Barrier-Free Love
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Posted:Oct 17, 2013 2:33 am
Last Updated:May 5, 2024 12:4 am 7130 Views
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Read: Matthew 23:37-39
O Jerusalem . . . ! How often I wanted to gather your together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! —Matthew 23:37
Bible in a Year:
Isaiah 50-52; 1 Thessalonians 5
Not long ago I heard the distressed chirping of a bird coming from the side of my neighbor’s house. I discovered that a nest of baby birds was inside a vent covered by a screen, placing a barrier between the mother bird who was trying to feed her hungry chicks. After I told the neighbors, they removed the screen and took the nest and chicks to a safe place to be cared for.
Few things are as heartbreaking as a barrier to love. Christ, the long-awaited Messiah of Israel, experienced a barrier to His love when His chosen people rejected Him. He used the word picture of a hen and her baby chicks to describe their unwillingness to receive it: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . ! How often I wanted to gather your together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matt. 23:37).
Our sin is a barrier that separates us from God (Isa. 59:2). But “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten , that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Jesus took care of the barrier to God’s love by His sacrificial death on the cross and His resurrection (Rom. 5:8-17; 8.11. Now He longs for us to experience His love and accept this gift.
My heart is stirred whene’er I think of Jesus,
That blessed Name that sets the captive free;
The only Name through which I find salvation,
No name on earth has meant so much to me.
Through His cross, Jesus rescues and redeems.
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Coade Stone
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Posted:Oct 16, 2013 2:50 am
Last Updated:May 5, 2024 12:4 am 7019 Views
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Read: 1 Peter 2:1-10
Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious. —1 Peter 2.4
Bible in a Year:
Isaiah 47-49; 1 Thessalonians 4
Throughout London, there are statues and other items made from a unique building material called Coade stone. Developed by Eleanor Coade for her family business in the late 1700s, this artificial stone is virtually indestructible and has the capacity to withstand time, weather, and man-made pollution. Though it was a marvel during the Industrial Revolution, Coade stone was phased out in the 1840s following Eleanor’s death, and it was replaced by Portland cement as a building material. In spite of that, however, there remain today dozens of examples of this sturdy, ceramic-like stone that have withstood the harsh London environment for over 150 years.
The apostle Peter described Jesus as a living stone. He wrote, “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:4-5. Precious in the eyes of the Father is the sacrifice of the Rock of our salvation. Christ is the enduring stone upon which the Father has built our salvation and the only foundation for meaningful life (1 Cor. 3.11.
It is only as our lives are built upon His strength that we will be able to endure the harshness of life in a fallen world.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
We have nothing to fear if we stay close to the Rock of Ages.
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Dreams Of Childhood
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Posted:Oct 15, 2013 3:03 am
Last Updated:May 5, 2024 12:4 am 6809 Views
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Read: Psalm 8
Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength. —Psalm 8:2
Bible in a Year:
Isaiah 45-46; 1 Thessalonians 3
Years ago, I asked fifth-grade students to prepare a list of questions to ask Jesus if He were to show up in person the following week. I also asked groups of adults to do the same thing. The results were startlingly different. The ’ questions ranged from adorable to poignant: “Will we have to sit around in robes and sing all day in heaven? Will my puppy be in heaven? Were the whales in or out of the ark? How’s my grandpa doing up there with You?” Almost without fail, their questions were free from doubt that heaven existed or that God acts supernaturally.
Adults, on the other hand, featured a completely different line of questioning: “Why do bad things happen to good people? How do I know You’re listening to my prayers? Why is there only one way to heaven? How could a loving God let this tragedy happen to me?”
For the most part, live life unfettered by the cares and sorrows that burden adults. Their faith lets them trust God more readily. While we adults often get lost in trials and sorrows, retain the psalmist’s view of life—an eternal perspective that sees the greatness of God (Ps. 8:1-2).
God can be trusted, and He longs for us to trust Him the way do (Matt. 18:3).
O Father, may I find again the dreams of childhood
when thoughts of You filled me with peace
and I longed to know You more. Give me
a faith that trusts You implicitly.
An intimate walk with God lifts our eyes from today’s trials and into eternity’s triumphs.
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Seeds & Soils
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Posted:Oct 14, 2013 5:21 am
Last Updated:May 5, 2024 12:4 am 6762 Views
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Read: Matthew 13.1-9
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. —2 Peter 3.18
Bible in a Year:
Isaiah 43-44; 1 Thessalonians 2
If you like growing pumpkins, you have probably heard of Dill’s Atlantic Giant variety of premium pumpkin seeds. Developed on a family farm in Atlantic Canada, the pumpkins grown from these seeds have set records around the world. In 2011, a pumpkin grown in Quebec set a new world record at 1,818.5 pounds (825 kg). That size of pumpkin could yield almost 1,000 pieces of pie!
