The Upright Thumb
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Posted:Aug 8, 2014 4:15 am
Last Updated:May 9, 2024 5:9 am 23108 Views
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Read: Genesis 6:11-22
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. âGenesis 6:8
Bible in a Year:
Psalms 74-76; Romans 9:16-33
According to an African fable, four fingers and a thumb lived together on a hand. They were inseparable friends. One day, they noticed a gold ring lying next to them and conspired to take it. The thumb said it would be wrong to steal the ring, but the four fingers called him a self-righteous coward and refused to be his friend. That was just fine with the thumb; he wanted nothing to do with their mischief. This is why, the legend goes, the thumb still stands separate from the other fingers.
This tale reminds me that at times we may feel weâre standing alone when wrongdoing surrounds us. In Noahâs day, the earth was filled with violence; every thought in every heart was âevil continuallyâ
(Gen. 6:5,11). Yet âNoah found grace in the eyes of the Lordâ v.8. Fully devoted to God, Noah obeyed Him and built the ark. The Lord, in His grace, spared him and his family.
We too have been shown Godâs grace through His Jesusâ life, death, and resurrection. We have every reason to bring Him honor and stand strong for Him in our daily lives. He is always near, even abiding in us, so we never really stand alone. His âears are open to [our] cryâ (Ps. 34:15).
They show their colors when they stand
For what is true and right;
And those who venture all on God
Are pleasing in His sight. â
Itâs easy to stand with a crowd; it takes courage to stand alone.
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Difficult People
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Posted:Aug 7, 2014 3:21 am
Last Updated:Aug 8, 2014 4:16 am 23181 Views
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Read: Ephesians 4:1-12
Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called . . . bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:1-2
Bible in a Year:
Psalms 72-73; Romans 9:1-15
In the book God in the Dock, author C. S. Lewis describes the kind of people we have trouble getting along with. Selfishness, anger, jealousy, or other quirks often sabotage our relationship with them. We sometimes think, Life would be much easier if we didn't have to contend with such difficult people.
Lewis then turns the tables on us by pointing out that these frustrations are what God has to endure with each of us every day. He writes: You are just that sort of person. You also have a fatal flaw in your character. All the hopes and plans of others have again and again shipwrecked on your character just as your hopes and plans have shipwrecked on theirs. This self-awareness should motivate us to try to show the same patience and acceptance to others that God shows to us daily.
In Ephesians, Paul exhorts us to arm ourselves relationally with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love (4:2). The one who is patient is better able to deal with a difficult person without becoming provoked to anger and retaliation. Instead, he or she is able to endure, exhibiting grace in spite of upsetting behavior.
Are there difficult people in your life? Ask God to show His love through you.
Some people can be difficult to love,
And so we do not even try to care;
But God says, Love them just as I've loved you
You'll bring Me glory as My love you share.
See others as God sees you.
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Broken But Beautiful
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Posted:Aug 6, 2014 4:00 am
Last Updated:Aug 6, 2014 4:01 am 23060 Views
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Read: Jeremiah 18:1-6
[The vessel] was marred . . . ; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Jeremiah 18:4
Bible in a Year:
Psalms 70-71; Romans 8:22-39
Recently, my showed me her collection of sea glass. Also known as beach glass, the varied bits of colored glass are sometimes pieces of pottery but often they are pieces of shattered glass bottles. Originally the glass had a purpose, but then it was casually thrown away and became broken.
If the discarded glass ends up in an ocean, its journey is just beginning. As it is relentlessly tossed about by currents and tides, its jagged edges are ground down by the sand and waves and eventually are smoothed away and rounded off. The result is something beautiful. The jewel-like sea glass has found new life and is treasured by collectors and artists.
In a similar way, a broken life can be renewed when it is touched by Gods love and grace. In the Old Testament, we read that when the prophet Jeremiah watched a potter working, he noticed that if an object was marred the potter simply reshaped it (Jer. 18:1-6). God explained that in His hands the people of ancient Israel were like clay, which He would shape as He saw best.
We are never too badly broken for God to reshape. He loves us in spite of our imperfections and past mistakes, and He desires to make us beautiful.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay;
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
When melted by trial, we can be fully molded by the Potter.
