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Post by Les on Jan 23, 2020 20:30:48 GMT
Waiting with the Turtle By: Amy Peterson
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I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1
Today's Scripture & Insight: Psalm 40:1–5, 14–17 Every fall, when the painted turtle senses winter coming, she dives to the bottom of her pond, burying herself in the muck and mud. She pulls into her shell and goes still: her heart rate slows, almost stopping. Her body temperature drops, staying just above freezing. She stops breathing, and she waits. For six months, she stays buried, and her body releases calcium from her bones into her bloodstream, so that she slowly begins even to lose her shape.
But when the pond thaws, she will float up and breathe again. Her bones will reform, and she will feel the warmth of the sun on her shell.
I think of the painted turtle when I read the psalmist’s description of waiting for God. The psalmist is in a “slimy pit” of “mud and mire,” but God hears him (Psalm 40:2). God lifts him out, and gives him a firm place to stand. God is “my help and my deliverer,” he sings (v. 17).
Perhaps it feels like you’ve been waiting forever for something to change—for a new direction in your career, for a relationship to be restored, for the willpower to break a bad habit, or for deliverance from a difficult situation. The painted turtle and the psalmist are here to remind us to trust in God: He hears, and He will deliver.
Reflect & Pray What do you need to trust God with? What might that look like today?
God, sometimes it’s hard to wait. But we trust in You and in Your deliverance. Please give us patience, and allow Your greatness and glory to be evident in our lives.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT Psalm 40 both praises God for His help in the past (vv. 1-10) and pleads for His help once more in a new crisis (vv. 11-17). The “pit” and “mud and mire” of verse 2 were images associated with death; for the psalmist, God’s deliverance in the past was experienced as dramatically as being given a new life after death. Although the writer’s sufferings are too many to name (v. 12), so are God’s many wonders (v. 5). God’s long history of faithfulness gives His people a solid foundation for trust and confidence (v. 2). Monica Brands
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Post by Les on Jan 24, 2020 23:05:28 GMT
No Line to Love By: James Banks
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I have made you and I will carry you. Isaiah 46:4
Today's Scripture & Insight: Isaiah 46:3–10 Sometimes when my Labrador retriever wants attention, he’ll take something of mine and parade it in front of me. One morning as I was writing at the desk with my back turned, Max snatched my wallet and ran off. But realizing I hadn’t seen him do it, he returned and nudged me with his nose—wallet in mouth, eyes dancing, tail wagging, taunting me to play.
Max’s antics made me laugh, but they also reminded me of my limitations when it comes to being attentive to others. So often I’ve intended to spend time with family or friends, but other things occupy my time and awareness; and before I know it the day slips away and love is left undone.
How comforting to know that our heavenly Father is so great that He’s able to attend to each of us in the most intimate ways—even sustaining every breath in our lungs for as long as we live. He promises His people, “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you” (Isaiah 46:4).
God always has time for us. He understands every detail of our circumstances—no matter how complex or difficult—and is there whenever we call on Him in prayer. We never have to wait in line for our Savior’s unlimited love.
Reflect & Pray In what ways does God take care of your daily needs? How can you share His love with others?
You always have time for me, Jesus. Please help me to live every moment for You!
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT In Isaiah 46, God contrasts Himself to idols (“burdensome” gods, v. 1) made by man. They not only are incapable of rescuing their worshipers but they themselves have to be carried to safety (vv. 1-2, 6-7). These gods included Bel (a variant of Baal), the principal god of the Babylonians, and his son Nebo. In contrast, God created us, carries us, and sustains us (v. 4). He alone is the one true God: “I am God, and there is no other” (v. 9). The Bible repeatedly points to this truth (Deuteronomy 4:39; 2 Samuel 7:22; Nehemiah 9:6; Isaiah 44:6). Alyson Kieda
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Post by Les on Jan 25, 2020 22:05:43 GMT
The Greatest Mystery By: Xochitl Dixon
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The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Colossians 1:15
Today's Scripture & Insight: Colossians 1:15–22 Before I came to faith in Jesus, I’d heard the gospel preached but wrestled with His identity. How could He offer forgiveness for my sins when the Bible says only God can forgive sins? I discovered I wasn’t alone in my struggles after reading J. I. Packer’s Knowing God. Packer suggests that for many unbelievers the “really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man . . . as truly and fully divine as He was human.” Yet this is the truth that makes salvation possible.