When news reporters asked how this pumpkin could grow to such a size, the farmer replied that it had to do with the soil. The seeds were of a special large variety, but the soil still had to be right or the pumpkin wouldn’t grow properly.
The Lord Jesus used an illustration in which He compared different types of ground to a person’s response to God’s Word (Matt. 13). Some seeds were eaten by the birds, others started to grow but were choked by the weeds, and some grew up instantly but had no soil to further their growth. But the seeds that fell on the good soil “yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (v.8.
Each of us needs to ask, “What kind of soil am I?” The Lord wants to plant His Word in our hearts so we can grow in our knowledge of Him.
More about Jesus let me learn,
More of His holy will discern;
Spirit of God, my teacher be,
Showing the things of Christ to me.
The fruit of the Spirit grows in the soil of obedience.
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Gorgeous Inside
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Posted:Oct 11, 2013 5:22 am
Last Updated:May 5, 2024 12:4 am 6907 Views
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Read: Romans 8:1-11
To be spiritually minded is life and peace. —Romans 8.6
Bible in a Year:
Isaiah 37-38; Colossians 3
It’s a rather nondescript house that sits on a busy thoroughfare. With no distinctive characteristics, this rather plain home is easy to ignore. But as I drove past it the other day, I noticed a “For Sale” sign in the yard. Attached to the sign was a smaller notice that happily announced: “I’m gorgeous inside.” While I’m not in the market for a new house, that sign intrigued me. What could make this otherwise forgettable house gorgeous inside?
It also made me wonder: Could that sign apply to us as followers of Jesus? Think about it. No matter what we look like on the outside, shouldn’t there be within us a beauty that reveals God’s love and work in our lives?
What does the Bible say about inner beauty? We might start with Romans 7.22, which says, “In my inner being I delight in God’s law” (niv). A few verses later in Romans 8:6, Paul speaks of a Spirit-controlled mind that is characterized by “life and peace.” And in Galatians, we see that letting the Spirit take charge of our inner being will build in us the “fruit of the Spirit” 5.22, a beautiful array of qualities such as love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness.
Delighting in Scripture and allowing the Spirit to work in our heart will make us look good on the inside—and will pay off in a life that honors God.
Dear Lord, I pray that through the work of Your
Spirit dwelling within me I will be transformed
into a grand display of the fruit that will attract
others to You and reflect glory back to You.
Righteousness in your heart produces beauty in your character.
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Being A Witness
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Posted:Oct 10, 2013 6:19 am
Last Updated:May 5, 2024 12:4 am 6822 Views
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Read: Acts 1:1-9
You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me. —Acts 1:8
Bible in a Year:
Isaiah 34-36; Colossians 2
When I was a , I witnessed an auto accident. It was a shocking experience that was compounded by what followed. As the only witness to the incident, I spent the ensuing months telling a series of lawyers and insurance adjustors what I had seen. I was not expected to explain the physics of the wreck or the details of the medical trauma. I was asked to tell only what I had witnessed.
As followers of Christ, we are called to be witnesses of what Jesus has done in us and for us. To point people to Christ, we don’t need to be able to explain every theological issue or answer every question. What we must do is explain what we have witnessed in our own lives through the cross and the resurrection of the Savior. Even better is that we don’t have to rely on ourselves alone to do this. Jesus said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1.8.
As we rely on the Spirit’s power, we can point a hurting world to the redeeming Christ. With His help, we can witness to the life-changing power of His presence in our lives!
I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true;
It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.
Our testimony is the witness of what God has done for us.
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Life Without Bread
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Posted:Oct 9, 2013 4:21 am
Last Updated:May 5, 2024 12:4 am 6917 Views
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Read: John 6.25-35
I am the bread of life. —John 6.48
Bible in a Year:
Isaiah 32-33; Colossians 1
In cultures with an abundance of food choices, bread is no longer a necessary part of the diet so some choose to live without it for various reasons. In the first century, however, bread was viewed as an essential staple. A diet without bread was a foreign concept.
One day a crowd of people sought out Jesus because He had performed the miracle of multiplying loaves of bread (John 6:11,26). They asked Him to perform a sign like the manna from heaven that God had provided for His people in the desert (6:30-31; Ex. 16:4). When Jesus said He was “the true bread from heaven” (John 6:32), the people didn’t understand. They wanted literal daily bread. But Jesus was saying that He had been sent to be their spiritual bread; He would supply their daily spiritual needs. If they, by faith, applied and took His words and life into their very souls, they would experience everlasting satisfaction (v.35).
