Shopping with Liam
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Posted:Jun 23, 2015 3:26 am
Last Updated:Jun 23, 2015 3:29 am 33471 Views
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Read: Genesis 3.14-19
Bible in a Year: Esther 9.10; Acts 7.1-21
He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. Genesis 3.15
My Liam loves to pick dandelions for his mother. To date, she hasn't wearied of receiving them. One man's weed is a little boy's flower.
One day I took Liam shopping with me. As we hurried past the floral section, he pointed excitedly to an arrangement of yellow tulips. Daddy, he exclaimed,you should get those dandelions for Mommy! His advice made me laugh. It made a pretty good Facebook post on his mother's page too. (By the way, I bought the tulips.)
Some see in weeds a reminder of Adam's sin. By eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve brought on themselves the curse of a fallen worldrelentless work, agonizing birth, and eventual death
Gen. 3:.16-19.
else. There is beauty even in weeds. The anguish of childbirth holds hope for us all. Death is ultimately defeated. The Seed God spoke of in Genesis 3.15 would wage war with the serpent's offspring. That Seed is Jesus Himself, who rescued us from the curse of death Gal. 3.16.
The world may be broken, but wonder awaits us at every turn. Even weeds remind us of the promise of redemption and a Creator who loves us.
Help us, Father, to find You even in the midst of all life's pain and aggravations. Forgive us for so often overlooking the beauty You have planted everywhere.
Creation reminds us of the promise of redemption.
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The Challenge Of Transition
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Posted:Jun 22, 2015 3:55 am
Last Updated:Jun 22, 2015 3:56 am 33340 Views
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Read: Joshua 1.6-11
Bible in a Year: Esther 6–8; Acts 6
Be strong and very courageous. —Joshua 1.7
After former professional athlete Chris Sanders suffered a career-ending injury, he told a group of military veterans that although he had never experienced combat, “I understand the pressures of transitions.”
Whether it’s the loss of a job, the loss of a marriage, a serious illness, or a financial setback, every major change brings challenges. The former athlete told the soldiers that the key to success when you are transitioning into a new way of living is to reach out and get help.
The book of Joshua is recommended reading whenever we find ourselves in transition. After 40 years of wandering and setbacks, God’s people were poised to enter the Promised Land. Moses, their great leader, had died, and Joshua, his assistant, was in charge.
God told Joshua to “be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go” Josh. 1.7. God’s words of direction were to be the bedrock of Joshua’s leadership in every situation.
The Lord’s charge and promise to Joshua apply to us as well: “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” v. 9.
He is with us in every transition.
Father, I’m bringing You my trials and frustrations. You know each and every detail. Please comfort me as only You can, and provide exactly what I need for today. Help me give my unfulfilled expectations to You, trusting You’re working out a plan for me.
God remains faithful in every change.
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Look At The Tassels
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Posted:Jun 19, 2015 1:04 am
Last Updated:Jun 19, 2015 1:05 am 32944 Views
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Read: Numbers 15:37-41
Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 12–13; Acts 4:23-37
Remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them.
Numbers 15:39
Best-selling author Chaim Potok began his novel The Chosen by describing a baseball game between two Jewish teams in New York City. Reuven Malter, the book’s main character, notices that the opposing players’ uniforms have a unique accessory—four long ropelike tassels that extend below each teammate’s shirt. Reuven recognizes the tassels as a sign of strict obedience to God’s Old Testament laws.
The history of these fringes—known as tzitzit—began with a message from God. Through Moses, God told His people to create tassels containing some strands of blue thread and attach them to the four corners of their top garments (Num. 15:38. God said, “You may look upon [the tassels] and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them”
(v. 39.
God’s memory device for the ancient Israelites has a parallel for us today. We can look at Christ who consistently kept the whole law in our place and obeyed His heavenly Father (John 8:29). Having received His work on our behalf, we now “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Rom. 13:14). Keeping our eyes on God’s helps us to honor our heavenly Father.
Dear Jesus, thank You for being my spiritual role model. Help me to walk in Your steps so that I can honor and obey God with the Holy Spirit’s help.
If Christ is the center of your life, you’ll always be focused on Him.
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Failure Is Not Fatal
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Posted:Jun 18, 2015 1:42 am
Last Updated:Jun 18, 2015 1:44 am 34053 Views
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Read: John 18:15-27
Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 10.11; Acts 4.1-22
You are the Christ, the of the living God. John 6.69
Prime Minister Winston Churchill knew how to bolster the spirits of the British people during World War II. On June 18, 1940, he told a frightened populace, Hitler knows that he will have to break us . . . or lose the war. . . . Let us therefore brace . . . and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire [lasts] for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour!
