Daily Scriptures and reflections [continued]

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October 18, 2010 "Our Daily Bread" http://odb.org/2010/10/18/still-going/

Still Going

Read: Ephesians 4:7-13

Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men. —Colossians 3:23

The Energizer Bunny can’t top the Service Partners of RBC Ministries. RBC, the publishers of Our Daily Bread, has a volunteer program called Service Partners that gives people the opportunity to donate their skills and time—helping us accomplish our mission “to make the life-changing wisdom of the Bible understandable and accessible to all.”

Some of the Service Partners are well past retirement age. Despite the aches, pains, and limitations of advancing age, they show up regularly and serve cheerfully at a variety of tasks. In 2009, they completed 100,000 hours in service since the program’s inception. They just keep going and going—not unlike the famous pink bunny.

Their example is a reminder that there is no “use by” date on our earthly lives. Scripture doesn’t designate a retirement age for believers. But there is an end product for our service—one unrelated to age. In describing the results of the efforts of “pastors and teachers,” Paul says their purpose is to equip “the saints for the work of ministry” (Eph. 4:12). And that “work of ministry,” which is the job of all believers, can lead to “the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (v.13). This task should “keep us going” for the rest of our lives.

Start where you are in serving the Lord,
Claim His sure promise and trust in His Word;
God simply asks you to do what you can—
He’ll use your efforts to further His plan. —Anon.

Young or old—God can use you if you’re willing.

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October 19, 2010 "Our Daily Bread" http://odb.org/2010/10/19/hoarding-or-helping/

Hoarding Or Helping?

Read: Isaiah 58:6-12

If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness. —Isaiah 58:10

In August 1914, when Britain entered World War I, Oswald Chambers was 40 years old with a wife and a 1-year-old daughter. It wasn’t long before men were joining the army at the rate of 30,000 a day, people were asked to sell their automobiles and farm horses to the government, and lists of the dead and wounded began appearing in daily newspapers. The nation faced economic uncertainty and peril.

A month into the war, Chambers spoke of the spiritual challenge facing followers of Christ: “We must take heed that in the present calamities, when war and devastation and heart-break are abroad in the world, we do not shut ourselves up in a world of our own and ignore the demand made on us by our Lord and our fellowmen for the service of intercessory prayer and hospitality and care.”

God’s call to His people rings true in every age: “If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday” (Isa. 58:10).

Fear causes us to grasp what we have; faith in God opens our hands and hearts to others. We walk in His light when we help others, not hoard for ourselves.

Give me a heart sympathetic and tender—
Jesus, like Thine, Jesus, like Thine—
Touched by the needs that are surging around me,
And filled with compassion divine. —Anon.

As Christ’s love grows in us, His love flows from us.

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October 21, 2010 "Our Daily Bread" http://odb.org/2010/10/21/safe-room/

Safe Room

Read: Proverbs 18:9-12

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. —Proverbs 18:10

In some homes, owners have built safe rooms—special places where they can go for protection should someone break into the house.

In Proverbs 18:10, Solomon reminded God’s people that God is their “safe room” and that they could find total security in Him.

In verses 10 and 11, he described two types of security to which some people run: the name of the Lord and wealth. The name or character of God is described as a “strong tower.” As a captured city might take refuge in a fortified tower, so the righteous could run to the Lord and find complete safety.

On the other hand, the wealthy imagined their riches as a high point of safety. Solomon sought to tell his readers that money might give a sense of security but it would be a false security that could lead to laziness, pride, and destruction. Yet people who are humble and find their complete security in the unchanging and holy character of God will find true safety.

Wealth may not be your particular “safe room.” You might tend to run instead to something or someone else when adversity comes. But we all need to learn to depend daily on the Lord and find a high point of safety in the safe room of His name.

It’s often easier to trust
In what our eyes can see,
But God asks us to look to Him
For our security. —Sper

The name of the Lord is our safe room.

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October 22, 2010 "Our Daily Bread" http://odb.org/2010/10/22/learning-from-the-redwoods/

Learning From The Redwoods

Read: Isaiah 65:17–66:2

As the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people. —Isaiah 65:22

North America’s Pacific Coast Redwoods are some of the biggest trees in the world. The tallest on record, Hyperion, soars 379 feet into the air.

During a visit to California’s Muir Woods National Park, I was surprised and overwhelmed by the enormity of those redwoods. Trees as tall as a 30- story building seemed to press me into the forest floor while drawing my thoughts upward.

