In The Same Boat
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Posted:Apr 28, 2015 3:23 am
Last Updated:Apr 28, 2015 3:24 am 23336 Views
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Read: Matthew 8:23-27
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 3-5; Luke 20:1-26
When He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. Matthew 8.23
When the cruise ship pulled into port, the passengers got off as quickly as possible. They had spent the last few days enduring an outbreak of a virus, and hundreds of people had been sickened. One passenger, interviewed as he disembarked, said:Well, I don't mean to complain so much. I mean I know everybody was in the same boat. His seemingly unintentional pun made the reporter smile.
In Matthew 8, we read about another trip on the water vv.23-27. Jesus got into the boat and the disciples followed Him v.23. Then a terrible storm arose, and Jesus disciples feared for their lives. They awakened a sleeping Jesus, who they assumed was unaware of the crisis.
While Jesus was literally in the same boat as His followers, He was unconcerned about the weather. As the all-powerful Creator, He had no fear of a storm. He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm v.26.
But we are not all-powerful, and we are oh-so-prone to fear. So what are we to do when the storms of life rage around us? Whether they quickly blow over or last for a long time, we can be confident in this: We are in the same boat with the One whom even the winds and the sea obey.
Heavenly Father, this life is full of uncertainty. But You have promised us Your unfailing presence. May we see You today especially when we are tempted to panic or to do things in our own strength.
No danger can come so near the Christian that God is not nearer.
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Love And Light
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Posted:Apr 27, 2015 3:54 am
Last Updated:Apr 28, 2015 7:40 am 23496 Views
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Read: Deuteronomy 11:8-15
Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 1-2; Luke 19:28-48
The land which you cross over to possess is a land . . . for which the Lord your God cares. Deuteronomy. 11.11-12
Friends are starting to plan their summer vegetable gardens. Some get an early start by planting seeds indoors where they can control the conditions and provide the best environment for sprouting. After the danger of frost has passed, they will transplant the seedlings outdoors. Once the garden is planted, the work of weeding, feeding, watering, and guarding against rodents and insects begins. Producing food is a lot of work.
Moses reminded the Israelites of this before they entered the promised land. While living in Egypt, they had to do the hard work of irrigating crops by hand Deut. 11.10, but in the place where God was taking them He promised to ease their work by sending spring and autumn rains: I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains .14 . The only condition was that they faithfully obey the commands He gave them to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul v.13 . The Lord was taking His people to a place where their obedience and His blessing would make them a light to those around them.
God wants the same for us and from us: He wants our love to be displayed in our obedience so that we might be His light to people around us. The love and obedience we have to offer, though, is far less than He deserves. But He is our provider, blessing us and enabling us to be a light that the world will notice.
Loving God doesn't make life effortless, but having His strength makes it easier.
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Hope Lives
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Posted:Apr 24, 2015 1:35 am
Last Updated:Apr 25, 2015 3:19 am 23816 Views
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Read: 1 Peter 1:3-9
Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 19-20; Luke 18:1-23
Your faith, being much more precious than gold . . . may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1.7
When unspeakable tragedy shatters people's lives, they search for answers. Recently, a mother who had lost a said to me, I can't figure it out. I don't know if I can believe anymore. I try, but God doesn't make sense to me. What does it all mean? There are no easy answers to such big concerns. But for those who have trusted Christ, there is hope whether we are basking in blessings or grinding through grief.
Peter spells this out in his first letter. In glowing terms, he praises God for our new birth into a living hope 1 Peter 1.3 through our salvation. That hope can bring joy even in the middle of tragedy. He also assures us of the permanence of this hope v.4 He then tells us of the heart-breaking reality that we may suffer grief in all kinds of trials v.6 . Those who have suffered loss turn hopeful hearts toward Peter's next words: These come so that your faith . . . may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ v.7.
Trials seemingly random and inexplicable can be seen differently in the light of these words. In the midst of tragedy, the power and beauty of our salvation can shine through because of our great Savior. And that may be just enough light to get a troubled person through another day.
Lord, You assure us that the grand salvation You provided is proved genuine in our pain and that it leads to glory for You. Help us to begin each new day with renewed hope in You.
The light of salvation shines clearly even in the darkest night.
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Now Go!
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Posted:Apr 23, 2015 1:54 am
Last Updated:Apr 23, 2015 1:55 am 27015 Views
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Read: Exodus 4:10-17
Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 16-18; Luke 1.:20-37
Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.
