission.
Like the early church, let’s trust God, pray faithfully and earnestly, and keep our eyes on Him. Brighter colors may be found just around the bend. —Kevin Gregory
What do you need to bring to God in prayer today? What “colors” in your circumstances are troubling you?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...godly sorrow
May 13, 2009
READ: 2 Corinthians 7:5-10
I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner. —2 Corinthians 7:9
Thieves stole nearly $5,000 in sound and office equipment from a church in West Virginia, only to break in the following night to return the items they had taken. Apparently, the guilt of stealing from a church weighed so heavily on their conscience that they felt the need to correct their criminal behavior of breaking the commandment: “You shall not steal” (Ex. 20:15). Their actions make me think about the differences between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow.
Paul praised the Corinthians for understanding this difference. His first letter to them was biting, as he addressed issues of sin. His words caused sorrow among them, and because of this Paul rejoiced. Why? Their sorrow did not stop at just feeling sad about getting caught or suffering the unpleasant consequences of their sins. Their sorrow was godly sorrow, a genuine remorse for their sins. This led them to repentance—a change in their thinking that led to a renouncing of their sin and turning to God. Their repentance ultimately led to deliverance from their sinful habits.
Repentance is not something we can do unless we have the prompting of the Holy Spirit; it’s a gift from God. Pray for repentance today (2 Tim. 2:24-26). — Marvin Williams
Repentance means hating sin enough to turn from it.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...rescued
As soon as I pray, You answer me (v.3).
READ: Psalm 138
One evening, while stuck in a traffic jam in Uganda’s capital city Kampala, a colleague and I called two street boys to our car window. We started a conversation with them that went something like this: “How long have you lived on the streets?” “Four years.” “Do you have a mom or dad?” “No, our parents died.” “Do you like living on the streets?” “No.”
Moved by the boys’ harrowing account of street life, we phoned a friend who works with at-risk youth. He came to our location and amazingly, in less than one hour, found a boys’ home for the two orphans, Saddam and Moses, to move into.
Upon entering their new dwelling place, Saddam and Moses were welcomed and nurtured in God’s love (Jeremiah 31:3-4). Saddam’s story of subsequent transformation is particularly moving, and is illustrated by the following verses:
• “As soon as I pray, You answer me; You encourage me by giving me strength” (Psalm 139:3). Through Christ’s strength, Saddam has refused men that have attempted to lure him back to the streets with the offer of money in exchange for evil deeds.
• “Though I am surrounded by troubles, You will protect me from the anger of my enemies” (v.7) During the four years that Saddam wandered the streets of Kampala, he credits God for protecting him from men that wanted to harm him.
• “The Lord will work out his plans for my life—for Your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever” (v.8). Saddam now boldly teaches a weekly Sunday school class for boys still living on the streets.
Though young in years, Saddam has already experienced God’s deliverance and faithfulness in mighty ways (v.8). Who is a “Saddam” in your life? What would God have you do for him? —Roxanne Robbins
How have you experienced God’s deliverance in your life? In what ways will you seek His deliverance of others?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Comic: HOME
HOME (an original Christian manga*) Art and story by Mave. Francis is a nonchalant youth. He loves playing computer games but still manage to ace his exams somehow. His life is relatively peaceful until a transfer student Miranda joins his school. Miranda is a typical “wild girl”—one whom you should keep at an arm’s length. [...]
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getting better
May 12, 2009
READ: Philippians 1:19-26
I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. —Philippians 1:23
A popular song from the 1960s was titled “Getting Better.” In it, the singer considers his young life and happily declares that he sees things “getting better all the time.” It is a song of optimism but, unfortunately, without any real basis for that hope.
By contrast, the Bible warns us that we live in a world that in many ways is actually getting worse (2 Tim. 3:13). Daily we’re faced with increasing evidence to support that contention. So how do we respond to the realities of life in such a badly marred world? With empty optimism? With hopeless discouragement? The apostle Paul shows us how.
While imprisoned in Rome, Paul wrote to the church at Philippi to offer them genuine hope in a broken world. He encouraged his readers by telling them that though life in this world is often hard and painful, for the Christian things will get better. He wrote, “I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Phil. 1:23). It is a reminder to us that we can face the difficulties of living for Christ now because one day we will be with Him in an eternal home of splendor and fullness.
Life can be hard, but one day when we see Christ it will truly get better! — Bill Crowder
To be with Jesus forever is the sum of all happiness.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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