The Well-Watered Life
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Posted:Feb 12, 2015 2:07 am
Last Updated:Feb 12, 2015 2:08 am 19316 Views
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He shall be like a tree planted by the waters . . . ; its leaf will be green. Jeremiah 17.8
Read: Jeremiah 17:1-8
Bible in a Year: Leviticus 13; Matthew 26:26-50
I have a friend who lives on a ranch in the wide-open spaces of Montana. The road to his home is a long trail that winds through the parched and barren landscape of the wilderness. As you drive toward his home, you can't help but notice the contrasting strip of green trees and vibrant vegetation meandering through the ranch. One of the finest trout rivers in North America cuts through the property, and anything that grows near its banks gets the benefit of an unending source of vital water.
This is the picture Jeremiah paints when he says that those who trust in the Lord are like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river Jer. 17.8. Many may choose the wilting heat and choking drought of life apart from God, but those who trust in God will be vibrant and fruitful. Depending on Him is like putting our roots into the refreshing water of His goodness. We are strengthened with the confidence that His steadfast love for us will never fail.
God will ultimately make all things right. Trusting that He will turn our pain to gain and use suffering to mature us empowers us to become fruit-bearers in a dry and thirsty land.
Lord, thank You for not leaving me alone
in the withering heat of life. I will put the
roots of my trust into the river of Your
unfailing promises and steadfast love!
Put your roots down by the river of God's goodness.
INSIGHT: The words of Jeremiah 17.7-8 echo those of Psalm 1:2-3: Blessed are those who delight in the law of the Lord . . . . They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do
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Back From The Dead
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Posted:Feb 11, 2015 3:51 am
Last Updated:Feb 14, 2015 2:26 am 19277 Views
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Even when we were dead . . . [God] made us alive together with Christ. Ephesians 2:5
Read: Ephesians 2:1-10
Bible in a Year: Leviticus 11-12; Matthew 26:1-25
Can a man be officially alive after being declared legally dead? That question became international news when a man from Ohio showed up in good health after being reported missing more than 25 years earlier. At the time of his disappearance he had been unemployed, addicted, and hopelessly behind in support payments. So he decided to go into hiding. On his return, however, he discovered how hard it is to come back from the dead. When the man went to court to reverse the ruling that had declared him legally dead, the judge turned down his request, citing a 3-year time limit for changing a death ruling.
That unusual request of a human court turns out to be a common experience for God. Paul's letter to the Ephesians tells us that though we were spiritually dead, God made us alive together with Christ
Eph. 2:1,5. Yet declaring and making us spiritually alive was a deeply painful matter for God. Our sin and its consequent spiritual death required the suffering, death, and resurrection of God's vv.4-7.
It's one thing to show evidence of physical life. Our challenge is to show evidence of spiritual life. Having been declared alive in Christ, we are called to live in gratitude for the immeasurable mercy and life given to us.
Father in heaven, our hearts are full of gratitude for
the way You reached out to us when we were dead
in our sins. May we live joyfully and with unending
appreciation for what You did to give us life.
Jesus died that we might live.
INSIGHT: Here Paul twice says by grace you have been saved (vv.5,8. Salvation is God's gift to us. While we are not saved by good works, they are the result of God's redemptive work in us (v.10; Col. 1:10;
Titus 2:14; 3:14.
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The Visitor
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Posted:Feb 10, 2015 4:28 am
Last Updated:Feb 11, 2015 3:51 am 19223 Views
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I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. Matthew 25:36
Read: Matthew 25:31-40
Bible in a Year: Leviticus 8-10; Matthew 25:31-46
A friend asked a newly retired man what he was doing now that he was no longer working full-time. I describe myself as a visitor, the man replied. I go see people in our church and community who are in the hospital or care facilities, living alone, or just need someone to talk and pray with them. And I enjoy doing it! My friend was impressed by this manàs clear sense of purpose and his care for others.
A few days before Jesus was crucified, He told His followers a story that emphasized the importance of visiting people in need. The King will say to those on His right hand, . . . I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me
(Matt. 25:34,36). When asked, When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? the King will answer, Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me (vv.39-40).
Our ministry of visiting has two beneficiaries the person visited and Jesus Himself. To go to a person with help and encouragement is direct service to our Lord.
Is there someone who would be encouraged by your visit today?
Lord Jesus, help me to see others with Your
eyes. Show me what it means to demonstrate
Your love to those around me. Thank You for
the love You give to me that I can share.
Compassion is understanding the troubles of others, coupled with an urgent desire to help.
INSIGHT: In todays passage, Jesus tells His followers that love for our neighbor is an expression of our love for God. Only a few chapters before this (Matt. 22), He tells them that the greatest commandments are to love God and love our neighbor.