Exodus 4:12
More than 10,000 evangelists and Christian leaders sat in a giant auditorium in Amsterdam in 1986 listening to world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham. I sat among them, listening as he narrated some of his experiences. Then, to my surprise, he said, Let me tell you: every time I stand before the congregation of God's people to preach, I tremble and my knees wobble!
What! I wondered. How can such a great preacher who has enthralled millions with his powerful sermons exhibit trembling and wobbling knees? Then he went on to describe not fear and stage fright, but intense humility and meekness as he felt inadequate for the daunting task to which God had called him. He relied on God for strength, not on his own eloquence.
Moses felt inadequate when God sent him to deliver the enslaved Israelites from their 400-year captivity in Egypt. Moses pleaded with the Lord to send someone else, with the excuse that he had never been a good speaker Ex. 4.10,13.
We may have similar fears when God calls us to do something for Him. But His encouragement to Moses can also spur us on: Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say v.12 .
As Billy Graham said that day, When God calls you, do not be afraid of trembling and wobbling knees, for He will be with you!
What task does God have for you to do today? Depend on Him by asking for His help.
Wherever God sends us, He comes alongside us.
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A Happy Ending
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Posted:Apr 22, 2015 3:59 am
Last Updated:Apr 23, 2015 4:09 pm 28979 Views
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Read: Ephesians 4:20-32
Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 14-15; Luke 17:1-19
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4.32
A friend told me about the time he was watching football on TV as his young played nearby. Angered by his team's bad play, he grabbed the closest thing and threw it down. His little girl's favorite toy was shattered, along with her heart. My friend immediately embraced his and apologized. He replaced the toy and thought all was well. But he didn't know how much his fury had frightened his 4-year-old, and she didn't know the depth of her pain. In time, however, forgiveness came.
Years later he sent an identical toy to his when she was expecting a baby. She posted a photo of the toy on Facebook with the words, This gift has a very long story going back to my childhood. It wasn't a happy story then, but it has a happy ending now! Redemption is a beautiful thing. Thanks, Grandpa!
The Bible urges us to avoid angry outbursts by putting on the new self, which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness Eph. 4.24. And if we are the victim of anger, God asks us to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you v.32.
Restored relationships are not easy, but they are possible by the grace of God.
Lord, my temper can sometimes run hot. Grant me the grace to stop and think before I act or speak and the grace to apologize when I've hurt someone. Thank You for the gift of forgiveness.
Repentance and forgiveness are the glue that can repair a broken relationship.
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Facing The Impossible
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Posted:Apr 21, 2015 4:15 am
Last Updated:Apr 23, 2015 4:09 pm 28514 Views
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Read: Joshua 5:13.6:5
Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 12-13; Luke 16
See! I have given Jericho into your hand. Joshua 6:2
In 2008, house values were tumbling in the United Kingdom. But 2 weeks after my husband and I put our home of 40 years on the market, a buyer offered us a good price and we agreed to a sale. Soon our builders started work on the house I had inherited, which would be our new home. But a few days before the sale of our old home was finalized, our buyer pulled out. We were devastated. Now we owned two properties one whose value was tumbling rapidly, and the other a virtual ruin that we could neither sell nor move into. Until we found a new buyer, we had no money to pay the builder. It was an impossible situation.
When Joshua faced Jericho, a fortified city in lockdown, he may have felt as if he was facing an impossible situation Josh. 5.13.6.27. But then a Man with a drawn sword appeared to him. Some theologians think the Man was Jesus Himself. Joshua anxiously asked if He would be backing the Israelites or their enemies in the forthcoming battle. Neither one, he replied. I am the commander of the Lord's army 5.14 . Joshua bowed in worship before he took another step. He still didn't know how Jericho would be delivered into his hand, but he listened to God and worshiped Him. Then he obeyed the Lord's instructions and the impossible happened.
Dear Lord, often when I am faced with an impossible situation I choose worry rather than trust. Help me to trust You and to remember that nothing is too hard for You.
Nothing is impossible for the Lord.
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A Father Who Runs
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Posted:Apr 20, 2015 1:15 am
Last Updated:Apr 21, 2015 6:47 am 27934 Views
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Read: Luke 15:11-24
Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 9-11; Luke 15:11-32
The of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Luke 19.10
Every day a father craned his neck to look toward the distant road, waiting for his 's return. And every night he went to bed disappointed. But one day, a speck appeared. A lonesome silhouette stood against the crimson sky. Could that be my ? the father wondered. Then he caught sight of the familiar saunter. Yes, that has to be my !
And so while the was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him Luke 15.20. It is remarkable that the family patriarch did something that was considered undignified in Middle Eastern culture he ran to meet his . The father was full of unbridled joy at his 's return.