When the apostle Paul refers to Christ as “the image of the invisible God,” he’s saying Jesus is completely and perfectly God—Creator and Sustainer of all things in heaven and earth‒but also fully human (Colossians 1:15–17). Because of this truth, we can be confident that through Christ’s death and resurrection, He’s not only carried the consequences for our sins but has also redeemed human nature, so that we—and all of creation—can be reconciled to God (vv. 20–22).
In an amazing, initiating act of love, God the Father reveals Himself in and through Scripture by the power of God the Holy Spirit and through the life of God the Son. Those who believe in Jesus are saved because He is Emmanuel—God with us. Hallelujah!
Reflect & Pray When have you wrestled with your understanding of Jesus? What was the result?
Loving God, thank You for revealing Yourself and reconciling us through Jesus.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT Paul wrote Colossians to refute false teachings. He doesn’t specifically state what these heresies were other than they pertained to who Christ is. Paul sets forth the deity of Jesus (1:15-16), His superiority and authority (vv. 17-23), and His sufficiency for salvation and spiritual growth (2:6-15). Probably no passage in the New Testament contains more concentrated doctrine about Christ than Colossians 1:15-23. Paul affirmed four things about His identity and authority: He’s God (v. 15); He’s the Creator and Sustainer of all creation (vv. 16-17); He’s the Head of the church, His new creation (v. 18); and He’s our Redeemer and Savior (vv. 19-23). K. T. Sim
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Post by Les on Jan 26, 2020 22:43:38 GMT
Guiding Children to God By: Winn Collier
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Continue in what you have learned . . . how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures. 2 Timothy 3:14–15
Today's Scripture & Insight: 2 Timothy 3:10–15 An outspoken atheist believes it’s immoral for parents to teach their children religion as though it were actually true. He even claims that parents who pass along their faith to their children are committing child abuse. Though these views are extreme, I do hear from parents who are hesitant to boldly encourage their children toward faith. While most of us readily hope to influence our children with our view of politics or nutrition or sports, for some reason some of us treat our convictions about God differently.
In contrast, Paul wrote of how Timothy had been taught “from infancy . . . the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). Timothy didn’t arrive at faith as an adult through the power of his own, unaided reason. Rather, his mother nurtured his heart toward God; then he continued in what he had learned (v. 14). If God is life, the source of true wisdom, then it’s vital for us to tenderly cultivate a love for God in our families.
There are many belief systems that are influencing our children. TV shows, movies, music, teachers, friends, the media—each of these carry assumptions (either obvious or under the radar) about faith that exert real influence. May we choose not to be silent. The beauty and grace we’ve experienced compels us to guide our children toward God.
Reflect & Pray Reflect on the myriad influences and messages children (or all of us) receive in a given day. How do these forces shape you and those you love?
Dear Father, thank You for the joy and privilege to gracefully nurture children’s hearts toward You.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT Paul loves Timothy like a son (2 Timothy 1:2) and wants him to grow strong in a love and faith worth living and dying for (2:1-3). But while referring often in his letter to themes of suffering and harassment (1:8-9, 11-12, 15; 2:8-10; 3:10-12; 4:17-18), the apostle didn’t have a persecution complex. In fact, when he tells Timothy that all who want to live in the spirit and reverence of Jesus will experience opposition (2 Timothy 3:12), he does so in the context of warning that those who live only for themselves will be doing greater harm to themselves and one another in the long run (vv. 1-9, 13). Paul reminded Timothy that that those who opposed them weren’t the real enemy. Without realizing it, such persons had been snared by the devil to distract from the goodness and grace of Christ (2:22-26; Ephesians 6:12). Mart DeHaan
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Post by Les on Jan 27, 2020 22:12:24 GMT
Friendship Bench By: Patricia Raybon
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The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Exodus 33:11
Today's Scripture & Insight: Exodus 33:9–11 In the African country of Zimbabwe, war trauma and high unemployment can leave people in despair—until they find hope on a “friendship bench.” Hopeless people can go there to talk with trained “grandmothers”—elderly women taught to listen to people struggling with depression, known in that nation’s Shona language as kufungisisa, or “thinking too much.”
The Friendship Bench Project is being launched in other places, including Zanzibar, London, and New York City. “We were thrilled to bits with the results,” said one London researcher. A New York counselor agreed. “Before you know it, you’re not on a bench, you’re just inside a warm conversation with someone who cares.”
The project evokes the warmth and wonder of talking with our Almighty God. Moses put up not a bench but a tent to commune with God, calling it the tent of meeting. There, “the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend” (Exodus 33:11). Joshua, his assistant, wouldn’t even leave the tent, perhaps because he so valued his time with God (v. 11).
Today we no longer need a tent of meeting. Jesus has brought the Father near. As He told His disciples, “I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). Yes, our God awaits us. He’s our heart’s wisest helper, our understanding Friend. Talk with Him now.
Reflect & Pray What worries consume your thoughts today? As you talk to God about these concerns, what good thoughts about Him can you focus on instead?
Dear God, thank You for encouraging our hearts with noble thoughts of You. When we’re sick with worry, point our minds back to You.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT In Exodus 25:8, God gave Moses specific instructions for building a “tabernacle” or place of worship: “Have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.” In obedience to this command, Moses directed the building of a very elaborate, portable, tent-like structure (chs. 25-31). This dwelling was often referred to as the “tent of meeting” (27:21; 29:44; 40:2).
While God was giving Moses instructions on how to build the tabernacle, the children of Israel sinned by worshiping a golden calf (ch. 32). Now under God’s judgment (v. 35), they faced the threat of God not journeying with them (33:3). So Moses set up a “tent of meeting” outside the camp (vv. 7-11), which provided a degree of separation between God and His rebellious people. There Moses conducted God’s business with His people. This tent of meeting was a separate structure from the tabernacle described in chapters 25-31, which wasn’t completed until later (see 39:32). Arthur Jackson
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Post by Les on Jan 28, 2020 21:29:24 GMT
An Old Clay Pot By: David H. Roper
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We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7
Today's Scripture & Insight: 2 Corinthians 4:7–12 I’ve acquired a number of old clay pots over the years. My favorite was excavated from a site dated during Abraham’s time. It’s at least one item in our home that is older than I! It’s not much to look at: stained, cracked, chipped, and in need of a good scrubbing. I keep it to remind me that I’m just a man made out of mud. Though fragile and weak, I carry an immeasurably precious treasure—Jesus. “We have this treasure [Jesus] in jars of clay” (2 Corinthians 4:7).
Paul continues: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (vv. 8–9). Hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, struck down. These are the pressures the pot must bear. Not crushed, in despair, abandoned, destroyed. These are the effects of the counteracting strength of Jesus in us.
“We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus” (v. 10). This is the attitude that characterized Jesus who died to Himself every day. And this is the attitude that can characterize us—a willingness to die to self-effort, trusting solely in the sufficiency of the One who lives in us.
“So that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal body” (v. 10). This is the outcome: the beauty of Jesus made visible in an old clay pot.
Reflect & Pray How can you meet the demands placed on you? Where does your strength come from?
God, I’m weak and fragile. Thank You for living in me. I want You and Your strength to be seen.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT Paul’s call to ministry included the call to suffer (Acts 9:15-16). In 2 Corinthians 1:8-10; 6:4-10; and 11:23-27 he elaborated on the many oppositions, persecutions, threats, and dangers he faced. He sees these hardships from God’s perspective and desires to persevere through them with God’s provision (4:14-18). Paul’s confident resolve is to not “lose heart” (vv. 1, 16).
In the Bible, earthen vessels (objects made from clay) are used as a metaphor for human weakness and powerlessness (Job 4:19; 10:9; Psalm 31:12; 103:14-15). By speaking of himself as a “jar of clay” (2 Corinthians 4:7), Paul acknowledges his frailty and mortality. His confidence isn’t rooted in himself, but in God’s sovereign power and sustaining grace (vv. 7-9), Jesus’ resurrection life (vv. 10-15), and an expectation of a future reward and eternal glory (vv. 16-18). K. T. Sim
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Post by Les on Jan 29, 2020 23:25:25 GMT
Life to the Full By: John Blase
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The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10
Today's Scripture & Insight: John 10:7–15 The year was 1918, near the end of World War I, and photographer Eric Enstrom was putting together a portfolio of his work. He wanted to include one that communicated a sense of fullness in a time that felt quite empty to so many people. In his now much-loved photo, a bearded old man sits at a table with his head bowed and his hands clasped in prayer. On the surface before him there is only a book, spectacles, a bowl of gruel, a loaf of bread, and a knife. Nothing more, but also nothing less.
Some might say the photograph reveals scarcity. But Enstrom’s point was quite the opposite: Here is a full life, one lived in gratitude, one you and I can experience as well regardless of our circumstances. Jesus announces the good news in John 10: “life . . . to the full” (v. 10). We do a grave disservice to such good news when we equate full with many things. The fullness Jesus speaks of isn’t measured in worldly categories like riches or real estate, but rather a heart, mind, soul, and strength brimming in gratitude that the Good Shepherd gave “his life for the sheep” (v. 11), and cares for us and our daily needs. This is a full life—enjoying relationship with God—that’s possible for every one of us.
Reflect & Pray Would you say that right now you’re living “life to the full”? Why or why not? Have you had a tendency to equate full with many things?
Good Shepherd, thank You for laying down Your life for me, one of the sheep. And thank You for Your promise to provide nothing less than the daily bread I need, both literally and figuratively.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT The seven “I am” statements recorded in the gospel of John are Christ’s own descriptions of Himself. They’re metaphors He uses to draw out imagery that describes the implications of His identity. Jesus says, “I am the bread of life” (6:35); “the light of the world” (8:12); “the gate” (10:9); “the good shepherd” (10:11); “the resurrection and the life” (11:25-26); “the way and the truth and the life” (14:6); and “the vine” (15:5).
By describing Himself as the gate (10:7), He declares that the sheep will only find safety and pasture when they enter through Him. Then, in related imagery, Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd (v. 11). This is imagery of trust and intimacy. Jesus knows His sheep in a deep and personal way and lays down His life for them in the face of threat. J.R. Hudberg
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titus
Junior Member
Posts: 12
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Post by titus on Jan 30, 2020 19:19:35 GMT
Waiting with the Turtle By: Amy Peterson
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I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1
Today's Scripture & Insight: Psalm 40:1–5, 14–17 Every fall, when the painted turtle senses winter coming, she dives to the bottom of her pond, burying herself in the muck and mud. She pulls into her shell and goes still: her heart rate slows, almost stopping. Her body temperature drops, staying just above freezing. She stops breathing, and she waits. For six months, she stays buried, and her body releases calcium from her bones into her bloodstream, so that she slowly begins even to lose her shape.
But when the pond thaws, she will float up and breathe again. Her bones will reform, and she will feel the warmth of the sun on her shell.
I think of the painted turtle when I read the psalmist’s description of waiting for God. The psalmist is in a “slimy pit” of “mud and mire,” but God hears him (Psalm 40:2). God lifts him out, and gives him a firm place to stand. God is “my help and my deliverer,” he sings (v. 17).
Perhaps it feels like you’ve been waiting forever for something to change—for a new direction in your career, for a relationship to be restored, for the willpower to break a bad habit, or for deliverance from a difficult situation. The painted turtle and the psalmist are here to remind us to trust in God: He hears, and He will deliver.
Reflect & Pray What do you need to trust God with? What might that look like today?
God, sometimes it’s hard to wait. But we trust in You and in Your deliverance. Please give us patience, and allow Your greatness and glory to be evident in our lives.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT Psalm 40 both praises God for His help in the past (vv. 1-10) and pleads for His help once more in a new crisis (vv. 11-17). The “pit” and “mud and mire” of verse 2 were images associated with death; for the psalmist, God’s deliverance in the past was experienced as dramatically as being given a new life after death. Although the writer’s sufferings are too many to name (v. 12), so are God’s many wonders (v. 5). God’s long history of faithfulness gives His people a solid foundation for trust and confidence (v. 2). Monica Brands
MY dear sister would enjoy this .
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Post by Les on Jan 30, 2020 22:41:05 GMT
Strengthening Weak Knees By: Linda Washington
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Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way. Isaiah 35:3
Today's Scripture & Insight: Isaiah 35:1–4 When I was a kid, I thought the song title “He Looked Beyond My Fault and Saw My Need,” written by Dottie Rambo in 1967, was “He Looked Beyond My Faults and Saw My Knees.” Employing the logic of a child, I wondered why God would look at knees. Was it because they were weak? I knew that weak-kneed meant “afraid.” I later discovered that Dottie had written the song about God’s unconditional love in response to her brother Eddie’s belief that he was unlovable because of the wrong things he’d done. Dottie assured him that God saw his weakness but loved him anyway.
God’s unconditional love is apparent throughout the many weak-kneed moments of the people of Israel and Judah. He sent prophets like Isaiah with messages for His wayward people. In Isaiah 35, the prophet shares the hope of God’s restoration. The encouragement that would come as a result of embracing hope would “strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way” (v. 3). Through the encouragement they received, God’s people would in turn be able to encourage others. This is why Isaiah instructs in verse 4, “Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear.’ ”
Feeling weak-kneed? Talk to your heavenly Father. He strengthens weak knees through the truth of the Scriptures and the power of His presence. You’ll then be able to encourage others.
Reflect & Pray What are some of the ways you’ve been encouraged recently? How will you encourage someone who’s facing hard times?
Father, I need Your strength and Your grace today.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT Isaiah 35 follows six woes in chapters 28-33 that proclaim judgment on sinful nations, and chapter 34 that declares judgment on those oppressing God’s people. Chapter 35 stands in stark contrast because it talks of future blessings of a restored Zion; this chapter is peace in chaos as chapters 36-39 transition to focus on the threat of the Babylonian exile, which stood as judgment for Israel’s sin.
In contrast to the theme of God’s anger and coming judgment leading to destruction, chapter 35 promises that God’s people will be heirs of a new age and speaks of nature’s restoration and a salvation that includes freedom from their enemies. Even though the nations, including Israel, would be judged, ultimately God in His goodness would redeem the land. Julie Schwab
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Post by Les on Jan 31, 2020 22:08:55 GMT
Going, Going, Gone By: Mike Wittmer
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Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone. Proverbs 23:5
Today's Scripture & Insight: Proverbs 23:1–5 The mischievous artist Banksy pulled off another practical joke. His painting Girl with Balloon sold for one million pounds at Sotheby’s auction house in London. Moments after the auctioneer yelled “Sold,” an alarm sounded and the painting slipped halfway through a shredder mounted inside the bottom of the frame. Banksy tweeted a picture of bidders gasping at his ruined masterpiece, with the caption, “Going, going, gone.”
Banksy relished pulling one over on the wealthy, but he need not have bothered. Wealth itself has plenty of pranks up its sleeve. God says, “Do not wear yourself out to get rich . . . . Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle” (Proverbs 23:4–5).
