Finishing Well

From: Our Daily Journey

  Dec 31, 2018  

Read:

Genesis 11:31–12:9
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance (Hebrews 11:8).

The Lord of the Rings trilogy tells the tale of nine companions who set off for Mordor with the goal of destroying the Dark Lord Sauron’s ring. Frodo, the story’s central character, struggled with the call to leave his familiar home in the Shire and embark on a journey fraught with danger. But Frodo bravely took on the assigned task, knowing that the quest was bigger than him and had far-reaching consequences for all of Middle Earth.

God’s story of saving this earth also began with a call that required a comfort zone departure for the good of all people. After the flood, God chose one family from Shem’s line, the family of Abram, to found a new people who would be His own. He called Abram, saying, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. . . . All the families on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:1-3). Obediently, “Abram departed as the Lord had instructed . . . He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth . . . and headed for the land of Canaan” (Genesis 11:4-5).

In response, “the Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’ And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him” (Genesis 11:7).

Like Frodo, who was one of only two original companions to complete the journey and save Middle Earth, Abram (later Abraham) braved his fears and completed the journey to Canaan. Today, because of Abram’s obedience, we—and all nations—are still reaping the benefits of God’s blessing.

As we travel on in our various life journeys, may we finish well by being obedient to God—experiencing His bounty as we bless those around us.

All Things New

From: Our Daily Bread

  December 30, 2018  

Read: Revelation 21:1–7 | Bible in a Year: Zechariah 13–14; Revelation 21

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Junkyards intrigue me. I enjoy working on cars, so I frequently make trips to the one near our home. It’s a lonely place, where the wind whispers through discarded hulks that were once someone’s prized possession. Some were wrecked, some wore out, and others simply outlived their usefulness. As I walk between the rows, a car will sometimes catch my eye, and I’ll find myself wondering about the adventures it had during its “lifetime.” Like a portal to the past, each has a story to tell—of human hankering after the latest model and the inescapable passage of time.

But I take particular pleasure in finding new life for an old part. Whenever I can take something discarded and give it new life in a restored vehicle, it feels like a small victory against time and decline.

It sometimes makes me think of Jesus’s words at the end of the Bible: “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5). These words refer to God’s renewal of creation, which includes believers. Already, all who’ve received Jesus are a “new creation” in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17).

And one day we will enter into His promise of unending days with Him (John 14:3). Age and disease will no longer take their toll, and we will continue the adventure of an eternal lifetime. What stories each of us will have to tell—stories of our Savior’s redeeming love and undying faithfulness.

Loving Lord, I praise You that I am a new creation in You, and that in Your kindness and mercy You have given me the promise of eternal life.

The end of a year and beginning of another is an opportunity for a fresh start. What might God be making new in your life?

When God Says No

  December 29, 2018  

From: Our Daily Bread

Read: Isaiah 25:1–5 | Bible in a Year: Zechariah 9–12; Revelation 20

 

 

In perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1

When I was conscripted into the military at age eighteen, as all young Singaporean men are, I prayed desperately for an easy posting. A clerk or driver, perhaps. Not being particularly strong, I hoped to be spared the rigors of combat training. But one evening as I read my Bible, one verse leaped off the page: “My grace is sufficient for you . . .” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

My heart dropped—but it shouldn’t have. God had answered my prayers. Even if I received a difficult assignment, He would provide for me.

So I ended up as an armored infantryman, doing things I didn’t always enjoy. Looking back now, I’m grateful God didn’t give me what I wanted. The training and experience toughened me physically and mentally and gave me confidence to enter adulthood.

In Isaiah 25:1–5, after prophesying Israel’s punishment and subsequent deliverance from her enemies, the prophet praises God for His plans. All these “wonderful things,” Isaiah notes, had been “planned long ago” (v. 1), yet they included some arduous times.

It can be hard to hear God saying no, and even harder to understand when we’re praying for something good—like someone’s deliverance from a crisis. That’s when we need to hold on to the truth of God’s good plans. We may not understand why, but we can keep trusting in His love, goodness, and faithfulness.

Lord, give me the faith to keep trusting You even when You say no.

When God says no, He has a plan. Keep trusting Him!

Good Riddance Day

From: Our Daily Bread

 December 28, 2018 

Read: Psalm 103:1–12 | Bible in a Year: Zechariah 5–8; Revelation 19

 

 

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12

Since 2006 a group of people have celebrated an unusual event around the New Year. It’s called Good Riddance Day. Based on a Latin American tradition, individuals write down unpleasant, embarrassing memories and bad issues from the past year and throw them into an industrial-strength shredder. Or some take a sledgehammer to their good riddance item.

