Devotional

Things Are Often Not As They Appear

Who Knows?

Our Daily Bread Ministries
March 5 | Bible in a Year: Numbers 34-36; Mark 9:30-50
Who Knows? When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Ecclesiastes 7:14 READ ECCLESIASTES 6:12; 7:13–14
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According to Chinese legend, when Sai Weng lost one of his prized horses, his neighbor expressed sorrow for his loss. But Sai Weng was unconcerned. He said, “Who knows if it may be a good thing for me?” Surprisingly, the lost horse returned home with another horse. As the neighbor congratulated him, Sai Weng said, “Who knows if it may be a bad thing for me?” As it turned out, his son broke his leg when he rode on the new horse. This seemed like a misfortune, until the army arrived at the village to recruit all able-bodied men to fight in the war. Because of the son’s injury, he wasn’t recruited, which ultimately could have spared him from death.
This is the story behind the Chinese proverb which teaches that a difficulty can be a blessing in disguise and vice versa. This ancient wisdom has a close parallel in Ecclesiastes 6:12, where the author observes: “Who knows what is good for a person in life?” Indeed, none of us know what the future holds. An adversity might have positive benefits, and prosperity might have ill effects.
Each day offers new opportunities, joys, struggles, and suffering. As God’s beloved children, we can rest in His sovereignty and trust Him through the good and bad times alike. God has “made the one as well as the other” (7:14). He’s with us in all the events in our lives and promises His loving care.
By Poh Fang Chia

REFLECT & PRAY
Sovereign God, thank You for ordering my life. Help me to praise You in both good and bad times, believing that You work all things for the ultimate good of those who love You.
Can you think of an example where a misfortune turned out to be a blessing? How can you keep your focus on God in good times as well as in bad times?
Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.     SUPPORT 
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT Today’s text might make us conclude that the author of Ecclesiastes, the “Teacher” (1:1), is a fatalist. Gloomy thoughts seem to dominate his writing: Life is “meaningless” and our days pass like a “shadow” (6:12); good and bad stuff happen (7:14). But some Bible scholars offer another perspective by pointing us to the writer’s call to “consider what God has done” (7:13)—reminding us to look carefully at how He works and has worked in the world. “Who can straighten what [God] has made crooked?” (v. 13). Who can fix the difficulties in our lives? No one except God. When we consider His character and acts, we see that “in all things” He works “for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28). When we trust in God’s goodness, we can be happy (joyful) “when times are good.” And when “times are bad,” we can remember that God has given us those days as well (Ecclesiastes 7:14). Alyson Kieda
Romans 8:28 New American Standard Bible
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.“

Another Side of Comfort

Today’s Gospel unfortunately features a lot of watered down grace.  Downplayed is the need to repent and turn from sin, live holy lives, and trust and obey the Lord.  Refer to  Matthew 4:17, Luke 13:3,5, and John 14:21.  Today’s Daily Bread devotional is a breath of fresh air, sharing another aspect of His truth that we need to hear more.  Our salvation and understanding of truth depends upon it!

Blessings, Pastor Steve

 

 

Another Side of Comfort

December 16, 2016
Another Side of Comfort
Read: Jeremiah 7:1–11 | Bible in a Year: Amos 4–6; Revelation 7
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Hear the word of the Lord. Jeremiah 7:2

The theme for our adult camp was “Comfort My People.” Speaker after speaker spoke words of assurance. But the last speaker drastically changed the tone. He chose Jeremiah 7:1–11 and the topic “Wake Up from Slumber.” Without mincing words and yet with love, he challenged us to wake up and turn away from our sins.

“Don’t hide behind the grace of God and continue to live in secret sin,” he exhorted, like the prophet Jeremiah. “We boast, ‘I am a Christian; God loves me; I fear no evil,’ yet we do all kinds of evil.”

We knew he cared about us, yet we shifted uncomfortably in our seats and listened to our own Jeremiah declare, “God is loving, but He is also a consuming fire! (see Heb. 12:29). He will never condone sin!”

Jeremiah of old quizzed the people, “Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury . . . follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, ‘We are safe’—safe to do all these detestable things?” (7:9–10).

This speaker’s brand of “Comfort My People” was another side of God’s comfort. Like a bitter herb that heals malaria, his words were spiritually curative. When we hear hard words, instead of walking away, may we respond to their healing effect.

Heavenly Father, You love us too much to let us continue defying Your instructions. Your correction is never to harm us but only to heal us. You are the God of all comfort.

God’s discipline is designed to make us like His Son.

INSIGHT:The idea of loving correction is a consistent message of the Scriptures. God portrays Himself to us as a loving parent, a father who wants to protect and provide the very best for His children. This is seen in the way God dealt with Israel in the wilderness wanderings. This imagery is seen in the New Testament as well. In Hebrews 12:4–6, the Scriptures make it clear that divine discipline is not an expression of punishment or vengeance. It is the loving Father correcting our wrong behavior so that we can live wisely with and for Him.

