THE BLESSING IS COMING

The Blessing Is Coming

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:9

READ GALATIANS 6:7–10

A friend and I went for a walk with her grandkids. While pushing the stroller, she commented that her steps were being wasted—they weren’t being counted on the activity tracker she wore on her wrist because she wasn’t swinging her arm. I reminded her that those steps were still helping her physical health. “Yeah,” she laughed. “But I really want that electronic gold star!”

I understand how she feels! Working toward something without immediate results is disheartening. But rewards aren’t always immediate or immediately visible.

When that’s the case, it’s easy to feel that the good things we do are useless, even helping a friend or being kind to a stranger. Paul explained to the church in Galatia, however, that “a man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7). But we must “not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest” (v. 9). Doing good isn’t the way to gain salvation, and the text doesn’t specify whether what we reap will be now or in heaven, but we can be assured that there will be “a harvest of blessing” (6:9 nlt).

Doing good is difficult, especially when we don’t see or know what the “harvest” will be. But as with my friend who still gained the physical benefit from walking, it’s worth continuing to do good because the blessing is coming!

By Julie Schwab

REFLECT & PRAY

Not all rewards are immediate or visible.

Are you discouraged? Ask God to help you trust Him to be faithful in what He’s called you to do. What good thing can you do for someone today?

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INSIGHT

The idea of perseverance or “keeping at something over time” is expressed twice in Galatians 6:9. First, readers are exhorted to “not become weary in doing good.” The word translated “become weary” (enkakeo) can also be rendered “become tired” or “lose heart.” In Luke 18:1, enkakeo is translated as “not give up” when Jesus told His disciples “they should always pray and not give up.” Each time enkakeo is used in the New Testament it’s expressed as something not to be done.

Second, perseverance is indirectly encouraged in Galatians 6:9 through the words “we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (ekluo). This word can also be translated “tire,” “become weak,” “lose courage,” or “faint.” In Hebrews 12:3, the Lord Jesus is used as the chief example of perseverance for those who are subject to “losing heart.” Arthur Jackson

COME TO ME

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

COME TO ME

READ:  John 10:1-18

When he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and

the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  John 10:4

After a hijacked plane slammed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, many people inside the building were trapped by a cloud of thick, blinding smoke.  Police officer Isaac Hoopi ran into the blackness, searching for survivors, and heard people calling for help.  He began shouting back, over and over:  “Head toward my voice!  Head toward my voice!”

Six people, who had lost all sense of direction in a smoke-filled hallway heard the officer’s shouts and follows.  Hoopi’s voice led them out of the building to safety.

“Head toward My voice!”  That’s also the invitation of Jesus to each of us when we are in danger or when we have lost our way.  Jesus described the true spiritual shepherd of the sheep as one who “calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice” (John 10:3-4).

Are we listening for Jesus’s voice during our times of prayer and Bible reading?  When we’re in difficult circumstances, are we walking toward Him instead of groping in the dark?

Jesus is “the good shepherd” (v. 11).  Whatever our need for guidance or protection, He calls us to heed His voice and follow Him.  DCM

When you hear the Shepherd’s voice

As He calls you, “Come to Me,”

In your life make Him your choice

And a faithful follower be. -Hess

You don’t need to know where you’re going

if you’re following the Shepherd.

SINGING IN THE SPIRIT

Singing in the Spirit

Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.

Ephesians 5:18–19

READ 2 CHRONICLES 5:7–14

During the Welsh Revivals of the early twentieth century, Bible teacher and author G. Campbell Morgan described what he observed. He believed the presence of God’s Holy Spirit was moving on “billowing waves of sacred song.” Morgan wrote that he had seen the unifying influence of music in meetings that encouraged voluntary prayers, confession, and spontaneous singing. If someone got carried away by their feelings and prayed too long, or spoke in a way that didn’t resonate with others, someone would begin to softly sing. Others would gently join in, the chorus swelling in volume until drowning out all other sound.