Jesus doesn’t want to be an optional commodity in our diets; He desires to be the essential staple in our lives, our “necessary” food. As first-century Jews could never imagine life without physical bread, may we never attempt to live without Jesus, our spiritual bread!
For Further Thought
What are some ways you can let Jesus, the
Bread of Life, and His words satisfy the
hunger pangs of your soul today?
Only spiritual bread satisfies the hunger of the soul.
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God Provides, But How?
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Posted:Oct 8, 2013 5:23 am
Last Updated:Oct 9, 2013 4:21 am 6896 Views
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Read: Deuteronomy 24.19-22
He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread.
—Proverbs 12.11
Bible in a Year:
Isaiah 30-31; Philippians 4
Outside my office window, the squirrels are in a race against winter to bury their acorns in a safe, accessible place. Their commotion amuses me. An entire herd of deer can go through our back yard and not make a sound, but one squirrel sounds like an invasion.
The two creatures are different in another way as well. Deer do not prepare for winter. When the snow comes they eat whatever they can find along the way (including ornamental shrubs in our yard). But squirrels would starve if they followed that example. They would be unable to find suitable food.
The deer and the squirrel represent ways that God cares for us. He enables us to work and save for the future, and He meets our need when resources are scarce. As the wisdom literature teaches, God gives us seasons of plenty so that we can prepare for seasons of need (Prov. 12.11. And as Psalm 23 says, the Lord leads us through perilous places to pleasant pastures.
Another way that God provides is by instructing those with plenty to share with those in need (Deut. 24.19. So when it comes to provision, the message of the Bible is this: Work while we can, save what we can, share what we can, and trust God to meet our needs.
Thank You, Lord, for the promise that You will
meet our needs. Help us not to fear or doubt.
We’re grateful that You’re watching over us
and that our cries for help reach Your ear.
Our needs will never exhaust God’s supply.
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Public Praise
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Posted:Oct 7, 2013 2:11 am
Last Updated:Oct 8, 2013 5:23 am 6896 Views
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Read: Psalm 96
Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. —Psalm 96:3
Bible in a Year:
Isaiah 28-29; Philippians 3
I love the YouTube video of people in a food court of a mall, who in the midst of their ordinary lives were suddenly interrupted by someone who stood up and boldly began singing the “Hallelujah Chorus.” To the surprise of everyone, another person got up and joined the chorus, and then another, and another. Soon the food court was resounding with the celebrative harmonies of Handel’s masterpiece. A local opera company had planted their singers in strategic places so that they could joyfully interject the glory of God into the everyday lives of lunching shoppers.
Every time I watch that video, it moves me to tears. It reminds me that bringing the glory of God into the ordinary situations of our world through the beautiful harmonies of Christlikeness is exactly what we are called to do. Think of intentionally interjecting God’s grace into a situation where some undeserving soul needs a second chance; of sharing the love of Christ with someone who is needy; of being the hands of Jesus that lift up a weary friend; or of bringing peace to a confusing and chaotic situation.
As the psalmist reminds us, we have the high and holy privilege of declaring “His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples” (Ps. 96:3.
Thank You, Lord, for filling us with the capacity to take
Your glory “public” through the way we act and react
toward others. Give us the grace to interject the surprising
beauty of Your wonderful ways into each encounter.
Surprise your world with the wonders of Christ shining through you!
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Inmeasurably More
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Posted:Oct 4, 2013 4:58 am
Last Updated:May 5, 2024 12:4 am 7011 Views
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Read: Ephesians 3.14-21
He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
—1 John 4.4
Bible in a Year:
Isaiah 20-22; Ephesians 6
“It’s not going to happen, Aunt Julie. You might as well erase that thought from your mind.”
“I know it’s unlikely,” I said. “But it’s not impossible.”
For several years, my niece and I have had variations of that conversation regarding a situation in our family. The rest of the sentence, which I said only occasionally, was this: “I know it can happen because I hear stories all the time about how God makes impossible things happen.” The part of the sentence I said only to myself was this: “But they happen only in other people’s families.”
Recently my pastor has been preaching from the book of Ephesians. At the end of every service we say this benediction: “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” Eph. 3:20-21 .
This was the year God chose to do “immeasurably more” in my family. He replaced indifference with love. How did He do it? Beats me. But I saw it happen. And why should I be surprised? If Satan can turn love into indifference, certainly God can change indifference back into love.
Lord, thank You for doing immeasurably more in
our lives than we could ever imagine.
I am so thankful that You are able and often
do make impossible situations possible.
God’s power to restore is stronger than Satan’s power to destroy.
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