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From: Our Daily Bread

March 10, 2017

Read: Ephesians 2:11–22 | Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 11–13; Mark 12:1–27

You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people. Ephesians 2:19

A young African refugee who goes by the name of Steven is a man without a country. He thinks he may have been born in Mozambique or Zimbabwe. But he never knew his father and lost his mother. She fled civil war, traveling country to country as a street vendor. Without ID and unable to prove his place of birth, Steven walked into a British police station, asking to be arrested. Jail seemed better to Steven than trying to exist on the streets without the rights and benefits of citizenship.

The plight of living without a country was on Paul’s mind as he wrote his letter to the Ephesians. His non-Jewish readers knew what it was like to live as aliens and outsiders (2:12). Only since finding life and hope in Christ (1:13) had they discovered what it meant to belong to the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:3). In Jesus, they learned what it means to be known and cared for by the Father He came to reveal (Matt. 6:31–33).

You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people. Ephesians 2:19

Paul realized, however, that as the past fades from view, a short memory can cause us to forget that, while hope is the new norm, despair was the old reality.

May our God help us to live in security—to know each day the belonging that we have as members of His family is by faith in Jesus Christ and to understand the rights and benefits of having our home in Him.

Lord, as we remember how hopeless we were before You found us, please help us not to forget those who are still on the street.

Hope means the most to those who have lived without it.

Driving for Peace

Driving for Peace

From: Our Daily Journey

Mar 8, 2017

Read:

James 3:13-18
Those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness (James 3:18).

My carpenter friend accidentally cut off a car as he made a lane change. The man driving the car came alongside my friend’s vehicle, shook his fist in anger, and sped off. My friend felt bad and wanted to somehow atone for his driving mistake.

Soon the driver of the car pulled into the parking lot of the company he worked for, parked his car, and went inside. My friend steered his truck into the same lot and went into the building to apologize. The man was disarmed by my friend’s peace-making ways and they ended up having a good conversation. At the conclusion of their time together, my friend gave the man one of his handyman business cards. Later, the man hired him to do a project at his home!

James emphasized the importance of our pursuit of peace with others. As part of his “wisdom from God” passage, he implored the recipients of his letter—persecuted Jewish believers in Jesus—to seek peace even in the midst of conflict. He wrote, “Wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others” (James 3:17). These qualities aren’t natural in our fallen human condition. We’re prone to live out things like “selfish ambition” and “favoritism” (James 3:16-17).

So where did my friend’s peace-making ways come from? I believe they’re the result of the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. Over the years, my friend has sought wisdom from God and has prayerfully strived to submit to the Spirit’s work. God enabled him to pursue the path of peace instead of road rage. As James penned, “Peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:18).

By the Spirit’s power, may we also drive for peace today!

 ( confessional )

If you are sincere this is a good practice. Whether with a confessional or if you are alone with God confession is good for you. Many people feel better after talking to God.

You have a friend and advocate in Jesus Christ. He will stand up for you even before God the Father. He will plead for you. God is loving and kind to forgive the repentant.

True Confessions

From: Strength for the Journey, By: Joe Stowell

[Written by Joe Stowell for Our Daily Bread.]

Oct

31

2015

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” Psalm 51:5

I love coconut. I always have! So, after an exhausting day in second grade, I found a bag of shredded coconut in the cupboard and devoured the whole thing. When my mother went into the kitchen later to bake—you guessed it, a coconut cake—I heard, “Who ate the coconut?!”

I knew I was in trouble, but my escape plan was simple—a quick, easy lie: “Not me!”

She continued her inquiry with my sisters, but after they denied it, we all heard the familiar words: “Wait till your Dad comes home!” My cover-up plan was doomed to failure, and later that evening I finally confessed.

No one had to teach me to lie. As the psalmist David admits, “I was brought forth in iniquity” (Psalm 51:5). But in his sin David knew where to go—to the God of abundant mercy who will cleanse us from our sin (Psalm 51:1-2).

When we recognize the ongoing reality of sin in our lives, we are reminded of our ongoing need for the presence of God and the power of His Word to keep us safe and spiritually sane. He is waiting for us to confess our faults and embrace the forgiveness and cleansing that He readily offers.

Remember, a refreshing plunge into God’s mercy awaits you on the other side of confessed sin!

Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee. —Sleeper

Own up to your sin and experience the joy of confession.