Few things are less secure than money. We work hard to earn it, yet there are many ways to lose it. Investments go sour, inflation erodes, bills come, thieves steal, and fire and flood destroy. Even if we manage to keep our money, the time we have to spend it continually flies. Blink, and your life is going, going, gone.
What to do? God tells us a few verses later: “always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off” (vv. 17–18). Invest your life in Jesus; He alone will keep you forever.
Reflect & Pray Where does your life feel insecure? How might that lead you to Jesus?
God, help me to give my insecurities to You and to trust in Your goodness and faithfulness.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT Proverbs 22:17-24:22 is marked out as a separate section with the prologue, “Thirty Sayings of the Wise.” Some scholars have argued that Solomon “borrowed” some of these proverbs from an ancient Egyptian wisdom work “The Instruction of Amenemope,” which has thirty chapters. Regardless of its source, we believe that these “Thirty Sayings” are “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
The seventh saying (Proverbs 23:1-3) paints the picture of being invited to dinner by a powerful host, and warns of being enamored by the appearance of social prestige. Instead, we’re to be vigilant and restrained at a time when it’s easy to indulge. The eighth saying (vv. 4-5) warns of the danger of greed, of being consumed by money and materialism, of trusting in riches. Since wealth is fleeting (27:24), it’s foolish to trust in it (Ecclesiastes 5:13-15; Matthew 6:19; 1 Timothy 6:6-10; James 5:1-6). K. T. Sim
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Post by Les on Feb 1, 2020 21:43:04 GMT
Full Attention By: Adam R. Holz
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Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
Today's Scripture & Insight: 1 Thessalonians 5:12–28 Technology today seems to demand our constant attention. The modern “miracle” of the internet gives us the amazing capacity to access humanity’s collective learning in the palm of our hand. But for many, such constant access can come at a cost.
Writer Linda Stone has coined the phrase “continual partial attention” to describe the modern impulse to always need to know what’s happening “out there,” to make sure we’re not missing anything. If that sounds like it could produce chronic anxiety, you’re right!
Although the apostle Paul struggled with different reasons for anxiety, he knew our souls are wired to find peace in God. Which is why, in a letter to new believers who’d endured persecution (1 Thessalonians 2:14), Paul concluded by urging the believers to “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances” (5:16–18).
Praying “continually” might seem pretty daunting. But then, how often do we check our phones? What if we instead let that urge be a prompt to talk to God?
More important, what if we learned to exchange a need to always be in “the know” for continual, prayerful rest in God’s presence? Through relying on Christ’s Spirit, we can learn to give our heavenly Father our continual full attention as we make our way through each day.
Reflect & Pray How would you say technology impacts your faith, both negatively and positively? What might help you grow in undivided focus on God?
Father, thank You for inviting us into a relationship with You, one in which You long to hear from us continually.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians is one of his most personal and warm epistles—and that’s not surprising. He personally planted the church at Thessalonica and knew the people there well. Paul’s introduction to this Greek city came during his second missionary journey, between his stops in Philippi and Athens (see Acts 17:1-9). Although he spent a relatively short period in Thessalonica (v. 2), it was a challenging time filled with controversy. An uproar resulted in an attack upon a man named Jason (apparently a new believer), and Paul and Silas being sent away to Berea. Undoubtedly, these shared experiences of hardship bonded their hearts together—explaining perhaps why this letter reveals such a closely held relationship. Bill Crowder
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Post by Les on Feb 2, 2020 22:30:08 GMT
A Time for Beauty By: Jennifer Benson Schuldt
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A crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning. Isaiah 61:3
Today's Scripture & Insight: Isaiah 61:1–7 One January morning I woke expecting to see the same dreary midwinter landscape that had greeted me for several weeks: beige grass poking through patches of snow, gray skies, and skeletal trees. Something unusual had happened overnight, though. A frost had coated everything with ice crystals. The lifeless and depressing landscape had become a beautiful scene that glistened in the sun and dazzled me.