By Lawrence Darmani | See Other Authors

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  1. servant50

    “Another side of Comfort”, Thank you Lord for your daily correction in my life, Amen! for without you I would be totally lost to all the world ways. Wonderful counselor, healer and saviour, Hallelujah!

  2. Charlie

    Proverbs 2:4-5
    if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

    Are you and I seeking ? Blessings to all in the forum today.

  3. dareadel

    Thank you for this encouraging word and a timely reminder that God’s free gift of grace is not cheap

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There’s a time for waiting and a time for walking…

Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them. Joshua 1:2

There’s a time for waiting and a time for walking; a time for introspection and also for action. There’s a time for reading and working. There is a time for planning and a time for carrying out plans. There is a time for thinking and a time for speaking. There is a time for defining problems and another for fixing problems. In the remaining time I have, let me not just sit and observe, but arise, overcome the obstacles to blessing and joy. If this can be done, the effect will be seen by others and they too may act in a positive way. -G.C.G.

Let us then be up and doing, with a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing, learning to labour and to wait. -H.W. Longfellow

God’s Riches Are Unseen And Overlooked By The World

1 Corinthians 1:27 King James Version

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty…

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Yes, one can be spiritually rich in the things of God and no one would even notice. Most people missed Jesus when He came for His incredible thirty three year earthly sojourn. It has not changed a bit since then. The following devotional sums up this truth beautifully:

Full
“Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.” (Genesis 25:8)

With the words of our text, Abraham ended a life of faith having walked in such close fellowship with God that “he was called the Friend of God” (James 2:23). But when he died at 175 years old, his standing in the world from a human perspective might not seem to have warranted his nomadic life of sacrifice and faith. He had sojourned in the land given to him by covenant, but he had not taken possession of it in any real sense. Although he had gained a measure of worldly possessions (Genesis 13:2), he had evidently given up a stable and satisfying life of luxury among his people to follow God into the land of promise. Once there, his nephew, Lot, had deserted him, taking the fertile land as his own (13:10-11). Abraham had seen war (chapter 14), famine (12:10), compromise (12:13; 20:2), fighting between his two wives, and had not had children until his old age (chapters 16 and 21), had lived in poor relationship with his neighbors (chapter 20), and had eventually lost his dear wife, Sarah (23:2).

But when Abraham died, Scripture says he died completely satisfied, the literal meaning of the word “full” in our text (the words “of years” added by the translators). He had learned to measure time by eternity, to weigh the value of earthly things by the Spirit. “For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). He had “believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3).

The fullness of Abraham was that of a wealth that death could not touch. The seeming fullness of those who walk by sight, and not by faith, is emptied in death. Men and women of faith carry their fullness with them. When the time comes, may we all die as Abraham died—full. JDM This email was sent to stomson2001@gmail.com | Print this articleUnsubscribe | Subscribe
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Freedom Verses Slavery ~ Romans 6:1-23

Slavery did not end when the Jews left Egypt, when the Roman Empire crumbled, or when Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Sadly, there are untold millions of slaves living in America today. Think about these sobering statistics. Thirty-five million people try to stop smoking each year, and 85 percent don’t even last one week. Twenty-five million Americans are addicted to drugs or alcohol, and less than 10 percent will ever be set free. Forty million people in the U.S. view online pornography each week. Every single second of the day, twenty-nine thousand people in the country are watching porn on the Internet. Satan is in the business of slavery.

We don’t have to be into drugs, porn, or alcohol to be in bondage. Ongoing sin of any form is slavery, and in God’s eyes, no sin is better or worse than another. But, in the Spirit, God’s people are not slaves to sin. This is an established spiritual fact. In Roman 6:22, Paul triumphantly reminds us that Christians have been redeemed and set free. The Greek word for free means “to be liberated.” We are not servants of sin. We are servants of the Lord. We need to learn to walk in liberation daily.

Rick Coram ~ Daily Devotionals For One Year ~ Good Morning God, January 8, Aneko Press, 2016

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Notice Rick Coram’s final words: “In Roman 6:22, Paul triumphantly reminds us that Christians have been redeemed and set free. The Greek word for free means “to be liberated.” We are not servants of sin. We are servants of the Lord. We need to learn to walk in liberation daily.“

We do NOT need recovery groups, nor will we find them in the Bible. We need to be SAVED and we need to continually walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. If our true love is for the Lord, then it will be coupled with a healthy hatred of sin, and we will have continual victory over sin as we walk with the Lord and are filled with the Holy Spirit. In Christ, Pastor Steve <><

Days Of Praise ~ Devotional From The Institute For Creation Research

June 15, 2016

Jesus Christ Is Lord

by John D. Morris, Ph.D.

