START AFRESH
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Posted:May 11, 2016 4:22 am
Last Updated:May 12, 2016 4:44 am 16417 Views
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Read: Psalm 86:5-15
Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 13–14; John 2
His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
When I was growing up, one of my favorite books was Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. In one amusing passage, young Anne, by mistake, adds a skin medication instead of vanilla to the cake she is making. Afterward, she exclaims hopefully to her stern-faced guardian, Marilla, “Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”
I like that thought: tomorrow is a new day—a new day when we can start afresh. We all make mistakes. But when it comes to sin, God’s forgiveness is what enables us to start each morning with a clean slate. When we repent, He chooses to remember our sins no more
(Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:12).
God’s compassion and faithfulness are new every morning (Lam. 3:23).
Some of us have made wrong choices in our lives, but our past words and deeds need not define our future in God’s eyes. There is always a fresh start. When we ask for His forgiveness, we take a first step toward restoring our relationship with Him and with others. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
God’s compassion and faithfulness are new every morning (Lam. 3:23), so we can start afresh each day.
Thank You for this new day, Lord. Forgive me for doing those things in the past that I shouldn't have done, and for not doing those things that I should have done. Set my feet on Your right path today.
Each new day gives us new reasons to praise the Lord.
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OUR DIVINE DEFENSE!
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Posted:May 10, 2016 5:08 am
Last Updated:May 11, 2016 4:22 am 16365 Views
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Read: Nehemiah 4.7-18
Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 10–12; John 1:29-51
Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:17
Under Nehemiah’s supervision, the Israelite workers were rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. When they were nearly half finished, however, they learned that their enemies were plotting to attack Jerusalem. This news demoralized the already exhausted workers.
Nehemiah had to do something. First, he prayed and posted numerous guards in strategic places. Then, he armed his workers. “Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked” (Neh. 4:17-18.
What we do for Jesus will last for eternity.
We who are building God’s kingdom need to arm ourselves against the attack of our spiritual enemy, Satan. Our protection is the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word. Memorizing Scripture and meditating on it enable us to “take [our] stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph. 6:11).
If we think that working for God doesn’t matter, we should turn to the promise that what we do for Jesus will last for eternity (1 Cor. 3:11-15).
If we fear we’ve sinned too greatly for God to use us, we must remember we’ve been forgiven by the power of Jesus’ blood (Matt. 26:28. And if we’re worried we might fail if we try to serve God, we can recall that Jesus said we will bear fruit as we abide in Him (John 15:5).
God’s Word is our divine defense!
God, thank You for the Bible. I believe that Your Word is alive and active. Please help me to remember it when I am worried or fearful, when I need encouragement and inspiration.
God’s Word is a divine defense against attacks from the Enemy.
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KEEP CLIMBING!
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Posted:May 9, 2016 4:50 am
Last Updated:Apr 28, 2024 5:42 am 16456 Views
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Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 7–9; John 1:1-28
Encourage one another daily. Hebrews 3:13
Richard needed a push, and he got one. He was rock climbing with his friend Kevin who was the belayer (the one who secures the rope). Exhausted and ready to quit, Richard asked Kevin to lower him to the ground. But Kevin urged him on, saying he had come too far to quit. Dangling in midair, Richard decided to keep trying. Amazingly, he was able to reconnect with the rock and complete the climb because of his friend’s encouragement.
In the early church, followers of Jesus encouraged one another to continue to follow their Lord and to show compassion. In a culture riddled with immorality, they passionately appealed to one another to live pure lives (Rom. 12:1; 1 Thess. 4:1). Believers encouraged one another daily, as God prompted them to do so (Acts 13:15). They urged each other to intercede for the body (Rom. 15:30), to help people stay connected to the church (Heb. 10:25), and to love more and more (1 Thess. 4:10).
Through His death and resurrection, Jesus has connected us to one another. Therefore, we have the responsibility and privilege with God’s enablement to encourage fellow believers to finish the climb of trusting and obeying Him.
When was the last time you needed to urge someone to keep following Jesus? Who has encouraged you or stirred you to pursue holiness, to keep praying, or to enlarge your love for Jesus and others?
Encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11
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NO GREATER JOY
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Posted:May 6, 2016 4:56 am
Last Updated:Apr 28, 2024 5:42 am 16286 Views
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Read: 3 John 1:1-8
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 21–22; Luke 23:26-56
I have no greater joy than to hear that my are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:4
Bob and Evon Potter were a fun-loving couple with three young sons when their life took a wonderful new direction. In 1956 they attended a Billy Graham Crusade in Oklahoma City and gave their lives to Christ. Before long, they wanted to reach out to others to share their faith and the truth about Christ, so they opened their home every Saturday night to high school and college students who had a desire to study the Bible. A friend invited me and I became a regular at the Potters’ house.
