Deceptive Currents
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Posted:Jun 9, 2015 4:20 am
Last Updated:Jun 9, 2015 4:24 am 31025 Views
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Read: Deuteronomy 8.11-20
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 32.33; John 18.19-40
When they had pasture, they were filled; they were filled and their heart was exalted. Hosea 13.6
In his book The Hidden Brain, science writer Shankar Vedantam describes the day he went for a leisurely swim. The water was calm and clear, and he felt strong and proud for covering a long distance so easily. He decided to swim out of the bay and into open water. But when he tried to return he couldn't make any progress. He had been deceived by the current. The ease of swimming had not been due to his strength but to the movement of the water.
In our relationship with God something similar can happen. Going with the flow can lead us to believe we're stronger than we are. When life is easy, our minds tell us that it's due to our own strength. We become proud and self-confident. But when trouble hits, we realize how little strength we have and how helpless we are.
This happened with the Israelites. God would bless them with military success, peace, and prosperity. But thinking they had achieved it on their own, they would then become proud and self-sufficient Deut. 8.11-12. Assuming that they no longer needed God, they would go their own way until an enemy attacked and they would realize how powerless they were without God's help.
When life is going well we too need to beware of self-deception. Pride will take us where we do not want to go. Only humility will keep us where we ought to be grateful to God and dependent on His strength.
Lord, we don't dare trust in our own strength to do our tasks today. You are the Giver of our talents and opportunities. Help us use them not for our own advancement, but to help others.
True humility credits God for every success.
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On A Hill Far Away
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Posted:Jun 8, 2015 1:55 am
Last Updated:Jun 9, 2015 4:05 am 31055 Views
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Read: Genesis 22.1-12
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 30.31; John 18.1-18
Take now your , your only Isaac, whom you love. Genesis 22.2
I often find myself thinking back to the years when my were young. One particular fond memory is our morning wake-up routine. Every morning I'd go into their bedrooms, tenderly call them by name, and tell them that it was time to get up and get ready for the day.
When I read that Abraham got up early in the morning to obey God's command, I think of those times when I woke up my and wonder if part of Abraham's daily routine was going to Isaac's bed to waken him and how different it would have been on that particular morning. How heart-rending for Abraham to waken his that morning!
Abraham bound his and laid him on an altar, but then God provided an alternate sacrifice. Hundreds of years later, God would supply another sacrifice the final sacrifice His own . Think of how agonizing it must have been for God to sacrifice His , His only whom He loved! And He went through all of that because He loves you.
If you wonder whether you are loved by God, wonder no more.
Lord, I am amazed that You would love me so much that You would sacrifice Your for me. Teach me to live gratefully in the embrace of Your unfailing love.
God has already proven His love for you.
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What We Do
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Posted:Jun 5, 2015 1:38 am
Last Updated:Jun 5, 2015 1:39 am 31147 Views
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Read: Philippians 3.7-17
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 23.24; John 15
One thing I do . . . I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3.13-14
When Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert died, a fellow journalist wrote of him: With all his notoriety, honors, and celebrity, all his exclusive interviews and star-dusted encounters with movie greats, Ebert never forgot the essence of what we do review movies. And he reviewed them with an infectious zeal and probing intellect
The apostle Paul never forgot the essence of what God wanted him to be and do. Focus and enthusiasm were at the heart of his relationship with Christ. Whether he was reasoning with philosophers in Athens, experiencing shipwreck in the Mediterranean, or being chained to a Roman soldier in prison, he focused on his calling to know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings and to teach about Him Phil. 3.10.
While he was in prison, Paul wrote, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus 3.13-14. Whatever his circumstances, Paul continually pressed forward in his calling as a disciple of Christ.
May we always remember the essence, the heart, of who we are called to be and what we are called to do as followers of Jesus.
Father, may I be willing to do what I can with all that I have, wherever I am.
Paul was in earnest over one thing only, and that was his relationship to Jesus Christ. Oswald Chambers
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My Father Is With Me
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Posted:Jun 4, 2015 1:23 am
Last Updated:Jun 4, 2015 1:26 am 29766 Views
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Read: Mark 14.32-50
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 21.22; John 14
You will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. John 16.32
A friend struggling with loneliness posted these words on her Facebook page: It's not that I feel alone because I have no friends. I have lots of friends. I know that I have people who can hold me and reassure me and talk to me and care for me and think of me. But they can't be with me all the time for all time.