We would all like to be remembered for our finest hour. Perhaps the apostle Peter.s finest hour was when he proclaimed, You are the Christ, the of the living God John 6.69. Sometimes, however, we let our failures define us. After Peter repeatedly denied that he knew Jesus, he went out and wept bitterly Matt. 26.75; John 18.
Like Peter, we all fall short in our relationships, in our struggle with sin, in our faithfulness to God. But failure is not fatal, as Churchill also said. Thankfully, this is true in our spiritual life. Jesus forgave the repentant Peter for his failure John 21 and used him to preach and lead many to the Savior.
Failure is not fatal. God lovingly restores those who turn back to Him.
Dear Father, thank You for Your forgiveness. Thank You that Your mercy and grace are given freely through the shed blood of Your , Jesus.
When God forgives, He removes the sin and restores the soul.
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Wise Words
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Posted:Jun 17, 2015 2:21 am
Last Updated:Jun 17, 2015 2:23 am 34228 Views
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Read: Proverbs 10:18-21; 12:17-19
Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 7.9; Acts 3
The tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12.18
What is the strongest muscle in the human body? Some say it's the tongue, but it's hard to determine which muscle is the most powerful because muscles don't work alone.
But we do know that the tongue is strong. For a small muscle, it can do a lot of damage. This active little muscular organ that helps us eat, swallow, taste, and begin digestion has a tendency to also assist us in saying things we shouldn't. The tongue is guilty of flattery, cursing, lying, boasting, and harming others. And that's just the short list.
It sounds like a pretty dangerous muscle, doesn't it? But here's the good thing: It doesn't have to be that way. When we are controlled by the Holy Spirit, our tongues can be turned to great good. We can speak of God's righteousness Ps. 35.28 and justice (37:30). We can speak truth 15.2, show love 1 John 3.18, and confess sin 1 John 1.9.
The writer of Proverbs 12:18 spells out one of the best uses of the tongue: The tongue of the wise brings healing . Imagine how we could glorify the One who made our tongues when He helps us use it to bring healing not harm to everyone we talk to.
Please guard each word we say so we reflect You and Your love. Help our tongues speak words of healing and not harm.
Encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5.11
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Our Anchor
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Posted:Jun 16, 2015 3:49 am
Last Updated:Jun 17, 2015 2:21 am 33761 Views
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Read: Hebrews 6:13-20
Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 4.6; Acts 2:22-47
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. Hebrews 6:19
After Estella Pyfrom retired from teaching, she bought a bus, decked it out with computers and desks, and now drives the Brilliant Bus through Palm Beach County, Florida, providing a place for at-risk to do their homework and learn technology. Estella is providing stability and hope to who might be tempted to throw away their dream for a better tomorrow.
In the first century, an avalanche of suffering and discouragement threatened the Christian community. The author of Hebrews wrote to convince these followers of Christ not to throw away their confidence in their future hope (2:1). Their hope a faith in God for salvation and entrance into heaven was found in the person and sacrifice of Christ. When Jesus entered heaven after His resurrection, He secured their hope for the future (6.19-20). Like an anchor dropped at sea, preventing a ship from drifting away, Jesus death, resurrection, and return to heaven brought assurance and stability to the believers lives. This hope for the future cannot and will not be shaken loose.
Jesus anchors our souls, so that we will not drift away from our hope in God.
Jesus, in the face of all kinds of trouble and uncertainty, help me to have a confident expectation that is grounded in Your unfailing love for me.
Our hope is anchored in Jesus.
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LOOK UP!!!
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Posted:Jun 15, 2015 4:22 am
Last Updated:Jun 16, 2015 3:49 am 32324 Views
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Read: Psalm 121
Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 1.3; Acts 2:1-21
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121.2
In a park near our home there's a trail I enjoy walking on. Along one section there's a panoramic view of red sandstone rocks in the Garden of the Gods with the majestic 14,115-foot Pikes Peak behind them. From time to time, though, I find myself walking that section occupied with some problem and looking down at the wide, smooth trail. If no one is around, I may stop and say aloud, David, look up!