“And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:11)

Throughout the New Testament, we find there are three names in primary usage for the Son of God: Jesus, Christ, and Lord. The name Jesus, meaning “Jehovah is the Savior,” is His human name, linking Him with humanity whom He came to save. Christ, meaning “anointed,” is His Messianic name, linking Him with the prophecy that He came to fulfill. The New Testament equivalent to the Hebrew word Jehovah is the word “Lord,” linking Him with deity whom He came to represent and reveal, and to whom is due homage.

These three names have a chronological emphasis, for until His crucifixion He was known primarily as “Jesus,” but after His resurrection and ascension He was preeminent as “Christ.” When He returns, it will be as “Lord” to reign. To be sure, there is overlap, for He is simultaneously all three and has been throughout history. But the general pattern is clear.

The three names also indicate His threefold office and work. “Jesus” suggests His career as a prophet, teaching men the truth, while “Christ” suggests His priesthood, atoning for sin, and “Lord” His Kingship, ruling over men. Mankind’s relationship and responsibility to Him follow this same pattern: obedience to Him as prophet, faith in Him as priest, surrender to Him as King.

There is no effort on the part of the Scripture writers to separate these names into different individuals, for on many if not most occasions two or three of the names are combined, showing that these three names reference one and the same person. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). JDM

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Salvation In A Nutshell

 
 November 24, 2020
Leaning on the Word
“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son….These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:11, 13)

Our salvation does not find its basis in an emotional experience of the heart, although our emotional tendencies are God-given and not to be denied. Indeed, the salvation experience may be sweet and memorable, but all sorts of religions, non-religions, and cults have emotional experiences, like the Mormon’s “burning of the bosom.” But experiences alone are subjective and easily misinterpreted. Our faith should be a faith from the heart, and it should be founded on the written Word of God. The third verse of our hymn, “My Faith Has Found a Resting Place,” presents this timeless truth.

My heart is leaning on the Word, the written Word of God,
Salvation by my Savior’s name, Salvation thru’ His blood.
I need no other argument, I need no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died, And that He died for me.
The Bible, God’s holy Word, is a book about Jesus and how God, through Jesus, deals with man. Much more could have been written: “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). We were redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19).

And this is sufficient! Nothing else needs to be done or said or paid! Christ’s blood is enough! His Word tells us so. JDM
 

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Our Daily Bread Ministries

Anyone and Everyone

Acts 16:31 New American Standard Bible
They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
November 25 | Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 24-26; 1 Peter 2
Anyone and EveryoneEveryone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.Romans 10:13READ ROMANS 10:5–15
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The country of El Salvador has honored Jesus by placing a sculpture of Him in the center of its capital city. Although the monument resides in the middle of a busy traffic circle, its height makes it easy to see, and its name—The Divine Savior of the World—communicates reverence for His supernatural status. The monument’s name affirms what the Bible says about Jesus (1 John 4:14). He’s the One who offers salvation to everyone. Christ crosses cultural boundaries and accepts any sincere person who wants to know Him, regardless of age, education, ethnicity, past sin, or social status. The apostle Paul traveled the ancient world telling people about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. He shared this good news with political and religious authorities, soldiers, Jews, gentiles, men, women, and children. Paul explained that a person could begin a relationship with Christ by declaring “Jesus is Lord” and believing that God had indeed raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). He said, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame. . . . Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (vv. 11, 13).Jesus isn’t a distant image to be honored; we must have a person-to-person connection with Him through faith. May we see the value of the salvation He offers and move forward into a spiritual relationship with Him today. By Jennifer Benson Schuldt

REFLECT & PRAY Jesus, thank You for loving everyone and offering eternal life to anyone who truly wants to know You. Help me to represent You well in the world today. How can you get closer to Jesus today? Do you follow Paul’s “anyone and everyone” approach to sharing the good news about Christ?
Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.     SUPPORT 
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT In Romans 10:5-15, Paul cites multiple references from the Law (the first five books of Scripture). But in verses 11 and 13, he quotes from Isaiah 28:16 and Joel 2:32. When he cites Isaiah, he quotes the Septuagint—the Greek translation of the Scriptures. This is why the quotations don’t match precisely: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame” (Romans 10:11) and “the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic” (Isaiah 28:16). In quoting Joel, Paul uses the Old Testament term Yahweh (Lord) and applies it to Jesus. Paul is clearly teaching his readers that Christ is Lord. Tim Gustafson

Are You Discouraged Living In A World Gone Mad? Enjoy The Following Devotional, That Encourages Us To Look Up And Not Out

A Short Devotion for You

Roy Graham Roy@billygraham.com via bounce.billygraham.link 

 		Hello Friend,

I wanted to share a short devotional with you from my father, Franklin Graham. I hope it will encourage you like it did me.