Jesus understands that kind of loneliness. I imagine that during His earthly ministry He saw loneliness in the eyes of lepers and heard it in the voices of the blind. But above all, He must have experienced it when His close friends deserted Him Mark 14.50.
However, as He foretold the disciples desertion, He also confessed His unshaken confidence in His Father's presence. He said to His disciples: [You] will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me John 16.32. Shortly after Jesus said these words, He took up the cross for us. He made it possible for you and me to have a restored relationship with God and to be a member of His family.
Being humans, we will all experience times of loneliness. But Jesus helps us understand that we always have the presence of the Father with us. God is omnipresent and eternal. Only He can be with us all the time, for all time.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise that You will never leave me or forsake me. When I feel lonely, help me to remember You are always with me.
If you know Jesus, you'll never walk alone.
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Something New
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Posted:Jun 3, 2015 3:27 am
Last Updated:Jun 3, 2015 3:29 am 26577 Views
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Read: Ephesians 2.10-22
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 19.20; John 13.21-38
We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2.10
It was only scrap wood, but Charles Hooper saw much more than that. Salvaging old timbers from a long-abandoned corncrib, he sketched some simple plans. Then he felled a few oak and poplar trees from his wooded property and painstakingly squared them with his grandfather's broadax. Piece by piece, he began to fit together the old lumber with the new.
Today you can see Charles and Shirley Hooper's postcard-perfect log cabin, tucked away in the trees on Tennessee Ridge. Part guesthouse, part museum for family heirlooms, the structure stands as an enduring tribute to Charles vision, skill, and patience.
Writing to a Gentile audience, Paul told the church at Ephesus how Jesus was creating something new by bringing together Jewish and non-Jewish believers as a single entity. You who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ, Paul wrote Eph. 2.13. This new structure was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord
vv. 20-21.
The work continues today. God takes the brokenness of our lives, artfully fits us together with other broken and rescued people, and patiently chips away our rough edges. He loves His work, you know.
Lord, we can't thank You enough for Your passionate love for us. Help us to see that You bring us together in this beautiful body of believers known as Your church.
Our rough edges must be chipped away to bring out the image of Christ.
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Feeling Insignificant
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Posted:Jun 2, 2015 4:29 am
Last Updated:Jun 2, 2015 4:31 am 24697 Views
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Read: Psalm 139.7-16 |
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 17.18; John 13.1-20
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139.14
We are among seven billion people who coexist on a tiny planet that resides in a small section of a rather insignificant solar system. Our earth, in reality, is just one miniscule blue dot among millions of celestial bodies that God created. On the gigantic canvas that is our universe, our beautiful, majestic Earth appears as a tiny speck of dust.
That could make us feel extremely unimportant and inconsequential. However, God's Word suggests that just the opposite is true. Our great God, whomeasured the waters in the hollow of His hand Isa. 40.12, has singled out each person on this planet as supremely important, for we are made in His image.
For instance, He has created everything for us to enjoy 1 Tim. 617. Also, for all who have trusted Jesus as Savior, God has given purpose
Eph. 2.10. And then there's this: Despite the vastness of this world, God cares specifically about each of us. Psalm 139 says He knows what we are going to say and what we are thinking. We can't escape His presence, and He planned our earthly existence before we were born.
We don't need to feel unimportant when the God of the universe is that interested in us!
Lord, I look out into the vastness of the heavens and I see the grandeur of Your infinite power, yet You look at me from heaven and see someone You know, love, and care about. Thank You that You find value in me.
The God who created the universe is the God who loves you.
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Light In The Darkess
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Posted:Jun 1, 2015 4:06 am
Last Updated:Jun 1, 2015 4:09 am 24827 Views
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Read: John 12.42-50
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 15.16; John 12:27-50
I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. John 12.46
During a trip to Peru, I visited one of the many caves found throughout that mountainous country. Our guide told us that this particular cave had already been explored to a depth of 9 miles and it went even deeper. We saw fascinating bats, nocturnal birds, and interesting rock formations. Before long, however, the darkness of the cave became unnerving almost suffocating. I was greatly relieved when we returned to the surface and the light of day.