The psalms known as Songs of Ascents Ps. 120.134 were sung by the people of Israel as they walked the road up to Jerusalem to attend the three annual pilgrim festivals. Psalm 121 begins, âI will lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence comes my help? V. 1. The answer follows, My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth
v. 2. The Creator is not an aloof being, but a companion who is always with us, always awake to our circumstances vv. 3-7, guiding and guarding our journey through life from this time forth, and even forevermore v. 8.
Along life's path, how we need to keep our eyes fixed on God, our source of help. When we're feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, it's all right to say aloud, Look up!
I look up to You, Father, for You are the One who can help me. Thank You for the joys and trials in my life right now. Iâm grateful that I never walk alone.
Keep your eyes on God source of help.
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Don't Lose Heart
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Posted:Jun 12, 2015 1:46 am
Last Updated:Jun 13, 2015 9:38 am 31079 Views
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Read: Galatians 6.1-10
Bible in a Year: Ezra 3,5; John 20
In due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6.9
Cooking can become tedious work when I do it three times a day, week after week. I get tired of peeling, cutting, slicing, mixing, and then waiting for food to bake, grill, or boil. But eating is never tedious! It's actually something we truly enjoy even though we do it day after day.
Paul used the illustration of sowing and reaping because he knew that doing good can be tiring (Gal. 6.7-10). He wrote, Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (v.9). It's difficult to love our enemies, discipline our , or pray without ceasing. However, reaping the good we have sown isn't tedious! What a joy when we do get to see love conquering strife, or following God's ways, or answers to prayer.
While the cooking process can take hours, my family usually finishes a meal in 20 minutes or less. But the reaping that Paul talks about will be eternal. As we have the opportunity, let's do what is good and wait for the blessings in God's timing. Don't lose heart today as you go about following God's ways. Remember that joy is guaranteed for more than a lifetime.
Dear Lord, help me not to become weary of doing good today. I'm thankful that some day I will be with You for a joy-filled eternity!
Keep running the race with eternity in view.
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Strength in Stillness
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Posted:Jun 11, 2015 2:01 am
Last Updated:Jun 12, 2015 1:35 pm 31231 Views
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Read: Exodus 14:10-14
Bible in a Year: Ezra 1.2; John 19:23-42
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength. Isaiah 30.15
Early in my Christian life the demands of commitment made me wonder if I could make it past a year without returning to my old sinful ways. But this Scriptur verse helped me: The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still Exod. 14.14 . These are the words Moses spoke to the Israelites when they had just escaped from slavery in Egypt and were being pursued by Pharaoh. They were discouraged and afraid.
As a young believer, with temptations engulfing my world, this call to be still encouraged me. Now, some 37 years later, remaining still and calm while trusting Him in the midst of stress-laden situations has been a constant desire for my Christian living.
Be still, and know that I am God, the psalmist says Ps. 46.10. When we remain still, we get to know God, our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble v. 1. We see our weakness apart from God and recognize our need to surrender to Him. When I am weak, then I am strong,says the apostle Paul 2 Cor. 12.10.
Daily we grind through stress and other frustrating situations. But we can trust that He will be faithful to His promise to care for us. May we learn to be still.
Sometimes the hectic demands on your day can crowd out your time with God. Find out how you can develop a regular time of Bible reading and prayer. Read In His Presence
The Lord may calm your storm, but more often He'll calm you.
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The Unlikely
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Posted:Jun 10, 2015 4:12 am
Last Updated:Jun 11, 2015 2:01 am 30934 Views
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Read: 1 Corinthians 1.25-31
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 34.36; John 19.1-22
God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. 1 Corinthians 1.27
Fanny Kemble was a British actress who moved to America in the early 1800s and married a southern plantation owner named Pierce Butler. Fanny enjoyed the life afforded by the wealth of the plantation, until she saw the cost of that luxury a cost paid by the slaves who worked her husband's plantations.
Having written a memoir of the cruel treatment slaves often suffered, Kemble was eventually divorced from her husband. Her writings were widely circulated among abolitionists and published in 1863 as Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1838.1839. Because of her opposition to slavery, the former wife of a slave owner became known as The Unlikely Abolitionist.
In the body of Christ, God often wonderfully surprises us. He regularly uses the unlikely people and circumstances to accomplish His purposes. Paul wrote, But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen
1 Cor. 1.27-28.
This reminds us that God, in His grace, can use anyone. If we will allow His work to be done in us, we might be surprised at what He can do through us!
How will you let God use you today?
God desires willing hearts ready to be used.
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