The renewal in song that Morgan describes has its story in the Scriptures, where music plays a prominent role. Music was used to celebrate victories (Exodus 15:1-21); in worshipful dedication of the temple (2 Chronicles 5:12-14); and as a part of military strategy (20:21-23). At the center of the Bible we find a songbook (Psalms 1-150). And in Paul’s New Testament letter to the Ephesians we read this description of life in the Spirit: “[Speak] to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:19).

In conflict, in worship, in all of life, the music of our faith can help us find one voice. In harmonies old and new we’re renewed again and again, not by might, nor by power, but the Spirit and songs of our God.

By Mart DeHaan

REFLECT & PRAY

The Spirit has a song for those who listen.

What song has spoken to your heart recently? How can music encourage you in your relationship with God?

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

INSIGHT

Why is so much detail given about the tabernacle and the ark? In today’s passage we read that “There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb” (2 Chronicles 5:10), a seemingly unnecessary detail. The tabernacle was the place God dwelt with His people, so details mattered. The mention of the contents of the ark was the “contract” of the relationship between God and His people. It reinforced that God was with them. J.R. Hudberg

EFFECTIVE PRAYING

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

EFFECTIVE PRAYING

READ:  Matthew 7:7-11

Everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds.  Matthew 7:8

A twelve-year-old Cambodian boy named Lem Cheong began to question his family’s religious beliefs.  He had been taught that a person seeking guidance should go to a temple and shake a container of numbered bamboo slivers unties one fell out.  The priest then interpreted the meaning of the number.  But this practice didn’t satisfy Cheong’s longing for clear answers, nor did it fill the void in his heart that only God could fill.

According to Harold Sala in his book Touching God, Cheong asked his uncle, a priest, if he had ever had a prayer answered.  The man was shocked by the brashness of his nephew’s question, but he admitted that he couldn’t remember a single time one of his prayers had been answered.

Later Cheong asked a Christian if God had ever answered his prayers.  The man recounted several instances.  Cheong was so impressed that he accepted Jesus as his Savior that day.  Since then, prayer has become a vital part of his life.

Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).  Christians prayer is effective because God is the living and true God who hears and answers according to His will.  And His will is always good.   VCG

For answered prayer we thank You, Lord;

We know You’re always there

To hear us when we call on You-

We’re grateful for Your care. -Branon

Through prayer, finite man draws upon

the power of the infinite God.

OBSCURED BY CLOUDS

Obscured by Clouds

We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.

2 Corinthians 4:18

READ 2 CORINTHIANS 4:16–18

A rare supermoon appeared in November 2016—the moon in its orbit reached its closest point to the earth in over sixty years and so appeared bigger and brighter than at other times. But for me that day the skies were shrouded in gray. Although I saw photos of this wonder from friends in other places, as I gazed upward I had to trust that the supermoon was lurking behind the clouds.

The apostle Paul faced many hardships but believed that what is unseen will last forever. He said how his “momentary troubles” achieve “an eternal glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17). Thus he could fix his eyes “not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,” because what is unseen is eternal (v. 18). Paul yearned that the Corinthians and our faith would grow, and although we suffer, that we too would trust in God. We might not be able to see Him, but we can believe He is renewing us day by day (v. 16).

I thought about how God is unseen but eternal when I gazed at the clouds that day, knowing that the supermoon was hidden but there. And I hoped the next time I was tempted to believe that God was far from me, I would fix my eyes on what is unseen.

By Amy Boucher Pye

REFLECT & PRAY

Lord God, sometimes I feel like You’re far from me. Help me to believe the truth that You are ever near, whether I feel Your presence or not. 

What does it mean for you to fix your eyes on what is unseen? How does your hope in Jesus help you face the difficulties of life?