That experience was a stark reminder of how oppressive darkness can be and how much we need light. We live in a world made dark by sin a world that has turned against its Creator. And we need the Light.
Jesus, who came to restore all of creation including humanity to its intended place referred to Himself as that light John 8.12. I have come as a light into the world, He said, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness 12.46.
In Him, we not only have the light of salvation but the only light by which we can find our way His way through our world's spiritual darkness.
How have you seen God's light displayed in our broken world? In what ways have you shared His light?
When we walk in the Light, we won't stumble in the darkness.
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Misterious Ways
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Posted:May 29, 2015 1:56 am
Last Updated:Jun 1, 2015 4:06 am 25296 Views
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Read: Job 40:1-14
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 7-9; John 11:1-29
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways. Isaiah 5,9
When my began attending Chinese language classes, I marveled at the papers he brought home after his first session. As a native English speaker, it was difficult for me to understand how the written characters related to the spoken words. The language seemed incredibly complex to me almost incomprehensible.
Sometimes I feel the same sense of bewilderment when I consider the way God operates. I know He has said, My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways Isa. 55,8. Still, there's a part of me that feels like I should be able to understand why God allows certain things to happen. After all, I read His Word regularly and His Holy Spirit lives inside of me.
When I feel entitled to understand God's ways, I try to recommit myself to humility. I remember that Job did not get an explanation for all his heartache Job 1.5,8. He struggled to understand, but God asked him: Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? 40.2. Job contritely responded, What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth v.4. Job was speechless before God's greatness.
Although God's ways may seem to be mysterious and unfathomable at times, we can rest confidently that they are higher than our ways.
Father, please help me to trust You even when I don't understand why things happen as they do. Please comfort my heart and remind me of Your goodness and love.
If you know that God's hand is in everything, you can leave everything in God's hand.
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I'M STUMPED
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Posted:May 28, 2015 1:59 am
Last Updated:May 28, 2015 2:01 am 25395 Views
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Read: Proverbs 30:1-4
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 4-6; John 10.24-42
I am afraid that . . . your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11.3
The riddle stumped me: What is greater than God and more evil than the devil? The poor have it. The rich need it. And if you eat it you will die.
I missed the solution by allowing my mind to be distracted from the obvious answer: Nothing.
That riddle reminds me of another test of wits that would have been far more difficult to solve when it was originally posed. An ancient wise man named Agur asked: Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His 's name, if you know? Prov. 30.4
Today, we know the answer to those questions. But sometimes when we're in the middle of the questions, worries, and needs of our lives we may lose sight of the obvious. The details of life can so easily distract us from the One who answers the most important riddle: Who is One with God; more powerful than the devil; the poor can have Him; the rich need Him; and if you eat and drink from His table, you'll never die? Jesus Christ, the Lord.
Father, in the details and distractions of our spiritual journey, it is so easy to look right past You and Your . May we see You today in a new and fresh way.
Focusing on God helps us to take our eyes off our circumstances.
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Marked By His Name
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Posted:May 27, 2015 3:21 am
Last Updated:May 28, 2015 2:00 am 25510 Views
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Read: Acts 11:19-26
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 1-3; John 10:1-23
The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Acts 11.26
In July 1860, the world's first nursing school opened at St. Thomas Hospital in London. Today that school is part of the King's College, where nursing students are called Nightingales. The school like modern nursing itself was established by Florence Nightingale, who revolutionized nursing during the Crimean War. When prospective nurses complete their training, they take the Nightingale Pledge, a reflection of her ongoing impact on nursing.
Many people, like Florence Nightingale, have had a significant impact on our world. But no one has had a greater effect than Jesus, whose birth, death, and resurrection have been transforming lives for 2,000 years.
Around the world, Christ's name marks those who are His followers, going back to the earliest days of the church. When [Barnabas] had found [Saul], he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch Acts 11.26.
Those who bear Christ's name identify with Him because we have been changed by His love and grace. We declare to the world that He has made an eternal difference in our lives and we long for that in the hearts of others too.
Father, give me the grace and wisdom to honor You. May my life be so marked by the person of Christ that His great name and salvation will be embraced by others as well.
Followers of Christ Christians are marked by His name.
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