Sometimes we view problems without the imagination it takes to have faith. We expect pain, fear, and despair to greet us every morning, but overlook the possibility of something different ever happening. We don’t expect recovery, growth, or victory through God’s power. Yet the Bible says God is the one who helps us through difficult times. He repairs broken hearts and liberates people in bondage. He comforts the grieving with “a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (Isaiah 61:3).
It isn’t that God just wants to cheer us up when we have problems. It’s that He Himself is our hope during trials. Even if we have to wait for heaven to find ultimate relief, God is present with us, encouraging us and often giving us glimpses of Himself. In our journey through life, may we come to understand St. Augustine’s words: “In my deepest wound I saw your glory, and it dazzled me.”
Reflect & Pray How can you turn to God when you’re in trouble? What rewards can come from this practice?
Faithful God, give me the faith I need to make it through today and help me to see You at work as I face adversity.
To learn more about helping people, visit christianuniversity.org/CC205.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT More than seven centuries after the book of Isaiah was written, Luke recorded that when Jesus stood up to read in the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth “the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him” (Luke 4:17). Standing to read (v. 16) was a common synagogue practice in that day (as was sitting to teach, v. 20). When Jesus read what we know as Isaiah 61:1-2, He didn’t include the second half of verse 2—“and the day of vengeance of our God.” Presumably He stopped where He did because the focus of His ministry wasn’t the punishment of Israel or her enemies. He’d come to save; His focus was rescue as seen through His liberating works and His death and resurrection (see Luke 19:10). Arthur Jackson
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Post by Les on Feb 4, 2020 21:31:10 GMT
God-Sized Love By: Sheridan Voysey
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If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Matthew 5:46
Today's Scripture & Insight: Matthew 5:43–48 I once visited an impoverished neighborhood of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Homes were made of corrugated iron, with electrical wires dangling live above them. There I had the privilege of interviewing families and hearing how churches were helping to combat unemployment, drug use, and crime.
In one alleyway I climbed a rickety ladder to a small room to interview a mother and her son. But just a moment later someone rushed up, saying, “We must leave now.” A machete-wielding gang leader was apparently gathering a mob to ambush us.
We visited a second neighborhood, but there we had no problem. Later I discovered why. As I visited each home, a gang leader stood outside guarding us. It turned out his daughter was being fed and educated by the church, and because believers were standing by her, he stood by us.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus presents a standard of love that’s beyond comparison. This kind of love embraces not just the “worthy” but the undeserving (Matthew 5:43–45), reaching beyond family and friends to touch those who can’t or won’t love us back (vv. 46–47). This is God-sized love (v. 48)—the kind that blesses everyone.
As believers in Santo Domingo live out this love, neighborhoods are starting to change. Tough hearts are warming to their cause. That’s what happens when God-sized love comes to town.
Reflect & Pray How would you describe the difference between human love and godly love? Who can you bless today who can’t repay you?
Jesus, pour Your love into me so I may pour it out to others—even to those who can’t repay the favor.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT One of Israel’s earliest national laws commanded them to treat their enemies with benevolence and respect (Exodus 23:4-5). In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus clarified why this was commanded. In loving our enemies, we’re emulating the generosity and kindness that God our Father has shown to all men, including the wicked (v. 45). Paul similarly called us not to “repay anyone evil for evil” (Romans 12:17). Instead, we’re to “overcome evil with good” (v. 21). We can do this because we can trust God to administer justice (v. 19). K. T. Sim
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Post by Les on Feb 5, 2020 22:22:51 GMT
How to Stay on Track By: Patricia Raybon
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The Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. 1 John 2:27 nlt
Today's Scripture & Insight: 1 John 2:18–27 As the world’s fastest blind runner, David Brown of the U.S. Paralympic Team credits his wins to God, his mother’s early advice (“no sitting around”), and his running guide—veteran sprinter Jerome Avery. Tethered to Brown by a string tied to their fingers, Avery guides Brown’s winning races with words and touches.