God Has The Greatest Love

No Greater Love

12   This is My commandment, that you love one another as I loved you.

13   Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

14   You are My friends if you do what I command you.…   John 15:13

Love Revealed

From: Our Daily Bread

February 14, 2017

Read: 1 John 4:9–16 | Bible in a Year: Leviticus 15–16; Matthew 27:1–26

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 1 John 4:9

When a series of pink “I love you” signs mysteriously appeared in the town of Welland, Ontario, local reporter Maryanne Firth decided to investigate. Her sleuthing turned up nothing. Weeks later, new signs appeared featuring the name of a local park along with a date and time.

Accompanied by a crowd of curious townspeople, Firth went to the park at the appointed time. There, she met a man wearing a suit who had cleverly concealed his face. Imagine her surprise when he handed her a bouquet and proposed marriage! The mystery man was Ryan St. Denis—her boyfriend. She happily accepted.

Dear God, help my life to demonstrate my love for You.

St. Denis’s expression of love toward his fiancée may seem a bit over-the-top, but God’s expression of love for us is nothing short of extravagant! “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9).

Jesus is not merely a token of love, like a rose passed from one person to another. He is the divine human who willingly gave up His life so that anyone who believes in Him for salvation can have an everlasting covenant relationship with God. Nothing can separate a Christian “from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:39).

Dear God, thank You for showing me, in the greatest way possible, that You love me. Help my life to demonstrate my love for You.

We know how much God loves us because He sent His Son to save us.

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The Death of Doubt

February 13, 2017

Read: John 11:1–16 | Bible in a Year: Leviticus 14; Matthew 26:51–75

Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. John 20:25

We know him as Doubting Thomas (see John 20:24–29), but the label isn’t entirely fair. After all, how many of us would have believed that our executed leader had been resurrected? We might just as well call him “Courageous Thomas.” After all, Thomas displayed impressive courage as Jesus moved purposefully into the events leading to His death.

At the death of Lazarus, Jesus had said, “Let us go back to Judea” (John 11:7), prompting a protest from the disciples. “Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?” (v. 8). It was Thomas who said, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (v. 16).

Real doubt searches for the light; unbelief is content with the darkness.

Thomas’s intentions proved nobler than his actions. Upon Jesus’s arrest, Thomas fled with the rest (Matt. 26:56), leaving Peter and John to accompany Christ to the courtyard of the high priest. Only John followed Jesus all the way to the cross.

Despite having witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:38–44), Thomas still could not bring himself to believe that the crucified Lord had conquered death. Not until Thomas the doubter—the human—saw the risen Lord, could he exclaim, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Jesus’s response gave assurance to the doubter and immeasurable comfort to us: “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (v. 29).

Father, teach us to act on what we do know about You and Your goodness, and trust You in faith for what we don’t know.

Real doubt searches for the light; unbelief is content with the darkness.

God Comforts The Brokenhearted

2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Matthew 11:28-30 

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Please mark the following as yes or no:


1. Have you ever felt down or dejected?

2. Do you help people who appear to need encouragement?

3. Is it your practice to talk to God in prayer about the problem?

4. Have you ever sensed God being close or attentive to you?

5. Can we rise up from dejection and experience joy again?

Spiritual Dejection

From: Utmost.org

February 7, 2016

We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the  third day since these things happened. —Luke 24:21

Every fact that the disciples stated was right, but the conclusions they drew from those facts were wrong. Anything that has even a hint of dejection spiritually is always wrong. If I am depressed or burdened, I am to blame, not God or anyone else. Dejection stems from one of two sources— I have either satisfied a lust or I have not had it satisfied. In either case, dejection is the result. Lust means “I must have it at once.” Spiritual lust causes me to demand an answer from God, instead of seeking God Himself who gives the answer. What have I been hoping or trusting God would do? Is today “the third day” and He has still not done what I expected? Am I therefore justified in being dejected and in blaming God? Whenever we insist that God should give us an answer to prayer we are off track. The purpose of prayer is that we get ahold of God, not of the answer. It is impossible to be well physically and to be dejected, because dejection is a sign of sickness. This is also true spiritually. Dejection spiritually is wrong, and we are always to blame for it.

We look for visions from heaven and for earth-shaking events to see God’s power. Even the fact that we are dejected is proof that we do this. Yet we never realize that all the time God is at work in our everyday events and in the people around us. If we will only obey, and do the task that He has placed closest to us, we will see Him. One of the most amazing revelations of God comes to us when we learn that it is in the everyday things of life that we realize the magnificent deity of Jesus Christ.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS