A REASON TO SING
|
Posted:Jun 9, 2017 4:34 am
Last Updated:Jun 9, 2017 4:36 am 12393 Views
|
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 32–33; John 18:19–40
Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. Psalm 47.6
Singing changes the brain! Some studies show that when we sing, our bodies release hormones that relieve anxiety and stress. Other research indicates that when a group of people sings together, their heartbeats actually synchronize with each other.
The apostle Paul’s writing encourages the church to speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19). And the Bible repeats, “Sing praise” more than fifty times.
Praising God has power to change our thoughts, our hearts, and our lives.
In 2 Chronicles 20, we read a story of God’s people demonstrating their trust in God by singing as they marched into battle. Enemies were heading toward the people of Judah. Alarmed, King Jehoshaphat called everyone together. He led the community in intense prayer. They didn’t eat or drink, but only prayed, “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (v. 12). The next day, they set out. They weren’t led by their fiercest warriors, but by their choir. They believed God’s promise that they would be delivered without having to fight at all (v. 17).
While they sang and walked toward the conflict, their enemies fought each other! By the time God’s people reached the battlefield, the fighting had ended. God saved His people as they marched by faith toward the unknown, singing His praises.
God encourages us to praise Him for good reasons. Whether or not we are marching into battle, praising God has power to change our thoughts, our hearts, and our lives.
God, we praise Your everlasting love and faithfulness! You protect and guide us, and we trust You with our lives.
Hearts in tune with God sing His praises.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
RINGS AND GRACE
|
Posted:Jun 8, 2017 2:14 am
Last Updated:Jun 8, 2017 2:15 am 12344 Views
|
Read: Hebrews 8:6–13
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 30–31; John 18:1–18
will remember their sins no more. Hebrews 8.12
When I look at my hands, I am reminded that I lost my wedding and engagement rings. I was multitasking as I packed for a trip, and I still have no idea where they ended up.
I dreaded telling my husband about my careless mistake—worried how the news would affect him. But he responded with more compassion and care for me than concern over the rings. However, there are times when I still want to do something to earn his grace! He, on the contrary, doesn’t hold this episode against me.
Grace and forgiveness are unearned gifts.
So many times we remember our sins and feel we must do something to earn God’s forgiveness. But God has said it is by grace, not by works, that we are saved
(Eph. 2.8–9). Speaking of a new covenant, God promised Israel, “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jer. 31:34). We have a God who forgives and no longer calls to mind the wrongs we have done.
We may still feel sad about our past, but we need to trust His promise and believe His grace and forgiveness is real through faith in Jesus Christ. This news should lead us to thankfulness and the assurance faith brings. When God forgives, He forgets.
Dear Lord, thank You for Your grace and Your offer of salvation and forgiveness through Christ. Thank You for this free gift that is not based on anything I can do.
Grace and forgiveness are unearned gifts.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
GOD CALLING
|
Posted:Jun 7, 2017 2:04 am
Last Updated:Jun 7, 2017 2:05 am 12537 Views
|
Read: Genesis 3:1–10
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 28–29; John 17
This is how God showed his love . . . : He sent his one and only into the world.
1 John 4:9
One morning my gave her eleven-month-old her cell phone for a moment to entertain him. Less than a minute later my phone rang, and as I picked it up I heard his little voice. He had somehow hit the “speed dial” to my number, and what followed was a “conversation” I will long remember. My grandson can only say a few words, but he knows my voice and responds to it. So I talked to him and told him how much I love him.
The joy I felt at the sound of my grandson’s voice was a reminder to me of God’s deep desire for a relationship with us. From the very beginning, the Bible shows God actively pursuing us. After Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God and then hid from Him in the garden, “the Lord God called” to Adam (Gen. 3:9).
God's love for us is revealed through Jesus.
God continued to pursue humanity through Jesus. Because God desires a relationship with us, He sent Jesus to earth to pay the penalty for our sin by His death on the cross. “This is how God showed his love . . . . He sent his as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God” (1 John 4:9–10 ).
How good it is to know that God loves us and wants us to respond to His love through Jesus. Even when we don't quite know what to say, our Father longs to hear from us!
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me and pursuing a relationship with me. Help me to be a joy to You by drawing near to You.
God’s love for us is revealed through Jesus.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
FIFTEEN - MINUTE CHALLENGE
|
Posted:Jun 6, 2017 5:06 am
Last Updated:Jun 6, 2017 5:13 am 12514 Views
|
Read: Psalm 119:33–40
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 25–27; John 16
Turn my heart toward your statutes. Psalm 119:36
Dr. Charles W. Eliot, longtime president of Harvard University, believed that ordinary people who read consistently from the world’s great literature for even a few minutes a day could gain a valuable education. In 1910, he compiled selections from books of history, science, philosophy, and fine art into fifty volumes called The Harvard Classics. Each set of books included Dr. Eliot’s Reading Guide titled “Fifteen Minutes A Day” containing recommended selections of eight to ten pages for each day of the year.