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Broken But Beautiful
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Posted:Aug 6, 2014 3:58 am
Last Updated:Aug 6, 2014 3:59 am 23142 Views
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Read: Jeremiah 18:1-6
[The vessel] was marred . . . ; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Jeremiah 18:4
Bible in a Year:
Psalms 70-71; Romans 8:22-39
Recently, my showed me her collection of sea glass. Also known as beach glass, the varied bits of colored glass are sometimes pieces of pottery but often they are pieces of shattered glass bottles. Originally the glass had a purpose, but then it was casually thrown away and became broken.
If the discarded glass ends up in an ocean, its journey is just beginning. As it is relentlessly tossed about by currents and tides, its jagged edges are ground down by the sand and waves and eventually are smoothed away and rounded off. The result is something beautiful. The jewel-like sea glass has found new life and is treasured by collectors and artists.
In a similar way, a broken life can be renewed when it is touched by God's love and grace. In the Old Testament, we read that when the prophet Jeremiah watched a potter working, he noticed that if an object was marred the potter simply reshaped it (Jer. 18:1-6). God explained that in His hands the people of ancient Israel were like clay, which He would shape as He saw best.
We are never too badly broken for God to reshape. He loves us in spite of our imperfections and past mistakes, and He desires to make us beautiful.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay;
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
When melted by trial, we can be fully molded by the Potter.
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Breaking Free
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Posted:Aug 5, 2014 6:35 am
Last Updated:Aug 5, 2014 6:37 am 22963 Views
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Read: Romans 8:1-11
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
Bible in a Year:
Psalms 68-69; Romans 8:1-21
The elephant is the largest land animal on earth and one of the most powerful. Yet it takes only a strong rope to restrain one. Here's how it works. When the elephant is young, he is tied to a large tree. For weeks, he will strain and pull, but the rope holds him fast. So eventually he gives up.
Then, when the elephant reaches his full size and strength, he won't struggle to get free, for once he feels resistance, he stops. He still believes he's held captive and can't break free.
Satan can play a similar trick on us to hold us captive. The Bible assures us that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:1). We have been set free from the law of sin and death (v.2). But the enemy of our soul tries to make us believe we are still dominated by sin.
What shall we do then? Reflect on what Christ has done. He died for our sins and declared an end to sin's control over us (v.3). He rose from the dead and gave us the Holy Spirit. Now we are empowered to live victoriously in Him because the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in [us] (v.11).
In Christ, we are set free.
He has our salvation wrought,
He our captive souls has bought,
He has reconciled to God,
He has washed us in His blood.
Experience true freedom take every thought captive in obedience to Christ.
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All We Need To Know
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Posted:Aug 4, 2014 5:13 am
Last Updated:Aug 4, 2014 5:15 am 22810 Views
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Read: Romans 7:18-25
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells. Romans 7:18
Bible in a Year:
Psalms 66-67; Romans 7
In a Fernando Ortega rendition of Just As I Am, Billy Grahams voice can be heard faintly in the background. Dr. Graham is reminiscing about an illness during which he believed he was dying. As he mused on his past, he realized what a great sinner he was and how much he continues to need God's daily forgiveness.
Billy Graham was putting an end to the notion that apart from God weâre okay. We can feel good about ourselves, but that confidence must come from the knowledge that we're greatly loved of God (John 3:16), not that we're very good Rom. 7.18.
The first step in becoming a truly good person as a follower of Christ is to stop pretending that we're good on our own and to ask God to make us as good as we can be. We will fail many times, but He will keep growing us and changing us. God is faithful andâin His time and in His way He'll do it.
In his final years, the writer of Amazing Grace, John Newton, suffered from dementia and lamented the loss of his memory. Yet he confided, I do remember two things: I am a great sinner, and Jesus is a great Savior. When it comes to faith, those are the only things anyone needs to know.
The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
Gods grace accepted is Gods peace experienced.
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City Of Refuge
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Posted:Aug 1, 2014 4:24 am
Last Updated:Aug 1, 2014 4:25 am 22567 Views
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Read: Psalm 59:10-17
I will sing of Your power; yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; for You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. Psalm 59:16
Bible in a Year:
Psalms 57-59; Romans 4
As we entered a town in Australia, we were greeted by a sign that declared: We welcome all who are seeking refuge and asylum. This kind of welcome seems to resonate with the Old Testament concept of the cities of refuge. In the Old Testament era, cities of refuge
(Num. 35:6) were established to be a safe haven for people who had accidentally killed someone and were needing protection. God had the people establish such cities to provide that refuge.