Here’s what he wrote:

We must remember that the Scripture promises that world events will turn increasingly vicious and evil as the return of Christ draws near. War. Violence. Hatred. Natural disasters. Family strife and division. Oppressive governments … the Biblical response is always, “Fear not!”

Remember that all this is under the sovereign rule of Almighty God who is preparing to return to judge the living and the dead. As “people [are] fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world” the believer knows that the Son of Man is about to return in “power and great glory” (Luke 21:26–27, ESV).

And instead of shrinking in fear and succumbing to panic, know with certainty that when these things begin to take place, you can “straighten up and raise up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28, ESV).

Look up, take courage, and eagerly await the coming of the King.

What a powerful reminder of the hope we have in our “Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality” (2 Timothy 1:10, ESV).

Were you encouraged by this? I hope you were. In fact, did you know you can find more devotionals like this one at BillyGraham.org/devotion? They’re great way to start—or end—your day with Scripture and Christ-centered encouragement.

Thank you, and may God bless you this week.

Roy Graham		 
 
 
A ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201

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Canceled Sin

Numbers 14:19 King James Version

Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.

At its heart, sin is an affront to God’s ultimate authority. To choose sin is to proclaim oneself above God, for it is to choose contrary to the design of the Creator – disregarding His infinite knowledge of the perfect pattern and plan. Sin is the declaration of self-supremacy from a created being. Sin is self-love and contempt toward God.

When we define sin in such a candid way, its true nature is revealed. This nature is a reflection of the one who authored sin, Satan, the enemy of God and man. God’s beloved creation often chooses to reflect the hardened heart of evil, rather than the nature of the Source of life – in whose very image mankind was created.

To forgive another is to render any fault canceled. It is to consider another of extreme importance to oneself. The almighty Creator God looks upon His sinful creation and chooses to cancel their faults and remove their guilt merely as a result of their repentant hearts.

Such is the incomprehensible love of our God!

Father, thank You for providing forgiveness through Your Son, Jesus.

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Open Windows / Lifeway / Spring 2021, Monday, May 10

Outside the Camp

Our Daily Bread Ministries
September 14 | Bible in a Year: Proverbs 19–21; 2 Corinthians 7

Outside the Camp
Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Hebrews 13:12

READ Hebrews 13:11–16

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Friday was market day in the rural town in Ghana where I grew up. After all these years, I still recall one particular vendor. Her fingers and toes eroded by Hansen’s disease (leprosy), she would crouch on her mat and scoop her produce with a hollowed-out gourd. Some avoided her. My mother made it a point to buy from her regularly. I saw her only on market days. Then she would disappear outside the town.

In the time of the ancient Israelites, diseases like leprosy meant living “outside the camp.” It was a forlorn existence. Israelite law said of such people, “They must live alone” (Leviticus 13:46). Outside the camp was also where the carcasses of the sacrificial bulls were burned (4:12). Outside the camp was not where you wanted to be.

This harsh reality breathes life into the statement about Jesus in Hebrews 13: “Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore” (v. 13). Jesus was crucified outside the gates of Jerusalem, a significant point when we study the Hebrew sacrificial system.

We want to be popular, to be honored, to live comfortable lives. But God calls us to go “outside the camp”—where the disgrace is. That’s where we’ll find the vendor with Hansen’s disease. That’s where we’ll find people the world has rejected. That’s where we’ll find Jesus.

By Tim Gustafson

REFLECT & PRAY

How do you initially react to outsiders and misfits? In what practical way might you go to Jesus “outside the camp”?

Thank You, Jesus, that You don’t show any favoritism. Thank You for going outside the camp for me.



SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

The audience for the New Testament letter to the Hebrews consisted of the Diaspora—Jewish Christ-followers who’d been scattered due to persecution. The nature of the audience perhaps explains the heavy emphasis on Israel’s history and the sacrificial system of Judaism, which forms a point of reference for the work of Jesus. The content of the letter is clearly Christ-centered, lifting Jesus up as superior to angels, priests, and Moses, and affirming Christ’s redemptive sacrifice as superior to the sacrificial system of Israel’s temple. Hebrews is also shrouded in mystery, due largely to the fact that this letter is anonymous. The human authorship of Hebrews has long been the subject of both scholarly and devotional examination, with much ink being spilled arguing for a particular author. The individuals named as potential authors range from Paul to Apollos to Barnabas to Luke to Priscilla and more.

Bill Crowder
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One of the great barometers of true Christian love, is the willingness to leave our comfort zone and reach those outside the camp. I am grateful that I serve in a church that is willing to do so. In Christ, Pastor Steve <><