This was a serious Bible study that included lesson preparation and memorizing Scripture. Surrounded by an atmosphere of friendship, joy, and laughter, we challenged each other and the Lord changed our lives during those days.
Be a voice of encouragement to someone today.
I stayed in touch with the Potters over the years and received many cards and letters from Bob who always signed them with these words: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4). Like John writing to his “dear friend Gaius” (v. 1), Bob encouraged everyone who crossed his path to keep walking with the Lord.
A few years ago I attended Bob’s memorial service. It was a joyful occasion filled with people still walking the road of faith—all because of a young couple who opened their home and their hearts to help others find the Lord.
Thank You, Lord, for the people who have encouraged me to keep walking in Your truth. May I honor them by helping someone along that road today.
Be a voice of encouragement to someone today.
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PRAYER MARATHON
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Posted:May 5, 2016 4:14 am
Last Updated:May 6, 2016 4:56 am 16244 Views
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PRead: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-28
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 19–20; Luke 23:1-25
Pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Do you struggle to maintain a consistent prayer life? Many of us do. We know that prayer is important, but it can also be downright difficult. We have moments of deep communion with God and then we have times when it feels like we’re just going through the motions. Why do we struggle so in our prayers?
The life of faith is a marathon. The ups, the downs, and the plateaus in our prayer life are a reflection of this race. And just as in a marathon we need to keep running, so we keep praying. The point is: Don’t give up!
There is never a day when we don’t need to pray.
That is God’s encouragement too. The apostle Paul said, “pray continually”
(1 Thess. 5:17), “keep on praying” (Rom. 12:12 , and “devote yourselves to prayer” (Col. 4:2). All of these statements carry the idea of remaining steadfast and continuing in the work of prayer.
And because God, our heavenly Father, is a personal being, we can develop a time of close communion with Him, just as we do with our close human relationships. A. W. Tozer writes that as we learn to pray, our prayer life can grow “from the initial most casual brush to the fullest, most intimate communion of which the human soul is capable.” And that’s what we really want—deep communication with God. It happens when we keep praying.
Dear Father, we often struggle to spend time with You. Help us to make the time, and help us sense Your goodness and presence.
There is never a day when we don’t need to pray.
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OU OF THE RUINS
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Posted:May 4, 2016 4:18 am
Last Updated:May 5, 2016 4:14 am 16574 Views
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Read: Lamentations 5:8-22
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 16–18; Luke 22:47-71
He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins. Ezra 9:9
In the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem you’ll find Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue. Built in the 19th century, the synagogue was dynamited by commandos during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
For years the site lay in ruins. Then, in 2014, rebuilding began. As city officials set a piece of rubble as the cornerstone, one of them quoted from Lamentations: “Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old” (5:21).
It takes time, but we can always trust Him.
Lamentations is Jeremiah’s funeral song for Jerusalem. With graphic imagery the prophet describes the impact of war on his city. Verse 21 is his heartfelt prayer for God to intervene. Still, the prophet wonders if that is even possible. He concludes his anguished song with this fearful caveat: “unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure” (v. 22). Decades later, God did answer that prayer as the exiles returned to Jerusalem.
Our lives too may seem to be in ruins. Troubles of our own making and conflicts we can’t avoid may leave us devastated. But we have a Father who understands. Gently, patiently, He clears away the rubble, repurposes it, and builds something better. It takes time, but we can always trust Him. He specializes in rebuilding projects.
Lord, You have reclaimed us, and You are remaking us. Thank You for Your love and Your care despite our self-centered and destructive ways.
Thank You for true forgiveness and unity in You.
God will one day restore all the beauty lost before.
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JUST WHAT I NEED
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Posted:May 3, 2016 3:02 am
Last Updated:May 4, 2016 4:18 am 16375 Views
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Read: 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 14–15; Luke 22:21-46
We can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
2 Corinthians 1:4
As I stood in the back of the room at a senior citizens’ center in Palmer, Alaska, listening to my ’s high school choir sing “It Is Well with My Soul,” I wondered why she, the choir director, had chosen that song. It had been played at her sister Melissa’s funeral, and Lisa knew it was always tough for me to hear it without having an emotional response.
My musings were interrupted when a man sidled up next to me and said, “This is just what I need to hear.” I introduced myself and then asked why he needed this song. “I lost my Cameron last week in a motorcycle accident,” he said.
Lord, help me to see where help is needed.
Wow! I was so focused on myself that I never considered the needs of others, and God was busy using that song exactly where He wanted it to be used. I took my new friend Mac, who worked at the center, aside, and we talked about God’s care in this toughest time in his life.