The didn't deserve such a reception. When he had asked his father for his share of the inheritance and left home, it was as if he had wished his father dead. But despite all that the had done to his father, he was still his v.24.
This parable reminds me that I'm accepted by God because of His grace, not because of my merits. It assures me that I'll never sink so deep that God's grace can't reach me. Our heavenly Father is waiting to run to us with open arms.
Father, I'm so grateful for all Your did for me at the cross. I'm thankful for grace. I offer You a heart that desires to be like Jesus merciful and gracious.
We deserve punishment and get forgiveness; we deserve God's wrath and get God's love.
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We're A Community
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Posted:Apr 17, 2015 1:46 am
Last Updated:Apr 20, 2015 1:15 am 27932 Views
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Read: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 1-2; Luke 14:1-2
[The Lord] gave some . . . for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Ephesians 4.11-12
A pastor's wife was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. That put the family in a difficult, stressful situation. The pastor wondered how he was going to be able to take good care of her while he still had responsibilities for his church family. But he needn't have worried because church members stepped up and volunteered to assist him with meals and some of her care.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about the purpose for which the Lord gave them their spiritual gifts. Before he listed the diversity of gifts in 1 Corinthians 12.8-10, he reminded them that a spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other v.7 . God does not give His spiritual gifts for our own selfish use but to serve others, and in so doing, we serve Him.
We are all given different gifts to be used at different times and in different ways. But they are all to be used in love for the edifying of the body of Christ Eph. 4.12. Wherever God has placed us, we can use what He has gifted us to do as we see the need, remembering that we are all part of the church the body of Christ 1 Cor. 12.13-14.
Thank You, Father, for the wonderful gifts You have given Your church. Help me to understand how You have gifted me to encourage other believers, and to spread the message of Your love to the world.
Use your gifts to exercise care for others.
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The Best Fishing Holes
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Posted:Apr 16, 2015 1:39 am
Last Updated:Apr 18, 2015 1:30 pm 28185 Views
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The Best Fishing Holes
Read: Revelation 22:1-5
Bible in a Year: 1 Samuel 30-31; Luke 13:23-35
He was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words.
2 Corinthians 12:4
My friend Gus passed away a few months ago. Gus was a fellow trout fisherman. Weekends usually found him in his little boat on a nearby lake, casting for fish. I got a letter from his Heidi the other day. She told me she's been talking about heaven with her grandkids since Gus went to his home in heaven. Her 6-year-old grandson, who also loves to fish, explained what heaven is like and what Great-Grandpa Gus is doing: It's really beautiful, he mused, and Jesus is showing Grandpa Gus where the best fishing holes are.
When Paul reported his God-given vision of heaven, words failed him. He said, I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words 2 Cor. 12.4 . Words cannot convey the facts of heaven perhaps because we humans are unable to comprehend them.
While we might gain some comfort from knowing more details about heaven, it is not the knowledge of heaven that assures us; it is our knowledge of God Himself. Because I know Him and I know how good He is, I can leave this life and everything in it with utter confidence that heaven will be beautiful and Jesus will show me where the best fishing holes are because that's the kind of God He is!
Let us beg and pray Him day by day to reveal Himself to our souls more fully, to quicken our sense, to give us sight and hearing, taste and touch of the world to come.
Nothing on earth compares to being with Christ in heaven.
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Too Much For Me
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Posted:Apr 15, 2015 3:11 am
Last Updated:Apr 16, 2015 1:39 am 28122 Views
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Read: Matthew 26:36-46
Bible in a Year: 1 Samuel 27-29; Luke 13:1-22
O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Matthew 26.39
God never gives us more than we can handle,someone said to a father whose 5-year-old had just lost his battle with cancer. These words, which were intended to encourage him, instead depressed him and caused him to wonder why he wasn't handling the loss of his boy at all. The pain was so much to bear that he could hardly even breathe. He knew his grief was too much for him and that he desperately needed God to hold him tight.
The verse that some use to support the statement God never gives us more than we can handle is 1 Corinthians 10.13, When you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it . But the context of these words is temptation, not suffering. We can choose the way out of temptation that God provides, but we can't choose a way out of suffering.
Jesus Himself wanted a way out of His upcoming suffering when He prayed, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. . . . O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me Matt. 26.38-39. Yet He willingly went through this for our salvation.
When life seems too much to bear, that's when we throw ourselves on God mercy, and He holds on to us.
Father, I feel vulnerable and weak. I know You are my refuge and strength, my help in trouble. I call upon Your name, Lord. Hold on to me.
With God behind you and His arms beneath you, you can face whatever lies ahead.
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