MONEY AND TIME

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

MONEY AND TIME

READ:  Mark 12:13-17, 28-31

Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God

the things that are God’s.  Mark 12:17

During a trip to London, I visited the Bank of England Museum, then made my way to the Clockmakers’ Museum.  At some point, it struck me that both money and time have been very important commodities as far back as anyone can remember.  Yet they present one of the great dilemmas of life.  We trade our valuable time working for money, and then we spend our money to make the most of our time off.  We seldom possess the two with any degree of balance.

In contrast, our Lord never seemed perplexed by money or time.  When asked if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, Jesus answered:  “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17).  With great demands on His time, Jesus spent early mornings and late nights in prayer, seeking to know and do His Father’s will.

Hymn writer Frances Havergal wrote:

Take my life, and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my silver and my gold, 

Not a mite would I withhold;

Take my intellect and use

Every power as Thou shalt choose.

We can properly balance time and money when we offer ourselves without reservation to God.   DCM

Spend time and money wisely-they both belong to God.

WATCH OUT!

Watch Out!

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

READ 1 PETER 5:6–11

I grew up in warm southern cities, so when I moved north, it took me a while to learn how to drive safely during the long, snowy months. During my first hard winter, I ended up stranded in a snowdrift three times! But after several years of practice, I began to feel comfortable driving in wintry conditions. In fact, I felt a little too comfortable. I stopped being as vigilant. And that’s when I hit a patch of black ice and skidded into a telephone pole on the side of the road!

Thankfully, no one was hurt, but I learned something important that day. I realized how dangerous it can be to feel comfortable. Instead of being watchful, I had gone on “autopilot.”

We need to practice that same kind of vigilance in our spiritual lives. Peter warns believers not to glide thoughtlessly through life, but to “be alert” (1 Peter 5:8). The devil is actively trying to destroy us, and so we too need to be active, resisting temptation and standing firm in our faith (v. 9). That’s not something we have to do on our own though. God promises to be with us in our sufferings and, ultimately, to make us “strong, firm and steadfast” (v. 10). By His power, we learn to remain watchful and alert in resisting evil and following Him.

By Amy Peterson

REFLECT & PRAY

God, keep me from growing lazy or too comfortable in my spiritual life. Help me to remain watchful and alert so that I can resist temptation!

Where do you need to be more alert? In what ways will you stay vigilant in following Jesus?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

INSIGHT

It’s been said that wise choices are the fruit of experience, and experience is the product of poor choices. It could be argued that the wise counsel Peter offers here may have been learned in the darkest night of his life—the night he chose to deny knowing Jesus. The call to humility (1 Peter 5:6) is in contrast to Peter’s prideful boasting that he could face death with Jesus (Luke 22:33). Rather than being alert (1 Peter 5:8), Peter slept when he could have prayed in Gethsemane (Luke 22:45-46). Instead of standing firm (1 Peter 5:9), Peter denied even knowing his Lord (Luke 22:54-62). God’s response to Peter’s failings? Grace (1 Peter 5:10). What if the greatest lessons Peter ever learned were the result of the worst failure he ever faced?

For more, check out “The Wisdom of Peter” at discovertheword.org/series/the-wisdom-of-peter-2/. Bill Crowder

TOO MUCH AMBITION

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

TOO MUCH AMBITION

READ:  Mark 10:35-45

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,

and to give His life a ransom for many.  Mark 10:45

If you are familiar with the works of William Shakespeare, you know that Macbeth was one of his characters.  Macbeth wanted so much to be king that he resorted to murder-and he paid for it with his life.

We are like that tragic character when we let our ambitions cloud our thinking and forget who is really in control of our lives.  We may not use evil methods to achieve our goal, but we do allow ambition to cloud our thinking about the sovereignty of God.  Instead of leaving matters in His hands, we take them into our own.

Another example of too much ambition is found in the conversation James and John had with Jesus in Mark 10.  Their goal was to sit in the positions of greatest prestige and power in the kingdom.  And because they weren’t content to wait and see if Jesus would bestow that honor on them, they boldly requested it. They were too impatient to leave the matter in His hands.

Ambition is not always wrong.  But when it consumes us so that we can’t wait for God, we display a lack of faith as the disciples did.  

When we submit our goals and desires to the Lord, we can be sure that He will give us what is best.    DB

Be ambitious for the Lord, but be cautious

about your motives.

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

Situational Awareness

This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.

Philippians 1:9

READ PHILIPPIANS 1:3–11

My family, all five of us, found ourselves in Rome over the Christmas holidays. I don’t know when I’ve ever seen more people jammed together in one place. As we snaked our way through crowds to see sights like the Vatican and the Coliseum, I repeatedly emphasized to my kids the practice of “situational awareness”—pay attention to where you are, who’s around you, and what’s going on. We live in a day when the world, at home and abroad, isn’t a safe place. And with the use of cell phones and ear buds, kids (and adults for that matter) don’t always practice an awareness of surroundings.

Situational awareness. This is an aspect of Paul’s prayer for the believers in Philippi recorded in Philippians 1:9-11. His desire for them was an ever-increasing discernment as to the who/what/where of their situations. But rather than some goal of personal safety, Paul prayed with a grander purpose that God’s holy people might be good stewards of the love of Christ they’d received, discern “what is best,” live “pure and blameless,” and be filled with good qualities that only Jesus can produce. This kind of living springs from an awareness that God is the who in our lives, and our increasing reliance on Him is what brings Him pleasure. And in any and all situations is where we can share from the overflow of His great love.

By John Blase

REFLECT & PRAY

Father, wake us up so that Your love might abound more and more.To learn more about developing a Christian worldview, visit christianuniversity.org/WE102.

