SOURCE OF HOPE

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

SOURCE OF HOPE

READ:  Lamentations 3:19-41

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:22

What good is faith when all seems lost?  I’ve asked that penetrating question in my life, and not long ago I received a letter from a mom who has asked it as well.

She told me that she and her husband set out in their marriage to seek God’s will for their lives and entrust their future to Him.  Then their second son was born with Down syndrome.  Their initial response was “grief, shock, and disbelief.”  Yet the same day he was born, God used Philippians 4:6-7 to put peace in their hearts and give them an undying love for their precious son.  It says; “Let your requests be made know to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts.”

But their days in the desert were not over.  Nine years later, their fourth son was diagnosed with cancer.  Before he reached his third birthday, he was gone.  Shock, pain, and sadness again broke into their world.  And again they found help from God and His Word.  “When the grief overwhelms us,” says this mom, “we turn to God’s Word and His gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.”

When life’s troubles hit us like a tidal wave, we can remember that God’s compassions never fail (Lamentations 3:22).  He can give us the hope we need.     DB  

Feeling hopeless reminds us that we are helpless without God. 

SERVANT'S HEART

Servant’s Heart

Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.

Mark 9:35

READ MARK 9:33–37

Cook. Event Planner. Nutritionist. Nurse. These are just some of the responsibilities regularly performed by modern moms. In 2016, research estimated that moms likely worked between fifty-nine and ninety-six hours per week doing child-related tasks.

No wonder moms are always exhausted! Being a mom means giving a lot of time and energy to care for children, who need so much help as they learn to navigate the world.

When my days feel long and I need a reminder that caring for others is a worthy pursuit, I find great hope when I see Jesus affirming those who serve.

In the gospel of Mark, the disciples were having an argument about which one of them was the greatest. Jesus quietly sat down and reminded them that “anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all” (9:35). Then He took a child in His arms to illustrate the importance of serving others, especially the most helpless among us (vv. 36-37).

Christ’s response resets the bar for what greatness looks like in His kingdom. His standard is a heart willing to care for others. And Jesus has promised that God’s empowering presence will be with those who choose to serve (v. 37).

As you have opportunities to serve in your family or community, be encouraged that Jesus greatly values the time and effort you give in service to others.

By Lisa M. Samra

REFLECT & PRAY

Jesus, thank You for reminding us of Your loving care for children and any who are vulnerable. Help us to follow Your example of service.

How might you serve someone today? How could you take time to say “thank you” to someone who has graciously loved and served you.

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

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

In the world of first-century Israel, opening one’s home to travelers was of great social importance. According to one rabbinic tradition, hospitality was greater than welcoming the shekinah, which signaled God’s glory or presence in His temple. The same culture, however, didn’t require men to open the doors of their hearts to members of their own community they considered beneath their dignity. They regarded servants, wives, and children as property and often treated them accordingly. As a result, Christ’s disciples had no natural understanding of a kingdom that would be led by a servant-king willing to die for His vision of a better world (Mark 9:30-32).

Jesus turned their views of His kingdom upside down by embracing and honoring a little child to illustrate a humility they’d not yet begun to understand. Then He expanded the implications of who we welcome into our hearts (v. 37). Mart DeHaan

THE DAY THE SUN DIDN'T SHINE

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

THE DAY THE SUN DIDN’T SHINE

READ:  Psalm 103

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not

all His benefits.  Psalm 103:2

We often take god’s blessings for granted until they are taken from us.  Then we recognize how important even the most common gifts of God really are.

There’s a legend about a day the sun didn’t rise.  At six in the morning it was dark.  At seven it was still night.  Noon came and it was like midnight.  By four in the afternoon, people flocked to the churches to beg God for the sun.

The  psalmist knew he couldn’t possibly remember all of God’s benefits to him.  He was distressed that he might forget them all, so he took his sluggish soul in hand, shook it, and urged it to consider at least some of the good gifts God gave to him.

Because God’s goodness is as constant as the sun, we are in danger of forgetting what He showers on us each day.  If we count our blessings one by one, we’ll never get finished.  But if we jot down a list of ten or twenty gifts God gives us each day, something will happen to our hearts.

Let’s try it and find out for ourselves.      HWR

If you want to be rich, count all the things you have that

money can’t buy. 

MORE THAN HACKS

More Than Hacks

He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever—holy and awesome is his name.

Psalm 111:9

READ PSALM 111

I recently found a “hack” (a clever solution to a tricky problem) when one of my grandchildren warmed her toy rabbit on our fireplace glass. The resulting globs of fake bunny fur weren’t pretty, but a fireplace expert provided a great hack—a tip for how to make the glass look like new. It worked, and now we no longer allow stuffed animals near the fireplace!

I bring up hacks because sometimes we can view Scripture as a collection of hacks—tips to make life easier. While it’s true that the Bible has much to say about how to live a Christ-honoring new life, that’s not the only purpose of the Book. What Scripture provides for us is a solution for mankind’s greatest need: rescue from sin and eternal separation from God.

From the promise of salvation in Genesis 3:15 all the way to the true hope of a new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1-2), the Bible explains that God has an eternal plan for rescuing us from our sin and allowing us to enjoy fellowship with Him. In every story and every suggestion for how to live, the Bible is pointing us to Jesus—the only One who can solve our biggest problem.

When we open God’s Book, may we remember that we’re looking for Jesus, the rescue He offers, and how to live as His children. He’s provided the greatest solution of all!

By Dave Branon

REFLECT & PRAY

Father, thank You for the salvation You provided through Jesus. Help me to honor You by keeping focused on our Savior and His amazing love for me. To learn more about who Jesus is, visit christianuniversity.org/NT111.