The memory of what I felt at the base of some of the tallest and oldest trees in the world has left me with lingering thoughts about their origin. Those redwoods, like the family tree of our own humanity, are rooted in a Creator who is infinitely and eternally greater than His creation.

The prophet Isaiah caught a glimpse of this God. In a vision that mingled the wonders of a Messianic kingdom with the promise of a new heaven and earth, he describes One who makes the skies His throne and the earth His footstool (Isa. 66:1).

Yet Isaiah saw something even more overwhelming. He saw a great God who wants His people to “be glad and rejoice forever in what I create” (65:18). In response, let’s bow before Him in humble adoration (66:2).

How glorious to think ahead
Of blessings yet to be,
Of help from God while life shall last—
Then joys eternally! —Branon

God’s work of creating is done; our work of praising has only begun.

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October 29, 2010 "Our Daily Bread" http://odb.org/2010/10/29/truth-or-error/

Truth Or Error?

Read: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God. —2 Timothy 2:15

Steve often witnesses to his co- workers. But when he mentions something directly from the Bible, someone frequently responds: “Wait! That was written by men, and it’s full of errors just like any other book.”

The following letter to the editor in our local newspaper expresses a similar thought: “Believers cite that the Word of God is infallible, but I see no apparent reason to believe that the words written in the Bible by man are any more infallible than the words written in a science journal by man.”

How do we respond when the Scriptures are so readily dismissed as being just man’s words with errors? Most of us aren’t biblical scholars and may not have an answer. But if we do some reading (2 Tim. 2:15), we’ll find the evidence that it’s God-inspired (3:16) and therefore trustworthy.

For example, consider this: Over a period of 1,600 years, 40 different authors wrote the 66 books of the Bible. There were 400 silent years between the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 of the New Testament. Yet, Genesis to Revelation tell one unified story.

While we accept the Bible by faith, there’s plenty of evidence that it’s true. Let’s be diligent to study and share what we learn with others.

For Further Study
To understand more about why we can trust the Bible, read Can I Really Trust The Bible? at www.discoveryseries.org/q0402

In a skeptical world you can trust God’s reliable Word.

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October 30, 2010 "Our Daily Bread" http://odb.org/2010/10/30/lingering-damage/

Lingering Damage

Read: 2 Samuel 12:1-14

The sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite. —2 Samuel 12:10

A young teen who was constantly getting into trouble always apologized when his parents confronted him. No matter how much he hurt his parents with his previous wrong-doing, he would soon turn around and do something else wrong—knowing he would be forgiven.

Finally, his dad took him out to the garage for a talk. Dad picked up a hammer and pounded a nail into the garage wall. Then he gave his son the hammer and told him to pull out the nail.

The boy shrugged, grabbed the hammer, and yanked out the nail.

“That’s like forgiveness, Son. When you do something wrong, it’s like pounding in a nail. Forgiveness is when you pull the nail out.”

“Okay, I get it,” said the boy.

“Now take the hammer and pull out the nail hole,” his dad replied.

“That’s impossible!” the boy said. “I can’t pull it out.”

As this story illustrates and King David’s life proves, sin carries consequences. Even though David was forgiven, his adultery and murder left scars and led to family problems (2 Sam. 12:10). This sobering truth can serve as a warning for our lives. The best way to avoid the lingering damage of sin is to live a life of obedience to God.

A Prayer: Thank You for being slow to anger and filled with compassion. May I not presume upon Your mercy by assuming there will be no consequences for my sin. Help me to confess and then to sin no more. Amen.

Our sins can be forgiven and washed away, but their consequences are ours to pay.

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November 4, 2010 "Our Daily Bread" http://odb.org/2010/11/04/remember-john/

Remember John

Read: 2 Kings 5:1-15

Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. —2 Kings 5:15

John is a humble, uneducated man. Yet God used him to start the peace process in Mozambique. His name is not mentioned in any official documents; all he did was arrange a meeting between two of his acquaintances— Kenyan Ambassador Bethuel Kiplagat and a Mozambican. But that introduction set in motion the events that led to a peace treaty after a 10-year civil war.

From that experience, Ambassador Kiplagat learned the importance of respecting everyone. “You never dismiss people because they are not educated, because they are white, because they are black, because they are women, because they are old or young. Every encounter is sacred, and we need to value that encounter,” the ambassador said. “You never know what word might be there for you.”