The writer of Psalm 103 goes beyond suggesting that people say good riddance to unpleasant memories. He reminded us that God bids good riddance to our sins. In his attempt to express God’s vast love for His people, the psalmist used word pictures. He compared the vastness of God’s love to the distance between the heavens and the earth (v. 11). Then the psalmist talked about His forgiveness in spatial terms. As far as the place where the sun rises is from the place where the sun sets, so the Lord has removed His people’s sins from them (v. 12). The psalmist wanted God’s people to know that His love and forgiveness were infinite and complete. God freed His people from the power of their transgressions by fully pardoning them.

Good news! We don’t have to wait until the New Year to experience Good Riddance Day. Through our faith in Jesus, when we confess and turn from our sins, He bids good riddance to them and casts them into the depths of the sea. Today can be a Good Riddance Day!

Where the Battle is Won or Los

December 27 

Where the Battle is Won or Lost

By Oswald Chambers

“If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord… —Jeremiah 4:1

Our battles are first won or lost in the secret places of our will in God’s presence, never in full view of the world. The Spirit of God seizes me and I am compelled to get alone with God and fight the battle before Him. Until I do this, I will lose every time. The battle may take one minute or one year, but that will depend on me, not God. However long it takes, I must wrestle with it alone before God, and I must resolve to go through the hell of renunciation or rejection before Him. Nothing has any power over someone who has fought the battle before God and won there.

I should never say, “I will wait until I get into difficult circumstances and then I’ll put God to the test.” Trying to do that will not work. I must first get the issue settled between God and myself in the secret places of my soul, where no one else can interfere. Then I can go ahead, knowing with certainty that the battle is won. Lose it there, and calamity, disaster, and defeat before the world are as sure as the laws of God. The reason the battle is lost is that I fight it first in the external world. Get alone with God, do battle before Him, and settle the matter once and for all.

In dealing with other people, our stance should always be to drive them toward making a decision of their will. That is how surrendering to God begins. Not often, but every once in a while, God brings us to a major turning point— a great crossroads in our life. From that point we either go toward a more and more slow, lazy, and useless Christian life, or we become more and more on fire, giving our utmost for His highest— our best for His glory.

The Divine Gardener

From: Our Daily journey

  Dec 26, 2018  

Read:

Psalm 19:1-6
The skies display [God’s] craftsmanship (Psalm 19:1).

One autumn I spent several days hiking in a majestic wilderness. Venturing into an old growth forest, lushness enveloped me. The rush of frigid water cut through tight canyons while austere granite peaks, dusted in white, sliced into the sky. It looked as though some heavenly baker sprinkled confectioner’s sugar across the ragged edge. I found myself being still—watching and listening, hushed, as though I were answering the church bell calling me to morning prayers. Marveling at all these wonders, I offered the simplest words skyward: Thank You.

My heart knew the truth before my mind could catch on to what was happening. These raw, natural creations instinctively turned my heart toward God. The psalmist tells us “the heavens proclaim the glory of God” and “the skies display his craftsmanship” (Psalm 19:1). Wherever we peer into this wide and glorious world, we encounter marvels announcing God to us. We may shut our eyes or muffle our ears, but we can never escape the resounding pulse of creation. “Day after day,” this beautiful world “continue[s] to speak” (Psalm 19:2).

Everywhere we turn, we see the handiwork of the One who sculpts the craggy ridges and fills massive lakes to the brim. We encounter the Creator who breathes life into each red cedar and who waters the grass with nourishing dew. We receive abundant gifts from the Divine Gardener: plump blueberries in summer, fiery-red leaves in autumn, and erupting dogwoods in spring.

To hear the creation’s language, we must pay close attention. The world around us speaks “without a sound,” and yet the “message has gone throughout the earth” (Psalm 19:3-4). And the message the world speaks is this: God is alive. God is here.

The Shalom of God

From: Our Daily Journey

  Dec 25, 2018  

Read:

Isaiah 9:1-7
His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity (Isaiah 9:7).

My friend is going through a stressful season. She’s working fulltime while pursuing her master’s degree. Her boss’s terrible treatment has been making her feel inadequate. Yet every morning she reminds herself that she’s not alone—God is with her, giving her peace. Not a fickle peace, but a deep, long-lasting one.

The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, had several meanings. It meant wholeness of body, mind, and soul. It could also mean safety, wealth, or absence of war. The prophet Isaiah associated peace with a person, a royal son of David, who would be the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). This Person’s rule would bring wholeness to both individuals and societies, and “his government and its peace [would] never end” (Isaiah 9:7).