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

INSIGHT

Paul’s call to ministry included the call to suffer (Acts 9:15-16). In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul described extensively his hardships. He was “hard pressed on every side . . . persecuted . . . struck down . . . always being given over to death” (vv. 8-11). Already adequately sustained by God’s sovereign power and sufficient grace (vv. 7-9), Paul was spurred on by God’s surpassing glory (vv. 16-18). Even though physically ravaged, God was renewing him every day. With eternity in view, Paul considered his sufferings as “momentary” because they would not follow him into his eternal life, and “light” because the reward that awaited him was far weightier (v. 17). Like Paul, we can look beyond our current troubles and see the “glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (v. 17 nlt). K. T. Sim

YOU ARE NEVER ALONE

 GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

YOU ARE NEVER ALONE

READ:  John 14: 15-21

I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.  John 14:18

Jesus is just as real today as he was when He walked on this earth.  Even though He doesn’t move among us physically, by the Holy Spirit He is here, there, everywhere-a continuous, living presence-outside of us and inside of us.

That may be a terrifying thought for some.  Perhaps you don’t like yourself, or you’re contemplating all the bad things you’ve done.  Insecurity and sin can create a sense of fear, awkwardness, and clumsiness in Jesus’ presence.  But think of what you know about Him.  

Despite what you are or what you may have done, He loves you (Romans 5:8;  1 John 4:7-11).  He will never leave you nor forsake you (John 14:18; Hebrews 13:5).  Others may not think much of you or invite you to spend time with them, but Jesus does (Matthew 11:28).  Others may not like the way you look, but He looks at your heart (1 Samuel 16:7; Luke 24:38).  Others may think you’re a bother because you’re old and in the way, but He will love you to the end (Romans 8:35-39).

Jesus loves you in spite of all the conditions that cause others to turn away.  He wants to change you to be like Him, but He loves you as you are and will never abandon you.  You are family; you will never, ever be alone.  DHR

Jesus shares your worries and cares,

You’ll never be left all alone,

For He stands beside you to comfort and guide you,

He always looks out for His own. -Brandt

If you know Jesus, you’ll never walk alone.

BEARING THE BURDEN OF WRONGS

Bearing the Burden of Wrongs

Do not repay evil with evil.

1 Peter 3:9

READ 1 PETER 3:8–14

On January 30, 2018, almost thirty-eight years after his conviction, Malcolm Alexander walked out of prison a free man. DNA evidence cleared Alexander, who had steadfastly maintained his innocence amid a myriad of court proceedings that were tragically unjust. An incompetent defense attorney (later disbarred), shoddy evidence, and dubious investigative tactics all put an innocent man in prison for nearly four decades. When he was finally released, however, Alexander showed immense grace. “You cannot be angry,” he said. “There’s not enough time to be angry.”

Alexander’s words evidence a deep grace. If injustice robbed us of thirty-eight years of our lives and destroyed our reputations, we would likely be angry, furious. Though Alexander spent many long, heartbreaking years bearing the burden of wrongs inflicted upon him, he wasn’t undone by the evil. Rather than exerting his energy trying to get revenge, he exhibited the posture Peter instructs: “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult” (1 Peter 3:9).

The Scriptures go a step further: rather than seeking vengeance, the apostle Peter tells us we are to bless (v. 9). We extend forgiveness, the hope of well-being, for those who have unjustly wronged us. Without excusing their evil actions, we can meet them with God’s scandalous mercy. On the cross, Jesus bore the burden of our wrongs, that we might receive grace and extend it to others—even those who have wronged us.

By Winn Collier

REFLECT & PRAY

God, it’s hard not to want those who hurt me to hurt just as much. Help me to live out Your mercy and grace.

Without excusing their actions, how can you extend mercy to others who have wronged you? What will it mean for you to “bless” them?

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

INSIGHT

When Peter wrote, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult” (1 Peter 3:9), he echoed the words of Jesus Himself, who said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27). Jesus added, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them” (v. 32).

Why are we to display such supernatural love? It shows the world the heart of our Father. By loving our enemies, Jesus said, “You will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (vv. 35-36). As Peter noted, “To this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:9). By blessing our enemies, we ourselves are blessed. Such is the counterintuitive nature of the gospel. Tim Gustafson