How can you bring Christ’s love into your circumstances in a greater way?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

INSIGHT

The city of Philippi got its name from Alexander the Great’s father, Philip of Macedon, who captured the city in 360 bc. It was the leading city of the province of Macedonia, which today is comprised of northern and central Greece and part of Albania. Philippi was considered a Roman colony, and so the people had the rights of Roman citizens.

Paul first came to Philippi after having a vision in which a man begged him to “come over to Macedonia and help us.” Paul concluded that God wanted him to preach the gospel there and immediately got ready to depart (Acts 16:9-10). Outside the city gate, Paul taught a group of women gathered at the banks of a river. Among them was Lydia, who’s considered to be Paul’s first convert to Christ in Europe (vv. 13-15). Alyson Kieda

GOD WILL MOVE THE STONE

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

GOD WILL MOVE THE STONE

READ:  Mark 16:1-14

When they looked up,  they saw that the stone

had been rolled away.  Mark 16:4

The women who sought to anoint the dead body of Jesus are to be commended for their tender love and regard for the Savior.  Yet, as they came near the place of burial, the practical difficulty of moving the heavy stone that sealed His tomb brought them unnecessary anxiety.  Their fears were groundless; the stone had already been moved.

So too, we are often needlessly concerned over prospective difficulties that God graciously removes or helps us overcome.  Let us exercise greater faith in facing possible obstructions on the pathway of duty.  We may be sure of the Lord’s assistance in such matters when we press on in His name and for His glory.

The following poem gives us some practical admonitions that apply to today’s reading:

In today’s bright sunlight basking,

Leave tomorrow’s cares alone

Spoil not present joys by asking;

“Who shall roll away the stone?”

Oft, before we’ve faced the trial 

We have come with joy to own,

Angel have from heaven descended

And have rolled away the stone. -Anonymous

Go forward today on the pathway of service, undaunted by possible future obstacles.  Let you heart be cheered by the certainty that whatever difficulty you may face, God will move the stone.  HGB

If God doesn’t remove an obstacle,

He’ll help you find a way around it.

UNEXPLAINABLE LOVE

Unexplainable Love

As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

John 13:34

READ JOHN 13:31–35

Our small congregation decided to surprise my son on his sixth birthday. The church members decorated his Sunday school classroom with balloons and set up a small table with a cake on it. When my son opened the door, everyone shouted, “Happy birthday!”

Later on, as I was cutting the cake, my son came over and whispered in my ear, “Mom, why does everyone here love me?” I had the same question! These people had known us for only six months but were treating us as longtime friends.

Their love for my son reflected God’s love for us. We can’t understand why He loves us, but He does—and His love is freely given. We’ve done nothing to deserve His love, and yet He lavishly loves us. Scripture tells us: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). It’s part of who He is.

God has poured out His love on us so we can show this same love to others. Jesus told His disciples, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).

The people in our small church community love us because God’s love is in them. It shines through and identifies them as followers of Jesus. We can’t comprehend God’s love fully, but we can pour it out on others—being examples of His unexplainable love.

By Keila Ochoa

REFLECT & PRAY

Because God loves us, we can love others.

How have you recently experienced God’s love through others? What can you do to reveal His compassionate ways to others today?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

INSIGHT

The key word in today’s passage is glory (glorified) and is used five times in verses 31-32. Jesus describes His glory (being glorified), the glory of God (the Father), and the relationship between the two. The relationship is reciprocal: when Jesus is glorified, God is glorified; when God is glorified, Jesus is glorified.

According to Strong’s concordance, glorify means “to ascribe weight by recognizing real substance (value). ‘Glorifying God’ means valuing Him for who He really is. For example, ‘giving (ascribing) glory to God’ personally acknowledges God in His true character (essence).”

Jesus was revealed for who He really is; when He was revealed, He revealed the Father. J.R. Hudberg

BORROWED BLESSINGS

Borrowed Blessings

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.

Psalm 24:1

READ 1 CHRONICLES 29:6–16

As we bowed our heads over lunch, my friend Jeff prayed: “Father, thank You for letting us breathe Your air and eat Your food.” Jeff had just been through a difficult job loss, so his heartfelt trust in God and recognition that everything belongs to Him profoundly moved me. I found myself thinking: Do I honestly understand that even the most basic, everyday things in my life are really God’s, and He’s simply letting me use them?

When King David received offerings from the people of Israel for building the temple in Jerusalem, he prayed, “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this?

 Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” Then he added, “All of it belongs to you” (1 Chronicles 29:14, 16).

Scripture tells us that even “the ability to produce wealth” and earn a living come from Him (Deuteronomy 8:18). Understanding that all we have is borrowed encourages us to loosen our grip on the stuff of this world and live with open hands and hearts—sharing freely because we’re deeply thankful for the kindnesses we receive daily.

God is a generous giver—so loving that He even gave up His Son “for us all” (Romans 8:32). Because we have been given so much, may we give Him our heartfelt thanks for blessings small and large.

By James Banks

REFLECT & PRAY

Whatever is ours is God’s.

What borrowed blessing can you thank God for today? How does it help to know that every good gift is from Him?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

INSIGHT

In David’s prayer recorded in 1 Chronicles 29, he makes several important statements about the true and living God. He praises God for being everlasting (v.10), having majestic splendor (v. 11), exercising kingdom rule (v. 12), and ultimately being the source of all provision (v. 14). This is the nature of the God that David rightly worships and the reason he’s made preparations for the building of a temple for Him (chs. 28-29).

For more on 1 Chronicles, check out the online course christianuniversity.org/OT220christianuniversity.org/OT220. Bill Crowder