What if we spent fifteen minutes a day reading God’s Word? We could say with the psalmist, “Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word” (Ps. 119:36–37).
“Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end.
” (Psalm 119:33)
Fifteen minutes a day adds up to ninety-one hours a year. But for whatever amount of time we decide to read the Bible each day, consistency is the secret and the key ingredient is not perfection but persistence. If we miss a day or a week, we can start reading again. As the Holy Spirit teaches us, God’s Word moves from our minds to our hearts, then to our hands and feet—taking us beyond education to transformation.
“Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end” (v. 33).
I turn to You, the Author, to teach me as I read Your Word today. I want to hear from You, to know You, and to grow closer to You.
.
The Bible is the only Book whose Author is always present when it is read.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
WHAT DO WE WANT?
|
Posted:Jun 5, 2017 4:07 am
Last Updated:Jun 5, 2017 4:08 am 12402 Views
|
Read: Romans 8.1–11
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 23–24; John 15
He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Romans 8.11
“I went from the -and-buggy to a man walking on the moon,” said the elderly man to his granddaughter, who shared this story with me recently. But then he mused, “I never thought it would be so short.”
Life is short, and many of us turn to Jesus because we want to live forever. That’s not bad, but we don’t comprehend what eternal life really is. We tend to crave the wrong things. We long for something better, and we think it’s just ahead. If only I were out of school. If only I had that job. If only I were married. If only I could retire. If only . . . And then one day we catch an echo of our grandfather’s voice as we wonder where the time has flown.
When we find our life in Jesus, we enjoy life with Him, both now and forever.
The truth is, we possess eternal life now. The apostle Paul wrote, “The law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8.2). Then he said, “Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (v. 5). In other words, our desires change when we come to Christ. This naturally gives us what we most desire. “The mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace” (v. 6).
It’s one of life’s great lies that we need to be somewhere else, doing something else, with someone else before we start truly living. When we find our life in Jesus, we exchange regret over life’s brevity for the full enjoyment of life with Him, both now and forever.
Lord, You said You came to give us life to the fullest, but so often we have our own agenda and the wrong goals in mind. Please forgive us, and help us desire what You want.
To live forever we must let Jesus live in us now.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
TABLE ROCK
|
Posted:Jun 2, 2017 4:02 am
Last Updated:Jun 2, 2017 4:02 am 12316 Views
|
Read: Luke 6:46–49
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 17–18; John 13:1–20
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Luke 6:46
A large, illuminated cross stands erect on Table Rock, a rocky plateau overlooking my hometown. Several homes were built on neighboring land, but recently the owners have been forced to move out due to safety concerns. Despite their close proximity to the firm bedrock of Table Rock, these homes aren’t secure. They have been shifting atop their foundations—nearly three inches every day—causing risk of major water pipes breaking, which would accelerate the sliding.
Jesus compares those who hear and obey His words to those who build their homes on rock (Luke 6:47–48These homes survive the storms. By contrast, He says homes built without a firm foundation—like people who don’t heed His instruction—cannot weather the torrents.
Lord, thank you for being my firm foundation.
On many occasions, I’ve been tempted to ignore my conscience when I knew God asked more of me than I had given, thinking my response had been “close enough.” Yet the homes in the shifting foothills nearby have depicted for me that being “close” is nowhere near enough when it comes to obeying Him. To be like those who built their homes on a firm foundation and withstand the storms of life that so often assail us, we must heed the words of our Lord completely.
Help me, Lord, to obey You fully and with my whole heart. Thank You for being my firm foundation.
God’s Word is the only sure foundation for life.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
EVERYTHING WE NEED
|
Posted:Jun 1, 2017 3:08 am
Last Updated:Jun 1, 2017 3:09 am 12333 Views
|
Read: 2 Peter 1:1–11
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 15–16; John 12:27–50
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3
I often feel completely inadequate for the tasks I face. Whether it’s teaching Sunday school, advising a friend, or writing articles for this publication, the challenge often seems to be larger than my ability. Like Peter, I have a lot to learn.
The New Testament reveals Peter’s shortcomings as he tried to follow the Lord. While walking on water to Jesus, Peter began to sink (Matt. 14:25–31). When Jesus was arrested, Peter swore he didn’t know Him (Mark 14:66–72). But Peter’s encounter with the risen Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit changed his life.
Thank You, Father, for giving me everything I need to serve You and encourage others today.
Peter came to understand that God’s “divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3). An amazing statement from a man who had many flaws!
“[God] has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (v. 4).
Our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is the source of the wisdom, patience, and power we need to honor God, help others, and meet the challenges of today. Through Him, we can overcome our hesitations and feelings of inadequacy.