This concept, however, was not intended to be simply a practice for ancient Israel. More than that, cities of refuge reflected the heart of God for all people. He Himself longs to be our safe haven and our city of refuge in the failures, heartaches, and losses of life. We read in Psalm 59:16-17, I will sing of Your power; yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; for You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense, my God of mercy.
For the hurting heart of every generation, our city of refuge is not a place. Our city of refuge is a Person the God who loves us with an everlasting love. May we find our refuge and rest in Him.
How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe,
I have fled to my Refuge and breathed out my woe;
How often, when trials like sea billows roll,
Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul.
Refuge can be found in the Rock of Ages.
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Just As I Am
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Posted:Jul 31, 2014 8:45 am
Last Updated:Jul 31, 2014 8:47 am 22728 Views
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Read: Isaiah 55:1-7
Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live.
Isaiah 55:3
Bible in a Year:
Psalms 54-56; Romans 3
Good memories flooded my mind as I sat in a concert. The groups leader had just introduced the song they were about to sing: Just As I Am. I remembered how years ago at the end of his sermons my pastor would ask people to come forward while we sang that song, indicating they would like to receive the forgiveness Christ offers for their sins.
But the leader of the musical group at the concert suggested another occasion when we might sing this song. He commented that he likes to think that when he dies and goes to meet the Lord one day, he will sing in thanks to Him:
Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou biddst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come!
Years before writing this song, Charlotte Elliott asked a minister how she might find the Lord. He told her, Just come to Him as you are. She did, and later during a discouraging time of illness, she wrote this hymn about the day she came to Christ and He forgave her sin.
In His Word, the Lord encourages us to seek Him: Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near (Isa. 55:6). He calls to our hearts: Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters . . . . Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live (vv.1,3).
Because of Jesus death and resurrection, we can come to Him right now and will one day go into eternity to be with Him forever. Just as I am . . . I come!
Let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. Revelation 22:17
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Family Trademarks
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Posted:Jul 30, 2014 3:40 am
Last Updated:Jul 30, 2014 3:41 am 22230 Views
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Read: 1 John 4.7-16
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 1 John 4.7
Bible in a Year:
Psalms 51-53; Romans 2
The Aran Islands, off the west coast of Ireland, are known for their beautiful sweaters. Patterns are woven into the fabric using sheeps wool to craft the garments. Many of them relate to the culture and folklore of these small islands, but some are more personal. Each family on the islands has its own trademark pattern, which is so distinctive that if a fisherman were to drown it is said that he could be identified simply by examining his sweater for the family trademark.
In Johns first letter, the apostle describes things that are to be trademarks of those who are members of Gods family. In 1 John 3:1, John affirms that we are indeed part of Gods family by saying, Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called of God! He then describes the trademarks of those who are the of God, including, Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God (4.7).
Because love is of God,â the chief way to reflect the heart of the Father is by displaying the love that characterizes Him. May we allow His love to reach out to others through usâfor love is one of our family trademarks.
Father, teach me to love with the love of Christ
that others might see Your love reflected in my
care and concern for them. May Your love
drive and dominate my responses to life and to others.
Love is the family resemblance the world should see in followers of Christ.
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Confident Access
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Posted:Jul 29, 2014 5:19 am
Last Updated:Jul 29, 2014 5:22 am 22017 Views
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Read: Hebrews 4.14-16
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews .16
Bible in a Year:
Psalms 49-50; Romans 1
Mont Saint-Michel is a tidal island located about a half-mile off the coast of Normandy, France. For centuries it has been the site of an abbey and monastery that has attracted religious pilgrims. Until the construction of a causeway, it was notorious for its dangerous access that resulted in the death of some pilgrims. At low tide it is encompassed by sand banks, and at high tide it is surrounded by water. Accessing the island was a cause for fear.
Access to God for Old Testament Jews was also a cause for fear. When God thundered on Mt. Sinai, the people feared approaching Him Ex. 1.10-16. And when access to God was granted through the high priest, specific instructions had to be followed (Lev. 16.1-34. Accidentally touching the ark of the covenant, which represented the holy presence of God, would result in death see 2 Sam. 6.7-8.
But because of Jesus death and resurrection, we can now approach God without fear. God's penalty for sin has been satisfied, and we are invited into God's presence: Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace
Heb. 4.16.
Because of Jesus we can come to God through prayer anywhere, anytime.
Then boldly let our faith address
Godâs throne of grace and power,
There to obtain delivering grace
In every needy hour.
Through prayer, we have instant access to our Father.
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