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The Girl In The Yellow Coat
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Posted:Feb 9, 2015 4:49 am
Last Updated:Feb 10, 2015 4:29 am 18963 Views
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A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:24
Read: Genesis 2:18-25
Bible in a Year: Leviticus 6-7; Matthew 25:1-30
It was her yellow raincoat that caught my attention, and quickly I became increasingly interested in this cute freshman with long, brown hair. Soon I worked up my courage, interrupted Sue as she walked along reading a letter from a guy back home, and awkwardly asked her for a date. To my surprise, she said yes.
More than 4 decades later, Sue and I look back and laugh at our first uncomfortable meeting on that college campus and marvel how God put a shy guy from Ohio together with a shy girl from Michigan. Through the years, we have faced innumerable crises together as we raised our family. We've negotiated parenting four , and we've struggled mightily with losing one of them. Problems big and small have tested our faith, yet we've stuck together. It took commitment from both of us and the grace of God. Today we rejoice in God's design, spelled out in Genesis 2:24 to leave our parents, to be unified as man and wife, and to become united as one flesh. We cherish this amazing plan that has given us such a wonderful life together.
God's design for marriage is beautiful. So we pray for married couples to sense how awesome it is to enjoy life together under the blessing of God's loving guidance.
Lord, the first thing You organized during society's
earliest days was marriage. Thank You for how You
designed this amazing institution. Show me how to
help strengthen others in their marriage relationship.
Marriage thrives in a climate of love, honor, and respect.
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In Disguise
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Posted:Feb 6, 2015 1:31 am
Last Updated:Feb 9, 2015 5:03 am 17346 Views
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Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear
You. Psalm 31:19
Read: Genesis 45:4-8
Bible in a Year: Exodus 39-40; Matthew 23:23-39
In the weeks after my husband survived a heart attack, we often thanked God for sparing his life. I was asked many times during the next few months how I was doing. My answer was often a simple one: Blessed. I feel blessed.
Blessings, however, come in different sizes and shapes. In fact, we don't always recognize them. Even when we are doing everything we think God wants us to do, we may still experience suffering. We are sometimes surprised that God does not answer the way we want or that His timing appears to be tardy.
We see this in Joseph's life. From a human perspective, we would think that God had forgotten all about him. For more than a decade, Joseph experienced suffering. He was tossed in a pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused, unjustly put in prison. Finally, however, God's faithfulness to him became evident to all as he was lifted up as a ruler of Egypt and saved many people from famine
(Gen. 37-46). C. S. Lewis wrote: When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place.
God had always had His hand of blessing on Joseph, as He does for all who trust Him. Oh, how great is Your goodness (Ps. 31:19).
Lord, You love us with an extravagant love,
but so often we don't trust You in the crisis.
Help us to learn and appreciate that You have
everything we need and so much more.
True happiness is knowing that God is good.
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Habits Of A Healthy Mind
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Posted:Feb 5, 2015 2:52 am
Last Updated:Feb 5, 2015 2:53 am 16150 Views
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Trust in the Lord, and do good. Psalm 37:3
Read: Psalm 37:1-8
Bible in a Year: Exodus 36-38; Matthew 23:1-22
There is much said today about improving our health by developing habits of optimism, whether facing a difficult medical diagnosis or a pile of dirty laundry. Barbara Fredrickson, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of North Carolina, says we should try activities that build joy, gratitude, love, and other positive feelings. We know, however, that more is required than a general wish for good feelings. We need a strong conviction that there is a source of joy, peace, and love upon which we can depend.
Psalm 37:1-8 gives positive actions we can take as an antidote to pessimism and discouragement. Consider these mood boosters: Trust in the Lord, do good, dwell in the land, feed on His faithfulness v.3; delight in the Lord (v.4); commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him v.5; rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him, do not fret v.7; cease from anger, forsake wrath v.8.
Because they are connected to the phrase in the Lord, those directives are more than wishful thinking or unrealistic suggestions. It's because of Jesus, and in His strength, that they become possible.
Our one true source for optimism is the redemption that is in Jesus. He is our reason for hope!
Lord, we can't manufacture hope, and even if
we tried it wouldn't be real. Help us to find
hope in You because of what Jesus has done
for us. We know You are walking beside us.
When there's bad news, our hope is the good news of Jesus.
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What Money Can't Buy
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Posted:Feb 4, 2015 5:29 am
Last Updated:Feb 4, 2015 5:32 am 16302 Views
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In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1.7
Read: Ephesians 1:3-14
Bible in a Year: Exodus 34-35; Matthew 22:23-46
There are some things money can't buy but these days, not many according to Michael Sandel, author of What money Can't Buy. A person can buy a prison-cell upgrade for $90 a night, the right to shoot an endangered black rhino for $250,000, and your doctor's cell phone number for $1,500. It seems that almost everything is up for sale.
But one thing money can't buy is redemption freedom from the stranglehold of sin. When the apostle Paul began writing about the rich nature of God's plan of salvation through Jesus, his heart erupted in praise: In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us Eph. 1.7-8.