The divine attributes Isaiah described are ultimately fulfilled through Jesus. He spoke of the coming reality of God’s kingdom of shalom. And He promised that this shalomcould be experienced now as an inner peace that can’t be destroyed, rooted in knowing God’s power at work (John 16:33). The way to experience this long-lasting peace is by a relationship with God through Jesus, the Prince of Peace. He fulfilled what Isaiah prophesied, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine” (Isaiah 9:2). He would “break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders” (Isaiah 9:4).

Jesus promised: “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give” (John 14:27). This promise is still true today. Regardless of the season of life we’re in, we don’t need to be afraid, because in Jesus, we can know the shalom of God.

Big Lessons in Small Pictures

Author: Laura Smith

As I looked down into the manger of the nativity scene, the Holy Spirit said to me: “There are big lessons in small pictures.”

I began to think about what a manger was used for. It was an eating place that held food for the animals — donkeys, cows, and maybe even sheep.

This seemed to be so small and insignificant, but in Luke, chapter two, God thought it important enough to point it out three times. He also pointed out that the baby Jesus was laid in it.

“Father, I asked, “what is the importance of the manger?”

God led me to the Old Testament, Exodus, chapter 16, which tells about the Israelites being led out of captivity and into the wilderness. They complained about not having food. God gave them manna from heaven, which they complained about later also.

From there, my journey continued to the New Testament (John 6). Jesus had fed 5,000 people with five barley loaves and two fish. Later in that chapter, He tells the crowd and the disciples,

” …it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world … I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” John 6:32-33, John 6:35 (NASB)

From there, I found myself in Matthew 6:8-13. Jesus tells us that GOD knows what we need and then teaches us “how” to pray. In verses 11 and 12, He says,

“Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (NASB)

As I gazed back into the manger, I realized when Jesus the Messiah was born and laid into a manger that God, Our Father, had sent Manna from heaven that was more holy than any other ever sent before. Jesus is our “Manna from heaven.”

Sadly, some still complain and want something different, just as the Israelites did. He is the bread that we need to ask to be fed from daily. When we eat from our Bread of Life — Jesus Christ — it becomes spiritually necessary to get rid of the dirt that is inside. Therefore, we need to ask for forgiveness.

My little sheep, come to the manger and take a second look inside. As you look at the babe inside that manger, whom everyone came to admire, remember that He is the same person who later was rejected, mutilated, and killed for sins He never committed — but you and I did. Praise God, Jesus arose from the dead! Now, because He did this, we can go to our manger and eat daily from the Bread of Life and drink His Living Water. My little sheep, it’s time to eat!

May God bless you with a fresh new look at the birth of our Lord, Savior, and Messiah, Jesus Christ!

The Bread Of Life Came To Save Us

 

From: Our Daily Bread

Welcome to the website ‘Bread for our Hearts’. Every day we provide a Bible passage and a daily contemplation about it, with a Bible verse at the top of the page that applies to the message of the day. We wish you God’s blessing in reading this!

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. Job 1:21

Ann Voskamp’s book One Thousand Gifts encourages readers to search their lives each day for what the Lord has done for them. In it, she daily notes God’s abundant generosity to her in gifts both large and small, ranging from the simple beauty of iridescent bubbles in the dish sink to the incomparable salvation of sinners like herself (and the rest of us!). Ann contends that gratitude is the key to seeing God in even the most troubling of life’s moments.

Job is famous for a life of such “troubling” moments. Indeed, his losses were deep and many. Just moments after losing all his livestock, he learns of the simultaneous death of all his ten children. Job’s profound grief was evidenced in his response: he “tore his robe and shaved his head” (1:20). His words in that painful hour make me think Job knew the practice of gratitude, for he acknowledges that God had given him everything he’d lost (v. 21). How else could he worship in the midst of such incapacitating grief?

Hope Is Our Strategy

From: Our Daily Bread

 December 22, 2018 

Read: Micah 7:1–7 | Bible in a Year: Micah 6–7; Revelation 13

But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. Micah 7:7

My favorite football team has lost eight consecutive games as I write this. With each loss, it’s harder to hope this season can be redeemed for them. The coach has made changes weekly, but they haven’t resulted in wins. Talking with my coworkers, I’ve joked that merely wanting a different outcome can’t guarantee it. “Hope is not a strategy,” I’ve quipped.

That’s true in football. But in our spiritual lives, it’s just the opposite. Not only is cultivating hope in God a strategy, but clinging to Him in faith and trust is the onlystrategy. This world often disappoints us, but hope can anchor us in God’s truth and power during the turbulent times.

Micah understood this reality. He was heartbroken by how Israel had turned away from God. “What misery is mine! . . . The faithful have been swept from the land; not one upright person remains” (7:1–2). But then he refocused on his true hope: “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me” (v. 7).