The Bible confirms that this is true. Naaman was a great man in Syria when he got the dreaded disease of leprosy. A servant girl whom he had captured from Israel told Naaman’s wife that the prophet Elisha could heal him. Because Naaman was willing to listen to this lowly servant girl, his life was spared and he came to know the one true God (2 Kings 5:15).

God often speaks through those to whom few are willing to listen. To hear God, be sure to listen to the humble.

God often uses lowly things
His purpose to fulfill,
Because it takes a humble heart
To carry out His will. —D. De Haan

God uses ordinary people to carry out His extraordinary plan.

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November 5, 2010 "Our Daily Bread" http://odb.org/2010/11/05/a-lasting-imprint/

A Lasting Imprint

Read: Matthew 5:13-20

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. —Matthew 5:16

Caerleon is a Welsh village with deep historical roots. It was one of three sites in the United Kingdom where Roman legions were posted during Rome’s occupation of Britain. While the military presence ended some 1,500 years ago, the imprint of that occupation can still be seen today. People come from all over the world to visit the military fort, the barracks, and the amphitheatre that are reminders of the days when Rome ruled the world and occupied Wales.

It amazes me that 15 centuries later, the evidence of Rome’s presence can still so clearly be seen in that small community.

I wonder, though, about another kind of imprint—the imprint of Christ on our lives. Do we allow His presence to be clearly seen by others? Is it possible for people who interact with us to know that Jesus occupies our lives?

Jesus calls us to make known His presence in our lives to the glory of God the Father. He says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). Through the light of our testimony and the impact of our deeds of service, people should be able to see evidence of the presence of God in our lives. Is it true? Can they see His imprint?

The Christ of God to glorify,
His grace in us to magnify;
His Word of life to all make known—
Be this our work, and this alone. —Whittle

Let your testimony be written in large enough letters so the world can always read it.

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November 12, 2010 "Our Daily Bread" http://odb.org/2010/11/12/more-than-loaves/

More Than Loaves

Read: John 6:25-36

You seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. —John 6:26

Seventeenth-century Quaker leader Isaac Pennington said, “The Lord has been teaching me to live upon Himself—not from anything received from Him, but upon the life itself.” The people in John 6 wanted to live off Jesus, but not for the same reason. It was not because their hearts were loyal to Him, but because their hearts were loyal to what they thought He could provide for them—namely, food and deliverance from Roman oppression.

Jesus’ provision of the loaves and fish was a confirmation in their minds of what He could do for them. Jesus knew that behind their interest in Him was their hope that He would become a different kind of king, so He withdrew from them (John 6:14-15). The next day they looked for Him and found Him, making their quest successful (vv.22,25-26). So they continued to follow Him because of what they thought He could provide. But Jesus turned the tables and identified Himself as the Bread of Life (vv.32-33). They wanted a better life from Him, but He told them He came to offer them eternal life (v.40). Only those who believe in Jesus can find true fulfillment—now and forever.

Follow Jesus, not just because He can provide “the loaves,” but because He can satisfy your deepest hunger—the quest for eternal fellowship with Him.

I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
And now I live in Him. —Bonar

You can experience complete fulfillment
if your life is filled with Christ.

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November 18, 2010 "Our Daily Bread" http://odb.org/2010/11/18/spiritual-junk-food/

Spiritual Junk Food

Read: Hebrews 13:1-9

Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. —Hebrews 13:9

In many countries, childhood obesity is at an all-time high. A major culprit in such unhealthy weight gain is poor eating habits and junk food.

The term junk food refers to items that taste good but lack nutritional value and are often very high in calories and fat. Chips, soft drinks, candy bars, cookies, and many meals purchased at fast-food restaurants fit these criteria.

To be spiritually healthy, we have to avoid “spiritual junk food” as well. Some religious teachers proclaim “a different gospel” (Gal. 1:6), ranging from health-and-wealth to a counterfeit spirituality. And some Christian music and books also contain false teaching. Taking in this kind of “food” may seem to satisfy spiritual hunger, but it will not lead to spiritual health.

Hebrews warns us: “Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace” (Heb. 13:9). False teaching is detrimental to our health and is not profitable, because it cannot cleanse from sin nor give power for spiritual growth. But biblical content that is based upon grace and truth does both.

Avoid “spiritual junk food” and instead feast on God’s Word to promote your spiritual health.

To walk close by Your side, my dear Savior,
To be led by You, doing each task,
To feast richly on grace at Your table,
And to know You is all that I ask. —Somerville

Feeding on God’s truth will help us avoid swallowing lies.