UNLIGHTED PATHS
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Posted:May 10, 2017 3:53 am
Last Updated:May 10, 2017 3:53 am 13238 Views
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Read: Joshua 1:1–9
Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 10–12; John 1:29–51
The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
As we ventured home from a family vacation, the road took us through some desolate parts of central Oregon. For nearly two hours after dusk we drove through deep canyons and across desert plateaus. Fewer than twenty sets of headlights punctuated the darkness. Eventually the moon rose on the horizon, visible to us when the road crested hills but eclipsed when we traveled through the lowlands. My remarked on its light, calling it a reminder of God’s presence. I asked whether she needed to see it to know He was there. She replied, “No, but it sure helps.”
After Moses’s death, Joshua inherited leadership of the Israelites and was charged to take God’s chosen people into the Promised Land. Despite his divine commission, Joshua must have felt challenged by the daunting nature of his task. God graciously offered Joshua assurance to be with him on the journey ahead (Josh. 1:9).
Lord, thank You for being near me even when I cannot see You.
The road of life often travels through uncharted territory. We voyage through seasons when the path ahead isn’t clearly visible. God’s plan may not always be apparent to us, but He has promised to be with us “always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28.20). What greater assurance could we hope for, no matter what uncertainty or challenge we might face? Even when the path is unlit, the Light is with us.
Lord, thank You for being near me even when I cannot see You. Please comfort me with Your presence.
God is with us even when we can’t see Him.
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TOO GOOD NOT TO SHARE
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Posted:May 9, 2017 4:19 am
Last Updated:May 9, 2017 4:19 am 13201 Views
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Read: John 1:6–14
Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 7–9; John 1:1–28
[John] came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. John 1.7
During court proceedings, witnesses are more than onlookers or spectators. They are active participants who help determine the outcome of a case. The same is true of our witness for Christ. We are to be active participants in a matter of absolute importance—the truth of Jesus’s death and resurrection.
When John the Baptist came to tell people about Jesus, the light of the world, he did so by declaring his knowledge of Jesus. And John the disciple, who recorded the events, testified of his experience with Jesus: “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only , who came from the Father, full of grace and truth”
(John 1:14). The apostle Paul would elaborate on this idea as he told young Timothy, “The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim. 2:2).
We can be active witnesses, telling others about the reality of Jesus in our lives.
All Christians have been summoned before the courtroom of the world. The Bible says we are not mere spectators but active participants. We testify to the truth about Jesus’s death and resurrection. John the Baptist was the voice of one calling in the desert. Our voices can be heard in our workplace, neighborhood, church, and among our family and friends. We can be active witnesses, telling them about the reality of Jesus in our lives.
Do our actions enable us to witness for Jesus?
In what creative ways might we witness today?
The gospel is too good not to share.
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THE BURDEN OF WAITING
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Posted:May 8, 2017 5:03 am
Last Updated:May 8, 2017 5:03 am 13393 Views
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Read: Psalm 90
Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 4–6; Luke 24:36–53
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12
Over the last few years, two members of my family have faced life-threatening diagnoses. For me, the hardest part of supporting them through their treatments has been the constant uncertainty. I am always desperate for a definitive word from a doctor, but things are rarely that straightforward. Instead of being given clarity, we are often asked to wait.
It’s hard to bear the burden of uncertainty, always wondering what the next test will reveal. Will we have weeks, months, years, or decades before death separates us? But regardless of disease and diagnosis, each of us will die one day—things like cancer just bring our mortality to the forefront instead of letting it hide in the recesses of our minds.
How can we best spend the time we’ve been given?
Faced with sobering reminders of our mortality, I find myself praying words that Moses once prayed. Psalm 90 tells us that though our lives are like grass that withers and fades (vv. 5–6), we have an eternal home with God (v. 1). Like Moses, we can ask God to teach us to number our days so we can make wise decisions (v. 12), and to make our brief lives fruitful by making what we do for Him count (v. 17. Ultimately, the psalm reminds us that our hope is not in a doctor’s diagnosis, but in a God who is “from everlasting to everlasting.”
How can we best spend the time we’ve been given?
We can face the reality of our own mortality because we trust in God.
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MINISTRY OF MEMORY
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Posted:May 5, 2017 5:29 am
Last Updated:May 5, 2017 5:30 am 13517 Views
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Read: Jeremiah 29:4–14 | Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 19–20; Luk 5-3
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Our experiences of loss and disappointment may leave us feeling angry, guilty, and confused. Whether our choices have closed some doors that will never reopen or, through no fault of our own, tragedy has invaded our lives, the result is often what Oswald Chambers called “the unfathomable sadness of ‘the might have been.’ ” We may try to suppress the painful memory, but discover we can’t.
