Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10) // Take time to revel in God’s love this month. May it form the […]
January 8, 2016
READ: Psalm 37:1-24
The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives (v.23).
Flying back from a weeklong trip to Brazil, my husband and I received an unexpected text. The message from the church’s financial secretary revealed that a certified letter from our county’s board of education had arrived. Having planted a church that met at a local high school, we knew the letter had something to do with our rental agreement. For more than a year, it had been the place our church family called home each Sunday. Our dismay grew when we received the contents of the letter—the board wasn’t going to renew our lease for the building past the end of the year, just 3 short months away.
Shocked, we hurriedly considered other venues, only to find ourselves further discouraged. We had planned for change and unpredictability. We had planned for the inconvenience of a shared facility. We had planned to leave behind all that had been familiar. But we hadn’t planned on this . . .
Plans are far more than wanderings of our imagination. They’re doors of hope to what we believe God would have us do. David knew the importance of giving our plans to God: “Commit everything you do to the Lord,” he wrote. “Trust him, and he will help you” (Psalm 37:5). Instead of being overwhelmed by the change, it was important for us to “be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act” (v.7).
Surrendering our plans to God doesn’t mean He will fulfill them the way we would like, but He does direct our “steps” and knows “every detail of [our] lives” (v.23). When we trust Him in the midst of the unplanned, He takes the places of unexpected change and transforms them into opportunities for us to grow our faith. And He promises never to let us “fall” even as He leads us “by the hand” (v.24).
—Regina Franklin
365-day-plan: Genesis 11:1-9
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January 8, 2016
READ: John 8:31-38
If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
John 8:31-32
“Everybody’s doing it” seemed like a winning argument when I was young. But my parents never gave in to such pleas no matter how desperate I was to get permission to do something they believed was unsafe or unwise.
As we get older we add excuses and rationalizations to our repertoire of arguments for having our own way: “No one will get hurt.” “It’s not illegal.” “He did it to me first.” “She won’t find out.” Behind each argument is the belief that what we want is more important than anything else.
Eventually, this faulty way of thinking becomes the basis for our beliefs about God. One of the lies we sometimes choose to believe is that we, not God, are the center of the universe. We think we will be carefree and happy only when we reorder the world according to our desires. This lie is convincing because it promises an easier, speedier way to get what we want. It argues, “God is love, so He wants me to do whatever will make me happy.” But this way of thinking leads to heartache, not happiness.
Jesus told those who believed in Him that the truth would make them truly free (John 8:31-32). But He also warned, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (v. 34).
The best kind of happiness comes from the freedom we find when we accept the truth that Jesus is the way to a full and satisfying life.
— Julie Ackerman Link
Lord, we confess our tendency to rationalize everything to get what we think we want. Guide us today so that we choose to obey Your commands instead of pursuing our own desires.
There are no shortcuts to true happiness.
Welcome to this brand-new section on Editor’s Picks. Throughout the course of the year, we’ve received some extremely helpful and well-written pieces that we think will be a pity to not share with you again
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (Colossians 3:1-2) Design by Jude Dias A collaboration with Walk the Same
January 7, 2016
READ: Matthew 7:1-5
Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye (v.5).
In an interview on a popular website, an author was asked about her divorce and remarriage. The divorce had devastated her and her ex-husband, she said. She had believed marriage was a lifelong commitment and still did, and she had sought pastoral guidance as to whether remarriage to her new husband was right. I finished the article and scrolled down to the comments section.
Stones were hurled at the author from every direction. “The Bible says divorce is a sin,” people said. “Remarriage makes her an adulterer.” “She clearly hasn’t repented.” One zealous individual scanned the web for everything he could find on the author, and he belittled her life and work.
“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged,” Jesus said. “For you will be treated as you treat others” (Matthew 7:1-2). Jesus wasn’t saying we shouldn’t discern right and wrong or speak out when necessary. He was teaching against a critical, graceless spirit that claims the right to condemn. Such a right isn’t ours.