“It’s all about listening to his cues,” says Brown, who says he could “swing out wide” on 200-meter races where the track curves. “Day in and day out, we’re going over race strategies,” Brown says, “communicating with each other—not only verbal cues, but physical cues.”
In our own life’s race, we’re blessed with a Divine Guide. Our Helper, the Holy Spirit, leads our steps when we follow Him. “I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray,” wrote John (1 John 2:26). “But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know” (v. 27 nlt).
John stressed this wisdom to the believers of his day who faced “antichrists” who denied the Father and that Jesus is the Messiah (v. 22). We face such deniers today as well. But the Holy Spirit, our Guide, leads us in following Jesus. We can trust His guidance to touch us with truth, keeping us on track.
Reflect & Pray How attuned are you to the Holy Spirit’s guidance? How can you listen better when He guides, warns, and directs?
Dear God, attune our hearts to Your Holy Spirit’s guidance so we’ll run to Your truth and not to lies.
Read about the filling of the Spirit at discoveryseries.org/q0301.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT John was one of Christ’s first disciples (along with Andrew; see John 1:35-40). Scholars believe he was the only one of Christ’s faithful eleven disciples who wasn’t martyred for his faith. It’s also largely agreed that his writing ministry (the gospel of John; 1, 2, and 3 John; and Revelation) came late in life—perhaps in ad 80-90. John never names himself in his own gospel, but usually describes himself as “one of them” (John 13:23) or “one of His disciples” (esv), “another disciple” (18:15), or “the other disciple” (20:2, 4). Most often, however, he refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7; 21:20). Bill Crowder
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Post by Les on Feb 6, 2020 22:23:16 GMT
Mercy’s Lament By: Tim Gustafson
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My heart is poured out on the ground . . . because children and infants faint in the streets of the city. Lamentations 2:11
Today's Scripture & Insight: Lamentations 2:10–13, 18–19 Her father blamed his illness on witchcraft. It was AIDS. When he died, his daughter, ten-year-old Mercy, grew even closer to her mother. But her mother was sick too, and three years later she died. From then on, Mercy’s sister raised the five siblings. That’s when Mercy began to keep a journal of her deep pain.
The prophet Jeremiah kept a record of his pain too. In the grim book of Lamentations, he wrote of atrocities done to Judah by the Babylonian army. Jeremiah’s heart was especially grieved for the youngest victims. “My heart is poured out on the ground,” he cried, “because my people are destroyed, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city” (2:11). The people of Judah had a history of ignoring God, but their children were paying the price too. “Their lives ebb away in their mothers’ arms,” wrote Jeremiah (v. 12).
We might have expected Jeremiah to reject God in the face of such suffering. Instead, he urged the survivors, “Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children” (v. 19).
It’s good, as Mercy and Jeremiah did, to pour out our hearts to God. Lament is a crucial part of being human. Even when God permits such pain, He grieves with us. Made as we are in His image, He must lament too!
Reflect & Pray How do you handle the painful situations in your life? How might it help you to write it down and share your journal with a friend?
Dear God, I’m hurting because of ____________________. You see my grief. Please show Your strength in my life today.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT Jeremiah, known as the “weeping prophet,” is traditionally believed to be the author of Lamentations. The book contains five poems. The first four are written as acrostics using the twenty-two consonants of the Hebrew alphabet to mark the individual stanzas. The book mourns the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 587 bc when Babylon defeated the nation of Judah and took its people captive. Commentator R. K. Harrison in Jeremiah and Lamentations writes: “[The poems] make it clear that the real tragedy inherent in the destruction of Judah lies in the fact that it could almost certainly have been avoided. The actual causes of the calamity were the people themselves.” Despite the repeated warnings of God’s prophets, they chose idolatry over following the one true God. Alyson Kieda
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