What does it take to maintain hope in harsh times? Micah shows us: Watching. Waiting. Praying. Remembering. God hears our cries even when our circumstances are overwhelming. In these moments, clinging to and acting in response to our hope in God is our strategy, the only strategy that will help us weather life’s storms.

Father, You’ve promised to be an anchor for our hearts when circumstances look discouraging. Help us call out to You in faith and hope, believing that You hear our hearts’ cries.

What does it take to maintain hope in harsh times? Watching. Waiting. Praying. Remembering.

What Christmas Is All About

 December 5, 2015 

 Read: Luke 2:8-14 | Bible in a Year: Daniel 1–2; 1 John 4

There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

From: Our Daily Bread

Luke 2:8

Fifty years ago A Charlie Brown Christmas was first broadcast on American television. Some network executives thought it would be ignored, while others worried that quoting the Bible would offend viewers. Some wanted its creator, Charles Schulz, to omit the Christmas story, but Schulz insisted it stay in. The program was an immediate success and has been rebroadcast every year since 1965.

When Charlie Brown, the frustrated director of the children’s Christmas play, is discouraged by the commercial spirit of the holiday season, he asks if anyone can tell him the real meaning of Christmas. Linus recites Luke 2:8-14 including the words, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (vv. 11-14 kjv). Then Linus says, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

During this season filled with our own doubts and dreams, it’s good to ponder afresh God’s great love expressed in the familiar story of Joseph, Mary, the baby Jesus, and the angels who announced the Savior’s birth.

That’s what Christmas is all about.

Father in heaven, as we approach Christmas, may we grasp in a deeper way Your amazing gift to us.

God broke into human history to offer us the gift of salvation!

The Right Kind of Help

By Oswald Chambers

December 20 

And I, if I am lifted up…will draw all peoples to Myself. —John 12:32

Very few of us have any understanding of the reason why Jesus Christ died. If sympathy is all that human beings need, then the Cross of Christ is an absurdity and there is absolutely no need for it. What the world needs is not “a little bit of love,” but major surgery.

When you find yourself face to face with a person who is spiritually lost, remind yourself of Jesus Christ on the cross. If that person can get to God in any other way, then the Cross of Christ is unnecessary. If you think you are helping lost people with your sympathy and understanding, you are a traitor to Jesus Christ. You must have a right-standing relationship with Him yourself, and pour your life out in helping others in His way— not in a human way that ignores God. The theme of the world’s religion today is to serve in a pleasant, non-confrontational manner.

But our only priority must be to present Jesus Christ crucified— to lift Him up all the time (see 1 Corinthians 2:2). Every belief that is not firmly rooted in the Cross of Christ will lead people astray. If the worker himself believes in Jesus Christ and is trusting in the reality of redemption, his words will be compelling to others. What is extremely important is for the worker’s simple relationship with Jesus Christ to be strong and growing. His usefulness to God depends on that, and that alone.

The calling of a New Testament worker is to expose sin and to reveal Jesus Christ as Savior. Consequently, he cannot always be charming and friendly, but must be willing to be stern to accomplish major surgery. We are sent by God to lift up Jesus Christ, not to give wonderfully beautiful speeches. We must be willing to examine others as deeply as God has examined us. We must also be sharply intent on sensing those Scripture passages that will drive the truth home, and then not be afraid to apply them.

A Christmas Letter

From: Our Daily Bread

 December 19, 2018 

Read: John 1:1–14 | Bible in a Year: Jonah 1–4; Revelation 10

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father. John 1:14

Every Christmas, a friend of mine writes a long letter to his wife, reviewing the events of the year and dreaming about the future. He always tells her how much he loves her, and why. He also writes a letter to each of his daughters. His words of love make an unforgettable Christmas present.

We could say that the original Christmas love letter was Jesus, the Word made flesh. John highlights this truth in his gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). In ancient philosophy, the Greek for Word, logos, suggested a divine mind or order that unites reality, but John expands the definition to reveal the Word as a person: Jesus, the Son of God who was “with God in the beginning” (v. 2). This Word, the Father’s “one and only Son,” “became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (v. 14). Through Jesus the Word, God reveals Himself perfectly.

Theologians have grappled with this beautiful mystery for centuries. However much we may not understand, we can be certain that Jesus as the Word gives light to our dark world (v. 9). If we believe in Him, we can experience the gift of being God’s beloved children (v. 12).

Jesus, God’s love letter to us, has come and made His home among us. Now that’s an amazing Christmas gift!

Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Word of God, and You bring light into my life. May I shine forth Your goodness and grace and bring You honor.

How can you share the amazing gift of Jesus with others today?