God is the only perfect judge of a person. We don’t know all the facts and can’t read people’s minds, so we can’t judge someone’s actions or motives from one article. Even if we could, we should never condemn them, because we too are sinners and could be tempted by the same sin (vv.3-4). The purpose of biblical correction isn’t condemnation but guidance back to the right path (Galatians 6:1).
Yes, we are to correct other believers in Jesus. But first, we need to check our own lives (Matthew 7:5). Also, we should know the person well and have that person’s permission to speak to him or her in truth and love—gently seeking that person’s restoration in Jesus. That will reflect God’s loving heart.
—Sheridan Voysey
365-day-plan: Genesis 9:1-17
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January 7, 2016
READ: Matthew 6:5-10
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Matthew 6:8
My home sits along a creek in a canyon in the shadow of a large mountain. During the spring snowmelt and after heavy rains this stream swells and acts more like a river than a creek. People have drowned in it. One day I traced the origin of the creek to its very source, a snowfield atop the mountain. From there the melted snow begins the long journey down the mountain, joining other rivulets to take shape as the creek below my house.
It occurs to me, thinking about prayer, that most of the time I get the direction wrong. I start downstream with my own concerns and bring them to God. I inform God, as if God did not already know. I plead with God, as if hoping to change God’s mind and overcome divine reluctance. Instead, I should start upstream where the flow begins.
When we shift direction, we realize that God already cares about our concerns—a loved one’s cancer, a broken family, a rebellious teenager—more than we do. Our Father knows what we need (Matt. 6:8).
Grace, like water, descends to the lowest part. Streams of mercy flow. We begin with God and ask what part we can play in His work on earth. With this new starting point for prayer, our perceptions change. We look at nature and see the signature of the grand Artist. We look at human beings and see individuals of eternal destiny made in God’s image. Thanksgiving and praise surge up to Him as a natural response.
— Philip Yancey
Dear Lord, I praise You for loving and caring for me so much. What would I ever do without You?
Prayer channels God’s supply to our needs.
Title: Fruit of the Spirit Materials: Handwritten Typography & Photography Description: Take time to savor these beautifully portrayed fruit of the spirit. May we be inspired and encouraged, creatively and spiritually by the fruit of Ian and Emily’s labor! “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” — Galatians.5:22-23 Photos taken […]
January 6, 2016
READ: 1 Kings 2:13-25
Be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16).
In the Shakespearean play Othello, the main bad guy is named Iago. He pretends to be Othello’s closest friend, offering counsel and advice, but all the while Othello, the main bad guy he’s plotting his friend’s downfall behind the scenes. The play is carefully constructed so that it’s impossible for even the audience to grasp the underhanded deceit of Iago until the very last scene. He’s plausible right up until the end, and if his part is acted well, the audience will often gasp when his true nature is finally revealed, for the character’s deception is convincingly hidden by his words and actions.
In 1 Kings 2:13-18, Bathsheba is thoroughly taken in by Adonijah. She suspects nothing dark in his request. What could possibly be wrong with his asking for the beautiful Shunammite woman with the not-so-lovely name Abishag? Abishag had comforted David, Adonijah’s father, in his last days (1 Kings 1:1-4), so surely it would be a service to her and a perfect match for him.
Solomon, however, saw the motivation behind the request. He discerned Adonijah’s ambition behind his desire for the woman who had spent time with the great King David (2:22). It was all about a political power play that would aid Adonijah in his desire to seize the throne. Solomon discerned the truth and saw the rebellion hidden in his heart.
Believers in Jesus should seek to bless and think the best of others, and yet God gives us discernment by His Spirit. Jesus told His disciples to “be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Being as innocent as a dove and as wise as a serpent is not achieved by imitating an Iago character. May God through His Word and Spirit help us to see what’s truly true.
—Russell Fralick
365-day-plan: Genesis 8:1-22
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)