Chambers reminds us that the Lord is still active in our lives. “Never be afraid when God brings back the past,” he said. “Let memory have its way. It is a minister of God with its rebuke and chastisement and sorrow. God will turn the ‘might have been’ into a wonderful for the future.”
The Lord’s forgiveness can transform our sorrow into confidence in His everlasting love.
In Old Testament days when God sent the people of Israel into exile in Babylon, He told them to serve Him in that foreign land and grow in faith until He brought them back to their home. “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’ ”
(Jer. 29:11).
God urged them not to ignore or be trapped by events of the past but instead to focus on Him and look ahead. The Lord’s forgiveness can transform the memory of our sorrow into confidence in His everlasting love.
Father, thank You for Your plans for us, and for the future that awaits us in Your love.
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God can use our deepest disappointments to nurture our faith in Him.
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FIVE-MINUTE RULE
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Posted:May 4, 2017 5:32 am
Last Updated:May 4, 2017 5:32 am 13678 Views
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Read: Psalm 102:1–17
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 16–18; Luke 22:47–71
He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.
Psalm 102:17
I read about a five-minute rule that a mother had for her . They had to be ready for school and gather together five minutes before it was time to leave each day.
They would gather around Mom, and she would pray for each one by name, asking for the Lord’s blessing on their day. Then she’d give them a kiss and off they’d run. Even neighborhood would be included in the prayer circle if they happened to stop by. One of the said many years later that she learned from this experience how crucial prayer is to her day.
God cares for you and wants to hear from you.
The writer of Psalm 102 knew the importance of prayer. This psalm is labeled, “A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.” He cried out, “Hear my prayer, Lord; . . . when I call, answer me quickly” (vv. 1–2). God looks down “from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he [views] the earth” (v. 19).
God cares for you and wants to hear from you. Whether you follow the five-minute rule asking for blessings on the day, or need to spend more time crying out to Him in deep distress, talk to the Lord each day. Your example may have a big impact on your family or someone close to you.
Teach me to be aware of Your presence, Lord, and to talk to You freely and often.
Prayer is an acknowledgment of our need for God.
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ALONE IN SPACE
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Posted:May 3, 2017 4:00 am
Last Updated:May 3, 2017 4:01 am 13750 Views
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Read: Genesis 28.10–17
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 14–15; Luke 22:21–46
Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it. Genesis 28:16
Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden knew what it felt like to be on the far side of the moon. For three days back in 1971, he flew alone in his command module, Endeavor, while two crewmates worked thousands of miles below on the surface of the moon. His only companions were the stars overhead that he remembers as being so thick they seemed to wrap him in a sheet of light.
As the sun went down on the Old Testament character Jacob’s first night away from home, he too was profoundly alone, but for a different reason. He was on the run from his older brother—who wanted to kill him for stealing the family blessing normally given to the firstborn . Yet on falling asleep, Jacob had a dream of a staircase joining heaven and earth. As he watched angels ascending and descending, he heard the voice of God promising to be with him and to bless the whole earth through his . When Jacob woke he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it” (Gen. 28.16).
Father, the glory of Your unseen presence and goodness is far greater than we can imagine.
Jacob had isolated himself because of his deceit. Yet as real as his failures, and as dark as the night, he was in the presence of the One whose plans are always better and more far-reaching than our own. Heaven is closer than we think, and the “God of Jacob” is with us.
Father, thank You for using the story of Jacob to show us that the glory of Your unseen presence and goodness is far greater than we could imagine.
God is nearer than we think.
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JUST A TOUCH
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Posted:May 2, 2017 4:23 am
Last Updated:May 2, 2017 4:24 am 13956 Views
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Read: Matthew 8:1–4
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 12–13; Luke 22:1–20
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. Matthew 8.3
Kiley leaped at the chance to go to a remote area of East Africa to assist a medical mission, yet she felt uneasy. She didn’t have any medical experience. Still, she could provide basic care.
While there, she met a woman with a horrible but treatable disease. The woman’s distorted leg repulsed her, but Kiley knew she had to do something. As she cleaned and bandaged the leg, her patient began crying. Concerned, Kiley asked if she was hurting her. “No,” she replied. “It’s the first time anyone has touched me in nine years.”
Lord, we want to show the fearless love You showed when You walked this earth.
Leprosy is another disease that can render its victims repulsive to others, and ancient Jewish culture had strict guidelines to prevent its spread: “They must live alone,” the law declared. “They must live outside the camp” (Lev. 13:46).
That’s why it’s so remarkable that a leper approached Jesus to say, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean” (Matt. 8.2). “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ ” (v. 3).