Jesus death on the cross was the high cost of delivering us from sin. And only He could pay that price because He was the perfect of God. The natural response to such free but costly grace is spontaneous praise from our hearts and commitment to the God who bought us through Jesus 1:13-14.
Praise to our loving God He has come to set us free!
What amazing love You have for us, heavenly Father!
That You gave Your who willingly
died in our place. It seems too good
to be true. Thank You!
Only Jesus death could purchase our freedom
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Chinese Proverbs
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Posted:Feb 3, 2015 3:02 am
Last Updated:Feb 3, 2015 3:03 am 16324 Views
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Always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Read: 2 Timothy 2:1-6
Bible in a Year: Exodus 31-33; Matthew 22:1-22
Chinese proverbs are common and often have stories behind them. The proverb pulling up a crop to help it grow is about an impatient man in the Song Dynasty. He was eager to see his rice seedlings grow quickly. So he thought of a solution. He would pull up each plant a few inches. After a day of tedious work, the man surveyed his paddy field. He was happy that his crop seemed to have grown taller. But his joy was short-lived. The next day, the plants had begun to wither because their roots were no longer deep.
In 2 Timothy 2:6, the apostle Paul compares the work of being a minister of the gospel to that of a farmer. He wrote to encourage Timothy that, like farming, making disciples can be continuous, hard labor. You plow, you sow, you wait, you pray. You desire to see the fruits of your labor quickly, but growth takes time. And as the Chinese proverb so aptly illustrates, any effort to hurry the process wont be helpful. Commentator William Hendriksen states: If Timothy . . . exerts himself to the full in the performance of his God-given spiritual task, he . . . will see in the lives of others . . . the beginnings of those glorious fruits that are mentioned in Galatians 5:22, 23.
As we labor faithfully, we wait patiently on the Lord, who makes things grow 1 Cor. 3.7.
Dear Lord of the harvest, help us to work faithfully as
we wait patiently on You for the fruit. Encourage us
when we are discouraged and strengthen us when we
are weary. Help us to persevere, for You are faithful.
We sow the seed God produces the harvest.
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Battling Distractions
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Posted:Jan 28, 2015 12:06 pm
Last Updated:May 11, 2024 1:6 am 16417 Views
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Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. —Luke 10:42
Read: Luke 10:38-42
Bible in a Year: Exodus 19-20; Matthew 18:21-35
Every day I drive the same highway to and from the office, and every day I see an alarming number of distracted drivers. Usually they’re talking on the phone or texting, but I have also seen people reading the newspaper, putting on makeup, and eating a bowl of cereal while trying to maneuver a car at 70+ miles per hour! In some circumstances, distractions are fleeting and harmless. In a moving vehicle, they can kill.
Sometimes distractions can be a problem in our relationship with God. In fact, that was the concern Jesus had for His friend Martha. She “was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made” for a meal
(Luke 10:40 niv). When she complained about her sister Mary’s lack of help (apparently due to her devotion to Christ and His teaching), Jesus told her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (vv.41-42).
Martha’s distractions were well-intentioned. But she was missing the opportunity to listen to Jesus and enjoy His presence. He is deserving of our deepest devotion, and He alone can fully enable us to overcome any of life’s distractions.
Lord, I want a heart like Mary’s—that takes
time to sit at Your feet to learn from You and be
close to You. And I want a heart like Martha’s—
that takes time to serve You, the One I love.
If you want to be miserable, look within; distracted, look around; peaceful, look up.
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The Hand Of God
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Posted:Jan 27, 2015 1:49 am
Last Updated:Jan 27, 2015 1:50 am 16239 Views
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My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.
—Psalm 63:8
Read: Psalm 63:1-8
Bible in a Year: Exodus 16-18; Matthew 18:1-20
When NASA began using a new kind of space telescope to capture different spectrums of light, researchers were surprised at one of the photos. It shows what looks like fingers, a thumb, and an open palm showered with spectacular colors of blue, purple, green, and gold. Some have called it “The Hand of God.”
The idea of God reaching out His hand to help us in our time of need is a central theme of Scripture. In Psalm 63 we read: “Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me” vv.7-8. The psalmist felt God’s divine help like a hand of support. Some Bible teachers believe that King David wrote this psalm in the wilderness of Judah during the terrible time of his Absalom’s rebellion. Absalom had conspired to dethrone his father, and David fled to the wilderness
2 Sam. 15–16. Even during this difficult time, God was present and David trusted in Him. He said, “Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You”
(Ps. 63:3).
Life can be painful at times, yet God offers His comforting hand in the midst of it. We are not beyond His reach.
Beneath His watchful eye
His saints securely dwell;
That hand which bears all nature up
Shall guard His well.
God bears the world’s weight on His shoulder, yet holds His in the palm of His hand.
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