All around us are people in need, and sometimes we have to set aside our own feelings and agendas to help them. One way we can do that is to remember how God has comforted us in our trials and troubles “so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Cor. 1:4). How easy it is to be engrossed in our own concerns and forget that someone right next to us might need a prayer, a word of comfort, a hug, or gift of mercy in Jesus’ name.
Lord, help me to see where help is needed, and help me to provide that help. Thank You for the comfort You give; help me to share it.
Comfort received should be comfort shared.
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SHINE THROUGH
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Posted:May 2, 2016 5:20 am
Last Updated:May 3, 2016 3:02 am 16667 Views
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Read: Matthew 5:13-16
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 12–13; Luke 22:1-20
Let your light shine before others. Matthew 5:16
A little girl wondered what a saint might be. One day her mother took her to a great cathedral to see the gorgeous stained-glass windows with scenes from the Bible. When she saw the beauty of it all she cried out loud, “Now I know what saints are. They are people who let the light shine through!”
Some of us might think that saints are people of the past who lived perfect lives and did Jesus-like miracles. But when a translation of Scripture uses the word saint, it is actually referring to anyone who belongs to God through faith in Christ. In other words, saints are people like us who have the high calling of serving God while reflecting our relationship with Him wherever we are and in whatever we do. That is why the apostle Paul prayed that the eyes and understanding of his readers would be opened to think of themselves as the treasured inheritance of Christ and saints of God (Eph. 1:18.
Cleanse me today so that I may let Your light shine through.
So what then do we see in the mirror? No halos or stained glass. But if we are fulfilling our calling, we will look like people who, maybe even without realizing it, are letting the rich colors of the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control of God shine through.
Lord, You are the light of the world. Thank You for wanting to shine that light in our lives. Cleanse me today so that I may let Your light shine through.
Saints are people through whom God’s light shines.
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THE FRAGRANCE OF CHRIST
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Posted:Apr 29, 2016 3:48 am
Last Updated:May 2, 2016 5:20 am 16592 Views
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Read: 2 Corinthians 2:14-17
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 6–7; Luke 20:27-47
We are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ. 2 Corinthians 2:15
Which of the five senses brings back your memories most sharply? For me it is definitely the sense of smell. A certain kind of sun oil takes me instantly to a French beach. The smell of chicken mash brings back childhood visits to my grandmother. A hint of pine says “Christmas,” and a certain kind of aftershave reminds me of my ’s teenage years.
Paul reminded the Corinthians that they were the aroma of Christ: “For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ” (2 Cor. 2:15). He may have been referring to Roman victory parades. The Romans made sure everyone knew they had been victorious by burning incense on altars throughout the city. For the victors, the aroma was pleasing; for the prisoners it meant certain slavery or death. So as believers, we are victorious soldiers. And when the gospel of Christ is preached, it is a pleasing fragrance to God.
When we walk with God, people will notice.
As the aroma of Christ, what perfumes do Christians bring with them as they walk into a room? It’s not something that can be bought in a bottle or a jar. When we spend a lot of time with someone, we begin to think and act like that person. Spending time with Jesus will help us spread a pleasing fragrance to those around us.
Lord, please shape my thoughts and actions so people may sense that I have been with You.
When we walk with God, people will notice.
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AN AMAZING LOVE
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Posted:Apr 28, 2016 4:23 am
Last Updated:Apr 29, 2016 3:48 am 16743 Views
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Read: Malachi 1:1-10; 4:5-6
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 3–5; Luke 20:1-26
“I have loved you,” says the Lord. Malachi 1:2
The final major historic acts of the Old Testament are described in Ezra and Nehemiah as God allowed the people of Israel to return from exile and resettle in Jerusalem. The City of David was repopulated with Hebrew families, a new temple was built, and the wall was repaired.
And that brings us to Malachi. This prophet, who was most likely a contemporary of Nehemiah, brings the written portion of the Old Testament to a close. Notice the first thing he said to the people of Israel: “ ‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord.” And look at their response: “How have you loved us?” (1:2).
Those who put their trust in Jesus will have eternal life.
Amazing, isn’t it? Their history had proven God’s faithfulness, yet after hundreds of years in which God continually provided for His chosen people in both miraculous and mundane ways, they wondered how He had shown His love. As the book continues, Malachi reminds the people of their unfaithfulness (see vv. 6-8 They had a long historical pattern of God’s provision for them, followed by their disobedience, followed by God’s discipline.
It was time, soon, for a new way. The prophet hints at it in Malachi 4:5-6. The Messiah would be coming. There was hope ahead for a Savior who would show us His love and pay the penalty once and for all for our sin.
That Messiah indeed has come! Malachi’s hope is now a reality in Jesus.
Thank You, Father, for the story You told in Your Word of the people of Israel. It reminds us to be grateful for what You have done for us. Thank You for loving us so much You sent us Jesus.
Those who put their trust in Jesus will have eternal life.
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