In touching a lonely woman’s diseased leg, Kiley began to show the fearless, bridge-building love of Jesus. A single touch made a difference.
Lord, we want to show the fearless love You showed when You walked this earth.
What difference might we make if we overcome our fears and trust God to use us?
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QUESTIONS FOR GOD
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Posted:May 1, 2017 6:00 am
Last Updated:May 1, 2017 6:00 am 14034 Views
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Read: Judges 6:11–16, 24
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 10–11; Luke 21:20–38
Go with the strength you have . . . . I will be with you. nlt Judges 6:14, 16
What would you do if the Lord showed up in the middle of your workday with a message? This happened to Gideon, one of the ancient Israelites. “The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!’ ” Gideon could have responded with a wordless nod and gulp, but instead he said, “If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” (Judg. 6:12–13 ). Gideon wanted to know why it seemed as if God had abandoned His people.
God didn’t answer that question. After Gideon had endured seven years of enemy attacks, starvation, and hiding in caves, God didn’t explain why He never intervened. God could have revealed Israel’s past sin as the reason, but instead He gave Gideon hope for the future. God said, “Go with the strength you have . . . . I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites”
(vv.14, 16 nlt).
Lord, I am reaching out to You for the peace I need.
Do you ever wonder why God has allowed suffering in your life? Instead of answering that specific question, God may satisfy you with His nearness today and remind you that you can rely on His strength when you feel weak. When Gideon finally believed that God was with him and would help him, he built an altar and called it “The Lord Is Peace
(v. 24).
There is peace in knowing that whatever we do and wherever we go, we go with God who promised never to leave or forsake His followers.
What could be better than getting answers to our why
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AN ALTERNATIVE TO ANGER
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Posted:Apr 28, 2017 4:19 am
Last Updated:Apr 28, 2017 4:19 am 14200 Views
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Read: Proverbs 20:1–15
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 3–5; Luke 20:1–26
It is to one’s honor to avoid strife. Proverbs 20:3
One morning in Perth, Australia, Fionn Mulholland discovered his car was missing. That’s when he realized he had mistakenly parked in a restricted zone and his car had been towed away. After considering the situation—even the $600 towing and parking fine—Mulholland was frustrated, but he decided not to be angry with the person he would work with to retrieve his car. Instead of venting his feelings, Mulholland wrote a humorous poem about the situation and read it to the worker he met at the tow yard. The worker liked the poem, and a possible ugly confrontation never took place.
The book of Proverbs teaches, “It is to one’s honor to avoid strife” (20:3). Strife is that friction that either simmers under the surface or explodes in the open between people who disagree about something.
Dear God, give me self-control through the power of Your Holy Spirit.
God has given us the resources to live peacefully with other people. His Word assures us that it’s possible to feel anger without letting it boil over into rage (Eph. 4:26). His Spirit enables us to override the sparks of fury that prompt us to do and say things to strike out at people who upset us. And God has given us His example to follow when we feel provoked (1 Peter 2:23). He is compassionate, gracious, and slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness (Ps. 86:15).
Dear God, Please help me to manage my anger in a way that does not lead me into sin. Give me self-control through the power of Your Holy Spirit.
Be slow to anger.
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LEARNING THE LANGUAGE
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Posted:Apr 27, 2017 4:33 am
Last Updated:Apr 27, 2017 4:33 am 14461 Views
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Read: Acts 17:22–32
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 1–2; Luke 19:28–48
As I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. Acts 17.23
I stood before the gathering at a small Jamaican church and said in my best local dialect, “Wah Gwan, Jamaica?” The reaction was better than I expected, as smiles and applause greeted me.
In reality, all I had said was the standard greeting, “What’s going on?” in Patois [pa-twa], but to their ears I was saying, “I care enough to speak your language.” Of course I did not yet know enough Patois to continue, but a door had been opened.
Before you tell others about Christ, let them see how much you care.
When the apostle Paul stood before the people of Athens, he let them know that he knew their culture. He told them that he had noticed their altar to “an unknown god,” and he quoted one of their poets. Of course, not everyone believed Paul’s message about Jesus’s resurrection, but some said, “We want to hear you again on this subject” (Acts 17.32).
As we interact with others about Jesus and the salvation He offers, the lessons of Scripture show us to invest ourselves in others—to learn their language, as it were—as a way to open the door to telling them the good news (see also
1 Cor. 9:20–23).
As we find out “Wah Gwan?” in others’ lives, it will be easier to share what God has done in ours.
Show us, Lord, what is important to others. Help us to think of their interests first, and allow opportunities to speak about the love of Jesus.
Before you tell others about Christ, let them see how much you care.
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