How has Jesus and His promise to rescue those who believe in Him touched your heart and life? Why is it vital to see that the Bible consistently points to Christ?

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

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Psalm 111 is one of seven Old Testament psalms known as “acrostic psalms” (other acrostics are 25, 34, 37, 112, 119, 145). They’re designated as such because of their alphabetical ordering. The Hebrew alphabet has twenty-two letters (from aleph to taw); an acrostic psalm has 22 lines or verses, each beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalms 111 and 112 are companion psalms. In the Hebrew language, both have twenty-two lines in ten verses, apart from the call to worship, “Praise the Lord.”

With a marvelous touch of creativity, the writer boasts about the “works” of the Almighty (111:2, 6-7). Other words and expressions used to speak of the activity of God are “deeds” (v. 3) and “wonders” (v. 4). His character is likewise celebrated: “his righteousness endures forever”; He’s “gracious and compassionate”; and “he remembers his covenant forever” (vv. 3-5). Arthur Jackson

WOUNDED OYSTERS

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

WOUNDED OYSTERS

READ:  Genesis 41:46-57

God has caused me to be fruitful in the land

of my affliction.  Genesis 41:52

When seemingly needless suffering invades our lives, we often ask ourselves, “Who needs all this grief?”  But consider, for a moment, the origin of pearls.

Each pearl is formed by an oyster’s internal response to a wound caused by an irritant, such as a grain of sand.  Resources of repair rush to the injured area.  The final result is a lustrous pearl.  Something beautiful is created that would have been impossible without the wound.

In today’s Bible reading, we see Joseph in a position of influence, a position God soon used to feed surrounding nations and Joseph’s family during famine.  But how did he become influential?  It began with a wound-being sold into slavery (Genesis 39)-which produced a pearl of usefulness.   Because Joseph drew on God’s resources when humiliated, he became better, not bitter.  He named his second son Ephraim, which means “twice fruitful,” and he said, “God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction” (41:52).

Author Paul E. Billheimer says of Joseph, “If human pity could have rescued him from the sad part of his life, the glorious part that followed would have been lost.”  So if you’re suffering, remember:  No wounds, no pearls!    JY

If we accept adversity,

Enduring every pain,

Then we will learn what we should know;

Our grief will turn to gain. -Sper

Adversities are often blessings in disguise.

LIFE CHANGES

Life Changes

Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:24

READ EPHESIANS 4:20–24

Stephen grew up in a rough part of East London and fell into crime by the age of ten. He said, “If everyone’s selling drugs and doing robberies and fraud, then you’re going to get involved. It’s just a way of life.” But when he was twenty, he had a dream that changed him: “I heard God saying, Stephen, you’re going to prison for murder.” This vivid dream served as a warning, and he turned to God and received Jesus as his Savior—and the Holy Spirit transformed his life.

Stephen set up an organization that teaches inner-city kids discipline, morality, and respect through sports. He credits God with the success he has seen as he prays with and trains the kids. “Rebuilding misguided dreams,” he says.

In pursuing God and leaving behind our past, we—like Stephen—follow Paul’s charge to the Ephesians to embrace a new way of life. Although our old self is “corrupted by its deceitful desires,” we can daily seek to “put on the new self” that’s created to be like God (Ephesians 4:22, 24). All believers embrace this continual process as we ask God through His Holy Spirit to make us more like Him.

Stephen said, “Faith was a crucial foundation for me changing my life around.” How has this been true for you?

By Amy Boucher Pye

REFLECT & PRAY

Jesus, You’re alive and working in the world and in my life. Help me become more like You day by day as I leave the old self behind.

When you look back over your life, what comes to mind as key moments that prompted change? What long-lasting change resulted?

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

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

In view of what Jesus has done to save us (Ephesians 1-3), Paul urges the Ephesian believers to “live a life worthy of the calling [they] have received” (4:1). Paul insisted that they “must no longer live as the Gentiles do” (v. 17), living a life of sensuality and moral impurity (v. 19). Writing metaphorically, Paul speaks of the sinful nature as something old that must be replaced by the new (vv. 22-24). Paul reminds us that “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 nlt). In Colossians 3, Paul instructs us to “put to death . . . whatever belongs to [our] earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed . . . . [And] clothe [ourselves] with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (vv. 5, 12). One Bible teacher says we’re to put off our grave clothes and put on grace clothes. K. T. Sim

A BRILLIANT IDEA

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

A BRILLIANT IDEA

READ:  2 Chronicles 16:1-13

Help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You.

2 Chronicles 14:11

An ancient Indonesian fable tells of a turtle that could fly.  He would hold on to a stick with his mouth as it was carried by geese.  When the turtle heard the onlookers on the ground saying, “Aren’t those geese brilliant!”  his pride was so hurt that he shouted, “It was my idea!”  Of course he lost his grip.  His pride became his downfall.

For forty-one years, Asa was a strong and humble king.  He brought peace and prosperity to the kingdom of Judah.  During the early years of Asa’s reign he prayed, “Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You” (2 Chronicles 14:11).

But toward the end of his reign, when the army of the northern kingdom of Israel confronted him, Asa sought help from the king of Syria instead of from God.  Because of his foolishness, his rule weakened and his nation experienced wars.  What went wrong?  Proud of past achievements, Asa had forgotten to depend on the Lord, so the Lord was no longer showing “himself strong” on Asa’s behalf (16:9).

God is still looking for those who will allow Him to show himself strong in their lives.  Living  a humble, God-dependent life is truly a brilliant idea!

We must depend upon our God

With deep humility,

 Lest pride should rob us of His strength

And bring futility. -DJD

No one is stronger than the one who depends on God.