In every situation, He has given us everything we need to serve and honor Him.
Thank You, Father, for giving me everything I need to serve You and encourage others today. May I honor You in all I do.
God promises to provide everything we need to honor Him with our lives.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
THE BEAUTY OF BROKENNESS
|
Posted:May 31, 2017 3:49 am
Last Updated:May 31, 2017 3:50 am 12297 Views
|
The Beauty of Brokenness
Read: Psalm 51 | Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 13–14; John 12:1–26
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit. Psalm 51:17
Kintsugi is a centuries-old Japanese art of mending broken pottery. Gold dust mixed with resin is used to reattach broken pieces or fill in cracks, resulting in a striking bond. Instead of trying to hide the repair, the art makes something beautiful out of brokenness.
The Bible tells us that God also values our brokenness, when we are genuinely sorry for a sin we have committed. After David engaged in adultery with Bathsheba and plotted the death of her husband, the prophet Nathan confronted him, and he repented. David’s prayer afterwards gives us insight into what God desires when we have sinned: “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise” (Ps. 51:16–17).
Loving Father, I want to bring You joy by having a humble and repentant heart today.
When our heart is broken over a sin, God mends it with the priceless forgiveness generously offered by our Savior at the cross. He receives us with love when we humble ourselves before Him, and closeness is restored.
How merciful is God! Given His desire for a humble heart and the breathtaking beauty of His kindness, may another scriptural prayer be ours today: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23–24).
Loving Father, I want to bring You joy by having a humble and repentant heart today.
Forgiveness Repentance
|
|
|
2
Comments
|
|
EXPECT AND EXTEND MERCY
|
Posted:May 30, 2017 5:06 am
Last Updated:May 30, 2017 5:07 am 12258 Views
|
Read: Luke 18:9–14
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 10–12; John 11:30–57
God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Luke 18.13
When I complained that a friend’s choices were leading her deeper into sin and how her actions affected me, the woman I prayed with weekly placed her hand over mine. “Let’s pray for all of us.”
I frowned. “All of us?”
When we realize the depth of our need for mercy, we can more readily offer mercy to others.
“Yes,” she said. “Aren’t you the one who always says Jesus sets our standard of holiness, so we shouldn’t compare our sins to the sins of others?”
“That truth hurts a little,” I said, “but you’re right. My judgmental attitude and spiritual pride are no better or worse than her sins.”
“And by talking about your friend, we’re gossiping. So—”
“We’re sinning.” I lowered my head. “Please, pray for us.”
In Luke 18, Jesus shared a parable about two men approaching the temple to pray in very different ways (vv. 9–14). Like the Pharisee, we can become trapped in a circle of comparing ourselves to other people. We can boast about ourselves
(vv. 11–12) and live as though we have the right to judge and the responsibility or the power to change others.
But when we look to Jesus as our example of holy living and encounter His goodness firsthand, like the tax collector, our desperate need for God’s grace is magnified (v. 13). As we experience the Lord’s loving compassion and forgiveness personally, we’ll be forever changed and empowered to expect and extend mercy, not condemnation, to others.
Lord, please keep us from falling into the trap of comparing ourselves to others. Mold us and make us more like You.
When we realize the depth of our need for mercy, we can more readily offer mercy to others
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
LET HONOR MEET HONOR
|
Posted:May 29, 2017 4:27 am
Last Updated:May 29, 2017 4:27 am 12185 Views
|
Read: Matthew 6:1–6
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 7–9; John 11:1–29
Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. Matthew 6:1
I’ve always been impressed by the solemn, magnificent simplicity of the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. The carefully choreographed event is a moving tribute to soldiers whose names—and sacrifice—are “known but to God.” Equally moving are the private moments of steady pacing when the crowds are gone: back and forth, hour after hour, day by day, in even the worst weather.
In September 2003, Hurricane Isabel was bearing down on Washington, DC, and the guards were told they could seek shelter during the worst of the storm. Surprising almost no one, the guards refused! They unselfishly stood their post to honor their fallen comrades even in the face of a hurricane.
The more we serve Christ, the less we will serve self.
Underlying Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 6:1–6, I believe, is His desire for us to live with an unrelenting, selfless devotion to Him. The Bible calls us to good deeds and holy living, but these are to be acts of worship and obedience (vv. 4–6), not orchestrated acts for self-glorification (v. 2). The apostle Paul endorses this whole-life faithfulness when he pleads with us to make our bodies “a living sacrifice”
(Rom. 12:1).
May our private and public moments speak of our devotion and wholehearted commitment to You, Lord.
Grant me the strength this day, O Lord, to persevere, to return honor to Your name where I am serving. My desire is to give myself in selfless devotion because of Your love for me.
The more we serve Christ, the less we will serve self.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
